#i still have an adoration for these two <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[beloveds-embrace]

dukedom!AU but they realize she’s quickly become a type of ‘peoples princess’ outside the duchy

The timeline for this one is before reader tells john her request! I got this ask before part two dropped and already had some of it written. Hope you enjoy, anon! <3

Dukedome au masterlist

I can imagine them realizing it not from seeing it, but from hearing it, maybe during a gala hosted by John and uou. The evening is alive with music and laughter, the grand ballroom brimming with nobles and dignitaries. Yet the chatter revolve around one figure: you.

“She’s truly remarkable, isn’t she?” one elderly countess says, her voice carrying across the marble floors and gleaming ceilings. “Always so graceful, so kind. I am quite glad she is Duchess Price, now.”

John stands near the refreshments table with Simon, and overhears the conversation. His hand tightens slightly around his glass, though his face betrays nothing. Nothing new to be talked about, it was natural. And yet-

“Graceful?” a younger lady chimes in, voice calm and polite. “She’s more than that. Did you hear she personally visited the orphanage last week? Brought food and clothing, spoke to every child. And not for show- she refused to let any journalists near. That’s a true duchess.”

Simon’s brows furrows slightly, his jaw tightening. He exchanges a glance with John, the unspoken thought between them clear: she hadn’t told either of them about that visit. It wasn’t because John didn’t trust you, or that you need his permission; he just wanted to be aware of where you go and which guards you’ll take. For your own safety.

“She’s so approachable too,” a lord adds, gesturing with his wine glass. John knows this lord, he always ends up drinking too much and being too handsy. Why would you need to speak to him? “I spoke to her briefly earlier- she didn’t just listen, she cared. You can see it in her eyes. It’s no wonder the people adore her.”

Adore is putting it way too lightly.

From the other side of the room, Kyle watches as a small group of maids gossip near the staircase. He wasn’t one for eavesdropping, but their excitement is hard to ignore.

“I heard she gave her own jewelry to the head maid’s daughter to help her pay for her dowry.” One of them whispers, clutching her tray.

“That’s not all,” another group are speaking, talking about her as well. “The market vendors say she always pays more than is needed, even when they insist she doesn’t do. Such a lovely woman.”

“Wish the other nobles were like her,” the first maid says with a wistful sigh. “She’s the only one who treats us like people.”

Kyle’s lips press into a thin line as he adjusts his gloves. He prides himself on protecting you, but hearing how far your kindness extends fills him with a quiet sense of urgency. What if someone takes advantage of you and your tender heart?

It’s not just in the main hall that these words are said; down in the kitchens, Johnny is busy ensuring there’s enough food with the rest of the chefs. But still, he can hear two others talking while they work, trying not to sound too snappy or angry while he listens in on them.

As the night continues, the men find themselves more and more aware of how often your name arises in conversation. They hear nobles discussing your fashion choices (Simon secretly preens), others whispering about your visits to the poorer parts of town and the funds that have been allocated into revitalizing the areas, and even rival duchesses grudgingly admitting that you’ve set quite the high standard.

“I heard she stopped Lord Clinton from evicting his tenants,” one man says near the dance floor, though not quite close enough to be drawn into the dancing bodies. He is within John and Simon’s earshots.

“Not only that,” someone else “whispers”. “She made sure they had food and shelter through the winter. commoners love her, and she truly embodies what it means to be a noble. A true people’s princess, I say.”

John’s gaze flickers toward you, standing across the room and laughing softly with a group of nobles. You’re glowing tonight, the light catching in your hair and your smile as warm as ever, adorned in a beautiful dress.

“They don’t deserve her,” Kyle mutters, sidling up to him while holding a plate of finger foods.

John doesn’t respond, but his grip on his glass tightens again. It’s a wonder the glass hasn’t broken et.

Simon’s voice is quiet when he speaks. “The people see her as theirs.” He pauses, his gaze hardening. “But she’s ours first.”

“I cannot blame them.” John sighs. “She is the perfect duchess. But she is also my duchess, and they seem to have forgotten that.”

John means his words, and he knows his men agree with him. The world may love you, but they know the truth: no one else can have you- not the people, not the nobles, no one but them.

The ballroom continues to buzz with conversation, and John focuses back on the two men near the edge of the dance floor.

“She’s wasted on a duchy,” one of them says, swirling his wine with a smirk, more than just a little drunk. “With her charm, she could outshine the Queen herself.”

“Not just charm,” the other adds in, just as drunk. “But Influence.”

Simon stiffens, his fingers flexing at his sides. “Influence” isn’t something he takes lightly when it comes to you. It’s a dangerous thing in the wrong hands- or with the wrong admirers.

“Careful,” John mutters to him. “They’re complimenting her, not threatening her.”

Simon’s glare softens ever so slightly. “Yet.”

Johnny slowly makes his way towards a hidden corner of the ballroom, gnawing on his lips as he listens to the whispers of you.

Did you see the way she stopped to speak with the gardeners?” one of them asks. “She even complimented the hedges I trimmed last week!”

Johnny’s grin fades, his fingers drumming against his thigh. He enjoys seeing people appreciate you, but this feels different. They speak of you with reverence, as if you’re some untouchable figure. But Johnny knows better. You’re no untouchable goddess- you’re his. Theirs. That’s what matters most.

It’s when you step onto the dance floor that the tension truly rises. A duke- one who’s been eyeing you all evening- approaches you with a bow, extending his hand for a dance. You hesitate, glancing toward John out of instinct. He doesn’t move, but his eyes darken, his jaw clenched as he watches you take the duke’s hand.

The music swells and you move across the floor, laughter bubbles from your lips at something your dance partner says. The men see it for what it is: polite, nothing more. But it doesn’t stop the knot of irritation tightening even further.

“She’s a vision,” someone murmurs nearby, unaware they’re being overheard.

“Who wouldn’t fall for her?” another replies.

The words hang in the air, heavy with implication.

Kyle’s gaze sharpens. Johnny’s grin vanishes completely. Simon’s fists clench at his sides. And John, ever composed, finishes his wine in one long swallow, his eyes never leaving you.

He can’t allow this to go on for any longer.

The dance ends, and as you return to the edge of the ballroom, you’re immediately surrounded by more admirers- ladies complimenting your gown, lords vying for your attention. Or would have been, if John hadn’t started making his way towards you, presence larger than life.

“Your Grace,” he says smoothly, and extends his hand to you, his expression unreadable. “Dance with me.”

The request- or rather, the command- is met with stunned silence. The nobles exchange glances, but a single glance from John keeps them all silent.

You blink up at him, momentarily caught off guard, before placing your hand in his. “Of course.” you murmur softly.

John’s grip is firm but gentle as he leads you to the dance floor, his other hand resting lightly at your waist. The orchestra begins a soft waltz, and he pulls you into the first step, his movements confident and assured.

Around you, the crowd watches, whispers starting anew, though you barely notice. All you can focus on is the intensity in John’s eyes as he looks down at you.

“You’ve been busy tonight.” he says after a moment, his voice low enough that only you can hear. It sends a shiver up your spine- his voice always so nice to hear.

“It’s my role,” you reply, offering him a small smile. “Everyone has been so kind.”

He hums, his eyes flicking briefly to the onlookers before returning to you. “Too kind, perhaps.”

You raise an eyebrow at his tone but say nothing, letting him guide you across the floor. His hand tightens slightly at your waist, and he pulls you even more closer.

“You’ve done well tonight,” he says after a moment, his voice softer now. “Better than I expected, if I’m honest. But I shouldn’t have been surprised. You always seem to surprise me, my dear.”

Your cheeks warm at the unexpected praise, and you smile up at him. “Thank you, John. That means a great deal.”

He leans in just slightly, his breath ghosting over your ear. “The way they look at you,” he murmurs, his voice dropping even lower. “They can’t take their eyes off you. And I don’t blame them.”

You glance up at him, startled, but his expression is unreadable once again. He continues to lead you effortlessly through the dance, his movements precise.

“But,” he continues, his gaze locking onto yours, “they’ll have to remember who you belong to.”

Your heart skips at his words, and for a moment, you forget where you are, the world narrowing to just the two of you. His eyes soften, his grip steady as he twirls you into the final steps of the dance.

As the music fades, he leans in again, his voice barely above a whisper. “You’re exquisite tonight, wife. Don’t let them forget it.”

With that, he leads you off the dance floor, his hand never leaving yours. The crowd parts for the both of you, their gazes following you both as John guides you back to the edge of the room, where the others wait.

You’re still breathless, his words replaying in your mind as he steps aside, positioning himself at your shoulder. Whatever protests the nobles might’ve had about your absence dissolve under his watchful glare.

And though John doesn’t say another word for the rest of the evening, his presence alone is enough to ensure no one dares to crowd you again, and no one comes between you and them. Simon and Kyle keep you busy, chatting happily with them, and Johnny joins later when the guests begin to trickle out and no one would question why a chef is there.

People’s princess you maybe, you are still theirs. John simply had to show and remind everyone of that fact.

[komoriiis]

May i pls request fem!reader x sevika? I've been fallen for her since 3 years ago and after her scenes in ep 2 i was so in awe and giddy i need to read more of her 😭🤲

𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐊𝐀 ( 𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐄 ) — 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐇𝐂𝐒

˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ 𝖕𝖔𝖘𝖙 𝖙𝖞𝖕𝖊 :: bullet points / short drabble

˚ ୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ 𝖋𝖗𝖔𝖒 𝐤𝖔𝖗𝖎 :: im absolutely in love with sevika too so this was really good timing!! ive been wanting to write for her and viktor for the longest time :3 i hope youre okay with me doing general hcs, i didnt know if you wanted anything specific so i just did this 😋 also, sorry if she turned out ooc, this is my first time writing for arcane characters 😓

[ masterlists ]

ᥫ᭡ sevika will be the most protective gf ever—anywhere you go, she’ll always be 2 steps behind looking out for you!

ᥫ᭡ its not that she doesn’t think you can take care of yourself, but its just who she is. she gets worried, especially if you’re wandering around in the undercity

ᥫ᭡ she will 100% be your biggest hype woman. whenever you wear something new for date night, you can see her pupils dilating when looking at you with a small smirk on her face

ᥫ᭡ rather than hand holding i think she would be someone to wrap her arms around your waist, almost possessive in a way. when shes not doing that though, she would want you to have a hand holding onto her biceps

ᥫ᭡ will never ever let you tag along with anything work related. shes pretty dead set on separating you with her dirty work, for your safety

ᥫ᭡ some nights when it gets bad, she just wants you to hold her. don’t say anything. don’t ask her questions. just be with her until the next morning

ᥫ᭡ she loves to bring you back little trinkets or accessories from her missions that she thinks you’ll like / will look good on you. she would never admit it, but her heart always skips a beat when she sees you wearing something that she got for you herself

ᥫ᭡ lives for teasing/banter arguments. she finds it so hot when youre all riled up and mad at her, because she knows that she’ll make it up to you later anyways ( WHAAAT 😦 )

ᥫ᭡ she has insane mood swings on her period. one time, she accidentally snapped at you while you were trying to tell her about your day, and she felt so incredibly shitty for like 2 months

ᥫ᭡ sometimes, she gets nightmares of you dying in her arms due to an enforcer attack. its a reoccurring dream, and whenever she jolts awake in a cold sweat, you reassure her that you’re still there. you’re alive, and you’re not going anywhere anytime soon.

ᥫ᭡ sevika finds it adorable when you give her little nicknames. “vika”, “sevi” , “baby” , and “big mama” ( hehe ) are her favorites

ᥫ᭡ tries to have a date night at least once every two weeks. of course she would like it if it happened more often, but with her schedule its just not possible. when you two do go on dates though, she makes sure to go all out and make it the most enjoyable experience for you

ᥫ᭡ her coworkers are so surprised at how soft she has gotten because of you. she has something to fight for other than zaun now, and once they get their promised land then she’ll finally settle down with you and live through the rest with you by her side

𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 © 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐢𝐢𝐬. 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 !

[bidisasterevankinard]

sentences sunday

I was tagged by @diazsdimples @midsummersmorn

guess what? I have sequel for this fix it mpreg (more likely 1 out of 3 sequels)

“Evan?”

His husband hums, still reading the wikipedia page, so Tommy takes the laptop from him, sitting it on his nightstand. 

“Hey, I was almost done,” Evan pouts and Tommy giggles, kissing this adorable face. 

“Sorry, babe, but I have something important I want to talk about with you while I am still brave enough.”

Evan rapidly blinks and Tommy grabs his hand, kissing Evan’s shoulder and then sitting on the bed, facing Evan and moving Evan so he faces him.

“Evan, you and Dany are the most important people to me. My greatest happiness,” his husband blushes and smiles and Tommy again asks himself how this sun hadn’t blind him yet. “For years, I was alone. Too lonely not just outside, but inside my body. Alone and scared. Scared to love and let people love me because it felt like I don’t deserve forever. Like I don’t deserve to keep happiness. Maybe not even feel it at all,” Evan nods, remembering their thousands of conversations after they got together, especially during therapy. “It took me a while to believe that you will stay. That I can keep you and Dany as long as I’m willing to work for it with you,” Tommy can’t stop himself from kissing his husband at this moment. “I have everything I wasn’t brave enough to dream and more than young, scared and pretty asshole Tommy deserved. And I promise it’s enough. But recently, I can’t stop thinking that maybe our family can have another little person?”

Evan adorably giggles, kissing his nose, “Tommy, are you asking about putting another baby in me?”

Tommy shakes his head in exasperation, but hugs Evan’s waist, “yes. I want another baby, because I think now is the best time as ever. I’m soon to be 45 and you are almost 36. I have only a year before I can go to retirement with a full pension. And my friend in the academy told me they would be happy to give me a job there. It’s a good schedule, not like shifts and I still will have good income, so money won't be a problem. Plus you think about applying for Lieutenant soon, as Bobby now actually thinks about retirement in a year or two as Athena planned hers too. And you need to study a lot for it. But before that we can grow our family and you would have time to grow in your career, studying during pregnancy, if you would want to do it again.” 

Tommy swallows, thinking if he's too selfish to add the next part or not. But he remembers he and Evan promised to have full open communication so he continues, but almost in a whisper.

“I also would be really happy to have a chance to share this experience with you,” he looks at Evan who nods to him with a sad smile. “We both know why I wasn’t here for you with Dany, and I left it behind. We left it behind, but I,” Tommy kisses Evan’s knuckles, “I really wish to have this experience with you.”

Evan, with wet eyes and one of the most bright smiles Tommy ever saw, kisses him before saying, “look at my browser history.”

Tommy frowns, but does as he is told.

And what he sees makes him chuckle with tears of joy falling from his eyes.

how to ask your husband about second baby

recommendations how to ask your husband about trying for second baby

how long it takes to get pregnant after stopping birth control

second pregnancy. what to expect

how to prepare your house for coming of second baby

how to prepare your oldest kid for coming of new one

Np tagging @powersuitup @hippolotamus @wikiangela @quintessenceofdust88 @theotherbuckley @weewookinard @queerbuck @repressedqueen @racerchix21 @typicalopposite @mmso-notlikethat @devirnis @loucifersbitch @lavenderleahy @bewilderedbuckley @bekkachaos @pirrusstuff @evansbuck-ley @desert--moonchild @actuallyitsellie @hyperfocusthusly @leashybebes @half-oz-eddie @bi-buckrights

[diaper-dyke]

Cleaning

Just a little rushed thing I did to try and ease back into writing full-length stories <3

Available on AO3 as well!

"Little one? What's the matter?"

You were lingering at the entrance to the living room, shuffling your feet and avoiding Mommy's warm gaze. Mommy could hear the faint crinkling of her baby's diaper as you shifted from one foot to the other. It was glaringly obvious that something was bothering you.

Mommy held open her arms in a silent invitation. No pressure, no judgement, just a wordless offer of warmth and protection. Tiptoeing further into the room, you crept timidly towards Mommy, eyeing her chest hopefully. Mommy noticed, but simply waited.

Finally, you crawled onto her lap, whimpering softly as you rested your head against her chest, feeling her arms enclose around you. Mommy steadily rocked you back and forth, humming her little one's favorite lullaby, the one that always got you so melty and malleable. For a few moments, the two of you sat there in blissful silence, until Mommy broke it once again.

"Kiddo, can you tell Mommy what's the matter?"

You shook your head, sucking on your thumb as you watched Mommy helplessly. Mommy tenderly lifted a hand to your cheek, stroking a thumb softly against the soft skin there.

"Use your big kid words, darling." Mommy ordered, nudging your legs open with her knee. "Or are you too little to know what to say?"

You shook your head, burying your face in the crook of Mommy's neck and letting silent tears cascade down your face. Mommy freed one arm to sneak her hand between your legs, checking your diaper for any signs of wetness or even mushiness- though her nose would have definitely detected the latter by now. However, there was no wetness there either, and Mommy knew that her little one must be holding it.

"Still dry, sweetheart? That's a surprise. Mommy put you in this diaper this morning, and it's almost dinnertime now."

No answer.

"Oh, baby," she murmured, combing her fingers through your hair. "Are you worried about being a bother again?"

You flinched, and Mommy knew that she had hit her target perfectly.

"Sweetheart," Mommy whispered. "You know Mommy loves you to the moon and back, right? You are never, ever a bother for her. She loves taking care of you. She loves having you crawl into her arms. She loves your diapers- checking you, changing you, helping you fill up the next one.."

"But I ruin evewyfing," you sniffled.

Mommy kissed your cheek. "The only thing that you ruin is those pampers, darling. And those are designed to be ruined, silly baby. So why don't you go ahead and fill this one up for me?"

A tiny whimper was the response she received, and she smiled. "Do you need a little help, hmm? You could have just asked. Mommy will be right back."

Laying you down on the couch, Mommy retrieved what she needed, bringing the enema back into the living room and grinning knowingly at you, her baby.

"This will clean you right out," she cooed as she made sure the nozzle was appropriately lubricated. "Let's get all those yucky feelings out into your pampers instead. Then afterwards you can have some time with Mommy's boobies."

Mommy rolled you onto your side and untaped your diaper for a moment, slowly and gently inserting the nozzle of the enema into your adorable little bottom, still nice and pink from your maintainence spanking earlier today. Then she promptly emptied all the contents of the enema into your waiting bottom, watching your tummy swell with a delighted grin, before promptly taping your diaper back up to avoid an even bigger mess. Soon, a rumbling sound indicated that Mommy would be changing a very messy diaper after this.

Tears of relief streamed down your face as you pushed all of your mess out into your diaper, exactly where it belonged according to Mommy. Mommy knew what was best.

"Good baby," Mommy's gentle, loving voice rang in your head. "Such a good little diaper pet for me."

After a few minutes, Mommy reached down to feel the contents of your diaper. She nodded.

"That's much better, isn't it?"

All you could do was burble softly, resigning all control to Mommy. That was exactly who it belonged with, anyways. Mommy always told you that the decisions should be left to the adults, anyways. So this felt just right. You barely realized when she retrieved the buzzy wand, pressed it against your diaper, and turned it onto the lowest setting. All you knew was that now, there was some sort of funny feeling inside your diaper, tickling your baby parts.

"Doesn't it feel good to have a full diaper?" Mommy asked in a light, coaxing voice. You gulped and nodded.

"Use your big kid words, precious. Mommy wants to hear you say that you love your messy pampers."

"I-" You cut yourself off with a moan.

"It didn't feel this good when you were dry, did it?"

