#it only took their son almost getting permanently ended for that realization

[redhoneysugarorange]

The Wise King looked down, shocked at the little king before him. The Little King was floating just off the seat under him, clutching his arms around his legs and staring at the table. The Little King did not seem to realize the Wise King had stopped at his previous words, seeming to be lost in his thoughts. He was broken out of these thoughts when the Wise King spoke to him in a strained voice.

"Your parents... They were the cause of your death? And they were some of the ones to hate your people?"- The man looked horrified, at this, this adolescent! An adolescent who had no only started to lead a country as an adolescent, he had also only died just three years previously. This Little King who met his demise to, to his own flesh and blood!

The Little King continued to stare at the table, occasionally phasing his hands through the surface to distract himself.

"Um. Well, kinda? It's definitely... Definitely a bit hard to talk about, my death that is. I didn't really die all the way, the way I died. My parents built that portal to further their research, they did not... They didn't think it would take me dying and reviving over and over for the portal to work. They didn't even know about it or see it, didn't even know I was the reason the portal started working. They didn't know I died until... Well, until the Guys in White... Um ... Yeah."

The Wise King still looked slightly disturbed, not quite sure a death of negligence was much better that murder straight up, but he decided that wasn't something to bring up at the moment. Something else was bothering him however.

"You said your parents hated your kind, but they were the ones to protect you?" The Wise King watched carefully, hands nearly folded and eyes watching the Little King.

"Oh, ha yeah. They called ghosts spooks, they... were always talking about their research. They thought that ghosts were just... Memories. Just memories of what once was imprinted onto ectoplasm. Unchanging emotions of a life that ended, of emotions that no longer mattered. They would make weapons to try to capture ghosts, though they failed at that pretty often. They did not think ghosts were truly spirits, or sentient or felt pain or anything like that."- the Little King buried his head into his legs, and curled up further into himself.

The Wise King titled his head, before leaving forward and bringing the young king into a hug, something he had learned from the Little King's sister and the various human spirits that had crossed over to their planet for safety. He had been taught it would help comfort humanity, and he figured that It applied to their dead as well. The way the Little King collapsed into his arms, it seemed the wise king was correct in his assumption.

"In the end though, your parents saved you."- The Wise King said, patting the Little King's head.

The Little King wiped at his eyes, and continued. "They, they did! They took out their life's work, the portal to the infinity realms, a marvel of science that shouldn't have been possible. They took it out just so the GIW wouldn't be able to follow us through. They just barely made it through themselves. I... I thought they were going to end me o-or just hand me over... But they didn't... I'm happy they didn't, but is me being their son really something that could make them do that? They believed they ghosts are memories...."

The Wise King hummed "Ah, and you lived... To the best of your ability, in their house for those years after your accident yes? What was it like"

The Little King nodded. "Y-yeah. They were working all the time, happy that their project worked, that they proved to our town at least that ghosts were real. The ghosts that came through were itching for a way to fulfill their obsessions, and that only ended up making people's thoughts on us ghosts worse. Until I struck a deal with the other ghosts, I would sneak out and transform to keep them at bay... My parents... they really worried about me, they didn't know why I was sneaking around... Why I was skipping and failing my classes, why I was keeping secrets. I didn't know what to tell them. It got better later, but freshman and sophomore year in highschool.... Sucked."

The Wise King nodded his head, "And did you change during this time?"

The Little King lifted his head, looking confused. "Well, yeah. I wasn't doing so hot in my classes, but I got better at... At problem solving. I kept getting more powers as time went on, so I had to learn to control those. Jazz, she helped Mom and Dad understand that I was dealing with shi- um. Stuff, as a teenager, and that I just needed understanding. It was cheesy, but they seemed to lay off on me. I got better at talking with them too, I... I didn't tell a lot, but... We were finally getting along again as a family. I finally got my growth spurt too!... Though I've only grown a few inches... besides my height, I... I changed a lot during that time."

The Wise King looked down at the Little King, seeming to realize something. "And your parents believed that ghosts were incapable of change, just memories yes?"

The Little King looked at him, even more confused. "Um, yes. It was like, their main belief system."

The Wise King let go of they boy to get to his eyes level. "Young man, from what you've told me, it takes a lot for your parents to realize things or change their beliefs. I think, in that moment of your reveal, that they were finally faced with a truth so harsh but undeniable. It seems that, aside from some very concerning safety factors, they loved you and cared for you dearly. They watched you struggle, they watched you hurt, they watched you heal, they watched you try to amend your relationship."

The Little King looked into the Wise King's eyes warily. "I... I don't understand what you're getting at."

The Wise King smiled at him, "They saw you, their son, change all the time you were with them. And then, they realized you were a ghost, or at least partially. They knew you could change, they knew you were a ghost, this they figured out that their concrete theory wasn't so concert. You, their son, are a ghost, and you're everything they thought impossible. I assume that after your reveal, they flipped so fast because of that reason. You are their son, and you're someone they would protect in life, and it seems as though after destroying their entire philosophy, they would also protect you in death as well.

The Little King stared, eyes wide and shiny, at the Wise King. A choked sob wretched itself out of the boy's throat, and he collapsed into the Wise King sobbing.

"I... they listened? They, they won't hate me when they.. they wake up because I'm... I'm.."

The Wise King waved away the servants standing just outside of earshot who started rushing over at the younger's tears. The Little King was The Wise King's responsibility right now, one he gladly took. The Wise King squeezed the boy real tight.

"no... I rather think, they'll be asking you about all of the things they missed out on. It may be hard, but that's just something's you'll have to deal with."

It seems as though, the Little King, for the first time since their arrival, finally was able to release some of the tension of his shoulders. The Wise King comforted and changed to conversation to something lighter, the Little King's love of space. As the man listened to the Little King, he couldn't help but feel as though the infinity realm would be in good hands, they just needed guidance. And Guidance was something the King could definitely provide.

Actually? WOULD Earth be the ones to petition Oa?

They are interstellar Space Interpol. You don't usually call them on different parts of your OWN settlements or systems. You call them in when someone is breaking THE Laws. Not necessarily YOUR laws, though obviously by breaking THE laws they clearly ARE. But THE Big Laws(tm).

Like Geneva Convention for Space type laws.

You have discovered Planet or King X is committing WAR CRIMES. Call Oa. Tax fraud? That's an inter-personal planet side issue they can't help you with. Pointing Nukes at your nursery settlement and threatening to blow up the infants there unless you give them sex-slaves?

Knock-knock! Taste HARD Light Constructs!

But if so? Then how would the situation get so out of hand on Earth? With the G.I.W.? Simple. Tell me, Mr. President, what do you know of the current day to day life of villagers in rural Siberia?

That they exist? Could you even NAME their village, if I referenced specific individuals? Likely not. And no one would realistically expect you too.

There are countless planets out there! With Leaders busy with local industrial conferences and infrastructure bills. Farming regulations. Talks with that planet a few stars over. Very busy. What do THEY know of Earth? Why would they NEED too?

But! As we know, Ectoplasm is EVERYWHERE. Not just earth. And? Thin spots are not just an Earth-centric phenomenon. Other planets most CERTAINLY would have them too. And depending on the species? The culture? To quote the wise sage Bill Wurtz "you can make a religion out of this!"

After all, chosen few, returned from death... glowing and more powerful then before? Immortal? It's a pretty reasonable conclusion to come too. They are clearly Gods Touched. Some sacred task they must complete.

It would likely even shape the ghosts of the region themselves. After all, they TOO, would believe they were chosen for some Important Religious Task. Be it study or collecting rocks. To what end? Unknown. Who are they to question The Gods?

But! Oh happy day! The old tyrant is no more! A chosen Hero! They go to greet him! Honor him, as you do. Traditional gifts and ballads. Maybe some sacred rocks. A fancy hat. But? Oh? The Champion is wounded! Gasp! Still? But the fight with Pariah happened-

And then they are given Grave Warning(tm). Don't go to Earth. Heretics attacking people. KILLING souls! Trying to KILL the king of all the Infinite! He is somber because his living parents were hurt. Preventing the END OF ALL THINGS!!!??

WHAT!?

These "People In White" tried to EXPLODE the very FABRIC of all realities!? Several of them faint. Truely, these Fentons MUST be chosen by the Gods! Heros. Legends. Such bravery in the face of such HORRORS. Please, let them be brought to their Living counterparts! The hospitals are quite good!

And you know what? Fuck it. Danny will take that. Because his Mom n Dad got hurt. BAD.

They learned he was Phantom at probably the SINGLE worst time imaginable and still chose HIM. Chose THEM. The GIW were coming for him. Gonna hurt Jazz. And his parents told them, with fire and blood, it'd be a cold day in hell before they let them so much as TRY it.

They BLEW UP their own life's work. Went literally scorched earth. And now? They're not doing so good.

Because the Zone isn't made for the living. No food, no water, and no real human-safe medical supplies. They've run out. Danny will take what he can get. He'd even go to Vlad but... his Portal's gone too. And the Buzzards said he looked... spirally. Very... "suicide runs until everything BURNS".

So, yeah. No one's doing so great.

Alien planet it is.

They are greeted with fanfare and respect. The best medical teams on the PLANET. The King and his family is there, to welcome him. It's... it's beautiful. Hardly some perfect utopia, but the air is lite. Art everywhere. The stars vivid and so easy to see, at night.

The King kinda reminds him of Mr. Lancer to be honest. Balding and a bit round around the middle, stern but endlessly fair about it, wants people to do their best and succeed in life. Maybe that's why Danny finds himself opening up. Because... because here is a real, honest to God, KING king.

Somebody who was actually TRAINED to do all this King stuff.

Unlike Danny.

And Danny? He's scared. People expect him to Lead now. To know what he's doing. To somehow just... suddenly KNOW how to do all these things he's never even heard about. He only barely just died. Has BARELY been keeping everybody safe.

BARELY stopped Pariah.

He doesn't know what to do. But he pours his guts out. All the things that have bottled up. And King Not-Lancer listens. Somber and thoughtful. There is little, if anything he can TRUELY do to help. But... there ARE things he can do. Lessons on statescraft, while he's here, for one.

As for the other? Well, as King, he does have the local Lantern's Call Sign. Not to be used lightly, mind you. But what Danny describes? And from what the Sacred Ones have reported? THAT must be reported to Oa. He can show Danny how to do that.

(He does)

[The Lanterns of Earth get a VERY exciting call from Oa. Are every different shade of pissed. But? Whoops! Looks like they ACCIDENTALLY put the Watchtower into a complete Quarantine! Well, dang. Guess we're all stuck here for two weeks!

Reset it? *sound of smashing computer terminal* Yeah, don't think that's gonna work! :)

WHO WANTS TO PLAY 20 QUESTIONS?? We'll start! :) Who here has heard of an organization called, and I quote, The Ghost Investigation Ward? :) ]

@hdgnj @ailithnight @nerdpoe @the-witchhunter

[bet-on-me-13]

Danny is Diana's Big Brother (and annoys the hell out of her)

So!

Danny decided to reveal himself to his Parents one day, and it didn't go well. Thankfully, Jazz managed to get him out of the Lab and they fled into the Ghost Zone, destroying the Portal behind them.

They seek refuge with some of their friends, and after a while they find a permanent home with Pandora in the Ancient Greek Sector. She found them while they were wandering the Zone in search of a place to sleep and happily took them in.

Danny also finds out that he is the new Ghost Prince after an incident where Fright Knight almost kills Skulker for "Daring to attack the Prince!"

So life is getting better for Danny. But he soon finds out that as the Ghost Prince, he needs a Parent to take over until he comes of Age. And he doesn't really have parents anymore.

He tries to set up Jazz as his Legal Guardian, but since she is his sister (and a newly forming Halfa, therefore also too young) she doesn't count.

Thankfully, he had the perfect candidate right there with Pandora! And she happily adopted them, she was basically already acting like their new Mom anyways, do it wasn't that much of a change. All she needs to do is keep the peace for a few decades until Danny reaches the Legal Ghost Age. (100 yrs old)

And of course, since he was adopted by Pandora he wants to learn about her Culture! So he asks her to take him on a trip to her Home Dimension and Home Country to learn about it.

So they head off to Themyscira.

And since Danny is technically Royalty, Not a Human Man, and the adopted son of Pandora (one of their greatest heroes of the past) he is tentatively allowed to visit the Island.

(Also, Danny can shapeshift, so it wouldn't be too big of a problem if he wanted to)

While there he meets Pandora's sister, Hippolyta, and her newly born Daughter, Diana.

Danny instantly decides that Diana is his new Little Sister.

And he also decides to indulge in all of the Big Brother Urges he has never been able to get away with with Ellie, and annoys the hell out of her in a way only big brothers can manage.

He teases her in front of her friends, pranks her occasionally, has play fights with her that end with a Forest being wiped off the map, and generally annoys the hell out of her.

But he also does all the good brother things like protect her from bullies, gives her wise advice, comfort her when she feels sad, and even helps comb her hair (she realized that he thrives on domestic stuff, since he never got to appreciate it when he was a kid)

He also introduces Diana to Jazz, and they get on like a house on fire! Unfortunately, Diana found out that Jazz can actually reign in Danny whenever he gets too overbearing and weaponizes this to great effect.

Ellie too, although they are hence banned from ever hanging out without supervision ever again (the observants couldn't walk right for a decade after that incident)

They go on like this for a few centuries, even after Danny takes up the Throne and has less time to hang out with her.

But Diana still loves her big brother, annoyances and all. Still, she will absolutely never let him know about the League. She wouldn't survive the embarrassment.

...

Wait, who did this Cult just say they were summoning?

[dairy-farmer]

The lobotomised Tim AU.

Okay. But.

This one is hurt/no comfort. Like no happy ending. None at all. I'm almost crying while writing this down.

If it wasn't Bruce's fault and everything's completely innocent with the Bats.

Alfred is washing up Tim and cooks him food for children. Something easy to chew and swallow.

Damian sometimes draws with him. Teaches him to pet Alfred the cat and Titus. It's like having little brother. He feels very protective of him. And when he is not having a good day, he comes to Tim to spend some time with him. For Damian it's easy to be with Tim. He won't say things he doesn't mean. Won't lie or manipulate.

It's almost unbearable for Dick and Bruce.

Dick lives in Blud but he spends weekends with Tim. Cuddling him, watching cartoons, playing. But for Dick spending time with Tim means mourning everything his little brother has lost. He tries to keep it all in and cry only when Tim doesn't see him.

It's the same with Bruce. He let his son down. Tim will never recover and it's Bruce's fault. He asks Tim about his day, listens and nods in all the right places, but he thinks about what a brilliant future his genius and kindhearted son was supposed to have. After everything he has lost... Tim seems happy enough though. So Bruce is working on being present, giving his children attention they need, spending time with them. He misses working cases with Tim, his sassy remarks, but Tim is smiling and that's enough.

Jason was really quiet. He stayed away from the manor for a long time. No one heard him mentioning Tim in all that time. Dick tried to shame him, tell him that Tim needs them, but Jason left immediately.

For some reason things changed. Jason came back to the Cave, started showing up for family movie nights. Sometimes he looked at Tim silently. Though when Tim would run to him to show him a drawing he made or a cool rock he found in the garden, Jason would smile softly and say "that's great, Timmy. Sounds like you had a good day" or something else. So everyone could finally relax. Things seemed to get better.

Jason remembered that day vividly. Tim was on his back, staring at the ceiling with his eyes unseeing. It's like all life left him. But he still had a pulse, so there was hope. While others were busy taking care of him, Jason took care of that piece of shit. And he regrets it. He should have been there for Tim, should have made the right decision, when he had a chance. The obvious decision. The one everyone else is ignoring for some reason.

It's like Damian likes Tim better this way, Dick accepted a new brother and Bruce thinks that things haven't changed much and they can just keep living on. Tim won't grow as a person, he doesn't really remember his life before and doesn't register much of his life now, he will always depend on the family to take care of him. Tim would have hated it.

Bruce rejected the plan with Lazarus Pit, because they would have to disregard Tim's feelings for it. It's exactly the same with Tim's life as it is now, but it's like the choose not to see it. And they make Jason feel sick.

At first he avoids them, because he knows he'll blow up. He avoids Tim, because it hurts too much. But time goes by, and Jason has a sudden realization: nothing will change, unless he takes it in his own hands. Tim needs him.

What he has to do will probably permanently break him, but it's the right thing to do.

He doesn't even try suggesting euthanasia, they're just gonna think he's a monster, will never let him anywhere near Tim ever again.

So he starts spending time with his family, dropping by for movie nights, working cases, staying for dinner. He has small talks with kid (not Tim, Tim died months ago), he smiles at him, all the while feeling his heart break.

Finally, everyone is busy, no one can stay with kid, so Jason volunteered to look after him. He ignored Dick and Bruce's proud looks, because it really doesn't matter.

Kid is always happy to see him. It's like there're no other emotions left in him. His smile is... Different. It feels lifeless for Jason. He feels like his heart is bleeding out. He wants to postpone everything, but this isn't about him. This is what Tim wanted, and Jason couldn't save him, so he'll give him peace at least.

Jason suggests reading to kid. They are in Tim's bedroom, and kid's on the bed. Jason is laying beside him.

/And he took me by the hand. But he was still worrying.

"It was wrong of you to come. You will suffer. I shall look as if I were dead;

and that will not be true..."/

He is reading until kid starts to fall asleep from the pills Jason put in his lunch. And then Jason takes him in his hands, holding him close. He gets syringe out of his jacket pocket and carefully injects medication in kid's elbow and keeps on holding him. Even when Tim stops breathing, leaving painlessly in his sleep, Jason doesn't leave him. He knows that soon someone will be home. He doesn't know, what they'll do to him and he doesn't care. All he can do is cry and hold unmoving body.

"I'm sorry, Timmy. I'm so sorry. You can rest now. I love you".

/feel free to add or change anything. You and your subscribers keep inspiring me.

