#like father like son amiright

[st7arlight]

this is the part two that i was talking about

[jeremy-hand]

honest to god forgot that brett canonically says "for realios" and considering the fact i've started saying "for realzies" i think i accidentally got that from him

[arvensimp]

your father should know, pt. 4

Arven leaves you with something more than either of you bargained for when he goes off to Kalos for an internship, and through a series of miscommunications and heartbreak, he returns a few years later to learn that he actually has a child.

arven x fem!reader, nsfw content (in pt. 1), pregnancy (pts. 1, 2, & 2.5), angst, and stupid miscommunications

[part 1][part 2][part 2.5][part 3]

I'M HERE AGAIN THANKS FOR THE WAIT. SORRY ABOUT BEING THE WAY I AM LMAO please enjoy the next installment. it's not beta'd i'm out here livin like larry

~

[Group Chat: Team Star? More Like, Time To Go To HR AmIRight???]

WalkWalkFashionBaby: hey @ ParadoxChamp is this your man?

WalkWalkFashionBaby: [sent a photo]

[Image description: A man with wavy, longish ash blond and light brown hair, accompanied by a Mabosstiff, walking down the streets of Mesagoza. His hands are in his pockets, and he seems to be smiling.]

CassiopeiaYamahaSteinway: ?????????

CassiopeiaYamahaSteinway: !!!!!!!?!

CassiopeiaYamahaSteinway: yo wtf 

CassiopeiaYamahaSteinway: first of all that deadbeat isnt her man ortega

CassiopeiaYamahaSteinway: second

CassiopeiaYamahaSteinway: yea uh

CassiopeiaYamahaSteinway: @ paradoxchamp did you know he was back in town???????

CassiopeiaYamahaSteinway: third @ giacomo4pm momo if you don't change our nicknames in this chat back to normal I will absolutely dox you (again) and then change them back myself

Giacomo4pm: Can do, will do.

Giacomo4pm: Also, yo, damn, what's he doing back? I thought he fled the country or whatever.

--

Rika: so the sperm donor's here. Just came up the hill asking for you. Want me to send him packing?

Rika: yeah u do

Rika: well... I do.

Rika: also unrelated, holy sHIT, man's genes are strong. It's like I'm looking into a time machine for Basil's future.

Rika: except, you know. Basil will be way cooler and more handsome with your genes mixed in.

Rika: ❤️

Rika: plus no shitty facial hair.

Rika: or better facial hair.

Rika: anyway, I'm gonna eviscerate him.

Rika: love you. ❤️

--

You had been in Area Zero, gathering information on moth pokemon for Jacq when the director called, his usually placid voice laced with an edge of steel.

"Basil's father just stopped by." He says without preamble.

Your heart sinks, and you nearly lose your grip on Raidon, only barely managing to stay upright and drag the pokemon to a halt.

"His what?" You splutter, changing the phone to your other ear, as if you hadn't heard correctly.

"His father." The director repeats. "I know we have not...explicitly discussed Basil's paternity, but, well," He tsks lightly. "He showed up to speak to me."

Your head is filled with tarountula webbing. You feel your hearing go fuzzy, but somehow your hands direct Raidon up and toward the closest lab station. Out, out, out. Back to the school. Back to Basil, back to--

"I'm on my way to the entrance to Area Zero now." Clavell continues when you don't reply after a few moments. "I'll meet you there with Basil."

"What did he want?" You finally ask as you enter the station.

"I didn't give him the opportunity to chitchat."

You hum. "One second, Sir." You step into the transport pad.

A moment later, and Clavell is right in front of you, Basil tucked safely in his stroller, looking just as he did when you dropped him off this morning, save for his hair looking a little...off. You disregard it.

"Thank you so much." You sigh, hanging up the phone as Clavell gives you a sad sort of smile.

"Anything for you two." He says.

You kneel and try to fluff up your son's hair, but it has dried all crunchy from whatever happened during the day. He's getting a bath later, so you don't fret over it and just smile warmly to him, trying not to let your panic show.

"Ready to go home, sweet thing?" You ask him.

Basil nods, reaching with little hands for yours in his hair. "Mhmm!" He nods. "Ahso, Mama! I saw a big buddy! A big, BIG buddy!"

Clavell clears his throat and provides some context. "Mabosstiff said hello."

You look up to the director, knowing exactly which Mabosstiff he must mean. "Oh? Mabosstiff! That's...that's so great!" If your register is maybe just a touch too high, your smile too tight, it's only to maintain face in front of the boy to whom you turn back. "Were you kind? Remember how we always wanna be nice to new pokemon, yeah?"

"Uh-huh, uh-huh! He gived me a kisses! A lotsa kisses!"

So that's the crunch in his hair.

Oh, Mabosstiff...

"That's my sweet boy." You sigh, ruffling the mess before standing again to face the director.

"Thanks again. I'm gonna..." Another long exhale. "I'm gonna get us home."

Clavell nods. "You know how to reach me if you need something. And... Well, if you want me to intercede on your behalf, I'm happy to have words." He says stoically. "At times I felt I was the closest thing..." He gestures with his head outward toward the school. "He had to a parent in his life... I..." It's his turn to sigh. "I don't understand what happened there. How he could do what his own parents did to him? I'm sorry. If it's any consolation."

Your heart squeezes, and you distract yourself from the feeling by digging your nails into the soft foam of the handles of Basil's stroller. "Don't be. He made his choice, y'know?" You try to smile, but it's shaky. "He deserves to have the life he wants."

"He deserves a kick in the pants." Clavell responds. "Not that I'm an advocate for corporal punishment..." He adjusts his glasses in that grandfatherly way.

You laugh.

"Well, if he sticks around long enough, maybe you'll get a chance."

You hope he doesn't stick around.

Or...do you?

Do you even want to see him?

Either way, you don't want to linger on it in the lab.

"I'm gonna take this little one home."

Clavell nods. "Until later."

And then you're calling a cab to get back to your place, and Clavell is on his way back to the office.

While you're in the cab, you check your messages and sigh. Seems like Ortega caught a glimpse of Arven, and Rika is...fucking with him in some way or another.

You ignore your old classmates and opt to just text Rika.

Me: Got Basil from Clavell and we're on our way home rn/

Me: Love you too ofc 💖💖

A minute or so later, your phone buzzes. Rika again.

Rika: he's gone now

Rika: I put the fear of arceus in him if i do say so myself

You roll your eyes, smiling wryly. By now the cab is slowly descending to the space just outside your home, so you pocket the device and maneuver Basil in his stroller out of the cramped space and into the house.

Once he's unbuckled from his seat, he's bouncing around and grabbing at the attached bag, the one containing Buddy's pokeball, asking in broken syllables if they can play. 

It isn't a huge deal to let the pup out of the ball to play, so you hand it over to Basil, reminding him how to behave with his friend. At the same time, you also release Skeledirge to keep a watchful eye over the pair for a moment.

In the weeks since the Raisins Incident, as you've called it, you've come to the realization that your team can be of some assistance to you when you need a moment to yourself, when you're overwhelmed. Obviously Skeledirge isn't a parent. Neither is Raidon or Tinkaton or Screamtail or anyone else, but Skeledirge is smart enough to keep them safe for the precious seconds you need to breathe.

So you let the three alone in the living room and retire to your bedroom for a moment to collapse on the bed and gather your thoughts. You only need a few seconds. Just a few seconds of Mama time...just a few.

There's a sound at your open door as Basil toddles in, two pokemon in tow.

"Mama... Hungy?" He asks, clenching his shirt in tiny balled fists.

"Oh, sweetness..." You sigh, leaning down to pick him up and seat him securely on your lap. "You're hungry?" You press your face into his head, expecting its usual downy softness and the comfort of your child's scent, only to be met with that uncomfortable crunch of dried Mabosstiff slobber. Out of Basil's line of sight, your nose crinkles. "Let's see what we've got in the kitchen, yeah?"

"Toast? Toast 'n jellies?" He asks hopefully.

"I think we could do that, my littlest..." You respond with a smile, hefting your boy onto your hip as you trudge into the kitchen.

Of course, it would be just your luck that you're entirely out of oran jelly, the only jelly that Basil will eat right now. Thank you, developing taste buds and picky eating...

Maybe he won't notice if you try to give him pinap jelly instead this once?