You shook your head, stifling another whimper.

"Good baby. So what do we say now that you're not dry?"

You still hesitated, and Mommy moved the wand in small circles across the surface of your diaper.

"Come on," Mommy encouraged. "You can do it, kiddo. Tell Mommy."

"I-" Your cheeks flushed. "I-I wike my messy diapees."

"That's my good baby!" Mommy's smile was dazzling as she turned up the setting. "Now, can you tell Mommy how good your mushy pampers feel?"

"Feels so good," you breathed, squirming as the toy buzzed relentlessly. "My messy diapees feel s-so good!"

"That's it," Mommy coaxed, turning up the setting once again and moving the wand slightly until you yelped. That adorable little noise told her that she had found your happy spot. Pressing the wand a bit more firmly against that spot, she gazed into your eyes.

"Make cummies for Mommy," she ordered. "Show her how much you love your messy diapers."

As she patted your bottom one last time, your entire body seized up as you reached your climax, letting out a loud cry as you did exactly what Mommy had told you to do. You were faintly aware of the buzzy wand being turned off, and then you were being lifted back up, right back into your position on Mommy's lap. She patted your back as you rested your chin on her shoulder.

"What do you say when Mommy lets you make cummies?"

"F-Fank you, Mommy," you sniffled, utterly relieved that she was here, that she was going to take care of you. You reached around to pat her back.

"I have such a sweet little baby," Mommy commented.

"You okies, Mommy?"

"Mommy is okay. Thank you for asking, sweet one."

You watched as she undid her blouse, and then her bra. It was time for you to nurse, just as she had promised. You eagerly accepted the nipple that she offered to your mouth, melting into her as you tasted her milk.

"That's it. Just relax for me.."

You didn't have to be told twice.

"Good baby. Everything's going to be okay now. You'll see."

[muffinsin]

Hey, it's platonic anon again, I hope you don't mind me asking, as I have been feeling a little bit insecure lately, if you do one with alcina + daughters separate reactions to a fem head maid reader slowly getting deeper in depression because she has a little pudge that she doesn't like, but it just makes he look like a teddybear, and the maids have been making fun of her recently, and then she stops showing up to work all together, staying in her room and only eating one meal a day?

-platonic anon

Awhh, this is hella adorable, absolutely! :) Imma have to remove Alci though, hunny, I don't write for her though might occaisonally include her in pieces when I feel like it

Also oops, this got way longer than I thought it would, so imma have to split it into 3 parts. This one’s Bela’s

Let's get into it! :)

Masterlists found at pinned; rip, my linking is busted

Bela

Being involved with the maidens by far more than her sisters, professionally so even, Bela notices when you don't show up for work immediately

And at first, she's willing to turn a blind eye to it, thinking that maybe you're simply too tired too work, or in need of a vacation

She does admit, there isn't all that much of that at the castle

But, she likes you

And as such, she's willing to ignore that you aren't working as you should be

That is, for the first two days, at least

She is sure: you know to come to her when in need of a break

It's not like she won't grant you one, so long as it isn't harvesting season or the beginning of winter and all staff members are needed

But it isn't, and your disappearance starts to feel a little...odd

Now, she wouldn't describe herself as someone caring for the maids, head maiden or not

But, she likes you

A kind, loving, hard working woman

Someone she finds: she enjoys spending her time with, and someone she has enjoyed getting to know

Not showing up to work is so...unusual for you. So out of character

And as such, despite what she's sure her sisters would say, she seeks you out

Knocking on the door to your room- despite not having to knock at pretty much any door in the castle due to her status- she waits patiently until you open the door for her

What she takes in has her gasp in surprise and take a step back momentarily

Your room is warm, yes, but the air has adapted a strange scent that has her scrunch up her nose. She never thought she’d want to open a window

You’re curled in bed, underneath the blankets, but she still sees the thick clothing covering you

Briefly, she worries this might be too warm for a little human, but drops the thought again

- temperature wise, you seem well and healthy enough

She takes a step closer again, her golden eyes finding yours at last

You seem…off

Yet now that she stands in front of you, she seems at a loss for words, unsure what to say

It’s not like she’s used to cheering up anyone but her sisters

Glancing to the side, she sees multiple plates by your nightstand

One for each day you spent in your room

Is that all you’ve eaten?

In her mind, she recalls: humans are supposed to eat three days a meal. Especially those hard at work

You don’t speak, only stare at her, as if too tired and drained to do much

For once, she doesn’t mind the lack of respectful bows and what not

For once, she supposes she can let this be a casual, friendly conversation

Still unsure of what to say, she sits by your bed, her flies buzzing anxiously

You look up for a moment, your eyes trailing across her face, down her neck and to her exposed collarbone, her chest and slim hips and waist

You can’t help but fiddle with the blankets, can’t help but compare her build to yours

Normally, you don’t care

But the words from the maidens, the mockery aimed at you, hurt recently

You almost wish you could be like Bela, so confident, so strong, so strikingly beaufiful

You only ever want to be that, you think

“Did…something happen?”, she asks eventually, frowning slightly, as if unsure about her words

She really isn’t sure about this, or how to go about this, and just hopes her awkward words come out right

For once, she wishes she was a little more like Daniela and could effortlessly keep this conversation up and ask whether you’re alright without this awkwardness

You gulp, pulled from your thoughts

It’s a little unusual to see her like this- so…out of her element, almost

Still, you treasure her company, and see what she’s doing

“I’m fine”, you lie, pressing your eyes shut and refusing to whimper

You don’t want to lie to her

You want to tell her all about it, want to even throw your arms around her and cry

Bela’s just always had this aura about her that made you seek her favor and praise

At the same time, you don’t want to drive her away now, don’t want to “bother” her with your problems

She frowns, confused. Hearing your heart quickening and picking up the scent of your sweat, she’s hardly fooled by your answer

Only does she not quite understand why you’d lie. Especially to her

Instead, she does what she often does when her sisters lie to her and she sees through it. She stays quiet

You whimper as her golden eyes stay on you, a gentle gaze, but one that tells you she’s awaiting your response and giving you the opportunity to correct yourself

And, wise enough, you do so

You feel tears welling up in your eyes as you pull away the blankets and pull the hoodie covering you up just slightly, just enough to show her the small pouch at your belly from under your top

Alas, she doesn’t react, unsure what this means

While having been taught to express herself always, Bela is almost a stranger to insecurity- at the very least as it comes to her body

She’s never felt worried about the way she looks, paying little mind to it

You envy her

Then, just when you cover yourself up again, she asks again;

“Did something happen, little one?”

You crack

The nickname is enough for tears to run down your cheeks and- to your surprise- you feel her arm wrap around you

You’re pulled to her, sniffling

You pick up her scent, her elegant perfume and the metallic scent of blood lying underneath, only picked up this close to her

And briefly, just briefly, you have a dark thought, wishing she could just kill those that treated you so unfairly

With her arm around you, you feel impossibly safe- likely unlike most others that are this close to her

You begin to talk, begin to tell her of everything

Of the mockery, of the laughter

Of the little, stabbing comments made here and there

Of the looks

Of the mean glances and words

Of your insecurities and the growing feeling of anxiety and emptiness in you

And Bela?

She doesn’t interrupt, doesn’t talk. She only listens to you, humming occasionally to let you know you have her full attention

It’s a wonderful feeling

As you elaborate and cry a little more, she holds you tighter

She seems a little less awkward now, as if used to hold someone when they cry, and briefly you feel a strike of envy, wondering if there’s other maidens held by her and comforted like this. Then, the feeling fades when you figure; it must be Daniela, her younger sister, who you know cries easily from own experiences of holding and comforting the young woman after one of her episodes

You find, Bela offers the best hugs, though, and likely quite the rare ones

You stay close to her, breathing out a sigh of relief when you finish talking

It’s almost like speaking about it helped

She doesn’t quite understand their behavior, writes it off to the general behavior of scum

She finds, as such, they deserve to be treated just as certain way, too

You’re granted another day of staying in your room until Bela insists you return to work

More surprisingly, though, you find a maid, one of the newer ones, a little shy, but friendly, bring you a meal three times a day that day

She doesn’t say a thing, too nervous in the castle still, but you’re certain she was tasked to do so by Bela

And when you do return to work, anxious and dressed in slightly bigger clothes than normal, as if you could hide away, you find no trace of those who mocked you

Perhaps wickedly, you wonder what happened to them, whether they’ve been dragged away, killed, mauled, toyed with my the sadistic Dimitrescu sisters

Whether Bela in particular killed them. Is killing them. Is hurting them

But it’s like they never even existed, instead

You hear no screams at night. No whispers of what might have happened at all

It’s almost like your problems dissolved into thin air…

And you know you have none other than Bela Dimitrescu to thank for it

[kooksvspogues]

Happy 1st Birthday Lilian!! 🥳

Part 3 -

Authors note: I am so touched at the love and support I have gotten from every single one of you. Hope you enjoy part 3 just as much, thank you for being here! ❤️ and don’t forget that every bit of feedback is greatly appreciated!

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“Okay okay, put it back, let it do it’s magic” she laughed grabbing the bottle from me as I give her a look. “Nope, I don’t like that look, I know what it means. Like I said earlier, just keep an open mind about it, okay?” She whispered

“Yeah, totally” I answer back before she smiles and pulls me towards the patio. I look around trying to find Lilian only to find her still in Drew’s arms, “can I have her?” I walk over to him sitting at the table.

“Yeah..” he starts, handing her over to me, “you look great, by the way” he whispers to me when I lean down to grab her

“Thanks, you too.” I say, immediately feeling myself cringe on the inside as I stand back up straight.

“You ready?” Mack asks walking up to me with Lil’s floaty.

“Lils, you ready to go swiiiim?” I say to her tapping her chest with my pointer finger making her smile and kick her legs around, “well I’ll take that as a yes” I laugh following Mack down the steps of the pool, feeling chill bumps go all over my body as soon as my feet touch the cool water.

Once my body starts to adjust to the cool water, I go in more and slowly let Lil’s feet go in the water, bringing them up quickly allowing her to adjust too, a little at a time until she was completely good. I sat her in her floaty and pushed her around talking to Mack.

“Y’all want a drink?” Logan hollers to us

“Yeah, hand me two of those wine coolers” Mack tells him, “I’ve been wanting you to try one of these” she tells me as she goes over the side to wait on Logan to bring them to her.

I grab one of Lilian’s pool toys and hand it to her, keeping my focus on her completely. Who wouldn’t? She’s adorable. But when I glance up to grab the wine cooler out of Mack’s hands, I see two sets of blue eyes on me.

“Don’t ever grow up Lilian” I whisper to her in a silly voice causing her to smile up at me. I glance back up for a second, catching the one set of eyes still looking at me, Drew. Manspreading, leaned back, both of his hands interlocked against the back of his head, watching me, slowly starting to smirk at me once he realizes I’m staring too, but water being splashed on me quickly grabs my attention, I look over to see Logan underwater swimming up next to me

“Y’all stop being boring and get in!” Mack yells at the boys still up on the deck.

“That any good?” Logan asked splashing me again

“Huh? What do you mean?” I ask

“The drink?” He asked looking at me confused

“Oh um…” I say looking down, realizing I haven’t even opened it. I pull the tab quickly and take a sip, “it’s alright, wanna try?” I answer quickly as he just laughs.

“Mhmm” he chuckles taking the cab from me

“What?” I ask quickly

“Nothing at all Mads” he smiled making me look at him confused.

“Stop being weird” I said pushing him lightly

“Who’s being weird?” Austin asks walking up to us, smiling at me.

“Logan, per usual” I laugh as Mack and Chase both join us.

“You love it” Logan says as I reach up and pat his cheek

“So much” I say giving him a sarcastic smile as he rolls his eyes.

“Drew, bring your ass!” Logan yells as we all glance up at him still sitting in the chair. He looks unsure at first but I quickly give him a small smile and he quickly gets up, walking towards the steps to get in before walking over towards us.

“Anybody want to play a game?” Austin asks

“Like what?” Chase asks

“Uhh, Mack, don’t you have that inflatable beer pong table?” He asks

“Ooo yeah, it’s in the closet, let me go get it, Maddie, come help with the drinks” she says grabbing my hand dragging me towards the steps before drying ourselves off and heading inside to find the beer pong table.

“What are we putting in the solo cups?” I ask her

“Vodka?” She asks and I start laughing

“Really? Vodka?” I laugh

“I think it’ll be fine” she smiled

“Me and vodka don’t mix, you know that” I tell her crossing my arms

“Then you better hope nobody makes it in your cup” she smiled at me as she pulled out the box with the table in it, “got it, gonna take this to the boys, be right back to help with the drinks.” I walked into the kitchen to find the solo cups and the bottle of vodka.

“Need any help?” Austin smiled coming around the corner

“I might could use your help with carrying everything out” I smiled

“I can do that, Mack is trying to find the air pump, so she asked me to come help” he said

“Of course she did” I chuckled shaking my head slightly

“So uh, how’d you and Mack meet?” He asked

“College, freshman year, we were 2 dorms down from each other and ended up becoming good friends and after first semester, we were roommates till we graduated” I explained

“She’s pretty awesome” he says

“The best” I agree

“You from here or?” He asked

“Born and raised, what about you?” I ask looking up at him

“Ohio actually” he smiled

“I’ve never met anybody from Ohio before” I chuckle

“Well now ya have” he smiled, “and what an honor it is to be your first” he said before scrunching his nose and eyes, his cheeks going tomato red “that sounded a lot better in my head”

“You’re good, it happens” I laugh, “but I do think we should just take the cups and vodka out fill them up outside instead of in here” I point out

“I agree, here, I’ll take it” he said reaching over to grab the cups and bottle. “Whose idea was vodka?” He raised an eyebrow as I cocked my head up at him, raising my eyebrows. “Nevermind” he said making me laugh as I lead the way out towards the back, closing the door behind him.

They have the beer pong table aired up and waiting in the water for the cups. I hop in the water before reaching up for Austin to hand me the cups before sliding into the water after me. I walk over to the table where Drew is, holding it still for me as I start putting cups in the slot.

“Thanks for holding it” I smile at him

“Oh it’s no big deal” he smiled at me as I finished up putting the cups in, turning to look for Austin, reaching out for the bottle as he quickly handed it over. I turn back around and start filling up the cups.

“Who’s on what team?” Mack asks

“I’ll take Maddie” Austin says and I immediately notice Drew’s shoulders drop.

“I’m really not that good, you sure you don’t want somebody else?” I ask Austin

“I can teach you a few tricks if I need to” he smiles sweetly down at me

“Um yea.. okay” I said smiling back at him slightly

“Drew, me and you against Maddie and Austin?” Logan asks

“Yea. Sure bro” Drew says looking me in my eyes before turning to walk to the other side of the table.

“Your going down Mads” Logan says

“In your dreams Logan” I tease back

“Like I said earlier, done and done” he winked and I faked gagging making all the boys laugh, “yeah, you did that in the dream too” Logan laughed

“Oh my God, stop!” I yell laughing covering my eyes making the boys laugh harder, “somebody throw” I laugh pointing at Drew and Logan

“What we doing? We land, whoever want to, drinks, or do y’all want to have a chosen person for each person?” Logan asks

“If I land it, Mads drinks mine” Drew says looking at me very intently

“Right back at ya Starkey” I sass as he raises an eyebrow at me before smirking

“You’re on” he says before getting situated before throwing his ping pong ball and of course making it into one.

“Get to drinking” he winked as I rolled my eyes as I waited on Logan to throw his, him making it into a cup to. Both, me and Austin rolling our eyes laughing, pulling the ball out of each cup and bringing the cup to our lips and downing it quickly. We both shake our heads as the burning feeling goes down our throat before getting ready to take our shots. Austin went first, making it into the front cup as I give him a high five.

“You wanna try first or want a little help?” Austin asked placing his hand at the base of my back, immediately making me more nervous.

“Let me try” I smile up at him and try to get myself in the right position and that’s when I feel Drew’s eyes on me too. I glance up to meet his eyes and raise my eyebrows, making him do it right back before smirking too.

“You nervous Mads?” Drew asked

“Shut up” I say laughing

“You got it Maddie!” Mack yells from the side of the pool with Lilian so I just go for it and take a shot. Which lands right between 2 cups making me groan and throw my head back.

“It’s okay! We’ll get em next time” Austin says wrapping an arm around me and patting my waist lightly as I wrapped an arm around his waist as we watch Logan chug his drink before it’s their turn to throw again.

Logan throws first and misses putting his hands on the top of his head watching as Drew throws his ball…. Right into their third cup. My eyes rolling immediately before grabbing the cup and pulling the ball out before drinking the contents.

Austin steps away to grab his ball and make a toss and smoothly lands into a cup. “You got this, just breathe” he whispers to me as I smile up at him stepping up to the middle of the board, taking a deep breath before making a toss that ended up in our third cup.

“Hell yeah! Drink Starkey’s” I yell before laughing as we happily watch them drink.

Eventually we’re both down to our last cup, all of us feeling the alcohol and adrenaline of beating each other. “Person that has gotten most cups from each team goes for the last cup?” Logan offers

“Yeah, Maddie, go” Austin says pushing me forward as Drew steps up to the other side, “you get two tries.”

“Burgers are ready!” Garrett yells

“2 minutes!” Mack yells back as she’s watching us intensely.

“You go” I tell Drew

“Ladies first” he says

“That’s why I told you to go” I sass and he cocks his head smirking at me as everyone else is saying “ooooo”and “daaaaang” as Drew starts to nod before getting ready to take his shot. First shot… missed… he grabbed the second ball and kissed it quickly before getting ready to take his throw and when he does, the ball hits the rim of the cup and bounces off onto the table making me jump up.

“You’ll do great, you got this” Austin says grabbing both of my shoulders from behind shaking me slightly making me laugh before I get ready to take my first shot. Missed. I grab the second ball and toss it, going straight into the last cup.

“OHHHHH!” Austin yells picking me up as we both raise an arm in victory before he puts me back down, Drew watching me closely as I step closer to him grabbing the final cup and lifting it up to him.

“Drink up Starkey” I wink as he smirks, keeping eye contact with me as he pulls the ball out of the cup and downs the liquid.

“Good game beautiful” he winks before walking towards the side of the pool pulling himself up and out of the pool as we all follow behind him to go get a burger.

Since there wasn’t enough room for everyone to take a seat, Mack went and sat in Garrett’s lap since he already made her burger while the rest of us got in line to make our own. Austin and Drew were on the short bench while Logan and a chase got the other two chairs available.

“Here, come sit with us” Austin said standing up and scooting over to give me enough room between him and Drew. I smile and step over the seat and take a seat, crossing my legs as Austin sat back down giving me a smile before taking a bite.

After eating, we all just sat around, joking and laughing. Truly allowing the full buzz to take effect. At some point while we were all joking, Austin’s hand found his way right above my knee and has been there since, caressing his thumb against my skin while the set of eyes on the other side of me was shooting daggers into his hand and burning a hole through me every time we caught each others eyes.

As it got darker, Mack asked me if I wanted to help with Lilian’s bath and getting her to go to sleep, which I happily jumped up to help.

Sitting between two very attractive men, one side of you feeling like a knife couldn’t even touch the tension while the other side was so carefree felt really weird so any excuse to get away from that, I was gonna take it.

“Well Austin seems to be enjoying you” Mack says as we walked into the bathroom.