All the love/

🥺🥺🥺 the tragedy of jason in this.

it wasn't a decision jason made lightly- no matter how he turned it around and justified it to himself it was a hard choice to make. at first jason wasn't going to do anything. he was going to try.

he was going to do his best to be there for his little brother with the way he was now.

but then. he'd gone to the manor, gone to see tim as he recovered and...he couldn't.

he walked in when alfred was giving tim his lunch. warm chicken noodle soup with mushy rice. and he watched as alfred blew on a spoon and gently led it to tim's messy mouth. tim sometimes still struggled to swallow and would occasionally make a slight gag and spit out the soup and rice. alfred would make a concerned noise and dab at his mouth with the cloth bib tied around his neck.

and the sight. the way tim was tucked into bed and propped up by pillows, the way he had an adult bib wrapped around him as alfred hand fed him because tim couldn't do it himself.

god. jason knew it was going to be bad but nothing had prepared him for that sight. and watching it...hurt something inside jason.

so he'd left.

and that had hurt something deep in the other family. bruce hadn't fought him on it but jason knew he was disappointed. alfred as well.

dick had been furious. he'd call jason late at night and spit words at him over the phone over him not being there, over him abandoning tim and them.

and jason tried to let it rool off his back. but some nights the words would get to him.

and so, without the rest of the family knowing, jason would sneak into the manor, into tim's room.

and maybe it was some of tim's latent training, but a few times tim would wake up. he'd be powdered and dressed in pajamas, turning his head to look at jason and when their eyes met-

there'd been no recognition in them.

jason could just as well have been a stranger or the person who took care of him everyday- either way tim didn't recognize him.

jason's decision was a hard one. he agonized over it and he would not let anyone tell him otherwise.

jason loved tim. he cared for that kid so fucking much and maybe he didn't always make that clear but in jason's soul he loved that boy. and it broke something in him to see him that way.

helpless and squirming, unable to do anything for himself, stripped completely of his dignity and identity.

bruce and dick called what tim went through "lobotomy" but it wasn't true. it was something worse.

lobotomy victims could still live fulfilling lives, some even becoming fully independent with minor accommodation.

the monster that had hurt tim had shot some kind of...electromagnetic pulse into his brain. the damage was irreversible.

jason didn't care what anyone said, he hadn't made the fucker that did this suffer enough. jason should've kept him strung up in a warehouse for weeks but had let his rage get ahold of him and killed him too quickly.

jason's thoughts of tim don't go away. whether he's awake or asleep tim is all he thinks about. and part of jason knows why because...because everything about it reminded him of his own case.

jason had read the hospital medical chart of 'john doe'. the one picked up months after jason was buried, found wandering the streets half starved and with brain damage.

jason had read those medical files and just...wanted to puke. the nurses notes about him, the way they talked about him. discussing things like moving him to a state care home, of changing his diapers. along with the file had been report had been made against one of the nurses caring for jason by cleaning staff who'd found her...doing inappropriate things with him.

it never went into detail and part of jason never wanted to know.

but jason thought of that report, thought of how helpless and vulnerable and...NOT himself he'd been in that hospital bed. jason thought and thought and thought and he knew it was no way for a person to live.

no way for tim to live. tim didn't deserve that. god forgive jason tim didn't deserve to live like that.

because one day jason would die violently out in the streets of gotham. they all would. and tim would be left alone in that manor with no one to protect him and jason...jason couldn't breathe when he thought of what might happen to him.

so jason does not make his decision lightly.

it kills him. it kills him to think of what he has to do.

but tim was his baby brother and jason was not going to let the word tear him to bits like they did him.

so jason goes back to the manor.

part of him had hoped that maybe spending more time around tim would change his mind.

it doesn't.

jason watches the way tim is a husk of his former self. watches how the rest of the family ignores it. watches how they always talk around tim and about him but never TO him and remembers how tim had hated that with a passion because it reminded him about how his parents made decisions about him without letting him know.

jason watches and...and tries to remember the geeky annoying pest of a brother he used to have. how he'd talk smack to jason every chance he got, how he'd whine, how he'd giggle like a schoolgirl whenever he or damian got into trouble. jason would remember and blink away the tears of grief that wanted to leave hot trails down his cheeks.

it takes a while before jason gets his shot. alfred has errands, damian has school, dick and bruce have work.

and jason volunteers to care for tim.

its just a few hours they assure him but jason insists its okay. he tries to ignore the pit of guilt and watching them leave knowing they're going to be coming home to a dead son.

bruce presses a soft kiss to tim's forehead before leaving and it takes everything in jason to not drawn in a sharp breath.

jason is a killer. a murderer. an assassin. a gun for hire. a hitman. he is a lot of things but he's never once thought of himself as an executioner.

the word always seemed too...heavy. too institutional.

it's going to be tim's last day alive and jason knows what to do. this will be a day that haunts him for the rest of his life.

so jason makes mac and cheese. he finds a box of it in the back of the pantry. it's the cheap 99 cent stuff jason used to live off as a kid.

he doesn't even need to read the instructions anymore, its practically muscle memory. bringing the water to boil, draining the noodles, stirring in the milk, the butter, the packet of cheese powder.

jason serves tim a bowl and slowly presses little spoonfuls to his mouth. jason tries to eat some but it turns to mush and ash in his mouth and the wad struggles to go down because his throat feels small and tight from him holding back his emotions.

it feels more final somehow. more real.

he's giving tim his last meal.

the walk up the stairs is slow and heavy. tim's breath smells like the ice cream jason let him have for dessert even though tim was lactose intolerant.

a final parting gift. jason ignores the slight pain in his fingers from crushing up a pill between them to sprinkle over tim's ice cream.

jason makes sure tim's sheets are clean. he strips the bed and puts in the freshly laundered ones that alfred had left in a basket.

he makes sure tim is comfortable and then he climbs in with him.

tim is lax and pliant as jason hold him close. his baby soft hair is tucked under jason's chin and jason can feel warm breath on his neck as he makes sure tim is settled.

then he starts to read to him.

tim smells like rosemary soap from his morning bath. and for some reason the scent makes jason's eyes sting as he reads.

his voice trembles occasionally, it gets thick and he has to cough to clear his throat. but he keeps reading, turning page after page as tim's eyes grow droopier and his breathing gets softer.

when jason's little brother is asleep in his arms jason doesn't immediately do it.

for a moment. he just holds tim.

he just hugs him, closes his eyes and tries to memorize the rise and fall of his baby bird's chest.

jason thinks of backing out. of not doing it.

but he knows if he does...then he'll never work up the nerve to do it again. he just won't...have the strength in him to take his little brother's life.

so jason holds him. he bites down on his lip, buries his nose in the crown of tim's soft head, and he uncaps the syringe in his pocket.

jason didn't want tim to feel anything, not even the sting of a needle plunging into his skin. that's why he'd given him the pill.

jason pushes the plunger all the way down and then leaves the emptied needle on the bedside table.

jason lies there for hours.

even after tim's chest has stopped rising.

his tears have long dried when he hears the front door of the manor open. damian is loudy complaining about something and dick is pacifying him.

jason can hear the movement around the manor. bruce and alfred both come in through the garage.

he can hear someone on the stairs, the clap of dress shoes on the hall carpet as they approach tim's room. he can hear the call of his name behind the door followed by a knock.

still jason does not move.

jason never planned for what he would do when they found him.

maybe part of him didn't care.

maybe part of him hoped they send him to be with tim.

the door creaks open and jason closes his eyes and presses a soft kiss to tim's forehead.

[youryurigoddess]

Aziraphale’s secret investigation and overlooked Clues

Remember this frame from Good Omens S02E06? Apparently Aziraphale had been using the empty carton box brought by Jim to store things in. It became a new home to at least two out of three “Lost Quartos” — the supposedly lost Shakespeare plays briefly but hilariously mentioned in the Good Omens book — as well as a very mysterious legal document.

Thought probably half of the Good Omens analysts here, including the ever so wonderful @fuckyeahgoodomens, who managed to find some information about the deceased John Gibson from New Cumnock (1855 - 1905).

Unfortunately the most interesting thing about this early 20th century provincial postmaster was his youngest child James (1894 - 1973), a quite famous stage (West End!) and film actor immortalized on screen in The Master of Ballantrae (1962), Witch Wood (1964) and Kidnapped (1963).

After that particular discovery the fandom-wide search seemingly led nowhere and the topic died a premature death.

And I almost figured it out seven months ago.

“But Yuri, you’re so clever. How can somebody as clever as you be so stupid?”, you probably want to shout across a busy London street at this point. Well, let me tell you. Much like Aziraphale, I'm blindingly intelligent for about thirty seconds a day. I do not get to choose which seconds and they are not consecutive.

Only tonight the stars have aligned in an ineffable way.

For those of you who don’t follow this account, some time ago I’ve realized that John Gibson isn’t the only testator whose estate was being investigated by Aziraphale right before The Whickber Street Traders and Shopkeepers Association monthly meeting.

If you watch S2 finale closely enough, you should notice that Crowley not only stress cleans Aziraphale’s bookshop — he also goes through the books and papers on his desk between the last three angels leaving the bookshop and Maggie and Nina’s intervention. A seemingly permanent arrangement of the props post-shooting, visible in detail both on Radio Times tour and SFX magazine photo shoot, sheds even more light on this detail.

The close-ups published after S2 release are legible enough to refer us to a much more prominent historical figure, Josiah Wedgwood (1730 – 1795) — an English potter, entrepreneur and abolitionist. Founding the Wedgwood company in 1759, he developed improved pottery bodies by systematic experimentation, and was the leader in the industrialisation of the manufacture of European pottery.

Long story short, I transcribed the handwritten pages abandoned on Aziraphale’s desk, found out the source and the full text of what could be identified as Wedgwood’s last will and testament, took a walk to visit his Soho workshop, and proceeded to write a lengthy meta analysis about it.

I was today’s years old when I realized that there’s something else connecting those two dead British men.

The Scottish Post Office Directory of 1903 recorded John Gibson from New Cumnock as a “stationer and china dealer” (above) operating from the shop located in the town’s post office building.

Indeed, a close look at his post office shop window in the Henderson Building (below, bottom left) reveals an artful display of fine china and pottery next to postcards printed by Gibson.

There are multiple ways to connect this surprising link with possible S3 plot points, obviously, but it’s getting late, so let’s just name the two most important ones.

You’ve probably heard of the Holy Grail, maybe from Monty Python or Good Omens S01E03 1941 flashback. Depending on the version of the story, if can be a cup, a chalice, a bowl, or a saucer — but almost always a dish or a vessel connected personally, physically and metaphysically to Jesus (unless you’re partial to Wolfram von Eschenbach’s idea that the Grail was a stone, the sanctuary of the neutral angels who took neither side during Lucifer's rebellion).

A slightly more obscure dish related to the Son of God appears in the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Revelation as a vital part of His Second Coming. The Seven Bowls (or cups, or vials) of God’s Wrath are supposed to be poured out on the wicked and the followers of the Antichrist by seven angels:

Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.” So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.

The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing died that was in the sea.

The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. And I heard the angel in charge of the waters say, “Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was, for you brought these judgments. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve!” And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are your judgments!”

The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory.

The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.

The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.  (“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”) And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found. And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe.

[gege-wondering-around]

The Sheriff about Derek

During the end scene of the movie, during Derek's funeral, Noah talks to Eli about the jeep and I wanna dig deeper into it.

You know, I’m not sure how your dad would feel about me giving you the Jeep. But, um, something tells me it’s the right thing to do.

This is the first thing Noah says to Eli about the jeep and also about his father and it's strange that he says that, cause at the beginning of the show they haven't had the best friendship since Derek was basically a fugitive and the Sheriff had to catch him somehow. But, during the later seasons they become somewhat 'friends', yet to me it doesn't look like they knew each other so well in the seasons to actually ends up as they are in the film.

So, maybe after Stiles left for the FBI and Noah had learned that Derek wasn't the bad guy of the situation, they grew closer since they both fight for justice in their own way, in fact Derek helps Noah whenever a case looks a little too much supernatural.

Yet, maybe they talked a lot and not only about work cause Noah, in that bit of dialogue, seemed to know Derek rather well despite the little time we see them together on screen.

Maybe they talked about Stiles and how he ended up being Derek's anchor or something similiar which made them stick close during the time between the end of season 6 and the beginning of the movie; which could explain why he feels like it's the right thing to do - to give the jeep to Eli and with it all that comes - despite being aware of Derek's feelings about it - maybe it was a mixture of such deep emotions that were so in contrast that he loved and hated it at the same time for different reason but ultimately, he ended up in love with it despite feeling something else too.

And then Eli answers him

He hated that jeep

Which means Eli probably knows about the hateful and maybe even resentfull part of Derek's feelings for the jeep, maybe he even felt betrayed or hurt by just looking at the car. But he isn't aware of the other half of them, which maybe explains why Noah changes the course of the conversation talking about how, metaphorically, the jeep was Derek.

After my son left it behind, Derek towed it in, thinking it was probably beyond repair. But then he opened up the hood and he pulled off all the duct tape Stiles had stuck on it. And he managed to fix it.

This basically says how deep care and love can put back together things that hold together by weak - or non permanent - solutions. Derek took it and put in all the effort to get it back to function despite believing it was beyond repair and that it would've ended up as a useless attempt, but he was wrong. He put in the effort, the time and care while also being mindfull of what the jeep meant to Stiles - cause why would he ever even try to put the car back together it if didn't mean anything to him? he did it thinking of a reason of why it would be good to have the jeep functioning again - and fixed it. Probably surprising many he managed to do that and maybe Stiles knows about it, or maybe he doesn't.

That Jeep, no matter what’s been done to it, it just keeps running. He could never figure out why it wouldn’t break down and stay down. And I don’t think he ever realized that that’s exactly the way we saw him.

This is literally Noah telling Eli how his father, just like the jeep, never gave up and somehow, despite almost everyone knowing he was broken and damaged and therefore probably useless to even try to help, he ended up beinf the man that he was, the 'force of nature' that never shuts down but just keeps running.

Derek never rsally gave up. He changed and was hurt, learned and taught, he kept believing that - maybe - there was more than just sorrow ahead and he found his peace. He had a son and a nice, calm life. Derek never stopped being alive despite having many reasonable excuses to just leave everyone behind and hide somewhere else, but he never did. He kept being there for everyone and helped people as best as he could, he only way he thought he knew.

Just like the jeep never definitely shutted down forever, so did Derek. Somehow they managed to push further and with other's help - which could mean Stiles for both or the pack for Derek - they ended up in good people's care.

The jeep ended up being fix by Derek and Derek had Eli and a good life despite the odds.

Then Noah goes on...

I have never seen anyone take the kind of punishment that Derek Hale took… And kept taking… In order to protect the people he loved.

This is almost self-explanatory...

Noah, after understanding who Derek Hale was, was able to see the way he just kept adding weights on his shoulders. How Derek never really forgave himself for what happened - which could be many things, like the fire because of Kate or what happened with Boyd - and just kept it all inside, almost stabbing himself with guilt from the past and pain from the present; from still fighting and protecting the people he cared for.

Noah says 'punishment' and not another word, he chooses it among hundreds of other words to describe Derek. He says how he just kept taking all the pain and suffering to protect the people he loved, which we have various examples of:

When he lost his Alpha power for taking too much pain from Cora and saving her

When he stood by Stiles' side despite him being possessed by the nogitsune and still fighting for him

When he saved Jennifer from Boys and Cora and didn't even fight them back, not really

Noah knew Derek better than most and he wanted Eli to know his father was a great man.

I'll probably edit this tomorrow and add more

[aikoiya]

Gargoyles:

And why it’s a better story about forgiveness, morality, and peace between humans then UT…

1. The Characters and their tragic Backstories…

*In Gargoyles’ Backstory, Goliath’s Clan became the protectors of a group of humans in a tiny castle, but almost all the humans hated/feared the gargoyles and the Princess was pretty ungrateful about their protection (thankfully a few humans liked the gargoyles, including a little boy).

Demona can’t stand how racist and ungrateful the humans are, and wanted to get rid of them all by listening to the Captain’s plan (who ironically, is a human).

But Demona’s attempt to rid of the group of humans by turning them over to their enemies, ended up with the enemy side nearly wiping out her whole clan (except for Goliath, the Main Gargoyles Characters, the eggs and herself).

Demona flew away in shame, after seeing what had happened.

Then Goliath and the other Gargoyles (who thought Demona was dead; they didn’t know about her plan) went after their enemies to avenge their clan and save their kidnapped human allies.

The Princess was taken by the Enemy’s Leader and the Traitorous Captain, Goliath chases after them, while the rest of his Team attack all the kidnappers.

Her Royal Wizard either thinks the Leader killed her and blames the gargoyles for her death or that the Gargoyles had killed her themselves, casting a spell which turns them all into stone permanently (although there is a weird cure for the curse).

Goliath saves the Princess’ life and brings her back to her people.

When the Wizard sees that the Princess is alive, the irrational anger he felt, quickly turns into horror and guilt over what he had done to the beasts that had saved them all.

The Princess, the Wizard, and their tiny kingdom had finally realized how wrong they were about the gargoyles and how unfairly they treated them.

And all it took was for all the gargoyles, but one, to be wiped out.

However, despite their flaws and previous mistakes, both the Princess and Wizard truly deeply regret everything that has happened.

They tell Goliath that they would do anything to try making up for what they had done, and to also repay all the times that the gargoyles had helped them.

Goliath tells them that they can do this, by taking care of the gargoyle eggs.

The Princess promises her people will raise them, as if they were their very own.

Then Goliath tells the Wizard to cast his spell on him, so he can be with his clan.

Demona later returns to see the statues of her lover and what’s left of her clan, blaming the humans for everything (ignoring the fact that what happened was mostly her own fault).

After that night, Demona’s hatred of humanity had only increased (despite making human allies sometimes, like Macbeth).

Centuries later, Goliath and his clan’s spell was broken by the main Villain, Xanatos.

Then they meet their true human ally, Elisa, and the rest is history.

*In UT’s Backstory, both monsters and humans lived on the surface together.

Then a monster absorbs 7 human souls and becomes all powerful.

The humans become quite terrified that monsters can absorb their souls and thus starts a war with the monster kingdom.

When humanity wins, instead of wiping out Asgore’s Kingdom, they sealed them inside of a mountain.

The only way to break the barrier was to use the power of 7 human souls (but they never said the souls had to come from dead humans).

King Asgore and Queen Toriel would have a son named Asriel, then later adopted a human child that fell into their Kingdom named Chara.

Chara later poisoned themselves, so Asriel could take their soul’s power, use it to absorb 6 other souls and free their Kingdom.

But Asriel couldn’t do it, and died as a result.

With both of his precious children dead, an enraged Asgore vowed to start another war with humanity, to make them go extinct.

He tells his people that any humans that fall into the Kingdom must be captured, executed and their souls harvested for him to break the barrier and also ‘become god-like’.

As a result, almost the whole kingdom became blood-thirsty, revenge-crazy, and racist.

And Frisk basically has to act like a completely forgiving and perfect person, in order for the monsters to change their ways.

*In my opinion, the Gargoyles had it a bit worse then Asgore’s Kingdom, yet they still chose to help humanity, instead of getting revenge like Demona.

Because the gargoyles might not be perfect, but they know it wouldn’t be fair to get revenge on the innocent descendants of the ancestors who wronged them.

While their original human allies (before Elisa) were racists and kinda crappy people at first, they feel super guilty over their own mistakes and spend the rest of their lives making up for it.

Almost all of Asgore’s Kingdom don’t truly see how wrong it is to have a war or destroy innocent people (especially children) over what some long dead villagers have done.

And those that do see how wrong it is, don’t do much about it. (Not even Toriel, despite her disgust and her claims to be against the war.)

They basically have a ‘never-my-fault’ kinda attitude.

What makes this even more messed up is that the Kingdom knows that Asgore used to have an adopted human child, yet nobody questions anything about this and everyone is 100% with letting this war happen anyway, despite one of their princes being the same species that they wanna wipe out.

The only few that actually try to HELP Frisk, are an Armless Lizard Kid and ironically the main villain of the story, Flowey/Asriel.

2. The Friendship with the Gargoyles’ Human Ally feels legit…

*When Goliath and the other gargoyles first meet Elisa, her relationship with them is a little bit rocky at first, with Goliath understandingly having some trust issues.

But when Elisa proved to them how loyal and kind she truly is, when she risked her life to protect Goliath, the gargoyles consider her one of them.

Goliath’s and Elisa’s friendship and later romance wasn’t perfect, but it was quite beautiful and healthy.

Elisa always risks her life to help the gargoyles and they risk their lives for her in return.

Elisa is sometimes the voice of reason and they actually listen to her.

Elisa also can sometimes make mistakes as well, but she’s willing to fix them and improve herself through character development.

The gargoyles also make friends with humans besides Elisa.