You prepare his plate, the toast lovingly cut into four triangles, and you give him his sippy cup as well, but Basil only stares down unhappily at the food.

"Jellies?" He asks, his tiny button nose wrinkling.

"Yeah, Baby, I made you toast and jelly." Your heart clenches, anxiety rising, but you try to keep your voice chipper.

"Nuh-uh!" He insists, pushing the plate away.

"Oh, I'm sorry. We don't have the usual jelly. Do you wanna try this instead?"

Your son looks at you with wide eyes, rapidly filling with tears. His lower lip wobbles, and his brow furrows angrily. Times like these it's almost crazy how much he looks like...

No, focus!

"It's good, I promise. Wanna see? Mama will have some." You take a bite of one of the triangles and make a show of smiling. "Mmm! So yummy! It's really tasty!"

"No!" Basils yells in response, his tiny tears now falling. Hangry isn't a good look on the little guy.

"Ahhh, we gotta get you something to eat, huh, bud."

"Jellies!" He blubbers, only barely understandable through his tantrum. Buddy the Maschiff jumps up, placing his front paws on Basil's feet, trying to get at the food, and Basil complies, shoving it down to the pup.

You sigh. "Alright."

Buddy re-enters his ball, still chewing the bread, and you take Basil from his high chair, depositing him in his stroller.

"We'll go to the market and get your good jelly, okay? Super duper fast, then we'll come home and have a feast."

Basil is still crying, but the promise of his good jelly seems to placate him somewhat.

It'll be fine anyway. The market is only a short walk from your apartment building, and you'll only be out for a few minutes. 

The journey there is easy. Basil's stroller is one of those fancy transforming models that's great for all kinds of terrain while also being pretty light. It helps that the market is all outdoors, too. Less helpful is the fact that the stalls are fairly narrowly placed beside one another. At least it feels that way with all the people around, but it isn't overly cumbersome to navigate.

"Jellies!" Basil starts to whine as you approach the stall that he's come to learn has his favorite snack. He starts making grabby hands towards the jars along the table, and you attempt to quietly stop him.

"Yup! They've got your jelly here. Once I pay, you can hold the jar, if you like. Sound good?"

"I pick, I pick!" Basil insists, arching his tiny body as best he can away from the stroller's restraining buckle.

"Hey now," You press a soft but firm hand against him, guiding him back to his seat. "I'll let you pick, but you have to be polite. Say please and thank you to the salesperson, kay?"

Your son huffs, squirming a bit more before collapsing against the seat. "I be good. I good." He grumbles, and you're finally able to unbuckle him and take him up in your arms.

"Okay now. Can you ask for what you want?" You give the salesperson a thankful smile as you speak to Basil. They seem willing to be patient with your little one.

"Jellies!!!" He cries gleefully.

"Jellies, what, bud?"

"Jellies, pease!!!"

"There you go... We're gonna get some oran berry jelly." You tell the salesperson, already reaching into your bag with the hand that isn't carrying Basil. "Remember, these are glass, so you gotta hold it gently."

Basil carefully (or as carefully as a nearly-two year old can) chooses a bright blue jar, holding it in both of his hands.

Gently, so as not to jostle Basil enough that he drops his prize, you rearrange him on your hip, freeing an arm to reach into your bag, so you can pay the shop keeper. 

That's when you hear it. Not particularly loud compared to the hum of the crowd, but clear as day anyway.

The sound of your name being called gives you pause. You look around. It's not uncommon for you to be recognized, but you're already on edge. Hopefully it's just a fan or something?

–

You heard him. From the way you stopped and looked around, hiking the kid up just a bit higher on your hip as you distractedly tried to find the source of his voice, it was obvious.

It isn't an overly crowded market, but there are definitely enough people milling around that quick travel isn't really feasible from where he stands, particularly if he wants to get closer.

He calls your name again, louder this time. Before it had almost been breathless, filled with surprise, hurt, delight, just a tumultuous storm of emotions tearing through his stomach at the sight of you, the sight of his little carbon copy in your arms. Now he's really trying to get your attention.

You pinpoint him, and Arven waves, his bulky form helping to differentiate him from the rest of the crowd.

He... He can't read your face. You look like a deerling caught in Flash. He watches as you quickly shuffle, taking your boy (his boy?) away. Are... Are you for real fleeing from him? He calls your name again, trying to move closer to your retreating form, but it's no use. He makes it to the stall where you were before. He's positive of it because you left the stroller behind, and judging by the yelling from the salesperson, you made off with some product without paying. It's a no-brainer for him to lay down the cash needed, assuaging the anger of the clerk. Arven also grabs the stroller, giving a nervous laugh about how forgetful you must be before he starts trekking with it in the direction that you fled.

Except. He quickly realizes that's not really gonna get him anywhere. He has no idea where you live. Yeah, he knows where you used to live, almost 3 years ago, but that was basically a shoebox, a place to store your supplies while out and about as a champ. No way you're there still. Not with a kid. Right?

He eventually takes a seat on a bench close to the market, keeping the stroller next to him. You've gotta come back for it soon, right? Even then though, he has no idea how long it might take you to come back. 

Once again, Arven desperately wishes you hadn't blocked him way back when. He pulls out his phone, hoping to shoot you a text, on the off-chance that maybe you unblocked him at some point maybe?

Me: Hi, Buddy!

is all he types before seeing the tell-tale red messaging, showing that the number is indeed still blocked. Ugh.

Fuck, maybe...maybe he could use a pay phone or something? Just to tell you where your stroller is. But are there even any pay phones anymore?

As it turns out, they do still exist! There's one just on the edge of the market, so Arven makes his way over, pulling out his phone to copy your number once he's in the booth.

Except.

That's not a Paldean area code he sees. It's Kalosian. Yes, it's your name as the contact, and it's your final, nasty message to him there in the texts, but....it's not your number. There's not even a call history that goes back that far for him to try and grab the number that he just can't seem to remember entirely. He used to have it memorized, once upon a time, the two of you having been the other's emergency contact for so long, so he knows he's not crazy. That number...

He realizes on a second glance that the number is affiliated with Bon Applintit. It's got the same starting numbers after the area code.

What the hell happened to--

"Arven!!!!" The cry of his name startles him out of the thought, but he tucks it away for later. There's something very, very off going on, beyond the kid and everything. Which also??? Kinda absolutely bonkers. He's not gonna lie to himself. He also can't think too hard about it.

"Arven!" Nemona pulls him from that dizzying train of thought, as well as the phone booth. "I've been sent to just, uh...grab this from you..." She tells him, awkwardly trying to work her way around him to grab at the stroller's handlebars. "Ya know... Mama and Basil need it and all." She laughs a bit uncomfortably, continuing her attempt to pry the pram from him.

"Basil?" He says out loud, the name punching him harder than any Hitmonchan. His fists clench tighter around the bars.

Nemona slaps a hand over her mouth, allowing Arven to angle the stroller away from her. "Were you not supposed to know? Ah, gosh darn it!"

"I mean--!" He starts defensively. "I guess?! I never knew about...about any of this!" He gesticulates wildly. "When was anyone gonna tell me about Basil, huh? What the hell, Nemona!?"

She gives him a strange look, her lips pursed and brows quirked. "You... You really had no idea?" She crosses her arms, studying Arven's expression. "Hold on."

Nemona takes out her phone and starts texting. Arven does his absolute best to be patient, but with every passing second he's growing more agitated. 

"Okay, listen! Someone has GOT to tell me what's going on!" He eventually bursts. "Who IS this kid? Why does she have him? Why does... I mean, why does the kid look like me? Everyone's been treating me like shit since I got here, and none of it makes any goddamn sense! If anyone cares to hear MY side of the story, she blocked ME! And to my knowledge it was just over a few missed calls! I thought she was just overreacting! I had no idea about any of this!" His anger over it all, over getting shunned by his friends years ago, over Clavell’s insults, comparing him to his father, it all bubbles over, and he’s letting it out on Nemona. 

She hushes him with a sound and a not-so-placating finger, not bothering to even look up as she texts with a single thumb. "Hold on, hold on, hold on..." The patronizing nature of it all pulls a huff from Arven, whose grip on the handles of the strollers is so strong his knuckles go white.

His friend locks the screen and looks back to him. Her gaze is steady and serious, in stark contrast to her typical jovial self.