“Yeah he’s nice” I state

“Nice? What’s ‘nice’ mean?” She asked looking at me

“That he’s nice?” I say raising an eyebrow

“Like he’s nice as in you’ll give him a shot or he’s nice but no?” She asked turning the water on for the bath

“Nice and I’m okay with him being a friend” I explain

“Who was this guy?” She asked as she pulled off Lil’s swimsuit and placed her into her tub in the tub.

“What guy?” I ask

“The guy that has had you so hung up forever about him, it feels like” she says

“It’s really not important Mack” I tell her

“Well I think it is, cause because of whoever this guy was, you haven’t been able to get past him and we’re not getting any younger” she tells me

“I know” I say looking down, wishing I could tell her.

“You know we’ve told each other everything, what is so different about this?” She asks

“It just is Mack, I’ll get over eventually, maybe that will be with Austin, maybe it’ll be in months or maybe even years, but I’ll figure it out” I tell her

“Why can’t you figure it out with that guy?” She asks as she rinses Lilian off

“It’s complicated” I say

“You’re complicated” she laughed

“Trust me, I know” I laughed

“Well, just so you know for the millionth time, I’m always here, no judgment, about anything and everything” she smiles

“Yea, I know” I smile back just as Lilian yawns real big and starts to cry

“I know you’re tired, I’m almost done baby” Mack talks to her rinsing the soap off of her bow before letting the water out.

“You want to try putting her down?” Mack asks me

“I’d love too” I smile widely

“Awesome, she has pjs, diaper, and lotion on her changing table, I’ll go and get a bottle ready for her” Mack says as she hands Lilian over to me before taking her to her room.

I go over to her changing table and dry her off, brush her hair, put on a diaper, then lotion, then her onesie. As she kept on wiping her eyes and yawning, I grabbed a book off of her shelf and went and sat in the rocker chair. I started to read to her, her eyes slowly starting to give in to the rest she so desperately wanted, but was woken up once Mack walked back in with her bottle, her hand’s immediately reaching out for it.

“You’re so good with her” Mack smiled down at me

“She’s just a great baby” I say

“I’m so ready for you to be a momma” she pouts at me

“Go back outside” I laugh pointing at the door as she rolls her eyes before walking out to the door, dimming the light on her way out.

Not too long after, Lilian was out, sleeping like the adorable baby she is. I slowly stood up and rocked her in my arms slowly while I walked over to her bed, slowly putting her down onto the mattress. I walk out of her room and slowly close the door, when I turn around, I’m face to face with Drew.

“Hey” I whisper putting my finger over my mouth, telling him to be quiet as he nods. I start to head to the stairs but that plan is changed when I feel his hand grab my wrist and pull me towards the guest room that I am staying in.

“What are you doing? Let go!” I whisper yell at him as he closes the door and turns to look at me

“What are you doing? Austin? Really?” He asks throwing his hand up

“What are you talking about?” I ask

“Are you trying to make me jealous or something?” He asks and I laugh

“Really? No, there is no part of me that is trying to make you jealous, what is so wrong with Austin?” I ask

“Because it’s Austin and it’s you” he says stepping closer to me

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask

“He doesn’t deserve you” he says

“There’s nothing going on between us Drew” I point out

“His hands are on you every chance they get, he obviously thinks there is something” Drew says, “you know what, if you can stand there and tell me that there is nothing towards me, at all, then I’ll leave it alone”

“Drew..” I say as I watch him step closer to me, putting one of his hands on my waist while the other is placed on my jaw, my hand landing on his bicep, while our eyes stay locked.

“Just tell me, tell me you don’t feel anything right now” he says leaning in closer, our nose’s touching. “And I’ll leave it alone” he says leaning in even closer to where our lips are touching lightly, both of our eyes shut.

“Drew we can’t do this” I tell him

“Tell me you don’t feel anything” he says, feeling every word off his lips against mine, just before pressing his lips against mine, now to kiss me. His lips felt so soft and right against mine, I couldn’t help but kiss him back, that is, until I hear Mack’s voice in the back of my head.

“We can’t do this” I push myself away from him quickly, “we made a deal, stick to it Starkey” I say turning to walk out of the room and rushing downstairs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tag list: @percysley @dilfs-4life

[xoxochb]

omg aphrodite!reader having her first kiss with percy <3 it would be so cute rahhh

— ribbons in your hair ꣑ৎ‧₊˚.

warnings: fluff fluff fluff!!! pairing: lovesick! percy jackson x daughter of aphrodite

“do you like ‘em?”

you smile brightly and turn around with a jump, revealing to percy your two braided strands tied at the ends with tiny pink ribbons. what kind of question was that, though? like them? of course he liked them! he liked anything that had anything even slightly to do with you.

“they’re great! I love them.”

you squeal and run over to sit atop your bed next to percy. absentmindedly, he takes this opportunity to take each of your braids between his palms delicately thumbs running over the curves of your hair, and ending over the ribbon tying it all together. he silently hopes you can’t see the utter adoration in his eyes or perhaps the faint blush coating his cheeks or the way he feels completely limp simply sitting beside you.

“(name)…” he murmurs, releasing your hair and letting his hands now fall on his lap.

“yes?”

shit. the soft tone of your voice makes him feel weak. thank the gods he’s sitting down.

“uhm…” he searches for the right words. no. he shouldn’t do this now, not when one of your siblings could walk in at any moment (and he new drew wasn’t entirely the nicest person either. that girl’s scary as shit). “nothing.”

you murmur an ‘oh’ and your smile falls into a frown.

“sorry, I just- well… it was nothing important, I didn’t think you’d care much.”

“I care about everything you have to say. even if it’s stupid. or one of your stupid dad jokes.” your lips turn upwards a tad at the mere remembrance of his idiotic humor.

“you hate dad jokes.”

“well, yours are okay.”

percy’s heart flutters like butterfly wings. please aphrodite don’t make me look stupid, he thinks to himself. though by now he’s probably already made a fool of himself. he’s hopeless. slowly, with a shaky hand, he reaches out to gently take one of your hands into his. he looks up to meet your eyes to look for any sign of discomfort with the action. he finds nothing.

“(name), have you ever…” he swallows harshly. “have you ever kissed anyone before?”

your brows furrow and you murmur, “no.”

oh. he was sure you had to have kissed someone before. you were… well, you! a favored daughter of aphrodite, kind, absolutely stunning, and admittedly a little horrifying sometimes. he loved you all the same regardless.

“I’ve never kissed anyone either.” it’s silent for a moment before he works up the courage to ask the next question. “would you maybe want to… well actually- can I tell you something?”

“of course.”

“this might be weird and I’ll understand if you don’t want to be friends anymore or if you’ll hate me… but I just… I really like you. more than friends. and I get this is weird but I really like you, it hurts, like in my chest it physically hurts me and it’s hard going everyday not telling you that I love you when I do and its almost unbearable at this point, I mean you occupy all my thoughts everything’s always about you, and don’t get cocky over that because I know you will and you’ll never let me get over telling you that but really what I’m trying to say is that—”

his ramble is abruptly ended when he feels a sudden warmth over his lips. for a moment he can’t understand what’s happening, but when his senses are regained he realizes it’s your lips that are locked with his, and his brain turns to soup, any coherent thought he once had diminished. and he lets himself sink into it despite the nervous storm of butterflies in his tummy.

when you eventually pull away he nearly whines at the loss of contact. though he remembers your hands are still entwined and calms. his gaze sticks on that.

“you talk too much,” you whisper. “and you’re right.”

“about what?” percy looks up to your eyes. though the mischievous glint in them makes him wish he hadn’t asked for clarification.

“I am so never going to let you forget that everything is about me.”

[twobellsilence]

On Jimmy's cannibalization of Curly

Because this game gave me brain worms I found myself thinking way too hard about the second birthday party scene. Specifically, why Jimmy cuts off a chunk of Curly's leg and not only eats it, but also forces Curly to do the same, and what this says about him and his relationship with the captain.

Jimmy frames this as a matter of survival, but that's not really the case. "Judgement" happens 3 months after Daisuke states there's food left for around 4 months, meaning they'd still have resources left for a little while; still, let's entertain the thought, as I've seen people theorize that this potential lack of food is what ultimately pushed Anya over the edge, and suppose Dai overestimated the amount of food they had or they all simply mismanaged it and they really had nothing left when Jim set up the party. That still leaves him with other three corpses - Anya, Swansea and Daisuke - to chop up and consume without endangering Curly.

You could argue Anya's body is tainted by the meds she OD's on, and that Swansea's is too saturated with alcohol, and that makes sense. Daisuke, however, presumably quit drinking mouthwash two months before the end of the game if we were to take his "I don't want to look at this stuff anymore" line at face value and consider the fact that he was sober when the vent incident happened, meaning his flesh would be clean for consumption. But Jimmy still decides to mutilate curly, even risking him bleeding out, and at that point his "survival" argument falls apart pretty quickly. It isn't just survival - it never was.

See, to Jim, Curly is not a man but an idol, a symbol. He is simultaneously a source of hatred and adoration from him; he has everything he's ever wanted, is everything he aspires to be, and he despises him not only for being better than him, but also for being willing to throw his status away just because he doesn't feel like it's quite right for him, as if said status - the one Jimmy desperately wants to reach but can't, he simply can't - didn't mean anything, at least from Jim's perspective. He thought he could finally reach this level after Curly became disabled, but he quickly found out it was more than he bargained for, and even after reassuring Curly that he's a good captain - something he'd only ever mentioned as a jab, never as something positive - and being willing to give him the title back, that resentment lingered, because even in his current state Curly was better than Jimmy could ever hope to be, and at that point he'd ran out of ways to prove himself he could be superior.

I think this is why he decides to cut off Curly's leg. Yes, it is most certainly a form of punishment - to reduce him to livestock, to a mere tool for the survival of the crew, a parallel to his role as the captain where his blood, sweat and tears kept the cogs in the machine working. But it isn't simply because he wants Curly to suffer, he already did so with the crash and agreeing to keep him alive. Eating Curly's leg is, in a twisted way, the only manner in which Jim could ever hope to embody him well enough. If he can't be like Curly, perhaps he can become Curly by consuming his very essence. And this is also why he "shares" him with the rest of the crew - severing a part of him, this unattainable symbol of authority, and feeding it to his fellow workers is a way to equalize them all, to seize power from him, and absolve Curly's sin of being above them on the ladder. And now that Curly is down at their level, maybe even lower, Jimmy is willing to share this power with Curly too by force feeding him a piece of himself - the "forgiveness" he talks about on his speech.

[chaithetics]

(3) Also, Logan knows that she’s pregnant and in that scene where they’re all together and start to give names to who’ll be sacrificed, someone mentions her and Logan immediately shuts them off “oh, that’s nice, throw the baby who’s pregnant and was never involved in the company as the sacrificial lamb!” but in a colorful, Logan Roy vocabulary. You’re a gem and I adore you!

Porcelain and the Shark: The Sleeping Lamb

Pairing: Stewy Hosseini x Porce (f) Roy Reader Word count: 3.1K Prompt: Combined with above and L to the OG's other prompt "Ken and Logan see Stewy at the end of S2. Porce is sleeping and he dismisses them, he's fuming as neither ask how she is." Warnings: Established relationship, children, anxious reader, reader is sick but pregnancy isn't confirmed, cursing, canon Succession family dynamics and angst. Roys being Roys! Some fluff. No descriptions of reader - you can imagine her as adopted, affair baby, different mother etc. A/N: We're so back... Happy Succession Sunday! L to the OG anon I hope you're still here! I'm so sorry how late this is, I promise the L to the OG request will be dropping shortly 👀 I can't believe this is the first Porce and the Shark fic of the year! I'll drop more I promise! I hope everyone enjoys this! Comments and reblogs are appreciated 🫶

The warm sun was meant to help, all the fresh air out of the concrete jungle gym should be doing more for you but you were laying in bed at the glamorous hotel with the doors wide open and a large glass filled with water and electrolytes. You’d felt ill for a couple of days now. Migraine, nausea - all of it. 

Jonathan was next to you colouring in and singing some song from the children’s film he’d watched last night and Tillie was fortunately napping. You’d hated feeling faint but it’s how you felt so you curled up more and watched Jonathan, your eyelids starting to feel heavy. 

“Here, honey.” Stewy says as he walks over with a cold compress and gently places it on your forehead. 

“Thanks.” You whisper and squeeze his warm hand. 

Stewy leans down and kisses your cheek, despite feeling ill your lips quirk up with a smile at the feeling of his facial hair brushing against your skin. It’s a guaranteed, natural response now. 

Anxiety normally simmered throughout your body and fogged up your mind but feeling nauseous and had clouded over that for once. It also helped that you’d changed your anxiety medication a few months ago and that seemed to be helping but being away from your family as they were on some overpriced boat that some pod of orcas had their eye on helped. But you still couldn’t help but worry about Roman, that stress definitely wasn’t helping the nausea flipping around in your stomach.  

Under other circumstances you’d cross firing lines to text him and make a joke about the orca pod watching them, he’d have found that that funny. If you’d sent it in the cursed Roy sibling group chat, Kendall would take the joke too far and Shiv’s white woman neoliberalism would be offended at being lumped in with those rich people. She was different of course. 

Connor had called her when they knew Roman was safe and was coming with them, something you were deeply grateful for. You’d texted Roman, the youngest of your older brothers, and just been met with a thumbs up emoji and then two minutes later a middle finger emoji. 

“Heard anything from Romey?” Stewy asks as he sits down on the bed next to you, he caresses your arm gently, the touch of his fingers so soft against your skin. He still makes your cheeks heat up and skin tingle. 

“No.” You whisper as you shake your head slightly against the pillow. “Just the emojis.” You sigh and as your head shifts so does the compress, Stewy gently fixes it and just nods. He looks out the window. 

He leans back slightly, laying on the bed. Stewy tilts his head back to watch you and smiles. He rubs your leg gently as he watches you. 

“Draw a chicken, mommy, please!” Jonathan says after a moment holding the paper out for you and a red pencil. 

You smile at him and Stewy smiles and scoffs. “Come on, mommy’s not feeling so great, can I draw a chickie for you?” Stewy asks, looking at Jonathan, the little boy, a younger mirror to his own face. 

Jonathan giggles and shakes his head, his dark curls bouncing as his small face screws up in cheeky delight. 

“No! Mommy’s chickens are better!” Jonathan says and giggles, and blows a raspberry at his father. Stewy chuckles and blows a raspberry back and then looks at you. 

“You don’t need to draw, love.” Stewy says gently as you take the piece of paper. 

“It’s fine…” You say smiling at Stewy and then giving your biggest smile to Jonathan who raises his shoulders up and smiles back. 

You chuckle and quickly sketch a chicken and some other animals for Jonathan to colour in, it’s been one of his newest hobbies. Requesting you and Stewy to draw things for him to then replicate and sketch in. 

“Thanks, mommy.” Jonathan says as he presses his face near yours as he watches you draw, his eyes widening in excitement as you finish up his chicken. He loves it and as he’s made clear, you’re more artistically inclined than Stewy. 

Jonathan starts to colour in the chicken, his tongue is stuck out as he does his best to stay in the lines. It’s a cute sight to see. Stewy watches too, he chuckles and ruffles Jonathan’s curls as he then looks at his phone. 

It’s a text that Kendall and Logan want a meeting, his eyes scan over each word, gaging how fucked Kendall is. Your tired eyes flick over to Stewy, noticing how quiet he’s gotten. “Everything okay?” You whisper softly, reaching your hand out to Stewy’s, he fully accepts the gesture and you intertwine your fingers together. 

“Yeah, uh, Ken and your dad. They’re apparently coming out, want to meet.” He says, looking away from his screen to your face, giving you a small smile. 

“Oh? Oh…” You answer. He rubs his thumb over your hand and you give him a smile that doesn’t quite reach your eyes as you take that in. It seemed like a red flag, a major red flag being waved off of a boat. You weren’t sure what to make of it all. 

“Don’t worry, I can tell them to leave. To not even bother, babe.” Stewy says, giving you a reassuring smile, he loves you, he can notice any sign of anxiety coming out and he can see your brow starting to slightly furrow. 

“No-no- it’s… it’s fine. Just, peace yeah? Olive branches, all that stuff… And, see how Ken is?” You ask softly, blinking frantically as your mind travels all over the things to worry about and think about. 

“You sure? You’ll be okay?” “Yeah, we’ll just nap, sleep. All the fun stuff for bonding.” You smile. 

The proxy battle had been an adjustment, one that had made the already tense and unstable Roy dynamics a million times more complex.  

Stewy blinks for a second and then nods. “Yeah, yeah sure.” He leans over and kisses your lips softly, he doesn’t care if this nausea is from some bug you’re going to pass to him. If so, he hopes it somehow reaches Kendall and your father. “You’ll be good?” He asks and you nod. 

It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm and this was not how Stewy wanted to be spending it. 

“Thanks for meeting man.” Kendall puts a hand out as if everything is water under the bridge. 

“Please. Please, please, please.” Stewy immediately goes into the hospitable host mode he was raised to be second nature. “Come, come, come. How are you, Sir?” He puts his hand out for his cold father-in-law. “Please take a seat.” 

“You guys need anything?”

“Yeah, don’t wait for us or anything.” Stewy laughs and Kendall laughs for a brief moment too. 

“I waited, but I was really hungry, so I ate with my family. Precious, precious moments.” Stewy tilts his head, giving them a smile that feels smug but never reaches his eyes. His brown pupils that you adore burn with proud frustration. 

His words are pointed. All three of them are fathers but the words don’t really register for Kendall who is just looking for a lifeline but they ring loud in old Logan’s ears. And they piss him off. 

“You guys good? You need anything?” He says as he blinks and shifts back into a generous host for the Roys and toes the fine line between this shit show. 

“Uh maybe in a minute.” Kendall says. 

Logan doesn’t say anything and looks unhappy to be there. Kendall gives his father a look and jumps right into business. “Well uh look,” Kendall flicks his hand, Stewy flicks his tongue, his face focusing on Kendall and the good humour gone. It’s serious now, nobody thought this would be a friendly visit after all. It never is with the Roys. 

“We both know it’s a- it’s a knife edge. You may have it, we may have it. Our proxy advisors tell us we probably have it.” 

“Mm-hm.” Stewy hums as he nods and picks his wine glass up. Neither Ken or Logan have reached for their glasses. 

“And, um…” Kendall looks at his father and smacks his lips, Logan’s completely unresponsive, acting oblivious to the whole thing. “Dad?”

“You look a little sweaty, dude.” The subtle indicators of a smirk slowly start to form as Stewy says it to Kendall. He wipes it as he turns to face Logan and sips from his wine glass. 

“Okay. Okay. So I’ve come to make a deal. This isn’t a negotiation. It’s a one-bang final-deal offer and it’s generous. So don’t insult me with a counter.” Stewy listens to Logan speak with an almost blank expression on his face while he places the glass down and picks up a piece of lavender from the arrangement on the table and lifts it to his nose. 

Jonathan had been doing that earlier, it had been pretty cute when Jonathan noticed the smell and then he had to wave them around and press it to everyone’s nose. Stewy doesn’t let the joy of that memory come through, but it’s so much nicer to think about than this. “I say this, we eat some octopi, we shake hands. Okay?” 

“Okay, I love that. I really do.” Stewy says as he puts the lavender stem down and drops it in front of his plate and pushes it forward a tad, he has no intention of sharing a meal with Logan and Kendall. Why do such a thing when the past exists? 