However the first time Lexington tried to befriend a group of humans called ‘The Pack’, he was betrayed, but he doesn’t ever give up trying.

When Brooklyn was briefly tricked by Demona into thinking humanity is horrible (except for Elisa), he regrets ever listening to her, when she uses a mind control spell on Goliath and Brooklyn helps get his leader back to normal.

When Broadway accidentally shot Elisa by playing with her gun (after he watched a movie), he takes her to the hospital and apologizes… then he tries to get rid of all the new sci-fi guns in New York City… and eventually tells Goliath the truth about who shot Elisa, when Goliath was about to kill the episode’s villain (who had nothing to do with it)…

Fortunately, both Elisa and Goliath forgive Broadway…

And Hudson later makes friends with a blind person.

*Frisk is only able to befriend everyone by acting like a perfect and forgiving little angel; as a result, their friendships with the main characters don’t feel genuine.

They feel fake.

They only like what Frisk pretends to be, not who they truly are.

Papyrus only befriends Frisk despite Frisk being the enemy because he’s desperate for friendship (and popularity).

He’s even willing to befriend Frisk when they’re genocidal, he’s THAT desperate.

But Papyrus is an angel, compared to the other Main Characters, especially his own brother Sans…

I actually liked Sans at first, he probably would’ve been my favorite character.

But then the things he said at MTT Resort happened.

He made a promise to Toriel to watch and protect, but since everything he does is a half-baked effort, he only watches over us, he doesn’t protect… Then to rub salt on the wound, he says that he wanted to kill us on the spot, which he plays off as a joke… He then smugly asks if he did a great job protecting us and says that we haven’t died at all (which usually isn’t true) and CHUCKLES at the idea of Frisk dying!

He doesn’t even do anything to protect Papyrus from Frisk’s genocide, other then another death threat (Papyrus deserves a better brother)!

It unbelievable that there’s no option to tell Toriel the truth, so we can give Sans some kind of karma!

But at least the MTT Resort dinner with him is optional, unlike a befriending session with a certain Fishface…

Undyne is the biggest and most violent racist of the entire kingdom.

She was ungrateful that Frisk saved her life as well as the life of the Armless Lizard Kid, because they’re human.

She also had insulted Frisk, then made fun of Frisk for being a compassionate human child and enjoyed attacking Frisk (considering that she had a big smile during the battle).

She’s only willing to befriend Frisk when Papyrus wounds her pride with Reverse Physiology, and she acts like how she treated Frisk was no big deal after Frisk befriends her.

I honestly thought she was a stoic badass who was only trying to do her job professionally when she was all silent and cold, but during the final battle with her, her personality does a total 180 and she lost me.

But at least she’s honest about NOT being your friend at the start, unlike Lizard Breathe…

Alphys is a stereotypical science nerd character, but with a tragic backstory.

A science experiment to help the kingdom and her people had gone wrong, which creates the Amalgamates and ruins her self-confidence.

So she tricks Frisk into thinking that she’s a hero, with Mettaton’s help.

And of course this plan backfired as well, when Mettaton betrays her, so he can become famous on the surface world with Frisk’s soul.

I’m surprised that nobody saw Alphys as a traitor for ‘helping the human’ or Mettaton as a traitor for ‘trying to escape with the final soul,’ since they’re both stupid enough to act out their plans on live TV.

Alphys is one of the few that actually feels guilty for hurting Frisk and she does apologize, but she doesn’t do anything to TRULY make up for how she treated Frisk and even puts Frisk in danger again by leaving the kid alone with the Amalgamates.

Also much like Papyrus, she’s a bit of an enabler, especially with Mettaton and Undyne.

And Mettaton only feels guilty about almost leaving his fans, instead of hurting a child, but at least he isn’t racist and briefly calls out Alphys on her load of baloney.

Speaking of a load of baloney…

Asgore is kinda similar to Alphys, in that he feels guilty about the terrible things that he’s done.

However, he does terrible things for less selfish reasons then Alphys.

At first it was revenge, but now it’s to keep his kingdom and people hopeful, so they don’t enter a despair coma.

However, he should've stopped at child murder.

It honestly makes him no better then the humans that ended Asriel (cause they thought Asriel killed Chara) even if Asgore feels guilty, cause he probably destroyed families when he killed those kids, like his own family had gotten destroyed.

He also stopped feeling guilty pretty quickly during the Pacifist Ending, even with his wife’s glare…

Toriel acts like she’s different from the rest of the monsters, but she does have one thing in common with them.

She thinks that she truly has done nothing wrong.

But that’s the point, she did nothing to help those other kids (including Frisk), once they left the ruins.

Instead, she made a random stranger (Sans) that shared her sense of humor promise to protect Frisk for her (which he doesn’t).

When she left and betrayed her people, she couldn’t even betray them right.

And yet they all welcome her back with open arms.

All the monsters also don’t even bother to ask for Frisk’s name and simply call them the Human/Child/Kid ect… which honestly kinda shows how self-centered and dim-witted some of the monsters can be.

Ironically, only the main villain (Flowey/Asriel) was respectful enough to ask for Frisk’s true name (once he realizes that Frisk isn’t Chara).

Then there’s the whole thing with Frisk (a child) flirting with the monsters and sometimes going on dates with them… nothing gross happens, but it still makes me pretty uncomfortable.

Asriel was probably the ONLY one that both properly apologized to Frisk, sacrificed something important to them (the souls and the ability to love) and tries to make up for hurting them (by breaking the barrier), yet he’s also the only one that stays behind in the mountain and the only one where it’s optional NOT to forgive him!

You know when a video game’s story is messed up, when forgiving a violent, racist, grown-ass adult like Undyne or a smug, selfish, lazy jerk like Sans is mandatory to get the ‘Best Ending’, but forgiving and comforting a small child that lost everything (their life, their family, their soul) is completely optional!

The Creator of UT must secretly hate kids, I guess…

But the absolute worst part is that neither King Asgore nor any of the Monsters come clean to Humanity over what happened inside the mountains… they don’t even give the 6 dead humans a proper funeral… I know they probably kept the truth hidden so the humans don’t seal them in the mountain again or they don’t want Asgore to end up in prison, but eventually the truth is gonna revealed itself and it will bite all of them right in the behind once that happens!

3. The messages of Pacifism and Peace handled better…

*Goliath always tried his best to be the bigger person, even when his past allies were being ungrateful jerks.

He had made occasional slip-ups, but his Team and Elisa always put him back on track.

Unlike Demona, he knows how wrong it is to hurt and destroy someone innocent over what their ancestors did.

He knows that ending humanity won’t bring his clan back.

He and the others have made peace with their pasts.

Because of this, they have a family with each other.

Demona on the other hand, has not made peace with her past.

I get why she did all those horrible things, she had an unfair life and everything was stolen from her.

But that’s still no excuse for everything that she’s done, especially to Macbeth, who had been nothing but loyal and kind to her.

Her character is literally an example of what happens when you hold onto old grudges, become obsessed with revenge and don’t take responsibility for your own actions.

All that gave her was an immortal life of hatred and loneliness.

Her rage is so strong and stubborn, that not even her husband or daughter want anything to do with her… and her husband ends up falling in love with one of the creatures that she hates the most.

If that isn’t irony, I don’t know what is!

*When Prince Asriel was killed by humans, King Asgore declared a second war, which I understand.

Queen Toriel left because she didn’t want anything to do with the war, which I also can understand.

The Monster Kingdom hates humanity for imprisoning them and killing their prince, which I also can understand.

The Kingdom is a lot like Demona (especially Undyne), but the difference is that while Demona is called out for her mistakes and flaws, everyone acts like the Monster Kingdom did nothing wrong.

I get that forgiveness is UT’s Main Theme, but there should be limits on who you forgive, because if you’re not careful you could forgive the wrong people that will take advantage of your kindness and generosity.

(Like Demona had eventually done with Macbeth.)

It feels like the Monster Kingdom are ‘Karma Houdinis’ and even get rewarded, despite their racist, selfish, and hypocritical actions.

There is a difference between being a pacifist and being a total pushover.

I feel like if Demona existed in the UT World, her horrible actions would probably not only get treated like it’s no deal, but she’d also get rewarded as well.

In the words of Todd from ‘Bojack’:

“You can't keep doing this! You can't keep doing crappy things and then feel bad about yourself as if that makes it okay! You need to be better!" 

---

Aikoiya: This is all so great, but I do have one thing to say. I actually think Asgore is somewhat better than Alphys. For one, from the moment you meet him, he very obviously doesn't want to do what he very much believes he has to. Which, if nothing else, I can respect a king who's willing to sacrifice his own personal morals for the sake of his people as it was implied that they were running out of space & it's even possible that they could've eventually run out of food. Which, as king, he'd be privy to that kind of information.

And for another, if you end up killing Flowey in a Neutral Run, then come back & defeat Asgore again, he offers up his own soul & tells Frisk to use it to leave the Underground.

This tells me that his regret is not only genuine, but deep-seated. It's still wrong on multiple levels & he's still a kid killer & needs to attone for his crimes, but if nothing else, I feel like he CAN be rehabilitated.

In this way, he strikes me as the sort who, if he ever learned about the human laws that protect children & how deeply the common man absolutely despises child abusers, he'd willingly give himself up to the authorities & admit to his crimes, knowing that what he did was wrong.

And, I can respect that. Again, still a monstrous & downright evil thing he did. I can't even fathom being okay with exploiting something as truly & intimately vital & personal as someone's soul. Let alone that of a child. But to be fair, he didn't think that there was any other way. And if he did ever learn that the souls didn't have to be dead for them to break the Barrier, I can guarantee that he would've opted for the less violent option in a heartbeat.

Which, I cannot say for Undyne or the rest of the monsters who were chanting "kill all humans."

In the end, this is why I'm pro-Goat Dad for the most part & not nearly as pro-Goat Mom. Because, Asgore is a very active individual who is willing to do what is necessary, but is also willing to admit when he is wrong & take responsibility for the wrongs that he's committed.

Then again, maybe I have too high standards for what a monarch should be?

Undertale Masterlist

[ineffablehusbandos]

To elaborate a bit further on this:

It took hundreds of years and multiple attempts on Crowley's end to get Aziraphale to agree about lying to their respective head offices.

It took Aziraphale 6000 thousand years to come to terms with him and Crowley not being mere acquaintances on opposite sides who sometimes worked together.

It took 6000 thousand years for him to come to terms with them being friends.

But at the time, he didn't have the time to process the things Crowley was offering, nor how he felt about them, nor make his own decision about them that wasn't affected by heaven's influence.

A lot of things were going on. There was a child to raise, then a child to find, and an armageddon to stop.

There was always something else for him to think about. He didn't have the time to think about himself nor to really analyze the things heaven has done, the things heaven has been up to, nor what heaven stood for.

I think that the fact that Aziraphale had already almost lost Crowley a few times also impacted his decision in the end.

He almost lost Crowley during the whole Wee Morag debacle when Crowley was dragged back to hell for punishment. From the looks of it, Aziraphale didn't see Crowley for quite a while after that. And when Crowley came back, he asked Aziraphale for holy water, the very thing that can permanently destroy a demon.

Then he almost lost Crowley again when Satan came up to punish his "rebellious son" and let's be honest, probably Crowley too, for disobeying orders.

They survived that only for him to almost lose Crowley again because his kin decided to destroy him with holy water. The only reason he didn't was because they had listened to Agnes' advice and switched places.

That, too, I think impacted the decision Aziraphale made in the end.

He wanted to save the earth that they both loved and where they shared most of their time and memories together. He wanted to save the universe that Crowley helped create.

He didn't want to lose Crowley, but if he did as Crowley wanted and they ran off somewhere like Gabriel and Beelzebub, not only would it not save the earth both he and Crowley loved so much and where they formed most of their memories together, but they would never have been free either way.

They would have been chased for the rest of their lives. They were pretty much stalked by both sides during the entirety of the second season, If they had run away like Crowley wanted, maybe this time, he would really lose Crowley forever.

I don't think Aziraphale would be able to bear that thought. He could give up his bookshop and all the delicious food the earth had to offer, but he could never lose Crowley.

And if that meant having to go to heaven on his own and try to change things there by himself without Crowley there by his side, then so be it.

Aziraphale now has a lot of things he has to analyze and process and come to a decision of his own in regard to. Both regarding heaven, hell, and even his feelings for Crowley.

He carries a lot of guilt for not being what heaven wanted him to be, what he was created to be, and what he was told he had to be by his kin for 6000 years.

And maybe now with no immediate armageddon on the horizon, he might have the time to really think of what he really wants and realize just how toxic heaven had been to him during pretty much the entirety of his existence.

Once he has, maybe then he would be ready to look at his feelings for Crowley, analyze them, and accept what his feelings for Crowley mean.

I doubt Aziraphale had any experience with feelings of love before Crowley anyway. I doubt he would have been able to fully compute what the feelings he carried for the demon were. It did take him 6000 years to realize he thought of Crowley as a friend, after all.

I know that's really long, but it has been rummaging around my head since I finished the season, and I needed to get it out. I hope everything I said made sense.

Change doesn't come easily for Aziraphale, and neither is breaking the rules. That was established in season one, and it took a while for him to get on board with Crowley's idea of lying to their respective head offices and another while for him to agree to the whole stopping Armageddon idea.

To be honest, I don't think he had fully come to terms with how he felt about Crowley, nor come to terms with being on their own sides. Up until Armageddon, he had, for the most part, followed heaven's every order, and that was only like four or five years before the start of season two.

I don't think it would be a stretch to say he wasn't yet accustomed to the idea of being cut off from heaven and pretty much everything he ever knew and believed. And, he is pretty slow about acknowledging how he feels about things and coming to decisions.

I wouldn't be surprised if from Aziraphale's point of view upon Crowley's confession at the time he felt like "You go too fast for me, Crowley."

Because Aziraphale always took his time before he came to terms with his feelings and thoughts, and always took time before he came to any decision, especially if said decision would go against things he was taught in heaven.

So when Metatron gave him the opportunity to go back home, and not only that, but to also have Crowley with him, he couldn't help but latch onto it, because there, he thought he would get to spend eternity with Crowley, and with being the Supreme Archangel, he would be privy to more information and quicker than if he and Crowley were on their own, and could influence what takes place in heaven and work on stopping a war with the demons from starting again.

And with Crowley getting back his angel status and them both being in heaven, he probably thought they wouldn't have to part again.

These are only my thoughts on season two of Good Omens, so of course, it's all conjecture, so it could all be wrong, but these are the thoughts I had after watching the ending.

[why-what-no]

Capable Of Change

Pairing: Morpheus x Daughter!Reader

Warnings: Morpheus is kind of a bad father for the first half of this. But he gets better by the end

Summary: Morpheus has a daughter that he hadn’t been a good father to. But he vows to fix that after he escapes his cage.

Requested by: @icy-cat-girl

Morpheus wasn't a good father. He knew that, and so many of the people who cared about him knew that. He wasn't good at emotions, or selfless love. And honestly, for most of his long life, he was scared of learning how to be good at that. 

Because of that, he wasn't present in the lives of his children. His son had lived and died tragically, hurting Morpheus more than he thought it would. He hadn't been in his son's life, but it still sliced open his heart when that life was over. For a moment, his cold exterior cracked and the pain of fatherhood hit him. 

After that, he swore to avoid fatherhood. Never letting himself feeling that ever again. After all, he reasoned with himself, he would only bring pain to the child. He knew he wasn't able to look after a child like they would need someone to look after them. 

He thought he would be able to escape fatherhood after that, thought Orpheus had been the end of that. 

But then he had a fling with some Fae woman, not even worrying about anything. Not worrying... until that former lover called on him telling him that she had just given birth to a healthy baby girl. A girl that she had created with him. 

Morpheus had a daughter. He had promised himself to never sire any more children and now he had a daughter. 

Once again, the King Of The Dreaming got scared of someone needing him. Distancing himself from his daughter and his former lover, not learning the lesson he should have learnt from the life and death of his son. 

But there were times where he would watch over his child, named (Y/N) by her mother, from a long distance. Observing her growth, trying not to smile when she accomplished something. He stopped doing that eventually, recognizing that it would only hurt him. 

Away from him, (Y/N) grew up in the Fae Realm. Only meeting Morpheus a few times when he visited to King and Queen. He had been curt when they spoke, asking professionally about her education or her hobbies. Then he would leave, and (Y/N) would try and push down the hurt she felt from his dismissive attitude. 

It took a while for her to stop taking it personally. Finally recognizing that he just wasn't capable of letting people in. She figured he would never change, so she shouldn't care. 

***

 While (Y/N) had grown up in the Fae realm, she always had a soft spot for Earth. For the little humans that her father served. And when she grew up, she began living in the Waking world permanently. Living among the mortals who had always been so interesting to her. 

She was at the park, feeding birds and people watching. It was routine for her at that point, her way to unwind after every day. But her relaxing evening was slightly ruined by the man appearing in front of her. 

She had looked up to greet the stranger, until she realized who it was. 

"(Y/N)." His voice was as just raspy as she remembered it. Morpheus looked slightly uncomfortable with her gaze on him, but he just nodded towards the bench. "May I sit?"

She nodded, not fully realizing why she was giving him any of her time. He sat down beside her. Not looking in her direction, focusing on the birds in front of them. 

"I heard you went missing. Trapped by a Magus." (Y/N) said after a few moments of silence. 

"Yes." Morpheus nodded. "For a while. Over a century." 

"I know. I thought about coming to save you, but..." 

"But what?" 

She shrugged. "But would you have come to save me? If Roderick Burgess had imprisoned me?" 

The silence after her question spoke volume. But finally, Morpheus looked at her. Looking over his daughter for the first time in almost two centuries. "I don't know." He told her.

Honestly, she was just grateful he was being honest. But he continued. "But if you were imprisoned now, I would come after you." 

"Well, it's nice to know that you've developed some empathy for once in your life." (Y/N) scoffed, returning her gaze to the birds. Maybe getting locked up had done him some good after all. 

But Morpheus just chuckled, knowing exactly what she was thinking. "Perhaps you're right. I realize that I've change a lot in the time after I escaped." 

"Good for you."

"And so have you." Morpheus remarked. "You had never been cold with me before. 

(Y/N) turned to him harshly. "Well I learned my lesson. I stopped waiting for you to care." Years of fearing that Morpheus had never come for her because she was unlovable. Because she wasn't good enough. 

"That was smart." Her father admitted. "You would have wasted your life waiting for me. I wouldn't have come for you." 

"Then why are you here now?" (Y/N) asked, trying not to hope. 

But he sighed, looking at her. "Because I am not what I was back then, my time since escaping the cage has let me know that-"

"That you're gonna die alone and friendless?"

He chuckled at her cruel words. "That I was scared. Of friendship, of... of fatherhood. I should have kept you close, but I didn't. And when I was imprisoned, that was one of my greatest regrets." 

(Y/N) couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What are you saying?" 

"Come to the Dreaming, with me." She listened, frozen as he said the words she had been wishing for since childhood. "I should have taken care of you... and I wish to attempt that now." He gave her a soft smile. "To the best of my abilities."

Morpheus stood up, standing in front of her and offering her his hand to help her up. 

Part of her wanted to reject him, to let pride take over and tell him that she was just fine without him. But that was the exact behavior that made him abandon her for all those years. So she nodded, taking his hand and letting him take them both home. 