"Okay. I believe you, amigo. You say you've got no idea what's going on? I'm sorry to hear that. I really, really wish I could just tell you everything. Or at least, what I think is everything? But this isn't really my place. Not my mankey, not my circus. I'm just the mankey's fun tia, y'know?" She tries to lighten the mood a bit, but it absolutely falls short. "But. For real, this isn't the kind of chisme I enjoy. Not when it involves any of you. I'm talking to her now." Nemona shakes the phone in her hand. "I'm gonna see if she's willing to hear you out."

"Hear me out? She was the one--"

"That isn't how anyone here knows the story, Arven. At least what she's been able to bring herself to tell of it. I don't think any of us can claim to know all the details, but do you think she'd lie to make you look bad? Really?"

That seems to give Arven pause. At least long enough for Nemona to check the latest message from you. She smiles.

"She's on her way to the Treasure Eatery and will meet with you there. Be sure to bring the stroller."

--

Arven makes it to the restaurant before you. It isn't really surprising, given your detour to the league building to drop Basil off with Nemona for a bit. He ought to thank his lucky stars for Nemona pleading his case to you, saying he seemed to be genuinely confused and distraught over the situation. Otherwise you wouldn't have bothered. This is...exhausting to think about. Facing him. Trying to figure out what he wants. Why he came.

You won't lie, your initial thoughts as you rushed home with Basil tucked tightly in your arms, shielding him from his father, were rather dark. Was Arven here to try and take him? Did he think he could use your baby as some kind of prop in his social media videos? People go crazy for dads after all.

But, no. If you're honest with yourself (like Nemona urged you to be) that's not the man you knew. You couldn't imagine him becoming someone like that either, especially if he didn't want to be a dad in the first place... Beyond that, if you think rationally for a moment, there isn't a court in the world that would order your toddler son to another country without you.

No, this...this will be safe. It will be scary. To see him again. But. There's no need to think there's danger. It will just be kind of scary. And you can deal with scary, if only for a few minutes. 

"Hey." Your voice sounds drained as you drop your bag on your side of the booth and follow behind it to sit. You want to look at him. Look him in the eye and ask him what his deal is, but you just can't summon that brand of bravery.

"Hey." His tone isn't really discernable; you can't guess what he's thinking. "I, uh...ordered your usual drink. Or...What you used to order? If that's cool?"

Sure enough, there on the tabletop is your go-to drink from the Treasure Eatery, a ring of condensation already formed at the base of the glass, dampening the flimsy cardboard of the disposable coaster.

"Oh." It surprises you, that small bit of thoughtfulness. "Thanks." You take the glass in both hands and sip, letting the frosty cold of it ground you before you finally look up to see him.

He's... He's so much like Basil, it makes a lump form in the back of your throat. The nose, the eyebrows, the bow of his lips. You've seen them all every day for almost two years now in the face of your little boy; things you noticed and adored, now mimicked before you. Beyond that, he's still Arven. Time hasn't changed him too terribly much. For an adult, it hasn't been too long, so it's not like he's suddenly grey and withered before you or something. The biggest difference is how he pulls his hair back into a low ponytail, the patchy stubble around his cheeks and chin. He's either growing it out to try something new or just hasn't bothered with a razor for a while.

"Hey." You finally say. Truth be told, if not for your drink, your throat would've gone dry just seeing him again.

"So..." He starts, leading.

"So...you're back."

"Uh. Yeah. The plan was to spend the weekend clearing out my old storage....and...head back to Lumiose..."

"'The plan was?'" You ask.

"W-Well, I mean... I. I don't think I can just go back now, can I?"

You tense. Why did that feel like an attack? "I don't see why not. You didn't seem to think it was important to, you know, come back before now. What makes you think you have to stay?" Your tone comes off colder, more callous, than your aching heart would otherwise reveal, and it does its job, egging Arven onto frustration.

"I saw Clavell with Basil." He starts, pausing when he notices your flinch at the name. "Then I saw him with you. And... I mean..."

"Oh, so you saw him and now suddenly you care?" You ask, venom dripping more than you'd care to admit.

"What are you saying?!" He grates, volume only as loud as public decorum would allow in the bustling restaurant. "You... You have to be kidding, right? Of course I care! There's... There's a whole kid! Right? Where did he come from, huh? Cuz, like... Those don't just appear! And he's yours, right? He's gotta be! Like, obviously I see my...resemblance, but I see you in him, too!" That surprises you. No one ever found your features in Basil anymore, save for your mom, who made an off-handed comment once or twice about your eye shape or something.

Arven takes your silence as reason to continue "I mean... I've seen my photos from a young age... I..." His anger fizzles out into confusion as he goes on. "I don't want to make assumptions about...about us or what we were? But...looking at that kid, it's gotta be, right? That it was me? That I'm..." He can't say it out loud. "But why? Why didn't you say something? Why did you hide something like that? Cuz, like... I mean...even...even if he were someone else's... I mean, why wouldn't you have said something?"

"Hide it?!" The accusation shocks you into a response. "I never hid anything! I tried telling you for ages, back when you actually picked up the damn phone! You forced me into having to text you about my son! Then you blocked me! I have the receipts, Arven. I don't know what kind of delusion you've got going on in that head of yours, but I never hid my boy from you until I was given reason to! Why would I go out of my way to force a child upon a man who couldn't acknowledge him? Why wouldn't I keep my son safe from someone who didn't have the decency to be there for him? For me?"

Your tone has risen to a point where a few of the surrounding tables have hushed to listen in, and Arven can tell that prying eyes and ears are now on you both. He shuts his eyes and takes a deep breath, an attempt to steady himself, keep from getting more heated in public. 

"Bud." He begins, the old nickname hitting you like a sucker punch. "I never knew. I don't know what happened there, but I promise. I promise on Mabosstiff's life that I had no clue about any of this. I think there had to have been some kinda mix up..." You watch as cogs turn in his head. "I think... I'm thinking maybe something happened with my phone." He says, pulling the device from his pocket. "Like... Lemme just try and make this clear from my end. Okay? I got this text from you..." He starts, tapping the screen. "It was kinda mean, and when I tried to respond, I was blocked." He holds up the conversation for you to read.

>Hey! Sorry we keep missing each other lately! I hope things are okay? Are you staying warm? It's getting kinda cold here.

>can we not do this?

>Not do what?

>"This" i'm getting real fuckin tired of you bailing on me all the time now that your some hot shot kalosian celebrity guy

>Whoa. Where is this even coming from??

>you kno exactly where its coming from, arven. Youve been super shitty to me since you left paldea and it really hurts my feelings.

>I'm sorry? I've been busy here. It's been a lot getting used to a whole new place and a whole new language. I thought you understood that. I really am sorry though.

>y'know what? I dont really care at this point. Ive had enough waiting around for you to call me or text me back. there are guys here who can do better by me

>[One Missed Call]

>[One Missed Call]

>[One Missed Call]

>Are you being serious right now? You can't be. This is a joke?

>[One Missed Call]

>[The number you are trying to reach has been disconnected and is no longer in service.]

Your face pales and stomach sinks as you read it. "Arven, I--"

"I just noticed earlier when I tried calling you about the stroller. That isn't even your number. It's Kalosian. It's... I think it's affiliated with my company? I can't be sure yet, but..." He locks the screen and puts his phone down. "I know now that you never sent those messages, and that somehow I lost everything related to your contact. So...whatever you might've sent...it isn't here. I couldn't have seen it."

With a nearly shaking hand, you grab his phone and open it back up, still remembering his old passcode (Mabosstiff's Pokedex number). "Hold on..." You absolutely sent a message. Whether it was deleted or not... You check his blocked numbers, knowing that on your end, you've been blocked since back when you first told him about the pregnancy. "Yup..." You show him the screen. There among several spam numbers was your own. "You blocked me."

Arven opens his mouth to argue. "Or, I guess," You continue before he has a chance to interrupt. "I was blocked... somehow? I still... I don't see how this could have happened..." You set the phone down and fish out your own from your bag. "Here." It only takes a moment to pull up your old conversations. "You can read for yourself what I tried to tell you."

>Hey! I know this isn't ideal, and I really would have rather said it in person or over a face call or even just a regular call, but I think you need to know, and I'm having a really hard time verbalizing it to you. I'm sorry to do it this way, but it's better to say it now than not at all, right?

>I'm pregnant, and it's yours.