“Three board seats, including Ken’s.” Stewy shares a very loud knowing look with Ken who is silent. “You get a codified say in the appointment of our next CEO. We remove our poison Bill, conduct a strategic review on terms co-set with you, dismiss all our litigation on the proxy battle. Spin off cruises, okay?” Stewy’s looking less impressed now, even less so than how he felt when the message for this conversation made it into his inbox. He pauses and looks over his shoulder as if thinking, as if he was ever going to say anything different. “No, I don’t think that works.” 

“The fuck do you mean?” Kendall immediately blurts out. 

“Bullshit. Are you fucking stupid?” Logan takes his sunglasses off and looks pissed. “You have to consider that. You have to ask Sandy. That is a good fucking deal.” 

“It does not work for us, Sir.” He uses sir to still be respectful, even with this vile monster of a man. But he enunciates and pauses between each word to let them all sink in like rocks being thrown into water. 

“Dude, I mean, are-are you fucking for real? I mean you-you need to fucking make it work. Okay? Or I will personally fucking destroy you. I will come to you at night-” “Ken, it does not work.” He enunciates each word again to really hit Kendall in the face with it. 

“With a fucking razor blade and I will cut your fucking dick off.” “Fucking dick off.” Stewy says at the same time to finish Kendall’s sentence. 

“And I will feed it-” “And then push it up your cunt until poo poo pops out of my nose hole” Stewy shakes his head a little to give it a dramatic flourish. “Dude it doesn’t matter, it doesn’t mean anything. You can threaten to stuff a million severed dicks into my ball bag but the actual fact is we’re persuading more and more shareholders every day that we offer them just a slightly better chance for them to make a little bit more money on their fucking dollar. And that’s all that this is.” 

Logan’s silent with his elbows at the table, staring at his son-in-law. Stewy’s fuming internally but he doesn’t let it show, he’s not impulsive like the Roy children but it’s rude. It’s terrible manners to have your elbows on the table like that and Stewy can’t help but imagine a younger you getting scolded for something like that. 

He chews on the inside of his cheek and he can’t help but add it. They haven’t once asked about you, the daughter, the sister. Nothing, no concern, not even fake bullshit niceties. It’s an offence that they can’t even pretend to care for a second. Especially when he knows for a fact that Connor would’ve made some comment about you feeling ill, the nausea, the terrible headache and vomiting. 

Even if you weren’t ill, they still should’ve asked. It’s the bare minimum. Stewy’s eyes flick down to the table for a second and he picks the lavender stem back up. It smells peaceful, the opposite of this. He’s sure that when you go back home you and Jonathan will want to have lavender planted on the balcony and holiday home. 

“Really sweet of you both to come out and you know check on your family.” Stewy says as he twirls the lavender in his hand almost absentmindedly. He thinks about picking it apart, biting it. “She’s - your sister and your daughter - she’s doing just great. Nauseous and fatigued beyond your imagination, which I’m sure you’re both worried about. But Jonathan and Tillie are well, thank you for asking.” He stops twirling the lavender and tilts his head, he looks at Kendall for a moment, what a shadow of a man. “The Roys really know how to mix business and pleasure, right?” 

It was a stupid suggestion. Something unsurprising from cousin Greg but still mind boggling, he’d really outdone himself this time. When all the Roys and evil henchmen had sat around the cursed table of fate, Greg had panicked more than usual when Roman had suggested adding ‘Greg sprinkles’ to the Waystar Royco ™ guillotine. 

Greg had fumbled over his words and messily brought you up as a suggestion to be the sacrificial lamb. He weakly argued that you were a traitor for being Stewy’s wife and that was motive enough. None of it was plausible and before Greg could even string a full, coherent sentence together it had already brought a hyena laugh out of Roman, Kendall had just looked down and shook his head. 

“Fucking great! Hats off to that, have you seen her? Throw my own weakling daughter off - who’s probably fucking pregnant again - the only one who has actually given me some fucking grandchildren!” He spits out with venom. 

It’s a pointed shot at all of them, not a single Roy is truly in Logan’s good books. Tom stays silent but side eyes Shiv but she keeps her composure. She will not let them reduce her to a mother, it’s a pigeon hole she’ll avoid at all costs to keep the seat she’s only just clawed out for herself at the table. Kendall looks down because the blow hits him the most. Roman stops laughing and watches his siblings. 

“But oh willy-nilly-” Logan waves his hands, mocking them all. “Lets throw her, my fragile fucking blood that’s never been involved with the company as the sacrificial lamb on the rock. I’m not some fucking Abraham.” Logan’s eyes are wide and brimming with anger, he smashes his fist onto the table and glares at them all. All of the Roy children are looking down like they’ve been scolded, even though it was Greg. 

“Porce did have an internship in the publishing press during college, didn’t she?” Frank asks, thinking he’s somewhat more untouchable than Roy blood. 

“Gerri,” Logan’s tone is icy. “How does Frank look? What’s the angle there?” 

“How did it go?” You ask Stewy, sitting up and sipping some more water, starting to feel more and more human as the day went on but still nauseous. 

“Yeah, super! It was great, got to hear a lot of bad words from uncle Ken we can’t let his little ears hear.” Stewy says as he playfully puts his hands over Jonathan’s ears. You sigh and playfully roll your eyes. 

Jonathan giggles and squirms to move away from his father’s hands but Stewy just chuckles and starts to tickle Jonathan. 

It isn’t long after this that your phone starts to vibrate with notifications. Shiv has texted you asking what the fuck is going on, that Ken and your father won’t tell her what happened after visiting Stewy and she only found out from Roman that they saw Stewy. She’s scared about Tom. Then there’s a call from Connor. You answer him before thinking about replying to Shiv. You don’t want to be petty but your peace is worth protecting, it’s the first text from her in 6 weeks. 

Connor relays the sacrificial lamb conversation back to you. You’re kind of surprised that your father defended you but you’re not surprised that it was nasty and took shots at your siblings. Especially when the subject of Kendall’s fertility and children is a tense and sensitive one that’s weaponised often and feels heavy even in the subtle moments. 

Jonathan’s napping when this happens, you have the phone on speaker. Stewy’s listening quietly, gently rubbing your thigh as he concentrates. It’s easier to hear as Connor is whispering, he isn’t even sure if he’s really meant to be talking about this with you but it can’t wait for next Tuesday’s brunch and he’s also giving you whiplash by occasionally interjecting with his anxieties over Willa’s Broadway debut. 

You tell him it can’t be that bad and that you and Stewy will see it when you’re back in New York. You try to reassure him and after a while you rub your forehead and hang up. You turn to look at Stewy and sigh. 

He scrolls through his phone and then looks at you with raised eyebrows, a bemused expression. 

“It can’t be that bad, Willa’s not terrible.” You say, tilting your head and snuggling into his side. Stewy raises his eyebrows at you and smirks. 

“Wanna bet that for a smooch?” He teases and smiles more, his eyes are clearly saying it’s terrible. 

“No… It can’t be…” You quickly take his phone to go through the review and you swear you’ve just gone through most of the phases of grief and several other emotions reading that. You look up at Stewy and then chuckle. “Shit…” 

“Yeah…” He says and then lifts your arm up to his lips. Stewy starts to kiss from the tip of your index finger to your hand and then along your wrist and up your arm. You smile, feeling your cheeks heat up as he presses tender kisses up your arm. 

“I’m just cashing in on that little bet as much as I can.” He teases.

Lovingly tagging people who have interacted in the past (if you want to be removed lmk :)) : @ateliefloresdaprimavera @nadja-antipaxos @thegildedblogger @peachhiz @coocoolahh

@inknopewetrust @mittos @616wilsons @jolie989 @biblichorr

@foreverasleep717 @punisherinthealps

[mumms-the-word]

Yet another Veilguard update with the usual good, the bad, the ugly, and the me freaking out about minor references and callbacks haha

This one is very long sorry

So since the last update I have done as much side content as possible before heading to the Hossberg Wetlands and later Weisshaupt (which I just completed last night) which included, briefly, unlocking all of the solas regrets murals

And uh WOW was that whole deep dive a doozy. I definitely should have spaced out the murals over time rather than movie-marathoned them back to back. But the things I learned about Solas…it’s insanity

In a good way

In a really horrifying way

I loved that our theories about Solas being a spirit of Wisdom first were confirmed, and I lost my mind over the fact that the first elves were spirits who gained physical bodies by taking Titan blood (aka lyrium). And the fact that Solas CREATED THE BLIGHT by essentially making the Titans Tranquil?? And that’s why Dwarves don’t dream????

Losing my mind. Solas what have you DONE.

I still ahev to process it all haha but I do have a few thoughts

So far, I wish there was more engagement with these elements and the Chant of Light. The companions react and say that these reveals basically dismantle Andrastianism but the Chant has several allegorical parallels to what, apparently, really happened. The Maker’s first children were spirits, and all that…so I kind of wish the Chantry had a bigger presence in the game with more reactivity

But that’s a post for another day. For now, I reloaded back to only 3 murals unlocked so the team only knows the story up to Solas creating the Veil. I’ll rewatch the others later.

I got worried about being locked out of stuff so I went ahead and did as much side content as I could with a couple of exceptions. Turns out, I probably didn’t need to do that and it would have made more sense narratively if I hadn’t. More on that in a minute

The Siege of Weisshaupt mission was SO GOOD!! Like…the main missions are really where this game shines, I think. I have gripes with some of the companion conversations, but in the actual story missions, the action, the intensity, all of it is so good. And I thought Ghilan’nain turning her archdemon into a many-headed hydra creature was *chefs kiss* so cool. I love fighting big/unique stuff like that!

All that said the follow up scene with the team at the table leaves…a lot to be desired

Listen, DA games pride themselves on bringing together a team of companions that players adore and fall in love with. Naturally we enjoy helping out our companions because we like them. We don’t have to be told to help them because we just generally do that…and if we don’t then, rip, suffer the consequences

So I got a bit annoyed when the scene suddenly turned to a very overt “fix our problems” narrative

I don’t know, that feels so…forced to me. Varric literally tells me I have to solve everyone’s problems. Which is like…I was going to! Because they’re my friends! But being straight up told like “hey you have to solve everyone’s problems and stop their distractions or this team isn’t going to function” is like…I’m sorry are we adults or aren’t we? Why am I being told to babysit the team? Can you guys not pursue these distractions on your own rather than wait for me to give you permission? Did we all forget that two gods are out there rampaging? That they’re strong enough to destroy a fortress that stood against the blight and various conflicts for over 900 years? That they haven’t stopped and show no signs of stopping anytime soon?

But no, by all means, tell me in very obvious terms that my job is now to reconcile all your differences before I face the gods again. That doesn’t feel very handed at all.

Let me be clear. I love to help my companion. I love the idea that you build a team that works well because you have shaped them via your leadership skills. I love the idea that your team works well because you have invested in them. That’s really the heart of any DA game—gather your team, earn their loyalty, and see how well the friends you’ve made along the way assist you in the big battles to come.

But…that scene around the kitchen table could have been so much better, so much more nuanced, and far less “Solve their problems.”

To me, that scene should have been everyone fighting, calling out everyone’s distractions and mistakes, and essentially devolving into outright arguments over the table until Rook yells at everyone to shut up. Everyone is mad, everyone is upset. And then maybe the companions are like “sorry Rook, listen, I have a lot on my mind. I’m still going to help with the Big Problem but I’m also going to pursue this Other Thing whether you like it or not.” No suggestion that it’s now your problem to solve, but a heavy hint that it might get done more quickly if you help (which also gives you room to be an ass and not help). In this scenario, everyone ends up being very disgruntled with you, but you still have your hint that you need to pursue companion questlines if you want to see their cool abilities or special items or get them to be a Hero of the Veilguard or whatever…but that’s just my opinion

Basically I wanted subtly and tension. So much more tension.

What we got instead was a couple of annoyed comments and then Emmrich being like “oh dear we’re all distracted by the things that bother us” and everyone offering up distractions that, yes, need to be resolved…but it’s very easy to be like “hey bud the Hand of Glory and the Nadas Dirthalen can wait until the gods aren’t threatening to destroy the world I think.”

It’s not the worst scene in the world, but it could have been reframed better. Either frame it as “Sorry Rook but none of these factions trust you enough to aid you in the fight, you have to prove yourself to them” (and loop in the companion questlines that way) or show your team literally unraveling because they can’t get along or agree with you—now you see the evidence of what you need to fix, and nobody has to outright tell you to “solve everyone’s distractions.” It’s just implied. Because you saw them fighting. A lot.

Like duh I knew I’d have to resolve everyone’s problems if I want them to like me or stick around! That’s just what I’ve come to expect from RPG games like this. It’s an expectation of the genre. But I don’t want to be told that’s my job now. If anything it triggers my contrarian nature and now I want to see what bad ending I get when I don’t listen to the game’s extremely heavy push for me to deal with everyone’s issues

I won’t, but I’m tempted

I just…wanted it to be better. I want see everyone bitching at each other until everyone leaves in a huff and Rook just sits at the table, head in their hands like “oh my god everyone hates me and they hate each other and we’re going to die if everyone can’t get their shit together”

Then maybe Varric sits down next to them and goes, “Hey kid, did I ever tell you about the time Hawke tried to convince a Rivaini pirate, a weird abomination, a Dalish blood mage, a stiff-necked captain of the guard, a broody elf who glowed in the dark, and a few other friends besides to all agree to fight as a team to stop a qunari invasion in Kirkwall? It worked, more or less. By the end of the night, everyone had worked together enough to end up with one dead Arishok and an entire city’s gratitude.”

Maybe Rook looks up and says, “And how’d they manage that little miracle? Without everyone trying to kill each other in the process.”

And maybe Varric smiles and shrugs. “They had their differences, trust me. Half the time you couldn’t put two of them in a room together without a fight breaking out. But they all believed in one thing. They believed in Hawke.”

Then maybe there’s a pause, as he lets Rook consider that for a moment, before he stands up and says, “It’s a good bedtime story, in any case. I’ll let you sleep on it.”

Sigh. It just would have been cool…

Now in all fairness the scene felt even clunkier because I had actively been doing side quests and helping out my friends so it was like…it felt weird to have this implication that I’m not already helping them. It makes me think I shouldn’t do any of their side quests until after the Siege of Weisshaupt but who knows

I keep pendulum swinging back and forth between moments of brilliance and moments that leave me baffled and wondering who made some of these narrative/writing calls. I don’t hate the game by any stretch of the imagination. Like I said the Siege of Weisshaupt was amazing! And I loved the callbacks to precious games! You should have seen me live reacting and screaming about codexes in the Weisshaupt library haha But it’s like whiplash when something that good is followed up by a scene that feels excessively more hamfisted in comparison.

Anyway I am very busy this weekend and dunno when I’ll get to write another update soooo if you’re following for more, hope to give you more updates in the near-ish future!

[motherismotheringggg]

Hi ! Can you do one of Cooper? The reader was actress/actor. The reader was friends with Cooper and the reader sister knew that the reader was/had fan/crush on Cooper and the reader sister told Cooper that the reader had a crush on him?

finally yours 🩵

summary: see the request above, thank you to this lovely anon <3

type: fluff, fluff and more fluff

tags: kissing

author’s note: this was so sweet to write, man i love a lil fluff moment 😭

🫧🫧🫧🫧🫧🫧🫧🫧🫧🫧🫧🫧🫧🫧🫧🫧🫧🫧🫧🫧

You and Cooper had met on a red carpet about a year ago, a night that clearly belonged to him. He was dazzlingly popular, sweeping nearly every category, and it felt like everyone wanted his time. Amid the flashing lights and applause, he held himself with a calm, gracious air, even as fans, journalists, and other celebrities flocked around him.

From afar, you couldn’t help but admire him, captivated by both his talent and his looks. Cooper was stunning in that classic way, with sharp cheekbones and a warm, inviting smile that lit up his face. His hazel eyes held a warmth that softened his otherwise chiseled features, making his charm and confidence feel magnetic.

When his eyes met yours, he rushed over, leaving you stunned. Did he mistake you for someone else? “Oh my god, Y/N, I’m a big fan,” he said, towering over you as he pulled you into an embrace. You were stunned; you’d become a bit of a sensation recently, with your latest movie creating major buzz, but for Cooper to call himself a fan truly shook you.

He continued to shower you in compliments, his words warm and sincere as he praised your work and told you how gorgeous you looked tonight. Before you could fully process it, he’d wrapped his arms around you again, his broad hands resting on your back and making you feel small and secure in his hold.

As he pulled back, still keeping you close, he shook his head in disbelief. “You’re incredible,” he said, his voice filled with admiration. Blushing, you managed to say, “Congratulations on tonight—you deserve it. You were brilliant in Monsters,” reaching out to squeeze his arm. You felt the defined muscles beneath his suit jacket, and your heart fluttered a bit.

His smile softened, and he pulled you in for another hug, his hands lingering slightly as if he didn’t want to let go. “Thank you,” he murmured, his voice low in your ear. “I’ll see you around tonight,” he added with a lingering smile.

Throughout the after-party, you kept running into each other, each interaction feeling warmer and more personal than the last. By the end of the night, he handed you his phone with a grin. “Let’s keep in touch,” he said, his eyes holding a hint of something more. You saved your number, feeling breathless as you handed his phone back.

————

A few years had passed since that unforgettable red carpet-meeting, and you and Cooper had become inseparable. Whether at events, concerts, or casual hangouts, your bond grew stronger with every shared experience. Fans adored seeing you together, dubbing you a “Hollywood dream duo,” and when it was announced that you’d finally be starring in a project together, the internet erupted in excitement over your electric chemistry.

Filming had been underway for a month, and you and Cooper had grown closer than ever. Every long day on set was balanced by shared laughter, lingering glances, and the comfort of having someone who understood you completely. Cooper had a way of bringing out your best—both on-screen and off. He’d always linger near your trailer, insisting his lunch break was better spent in your company than anywhere else. There were late-night runs to the craft services tent, where you’d tease him for his snack choices, and stolen moments in between takes where your banter flowed effortlessly, leaving everyone around you grinning.

On this particular day, you’d invited your younger sister to visit the set, eager to share a piece of your world with her. Though only two years younger, she had a knack for noticing things most people missed and wasn’t afraid to speak her mind—a combination that often led to hilariously blunt observations or moments of piercing clarity.

She was lounging in your trailer, her legs propped up on the small table as she flipped idly through a magazine. “So this is where the magic happens?” she teased, glancing up with a smirk.

“Something like that,” you replied, rolling your eyes but smiling, finishing up your hair at the trailer vanity.

Your sister’s sharp gaze scanned the trailer like she was piecing together a puzzle. “It’s cozier than I expected. Guess I thought movie-star trailers were all champagne and crystal chandeliers.”

“You’ve been watching too much reality TV,” you said, shaking your head.

Before she could retort, a knock sounded on the door.

“Come in!” you called out.

The door swung open to reveal Cooper, his signature grin lighting up the space. “Heard your sister was here,” he said, stepping inside. “Thought I’d come and say hi.”

Your sister immediately straightened, her analytical gaze locking onto Cooper like a hawk sizing up its prey. You couldn’t help but chuckle internally; you knew this was her version of sizing him up.

“This is my sister Jade” you said, gesturing toward her. “And this is Cooper, my—”

“... absolute best friend in the entire world,” he finished for you, extending his hand toward her. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” your sister said, shaking his hand firmly. She tilted her head slightly, studying him with a look you recognized all too well—the “I’m figuring you out” look. “So, you’re the one who’s always monopolizing her time?”