Perhaps she was wrong. Perhaps he was capable of change after all.

Taglist: @stygianoir @minetticatinwonderland @fangirlmary @absbdbshhs @kiki13522

[robininthelabyrinth]

for the prompts: NMJ/JC - Everyone with a functioning brain cell can see that JC just needs someone to tell him he’s doing a good job. And if WWX isn’t stepping up? Well, NMJ definitely will. (Preferably smut and/or fluff) Thank you! ❤️

Compliments - ao3

It started in anger, out of spite.

Traditionally, the world took this to be a bad thing, but in all honesty the vast majority of projects in the Nie sect were started that way – they inherited fiery tempers and spiteful personalities from their ancestors along with their saber cultivation traditions – and it didn’t always turn out badly. There were any number of buildings, techniques, or technological innovations in the Unclean Realm that had started life as a furious fuck you to someone and only turned into something worthwhile about halfway through, once the person involved had calmed down enough to think about what they were doing, realize they were already committed, and then shrug and carry on forward because there was no point in stopping a charge midway.

What Nie Mingjue meant was: there was precedent.

He liked to think it started with Jiang Fengmian, but if Nie Mingjue was being honest with himself, it started back in the Unclean Realm when Nie Huaisang had told him, quite casually over dinner, that he thought that the female cultivator in his class was very pretty and that he’d be happy to marry her.

“Uh,” Nie Mingjue had said, very intelligently. “Huaisang, you’re seven.”

Nie Huaisang had not seen the problem. Instead, he explained very forthrightly that it was only right that he start thinking early on about his marriage, as getting married and having children would be his great contribution to the sect on account of being useless good-for-nothing unfit for anything else –

“Wait,” Nie Mingjue said. “Who told you that?!”

Nie Huaisang claimed he had deduced it.

Nie Mingjue claimed that Nie Huaisang was full of bullshit, and also that he wasn’t good-for-nothing even if he wasn’t good at saber, and anyway even if he was a total good-for-nothing he was still Nie Mingjue’s good-for-nothing and no one had better say a single damn word against him or Nie Mingjue would bite them.

“I meant stab them!” he explained, far too late; Nie Huaisang was already rolling around laughing to the point of tears. “I have a saber. I can stab people! I’m actually very scary, you know!”

Nie Huaisang hadn’t believed him one bit and had carried on, seemingly at peace and forgetting everything, but Nie Mingjue had gone seeking advice from all of his elders and counselors and the more dependable senior disciples of his sect, abruptly terrified that he was permanently damaging Nie Huaisang by raising him the wrong way or something. Didn’t children need encouragement at that age? Weren’t they all young and tender peaches liable to be bruised at the slightest glance or young sprouts that needed to be sheltered from the harsh wind lest they grow up crooked?

Everyone assured him that children were hardier than they appeared, flexible and capable of bouncing back from just about anything. He'd pressed, though, pointing out that even the most flexible wood would eventually form a crack in the face of a vicious hurricane, and in the end they'd admitted that it was better to avoid applying too much pressure at too young an age, that a child squeezed too hard or not hard enough might develop neuroses that would hinder them in the future.

They mostly tried not to look at him when they said that, presumably thinking to themselves that Nie Mingjue was little more than a child himself and had already been subject to the worst pressures possible, which would undoubtedly result in who knows what future issues, but he hadn’t paid that part any mind. As far as he was concerned, his life was already a loss – he had sworn to take revenge for his father, to make that ancient monster Wen Ruohan pay with his life for what he had done and furthermore he'd sworn to pay back the blood debt in full before any of that burden passed to Nie Huaisang.

Letting Nie Huaisang grow up happy – that was what mattered.

Letting him be insulted when Nie Mingjue wasn’t looking played no part in that plan. If Nie Huaisang were going to be insulted, let it be by outsiders who he wouldn’t need to care about! Within their Nie sect, at minimum, he should be doted upon and honored, or else those responsible would have to explain themselves to Nie Mingjue.

Those dark thoughts still lingering in his mind, he had gone to the Lotus Pier for a discussion conference, and that, perhaps, was where it really started.

Rumor had already made the entire cultivation world aware that Jiang Fengmian had found the orphaned son of Cangse Sanren and Wei Changze, and that he had taken him into his home as his ward, allowing him to become a Jiang sect disciple – treating him almost as one of the family, even. That much was known, so it didn’t come as much of a surprise when Jiang Fengmian proudly introduced him or even more proudly showed him off, praising him to the high heavens.

What did come as a surprise was how little he praised his own son standing beside him, despite them being only a few days apart in age. It was as if Jiang Fengmian had simply forgotten that such a creature existed, much less that he had himself contributed to its spawning, and the constant looks of hope – invariably crushed – the child sent him made it clear that the present situation had been going on for some time.

Fuck you, Nie Mingjue thought, seeing red, seeing instead Nie Huaisang in his failed saber classes, struggling so desperately to keep up with the rest even though his body wouldn’t allow for it, being told he was useless and a good-for-nothing and fit for nothing but marriage. Fuck you, Jiang Fengmian.

He couldn’t say that, of course.

So instead he said, “Excellent stance,” to the child, who'd received the courtesy name Wanyin but seemed to be universally called Jiang Cheng. “Do you know the others in the set?”

Jiang Cheng, staring at him, very slowly nodded, and demonstrated them.

“Absolutely perfect,” Nie Mingjue said loudly, drawing attention to himself with his over-loud voice that everyone would automatically forgive on account on him being both a Nie and a young man. “You can see how hard you’ve worked at it, and it has paid off handsomely. You are very lucky in your son, Sect Leader Jiang.”

“…thank you,” Jiang Fengmian said, a little bemused at being interrupted. He’d been talking yet again about Wei Wuxian’s brilliance at picking up the sword again after years of living on the streets without practice, even though at the moment the smiling boy's admittedly impressive skills were still largely wild and undisciplined.

Nie Mingjue nodded, and said: “When exactly did you say the opening festivities would be starting?”

Jiang Fengmian had clearly forgotten about that in his enthusiasm, so he quickly hurried back to the actual subject at hand and the discussion conference was started in earnest.

It was almost enough to allow Nie Mingjue to forget the matter and put it behind him.

Or, it would have been, if only Jiang Fengmian hadn’t continued to insert praise for Wei Wuxian at every possible instance – it was as if he were the man’s first-born son, rather than another person’s child.

Irritated beyond belief, Nie Mingjue started complimenting Jiang Cheng every time Jiang Fengmian said something nice about Wei Wuxian, and he made sure to keep his compliments accurate: he was a hard worker, dedicated and sincere, thoughtful, clever, not overly arrogant…

“Wei Wuxian came up with his own ideas for a sword style already,” Jiang Fengmian claimed at one point. “You can see him on the training ground now, practicing it – take a look!”

Nie Mingjue picked up a stone and flicked it over with his fingers, making Wei Wuxian jump half a chi into the air and nearly fall on his ass.

“Weak foundation, and he over-commits,” he analyzed dryly, because it was true, and because no one else was saying it. He didn't make it any harsher than it had to be: he had nothing against the boy himself, of course; it was only that he knew from experience that it was much easier to be the one being complimented than the one not. “He’s got his head so high in the clouds that his feet are barely touching the ground – the weakest fierce corpse would knock him flat as a pancake with a childish style like that. He’d be better off sticking with orthodox or he’ll end up in real trouble one day.”

“Sect Leader Nie, really,” Jiang Fengmian said disapprovingly. “He’s only nine.”

“Old enough to pick up bad habits,” Nie Mingjue retorted. “Your son’s the same age and he’s as steady as a rock. If Jiang Cheng keeps going as he is, he’ll have a strong enough base to outlast the fiercest storm.”

“A rock has no imagination,” Jiang Fengmian said, and was he actually arguing that his son was inferior? Out loud, in front of outsiders? Did the man have no shame? “Mingjue, you’re young, but you must know that my Jiang sect prizes freedom and creativity as the highest virtue –”

“Would you rather build a house using a firework or a foundation stone?” Nie Mingjue asked, doing his best not to outwardly bristle at the condescendingly intimate use of his name by someone who might be technically his elder but legally his equal. “Tell me, Fengmian, does your Jiang sect’s acclaimed ‘freedom’ only allow for people to be as fluid as the river and not as steady as the earth?”

Jiang Fengmian faltered, clearly not knowing how to answer that.

Nie Mingjue raised his hands in a sarcastic salute: “As the leader of a sect whose style is based on a grounded foundation, I would be very happy if you would educate me in your wisdom. No doubt my peers would benefit as well.”

Perhaps it was at that point that Jiang Fengmian realized that his words could be misinterpreted as an insult to all the sects whose styles were less free-flowing than the Jiang – just about all of them except for maybe the Lan and their subsidiary sects, given their preference for techniques modeled on the wind over the water – and moreover that this was a discussion conference, where every word was political, and that a great deal of people were glaring balefully at him. He hastily moved the conversation onwards, and left the subject of his sons for another day.

Later that evening, Madame Yu came over to where Nie Mingjue was nursing a bowl of very fine wine that he didn’t especially feel like consuming. Before he could start worrying about the Purple Spider’s intentions, she said, voice stiff, “Your words regarding my son are too kind. His skills are still inferior; he has a great deal of progress yet to be made.”

“He’s only nine,” Nie Mingjue said, feeling mortified that she’d noticed his little temper tantrum, which he had belatedly realized was probably extremely obvious. “Anyway, I wasn't lying. He has a good foundation; he’ll be a fearsome cultivator one day, there’s no doubt. I only said what I saw.”

“You didn’t comment about Wei Wuxian,” she said. “You must have noticed his genius.”

“Geniuses don’t need to be praised overmuch,” Nie Mingjue said. He himself had been termed a genius by his teachers, and he’d hated every single moment of it – couldn’t he just be good at things without having people fall all over themselves to compliment him? He’d enjoyed it at the start, but after a while it had started to wear on him; he was expected to be a genius in all things, and being simply ordinary was suddenly seen as failing. “It’s the ones that have to work hard that do, or else they’ll be discouraged…comparing someone to another person’s child works as a spur to a certain extent, but after a while it loses its potency as a tool.”

Your husband is a fucking idiot, he didn’t say. It’s his own son! How could he speak like that about him? Shouldn’t he be holding him in his palms like a gentle flame, protecting him from the wind and rain? How can he bear to scold his son when he hasn't shown that the scolding is meant for his benefit?

“Perhaps,” Madame Yu said, but it was clear on her face that she wasn’t about to start taking parenting advice from a half-grown sprout like Nie Mingjue. “Nevertheless, your words were kind.”

She swept away after that, much to his relief. He shook his head and daydreamed about a magic tool that would make this whole nightmarish experience go by that much quicker.

In the end, it went by at the same speed it always did. It could have ended there, but Nie Mingjue kept up the habit of blatantly complimenting Jiang Cheng in future sect conferences as well, if only because it clearly irritated Jiang Fengmian – less because Nie Mingjue was praising his son and more because it was so obviously meant as an indirect critique of Jiang Fengmian’s skills as a parent or sect leader, and moreover it reminded all the other sects of that unfortunate interchange and made them less inclined to listen to him – and of course, because, well, once you’ve started a charge, you had to finish it even if you came to your senses about halfway through.

He made sure to keep it proportionate, of course, since there was nothing worse than false praise. He didn’t really mean anything by it, other than the half-formed thought that someone ought to be doing it – that the boy should know that someone looked at him and Wei Wuxian and remembered to praise him first. Nie Mingjue praised Wei Wuxian too, of course, since the boy often deserved it; it was only that he made a particular point not to forget about Jiang Cheng, either.

(He also made sure the other sect leaders saw how well the technique could be used to fluster Jiang Fengmian, an intrusion into his personal life that could be masked in perfect politeness, and several of them picked up the same tact, though less consistently than Nie Mingjue – Sect Leaders Jin and Wen, naturally, always looking for a weakness, but interestingly enough also Lan Qiren, who was normally above such petty maneuvers. Possibly he was actually just complimenting Jiang Cheng because he sincerely approved of him.)

He didn’t think much of it.

Nie Mingjue didn’t think much of it during the other discussion conferences, or when he came to the Cloud Recesses to pick up Nie Huaisang, who had – amazingly – actually managed to pass this time, although the expression on Lan Qiren’s face suggested the pass might have more to do with the other sect leader’s desire to never see Nie Huaisang haunt his classroom ever again.

“You know what, don’t tell me. Tell me….hm…how did Jiang Wanyin do?” Nie Mingjue asked, hand over his eyes as if it could forestall the headache. “He’s a bright boy, and knows how to put his mind to something when he wants. Tell me about him instead, it’ll be less depressing.”

“He’s very bright,” Lan Qiren agreed. “Very thoughtful, and very thorough. He sometimes errs towards conservatism out of fear of giving the wrong answer, but that’s just a matter of confidence; his thinking is very good. He’s very clear-sighted as long as the matter is logical, rather than emotional.”

“No surprise,” Nie Mingjue grunted. “He’ll be a sect leader worthy of respect, in his time.”

When he’s rid of that father of his dragging him down, he thought ungraciously, and he saw Lan Qiren bob his head in a sharp nod of unspoken agreement.

“All right,” he said. “I’m adequately fortified now. Tell me about Huaisang.”

Lan Qiren gave him a look of profound sympathy.

It wasn’t until much later, during the Sunshot Campaign, that it was first called to his attention – by Jiang Cheng himself, oddly enough.

“Why do you keep doing that?” he hissed, having stayed behind after one of their meetings.

Nie Mingjue blinked at him. “Doing – what?”

“You – you said – about me…!”

Nie Mingjue tried to recall what he’d said during the meeting just now. “That you – were doing an excellent job while facing much higher level of obstacles than everyone else?” he hazarded, because he had said something like that. “Or was it the bit about how if any of them had needed to rebuild their sect and fight at the same time, we’d all be doomed because they couldn’t multitask for shit?”

Yeah, it was probably that one.

“I didn’t mean any offense by referencing what happened to your sect,” he said, hoping to explain. “It was only –”

“I didn’t take offense,” Jiang Cheng mumbled. “It’s fine. I mean, it’s not fine, but – it happened, everyone knows that it happened, not talking about it isn’t going to make it not have happened. That’s not what I meant…why do you keep saying such nice things about me?”

Nie Mingjue blinked at him. “Because they’re true?”

Jiang Cheng’s cheeks flushed red. “You’ve always said nice things about me. Ever since I was a little kid – every time you saw me, at the discussion conferences, or the Cloud Recesses, or even in your letters to my father…”

He had in fact done that.

“I just want to know why. Is it – my father’s not around, you can’t be doing it just to piss him off, even though I know that was part of it. Why me?”

Nie Mingjue coughed a little, having not realized that Jiang Cheng had noticed. Or possibly even overheard, in regards to the Cloud Recesses. “I’m sure you’re familiar with the concept of the other person’s child,” he said, and Jiang Cheng nodded his head sharply, clearly thinking of Wei Wuxian. “You’re Huaisang’s.”

“Me?” Jiang Cheng seemed unduly vulnerable when he asked. “You compare him – to me?”

“It’s amazing he tolerated you at the Cloud Recesses,” Nie Mingjue said with a sigh. In fact, his brother had all but declared war on Jiang Cheng in absentia on account of all Nie Mingjue’s comments, only for his first letter home from the Cloud Recesses that year to be I see why you like him! He’s cute! A perfect match for you! because he’d apparently decided that Nie Mingjue had a crush on the boy.

Which he certainly hadn’t – at least not when he’d been that age, anyway. Jiang Cheng had grown up to embody every single one of the compliments Nie Mingjue had paid him when he’d been younger, especially with the maturity and natural aura of command that came to him after his personal tragedy.

“But why…you knew Wei Wuxian about as well as you knew me.”

Nie Mingjue snorted. “And that would have helped Huaisang how, exactly? If I wanted to compare him with someone who picked things up the first time they saw it, I wouldn’t need to go outside the Nie sect for that – I was also considered a genius when I was young. It’s no failing to be born without a vast and unending natural talent; Huaisang’s issue has always been his unwillingness to put in the effort.”

Jiang Cheng stared at him.

“Anyway, your father was so blinded by his adoration for Wei Wuxian that he overlooked your merits, which are different but no less impressive,” Nie Mingjue added. “As someone who was trying to figure out how to raise a child, it irritated me; I thought someone ought to make it clear to you that you were seen.”

“Yes,” Jiang Cheng said, his voice strangely hoarse. “Yes, you – you succeeded.”

He paused for a moment, meeting Nie Mingjue’s eyes intently, and then abruptly said, “I’ll be leaving,” and dashed out.

Nie Mingjue wasn’t entirely sure if that meant he should stop or not. Jiang Cheng had said he wasn’t offended…anyway, it was a fixed habit by now. He’d been doing it for over half his life! He couldn’t stop that easily! It would be like trying to stop his temper, or a charge – there was nothing for it.

Jiang Cheng would just have to live with a few compliments.

“Wow, you’re an idiot,” Nie Huaisang said when he told him about the incident, months later while he was lying in bed, recovering from the disaster that had been the end of the war. “I’ll fix this.”

“Fix what?”

“I’m going to tell him you’re dying,” Nie Huaisang decided.

“You’re going to do what?!”

“Stay in bed, da-ge! Doctor’s orders!”

The Nie sect chief doctor was an extremely terrifying person. Nie Mingjue stayed in bed.

Some time later, Jiang Cheng stormed in, face pale.

“Huaisang’s a rotten liar and I’m going to be fine,” Nie Mingjue said at once.

Jiang Cheng stopped mid-storm, and abruptly deflated. “Really?”

“Really. I would’ve stopped him, but I’m stuck in bed for the moment.”

Jiang Cheng took a seat next to him. “That sounds serious. You shouldn’t underestimate war wounds, especially given your sect’s tendency towards qi deviations...”

“Compassionate as well,” Nie Mingjue teased. “I’ll have to add that to the rotation of compliments.”

Jiang Cheng flushed red. “You’re…planning on continuing?”

“For the rest of my life, however short it might be,” Nie Mingjue said, because he was an honest person, even when it was inconvenient. He was going to explain about the habit, and the concept of stopping mid-charge, but he didn’t manage to start before Jiang Cheng grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up into a kiss.

After that, he figured that maybe explaining that part of it wasn’t necessary. He might be slow on the uptake, but he wasn’t actually stupid.

[secondflame-archive]

They took his sword, but let him keep his clothes, his hood, his armor. He doesn't know why, fear perhaps, that he'd manage to shirk the restraints and burn them alive if they dared to touch him or even just remain in his presence for too long. He had had half a mind to when they found him, had fought a good portion of them down even, but belatedly realizing who they were, what they stood for, who they'd sworn servitude to, he simply gave up, gave in, took this as the sign he'd been looking for that this was to be the end of his miserable existence.

He heard footsteps draw nearer and then stop, the sound of leather and metal shifting quietly meeting his ears, as well as a rhythm of breath that seemed so familiar it almost hurt. Must be his imagination. "What do you want?" He growled, but it was a tired, barely there sound. He didn't even raise his head to meet his visitor's eyes, it remained hung low, his arms raised above his head, wrists clasped in shackles, the chain connecting them pulled through a big metal ring fastened to the wall. "I was promised death, have you come to give it to me?"