>I'm so, so, SO sorry! I promise I didn't mean for it to happen like this, and I'm not trying to like…baby trap you or something. I swear! You're my best friend in the whole world, and I'm so happy that you can go and live your dream in Kalos right now. But I just feel like you should know? Like you should have a say in what happens here? I'd love to talk to you. Do...do you want to do this? Because....well if you're willing I'd want to try this. With you. But I also know that you're living your dream right now, and I don't want to get in the way of that! I want you to be able to really embrace this new journey you're taking and learn and grow and do wonderful things! But I just wanted you to know, you know? Please don't hate me. Just give me a call when you have a minute, and we can figure this out. Okay?

. Then after several months, you’d sent a picture. Just a simple selfie of you, looking exhausted beyond belief, hair tamped down to your head with sweat, but still smiling. In your arms is a tiny bundle with a little purple hat, face looking squished and wrinkly and perfect. Arven knows exactly what he’s looking at before he’s read your final message.

>He's here. I don't know if you care, necessarily? But... I love him so much, and I don't understand how you couldn't, so I thought I should share.

You watch as Arven tears up, holding your phone like a tiny, precious creature. "I never knew. I... I swear I didn't." He swallows. "My...my team... They all have access to my phone. Something must've... Someone, I guess..." He shudders then looks to you, resolute. "I'll figure it out. But." Arven looks at your hand on the table then flexes his own, curling and uncurling it from a fist. "I... I wanted to know. I should've known. I'm so sorry this happened..."

"Me too..." The anger and fear and sadness you had churning in your gut this whole time slowly begins to still. You don't know how to feel exactly about the misunderstanding, but you know Arven. You know he isn't lying to you, and to hear him apologize for all of this... It's like a weight off of your soul.

Arven pauses, gathering himself then stares you in the eye. "I was supposed to leave tomorrow, head back. Fuck that. I need to be here. I need to see him.”

It's another punch to the gut, and on instinct, you respond. "No."

[ziggyzolch]

Headache Ⅴ (Wanda Maximoff x Reader)

Summary: After 2 months at the compound, you finally get some good news. Warnings: nothin really Previous Chapter

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

❅❅❅

“Got it?” You were bouncing in your seat as Steve concluded the meeting. “Yes!” Jumping up, you speed towards Wanda’s room. You hadn’t used your speed much aside from training since you’d gotten here, but you couldn’t contain your excitement. The meeting had ended 10 minutes ago, actually, but Steve asked you to stay back to tell you something you’d been waiting to hear for ages. ‘Blablabla…allowed on missions…blablabla’.  The stress of your upcoming exam was dulled by your excitement for your first, real mission.

“Jesus! Can’t  you knock?” Wanda yells as you burst into the room, holding a towel up to her chest. With a yelp, you slap your hand over your eyes, rushing back out and closing the door, waiting patiently for her to finish up with a light blush on your face.  Wanda seemed to ease up on you after the Ouija incident, even confessing that she controlled the whole thing. You seemed to be growing on her, despite the teasing. She’d even occasionally buy you coffee, something she randomly started doing after a month of you living at the compound. She had noticed how stressed out you were about all your assignments and upcoming exams, and figured it’d help.

 “Don’t mention it.” She’d roll her eyes and say when you thanked her with a kiss on the cheek. 

 Leaning back on the door, you get lost in your thoughts. Your first, official, mission. After 2 months of training, Steve’s finally letting you go on a mission. Your time at the Avengers Tower so far wasn’t the most exciting. Wake up, train, eat, and study until you pass out on Wanda’s desk. Things were finally about to get interesting-

Wanda watches you fall backwards into her room as she opens the door, laughing at your glare. “You need to stop leaning against the door,” She offers you her hand, which she yanks back just as you were pulling yourself up. “Cunt.” You mutter under your breath, pushing yourself off the ground. 

“What’s got you so excited, speedo?” Wanda asks as she dries her hair.

“Nothin’ much; just that I’m going on my first mission!” You jump up and down..

Wanda raises an eyebrow, “Huh. When? What kind of mission? Are you ready-”

Taken aback, you raise an eyebrow, “Uh, Steve said it was soon.” You scratch the back of your head, “ I don’t know much else, just that it's happening.”

Wanda gets lost in her thoughts as the conversation dies out, walking into the bathroom. You ignore the sudden change in her demeanor. 

The excitement fades as you glance at the pile of books at your desk. College was kicking your ass. School was never an issue for you, being a straight A student up until you graduated, so struggling at your studies was foreign to you and all the stress had been piling up. That, plus your overwhelming homesickness, had been bringing you down the past couple of weeks. Your first exam was in a week, and you felt completely and utterly unprepared. 

A meow coming from under the couch brings you out of your thoughts. You coo, picking up your cat and spinning around, “My baby, my baby. You’re my baby say it to me,” Adjusting your hold on him, you start swaying back and forth. You found him as a kitten shivering under a dumpster towards the end of high school. You were skipping with Peter when you found your adoptive son, and you kept him hidden in school until you could take him home. Your father was not pleased. “My baby, my baby- Ah!” A familiar laugh startles you. 

“Did you birth him or something?” Tony jokes, putting his hands out as you hand him your baby, “I might as well have, he’s my son.” You pout, watching the cat climb onto the man’s shoulder. “What’s his name, anyways?” He asks, bending his arm awkwardly to pet your son.

“Wesker, but my father nicknamed him ‘Little shit’” 

“Like mother like son, amiright?” Tony puts the cat down, scratching his little chin for good measure.

“Ha. Ha. What did you come in here for?”

“Well, speedo,, I heard from a little, 6’2, jacked, bearded birdie that you were going on your first mission soon,” He walks towards the door, urging you to follow him, “I’d like you to help me design your suit-” Tony’s interrupted by your squeal “Yes!” You clear your throat, “I mean, yes of course I’d like to help.” 

“Great. Maybe after this mission I’ll let you have your own room.”

Tony pauses at the door to his lab. He leans in to type in the code, before glancing back at you and putting his hand up to cover the screen. You roll your eyes, he must’ve installed it after your failed heist. 

“Alright, let’s start.”

❅❅❅

“That looks like shit.” Wanda deadpans as you show her the design you came up with. You and Tony discussed the features you’d want for your suit, but he left the aesthetics to you. “What the fart! This is the third one I’ve shown you.” You whine, Wanda raises an eyebrow, “‘What the fart’? Are you 6?” You roll your eyes, “You wouldn’t get it.” The witch chuckles, pushing aside crumpled papers and taking a seat next to you.

“Why is the suit fully green, wouldn’t black make more sense?” 

“I’m not trying to look goffik.”

“Goffik?”

“Never mind.” You have to make her read ‘My Immortal’ later.

The door being pushed open interrupts your conversation. Steve walks in, acknowledging Wanda with a curt nod, before placing a file with ‘CLASSIFIED’ plastered on the front on your desk. “Mission details.” He says before turning and walking out. “Uh, okay…” You mutter, picking up the folder and skimming through.

‘Abandoned Hydra facility, low security. Pick up leftover documents, blueprints, etc. Limited to zero engagement.’ 

Seems easy enough, if not a little boring. The mission was taking place a day before your exam. You probably should’ve mentioned the fact to Steve, but you could deal with it. You can feel Wanda’s presence behind you, reading through the document as well. Wanda mutters something under breath before walking towards the door. “No wait! I still need your help- and she’s gone.” You sigh, pushing yourself off the couch and moving towards the desk. 

Putting your glasses on, you crack your knuckles and stretch your neck. You’re locking in. 

❅❅❅

You’re awoken by a nudge on your shoulder. Lifting your head up, you look at the ruffled papers and pens, your biology textbook on the floor by your foot. “Hey sleepyhead.” Wanda teases, ruffling your hair and placing a cup of coffee next to your laptop. “Hey, thanks.” You lean up, giving her a peck on the cheek. “Don’t mention it.” She smiles. 

You groan, holding your head in your hands. “What’s wrong?” Wanda glances back at you as she takes off her shoes. “This shit is kicking my ass.”  She approaches you, flipping through the various worksheets.

“All the lectures I missed are catching up to me.” You had studied the material at least 5 times by this point, but you still don’t feel like it’s enough.

“Aren’t they recorded?” She picks up your textbook, placing it on the table.