“Guilty,” Cooper said with a laugh, his eyes flicking to yours with a playful glint.

“You’re lucky you’re charming,” she quipped, a small smirk playing on her lips as she went in for a hug.

You groaned. “Ignore her. She thinks she’s hilarious.”

“Because I am,” she shot back, not missing a beat.

The three of you quickly settled into a rhythm, with Cooper cracking jokes and your sister firing back witty retorts that had him chuckling. You chimed in with playful commentary, adding to the lively dynamic, it felt like a comedy routine. Still, your sister’s sharp eye didn’t miss the way Cooper leaned toward you when he laughed or how his gaze lingered on you just a little longer than necessary.

As the conversation flowed, Cooper’s natural warmth shone through, and your sister’s demeanor softened slightly. By the time he was called back to set, she was grinning as she watched him leave.

When the door shut behind him, the trailer fell into silence. You turned to your vanity to touch up your makeup, trying to ignore the goofy grin that had taken over your face.

“Okay, spill,” your sister said, breaking the quiet.

“Spill what?” you asked, feigning innocence.

She raised an eyebrow, leaning back in her seat. “So…that’s your boyfriend, or what?”

You whipped around, startled. “What? No! Cooper and I are just—”

“Absolute best friends?” she interrupted, folding her arms. “Please. I don’t know how you’ve convinced yourself of that, but the energy between you two? It’s practically a rom-com in real life. The banter, the looks, the body language—it’s all there.”

You opened your mouth to argue, but she held up a hand to stop you. “And before you say I’m imagining things, let me remind you: I notice everything. You’re in love with him. Admit it.”

“I’m not—” you started, but the words faltered.

Your sister narrowed her eyes, her tone softening but still direct. “You can’t lie to me. He looks at you like you’re the only person in the room. And you hang on to his every single word he says.”

Her analysis hit like a punch to the chest. You turned back to the mirror, trying to collect your thoughts. “We’re just…really good friends,” you said quietly, though even you could hear the doubt in your voice.

“Sure,” she said, her tone laced with sarcasm. “And I’m just here for the free snacks.”

You sighed letting out a chuckle, your fingers fiddling with a makeup brush. The truth was, she wasn’t wrong. You had been yearning for Cooper for years, hiding your feelings behind the safety of friendship. The thought of losing him—or complicating what you had—had always kept you from saying anything.

Before you could respond, a knock on the door signaled it was time for you to head back to set. “Think Cooper could show me around while you’re busy?” your sister asked, her tone casual but her smirk anything but.

You hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Sure. But behave.”

“No promises,” she said with a wink as she followed you out.

————

Cooper led Jade around the set, his easygoing demeanor making even the chaotic environment feel inviting. He started with the soundstage, a cavernous space where cameras, lights, and crew buzzed with purpose. “This is where the magic happens—or, you know, where we fake it convincingly,” he quipped, pointing out the massive green screens and intricate camera rigs. He gestured to a detailed house facade, adding, “Looks sturdy, right? It’s just plywood. One strong gust, and it’s game over.”

From there, he showed her the wardrobe trailer, crammed with racks of costumes, and the prop room, a treasure trove of oddly specific items—everything from antique vases to fake food. Finally, they landed at the diner set, complete with retro booths, a jukebox, and gleaming countertops. “This one’s my favorite,” Cooper said as your sister slid into a booth, her eyes roaming over the immersive details. “Sometimes it’s hard to remember it’s not real.” She smirked at that, tapping the table thoughtfully. “Feels like it could be.” Cooper grinned, leaning in slightly, “That’s the goal.”

As they made their way back to your trailer, the air between Cooper and your sister felt easy and light. He paused just outside the door, hands tucked into his pockets, ready to say goodbye as she waited for you to wrap filming. There was a brief, comfortable silence before Jade tilted her head and asked, “So, how are you liking filming with my sister?”

Cooper’s face lit up instantly, and he didn’t hesitate. “Oh, she’s incredible,” he said, his voice full of sincerity. “She’s just… one of those people who makes everything better, you know? On set, off set—she’s so talented, so smart. And funny. Don’t even get me started on how funny she is.” His grin widened as he continued, “She has this way of making everyone feel comfortable, but she’s also so driven and sharp. Honestly, it’s kind of unfair that someone can be that amazing and still look as good as she does.” He chuckled, shaking his head, clearly caught up in his praise.

Your sister raised an eyebrow, smirking as she leaned against the trailer door. “So, when the movie wraps, is that when you guys are going to make your relationship public?”

Cooper froze for half a beat before laughing, the sound slightly louder and more nervous than usual. “What? No, no, we’re just friends,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck, his cheeks tinting the faintest shade of pink. “Really good friends, that’s all.”

But Jade wasn’t buying it. She squinted at him, her knowing look cutting straight through his weak denial. As she turned to open the trailer door, she tossed over her shoulder, “There’s nothing worse than two idiots in love trying to convince everyone else they aren’t.”

Cooper stood there, stunned into silence, watching the door close behind her. His jaw slackened slightly as her words sank in. She knew. And worse—he knew she was right.

————

Later that night, the set had quieted down, and you found yourself back in Cooper’s trailer, sharing dinner like you always did. The meal was simple but comforting, and the air between you was familiar—comfortable, even—but there was a faint, unspoken tension that neither of you addressed outright. Still, it wasn’t enough to interrupt your usual banter about the day’s filming.

“Thanks again for showing my sister around,” you said after a pause, your fork idly poking at your plate. “She seemed like she had fun, which is rare for her. She’s usually not impressed by much.”

“She was sweet,” Cooper said, leaning back in his chair. “Actually, she said she really admires your work ethic. Like, lowkey, she thinks you’re kind of amazing….and she’s not wrong” His tone was easy, but something about the way he said it made your heart skip.

You froze for a split second, trying to keep your face neutral. “Yeah, well,” you began, forcing a laugh, “sometimes she likes to make people feel nervous for fun. She’s, uh, super analytical like that—loves seeing people squirm. It’s kind of her thing.”

As casually as ever, he got up and crossed to the small couch in the corner, motioning for you to join him. “She told me a lot about you, though,” he said, his voice softer now, carrying a weight that sent your stomach flipping.

Your heart dropped, a rush of panic hitting you square in the chest. You set your plate down and crossed your arms, trying to play it off. “Oh, God,” you said with an exaggerated groan. “What’d she say? Because honestly, sometimes she just talks to mess with people.”

Cooper smiled faintly, but his eyes didn’t waver. “She wasn’t messing with me,” he said, his tone more direct now, making it impossible for you to brush him off.

Your chest rose sharply, your breath caught in a mix of panic and anticipation. Cooper’s words hung in the air, so heavy yet so vulnerable. You slowly lowered yourself onto the couch next to him, trying to keep your movements calm even though your heart was racing wildly.

“She said… ‘there’s nothing worse than two fools in love,’” Cooper repeated, his lips curving into a small, almost shy smile as he reached for your hands. His touch was warm, his hands larger and stronger than yours, yet so gentle that it felt like a grounding force. “And if I’m being honest, I’m in love with you. I always have been, and I always will be.”

Your breath hitched, your heart thudding loudly in your ears. Cooper’s thumb lightly grazed over your knuckles as he continued, his voice unwavering despite the tenderness of his confession. “But she’s your sister, and she knows you better than I ever could. So if this isn’t something you want…” His words trailed off, his gaze searching yours for any sign of hesitation.

You took a deep breath, the air filling your lungs but failing to calm the storm inside. “Cooper,” you began, your voice trembling slightly, “I’ve loved you ever since you first said my name. And every day since then. You make every day wonderful, and even on my worst days, just hearing from you makes it all feel better—like the world isn’t as heavy.”

Finally, you looked up, meeting his gaze head-on. His eyes were warm and kind, full of something deeper than you’d ever dared to imagine. The way he smiled at you—like you were his whole world—made your chest ache in the best way.

“God,” he breathed, his voice filled with awe, “you’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met.”

And then he moved. The space between you disappeared as his lips found yours, crashing into you with a passion that left no room for doubt. For a fleeting second, you hesitated, the weight of the moment overwhelming. But then your instincts took over, and you melted into him.

The kiss was electric, a perfect mix of exhilaration and familiarity. It felt like a first kiss—tingling, new, and impossibly thrilling—but also like the culmination of a thousand unspoken moments, as though you’d been doing this forever.

Cooper’s hands moved to your waist, pulling you closer, his grip firm but protective. His large hands made you feel small, secure, and cherished all at once. Your hands found their way to his jaw and the back of his head, your fingers tangling in his hair as you pulled him deeper into the kiss. Time seemed to blur, the rest of the world falling away until there was only Cooper—his warmth, his touch, his love.

[evenfallwriter]

hello !! I wanted to ask about a ghosts au! <3 is Kevin there? does Wymack know he's his son?? what happened to him (how he died 😭😭)? was he a famous figure before his death? omg I want to know everything 🫵🏼🥺

hi!

Kevin is there, stuck on the property that belongs to the house, has been there for almost forty years by the time that Neil is born.

Exy was a sport that was well known for a long time by the time that Neil finds interest in it, found almost fifty years before canon, with Kayleigh and Tetsuji still being it's founders.

At one point the Wesninski property had belonged to the Moriyama's second branch, a place that Tetsuji took his athlete's to train when it was summer time since the university was closed during those months. It had been a place that Kevin Day and Riko Moriyama spent most of their childhoods in, both of the boys training on the exy court nearby that was shut down years after Kevin's death due to all the accidents that had took place on it.

The two boys were rising stars for a very long time, one of them being Kayleigh Day's son and the other being Tetsuji Moriyama's nephew, and the world had adored the duo.

Till tragedy struck, and Kevin Day had an accident. An accident that cost him his life.

It was said that he fell down a river near the house, and that his body was never found, never discovered. No one knew that it had been Riko, who had gotten too drunk one day and had broken not only Kevin's hand but more than half of Kevin's bones, just because Kevin ahd beat him in a practice match.

Riko who panicked after seeing what he had done, and ended up having a couple of other players carry Kevin to the bridge near the house, before they had pushed Kevin's barely holding on body off of it, Riko hoping desperately that no one would find the younger man's remains, that Riko would never have to face the consequences of his actions.

Nathan's father was given the house after doing something that won the Moriyama's favour when Nathan was 15 years old, but by the time that the Nathan took the heir's position there were no Moriyama's left, the empire having already been on the verge of collapsing after losing so many of it's connections. The Wesninski house only belonged to the Wesninski for less than 30 years.

Kevin was really famous, almost more than Riko was, and his fans were absolutely devastated when he was announced dead. Riko dies only a year or two later, on the Exy court near the house, one of his uncle's lesson's going too far. His ghost ends up getting stuck to the locker room of the court instead of the whole property like Kevin and the rest of the foxes were.

Wymack is aware that Kevin was his son, had even been Kevin's 'imaginary friend' after Kevin had been moved to the Baltimore house after Kayleigh's death, had played a hand in raising him into the great man he had been even with how horrible of an influence that Tetsuji had been for him.

It's Kevin, who doesn't know that Wymack is his father, but finds himself drawn to the man because of how much his mother had respected him and all the stories that she had told Kevin of Wymack.

Hope that i was able to answer your questions XD, have been obsessing over this AU a bit too much, and had a lot of fun answering your questions too! Thank you for the ask! <3

[lanalaynetalks]

Tenrou Island is one of my favorite arcs! I love this arc so much. I think this is possibly a controversial take. I don’t know. My favorite thing about shows is learning more about systems in the world. I think it’s just so interesting to see how wizards become s-class. This is going to be long. I am so sorry I love this arc so much. It’s a lot of Cana… I ADORE CANA. Plus a lot of Levy and Gajeel! I just think this arc features so many fan favorite characters so well. This is also before The Thunder Legon was nerfed so they have some cool moments. Just I love this arc so much!

1. I do think it’s crazy that they really just throw us into the arc with no filler episodes/arc between. I think this is one of the only arcs that doesn’t have filler episodes before or a filler arc.

2. Fairy Tail having a sacred place implies that other guilds do as well.

3. Something I find weird about S-Class wizards is why does the title follow you from one guild to another. Juvia and Gajeel were S-Class in Phantom Lord, but not Fairy Tail.

4. Silly thing time! Hiro Mashima trying to put all the main characters and main side characters on the island.

5. Lisanna and Juvia. I wish we kept seeing them as friends.

6. Evergreen and Elfman are one of my favorite ships and should be a main ship. It should be the big 5 instead of big 4. They were more together by the end than any of the other ships! I LOVE THEM!

7. Oh Mest… I miss your silly personality. Also how did he go from ok looking, to hot, to Nastu wannabe. I will be mourning when we see hot Mest for the last time.

8. Why did Makarov keep picking Cana? It seems a little cruel.

9. First Mavis mentioned. Mavis is one of my favorite characters of all time. I love her so much. Fairy Tail Zero is so good and made me love her more.

10. While pacing was my biggest issue for the last two arcs I feel like this is when the show found its pace. Without this arc the grand magic games would have not been as good as it was. I said what I said!

11. If I walked into the route and saw it was Mira I would have just walked away. Mirajane scares me the most out of all characters in the show.

12. I’m going to say it! I ship Lily and Carla! I said what I said!

13. I never got why Hades was so obsessed with Zeref. Because Zeref literally taught him how to use magic. I also wish we got more info on why he turned evil. It’s hard for to believe e he would attack Fairy Tail because he was a founder and was like best friends with Mavis. Him being Precht makes no sense because we never get a full explanation on how he turned evil other than he basically accidentally went down the alt right pipeline

14. I will never get over the Iron with a heart in the O. When I saw it for the first time I screamed and I still scream and fangirl over it!

15. Makarov talking Gajeel into joining Fairy Tail will forever be one of my favorite Gajeel scenes.

16. This arc is really when we start seeing Wendy come into her character and she becomes less of just the little kid to a true character.

17. It’s heavily implied you can’t say no to being Fairy Tail’s guild master. We see Makarov be like lol no and Precht being like lol too bad. Then we see Guildarts being like lol no and Makarov being like lol too bad! Then we see Guildarts being like lol as master you are now master again! Like can they really not say no?

18. I wish we could see Makarov in his prime. I know there has been discussion about how the series is going to continue. I don’t want next generation Fairy Tail I want to see old generation Fairy Tail. I want to see Makarov and his old team beating people up. I want to see Precht as guild master. Or even early days of Makarov being guild master! I would even be ok if it was like Fairy Tail Zero where it was a one arc story.

19. I do have a theory that Precht made Fairy Law. I don’t think it’s stated ever that Mavis made all the grand fairy spells but I maybe wrong. So that’s how he was able to make Grimoire Law.

20. Another theory I have is that Precht took care of Makarov after Yuri’s death.

21. Now this is an out there theory. I know it. I believe that Yuri called Laxus back to the island. HEAR ME OUT! We know that some things just happen in Fairy Tail especially with the living and the dead. Yuri promised to always protect Mavis also his son was in danger. His legacy (Fairy Tail) was in danger. I also think that it could have been Mavis, but I think it’s more poetic coming from Yuri.

22. Makarov saying it’s up to his successor and us being shown Laxus… I am going to call it right now. The end of 100 year quest we will be seeing Laxus becoming master. This would be a perfect way to end his character. This is not the post to get into it, but ya that’s my prediction.

23. God Slayers… oh the magic that was sort of forgotten about. How sad.

24. I will die on this hill. Laxus should have been the Lightning God Slayer. This would had been able to connect him, Ivan and Hades together in a perfect way.

25. This arc also has some of my favorite speeches.

26. One thing about me is I am absolutely sat every time Mirajane transforms.

27. Elfgreen is such an underrated ship.

28. I love Evergreen so much.

29. Capricorn is cool! I really like him even if he isn’t used enough. I love him! Probably second favorite spirit. First is Aquarius because I am an Aquarius and she is just awesome.

30. Favorite Juvia moment is when Meredy said she was wanting to kill Gray.

31. Also wow the show that has shown over and over again to become more powerful is to channel your emotions is showing how emotions makes people more powerful. I really don’t get why people give Fairy Tail so much hate using the power of friendship. It’s almost like we are shown over and over again that is literally how it works. More emotion = more power. It also makes me more mad now knowing the show was created because Hiro Mashima was lonely.

32. One of my favorite things to come out of this arc is Juvia and Meredy’s friendship.

33. Honestly Juvia vs Meredy is my favorite Juvia fight.

34. Cana my love. We both have daddy issues. She just like me for real!

35. Me realizing I’ve misspelled Gildarts name this whole time… oops

36. Seeing Cana’s mom’s will and seeing Cana’s cards being around it. I think her mom also used card magic.

37. Can we talk about how Cana was defeated by Laxus in her first S-Class trial. We don’t talk about this enough!

38. I truely believe that any minor inconvenience Cana threatens to use Fairy Glitter.

39. Fairy Tail having grand spells implies that other guild have grand spells

40. Rip thunder legion…. They aren’t dead they just get hella nerfed after this arc. Well more than they already were after the battle of fairy tail.

41. One thing about Gray is going to try to cast ice shell.

42. I love Ultear so much. She is one of my favorite villains.

43. Lily being scared of thunder and lightning. Adorable. I love him.

44. I do think Hades being a founder was added later on because when he revealed he was the second guild master he didn’t mention being a founder and I think that’s something that would have been mentioned.

45. LAXUS IS BACK BABY! ONE THING ABOUT LAXUS HE KNOWS HOW TO MAKE AN ENTRANCE!

46. We are so spoiled in this arc. We got so much of side characters showing their skills.

47. So Nastu just got the flame lighting power. Honestly don’t understand how it worked! But I don’t care because it’s cool! Wanna know what’s not cool? The fact that Wendy is the only 1st generation dragon slayer to not get an extra dragon slayer element. I hope by the end of 100 year quest she gets something. I want cobra to give her poison. Because that would be badass.

48. The exceed side mission is so adorable and goofy. I LOVE IT.

49. To think of Hades just kept his Fairy Tail emblem he would have been able to win the final fight because the tree was restore

50. People say it’s a plot hole that Ultear was able to restore the tree because she said she can’t use her magic on living things, but I think it was just bad phrasing and really it’s like humans and animals she can’t us her magic on.

51. The Laxus ship that makes the most sense to me is that him and the thunder legion are just a poly relationship. Yes Elfman is apart of this.

52. Another reason why I don’t think Hades was always supposed to be a founder of Fairy Tail is because how did he not recognize Zeref as the man who taught him magic?

53. I love Gildarts and Cana so much! I know if Cana told him from the start he would have stopped going on his long jobs to take care of her. He is such a girl dad.

54. Everyone begging Makarov to let them stay and fight is another moment that makes me cry every time. Honestly the whole episode does.

55. Most iconic scene in Fairy Tail is them holding hands and no one can change my mind.

56. Mavis protecting her guild. Her babies! I love her. The foreshadowing of fairy sphere being more powerful than Acnologia.

Tenrou Island is one of the best arcs. It is also a soft reboot of the show. I can’t wait for the grand magic games. I don’t know if I’ll watch the clock arc. I haven’t watched it in years. It is always a skip for me because I want to get to the grand magic games. I know I missed a lot during this arc and forgot to write things down. I watch the show while working on my school work. I love talking about Fairy Tail so don’t be shy send me things! Thank you for reading me fan girling over my favorite piece of media! The grand magic games post will likely be multiple parts because I think it’s peak Fairy Tail.