They told him he'd be put to judgment soon, spat it in his face, justice would be brought upon him for killing the Phoenix, for killing Joshua. A small pained sound escapes him at the thought, at the memory of his baby brother lying broken at his feet the Phoenix' essence leaving him, grief and guilt had persevered over the decade Clive spent wandering, spent running, spent hunting. The burning hunger for aether and years worth of nightmares he had endured the real punishment for his fratricide.

But he was promised relief when they caught him, was promised death. They know who he was, too, or at the very least said they did. They had yet to address him as anything other than Ifrit, the second eikon of fire, or the murderer of Rosaria's crown prince. Clive wasn't sure if they knew he was also Joshua's brother, doubted any of them would recognize him even if they had bothered pulling back the hood. Not with his features so far removed from the boy he once was, taller, his shoulders broader, resembling his father's stature more each day, the lines of his face sharper, his eyes a permanent eikonic golden color and his hair long and unruly.

He didn't care to inform them of the truth, either. It wouldn't change anything. The only thing he cared about was that they would soon put an end to the suffering, to the hunger. He endured a decade's worth of it, but also a decade worth of grief, of anger, and he was tired of it. Tired of running, tired of hunting. Nothing could quench the hunger inside of him, no enemy's aether was enough for him to stay sated for long. He constantly felt like he was starving and even if he wasn't, there was nothing keeping him in this world any longer.

His family was gone, his brother's blood on his hands, his father dead, his home and people swallowed by the Empire, sold out by his mother if he could even call her that now.

But no matter what contempt and hatred he held for her now. He'd never be able to wash himself clean of all he had done. He thought of revenge in the past, before the hunger got unbearable. He watched his home fall to ruin under his mother's rule, helpless to do anything but run from the Empire's forces at first, and then get ever stronger throwing himself at foes far outranking him, hoping for death, only to find Ifrit intervene each time he got close, keeping him alive, keeping his vessel alive. It didn't occur to him to question why the Eikon remained quiet now, had he at last accepted that Clive was not useful? Did Ifrit hope to emerge anew in a more fitting vessel in a few decades, or even centuries? Would the Phoenix do the same?

He abandoned the thought. It wouldn't do him any good to think of anything close to a legacy, any hope of it would die with him and even so he was no longer Clive Rosfield, firstborn son of the Archduke and First Shield of Rosaria and in truth it's been a long time since he's even been Clive.

He closed his eyes, hearing more footsteps in the distance. Probably more members of the Undying wishing to put him to the sword, they'd likely make an event of it, too, unless his visitor would think to do it first.

"Make it quick." He drawled, and closed his eyes. "...before someone else does it for you."

Finally. After years spent scouring Storm, the search had at last come to and end, and the Dominant of this second Eikon of Fire had been apprehended by the Undying.

And now that the moment had come to face the murderer of his two beloved sons, Elwin wasn't sure how to feel. Was there supposed to be a sense of relief? Was he meant to gain some small measure of closure from this meeting? No, there was only a deep-rooted emptiness within his heart, as though a void had swallowed it and every bit of love within it, leaving him with nothing left.

Which felt appropriate, given Rosaria's fate -- because he really did have nothing left. Nothing except increasingly bizarre, unsettling, even distressing nightmares, offering him glimpses of things he couldn't understand or identify. Glimpses of things he shouldn't remember, and couldn't have seen from that night, leading to even more questions on top of the questions he'd already yearned for answers to.

Perhaps most of all, questions yet remained that demanded answers. How had this second Eikon of Fire managed to not only lay low the Phoenix, but outright kill him? A feat that had been thought impossible until then. As for the why... That question was self-explanatory: why had this Eikon shown himself then of all times? Was he working with Anabella? The Holy Empire?

Despite knowing that it was purely psychological, the scar around Elwin's neck felt as though it was burning anew, as if urging him to remember well his convictions, to reignite his righteous anger as he traversed the depths of the old abandoned stronghold that had thus far been serving as the Undying's base of operations. His pace was quick, gloved hand ever resting upon the hilt of his sword despite his tempered patience that kept him from drawing it. The members of the cult dedicated to protecting Rosaria's beloved guardian force already had their plans for retribution against the imprisoned man in the form of execution, and while the former Archduke would not interfere with their work, he would also not allow them to carry out their judgment without him first seeing the face of the one partly responsible for the deaths of so many good men during The Night of Flames.

As if to mentally brace himself, fingertips skimmed the twin Phoenix feathers attached to the sheath of his weapon. Then he continued on, passing through the corridors of the dungeon without a word, seeking one particular gaol cell -- and it would be simple enough to spot, considering it was the only one that housed a prisoner. Those green-blue eyes scanned each one in the row until he stopped in front of his destination, gaze immediately falling upon the inhabitant lurking behind the bars.

@secondflame

[fangirlings-things]

— Lost Without You I

anon said: hey! could you please write a song fic with anthony bridgerton, I don't have any specific song in mind, but just some angst would be perfect because you write it soooo beautifully :') hope this is ok, kissess

A/N: hey, love!! I faced this as somewhat as a challenge and it was quite amazing to write!! thank you sooo much for your words, I sincerely hope you like this 💖

*this is supposed to have two parts, so if you guys like it and want the rest, please let me know your thoughts 🥰 lots of love

TAG LIST: @for-bebbanburg ; @venusflwer ; @avrilstaro || GIF CREDIT: @fifty5hades

This is based in Freya Ridings song, Lost Without you

Fandom: Bridgerton

Pairing: Anthony Bridgerton x female reader

Word count: 6.3K

Summary: One would need to be Lady Whistledown to know about the ever existent bond between the eldest Bridgerton son, Anthony, and Lady (Y/N) Kerrington. They made a good work at hiding their intentions even from their own families. According to their plan, when the Miss came to age, they would marry each other quite fastly, since they had been courting one another through the entirety of their lives. (Y/N) Kerrington thought so too, but the Viscount's actions and decisions, changed it all.

[ I ]

“Have you two gone completely mad?”

Turning around, within the heavy rain and through the drops of water that kept falling from the sky and soaked your whole body, seeming to permanently attach your dress to your skin, you saw Anthony Bridgerton standing at the back door of his own house, protected by the rain.

He had his forehead frowned in confusion as he stared at you and his sister, Daphne, whom stood by your side at the Bridgerton’s garden. His hair was a bit of a mess, like he had been sleeping recently and his hands were on his waist. His eyes, deep brown eyes that made him look a lot older than he really was by the intensity they carried, were fixed upon you.

“Join us, brother!” Daphne invited, laughing as she turned her face upwards and enjoyed the feel of the rain directly on her features. Her arms were open alongside her body, as she embraced the rain. That was something you both liked doing together, ever since your early childhood days.

“No, I will not sister and you two really should get out of there before you fall ill!” her older brother replied and the tangible worry in his voice made you smile more largely than you did before.

“It could be fun, Anthony!” you said to him and with a spark of joy, did not fail to notice how he squeezed his lips on a thin line for a moment at hearing you call him by his first name. Such thing could be seen as a lack of manners that being if, you had not known each other through the entirety of your lives, which allowed you to comfortable around every single member of the Bridgerton family.

Your family, the Kerrington’s, had been the Bridgerton’s neighbor even before you had been born. Both families, that had a similar amount of money and same high position in society, had always been closely bond to one another. You had grown up with Daphne as your best friend, frequenting her house or she yours almost every single day. Her siblings had always been nice to you and you loved them all as if they were your own siblings.

But not Anthony.

Oh no, Anthony was a completely different thing.

There was nothing brotherly in the way you thought of him and such thoughts were only intensified by some situations you found yourself in like this very one, where he seemed to be genuinely considering your words after having just denied his sister’s. Little actions that instigated your fantasies.

“If I do, only for a moment, will you come back to the house with me afterwards?” he questioned, ever so serious, looking from you to his sister and then back at you.

You looked at Daphne who had turned her head back down and as soon as she smiled mischievously at you and raised her eyebrows, you turned back to Anthony. “We swear!”

Anthony nodded his head in agreement and then sighted heavily. His eyes went to the dark sky for a few moments, the entirety of it made of grey clouds filled with drops of water that had not yet fallen. You watched with the most absolute attention as he mumbled something to himself under his breath before finally stepping away from the house’s protection and starting to make his way towards you both.

When he reached you and Daphne, his hair was already soaked with water and was attached to his forehead. Drops of water ran down his handsome face. His white shirt was now as good as nothing, the details of his arms and chest now exposed to your wanting eyes. “Is it enough?”

“You did not have fun yet” Daphne argued immediately and with the same smile as before on her lips, kicked a puddle of water, splashing quite some in his already wet pants. The angry expression on his face made her laugh loudly her unique laugh.

You laughed also, and then found his gaze landing on yours once more. “Are you on her side, (Y/N)?” a drop of water right in that moment ran down his nose and fell in the grass. He stood close, closely than you had noticed before. Just two steps, and you could have touched his chest.

As you lost yourself in such a tempting and inappropriate thought, Lady Bridgerton appeared on the back door, in the exact same spot Anthony had been before, her mouth hanging open in shock for moment as she saw what has occurring on her own garden. “What is happening? Anthony Bridgerton! You allowed your sister and Miss (Y/N) to such recklessness?” Anthony did not even turn around at hearing his mother’s angry voice, just sighted once again and looked at Daphne when she laughed hard like before. “Come inside right now, the three of you, before you fall ill!”

“My exact same words” Anthony said, eyes on the grass, as you three obediently walked back to the inside of the Bridgerton’s house.

“Sorry to get you in trouble, brother” Daphne said, but both her tone and expression made it clear that she had not even a bit of regret. When reaching the back door, she was the first one to rush inside and disappear in the corridors after getting a blanket from her mother, leaving a trail of water behind her.  

“I apologize, Anthony” you said, smile having completely faded away now. Eyes on the floor because you refused to look him in the eye. You took no pleasure in causing him any kind of trouble, especially with his mother, whom now had stepped away to get another two blankets.  

Anthony did realize your afflictions, because he instantly replied. “All is well, (Y/N), do not worry” the softness of his tone made you raise your eyes. You were surprised to find him smiling at you. “By the end of the night, my mother will have forgiven me already”

You smiled because of the confidence on his voice. “I am glad”

You both went silent then, the heavy rain outside continuing to fall and the distant thunders seeming to be as loud as ever. With your eyes locked in one another’s, none of you said a thing. It was a peaceful moment, an intimate one. Shared by just the two of you.

“Oh, my dear, you must be freezing!” Lady Violet Bridgerton came back with two other blankets and carefully placed one around your shoulders, wrapping you in it and without even knowing, ruining one of the best moments you could think of. “What will your mother think of my hospitality if she finds out what has happened in my own garden! Come, Daphne will borrow you a dress for the evening” as she made you walk away after having given the other blanket to Anthony, you could feel his gaze burning your back.

Oh, how you wished to turn back around and stare into his eyes in peaceful silence once more.

[ II ]

“Are you nervous about the next season?” Daphne asked as she looked at you from the couch she sat in, in one of the many rooms in the Bridgerton’s house.

Having taken your place in the very couch that faced hers, you sighted. “Of course” you looked down at your hands, that were joined in your lap. “We are to be wed in the next season already. How could I not be” a pure nervous laugh escaped your mouth as you admitted so. In hopes that no one would see, by the corner of your eye, you looked over at Anthony, who was sitting at a small table, reading a book. He was always your dream when you thought of marriage.

“You should not worry too much, (Y/N)” Benedict, who had been playing with Gregory for the past twenty minutes, came to sit by your side in a relaxed position. “You will have many suitors, I am sure. Daphne, though­…” the unfinished sentence had the desired effect, because Daphne opened her mouth with an offended expression and you laughed with Benedict. In your own mind, you thanked him for being so good and helping to ease some of your tension.

“While (Y/N) marries a gentleman, Daphne will find herself being courted by an old man with no hair left in his head” Colin joined the fun and Daphne’s only response was to roll her eyes and cross her arms over her chest. Benedict though, once again laughed loudly.

“Benedict and Colin Bridgerton, stop making fun of your sister!” Lady Bridgerton said from her spot at the other side of the room as she walked towards your small group. Her expression though betrayed her tone, because she had a small pleased smile on her lips. “I am sure both of them will find a very good match and will be happily wed by the end of the next season, with gentlemens of the highest esteem”

"I hope so, mama" Daphne said truly, smiling at her mother. In the same moment, the sound of a chair being dragged against the floor caught everyone's attention and you all looked in that direction in time to see Anthony storming out the room. You frowned as you wondered what had happened, concern filling your being before you could even control your own emotions.

Not wanting to cause a fush about it, since all the others had apparently ignored his departure as something ordinary, you waited a few minutes in which you pretended to hear the words spoken by Benedict and his mother before you excused yourself and once out in the corridors, started to look for Anthony.

You found him on the library, his face was turned away from you but you could quite well imagine his mood by whatever it was that afflicted him, for the way he moved, tense and yet fast. That was not like Anthony Bridgerton at all.

"Anthony?" you called while entering the room, unsure if you should even disturb him in such time. He had gone away with the clear intention of being alone but still... you could not help it. You had to know he was well.

The sound of your voice made him turn around in the exact same instant and he went to you with a serious expression on his features, so serious it only served to increase your concern. "Anthony, what is—" before you could even finish, he walked past you and for a second you thought he was going to leave but then, he surprised you by closing the door and shuting you both inside. Alone. His expression did not change at all. You stared at him like was crazy. "Anthony, what are you doing? If your mother finds out we are in here alone she will never allow me into your house again!"

And you could not even bare that thought. Yes, Lady Violet was a nice woman, she had never objected you and Daphne at playing with the boys when you were children and as you grown up, she found it pleasing that all of you enjoyed each other's company so much but still, now that you were practically of age to marry, to be without a chaperone in a closed room with a man who was not from your family, it was a scandal. Even if that man was the one you loved with all your heart and had known since forever.

"(Y/N)" he said, taking a deep breath and walking towards you, ignoring your previous words like they meant nothing. He clearly did not see the danger. He stopped a mere step away, looking into your eyes with such meaning you suddenly found it difficult to breathe. His eyes, were as troubled as a storm day. It confused you. "I—" he stopped, took anothet deep breath, looked at his feet. Then he raised his eyes to yours again with renewed determination. "I want to—" again, he seemed to lack the words to finish his thought and clearly frustrated, looked away once more, this time at a point above your head.

All of his actions and words made no sense at all to you and frankly, you started to wonder if he was not drunk, even though you had not seen him drinking. "Anthony, you are concerning me" you said simply, and that statement made in a low, careful tone seemed to be enough to make him snap out of whatever it was that was holding him back.

"I want you to make me a promise, (Y/N)" you opened your mouth to ask him what he meant by that but he was quicker and shockingly taking your hands in his as he kept staring into your eyes, answered to your unspoken question. "I want you to promise me that if I propose to you, you will at least perhaps consider marrying me"

All air left your lungs. Surely, you had heard it wrong. There was no way Anthony Bridgerton, your ever being passion, had just expressed his intentions of proposing to you in the future. That could not be true. Dreams are not realized just like that.

"A-Anthony..." you began, heart pounding in your chest like never before.

The Bridgerton mistook your surprise by hesitation and immediately let go of your hands and stepped back, creating some distance between you both. "I apologize for being so forward. I did not mean to make you uncomfortable"

"Uncomfortable? Anthony, I do not believe I have ever been happier!" as it was his turn to frown in confusion, you were the one who approached him and smiled brightly while looking into his eyes. "I promise, of course! I want to marry you, Anthony. I really do" you looked down and slowly, joined your hands together like he had done before. "Deep down, I believed you had already noticed my affection towards you"

"It crossed my mind once or twice, but I thought it was just my mind fooling me. I dared not to believe you felt the same way I did" he chuckled, happily. You thought you had never seen him with a smile as big as that one on his face. "Hearing my brothers and mother talking about you marrying someone else in there, I could not stand it" he admitted, and a glimpse of shame seemed to cross his features for a moment. "In the next season, when you will be presented in society, I will propose to you. And if you desire to, we will get married"

Trying to control your own happiness, that was immesurable because everything seemed to be perfect, you nodded your head in agreement. "We will get married"

[ III ]

The months were passing too fast. Already, you had only a few months before the season in which you would be presented in society and it would be expected of you to be well married soon.

I will marry Anthony, you thought to yourself with a smile on your face as you enjoyed the peace and quiet of your bedroom for a while. Staring at the ceiling above your head, you had no doubt that everything would work out just fine.

If he was a man of no fortune, your father and mother (your mother especially) would for certain object to your union. But he was Bridgerton, their status and wealth were as high as your own if not bigger and so, there would absolutely be no arguing. You dared to say, she would even be thrilled by the fact that you were going to marry the one day to be Viscount.

Nothing could go wrong, you thought to yourself while smiling still. He loved you. Just as you loved him. With the same intensity and amount of desire, you had seen it in his eyes when he had spoken his mind in the Bridgerton library. You would be happy together, really happy.

Knocks on the door got your attention. "Sister, mind if I come in?"

Immediately in surprise, you sat up and laughing softly because of the joy that hearing his voice brought you, spoke. "Do come in!"

The door was opened then, and you watched as your brother slipped inside of your room, smiling down at you with a warm smile. Without saying a word he opened his arms and you without a moment of hesitation, threw yourself in his arms and hugged him tightly. "I have missed you too, dear" he said with a laugh escaping his mouth.

Only after several moments you stepped back, to be able to really look at him. Thomas Kerrington, your older brother, was smiling as he looked at you. He wore his uniform, and he looked beautiful in it. The pride of the family, the youngest soldier ever made Coronel because of his courage and whom  recieved the command of complete troops of soldiers only weeks later. Since he had joined the Royal Army, you barely saw him twice a year. He was too valuable to be away from action often and you understood that but still, you missed your brother.

"How long will you be staying?" you asked while pulling him towards your bed by the hand, and making him sit down with you.

"Just a couple of days" he answered, smile fading a bit just as you did. Thomas still squeezed your hand in his. "My regiment is being moved and as we are going to be facing hard months soon, I thought it would be nice to see my family" he watched your eyes for a few moments and then, opened a bright smile again and put the sadness aside, like it was typical of Thomas. He always knew how to bring happiness into a room. "Are you excited for the next season?" the young Coronel was not married himself. Having since very soon been involved in the Army's business and interests, court a wife had not been a priority to him and still was not.

"I am, actually" you admitted, looking down at your joined hands as all your thoughts about Anthony and the prospect of marrying him came rushing back into your mind. You and Thomas had always been close, really close. He was a incredible brother who loved his little sister very much and was always there for her. The thought of confiding in someone seemed nice, and whom could be better to do that with than your brother? "I already know who I want to marry, brother"

"Is that so?" raising your eyes to meet his, you saw that he was still smiling. "And is he a good man?" you nodded your head, and Thomas inspected your eyes with his. "Are you sure he will make you happy, sister?"

"I have no doubt" you replied, confident.

Thomas chuckled by your certainty. "Very well then, I guess I have no reason to object to such union" he passed one of his arms around your shoulders and brought you close to him, so you would lay your head on his shoulder. It was so good, to have him there in that moment. "Will you tell me his name, perhaps?"

You thought about it for a moment. He was your brother, you were sure he would not tell anyone. And even though he and Anthony had never been very close friends, they always got along well. But you should not, not when you and Anthony had come into an agreement of keeping it a secret. At least for now. "Come back during the season and, perhaps, you will get here in time to our wedding" you said and the sound of Thomas laugh filled the bedroom.