“Yeah, but I can’t focus with videos.” 

“Huh, I never expected you to care about school so much.” She mutters, “Maybe I can help?”

You raise an eyebrow, ignoring the subtle jab, “How?”

“I could quiz you, or something. Maybe research some new studying methods you could try?”

“Oh, yeah. Smart!” You light up, “But later. My eyes are starting to cross.”

Wanda giggles, patting your shoulder and walking towards the couch.

“I’m joining the mission.” Your eyebrows shoot up at Wanda’s statement.

“Why? Is it more dangerous than I thought?”

“No, no. Nothing like that, just wanted to see how you’d do, and maybe make fun of you if you mess up.”

“Oh. Okay,” You don’t think too much of it, having been used to her teasing by now, “Who else is going?”

“Bucky and Natasha, maybe Pietro. Steve won’t be there, so Natasha’s in charge.”

You nod, standing up and pulling out the spare blanket and pillow. Wanda stops you before you can place them on the floor, “You can sleep on the couch, if you’d like.” Your eyes widen, “Really?” The witch rolls her eyes, “Yes, idiot.” Picking them up, you place them onto the couch, “One day, those eyes will roll back so far they’ll never come back down.” She lightly punches your shoulder, “Don’t make me take it back.” You put your hands up in surrender as Wanda walks towards the window. You always take a nap around this time. Wanda thinks that if not woken up, you could sleep till judgment day. 

She sets up an alarm for you to make sure it doesn’t happen. You never asked about it, figuring she set it for herself and that you happened to benefit from it. Before you could tuck yourself in, Wanda asks, “I found a polaroid of you and your father in the drawer. How come you never talk about him?” You sigh, turning away from her, “Nothing really. Just distance.” 

Wanda knows there’s more to it, but she won’t read your mind to find whatever information you left out. The witch closes the blinds and picks up your worn out teddy bear from the floor, placing it next to you and walking towards the door. Turning, she glances at you, snuggled up on her couch, already asleep. Maybe sharing a room with you wasn’t all that bad.

❅❅❅

Next Chapter

-

A/N: hello again. kinda long authors note but i got a lot to say.

i went back and changed a few minor things in the other chapters, mainly grammar and spelling errors.

one major thing i changed was becca to kate bishop. It felt out of place for her to be there tbh, figured itd be better to have an already established character.

also in the last chapter i accidentally left in ‘quinn’. She was another character that i put in that i ended up scrapping, but forgot to remove that mention of her.

Also, I know a lot of my followers came from my regina fic, so if you guys are reading this and want a new regina fic, give me some suggestions!

Sorry for the super long wait. Summer break started so new chapters coming!

Also, is there any character in particular you guys would like to see? Or any already introduced character youd like R to interact more with? Tell me bout it. tbh i’d love to hear any suggestions you guys have for the story.

Comment if you'd like to be added to the tag list. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed!

Tags: @sgm616 @gabby-duhh @le3-r1n @unicorniusfallapatorius @ayoungexwife @anaaam

[anonymous-existences]

Chapter 16 : Wishes and Requests

A Much More wholesome Chapter compared to the last one. Have fun :3 I tried to make this as long as possible for Vibes.

[𝚆𝚊𝚢𝚗𝚎 𝙼𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚛, 𝙾𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚋𝚎𝚛 17, 10:00 𝙰𝙼]

Bruce and Vlad were facing each other in Bruce's Office, Vlad looks like a mess, not too much but his neck was littered with Hickeys that were badly covered with a rushed makeup foundation, he was obviously In a hurry when Bruce Wayne of all people called him over for an urgency meeting regarding Danny and Dante.

Concerning for Vlad's Ears but now that he looks at the situation he sounds more relieved that it's nothing serious, Vlad has an assistant with him who he insisted stay due to reasons he can't disclose. He was a tall pale man with Pure White hair and Red Eyes, one being blind having an odd scar on it which Bruce didn't question.

The "assistant" staring at Vlad Masters almost lovingly and Vlad Visibly avoiding said gaze of the Assistant, Bruce cleared his throat, "You sir is Danny's Foster and God Father Yes? Sir Vladimir Masters?" Bruce finally speaks up which got the Man's Attention, "Yes and Please just Vlad is Fine."

He crosses his legs now his expression a more serious tone, "I don't suppose this... Discussion Is of anything bad they have done... Perhaps...?" Vlad Squints his eyes suspiciously as he picked up the cup of tea in the table Infront of him and takes a light sip. "Ofcourse not Vlad, I was just hoping to get your permission to ask Danny James to be my W—" Vlad cuts him off with a light clink of his teacup on the table.

"I knew That you Mr. Wayne is someone who's into.. adopting wards due to stuff of your past. But truly I did not expect you to set eyes on Our Daniel. But do know that yes! You can ask him but his decisions is for himself, he will decide whether he wants to be your Ward-esque adopted son." Vlad states sternly with an obvious Business Formal Smile.

The Assistant Behind Him looked very pleased, his grin was cheeky and smug as if he knew what's going to happen next... Eerie that he feels as though he's being watched intently and Cautiously at the same time by the servant. Bruce nods at Vlad's statement, "But my Dante Is MY biological son, thus he's mine." Vlad states with a slight tone of threat, "Ofcourse! I won't take him from you nor will I ever try, after all he IS dating my Son Jason now isn't he?" Bruce chuckled in his Playboy type of persona.

"Is that all sir Wayne? Because if so I must tell you that I believe some.. of your wards has been eavesdropping on us by the door. " Vlad states finishing his tea. "This is such exquisite Tea, you should learn how to make something like this Chron." {Nickname he gave to Clockwork for Public Appearances) Vlad eyes his assistant and he merely smiles sweetly.

Bruce looked at the door and soon heard footsteps rumbling running and Bruce excuses himself and heads out of the door. He saw Jason, Tim, Damian and Dick Trying to Play Casual And walking side by side together. "Boys." Bruce says strongly with a deep voice.

"SCATTER!" Damian yells and uses his grapple hook to pull himself up to the next Floor, Jason Running for the window and Jumping out without hesitation, Dick Diving down the flight of stairs as if it's water and Tim running for one of the rooms and locking it before he entered the vents and Crawled. Bruce just facepalms and pinches the bridge of his nose, Stress. But soon his stressed expression was interrupted by a chuckle of One Vlad Masters.

"Children Amiright..? Atleast yours don't paint your hair as you sleep or get it tangled with ribbons and glitter." Vlad says as if just truly used to seeing and experiencing chaotic Kids.

Ellie and Dante are truly chaotic kids, Danny being the Last Logical Voice of Reason taking after Jazz with his method of WWJD or In long terms "What Would Jazz Do?" Which is quite amusing for Vlad to see calculate Danny trying to calm down the two chaos demons from hell—. Cough.

"I wish you luck in your future endeavors and if Danny does wish to become a part of your ward hopefully he also uses his Methods of Calculation on how to settle them down... Just like Jazz.." Vlad muttered with soft endearing eyes and closes them before fixing his tie and hair. "I must leave now sir Wayne." Vlad says and bows politely before walking out whilst also saying thank you to Alfred for The amazing tea he had prepared.

Considering that he is that Odd Meta, Dante Master's Father he would most likely become In-laws obviously due to how Dante and Jason are settling with each other, determined to be with each other through marriage as well. Hopefully he's not as weird.. or dangerous as Dante.

(HE WISHES—)

"I THINK I BROKE A WRIST AND MAYBE ALSO A RIB!" Dick yelled from across the hall from where he DIVEBOMBED FROM THE SECOND TO THE FIRST FLOOR. Alfred sighs and Grabbing his medkit and going to Dick and Bruce just sighs. How does Vlad Handle it? Two Chaos Demons? Damn.

Bruce just thought to himself as he walked to the MEDBAY in the Batcave where Danny is Resting from his injuries, Where a Yeti who they found out is named Frostbite is caring for the "little Ghost Prince" or "the Great One". "Hello there Frostbite..." Bruce greets the giant who was entertaining Cassandra by letting her sit on one of his shoulders. "Ah! Good morning little one." He says with a gentle voice of caring. "I sensed Plasmius's Presence, I suppose you finally had the "Adoption" talk with him?" Frostbite asks nicely as he checks on Danny's Vitals.