[caplanbuckybarnes]

Blissful Delays (howard Stark)

requested by @groovy-lady May I please request some fluffy married Howard Stark & fem!Reader fic in which Howie and his wife finally get to go on their honeymoon (they got married soon after WWII ended and since Howard has a business to run Howie and Reader hadn’t gotten to have their honeymoon because of how busy they -especially Howard- had been) and it’s just lots of romantic adorableness with some sensuality thrown in? :3

Summary: You spend time with your newlywed husband.

Warnings: fluff

WC: 632

Read on ao3!

--

The sun hung low on the horizon, casting golden hues over the sapphire waters of the Amalfi Coast. The sea breeze danced through the open balcony doors of the luxurious villa, carrying with it the mingling scents of salt and citrus. After years of waiting, Howard Stark finally had his bride all to himself, with no projects, meetings, or emergencies to interrupt them.

“Howie,” you called teasingly, watching your husband fiddle with a camera by the railing. He had a determined frown, the kind you often saw when he was engineering something back in his lab.

“Just hold still, sweetheart,” he murmured, squinting as he adjusted the lens. “I need to capture you exactly like this.”

You laughed softly, brushing your fingers against the hem of your sundress as you turned to face him fully. “We’re on our honeymoon, Howard. Maybe the camera can wait?”

He froze mid-adjustment, his gaze flicking up to meet yours. The corners of his mouth lifted in a sly grin as he set the camera aside. “Fair point. Why immortalize the view when I could be basking in it?”

Howard crossed the balcony to you, his hands sliding around your waist. He pulled you closer, his forehead resting lightly against yours. “You know,” he murmured, his voice low and velvety, “I’ve been dreaming about this. Just us. No Stark Industries, no world-ending crises, no distractions.”

You cupped his cheek, your thumb tracing the faint stubble along his jaw. “It was worth the wait,” you said, your voice filled with quiet sincerity. “All of it.”

He smiled, softer now, and leaned in to kiss you. His lips were warm, his kiss unhurried—sweet but carrying the unmistakable spark of the man you loved. When he pulled back, his brown eyes gleamed with mischief.

“Care to test out that infinity pool downstairs?” he suggested, his hands playfully tugging at the sash of your dress.

You swatted his hand lightly, laughing. “Patience, Mr. Stark. Dinner first.”

Howard groaned dramatically, releasing you just long enough to hold out his arm. “If my wife insists. Shall we?”

The villa’s private dining area was set for two, the table adorned with flickering candles and a spread of Italian dishes that smelled divine. As you ate, Howard’s charm was on full display, recounting stories from the war and his early days of invention, each tale more exaggerated and entertaining than the last.

“You’re incorrigible,” you said, shaking your head as you sipped your wine.

“And you adore me,” he countered, his grin widening.

When the plates were cleared, the sky had turned a deep indigo, scattered with stars. Howard stood, offering you his hand. “Dance with me?”

“There’s no music,” you said, even as you let him pull you to your feet.

He hummed softly, guiding you into his arms. The tune was familiar—a swing number he used to play on the phonograph when you first started dating. Your laughter melted into contentment as he led you in a slow, swaying rhythm, the world fading away until there was only the two of you.

As the night wore on, the sensuality of his touch deepened. His fingers traced the small of your back, his kisses trailing along your collarbone, leaving you breathless and wanting.

“You’re everything I’ve ever wanted,” Howard whispered against your ear, his voice thick with emotion. “This heart, this life—it’s all yours, darling.”

The villa, the coast, the stars—it was all beautiful, but none of it compared to the love shining in Howard’s eyes. For the first time since your wedding day, it felt like the world had finally stopped spinning, allowing you both to simply be.

And in that moment, surrounded by warmth and love, you knew the wait for this honeymoon had been worth every second.

[ancha-aus]

Hihi hi! As reaction to your tags :3

I am happy to hear you are feeling unwell /pos thanks to my post hihi that was the aim :D

I LOVE Ccino in this AU so much and i keep gravitating towards his pov! and yeah. It was either him or Nightmare's pov but in the end it was just. Ironically. Ccino had more going on at the time ironically. Nightmare's motivation was all about keeping Dream save and saving him from this 'terrible pain' that the ritual required. Ccino had EVERYTHING going on and then that little fact on top of that and Nightmare's anxiety. So. Ccino was the pick again.

Thank you! It was so important to me to showcase that Ccino adores Nightmare (and dream). Ccino loves his two little brothers so much and they are the little lights in his life. I needed to showcase that Ccino has been putting the twin's needs before himself for so long that it became natural to him.

and yeah. Ccino is a very sweet guy normally and he just wants the twins to be okay and happy. nightmare is scared and worried and ALREADY planning on stealing the apple and is even more nervous about that so he is just sneakily trying to get ccino to either assure him that dream won't be hurt. or that ccino beleives in him.

And yes! the sun and moon motifs <3 I love that so much for the twins. Together with their own masks of course but i had to pepper it in :3

And the med scene. I just. figured. with the fact that ccino was suposed to be dream's. Was suposed to be for the next king. He would be very closely monitorred and micromanaged. Everything he does or is or feels? It needs to be known. So yeah. This isn't the first invasive medical check but it WAS the last.

and yeah. ccino and his never ending to do list. That is forever expending and always so important and he is expected to just be fine with ti.

he is fine. (he isn't.)

My friend!! the ritual!! I spend so much time thinking about it and figured it wouldn't be large or big. Just this small action. The magic is so emotions centered which is why the apple needs to be given willingly. and they both hold the apple to give ownership up to the powers.

For a short moment. the apple has all the magic again and could be planted to make a new tree. And then the next king eats it.

Dream IS eager! This is a good thing! He will take his next step as he was trained and taught to from his childhood. His mother dusts and all that is left is her dust and her mask. Which will be put in a case to keep it. Then dream goes to eat it and nightmare interfers.

And yes!! Nightmare had been looking around for ccino to reassure him. and remember the promise that ccino would be there. So nightmare tackled his twin. stole the apple. Looked at ccino to feel more brave. and ate it. because he knew that even if everything went wrong and everyone hates him. Ccino would love him. ccino would be there (he also believed dream to still love him but he was proven wrong with that.)

And yeah. Dream had his world rocked because his twin betrayed him. something everyone said he would do but dream never believed those liars. his twin would NEVER betray him!

and then he did. and dream is hurting so badly because of it.

and yeah. I was thinking. Ccino would never have allowed EITHER twin to hurt the other. It isn't in his nature and he would have always moved from his role and spot to stop both twins. So even if dream had eaten the apple. Much the same would have happened but dream would only need to be shaken from the impulse once before he took control. (dream also wouldn't have kept ccino as like a mate. Drema knows that ccino is their babysitter and that ccino helps keep nightmare save. He would ahve just made ccino nightmare's main caretaker and ordered ccino to make sure nightmare is okay. always.)

so even if dream had eaten the apple. things would ahve been relatively okay for the twins and ccino. though drema would ahve had a ruling much simular to nim's because he was taught that was the way to rule.

and yeah. again. ccino never seeing his own needs as priorities anymore. that was beat out of him from a young age. He was always going to focus on the boys. think about what to do next and help them.

ccino was there for nightmare because he has always been. it is familiar and a habit and he went right back to doing that when he noticed nightmare needing help.

and yes! Captain fawks :D He is an ass and as you mentioned in your coment. I think that nghtmare will murder him on the spot for even ENTERTAINING the idea of punishing ccino for helping him in a crisis.

Which would lead to nightmare wanting to know why he would even think that is okay.... and get nightmare thinking. and get nightmare to look through nim's, well now his own, office and papers. looking for anything conserning ccino... and finding the truth. the full truth. Because nim took CAREFUL notes on how ccino was progressing and what his next step would be. (including ccino's eating schedule which had pretty much been reduced to one light breakfast every week at this point.)

nightmare realising that. He would be furious. Sera would be the next to be killed immediantly afterwards. Nightmare woudl not be okay to know that the person he adored most after dream was made to suffer so much. the whole time. And nightmare NEVER NOTICED.

And i had to give ccino the option to put sera in her place. Ccino learned a lot very quickly. he long ago surpassed sera in every single way.

and yes! Sasha the seamstress! She tried to hype him up. heart in the right place but a bit misguided (i think she is one of the few who remained. she is loyal in like the honest slightly blissful ignorant way. she tries though!)

As i said before. Dream was also hurting a lot. he was betrayed and everyone just moved passed that. the future he had been preparing for. the future he was suposed to have? gone in a second. He is hurting and sad and mad and he lashes out.

The way you spoke about Captain Rogers staring at Ccino with deep rooted respect made me think that he MUST have seen something that mad ehim respect him. and i figured. if he is the captain he must have already proving his worth and skills and trustworthyness. So. He was there since the start. Saw the prince transform. and saw Ccino see the crisis and correct the whole course.

and afterwards! Int he weeks following the incident. Noticed that ccino helped keep nightmare on track without being obvious. ccino kept to the sidelines but made sure that nightmare was were he eneded to be. spoke with who was needed. kept the kign healthy.

Rogers would know that for a while there? Ccino was ruling the kingdom as nightmare got used to his powers.

so yeah. deeply rooted respect that will NEVER leave. Rogers told the new cadets to listen to ccino. not jsut because ccino's position or because nightmare told him that everyone needs to. but because HE believes it to his own core.

Yes more bits of nightmare and ccino's relationship. the way that nightmare. even now eVERYTHING is different. he trusts ccino. ccino is safe and has always beens afe and ccino PROMISED he would be there and he IS THERE.

and yes i agree. ngihtmare 100% first went to dream and their old room only to be cursed out and be rejected. So he went to ccino. where he is save and can be held. and ccino does just that.

I wanted to also add a bit about how ccino reminds nightmare that he is a very brave monster and that nightmare says it is easy ti be brave when ccino is nearby but i couldn't find a good spot for that as both would be exhasuted and just wanted to sleep.

something that i personally still really like is the detail that ccino can't stand looking at himself.

Not because he hates how he looks.

but the reason is that each time he sees his own face now he only feels grieve and pain and sorrow.

because his face is exactly like his mother's. so even if he can't quite remember how she looks. ccino sees his face and all those old emotions and hurt and memories of the heartbreak or losing his parents comes back to the surface.

I am sure i forgetting to mention something hahaha but yeah! Happy you had fun! and i am hapyp we both agreed that nightmare deserves to murder some peeps so it has more impact for him to ask his kngiths to do so and it means even more when he refuses and stops it.

Gifted Drabble - NewAgeAU - The Eclipse

I am back again and I got a big boy drabble for you today @spotaus

After the amazing drabble they did about Nightmare losing the magic. I decided it was about time I tried my hands at the event that brought forth the magic!

Also we are back to Ccino POV. I don't know what it is about him in this series I just love him dearly and adore his POV. Once we move more into the story I will probably do other people's POVs haha.

Warnings! We are in for a rough time because Ccino never has it easy and that is like 90% my fault. There is past abuse, past starvation, victim blaming (kinda), there is gaslighting, there is manipulation. Implied future abuse.

There is a lot and I need you to be aware of this.

Also... It... may be a bit long? As in 10K words long. So... just so you know it is long. With that out of the way! Lets Go!

*--------------------------------------*

Ccino isn’t sure what to feel. He knows he should be proud and feel excited. Today was the twin’s birthdays. They were finally turning thirteen. Something everyone in the kingdom has been excited for for the last few years as this day grow closer.

Ccino sighs as he feels his body shake. Even as he makes sure that Nightmare’s outfit is spotless. It is a beautiful light yellow. It will fit in perfectly amongst the golden and yellow decorations but Ccino can only assume it is on purpose. To show Nightmare’s rank and position as prince as Dream ascends. To see they belong together and are connected by their bond as twins.

Nightmare frows as he tugs on his shelves. Ccino gently takes his hand and removes it from the soft fabric “Hey. It is okay my prince.” He puts the sleeves back in place and is happy to note there are no ruffles.

Nightmare frowns as he turns his skull away. Ccino frowns as he makes sure the outfit is perfect.

Nightmare mutters “Still think they are stupid for making you wear pink…”

Ccino blinks and looks down at his undershirt. It is a very soft light pink and there are yellow accents. He smiles as he twists his skull a bit to enable himself to look better at Nightmare “Really? Why is that my prince?”

Nightmare shrugs and mutters “Pink doesn’t suit you… beige is better.”

Ccino smiles “I do love the neutral and nature colours… But your brother was allowed to pick everything for his big day.” And it was only fitting that the new king’s gift was exactly as he wanted-

Ccino shakes his skull. He needs to stop thinking about it like that. He isn’t the one who matters here.

Nightmare is anxious. Nightmare’s twin is about to be crowned and become king. Complete this mysterious ritual. Ccino had to be there for him. Nightmare had found information and mentions about this great sacrifice and pain. Something that Dream had to do or experience to ascend to godhood.

Nightmare had come to him near tears. Terrified his brother would be hurt by this ritual that was going to happen no matter what. Nightmare had said he had tried to warn Dream but Dream just told him he was nervous and that everything would be okay. That Dream would become a god like their mother and Dream would rule their kingdom.

Nightmare had spoken about how he had gone to his mother with his worries but Nim just dismissed him. That Nim had just told him he was seeing things wrong again and that he was letting silly ideas get the better of him again.

Ccino isn’t surprised she was like that. Nim is just like that. A terrible and horrible-

Ccino stops himself. He can never be sure what she knows and what she doesn’t.

Instead, even back when Nightmare came to him, he concentrated on helping Nightmare. Helping him calm down before looking at what he had found.

Ccino wasn’t even sure what it was but he knew… he knew that Nightmare was correct. This magic, this ritual it is dangerous.

But there is nothing Ccino could do to help him. Ccino doesn’t know magic. He can’t even do magic. He knows nothing about magic or what it all means. He was only able to hold Nightmare close until he fell asleep for the night. Ccino letting him sleep in his room with him to help him feel safe.

Ccino doesn’t know magic…

But Ccino remembers… He thinks he remembers at least… He believes that his mother used to sing… That she could do magical things with music. Ccino thinks their little house used to be filled with music.

His father had these... magical kisses? Ccino thinks so at least… That his father could give kisses when you were hurt or sad and everything felt better… Something about his magic only working because of Ccino and his mom…

Ccino thinks so at least…

He can’t really remember what his father looked like…

He just knows he is supposed to look like his mom… but he isn’t sure as he can’t remember her well either… It has been so long

Nightmare shifts before him and Ccino pulls himself out of his mindless thinking. Ccino turns Nightmare around and hums “The yellow looks nice on you…”

Nightmare pulls on his shirt anxiously “You think so? I think it looks weird… yellow fits Dream. Not me.”

Ccino smiles as he knows how to handle this easily “Really? I think it looks nice.” he gently takes Nightmare’s hands as Ccino ignores the scars on those small bones from his practise cuts “Yellow compliments purple after all. Makes your eye lights stand out more.”

Nightmare looks deeply embarrassed but has a shy smile “Really?”

Ccino smiles “Have I ever lied to you?”

Nightmare shakes his skull and looks a bit more relaxed as he looks back into the mirror. Ccino looks him over and smiles. Nightmare, and Dream, has grown into a fine young teen.

Ccino can’t help but be proud of both the twins. Ccino has always been closer to Nightmare as Dream had many others who seemed to want to answer his every request. Which meant that Ccino just focused on Nightmare when he could. Make sure the younger twin didn’t feel left behind.

Ccino is proud to say that he managed it. Nightmare is happy and never mentioned feeling alone. He mentioned missing his twin when he went to his classes but aside from that Nightmare was happy and healthy. Dream was too.

The twins adore each other and are the closest friends. Both are happy and healthy.

All in all. Ccino thinks he has been doing a great job with helping and raising them.

Ccino hums as he moves to Nightmare’s front and starts putting up the little golden and sun jewellery. Careful all in the right spots. Decorating his thin neck and the fragile wrists.

Last Ccino picks up the small silver crown and places it on Nightmare’s skull “Almost done my prince.”

Nightmare stares at him “We are alone.” And he waits.

Ccino blinks and smiles softly “My prince-” Nightmare frowns more. Ccino sighs but can’t stop smiling “Nightmare. You know I have to address you properly.” He can’t stop himself as he rubs the smaller skull and Nightmare leans into it happily “I am just a servant. People can’t see me disrespecting you like that.”

Nightmare frowns again “I don’t care.” And he glares more “and you are not just a servant. You are you.”

Ccino smiles and nuzzles him softly “I know you don’t care Nightmare. And I would like to not care either. But… it isn’t right or how it works…” he gives him a sad smile.

Nightmare frowns and mutters “Maybe… When Dream is king he can change that?” he looks a bit more hopeful.

Anxiety returns to his soul. Ccino doesn’t want to be important and known… He forces it back down as he gives a gentle smile “As king he won’t get the chance to do such things until much later Nightmare. He can’t risk being seen as weak or someone who is easy to disrespect. Once things calm down we can maybe ask him. Okay?” much later.

Nightmare frowns and mutters “Who would disrespect him? He would be a king and a god!” and he looks at Ccino.

Ccino feels bad. Seeing as he doesn’t respect Nim at all. And Nim is like that. Ccino instead gives him a tiny grin “Some people will just be like that. Even if they don’t have a good reason. And no matter how much you want them to you can’t change their minds.” He rubs his cheek “Which means you can only focus on what matters to you and the country.”

Nightmare frowns before nodding “I can do that for him. Help him.” He rubs his arm and whispers “Do… do you think the… the bad thing will happen?”

Ccino frowns “I am not sure Nightmare. I am so sorry…” he can’t help him when it matters… Ccino wasn’t even sure why he thought he could help either of them in a way that matters.

Nightmare leans into his touch and mutters “At least you believe me.”

Ccino feels a bit better as he speaks softly “And I always will. Even if no one else believes you. I will. I will be there for you. I swear.” It is an easy promise to make to him.

Nightmare actually smiles this time.

Ccino relaxes as he slowly gets the paint and make up out “Ready for the last finishing touches?”

Nightmare nods and takes a seat. Ccino gets the paint and gets to work. Ccino had to do these very early on for both the twins. Dream would want to get up and move around while Nightmare would patiently wait for Ccino to finish and for the make up to dry. Ccino never minded it of course. It was fun! It reminded him of finger painting and practising make up with his mom. It are dear memories.

Ccino starts with a bit of paint by Nightmare’s cheeks and his chin. To make sure the edges look softer and a bit rounder. Next he adds a very small line of golden yellow around the very edge of his sockets. Ccino hadn’t been lying after all, yellow did help make purple stand out more and with this is made the purple pop. Ccino then took the silver and with the utmost care he painted the phases of the moon from one temple to the other across the forehead. Making sure the full moon was at the very center. Ccino didn’t even need to redo it today.

Ccino smiles as he takes a step back “All ready.” He washes the paint and make up from his phalanges.

Nightmare hops off his chair and looks into the mirror “Will you have to also do Dream’s paints?”

Ccino shakes his skull “Not today. I believe the king is helping your twin prepare.” He finishes cleaning himself up and puts everything back to its spot.

Nightmare nods as he looks into the mirror anxiously “It is okay… it is fine… Dream will be fine…” he tugs on his shirt again.

Ccino joins his side and frees the shirt from the tight hold. After it he tugs it all back in place before stepping back “There. You are ready my prince.” And he gives a small bow “Very soon. Crown prince.”