"Does it have a date already?" accompanying him in laughter, you appreciated your brother's presence. Very much.

[ IV ]

"It does sound like an interest book" you told Eloise with honesty, after having just read some pages of the book she had been reading herself and after some discussion about the quality of it with Daphne, asked you to give an opinion on it.

"Thank you, (Y/N)" Eloise smiled brightly at you and then extended the smile towards Daphne, who sitting on the couch across from you two, rolled her eyes because you had taken her sister's side. "At least you know how to appreciate a good book"

"Perhaps you should consider respecting my opinion, Eloise" Daphne told her younger sibling, with a bit of annoyance in her voice. Those two were always bickering with each other and you, as the oldest best friend, was always around to witness it.

"I do respect your opinion, sister, I simply think that it is not a wise one" you gave the book back to the younger Bridgerton while she said so.

Daphne seemed to be ready to give her a proper reply when Anthony entered the room. His eyes met yours and he smiled tenderly at you for a moment before looking at his sisters. "Have you both seen mother and father?"

"They went to accompany the Kerrington's to the market" Daphne said, referring to your parents, and you nodded in agreement.

"Oh, well" he placed his hands on his waist and sighted. "I shall wait for them to return, then"

"Continuing to plan your travel, brother?" Eloise asked, opening the book back to the page in which she had stopped reading.

"Travel?" you could not stop yourself before echoing the word, surprise quickly taking a hold of you. Your eyes went to Anthony instantly and by the expression on his face, you saw that he was not pleased with Eloise for having said so much.

"Anthony has decided he is going to travel for a while, explore the world alone and live some adventures perhaps" Daphne said, also turning around to look at her brother. "Colin will not stop talking about how much he wants to do the same one day"

"Oh, I see" it took all you had to maintain a natural, comfortable expression on your face. He was going to travel. Just a few months before the season in which you should be married. How long would he stay away? When would he return? Would he ever? All of those thoughts filled your mind and made your heartbeat get faster and faster. You dared not to say anything. No one knew about your intentions to marry one another, and you had agreed to keep it in that way.

Anthony, knowing you so well, clearly saw through your contained emotion. "I just remembered, (Y/N)! Benedict is asking for your opinion in one of his latest sketches, will you accompany me?" it was a lie. You could see that it was, even though his sisters did not see through the fake smile on his face.

Forcing a smile and nodding in agreement briefly, you got up, telling Daphne you would be right back, to which she agreed. After that, you followed Anthony out of the room and to one of the corridors close to the kitchen, where there was no one else by that time. Anthony stopped there, turned around to look at you and sighted heavily because of your sad expression. "I did not mean for you to find out like that"

You raised your eyes to meet his at that, in pure disbelief. "And how was I supposed to find out? Through Daphne, when you had already left?"

"I was going to tell you tomorrow, at dinner" he said in a rush, looking around after a moment to make sure there was absolutely no one there. He took the time to make sure his voice was low as he spoke. "Nothing has changed, (Y/N). I will marry you. This travel, it will take two months, maybe a bit more but nothing great. The season is in three months. I will be back in time, I promise"

You stared into his eyes deeply, worry filling your expression still. Under your inspection, he seemed so genuine and decided. It felt like he had everything planned, had thought everything through. "Are you sure this is what you want?" you asked then, not thinking of yourself, but of him. Travels made alone could be dangerous. And if something happened to him... you did not even wanted to consider that idea.

"I am, (Y/N)" he stepped even closer to you and held your hands, like he had a habit of to. You did like the familiarity of that simple touch. "I want to marry you, but first, I would like to see the world. Later, I shall be all yours"

The honesty in his voice made you smile, emotion was so strong your eyes went blurry with tears. "Then you must go. Do as you desire and when you get back, I will be eager to know all about what you have seen"

Anthony smiled. Letting go of one of your hands and bringing it to cup your face, he sighted. "You are the goodest person I have ever known"

You smiled, leaning into his touch.

Before, you had been nervous by the arrival of the social season. Now, all you wanted was for it to come quickly. As quickly as possible.

[ V ]

"If I may say, you look astonishing tonight, Lady Kerrington" Lord Edwards said, with a polite smile on his lips after having just given you a glass of a drink he had gotten from the Queen's table.

The ball had begun sometime around an hour before. The ball thrown by the Queen herlself that declared opened the social season. You were now, officially able to be courted and expected to be married by the end of it, if you had success. You had gone with your mother and father and as they had stepped away to talk to some friends, you had been left alone in the room and seeing the opportunity, Lord Edwards had approached you.

He was a gentleman, Lord Edwards. He was young, handsome, quite wealthy and his manners were flattering. By a young Lady's, like yourself, point of view, he should be the perfect husband. But not for you.

Because he was not Anthony.

Just to think of his name, it brought back the pain of missing him. Since the day in which he left for his travel, you had not seen him again. Of course, his journey had been cut short because his father, the Viscount Bridgerton, had died tragically all of the sudden, at a young age. It made Anthony have to make the arrangements to return sooner than expected.

And he did. A month and a half after he had parted, he was forced to return because he was now, the Viscount. As the eldest son, he had the responsibility of being there for his family, especially in such a tragic time.

Until this very day, you had not seen him since his return. As Daphne's best friend, you were still always in the Bridgerton residence, after her father's death even more, because you provided the young Lady the comfort she needed. There, you only caught glimpes of him once or twice, a rushed greeting that ended up with him leaving the room seconds later.

You did not blame him for it, of course not. His life had changed so much and so suddenly that it would be a challenge for everyone in his position. He should concentrate in the matters of importance for his family, it was needed. You would not bother him with affairs that were not urgent at the time. No, everything was set, also. He would propose sometime after doing some courting in the season, and you two would get happily married. And that would be it.

Looking around the ballroom, everytime the doors were opened you would look, expecting to see Daphne arrive. It would be nice to have a friend in the same situation you were in. As Lord Edwards went on in a conversation about his great interest in social events, you looked down at your dress. It was a beautiful blue dress, made with soft fabric. The little details here and there made it even more beautiful. Part of your hair had been pulled up and placed there delicately while leaving the rest of strands released freely, in a hair style that you did not fail to notice, got quite some attention from some of the other young Ladys.

Lord Edwards had just began his affirmation of how much he enjoyed the city rather than the country, when the doors were again opened and this time when you looked, your expectations were indeed achieved.

Daphne had just arrived. She looked absolutely gorgeous, making you smile instantly. At her right side stood her mother, Lady Bridgerton, ever an elegant woman and at her left side, stood Anthony.

Oh, the way your pulse accelerated at the sight of him. He was absolutely handsome, wearing the most formal clothes he had. His dark hair was as always that elegant mess you never got enough of. His eyes were inspecting the room, you smiled thinking that perhaps, he could be looking for you.

"Will you excuse me, Lord Edwards?"  you said suddenly to the Lord, interrupting him in the middle of a sentence and he, a bit sad and yet completely polite, just nodded his head and bid you farewell.

You found yourself walking towards the small Bridgerton group, feet seeming to carry you there on their own even though you did know it would be reasonable to wait. But no, you could not help it.

"(Y/N) you look absolutely gorgeous!" Daphne exclaimed when she saw you, smiling as you stopped right in front of her. "Look, Mama, how beautiful she is!" you felt your cheeks get a bit red under your friend's compliments and the fact that you knew, that Anthony was hearing them and beside her, inspected you with his eyes also.

"My Lady Kerrington, how your mother must be proud of having such a lovely daughter!" Lady Bridgerton said, and that filled you with joy.

"I am sure you should be the one who is proud, Lady Bridgerton, because I have no doubt in my mind that Daphne will be the diamond of the season" your friend smiled as she made sense to your words and then, as you fell silent for a moment, you turned to her left to look at Anthony, whom had stayed silent until them. As your eyes met, it was as if sparks were flying all around you. "Viscount Bridgerton"

"Lady Kerrington" he replied. The kind of smile you expected to see in his features was not there.  His eyes did not stare at you for a long while before he looked away. That was unsual. Before you could make up some conversation, a Lord came closer and asked Daphne for a dance. You watched with a smile as he stepped away with the man and then, as Lady Bridgerton came into a conversation with Lady Danbury, Anthony surprised you by stepping closer to you. "Lady Kerrington, mind if we have a word?" 

"Of—" you did not even finished before he had already began to walk away from the doors, where the greatest amount of people were gathered around. Frowning, you rushed as graciously as you could after him, stopping only to leave your glass, that had been given to you by Lord Edwards, on a table.

Anthony only stopped walking when you were both close to one of the walls of the room, just enough away from others so no one could hear what you spoke about or if they did, would not pay much attention to it. Facing each other, after so long, it felt amazingly good. "It is nice to see you, (Y/N)" his voice was low, so no one would hear him call you by your first name.

You smiled, eyes meeting in a way that made your heart beat even faster, which you did not think was quite possible. "It is nice to see you too, Anthony" your voice was as low as he was. "I have missed—"

"I have to tell you something, (Y/N)" he cut you off shortly, eyes not on yours them. There was something in Anthony that did not seem like him at all. His jaw was clenched, his body was all uptight. He seemed more distant to you now than he had ever been in his travel on the other side of the world.

"Very well" you took a moment to be able to get those words out, because all of your happiness had already began to slip away. Surely, there were bad news coming ahead. The way he looked... or even better, did not look at you, that could not mean nothing good. "What is it?"

Anthony did not speak quite instantly. He looked around the room for a while, then took a deep breath. "I can not marry you, (Y/N)"

That felt like a punch. Right to your stomach, making you sick and your head spin like you had suddenly been privated from air itself. And even though you had to fight back the tears of confusion that dared to fall from your eyes, Anthony did not seem to share your emotion at all. He looked stern, decided.

"W-what happened?" you asked, voice trembling and honestly one string away from failing completely. He did not say anything. You were the one to take a deep breath then. "Anthony, look me in the eye" and only then he did. He looked right at you and you felt your heart break in a million pieces. "I understand if because of your father and your new title, you do not find marriage the most important thing right now. I really understand. You must have enough duties and responsibilities at the moment. But there is no problem. I will wait for you, Anthony. I will—"

"I do not want you to wait for me, (Y/N)" Anthony's tone was decisive. "It has nothing to do with my father or my responsibilities"

Your confusion only grew more and more and what you thought would be an amazing evening, was quickly revealing itself to be an awful one. "Then what—"

"I have someone else" he said and before you could even take in that information, he went on with his narrative. "I met her after I came back from my travel, in the occasion of my father's death. I have been with her ever since. I was with her before I came here today. I have been avoiding you all this time, because I did not have the courage to tell you about this. But I figured that this could no longer be postponed"

Your vision was so blurry you could not even see his face clearly. He had someone else. He did not want to marry you. "You said you loved me" were the words you spoke. You hoped no one was looking at you two because if they were, you had no doubt about how crushed you looked.

That simple phrase seemed to finally get a reaction from Anthony. He looked away from you for another moment, took another deep breath. And then, looked back into your eyes. "I am sorry, (Y/N). But she is the one that I truly love" and even though he showed a small reaction then, it was not even close to the amount required to such matter. He was dealing with you as if  you were a simple affair that had to be taken care of. He had indeed become the Viscount, after all.

You swallowed the knot in your throat, spent countless silent moments trying to fight back the tears. And you stared into Anthony's eyes, and made him see just how much you loved him. Just how much he had hurt you. "I wish you happiness, Viscount Bridgerton"

You saw that Anthony swallowed dry. "(Y/N)..."

But you did not stay to hear what he had to say. You turned around and without being able to contain yourself made a run to the door, attracting everyone's attention to you. Tears fell from your eyes and you were so desoriented that you ran right into someone's chest. Cleaning the tears away with your hands, you met Lord Edwards eyes. "Lady Kerrington, are you well?" Without answering him, you continued to run to the door and only stopped when you felt the cold air of the night on your skin.

You cried, hurt by a man who had just made clear he did not want to marry you. He did not want you at all. You wanted to leave. You wanted to lock yourself in your bedroom and not get out anytime soon. Maybe never.

But most of all, what you really wanted but could not have, was your older brother. The comfort only he could give you in that moment.

[ VI ]

Dear readers,

From this author's perspective, after last night's ball, this social season looks quite promising. Young Ladies were presented into society in search of husbands, mothers have inspected their suitors and the Queen watched it all from her throne, seeming entertained. The night was filled with courting and dances, really a magical night for all the debutantes'.

It came to this author's ears though, that the night was not so magical for everyone. It seems that the young Lady Kerrington and Viscount Bridgerton were seen sharing a very meaningful conversation before she left the event in tears. What did they say to each other, is the question that remains. More specifically, what could the Viscount have said that made the young Lady feel so heartbroken?

Let us be attentive to the upcoming events, dear readers. If I learn to know something interesting in the future, and I always do, you all will the be the ones I share the not so secret with.

This author was a feeling, that many more scandals are yet to come.

Lady Whistledown

[moonydasaltychild]

The end of the green ninja

Chapter 6 Ritual

“What do you mean he’s going to turn himself into an Oni?!” Jay shouted watching Garmadon bring the giant towards the gap to jump on its shoulder “Why do you suddenly care? You almost tried killing him right now.” Kai raised a brow not trusting him, Harumi agreeing with what Kai said “Because I didn’t realize the real weight of the situation I kept trying to brush it off and now it’s lead up to this.” Morro ran up to the giant to join Garmadon “Come on we’re wasting time standing here talking about it!” After that the ninja jumped on and the giant grabbed Harumi before making its way towards Lloyd “Why are you dragging me along? I don’t care what happens to him.” She protested “You helped causing this so you’ll help stopping this whether you want to or not.” Garmadon responded but she wasn’t going to stop there and called him out for going soft “Perhaps I have.” Was the only thing he said in return “Do you think he’s starting to turn back to normal?” Cole whispered to the others all glancing over at Garmadon who returned the glancing, he heard the question “No matter how hard I try my emotions always seem to get the better of me and I change my ways, I guess it’s time for that cycle to begin anew.”

They arrived at the ruin both Garmadon and Morro were already running off the others catching up behind them “Geez we’re just going on with these sudden changes aren’t we?” Jay pointed out the two changes between the two “Like father like son I guess.” Nya shrugged then bumped into Cole as they stopped running “Don’t tell me we’re lost.” Jay whined then got shushed by Morro and a faint sobs can be heard before following the sound arriving to Lloyd whom was on his knees covering his face with his hands when hearing their footsteps he looked up “Guys?” He tried wiping away his tears and the others but Harumi and Garmadon looked relieved all going up to hug him as he apologized for what he done then Garmadon approached him making Lloyd draw back the others gave the two some space he knelt down to his son holding out a hand “Don’t fret I’ve...decided to change my ways. Changing for the best.” He held out his arms and Lloyd went in for the hug the ninjas smiled but the moment didn’t last. Blood could be seen dripping from Garmadon’s back.

Lloyd had stabbed Garmadon in the back with a dagger he was hiding “And I’ve decided to change for the worst.” He twisted the blade causing Garmadon to groan in pain then shoved him away once removing the blade “I do have to thank you for being considerate on coming over here.” He took out ripped pages from the book containing the incantation he needed “I needed Oni blood to get through with this.” He was going towards a stand where he was to deposit the blood only to get tackled by Morro making him drop the blade and pages “I am not letting you turn yourself into an Oni!” He gripped onto his waist as Lloyd dragged himself to retrieve it he wanted to stab Morro to get him off but doing so would stain the blood instead he elbowed him off “Get the blade!” Kai called out and like that they threw themselves at Lloyd to take the dagger away from him while he tried keeping it safe “This is starting to become annoying.” He mumbled, he needed something to weaken them but the only thing was those sudden bursts of energy when he snapped and how could he make himself snap in this situation? That’s how.

His gaze landed on Harumi as she helped Garmadon. He remembered when he first saved her and how they gotten along before it all came crashing down how she revived his father after he finally was able to move on just to cause more pain and suffering, not to mention that his father now has changed right when he himself has done the same. Did he only accept the need to become a better person because it involved him? That always was the case. Always when it involved him. But sometimes the change never felt permanent. Was he just doing this just to put him back into stability? Just so he can destroy any possibility of fighting his own son? Just to catch him off guard to kill him? The changes sometimes never felt genuine, only for a reason that felt like it would benefit him. Here it is, another snap. With that he blasted everyone away rendering them immobile as he approached the stand mumbling an incantation having Garmadon’s blood drop into one deposit and giving himself a small cut to add his blood from there he waited but nothing happened.

“Lloyd look out!” Morro warned but it was too late Harumi got close enough to hit Lloyd at the back of his head with a stone she broken off from the ruin temple and he hit the floor knocked out “Harumi enough!” Garmadon yelled to prevent her from doing anything else to him going over to pick up his unconscious son “Looks like the incantation didn’t work.” Nya sighed and with that they left dragging along Harumi by having Zane carry her. They returned to the temple where Ronin was getting his wounds treated by Pixel, Dareth was also there since he tried joining the fight but instead almost got attacked “Whoa whoa whoa. Why are they here?” Dareth pointed at the two hiding behind Ronin “I’m not a threat but she might still be.” Garmadon held onto Harumi to keep her from running off while also carrying Lloyd “What happened to him?” Misako went up placing a hand on Lloyd’s head where the ninja explained what happened. Lloyd was left in the separate small room(they also restrained him so if he woke up he wouldn’t run off or use his powers) to recover having Dareth look after him “It is nice to have you back, brother.” Wu patted Garmadon’s back then they looked over at Harumi whom was tied up to a chair “Just because you’ve stepped down doesn’t mean I will. I’ll rule instead or I can get your son to join me.” She hissed then in came Dareth running in panting looking pale and with wide eyes “Guys somethings wrong with Lloyd!”

[helliontherapscallion]

The Warden (Adrenaline Junkie Part 3)

Part 1     Part 2     Part 4     Part 5     Part 6     Part 7     Part 8     Part 9     Part 10     Part 11     Part 12     Part 13     Part 14     Part 15     Part 16     Part 17

Spotify Playlist (collaborative)

Warnings: Major angst, The Warden, swearing, fighting, very graphic description of injury/gore (I put astericks around the graphic parts so you can skip it if you’re uncomfortable), death, grief

Word count: 2,201

(A/N): I took a few creative liberties with The Warden since we don’t know much about it.

The thing towered above you at at least twice your height, if not more. It’s mouth was shaped in a permanent gaping frown with grotesque pointed teeth curled in different directions. You heard a soft dripping from the bioluminescent drool seeping endlessly from its mouth and dripping onto the cold stone floor. Good god that thing could swallow you whole and still have more room for two other people. It had similar tentacle-like structures to the blocks on the ground protruding out of it’s head. It had no eyes that you could see, so you figured that it used a type of echolocation or vibration system to navigate. You willed yourself to be brave enough to look at the rest of it.

It’s chest had a huge hole in the middle, showing off what looked like something writhing around bound by its cracked, off-colored ribcage. The trapped beings glowed and flickered rhythmically. You couldn’t make out any defining features to identify them, but you thought you saw hollow eyes peering at you between the battered bones like an innocent prisoner’s dead, hopeless eyes staring at passersby from their damp prison cell after getting the death sentence. Almost begging for you to run. The creature’s clawed fingers dragged against the stony floor as it lazaly swung its arms back and forth. It looked like it could absolutely decimate you with a single flick of it’s finger.