"Yes your recommendations to converse with him about it is quiet recommendable as he told what he needed to say... He looked quite tired. I wonder why?" Bruce says as he sits beside Danny's Bed, Frostbite chuckles.

Bruce doesn't remember when he got casual and dropped his guard around the Big Yeti but he was no danger at all unless unprovoked as Dante reassured him, unlike the Fright Knight Ghost, Frostbite had a more chilling yet soft presence that calmed nearly everyone down essentially making him a giant teddy bear for the Batfam and He and Alfred seem to also get along quite well which added more the calmness factor for the ever so Cautious Family of Genius Detectives Batfam Wayne's.

"Plasmius is possibly a mess because he is an Ancient's consort! Or husband as humans like to call it in this era!" Frostbite says as he Replaces Danny's Ectoplasm IV bag with a newer one. "Husband? His husband is a god?" Bruce asks just surprised and shocked genuinely and Frostbite just nods happily.

Bruce stared at the thin fragile boy in the bed Infront of him, "How is he doing? Will he wake up soon?" Bruce asks as Frostbite gently places Cass on his Lap who was still sleeping, "He'll be able to wake up soon as long as we are consistent with the Great One's Treatment!" Frostbite reassures him, Bruce couldn't help but bring himself to smile tho small but still a smile nontheless.

It's been a long time since something warmed his heart or something made him or his family this Calm, for the first time in so long no one was forced to come together but instead they all willingly gathered for Dinner Waiting for Danny to wake up. It's like something made them care for the boy more than they would for others.

Truly it was an odd feeling but Bruce liked it as it brought the family together.

Makes even the Bat's Heart Cry.

[𝚅𝚕𝚊𝚍 𝙿𝙾𝚅, 𝚃𝚎𝚌𝚑𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚂𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚂𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝙲𝙾𝚄𝙶𝙷]

"Uhm, excuse me, I'm here behind in the backseat. Clockwork. STOP TOUCHING MY FATHER!" Dante yells clearly pissed That Clockwork who was driving was Touching... Stuff... Well, he was touching Vlad's Thigh specifically and squeezing. "Gasp. You called me your father for the first time!" Vlad rejoiced mentally and Dante just Clicked his tounge in annoyance as Clockwork looked even more smug and Cheeky. "You Bastard! Get your hands of my Dad! Stop this shit. DO IT IN PRIVATE!!" Dante yells again covering his eyes and Face overall.

"Hmmm... I'll think about it.... No I won't." Clockwork continues to Caress Vlad's Thigh. "I DID NOT NEED TO KNOW THAT MY MENTOR IS FUCKING MY GODDAMNED DAD!! THIS IS THE WORST!!" Dante groaned and Banging his head on his seat, "I need brain bleach hehe—" Ellie says trying to mask her pain as well, seeing your Dad Be Gay and Zesty with another man Infront of you is a universal Second Hand Embarrassment and Humiliation that the two did not want to see, hear or feel. "Please stop." Ellie tries to plead Clockwork, "Yes Chronos, St—" Vlad was cut off by Clockwork Chuckling, "I like it when you call my by my first Name..." He licks his lips and Dante screams.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! STOOOOOPP!! THIS IS SO EMBARRASSING, THIS IS TORTURE!!" He yells still groaning endlessly and Growling as he chewed on a Chewtoy that Vlad had bought for him when he gets too angry. "I DONT WANNA SEE THIIIIS!!!" Ellie yells with Dante, both annoyed and Groaning and now fighting each other for the Chew Toy.

Vlad sighs and rests his face on his hand clearly used to this chaos based by how relaxed he is. "Sometimes the reasons I miss Jasmine is because of these Hell Spawns... Please do not ever get along with Damian Wayne..." He pinches the bridge of his nose in Fatherly Agony.

Clockwork still kept squeezing his thigh and sliding his hand on a part that's private so Vlad slaps his hand, "Too Far." Vlad states and Clockwork laughs in amusement. "Everything will be In place as how it should be Darling Plasmiu—" Clockwork was cut off my Ellie's Screech. Dante gave up and gave her his chewtoy. Clockwork just clears his throat and kept driving.

"Everything soon will make sense and you'll see that the Little Ghost Prince will be happy with a family that'll love him unconditionally and raise him... The Former Queen Regent Jasmine would be happy although she would probably hit me with the Iconic Phantom Creepstick™ if she ever found out the Methods I used is not her ideal choices." Clockwork giggled teasingly and Amusingly, knowing Jazz in the afterlife or in her reincarnation would burn him alive if she ever found out what he did to Danny, it was Amusing still.

Time will always line up the missing pieces and his plan will settle itself the way he wants it to.

Patience is all It needs. And a little bit of Time Interference.

Hehe.

Dan Phantom and Ellie is my Soul Animal.

Totally Feral AND Insane.

[gaslightgatekeepgirlbosscombat]

Group F, Round 3, Poll 4:

Propaganda under the cut

Tsurumi Tokushirou

in two words: "it's love". I was already insane about this guy but this line. just wow. the context is a flashback in which Tsurumi has been away fighting in the Sino-Japanese war and is now telling his dojo master that even trained soldiers are typically reluctant to kill another person and many will only pretend to fire their weapons. he spent a long time considering how you convince them to overcome that before figuring it out. "the motivating force that can bring out the aggressiveness in your soldiers... it isn't hatred of the enemy troops, nor is it fear... it isn't even a difference in political ideals. [what is it then?] it's love". this man is *surrounded* by soldiers who will do anything for him and you slowly see through multiple flashbacks just how much he has been pulling strings for *years* to make them love him. this particular flashback involves two fourteen year olds fighting over his attention until one of them kills the other and tsurumi helps cover up the murder and tells the murderer how *of course you have always been my favourite*. that kid goes on to work under him and when tsurumi draws on his face as a punishment he gets the drawings tattooed on so they stay forever. in another case he orchestrates the kidnapping of a different 14yo son of a navy commander by "Russians" (his loyal subordinates) and then pulls off a dashing rescue, earning the livelong military support of the dad and a major crush from the son. this kid chooses to go to army route rather than follow his dad into the navy, specifically because of tsurumi who he also ends up working for. he can't speak comprehensibly to tsurumi and edits himself into photos of him. case 3: while a soldier is away at war he crush appears to commit suicide by drowning in the sea. upon finding out that his dad told her he wasn't coming back, he beats him to death and ends up on death row. I forget exactly what info is revealed when but a) the woman is alive and tsurumi helped her move to Tokyo and get married, b) tsurumi planted fake bones under tsukishima's father's house to frame him for her murder, c) this then allowed tsukishima to be freed from jail, as long as he agreed to work for tsurumi as a Russian translator (he doesn't speak Russian at the time), d) tsukishima doesn't know all of this initially but tsurumi sets things up so he overhears a convo that reveals some of it so that he can know exactly what lengths tsurumi went to and feel even more in his debt, e) tsukishima later realises that conversation was set up and its purpose but *even with that knowledge* and being probably the character most aware of Tsurumi's manipulations, the pull is too strong and he will follow him to the ends of the earth. literally his only goal in life now is to have front row seats to the Tsurumi Theatre, which btw involves chasing convicts around to obtain their skins, wiping out entire prison populations and invading parts of Russia. he sometimes blames his erratic actions on the brain damage caused by a mortar shell to the forehead but he was doing all the same things before that, just more quietly. he knows *exactly* what he's doing and has everything planned out in detail

that post by @temp-propaganda because no way I can fit that all in propaganda section

Goncharov

He spends the entire film lying to and manipulating as many people as possible to achieve his ultimate goal (Katya is an obvious example; her having enough of that is a driving force behind their breaking relationship), and also including himself (insisting that he doesn't like Andrey when they're basically about to kiss anytime they're on screen). Also Gaslight Gatekeep Goncharov amiright

[sir-yeehaw-paws]

Sequence 9 deserves its own post.

O YEA THIS IS THE BEST SHIT EVER.

THE WAY HAYTHAM JUMPS HIM FROM THE RAFTERS

Technically, dad. Aren't these your first words..?

WHAT is this grin Haytham WHAT IS THIS FACE-

HOW'S THAT FOR AN INTRODUCTION-

OH their dialogue is golden.

Haytham even calls it banter please.

EVERY SINGLE TIME CONNOR WANTS TO SPARE SOMEONE HAYTHAM SHOOTS THEM INSTEAD.

We love us some hereditary eagle vision amiright fellas.