Nightmare rubs his arm. Luckily the material the shirt is made of doesn’t crumble easily and it remains looking nice and puffy. Ccino needs to make sure Nightmare looks fine and no one can say anything rude to Nightmare about it.

Ccino joins his side and smiles “Hey… Nighty?” Nightmare immediately looks at him. Ccino keeps smiling. Praying it helps relax him “You are going to do amazing. You will look stunning together with your twin and you two have bright futures ahead of you.”

Nightmare gives a very slow nod before he mutters “Will you be nearby? I know it is private and only for the inner circle until the real crowning but… Will you please be near?”

Ccino smiles “Yeah. I will be close by.” For completely different reasons…

Nightmare relaxes and smiles brightly “Thank you… I need you there to feel brave.”

Ccino feels like his soul is gripped as he gives him a gentle hug. Making sure not to mess up Nightmare’s outfit or make up “You don’t need me for that Nightmare. You are the bravest monster I know. But I will be there okay? You will see me right there okay? And if you start feeling scared or unsure you can look at me and know that there will always be people who believe in you and are there for you. Okay?” He rubs the cheek.

Nightmare pushes his face more into it and lets out a soft purr “Thank you.”

Ccino smiles “I am happy to be there for you. Both of you.” He hears footsteps in the distance and quickly takes his hand back as he steps back. Nightmare looks confused for a moment before the door behind him opens.

Ccino bows to the captain entering “Captain.”

The captain, a bird monster by the name of Falks, dismisses him but that is alright. Ccino doesn’t mind at all. He knows that most of the higher ups kind of know the deal that is about to happen.

Captain Falks bows to Nightmare “Hello my prince. I am here to lead you to the king and the future king.”

Nightmare nods before looking back at Ccino “See you soon Ccino.” And he follows the captain out.

Ccino makes sure to remain in his spot until the door closes. When it closes he feels all the tension return as the need to hide in one of the tunnels returns. He doesn’t want to go there.

He doesn’t want to be at the ritual.

Because… That will be the moment that he…

That his…

He is right now the king’s after all. Nim just only had use for him as babysitter and servant. Ccino knows… he knows what the little apple patterns on his clothes mean after all.

Ccino feels his breath quicken as he grabs a hold on the vanity and gasps as his breath gets shorter and shorter. He stares at himself for a moment before looking away. He can’t stand the sight of himself. Seeing himself hurts… Seeing himself brings back memories he can’t quite remember and pain and fear from long ago. He can’t deal with that. He can’t.

Ccino gasps as he takes a seat on the ground and curls up more. This is it… today… he will be… he won’t…

He… he is never going to see Nightmare ever again? Is he?

He doesn’t know what the ritual does. Not exactly.

But Nim had pulled him aside and given him an idea. How it changes the person. How it increases their power and that with it came the knowledge that they were more important than any mortals. That their power and their ability to hold and manage that power is the proof.

That once Dream gets the power he will finally get the power he deserves. He will have the power and knowledge that will make him the god among people.

That Ccino will be there for him in any way he wishes. For anything he wants.

Any. Thing.

Ccino feels gross just thinking about it.

Footsteps in the hallway and Ccino has to pull himself together. He forces himself back to his feet even if his whole body shakes. Even if he can’t stand the sight of everything around him.

He just manages to pull his face into a more neutral look and slow his panicked breathing when the door opens. Some guards stand ready and mutter about bringing Ccino to the room to prepare him for the ritual.

Ccino follows the guards. His soul pulsing fast enough that Ccino is starting to feal dizzy. He keeps his breaths short as he follows the familiar path.

They end by the healing bay and he is left by the door. The door opens and two medics are there already. They rush Ccino in and comment about him being later than expected. Ccino apologises as he stands in the room.

He hears the two healers talk as he stares ahead of himself. Trying so hard not to hear. He doesn’t want to hear it.

Ccino stares ahead of himself. The other wall has shelves which hold a lot of different items and potions. Ccino knows that some of those are against exhaustion and to give more energy. There are health boosters and even a few that will just knock you out. All different colours.

The scents are making his already dizzy skull spin and pound. He may be starting to get migraine.

The doctor snaps “Ccino!”

Ccino blinks and turns slightly “Yes sir?”

The doctor, Nigel, looks annoyed while the other healer, Mar, giggles “Don’t be mad at him. Can you blame him? He will be the future King’s first mate.” They sigh wishfully “I am so jealous… I wish I could be the one who helped Dream like that.”

They disgust Ccino. Ccino doesn’t care that technically Dream is about to magically become an adult. He is a child! One who barely started puberty! How could they think about him like that? Like they are just waiting for him to grow up so they can… so they can think and do those things to him?!

Doctor Nigel sighs annoyed as he stares at Ccino “When did you last eat and what?”

Ccino needs to think. He hadn’t eaten that morning… He hasn’t had dinners in ages much like lunches. His last breakfast was… “Day before yesterday.” If he is correct.

The doctor looks annoyed “Seriously? You pigging out again? You know that you need to look your best.” He sighs as he shakes his head.

Ccino just looks down. He just had been so hungry. He had felt so empty and tired. He had thought… Maybe a little wouldn’t be bad? Just to get a bit of energy.

Nigel looks at him expecting “What did you eat?”

Ccino looks to the side. Feeling guilty “Had some toast… and some yogurt and milk.” It had been so good. He had felt full after it and sighed happily.

The doctor huffs “Pigging. Out.”

The other giggles “Oh let him pig out. Maybe then King Dream will see that he is not that much anyway. Let someone who is actually pretty get a chance to please our new lord.” They sigh wishfully again.

Nigel shoots his colleague a look “Stop it. You can try to get in his harem once he is established.” He turns back to side as he grabs a step stool “The first mate always dies quickly anyone. They are there for the king to test their power and magic after all. Rather painful from what I understand.” He points towards the step stool “Undress and on the step stool.”

Ccino feels sick and feels his soul pulse anxiously but his body does as ordered. He feels beyond exposed as he stands there. Staring downwards as the two doctors circle him and comment on things. He can hardly hear it. His skull hurts.

Doctor Nigel hums “Luckily none of the lashes gave permanent marks after all. It would be unsightly for our future king to see marks of disobedience.” He makes a note as he moves on and checks his ribs and spine. Touching it and Ccino tries to ignore how invasive it feels. “Age?”

Ccino needs a moment to think “Twenty.”

He hums and makes a note “That should fertile then. Good. Summon your ecto.”

Ccino really doesn’t want to. His soul is filled with anxiety but he tries.

Nothing happens.

The doctor looks annoyed “I said. Summon the ecto.”

Ccino doesn’t look up “I can’t… I don’t have enough energy or magic.” Maybe he can’t summon it at all anymore. Maybe it is broken? Would that mean he doesn’t have to worry about this whole thing anymore? If he is unable to summon the parts needed… If he is too broken to serve his purpose…

The doctor grumbles as he walks to the cabinet and searches through the bottles before pulling one out “Here. Drink it.”

Ccino looks at the bright orange liquid and feels sick just looking at it. It smells gross. It looks disgusting. It is much too solid to be a normal drink.

Mar laughs as they smirk at him “What is wrong? Suddenly not a glutton anymore?”

Ccino doesn’t want to… But he remembers the pain of the lashes. The way each one burned. They way they would wait between the hits. Until his back was fully healed before giving the next one. Healing it magically, fast and aggressive which left his back tender and hurting of pains that weren’t there anymore. Then the next lash would hit.

He still feels the pain sometimes. Which is dumb. Ccino knows he isn’t hurt anymore. It got healed years ago and it doesn’t hurt. There is nothing there that could hurt. Everyone told him as much. To stop acting as if he is hurt when he was fine.

Ccino downs the potion as ordered. It is gross and sticks to his throat and it feels unpleasant. The unknown and different magic in the potion makes him sick but he stands there.

Nigel nods “Now. That should give you enough magic and mana to at least last through the night for our new King. Now summon so I can inspect your ecto.”

Ccino feels sick but does as ordered. He focusses on his soul. Even if the pulsing of it is uneven and anxious it is better than to think about the hands touching his ecto. Hands he doesn’t want to touch him anywhere.

He stares ahead. Staring at the different coloured bottles. Two are purple. One is blue. There is a green one on the side. Most of them don’t have a colour and three are yellow. All on different shelves. None of them have labels.

Doctor Nigel steps back as he takes notes “Seems fine and stable enough. A bit too round but that is too be expected from your gluttonous nature.” The doctor makes notes.

The other giggles “Best hope the king likes them heavier.” And Mar giggle again.

Ccino hates it here.

The doctor shoots his colleague a look “Behave. It will not look good for you if the first mate doesn’t like your behaviour.” And he shoots Ccino a look “You can get dressed again. Others will come pick you up soon to get ready.” And he turns to his desk. The other doctor huffs and shoots Ccino a jealous look.

Ccino would willingly and gladly trade places. Do it. Take his place. He doesn’t want to be some offering to placate a newly ascended god. Ccino knows what everyone implies he will do to do that. He feels sick.

Either way he gets dressed in the much too soft cotton with the almost silky feel to it. It is soft as he tugs on it. His soul feels like it has permanently moved to his throat. He still feels dizzy, the other magic in his body makes him feel sick.

Everything about this makes him ill. He wants to hide. Just not go. Fuck it. Stay in the hidden tunnels and just keep hiding there until they give up on searching for him. No one ever found him in those tunnels anyway.

The image of Nightmare looking hopefully into the crowd when he feels nervous. Ccino not being there.

He can’t… He can’t break his promise to Nightmare.

The door opens and a few maids walk in. They all seem excited and happily tug Ccino with them. They talk about how lucky he is and how he doesn’t need to worry! That people will make sure he looks pretty and then the new King will not be able to keep his hands to himself!

Ccino just smiles and nods. Not sure if he can keep himself from throwing up if he starts talking.

They get to the large dressing room. Normally used for making and fabricating outfits for the royals and nobles. Ccino feels his anxiety returns as the maids leave him with the seamstress Sasha. Sasha looks beyond excited as she looks at different outfits.

She hums happily “I am so excited! It is the greatest honour to have been allowed to make your outfit. I made a few options and the current king and future king already expressed their preference!” she smiles brightly as she holds up different outfits “I have a few that were approved upon and I made sure they will fit the decorations!”

Ccino nods as he lets her talk. Everywhere there are flags and banners with little suns on them. The symbol of Dream. A small sun for the golden prince. Dream had been so excited when they picked his symbol when the twins turned ten. Nightmare had been excited about his own symbol in the form of the moon.

Ccino watches as the seamstress pulls out this beautiful dress. Lower back and cuts by the lower part and legs to enable easy movement.

Sasha smiles as she holds it up “I know I know. A dress is the go to but I wanted to try just in case! Please put it on.”

Ccino takes the clothing item and gets dressed. Feeling numb to the exposed feeling by now. He waits on the verdict.

She beams “Oh you are so pretty!” she looks excited as she rushes to the other outfits she laid out “But I think the dress isn’t your fit after all. Don’t get me wrong you look gorgeous but it just doesn’t seem right! It doesn’t show off your best sides well as it is designed to look good on people with more curves.”

Ccino is never sure what people want from him. Some say he is too fat and a glutton. Others say he doesn’t have enough curves. He really tried to do as ordered and only eat and drink what he is supposed to. He doesn’t understand why his body isn’t like they want by now. He swears he tried.

He is so tired.

Sasha brings out this pants and shirt set which feels a bit more comfortable. Ccino doesn’t like how open the back is as it gives him bad memories. The only times his back was uncovered was when they… they…

The shirt itself is very tight around his neck. And shows off most of his spine. The pants themselves hang low on his hip bones. Barely staying up as it is while the pants legs are long and cover him to the ankles.

The seamstress hums as she looks considered “This shows off your skeleton nature much better than the dress did! Your spine is so clean and pretty! I am sure the king would love to be able to see it easily! I will have to make a note of that for any future outfits!” she makes a note as she grabs the next outfit.

The shirt has shoulder pads this time and covers his spine a lot better. The sides are mostly open but it isn’t as short as the other one and it only shows a bit of his lower spine.

Instead of pants this outfit has more of a skirt to it. It still hangs low on his hips but there is a very short tight pants under the skirt to keep it in place. The sides of his legs are almost completely uncovered aside from the tight pants but the skirt part gives him at least the illusion of modesty.

Sasha hums as she looks between the outfits “I think that one is best.” She smiles a t him “Feeling pretty and ready to rock the new king’s world?” she is trying to hype him up.

Ccino gives a small smile and speaks softly “Mostly nervous.” Which is the most truthful and honest thing he can safely say.

She gasps “What? You don’t need to be nervous! He is going to be so happy to see you! You are so pretty he is going to be blown away!”

Ccino doesn’t feel pretty. He just feels sick and uncomfortable. It is so close now. Before he could mostly ignore it but now it is really going to happen. He is going to be promoted from babysitter to sex slave. And there is not a single thing he can do about it. Yet Ccino is the idiot and weird one for not being excited.

He wants to cry.

He takes his seat as the seamstress talks about his make up and what she picked out. It is mostly just some touch up. She mentions that putting much more on would just make him look fake and make him lose his natural beauty.

She disappears to the corner where she opens a locked box. There are golden chains in there. Well, not actually chains but necklaces and bracelets apparently, they may as well be chains though. Ccino watches as the other puts them on him. By his arms. His ribs. One as a choker. She coos and praises how pretty he looks. Ccino doesn’t feel like he is all there anymore.

Heavy steps and moments later the door opens.

The seamstress bows deeply and Ccino looks down as well. Making a bow as far as he can without disrupting any of the work done on him.

A moment of silence before a pleased hum “Good. You got cleaned up and made yourself look presentable. Come. We are about to start.”

As they walk Nim reminds him once more of what his role will be and what he will do. Ccino echoes the instructions back to her when prompted.

He is lead into the throne room and there is a silence. Ccino feels his arm start to shake as he makes his way towards his spot. Ccino tries not to panic.

This is it. There is no turning back now.

Ccino just stands in his spot. Near enough to step forwards when it is his time. Ccino tries not to think about what will happen to him after today. What his life will be after this. Ccino glances around.

There aren’t as many people as he would expect. The only people are the king’s advisors. The captain of the guard and a few extra guards. And Ccino of course.

None of the maids or servants are actually here with them.

Ccino glances around and sees people all getting ready. A priest as well. To perform the crowning of Dream as Nim will be unavailable.

Ccino… Ccino doesn’t like this ritual or what he knows about it.

From what he understand… the king will give up her magic. Make it form something for Dream to take and consume. Consuming the magic will give him powers and magic and the ability to ascend. Then. Once it is time. Something of great emotional importance is supposed to happen. That the magic will guide Dream to do what is needed for him to finish ascending.

Once ascended. Dream will be first crowned to the small select group here and then to the kingdom as a whole.

Ccino is supposed to step forwards when Dream finishes his ritual but before he is crowned. Ccino will join his side and remain there through everything.

Ccino still doesn’t understand how it will affect Dream. All the king ever told him was that Dream would within seconds grow from teen to an adult and all the feelings, knowledge and emotions that came with it would happen all at once. That it would make Dream ready to rule. The ritual would give him the understanding for what happened and how so he can perform it himself when the time is right.

Ccino thinks it isn’t right.

But maybe that is just him. He doesn’t like the magic in this place. His memories still see magic as the voice of his mother singing and some stuff moving on their own to help her with chores. Of his father holding him close and giving a kiss to his little bruises and them feeling better. They told him magic was about joy and love.

Here… they always spoke about rituals and blood and sacrifices. Ccino had seen them sacrifice animals before.

He doesn’t like it.

He hates it.

Ccino had had to clean up cuts on Nightmare’s hands from past rituals. All in preparation. Nightmare had been near tears as it hurt. Ccino remembers telling him that it can’t be actually that good of magic if it hurts him.

Ccino isn’t sure if he was even helping at this point…

Not that it matters… He probably won’t see Nightmare much after this… As he will just… be wherever and whatever Dream wants him to be and do and-

No. Stop. Don’t think about it.

Ccino tries to distract himself.

The hall is decorated with large banners. All with pictures and images of the sun and light. Gold in colour and making the room seem lighter.

Ccino suddenly understands his outfit colour choice. It seems to mirror the colours of a sunrise.

Nim steps out of the side door and walks towards her throne, her mask on her face. She stands before it as the hall is immediately quiet. Moments later Dream and Nightmare walk out together and stand on both of her sides, both wearing their own masks.

Nightmare looks anxious and Ccino manages to catch his eye through the tiny openings of the owl mask. Nightmare seems to relax a little.

That is good.

That is much better.

The King speaks up and her voice sounds out “We are here today. For the next step in our glorious kingdom. As I will ascend to take my rightful place among the stars. As my son will take his own rightful place. A god on this world. Like myself.”

Excitement rises in the room as Nim raises her arms and hands to her chest. And It lights up.

It is scorching hot. It is burning.

The light is bright as Nim holds out the light. It slowly condenses into a single form. A glowing apple. She turns slowly. Her body already starting to fall apart as she starts to dust. Her hand holds out the glowing apple to Dream.

Dream wiggles slightly in place before raising his mask to the top of his face to reveal the big smile before looking serious again as he steps forwards. He holds out his arms and hands.

Nim stands still for a moment before she places the apple in his hands but keeps holding on.

Dream looks determined and nods “Thank you. Mother. May you rise to be above the other gods.”

Nim nods and lets go of the apple. As soon as the contact is gone. She is gone. She falls apart and her mask falls on top of the pile of dust.

The apple is a perfect golden colour. It isn’t shining anymore but it reflects the light beautifully.

Dream steps forwards and smiles “Hello everyone. For this glorious day. As the old king and my mother takes her rightful place among the stars and gods. As I stand before you to claim my own place in the growing history of our family. To make them proud and do as they hava done before me.”

Ccino notices Nightmare looks nervous as he shoots him looks. Ccino gives him a tiny smile and Nightmare seems to relax before he gains a look of focus in those eye lights.

Dream smiles as he raises his arms up high.

Which is when Nightmare rushes him and tackles his brothers. The two twins struggle for a moment before Nightmare manages to grab the apple and take a few steps away.

Dream stares from his spot on the ground in shock “Nightmare?!”

Nightmare doesn’t say anything. He is shaking lightly before Nightmare finds his eye sight again. Nightmare raises his own owl mask to the top of his skull, he takes a deep breath and bites into the apple.

Something in his body changes. Ccino can see an almost hazed look on Nightmare’s face as he bites. And bites. And bites. Eating the apple even if he seems to almost choke on the mouthfuls.

And then the apple is gone. Core and all.

Nightmare stands there for a moment before starting to lean to one side before leaning towards the other. His body shaking. He starts to shake more and more as Nightmare rolls up as he hugs his own form. Then Nightmare starts screaming and sobbing as he falls to his knees.

Ccino feels his own body shake. Ccino feels himself take a step closer.

He is hurt… He needs to…

A guard stops him.

Ccino can’t look away from Nightmare. Nightmare is just shaking and sobbing as he stays on his knees.

A cracking of bones. The ripping of clothing. And large limbs burst out of Nightmare’s back. Ccino sees them move and wriggling around dripping of Nightmare’s blood. But Ccino watches as the red colour darkens little by little until it is a solid black instead. It continues to drip on the ground as Nightmare shudders.

Then he stops. Everything stops. The screaming, the shaking, the sobbing.

Silence.