You were paralyzed in fear as it lumbered closer and closer to you. Holding your breath and grasping your sword so hard that your grip was shaking and your knuckles turned white, you watched with wide eyes as the creature paused right in front of you, it’s stalks twitching slightly on its head. The surrounding tentacles on the ground glowed and twitched in response. Did it somehow communicate with the blocks? 

It continued to shamble past you as you watched its every move. It didn’t notice you! Feeling a massive wave of relief, you quietly sighed out the breath you were holding in and let your body relax. You waited until it trudged a little further down the cave before backing away slowly, being extremely mindful of your surroundings. You didn’t know if it tried buffalo wings before, but you weren’t planning on sticking around to find out. 

You shivered as you felt something tickle the ends of the feathers on one of your wings. Without warning, the entire cavern lit up as the blocks thrashed about. Paling, you realized that your wings must’ve brushed one of them. 

You heard the booming stomps of the creature stop before it started moving back in your direction faster than before. A harsh cacophony of several different voices screaming got louder and louder. You could never out run it, so your only chance was to out speed it by flying. Luckily the cave was wide and tall enough for you to fully spread your wings and fly high. You frantically flapped and propelled yourself through the cavern in the direction you came in. It started to sprint faster. It was gaining on you, and faster than you thought it could move with its large stature. You flapped your wings faster than you’ve ever flapped before as you heard it coming closer. 

You felt something claw your calf, causing you to whip your head around. Your eyes met with the creature’s outstretched arm blindly grabbing at the air around you with blood- your blood- dripping off from it’s claw. Yelping, you tucked your legs into your body and prayed that you could fly faster. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fu-

Your body was jerked back as you felt its giant hand crush the bones in your wing. It started to swing your body about like you were nothing but a ragdoll in the grasp of an over hyper child. Your body bounced off from the stone walls surrounding you. You felt your ribcage shatter and heard ringing in your ears as you hit the walls repeatedly. It’s shrieks mixed with yours as your entire body erupted in pain. 

Abruptly mid swing, you felt the muscles in the base of your wing tear away from your back with a sickening rip. Screeching in pain, you were flung through the air before your back roughly collided with one of the stone walls. Your body was pulled down by gravity until you landed on a hard surface. 

Clenching your eyes shut with tears streaming down your face, you heard the horrific screaming and rumbling footsteps get closer to you. You prepared yourself for your painful death. 

Only, it didn’t come. You heard scratching coming from… from below you? How the hell- 

You opened one of your eyes and looked around. You landed on a ledge several meters above the cave floor. Holy shit, lived! There was no way it could reach you now. 

You took a few moments to catch your breath as you slowly moved to prop yourself up against the wall. Pain erupted from your right shoulder and wing as you tried to move yourself. Gritting your teeth, you shifted to use your left arm to push yourself up. Once you slumped against the wall, you closed your eyes. That thing almost killed you.

***************WARNING: GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF INJURIES***************

With every painful shallow breath, you felt a grinding sensation in the entirety of your ribcage. You definitely broke most of them. You felt something warm trickle down your face and back. Reaching up with your left hand, you wiped at the substance and looked at it. It was your blood, and a lot of it. Groaning in pain, you sat up slightly and reached around to feel the wing it grabbed. Your hand grasped at nothing. Furrowing your brows and ignoring the pain, you twisted your upper body to try to find your wing. Finally, you grabbed something.

That something certainly wasn’t feathers. 

What you grabbed was sharp, cutting your palm. Hissing, you grasped the shaft of… whatever it was and moved it down. Your hand finally met feathers, but it also met with an open wound. You felt stinging as your fingers poked into your open back. Pulling it back, your hand was slick with your own blood. Painfully craning your head around to inspect it, your gaze wasn’t met with anything except for something white and jagged jutting out from where your wing was supposed to be. 

You let out a choked sob as you came to the sinking realization that that damned thing ripped your wing completely off your body. It fucking ripped it off. 

*******************GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OVER*****************************

You could still hear its raged screams and the sound of its claws scoring the stone wall below you. You tried to stand, but you couldn’t move your legs. You probably either dislocated or broke both of them.

You used your good arm to drag yourself over to the ledge of the platform. Peering over, you saw it trying and failing to climb up the wall. Your blood dripped from your forehead and onto it, causing it to stop and open its mouth to collect it. You cringe in disgust as it greedily drinks your blood and tears. Looking somewhere else, you saw feathers littering the floor and the occasional blood splatter. Your blood coated the walls where you were flung, decorating them like a fucked up version of a cave painting.

The monster closed its mouth and turned around with a new sense of purpose. Your eyes followed it as it shambled across the cave and stopped to pick up something laying on the floor. You felt nauseous as you saw that it was your wing. It disappeared into the cave, dragging your wing behind it. 

Feeling bile rise up in your throat, you gagged as you puked up a grotesque mixture of your breakfast and blood over the ledge. The blood wasn’t good. After it was finally over, you laid limp and sobbed. Why did this have to happen to you? You didn’t do anything wrong to deserve this, did you? You were probably going to die here. Alone, injured, and afraid. You didn’t want to die anymore. You didn’t like the feeling of adrenaline rushing through you anymore, it was the only thing keeping you conscious. You wanted to pass out. You were in so much pain.

Your ribs grinded painfully as your chest heaved, but you couldn’t control your sobbing. It was a never ending cycle of sobbing because of the pain and pain coming from your chest shuddering. You wanted to make it stop, but you couldn’t. You felt a pulsing feeling in your back as you were bleeding out onto the stone, the blood slowly framing your broken form. Finally, you felt lightheaded as your vision started to spot. You thanked whatever god was above as you passed out. 

Above the cave, the sun was setting and your family was worried. You were usually very punctual about being home on time, especially after a skeleton nearly killed you. Philza was tensely cooking dinner while his sons were sitting at the dinner table thinking about where you could be. Mobs were already spawning outside, so Techno thought you probably decided to spend the night in the cave so you wouldn’t have to run into any mobs. Wilbur thought that you were on your way home. Tommy thought you were dead, but his brothers reassured him that since they didn’t receive any chat notification on their arms, you were still alive. 

Meanwhile, Philza was worried sick. His mind contemplated countless possibilities of where you could be right now. You could be dying in a hole somewhere because you didn’t look where you were putting your feet. You could be bleeding out because a zombie attacked you while you were on your way home. You could be burning in lava right now. You could be poisoned by a cave spider. You could be fighting an entire fleet of pillagers you could’ve run into on your way home. There were a countless amount of possibilities racing through his mind.

Before he knew it, dinner was done and you still weren’t home. Dinner was laid out on the table in front of everyone and you still weren’t home. Dinner went by slowly without you here to carry the conversation. They finished their dinner and you still weren’t home. Your plate was still in your place and your food was freezing cold by now. 

The boys congregated in the living room where they would wait for you to come home. They expected you to come bursting through the front door any second now sheepishly grinning at them saying you lost track of time. But that didn’t happen.

As the night moved on, Philza started restlessly pacing, Techno’s eyes were lazaly scanning the words across the pages in his book without him processing the words, Wilbur sat fiddling with the ends of his sweater, and Tommy sat wordlessly staring at nothing on the wall. 

“Where are they? I told them to come home before the sunsets. They’re always home on time.” Philza broke off into mumbles, constantly running his hands through his blond hair. His wings started to puff up in fear.

Techno broke Philza’s rapid mumbling. “Dad, they’re probably camping out in the cave. They’re smart enough not to try to come home when there’s mobs out.”

“...I hope so, Techno,” Phil sighed out. “I hope so.”

Hours passed by with nothing coming from your end. Philza ushered his sons to their rooms for the night with some difficulty about an hour ago. Now, he sat on the couch with his head in his hands, rubbing his sleep deprived, bloodshot eyes. By now, the sun was almost up. 

Feeling a familiar tingle on his forearm, he shot his head up and stared at the message he had nightmares about receiving since he adopted you and your siblings:

(Y/n) succumbed to their injuries whilst evading Warden.

Letting out a sob, he fell to his knees and let the tears stream freely down his cheeks. His precious child just lost one of their lives. When he heard thudding footsteps rushing down the stairs, he knew his sons also saw the message. He felt three pairs of arms wrap around him, causing him to immediately comfort his sons. Their sibling just died for the first time, after all. He pulled back to wrap his wings around his sons in a tight embrace. 

Techno buried his head in his father’s shoulder as tears silently flowed down his cheeks. The voices were screaming at him for letting you die. Wilbur hugged both of his brothers and father as he softly sobbed with them. While he still felt grief, his first instinct was to give his family comfort. Tommy’s harsh sobs racked his body as he squeezed Philza’s midsection in desperation. He can’t believe that he’s closer to losing his older sibling permanently. He felt closest to them out of all his siblings.

Until (y/n) respawned in their bed in a couple of hours, the family sat on the floor in the living room to grieve their child and sibling together.

Taglist (comment if you want to be added):

@acecarddraws  @goldenstarofthunderclan

[smallraindrops-blog]

Hi, just a heads up my ask is kinda specific and I apologize in advance. Could you do Hypnos x male reader, but the reader is the adopted son of Achilles and Patroclus. He’s usually dazed thinking about when he was alive and dwells on what happened when he was. Hypnos gets really excited when Hades sends for Thanatos to go get him from Elysium (currently stays in elysium with Patroclus) cause that means he gets to see him and watch him train. If you want to reject this, that’s okay, I get it.

Hey anon, sorry for the long wait and no worries about the specification. I actually found it kinda helpful. I just hope i got close to what you were looking for!

Wake me from this dreaming

Word count: 3.8

Hypnos x male! reader

Warning: violence, no kissing, some sexual/romance tension, flashback to death and war. No beta.

Just as quick extra note, this is not how real life ptsd works and any fighting advice is just off of Google, please understand that every thing is fictional.

It was the screaming that you remembered the most.

Achilles hunched over Patroclus' body, broken and bloodied. Screaming an inhuman sound that echoed in your head.

You knew you would carry that sound with you beyond your dying breath.

You should be screaming too you think but all you can do is tightened the hold on your spear.

Someone had to pay.

~~

You thought Elysium was beautiful. Or at least you did whenever you were able to force yourself out of the memories long enough.

Patroclus' voice was usually enough to pull you out. You blinked down at him, "Forgive me, Pa. I didn't hear you."

He waved a hand to the shade that stood before you, their spear at ready. "Another fool seeking glory."

You looked toward the warrior, "I guess I can't ask you to come back another time, can I?"

You stepped forward and Patroclus called out, "Mind your footwork. You were sloppy last time."

Countless Shades had seeked you out for the chance to earn the glory of beating the son of Achilles and Patroclus.

You slammed the bottom of the spear into the ground and walked to the shade without any weapons.

You smirked slightly at the nervous look the shade gave you.

And this fool before you was another thing to take down. And just like all the ones before them, it took a single hit.

You watched dispassionately as the shade fell apart before your eyes. But for a few moments you didn't see the shade but of the every soul you took laid before your vision. And the roaring of a crowd in your ears. You looked down at your fist and you could have sworn you saw it covered in blood.

"Y/n. Y/n." A hand touched your shoulder and you jerked around only to have your wrist caught by Patroclus.

You blinked, before you remembered exactly where you were. "I'm sorry. I-"

"Silence." Patroclus said gently. "Even after all this time?"

You didn't say anything for a moment. "Not all of it." You told him.

Just the worst of it.

Patroclus frowned and looked like he was about to say something when black smoke appeared.

You stared at the god that floated before you.

"Lord Hades had sent for you, Y/N." The god told you. You tried to remember what his name was.

"Why?" You asked.

The god gave you a disapproving glare. Thanatos, you suddenly remembered. You have seen him before...

"Do you need to know why Lord Hades sent for you?"

"Y/N, the god asked you a question." Patroclus shook you carefully. You blinked and pushed the call of the past away.

"A reason would be nice, yes."

"He wishes to speak to you. That is all the reasons you need."

You looked toward Patroclus, "Are you okay with me going?"

"Go. Tell Achilles I expect an explanation soon."

And with that you nodded, "Very well. Take me to Lord Hades."

~~

You weren't sure what to make of the house as Thanatos led you through a hallway. It felt like You were inside a living thing but none of the walls or floors moved.

What you did notice though was another god following behind you just down the end of the hallway. You turned your head around and saw a head full of white curls peeked around the corner, you couldn't quite see their face. A hand stuck out to waved excitedly at you.

You stared, not quite sure what make of the strange being or day you were having.

Thanatos snapped,"Hypnos, I know you have work to do. Leave now."

Hypnos ducked away, only to peek around again after a few seconds.

What an odd creature.

Thanatos opened the wide double door, "This is Lord Hades' private study so mind your manners." He warned as the door closed behind you.

You walked forward to the looming desk in the dark room. It looked just the one you passed with a long line of shades awaiting for Hades to appear.

Achilles stood before it and you could feel his rage coming off of him. When you saw him this angry when you both were alive, it usually meant some people were going to lose their heads. It was a rare sight now to see him almost shaking in rage.

It was all the warning you needed.

Hades looked up from your father and smiled.

It wasn't a kind one.

"Lord Hades, thank you for welcoming me to your home." You glanced over to Achilles, "Father."

You hoped he heard the unspoken words. His blue eyes met your and you almost frowned at the guilt you saw there.

"Now, Achilles, will you explain the situation to your son or shall I?" Hades asked, sounding pleased with himself.

You kept your face blank, not giving away the worries you felt. Achilles took a deep breath before turning to you.

"Lord Hades wants us to make a decision. To keep Patroclus in Elysium, I will be 'retiring' and you will have my current job."

"Or?" You asked. Achilles's mouth tightens, "Or Patroclus will be kicked out of Elysium along with you, and I will not be allowed again to have any contact."

So no decisions, just threats. What did Achilles do to make Lord Hades change the deal?

You looked at Achilles then to Lord Hades. "It would be an honor to serve the house, Lord Hades but may I make a request?"

"Oh? What request is that?" Hades glowered at you but you kept your blank face even if you wanted to personally slam your spear between his eyes.

"My father, Achilles will have his retirement in Elysium along with my other father, Patroclus." You paused, "And the retirement is permanent."

Achilles whipped his head and hissed, "Lad, what do you think you're doing? That was already part of the deal, don't waste it."

"Done." Hades said, "lucky for you, Achilles. Y/N is more like Patroclus, he is able to actually think ahead. You didn't even ask where I was sending you for your retirement. You are both dismissed."

Achilles opened his mouth to argue but you placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him. He glared at you but kept his mouth shut.

"Of course, thank you, lord Hades." You tugged your father to follow you out. As you followed your father down the hallways, you looked over to him.

"Pa is going to be furious." You told him mildly. Achilles just groaned.

~~

You met Hypnos, the odd little creature that followed you around, on the first day of your duty. Even if the first hour was Hypnos just peeking around the corner.

"I've heard of you, even all the way down here." Hypnos told you when he finally found his courage. He was floating but you see the excitement in his body, if he was on his feets, he would be rocking on his heels.

With his curls and his big golden eyes, he reminded you of those too pretty boys that rich politicians would bring along to watch fights while leaving the wives at home.

He leaned forward, his hand resting under his chin. His golden eyes watching your face with a curious look.

"Y/N, the Greek hero who took out monsters in a single strike, was able to hold off Ares and is the son of Achilles and Patroclus. Both great warriors in their own right." He smiled. "Is it true by the way?"

For a moment, all you saw was Ares' mad eyes staring down at you and the taste of blood in your mouth. Everything else had faded away, the sand and screaming of dying men echoed and all you knew is blood and blood and blood and blood -

“Y/N?” Hypnos’ voice, confused and almost too soft, pulled you out.

"Yes. I fought him.” And you said nothing else and stared at the wall. You didn’t realize the memories had taken you for a trip. Normally, only your fathers' voices were able to pull you back.

"You must tell me how!" He filled in your vision, his eyes wide and hopeful.

“No.” You said bluntly. "I'm busy." And you're too attractive for someone so irritating, you thought.

“But-“ Hypnos pouted and you had made yourself look away before you got caught staring at his mouth.

"Hypnos, don't bother him. It is still his first day." Prince Zagreus spoke from behind Hypnos.

Hypnos spun away from you and floated around Zagreus. "Oooh, so how did you die this time? Did a chariot run you over again?"

Zagreus gave a strained smile in greeting. "Forgive Hypnos, I think he forgot his manners when he heard you were joining us in the house."

You shook your head, "It's perfectly fine, your highness." You stared at the prince, the whole reason you were even here was because he looped your father into helping with his runaway attempts.

Zagreus nodded, his face polite but nervous. "Achilles told me I should train with you. That you are actually better at fighting than he is."

"Only in hand to hand combat, otherwise, if you give my father a spear he would win every time." You told him, trying to push away the memories but you could already smell the sharp tang of blood.

"He fought a tribe of centaurs when he was a mere child, Zagreus and he won!" Hypnos gushed, "And he took down Ares!"

You shook your head slightly and the smell of blood went away. Hypnos did it again.

How odd.

Hypnos used Zagreus' head as an armrest much to the latter's displeasure. Zagreus shook him off as he asked, "You killed Ares?"

"No, just knock him out long enough to let my men escape." You left it at that. Ares was more monster than god, and you would rather not revisit those nightmares.

"Zagreus if you like, I can train you later. It would be interesting to see how different our training might be." You said, hoping they would take the hint.

Zagreus nodded, "Of course, I will come find you later."

Zagreus moved to leave but upon seeing that Hypnos wasn't going to leave, grabbed Hypnos' by his cape and pulled him away.

"Come on, Hypnos. I think you do even less work than I do, and I don't even work anymore." Zagreus said pleasantly but an undercurrent of a warning.

You didn't hear Hypnos' response beyond an offended gasp.

You shook your head, no wonder Achilles only wanted quiet when he came to see you and Patroclus.

~~

Of course when it was time for Zagreus' training with you, Hypnos followed along. You thought about kicking him out but knew he would sneak back in later. You know because this wasn't the first time you trained Zagreus and nothing else seemed to work.

Also for some reason, this god ended up being a grounding point for you. You didn't want to admit it but it made being in the house bearable and not a daily fight to stay in the presence. Not that you needed his help.

You pointed toward Zagreus to the middle of the room and turned to Hypnos who beamed up at you. "You. Corner. If I hear one peek from you…" You warned.

Hypnos held his hands and floated silently to the corner. You ignored how Hypnos' eyes followed you around the room. Hypnos wasn't the first fan boy you had and as long you don't feed the attention seeking, he will get bored sooner or later.

Zagreus was a good student. Mostly. But you could tell your father was more careful with him than he was with you.

You shook your head and held up an open hand, "Hit me again."

Zagreus swung a fist into your hand, only to hit the side of your palm. "Alright, step back."

You crossed your arms, "You need to be more intentional in your hits. You're creating more work for yourself. And you won't always have that sword on you." 

Zagreus frowned, "I'm fighting monsters down there, not humans. If I don't have a weapon, they're not going down."

"Like I said you won't always have a weapon in you. Lord Hades took away my father, and that was your best tool. What are you going to do if he takes away your weapons and you can't get them back?"

You raised a brow and asked "Are you going to stay down here and obey like a good little boy?"

And you could tell you stuck a nerve at the scowl Zagreus gave you. Hypnos made a mocking sound and Zagreus whipped his head around to glare at Hypnos.

You mentally sighed, your father got soft over the years. Just for arguing back, Achilles would have You running laps from sunup to sundown while carrying bags of feed.