OH GEE THANKS DAD!

He takes charge almost by default it's amusing as it is annoying *for Connor*

The way they can scale the roof tops together completely side by side without a single delay from either of them is really awesome.

I cannot get over the way the rapport was written from the word 'go' it's like they don't even MEAN to banter it just HAPPENS this way it's SO FUCKIN' FUNNY.

WHEN HE INTRODUCED CONNOR AS HIS SON HE LOOKED SO STUNNED.

Connor like "DID I HEAR THIS RIGHT??"

And..I never want to hear someone describe someone's mother as 'forest fruit' ever fucking again what the actual hell.

(Yes I'm aware it's period typical racism, and accurate racism depiction but DAMN)

Damn, Haytham's face when Connor tells him about Ziio..I get the sense that, even for as far off the deep end he's gone, he was being honest here.

Which, I do believe he's being completely honest. But as Connor rightfully points out:

Haytham's regrets don't change that. Nothing is going to change what Connor has to live with. The truth of what happened.

HAYTHAM. shsjsakjsdankasdknsakj-

Dad, if you keep getting in my stuff about my sailing I WILL be throwing you overboard.

..And he took Benjamin PERSONALLY.

Well! Suit yourself then.

ENJOY HELL.

"Good job on the assassinating m'boy" (Couldn't decide which cap I like better, uploaded both)

Aww Connor apologizing to Achilles. And he's got that shiny idealism again. And it's so damned EARNEST. The man genuinely has a good heart but the world is content to just keep STOPPING ON IT. And telling Connor it's bad to have one. Everyone has told him so too. But he hasn't lost hope yet and to be honest I sort of hope that he never does. He deserves to have that thread of happiness in him.

And honestly, even though we know this only has one outcome (tragedy) there's that earnest hopefulness in Connor that, if they did just work together they could be allied. And he could appreciate his dad properly. And Haytham him in turn. Obviously that's just not going to happen: given the fact Haytham continues to ally with Lee even though he burned Connor's mother alive. And that their ideals are just too opposed, it's still painful to see Connor having that spark. It's something he'd deserve but AGH.

Probably not, but Connor's hope here is endearing as it is tragic.

(Obviously he has a perfectly suitable father figure in Achilles, but the peace glasses that Connor wears make it so that yeah, this is automatically going to be something he wants-and who could blame him?) even knowing the inevitable of it all.

ANYWAY THIS WAS AS FUNNY AS IT WAS HEARTBREAKING I'M IN SHATTERS, TATTERS.

[flufallo]

What I think of JD ships

Jackson x exer- if you ship this you might want to get your brain checked...

Jackson x pamela- this ship is actually so underrated

David x exer- who doesn't like this ship?

David x ron- no. There just friends

Pamela x brenda- again, just friends.

Brenda x ken- I think this ship is quite cute, and it's canon (kinda?)

Brenda x jolie- I can see why this might be a good ship, but imo they don't rlly speak much so idk I'm a brenlie neutralist (if that's what it's called lmao)

Brenda x nobody- yessss, Brenda should stay a single Pringle and she would rock every second of it

Ron x timothy- words cannot describe how much I love romothy. even though I know Ron is canonly asexual, I still love it and have hope for it existing 🙏

Jackson x ken- ... Now I think about it, it does make sense... I mean, ken does flirt with Jackson left right and centre, but, then again, he does that for everyone

Ricky x marty- for some bizarre reason I like this ship. It's probably BC it's pretty funny and ironic lmao

W!ll!am X linda- Linda, sweetie. Dump his ass. Go find someone who is nice. Not the fugly ginger rat

W!ll!am x electric chair- omg there a perfect match 🥹. Whos coming to the wedding? (it's also the funeral as well)

Christine X harry- idk, its ok- ISH, but it would be quite weird to be with the mother/ father of your son's boyfriend...

Mariah x norman- these 2 have FR got something going on

Kevin x rubbish chute from willy Wonka's factory- omg yessss they have such good chemistry

W!ll!am x electric chair x rubbish chute from ww's factory- the perfect threesome amiright?

[inkyquince]

how does the dad know were fucking wren?!? because he seemed liked he knew. did someone tell him (does he have like spies among the farmhands??) or maybe he stumbled upon a scene in the stables (probs would jerk himself to it, like father like son amiright) ?

Oh, he knows. Whispers and also he has access to Niki's Red Room and got an eyeful. He knows what goes on under his roof, he hears Wren in reader's room every now and then.

[alea-says]

H50, Season 4, episode 15 thoughts...

Steve has gone with Danny to pick up his parent's from the airport. Just BFF things, amiright?

And Danny's mom is expecting Steve. No surprise to her that her son's husband friend is there.

Why do ppl always put bodies in walls? Aren't they worried about the smell?

Lol. Danny's mom wants to know why Steve is driving.

Steve: we have an arrangement

Danny calling Steve family, happy to talk about his parent's divorce with Steve there.

Steve so eager to get away he literally runs off.

I half expected there to not be a crime scene.

But I suppose they did find a guy in the wall.

Of course Danny has left 19 other messages. How many messages does he leave Steve if his bff doesn't pick up straight away

Danny is gonna cook! Been waiting for this as I've been reliably spoiled that he cooks but I think this is the first time we actually see him cook.

Danny asking Steve to call so he can get away. Their whole conversation.

Danny: please just say yes

Steve: okay

And his smile!

Danny so worried that Steve says Danny's mom is attractive. It's okay, Danny, he's speaking objectively, your man's only got eyes for you.

Also, their relationship 😍 that they can go from yelling at each other to serious conversation and advice in seconds.

Poor Grover.

That is some good acting there.

Aww. Danny. Worried about Grace having make-up. His overprotective dadness is showing.

Aww. Danny and his mom having a good convo.

For once it wasn't Steve smashing through the window. Go Chin!

Oh, Kono's been attending the Steve McGarrett school of how to make perps talk.

Also really liked Steve's speech to the reporter.

Aww. Grace busted for reading when she's meant to be sleeping.

Their father/daughter relationship is so beautiful.

[angelkitty54]

So, I was rewatching some God of War 4 playthroughs and was suddenly hit with another rottmnt AU idea (coz I've got turtle brain right now I guess). Also inspired by all the different Separated AU art 'n' stuff floating around. So yeah, this be a separated au.

Right so! Splinter manages to escape Draxum's lab with all 4 turtles, but a couple of years later, when the boys are still toddlers, he is found and attacked (probably by the Foot? Maybe also by Big Mamas people? IDK yet) and during all the chaos the boys are lost/stolen. The only one he was able to save is Leo.

Raph somehow ends up underground, stumbling into the Hidden City where he wanders the streets homeless for a time before being found by Big Mama. Savage Raph be fighting in the Battle Nexus.

Mikey is taken by the Foot and raised to be an assassin (maybe trained under Tiger Claw?) joining their quest to resurrect the Shredder.

Donnie is swept away down a storm drain and believed to have drowned. But somehow or another (haven't fully figured it out yet) ends up as part of the Purple Dragons gang. Except they're a proper gang here and not just a small group of delinquent teens.

Thing is, during those first few years together, Splinter encountered and eventually befriended a young woman by the name of Tang Shen. Having recently lost her own baby girl, she found comfort in helping Splinter with his own children. Tho she did not know what they really were for a long time, as he kept his distance and she turned a blind eye to anything strange (New York, what a town, amiright?). Eventually she did find out tho, but by then they had gotten to be close friends despite everything.

After the attack, a badly injured Splinter went to Tang Shen for help. Realising they were still being hunted, Splinter decided to leave in order to protect his one remaining son, but Tang Shen insisted on staying with them. The three ultimately end up leaving the city altogether and moving out to a property on in the country. Which is how Leo comes to grow up in a relatively isolated cabin in the woods.

At first Splinter made many trips back to search for his lost sons, but as time passed without any sign of them, he eventually gave up hope. Focusing instead on keeping his one remaining son safe. Tang Shen however always maintained the hope that they would all be reunited one day.

Despite everything they had lost, the three did live happily together for many years. Until Leo was about 10-11 years old and Tang Shen fell sick and never recovered. Losing her was a heavy blow for father and son. Things taking a turn for the worst when their enemies finally track them down shortly thereafter. This be the part where I picture Splinter fighting off the foot soldiers all Dad of War style like: "LEAVE. MY. HOME!!!"