Nightmare slowly rises to his feet. The goop moving and dripping slowly off his form to drip on the ground. Nightmare looks around the room. His clothes ripped in many places as parts of it remain on the ground covered with that same sticky black goop that used to be red and liquid and his blood.

“How could you!?”

Nightmare blinks and turns to stare at Dream. Dream glares at him as he shakes with pure rage.

Dream screams “How could you?!”

Nightmare however doesn’t react. He just keeps staring at his brother. Ccino… Ccino doesn’t like the look on his face. It is the same look as with the apple… Ccino also doesn’t like the look on Dream’s face. The open rage and anger.

Dream knows magic. Nightmare does not.

Ccino doesn’t think and rushes away from his spot. The guard who had a hold on him before had let go in shock. Ccino side steps any hands as he rushes to the raised platform and thrones. He rushes up the stairs and gets between the twins. Holding hands up to both of them as he gives them both a strict look “No fighting.” He would have wanted his voice to be louder. But he can’t. Even now he can’t shout at either of them. He never could.

Dream looks away with angry tears in his eyes. Nightmare freezes as he stares at him. Ccino looks back at him.

His face isn’t the same anymore. The sockets are all wrong and the eye lights aren’t right either. Nightmare is much taller and doesn’t look in anyway like he did. The magic that he emits is even different.

But… the angle of those shoulders… Nightmare is scared and confused.

Ccino needs to get them somewhere else. He needs to get them out of view of others. They need to calm down and they need to figure out what is next. Was… Was Nightmare instructed by Nim to eat the apple after all? But… that doesn’t make sense?

No. Focus. No use trying to figure stuff out when it isn’t the priority. Get the twins to the back. Get them situated.

Ccino takes a deep breath before turning towards the waiting crowd with a smile on his face. He makes sure to tugs his hands behind the small of his back as he speaks with his cheerful people pleasing voice “We will be in the back to clean up before we continue. Please excuse our new king and the crown prince for just a moment.” And he bows deeply before shooting Dream a look and motioning towards the back.

Dream still looks angry but does as told as he moves towards the back. Ccino rises and gives a deep bow to Nightmare “My lord?” Nightmare is king now… right? so he should do this?

Nightmare looks bothered. It isn’t the same face he pulls but it is the same reaction as before. At least that look from the apple is gone. He just looks confused and overwhelmed. Nightmare moves towards the back without a single glance into anyone’s direction. Ccino uses the general confusion to rush into the room after them.

Okay. Okay.

What now?

The room is quiet as Dream continues to glare at Nightmare. Nightmare frowns at him as he raises a hand “Dream… I…” he shakes his skull as that glint in his eye lights returns before he manages to shake it.

Dream glares as he shakes “How could you! I trusted you! Everyone always said you just wanted the throne! I defended you! Said you would never betray me! Yet you do?!” angry tears appear in his sockets as he glares.

Nightmare shakes his skull again. “I didn’t… I didn’t want to. I…” He frowns. So confused.

The door slams open and Ccino notices Nightmare flinch at the sound before Ccino is grabbed and turned around. Captain Falks is there glaring “What the fuck did you do?!”

Ccino blinks as two more guards join them. Ccino looks back at Nightmare and Dream “I… I got them out of sight? Stopped them from fighting.”

Falks groans “Yes! That is the problem! You stopped the ritual!”

Ccino feels any insecurity and nerves leave him as it replaces him with rage “Of course I did?! In case you didn’t notice! It went terrible! Of course I got them out of sight and calm before they could hurt each other!”

Captain Falks glares “The leftover prince was never supposed to take the apple! This is a disaster! He was supposed to just be there for the future King of Light Dream!” Falks glares at the twins before glaring at Ccino again “This is a mess and you made it worse.”

Ccino flinches as he looks to the side “What is done is done… We need to be quick…” he glances back and can’t help but notice that Nightmare is very much barely dressed at this point as he ripped out of his clothing and Dream is overdressed with the too large clothing. Swimming in the bright orange cape and the softer coloured dress pants and shirt. Ccino nods to himself “We will need to get them both ready quickly. A new outfit for King Nightmare is a must. He can’t be crowned when he is barely dressed. Dream will need cloths that are form fitted for him now instead of how he could have been.” His mind is racing as he looks over to the two guards behind Falks.

It are cadet Rogers and Cadet Miles. Okay. Ccino has seen them before and they are both ambitious but are loyal to the crown. Ccino looks at Miles “Miss Miles. Can you get back to the hall and keep the people calm? We may need more refreshments for them.” Miles gives a nod and Ccino focuses on Rogers “Cadet Rogers. We need to make sure we aren’t bothered. Can you make sure to stand guard?” Cadet Rogers nods with a salute and moves to the door together with cadet Miles. Ccino looks at Falks “Captain. We need the priest to remain here and remain ready to crown Nightmare and vow him in. While I get the prince and king ready you need to go to the priest and give him a small update that Nightmare will be sworn in instead-”

Falks glares “Who do you think you are to order me and my guards around?”

Ccino freezes before giving him a look “We need to act quickly and adapt to the change.”

Falks huffs as he looks disgusted  “I will not serve a fake king.”

A moment of silence and shock goes through Ccino. He also feels… rejected? Dejected? It doesn’t make sense. Ccino instead focusses on the moment “How is he a fake king?”

Falks huffs “You are an idiot. He was never meant to be king. He was there to make sure that Dream would rise to his rightful place. Not be a useless and jealous brat and take it for himself! He didn’t even finish the ritual!”

Ccino glares “He did.”

Falks smirks “Oh believe me. He did not.”

Ccino glares as he starts to recount what he knows “He ate the apple. Legends speak that anyone unworthy of absorbing the magic would perish. Nightmare survived and was able to gain the power it gave. Meaning the magic decided him worthy.” Falks blinks but Ccino continues “Nightmare is a son of the old king Nim just like Dream. Are you really disrespecting the royal bloodline?” Falks looks a lot more worried. Ccino goes for the finishing blow “Not to forget. The ritual spoke of a large betrayal. I do believe. That eating the apple and betraying his twin would count as such.”

Ccino may not agree with any of these thought and believes followed by these people. But he knows how to speak their language and play their game. “That means. That our new king is Nightmare. Who completed the ritual.”

Falks suddenly looks a lot more unsure before he hisses to Ccino “You best remember your place slave. And if I had it my way I would show it to your personally. Your pretty face can’t save you from all the consequences.”

Ccino doesn’t feel fear. He just feels rage. “Oh I remember my place just fine. My duty, as ordered by the old king, is to be by the new king’s side and help him in any way I can. I am doing exactly as I was instructed. I think it is time you remember your own oaths and vows Captain. As you are supposed to protect, guard and serve the ruling king yourself.”

Falks glares harshly at him “When this is over. I will take great pleasure in punishing you and your bratty mouth. Seems like the last twenty I gave you did not make much of an impression. Maybe with fifty lashes you will learn your place.”

Ccino raises a brow “Ask our king when it is calm. We both have our duties. Yours should be to make sure everything in the hall is still fine so we can move on to the coronation.” Ccino glares at him “The priest needs to be informed as I prepare our king.”

There is a silence in the room. The two cadets stare at Ccino and their captain but Ccino doesn’t care. He knows he will be in trouble for this. A lot of trouble and he does not enjoy knowing he will be punished later for ignoring the hierarchy and rules.

But Nightmare needs him now. Even if Nightmare doesn’t seem the same. It is still Nighty. Ccino used to tug him into bed with a  bedtime story. Ccino used to cut both Nightmare’s and Dream’s food into tiny pieces to make eating easier for them.

Ccino is not going to fail them now because some stupid birdbrain decided he wanted to try a powerplay when there is a crisis.

Falks breaks their eye contact first. He huffs as he walks to the door and hisses “Do what he says. We need to serve our king.” And he leaves the room. The two cadets follow.

Ccino glances back at the twins and is happy to note both seem too distracted to have noticed the captain trying his silly powerplay. The twins are just staring at each other and seemingly lost in their own world.

Ccino nods as he rushes to the wall. He finds the servants pathway and sneaks a look inside. Okay! Perfect! A sewing kit! He grabs it and takes it back inside before ringing the bell and leaving a message that he needs cloths in the colours of deep purple, dark blue, cyan or black stat. He goes back inside and looks around.

Now. What can he use to fix this mess? He searches the room and pulls out any tools he can find. Ccino knows that his fellow servants and maids all stash items all around the castle. To use when in need without having to travel far.

He manages to pull one of the large sun banners down and starts sewing it into a more casual tunic dress fit before managing to find a brown belt  to help give it shape. He goes to Dream’s side and checks the cape and clothes he is wearing. Okay he can let Dream still wear the large cape as it will go well.

Ccino pushes the clothes into his arms “Here. I am sorry it is rushed work. This will fit better.”

Dream stares before glaring as his sockets fill with tears “No! This… this isn’t supposed to be like this!” Dream glares at Nightmare “How could you?!”

Oh no not again.

Nightmare looks at Dream and that slight edge is back again “I just… I needed… I just wanted…” Each time Nightmare tries to speak he seems to stop as soon as he hears his own voice. Shock obvious on his face.

Dream glares “I can’t believe you would betray me! I trusted you! I thought we were a team!”

Nightmare looks so sad “We are…”

Dream shakes his skull.

Which is when Sera walks in. Great. This day just went from bad to horrible. And that is impressive as Ccino had believed he would become a sex slave.

Sera glares at him “Why are you making orders and what is going on?!”

Ccino just takes the fabric she brought and gets to work sewing quickly. He can’t make it complex or too detailed but anything fitting will be better than Nightmare being crowned while naked “Prince Nightmare ate the apple. I am preparing him for his coronation as quickly as I can.”

Sera looks shocked before frowning “You should not be this involved! Step aside as I will do so instead.”

Ccino shoots her a look “And what role gives you this right?”

Sera glares “I am the head of the servants! Including you!”

Ccino can’t help but smile brightly as he answers “Actually. As you very often told me. I am not a part of the servants. I am one of the king’s loyals.” He smiles brightly as he enjoys the shock on her face “And as you often told me. I don’t belong in your group.”

She sputters and glares “You have some nerve! You are nothing but a toy! Something to throw aside when the king is done with you!”

Ccino nods “Of course. But that is the king’s decision.” He makes sure to smile pleasantly “And you wouldn’t go against the king’s will… would you?”

Sera is seething but nods “I wouldn’t.”

Ccino nods “Good. Now. The guests will be forced to wait a little longer. I am sure they would appreciate some extra refreshments and food.” This time he downright smirks as he shoots her a look “After all. Your performance will reflect on all of us.”

Sera is furious. Ccino knows why of course. She must not enjoy Ccino echoing her own words back at her.

Sera nods before leaving the room.

Ccino checks his hands and is happy to note he got the basics done. This will sadly have to do. He walks over to Nightmare “My lord? May I help you?”

Nightmare blinks slowly at him before nodding “Yes.” He remains still as Ccino puts the newly made shirt over his head and carefully moves the slits he made in place. The tendrils move easily through it and seem to brush against his side and Ccino shudders. The goop is cool and sticks slightly. Still. He moves  with purpose as he gets Nightmare into his new shirt. It is a bit too tight for the other and Nightmare frowns as he looks down at it. Ccino starts messing with the seams as he tries to gain a bit more room for Nightmare to move around in.

Ccino eventually needs to abandon that as he has to focus on the other parts. The cloak he made is easy in design and has a hood attached for Nightmare to use if needed. He quickly stitches in the familiar pattern of the moon phases at the button and around the neck before putting it over his shoulders.

Shit. The normal strings would just not be impressive enough.

Come on think. Think. Think.

Ccino sees a glimmer of gold and looks down. His jewellery!

Ccino quickly undoes the chain around his neck and clips each end on the cape. It works and gives it a nice shine. Mmh.

Ccino is quick to remove all his bracelets and other gold items as he moves around Nightmare. Putting some on the tendrils, which seem to really like wrapping around his arm or leaning against him. Ccino gives them gentle pats each time he needs to move or he removes them.

At the end his own clothes are much darker thanks to all the goop but Nightmare looks at least a little bit like a king. Ccino hopes that the distance from the others will be large enough that it isn’t obvious that this is a very bad patch job but he did what he could.

Ccino nods as he grabs a spare outfit for himself and quickly changes. No longer the very clear offering but at this point Ccino thinks the best thing to do is to get the whole day over with before trying to pull everything back together.

Ccino nods to the twins as he speaks “Okay! That is all I can do. If we take much longer they will become impatient and we don’t need them to be mad.” It is scary how easy it is for him to fall back into this role. How natural it always felt to speak to them as babysitter, caretaker and, he only dares to think it, older brother. Even with Nightmare now being a deity it still feels natural. It feels easy.

“We will go out to the throne room and the guards will open the doors. More people will watch as the priest crowns Nightmare. After that they will party but it is fine if you two retire for the night at that point.”

Dream glares “Nightmare shouldn’t be crowned! I should be!”

Ccino flinches as he looks between the twins. Making sure to keep his voice calm as he speaks “I know Dream. But I don’t think anyone will accept that. Not while the ritual and powers accepted Nightmare…” because that is what happened. Even if people seem to refuse to see it. According to all the rules known of the ritual. Nightmare completed each step. He has a new form and new power. He was accepted and ascended. Both to king and to be a god.

Ccino doesn’t know if there are private rules he doesn’t know but he wouldn’t even know who would know. So this is the situation they have at the moment.

Dream shakes his skull and slaps Ccino’s hand away. Yeah he figured. Ccino doesn’t take it personally. “It is wrong!” Dream glares at Nightmare.

Nightmare still has this glint in his sockets but each time he stares for too long at Dream, Ccino can see that Nightmare also focusses on him and the glint disappears.

Ccino focusses on Dream as he tries to calm the other down “I know you are angry Dream. But please. We don’t have time to discuss this and-”

Dream shakes his skull “I don’t care!” he glares at Nightmare “How could you!”

Nightmare’s tendrils slowly rise “I don’t…”

Dream doesn’t listen and his hand finds an old bust and he swings it right against Nightmare’s skull. A loud crack of stone and bones as the bust falls to pieces.

Silence before shock overtakes any emotion Ccino feels. Ccino rushes over as Nightmare slowly rises to his full height. His new tendrils sharpening and rising themselves.

Ccino gets to them and stands between them again “No! Both of you stop that. Dream! You know better than attacking your brother.” He shoots Dream a look.

Dream shakes as tears run down his angry face “He stole my future!”

Ccino shoots him a disapproving look “And you just hit him with a stone bust.” He sighs as turns towards the door to see it slightly open. Of course this guy is listening in. Whatever! Ccino speaks loudly “Cadet Rogers. Bring Dream to his room and stand guard. Make sure no one can bother the prince as the prince remains inside the room.”

Dream sputters “You can’t! You can’t do that!”

Ccino gives him a disapproving look “You are hurting. I know that. But you hurting is not an excuse to hurt others. You know your brother better than anyone and you should know that he would never hurt you unless he had a very good reason for it or had to. Instead of trying to communicate you attacked him. For this reason it is best to separate you two while we move on with the coronation.”

Dream shakes in rage as he looks down “I was supposed to be king.”

Ccino doesn’t feel good about this. But too much is counting on this. They can work on mending their relationship when Nightmare has the crown and people remain loyal. Than they can talk and relax. Cadet Rogers takes the prince away to his room and Ccino turns to Nightmare.

He only now realises that he had his back to Nightmare the whole time. That he had his back to someone who had his tendrils sharpened moments ago. But Nightmare looks calm and… he is leaning against the hand Ccino had held out to signal Nightmare to stay back. Ccino hadn’t even noticed as he tried to manage Dream.

Ccino checks his outfit once more before checking the skull. He can’t see anything. The goop is all liquid and hiding everything and Ccino isn’t sure if he can wipe it away safely “Nightmare? Does it hurt?” They are alone now. Ccino is too distraught to bother with titles unless he has to. Which he will have to in a few minutes.

Nightmare keeps staring at his hand “He… attacked me…”

Ccino frowns and nods “I know…  I am sorry…” he should have expected something like this. He should have made sure they were both safe. He just… he hadn’t thought… He should have considered this a possibility as Dream had been hurt by this.

Nightmare shakes slightly.

Ccino feels so bad for this “Nightmare. I know this is a lot but we can’t wait. People are waiting and have high expectations. You need to be crowned. Do you understand?”

Nightmare is quiet for a moment before nodding.

Ccino sighs “Good… good.” He makes sure to stand tall “Let’s get to work.” And he leads Nightmare out.

-----

Ccino is exhausted. The whole day had been exhausting and Ccino isn’t even sure if he can still recall everything that happened. Ccino just…

He just wants to sleep.

He rolls up in his bed. Now dressed in PJs as he tugs his blanket around. It is much too late for him. But he will need to be up early tomorrow to help Night- their king get ready for his first official day as king. Not to forget he needs to visit prince Dream and make sure he is okay.

Ccino is so tired and-

A knock on his door.

Ccino frowns. That is unusual. He walks towards his door and glances through the keyhole. He stares in shock before opening the door wide and bowing “My king. What do I own you this visit?”

His king stands there. A frown on his face “My… My mother’s room feels… wrong… I can’t sleep there. Dream hates me and does not wish to share his room. I wanted to sleep with you.” He still struggles with his sentences.

Ccino feels his soul freeze for a moment with the last part but he can see Nightmare means it literally. He doesn’t want to be alone.

Ccino isn’t sure why he can still read Nightmare just like he used to. You would think that Ccino lost that skill when Nightmare gained a new body. But even if the body is different. Even with his face being different. Ccino can still read him like he always does.

Ccino nods “Of course. Please come in.” he holds the door open and Nightmare walks in. He stands in the middle of the room seemingly lost.

Right. He doesn’t have any clothes in his new size. Ccino adds that to the mental to do list for tomorrow as well. Making sure their king has clothes that actually fit him. For now Ccino opens his drawer and searches it. He has a few oversized dress shirts and hopes it is big enough. He hands one over to Nightmare.

Nightmare looks at it before undressing and dressing in the clothing item. Ccino grabbed a spare pillow from the cabinet in the hall before throwing that on his bed as well.

It takes a moment but then they are both in Ccino’s bed. Nightmare gives a full body shudder and tugs his face and skull right by Ccino’s neck and shoulder.

Ccino has the strongest sense of déjà vu. Of when Nightmare was much smaller and he had night terrors. How Nightmare would use the servants tunnels to get to his room and climb into his bed at night. How they would make little blanket forts on days when everyone told Nightmare he wasn’t good enough. How Nightmare would climb into his bed when he was sad.

Nightmare… Nightmare may not look or feel or sound like the Nightmare Ccino knows. But it is still Nightmare. It is still his little Nighty.

Ccino hugs the large being closer “Sshh… it is okay… I am here.”

Nightmare shakes and shudders “Please… Please stay… I am so scared…”

Ccino tightens his hold on the other and holds him close “I am here Nighty. I swear on my soul.”

That seems to do it as Nightmare just holds unto him tightly. Tight enough that Ccino can feel his nails grip into his back. Ccino can feel those new tendrils circle him and hold him closely. Ccino just keeps holding unto Nightmare, keeps him in an embrace.

Eventually Nightmare falls asleep. Ccino can’t even find it in himself to care about the rumours this will cause. About the rumours that will follow after Nightmare leaves Ccino’s room.

Ccino doesn’t care. He will help and assist Nightmare. Everything will be alright.

[tavysboy]

No other love can warm my heart, now that I’ve known the comfort of your arms.

Unedited version under cut 💛