"Here, let's wrap up with a quick brush up for your next lesson." You said, not bothering to comfort him. The sooner you can break Zagreus out of your father's soft training, the better. "Do you know all the weak points of a body?"

Before Zagreus could respond, Hypnos butted in. "Oooh, I do! Eyes and groin!"

You took a breath when suddenly an idea came to you. You turned to the god, "Hypnos, since you're so eager, come on over here."

Hypnos looked at Zagreus who shrugged then back to you. "Okay." He dragged out the word with suspicion in his tone.

"Well?" You asked, keeping your tone friendly with a smile on your face. You waited until Hypnos got close enough to grab his shoulders and forced him to stand on his feet.

You grabbed his face with a hand, squishing his cheeks. He made a squeaky sound and you bit back a smirk. A little humiliation should be enough to get Hypnos to stay away and you can focus on what you came here to do. The only reason you bothered with helping Zagreus was because your father asked you too.

"Pay attention, I expect you to remember this for your next lesson." You told Zagreus.

"Hypnos got two right, but he forgot about the nose and honestly, almost anything you will ever fight will have a weakness here." You tapped Hypnos between his eyes which made him blinked. "Hit here or here if you can get a good upward swing ," you tapped the tip of Hypnos' nose, "With preciseness you won't need much force and you save energy as well."

Next You turned his head toward you and could see the start of a flush. Good, it was working.

You pointed to the area between the ear and jaw, "This won't kill but it will make your opponent dizzy and that could buy the second you need to finish them."

You went on listing other parts of the body for Zagreus and Hypnos obediently went along with it. Moving his arm and lifting a leg up.

"And lastly, the groin like Hypnos said earlier but I doubt I need to go in depth about that area." You finished as you let Hypnos go.

"Got it?" You asked.

"Yes, sir." Zagreus smirked at his friend's misfortune.

`Hypnos just stayed silent, flushed to his hairline.

~~

You were sure you wouldn't see Hypnos for a while but the little god surprised you. Just a day after the training, he seeked you out.

"Achilles didn't teach you how to fight, did he?" Hypnos asked. His dark circles were deeper than normal and you got the feeling he didn't get much rest.

"What makes you say that?" You asked, actually curious about Hypnos' thought process.

"I mean, you're unusually strong and you seem to have, let's say, a more ruthless fighting style than your father does. Not bad, mind you, just different." Hypnos shrugged, "I've seen him train Zagreus. And it's just different."

You thought about bushing him off, but something about how tired he looked made you speak up. "You're right. Kinda. He wasn't my first teacher. I was sold as a child for a fighting ring. And they usually don't let the loser live." You tighten your hold the spear, to ward off the memories.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I couldn't imagine." Hypnos said. "I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories."

You blinked several times, "You didn't."

But the look on Hypnos' face told you he didn't believe you.

~~

Screaming. Inhuman mad screaming.

Patroclus' body broken on the ground and Achilles stared past You even as you tried to talk to him.

You felt like you lost both of your fathers as you trailed behind Achilles on his warpath.

Hands wet with blood and you think you should be screaming too but Patroclus was broken and gone and the screaming never stopped-

"Y/N. Hey, Y/N." Hypnos stood in front of you, his big golden eyes concerned. For a moment, you weren't standing in the East wing with Hypnos.

But a burning city and people running and crying. And Hypnos stood in the middle of it.

What was the little god doing here?

“Y/N!”

You blinked and you were back in the east wing, no smoke or no fire or crying followed.

“Hypnos?” You realized you had a tight grip on Hypnos’ arm as if you wanted to yank him out of the memories.

You let go. “I-i my apologies, Hypnos. I-“

“Wowie, that must have been a bad one huh?” Hypnos didn’t look upset and you frowned at him. “Are you not…?” You trailed off, not sure what to say.

“No.” Hypnos said softly. “I know the story about how you… Died and what happened to your head.” Hypnos waved a hand toward his own head, trying to make his point clear. “I guess what I’m saying is no, I’m not upset or mad or whatever. I just wanna know if you’re okay.”

You said nothing for several moments, looking at Hypnos’s kind face and realized to your great shame exactly how little you understood Hypnos and his intentions.

“Yes, thank you.” You told him softly.

~~

You tapped your foot as you waited on Zagreus to show up. You have been in the house for several months now and Zagreus didn't always show up for training especially since he was getting closer to the surface.

Hypnos floated lazily around the room, waiting for you to look away so he could touch one of the weapons.  Normally Skully was here to chase him off but apparently not even Skully wanted to show up.  

After a few more minutes and warning Hypnos off on touching the spear, you got tired of waiting for Zagreus.

"Come on, Hypnos I think his highness must be on one of his attempts." You told him.

"Wait, wait or you could train me!" Hypnos circled you. He gave you the puppy dog eyes and you shook your head.

"Please. I've been so good when you're training Zagreus! Just one time." Hypnos begged.

And of course, you gave in.

"Alright. On your feet."

You chuckled at Hypnos' cheering.

Hypnos was… You didn't know what he was. After the day of failed attempts of embarrassment, Hypnos stuck around. He would follow you around like a lost puppy whenever he could.  

You knew he was lonely, quietly trying to repair the broken bonds with his family. That he had near encyclopedia knowledge about Greek Heroes and monsters, even about your own fathers'. That he loved sweets but would eat raw honey every time if given the chance.

And the fact that just like your fathers, he was able to pull you back into the now.

He was...

Friend, you think firmly, he had become a friend.

~~

“Can I ask you something? Like super personal?” Hypnos said out of the blue one day. You raised an eyebrow, “I have never known a personal question to stop you before but sure, you can ask me.”

“Why haven’t you drunk from the river Lethe? Wouldn’t it help?” Hypnos said, biting a thumbnail.

Oh. No wonder he was nervous.

“I don’t want to forget. I need to remember as much as I can.” You told him gently. Hypnos tilted his head, confusion on his face.

“If I forget, I won’t be the same person. You can’t forget without losing a part of yourself and I want to keep all of me. The bad and good.” You tried to explain, feeling like you sound like a cheesy philosopher.

“Oh. I think I get it.” Hypnos said. His smile was small but warm. Blood and darkness, you had gotten soft. You couldn’t stop the bust of fondness that your chest and you already looked like a fool so why not go farther?

“Like you, I wouldn’t want to forget you, Hypnos.” You said, a blush forming on your cheeks.

Hypnos blinked as if he didn’t understand what you just said but you saw a blush form on his own cheeks.

“I wouldn’t want to forget you too, Y/N.”

Part two

[goodqueenaly]

Hello! What do you think Daenerys "brings to the table" in her push to conquer Westeros? What will she change that is different from the previous system? What about Aegon VI? I am asking because of Stannis' comment "Then we will make new lords."

Daenerys realizes something pretty critical about the relationship between ruler and people, something shared by precious few of her fellow Westerosi rulers:

“Do you remember Eroeh?” she asked him.

“The Lhazareen girl?”

“They were raping her, but I stopped them and took her under my protection. Only when my sun-and-stars was dead Mago took her back, used her again, and killed her. Aggo said it was her fate.”

“I remember,” Ser Jorah said.

“I was alone for a long time, Jorah. All alone but for my brother. I was such a small scared thing. Viserys should have protected me, but instead he hurt me and scared me worse. He shouldn’t have done that. He wasn’t just my brother, he was my king. Why do the gods make kings and queens, if not to protect the ones who can’t protect themselves?”

“Some kings make themselves. Robert did.”

“He was no true king,” Dany said scornfully. “He did no justice. Justice … that’s what kings are for.”

What Daenerys believes, and demonstrates she believes, is that rulership is first and foremost a responsibility rather than a privilege - that the ruler belongs to his or her people, has to think first of his or her people, and has to be willing to put everything on the line for the good of his or her people. It's a remarkably uniquely selfless stance to take in a world of inherited dynastic power stretching back centuries if not millennia for most of the aristocratic families of Westeros; in a land where power is automatically assumed to flow (save in Dorne) from father to son, generation after generation, Daenerys gets to the point of why these families have power to begin with. Daenerys understands that in this world, people trust (or should trust) in their lords and kings to protect them, and that it's on those lords and kings to use the power and resources they're given from their exalted positions to provide that very protection. For me, this is the key point of praise for Daenerys as a political actor: she is driven by a genuine sense of duty to serve and defend the people she thinks of as her own, something we only very rarely see in Westeros.

(Which, perhaps ironically, is why I don't think Daenerys is going to be a longterm, permanent ruler of Westeros. I think that very selflessness - that willingness to give everything of herself for her people - is going to be what turns Daenerys, following her crisis after the accidental destruction of King's Landing, to the north and the apocalyptic fight against the Others. I think it's an entirely fitting ending for Daenerys, believing that she belongs to her people and not to herself, to sacrifice everything - her crown, her familial dynasty, and her very life - for the sake of the thousands and thousands of people of Westeros who have no way to defend themselves from the eldritch slavers that are the Others. You don't have to agree, but if you disagree, please keep it off this post.)

As for Aegon VI, we've seen basically nothing of him as a political actor, but for the moment (emphasis on moment), that's not his biggest concern. Aegon is, again for the moment, an idea and ideal more than he is a specific political actor, and those are both very attractive in the current political crisis of Westeros. While Robert's Rebellion represented an extremely justified overthrow of the ruling regime, within two decades the legacy of that rebellion has almost completely collapsed: between the critical dynastic question left by the true parentage of "Robert's" children and the combined tyranny and follies of the Baratheon-Lannister regime after him, there is little to recommend about maintaining the current ruling power. This is the prime opportunity for an alternative - and the prime candidate for that prime opportunity is our Aegon (at least, under his cover story of being Aegon Targaryen, the son of Rhaegar and Elia). As a legitimate, adult male, he represents a comfortable prospective king in patriarchal Westeros; as a public Faith worshiper, he stands as a welcome difference from the "abominations" born to Jaime and Cersei and the R'hllor worshipping Stannis; as the last legitimate male male-line Targaryen, he inherits a colorable claim to the Iron Throne; as the only son of Rhaegar, he embodies the spirit of a prince still viewed nostalgically as dashing and handsome; as himself a young, active, handsome prince, he encourages others within the martial aristocracy of Westeros to follow him (especially as he continues to win victories). This is someone everyone can get behind - a real alternative to the Baratheon-Lannister regime.

Now, of course, winning the throne and ruling from the throne are very different things. Aegon's been well-educated, but he's no angel either (as evidenced by his tantrum to Tyrion aboard the Shy Maid); having been raised to view virtually his entire life as the secret training ground for a glorious future as Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, Aegon I don't think can conceive of a world where he can do anything other than succeed. How he fares when he actually has to deal with the crises of state following his coronation (and make no mistake, he will sit the Iron Throne) remains to be seen (although I don't see him as having a particularly long reign, given that Daenerys is just on the horizon and Aegon himself quipped the lesson of his own doom - "if you want to conquer the world, you best have dragons").

[forever-rogue]

Idk if you’re still taking Bucky requests, but I came across a quote and I feel in love with it because it just screamed Bucky to me. It read: “there is nothing as beautiful as seeing someone who has been unlucky, finally being loved so effortlessly by the right person” if this sparks anything in you, I would love to read it 💜

Pairing | Bucky x Fem!Reader

Word Count | 1.9k

Warnings | dad!Bucky, slight language, slight suggestive theme

Masterlists | Bucky, Main

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Bucky bit back a yawn as he closed the car door and headed towards the front door. The smell of spring, the freshly mowed grass and blooming flowers overwhelmed his senses along with the warm summer sun hitting his skin. This was nice, he realized, the calculated simplicity and domestic nature of it all. He hiked his bag on his shoulder, the gold in his vibranium arm glinting brilliantly in the slowly dying light of the day. He didn’t bother to hide it anymore, somehow long past that part of his life. At one point he never thought he’d reach that point in his life and now he had the world in front of him. 

Walking up the stairs, he smiled to himself as he could already smell something delicious cooking through the open windows. In a vain attempt to keep the household from falling into complete and utter chaos, he slowly opened the door and tried to tip-toe inside. He managed to get about two feet inside and kick off his work boots before he heard an exciting squeal followed by a few loud woofs. 

The pitter-patter of two small feet and four paws quickly reached him as Falcon, the trusted family dog, and Emily, your oldest daughter, ran down the hall towards him. Any stress he had remaining quickly melted away at the sight of two of his favorite beings as they almost knocked him over in their rush. 

“Daddy!” an excited shout was followed by another bark. He bent down and scooped the small girl in his arms, the weight of the world off his shoulders as she wrapped her little arms around his neck, “hi daddy, you’re home!”

“Of course I am,” he propped her on his hip and studied her sweet little face. She took after him with his dark unruly hair and ocean eyes, but the rest he swore was all you, especially that sweet smile, “I’ll always come home to my sweetest girl. Did you have a good day, baby?”

“Yeah,” she nodded excitedly as he brushed her hair out of her face and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, “mama and I painted and then we planted some new flowers. She said she picked them out because they reminded her of you!”

“She did, did she?” he couldn’t stop the grin that spread from ear to ear as his heart fluttered in his chest. Even to this day you still managed to make him weak in the knees and set off butterflies in his belly. He held Emily tightly in his grip as he bent down to give Falcon a few pets, causing the dog to rub against his legs as he wagged his tail, “what would I do without my little hellraisers?”

“Mama says that’s a bad word!” Emily looked at him with wide eyes and he chuckled softly before holding a finger to his lips.

“It’s our little secret,” he whispered as she nodded, “do you know why this secret is okay?”

“Because it’s not gonna hurt anyone,” she asked as he nodded. She gave him a wide gap toothed grin as he set her back down, “will you play with me later, daddy? Falcon wants to have a tea party!”

“Of course,” he promised his daughter as she held tightly onto his hand, “now go and get cleaned up for dinner. It smells like it should all be done soon.”

“Okie dokie,” she dropped his hand and motioned for Falcon to follow her instead, practically bouncing up the stairs. 

Bucky sighed in content as he shook his head before slowly making his way into the kitchen where he was sure you were. He found at the island, brows furrowed in concentration as you chopped vegetables for the salad. Your baby boy was slung around your chest, and despite the commotion from Bucky’s entrance, he was fast asleep. A lump welled up in his throat as he watched the sight. It would be nothing special to most people, but to him it was everything.

You looked so beautiful, even in your sweatpants and t-shirt with your hair a chaotic bun as you hummed to the baby under your breath. You looked tired and he felt bad for a moment; leaving you with a toddler and a baby was a ton of work and he would have gladly stayed home with you and helped, but you were insistent that he work if he wanted. You’d never hold it against him, he knew that.

As soon as you sensed you his presence in the kitchen, you turned to him and gave him a soft smile, and his own features softened even more, “hello, my love. I’m so glad you’re so home!”

You set down the knife before slowly making your way over to him, careful not to disturb the baby as he immediately leaned down to kiss you. Your whole body was practically humming from his touch as you stole you a few more kisses, “rough day? You should have called me and I could have come home, honey baby.”

“It wasn’t bad actually,” you promised, watching with nothing but adoration in your eyes as he stroked Stevie’s chubby little cheek, “the chaos duo was on their best behavior today and the little one has been sleeping most of the day. I think he wore himself out from all his fussing last night.”

“Miracles do happen,” he laughed lightly as his hand went to your face and he gently stroked your cheek. You grinned at him, keening into his touch like a cat to the sun, “you are so beautiful.”

“Shut up,” you playfully pushed his chest before hiding your face behind your hands. Funny, how even after all this time he still managed to make you feel nervous and shy, “I’m in my ugliest mom clothes which I’m pretty sure these sweats have permanent puke stains, I haven’t showered today and I look like I haven’t slept in five years. Hardly beautiful.”

“You are the most gorgeous woman I have ever laid eyes on regardless of all of that,” he insisted softly, reaching for your hands and pulling them away from your face. Your whole body flushed with pleasant warmth as you looked into his eyes, “and I love you more than anything in this world.”

“You’re just saying that ‘cause I let you knock me up twice,” you joked as he playfully rolled his eyes, “god, Bucky, how do you still make me feel like this?”

“Like what?” he asked as he slowly moved to undo the sling from your chest and take the baby from you. Stevie made a few small sounds before cuddling up on Bucky’s chest. 

“Like I’m still falling in love with you every day,” you whispered as you leaned in and let him wrap arm around you as well. He kissed the top of your head before sighing in content, “I guess I am. We’re a little different every day - we’re definitely not the same fools from when we first met, huh?”

“I mean, we’re married and have kids, and the whole you know, typical suburban thing going on,” he teased, “so I’d say we’re pretty different. But you’re still my favorite pain in the ass.”

“James!” your eyes widened before the two of you broke into a fit of giggles, “I will get you back for that later!”

“Oh, I definitely count on it,” he promised, “now, go and take a few moments to yourself, shower or whatever, and I’ll finish dinner and get the kiddos and Falcon settled.”

“Whatever would I do without you, my love?”

“I think the better question is what would I do without you, honey baby?”

You blew him a little kiss as you all but ran towards the stairs in order to fit in a quick shower. Sometimes even ten minutes of peace and quiet would suffice. Bucky watched you go with a soft smile on his face, before turning his attention back to his softly cooing son, “your mama’s the best person in this entire world, I hope you always know that.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“What?” you could feel Bucky’s eyes on your back as you brushed your teeth in the bathroom en suite. He was sitting in bed, winding down with some television as he waited for you, “I can feel you checking out the goods, Barnes.”

“That’s because I am,” you could practically hear the cheeky smirk in his voice, “it’s not wrong to admire, is it?”

“You’re too much,” you dried your face off before making your way back over to him. He offered you a lazy smile as he pulled back your side of the blankets and made room for you. You were only wearing his shirt and a pair of old cotton panties but he was watching you like you were the best in this world. Because to him - you were. The end all and be all, “James? What’s wrong, honey?”

“Nothing,” he whispered as he immediately reached for you and gently pulled you into his lap. You made a small sound of surprise but easily gave into his touch, “nothing at all. I’m perfect.”

“Hmm,” you leaned in and pressed a light kiss to his plump lips, gently tugging on his dog tags, “me too. I don’t know if I’ve ever told you this, but I kind of like you a lot.”

“Is that why you married me? Had two kids with me? Got the dog?” he raised a brow as you carded a hand through his dark locks, scratching lightly at his scalp, “I bet it was all for the dog.”

“He didn’t hurt,” you joked, gently stroking his cheek, “but you aren’t so bad either. I love you, Bucky. So much. I hope you know. I hope you know you deserve this, everything we have - the whole world.”

“I…” he paused for a moment, suddenly feeling overwhelmed as you showed him so much tenderness and delicate love, “I love you too.”

“Hey,” you put your hand under your chin and turned his face up towards yours, “I mean it James Buchanan Barnes. You have been through so much, so much that other people forced on you, and you deserve happiness. You deserve all the happiness this world has to offer. I know you have some bad days, and I understand that, but I want you to know I will always be here for you and I will always love you. You are my best friend, my husband, the father of my children, you are my everything.”

“I don’t deserve you,” he took your hand in his and pressed a gentle kiss to your knuckles.

“Yes,” you insisted softly, “you do, James.”

“I-”

“How about for one moment you hush up,” you pushed him back against the headboard and pressed a few gentle, lazy kisses to his lips, “and just listen to me. And let me love you.”

“I love you, honey baby.”

“I love you too, James.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

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