With their home no longer safe they are forced to gather up what they can and leave. This is when Leo discovers one last gift for him among Tang Shen's belongings. Matching scarves for him and brothers, each with their names embroidered on them, and a journal. Turns out Tang Shen had been investigating the other's whereabouts of her own, and tho she had no definitive proof, she had found some leads. The journal had all her findings as well as a message for Leo that inspires him to try and find his long lost brothers and reunite his broken family.

Convincing Splinter that the city would be the best place to hide the pair finally return to New York, making their new home hidden away in the sewers. Knowing his overprotective father would freak if he knew what he was doing, Leo begins his own investigations in secret, picking up where Tang Shen left off. During his search he encounters and befriends April who joins him on his quest. And 2 years or so later, the pair accidentally stumble across what they'll soon come to find is their biggest lead yet: a strange blue and yellow dog thingy...

[timewontwait]

like father like son, amiright?

[justsomeoneunordinary]

i love that we got this whole flashback with son goku and his previous jinchuuriki who was the first human to treat him like an intelligent being instead of a monster, but we never once got a flashback of how mito became the very first jinchuuriki ever and how that must've been for her

i love that we got a whole founders flashback and where hashirama talks abt his and madara's story in detail but not once does mito, his wife, even get mentioned and funny enough, there are no women during the flashback except for a standstill image of touka whose name we only know thanks to the data books

i love that during the chuunin fight all fights got shown, some longer, some shorter, except for the temari and tenten fight where all we got was a "30mins" later and then a cut to tenten laying defeated over temari's fan (anime addition doesn't count)

i love that jiraya is a badass in his 50s and that his age doesn't hinder his shinobi skills, but that tsunade, who's the same age, is super vain and uses a jutsu to appear as if she was in her 20s (with big boobs she's fine to show off) and the few times her jutsu falls all we see is her hand that kishi drew like she was 1000yo and not merely in her 50s

i love that 2 out of 5 hokage are women and both love to show off their deep cleavage and one of them is obsessed with marriage and pretty boys, while the other male kage all are of different ages and despite their ages show how strong and capable they are

i love that during the grief/revenge arc shikamaru got to shine and defeated hidan all on his own, while ino (and chouji) were useless against kakuzu and just standing there while kakashi was there to save them (and then naruto)

i love that neji got a whole arc, got to talk to hiashi, got to change to instead of succumb to his fate and try to actively change the clan, while we never got hinata's view on any of that at all, but hey, at least she grew and got really pretty and has now massive boobs so that naruto's final love interest is aestethically more pleasing bc that's all that matters amiright

i love that none of the medics are male (random no-name background characters that all look the same don't count) and only female (tsunade, sakura, rin, chiyo etc)

i love that we got some background info on the parents' of konoha 12, but only the fathers are cool fighters (shikaku, chouza, inoichi, fugaku etc), while the mothers are all housewives happy in their roles (yoshino, mikoto, kushina) - except for tsume who is made fun of her brash personality and that this is the reason her husband ran off

i love that all shinobi and kunoichi have cool and practical outfits, except for kushina whose outfit is literally an apron bc she's just naruto's mum that's all there to it

look, credit where credit is due - kishi writes women still SO much better than a fuckton lot of other male mangakas. when sarutobi died, jiraya was considered as hokage but he said he knows someone better for that job; and that someone is a woman in her 50s who can crumble mountains, is loud and brash and a drunkard and gambler - and doesn't even stop being any of that even after becoming hokage. she continues being loud and punches stuff and drinks a lot! and she's loved by the village! she shows madara who's boss and srsly if he hadn't been edo tensei'd and therefore unkillable, she would've obliterated him. that's huge actually!

sakura is shy and sometimes naive but she's also smart and she comes out of her shell and she becomes strong and independent (in theory), and she learns not to focus on romance and looks so much, but still keeps the feminine side of her while being loud and proud!

shikamaru is defeated by a girl and saved by another one who defeats the girl easily and cockily and he stops being an airhead!

kishi also draws the women and girls well. these gals look their age and wear age appropriate outfits that are practical to fight with, instead of some skimpy outfits (*cough* that one cover of sarada from boruto *cough*) and the women with the big breasts at least look normal and anatomically correct, instead of being firm and bouncy

but the problem is that he created such amazing, well-thought out, sometimes downright iconic male characters, that in comparison all his female characters pale, despite leagues ahead of the female characters from other shounen mangas

and i generally agree with the post "i don't care how bad naruto is - it has heart" bc yeah, i wouldn't be here if that weren't the case. but sometimes it gets incredibly frustrating when i think of all the potential these gals and women had and never got bc kishi couldn't be bothered to at least try

i'm sorry i'm still not over the fact that kishi couldn't fit sakura's parents anywhere in the manga, so he gave the creative rights over to sp, but he had plenty of space to fit in a catholic background for kabuto, which we all clearly needed thank god

it's also so important he included the hanzo vs. mifune fight and gave them a whole backstory but the girl from suna whose name i don't rmbr anymore sorry vs. her dead sensei pakkura only got a single shocked "sensei!" and nothing more bc uuuhhhh,,,,, plot reasons. they're just some unimportant background characters whereas hanzo and mifune aren't

i think it's sooo cool how team 7 became the new legendary sannin but only naruto and sasuke got god-like powers and it was kakashi who actively helped against kaguya without god-powers and even formed a whole ass susannoo deapite not being an uchiha while sakura. got to punch kaguya once (1) (which was not even needed in that situation either)

i think it's so interesting how bee had this sad backstory with that dude from the turtle island, but the backstory of kurosutchi (?) and deidara and the kind of relationship they had considering she calls him deidara-nii is clearly not relevant to the plot, please be realistic

konan could obv not be brought back with edo tensei bc she blew herself up to the smithereens and nothing was left of her anymore but deidara could be brought back bc.... uhm. hm. bc he clearly did not completely blow himself up nope

these are all perfectly reasonable explanations and have clearly all to do with plot and absolutely nothing with the fact that they're women nope

[frogocado]

A Golden Labyrinth of Noise Part 3 (Damien Haas au)

Bet you guys didn’t think you’d be getting a playlist and a new chapter! Wahoo, welcome to family angst town, population: Damien, his father, and all of us. Please let me know your feedback or if you’d like to be added on the tag list to know when new chapters are posted. I also follow the tag for my username and the “prince!damien au” tag. Thanks for reading!

Tag list: @latenlghtdevil, @star-mum Start from the beginning here. 

3.  Family Matters

The first time the prince had attempted to escape from the castle, it was the day after his sixth birthday. He had (very poorly) tried to give Healer Johnson the run around, having pointed the opposite direction of the apothecary and said, “What’s that then?” When Healer Johnson had turned around, Damien was scrambling out the door and into the gardens.

Jovenshire found him after he had heard a big thump on top of the hedges. He had abandoned his sheers and rounded the corner where the prince lay crumpled on top of the highest hedge, his palms and fingers filled with brambles.

The fifth time happened only a few hours after the Queen and Damien’s tutor had tried to have an intervention with the boy. He was eleven and the King had wanted to take him to his first diplomacy meeting with the boy’s uncle, thinking maybe some mock politics would ease him into being a prince. He had unsuccessfully tried to saddle a horse, who immediately began to shriek and kick when the prince struggled with the leather saddle.

While Damien’s repeated escape attempts always seemed to disappoint the Queen, the King admired his son’s persistence, even if it was ill-placed. “What will happen when he’s older?” She demanded one evening when the King had refused to speak about it. “When he comes of age and it’s time for business?”

“He’s just enthusiastic is all, my love,” the King had tried to soothe his wife, but after twenty years of marriage, he still had never learned that smothering her flames only made them burn brighter and hotter.

“When has enthusiasm ever been good for the throne?” She had countered. When the King didn’t respond, she had retreated to the library to write.

But now, as the King had just entered Damien’s royal chambers with two books tucked into his robes, he could only see his wife’s face in his mind’s eye, a triumphant, “I told you so,” lacing her smile.

The first thing he noticed was that the newest member of the guard was nowhere to be found. Carefully stepping forward, he left the books on Damien’s desk before approaching the bed. “My son?” He asked, a hand reaching out to push away the covers.

He noticed twine pulled tight from the edge of the cotton, up to the high headboard above it. A lump of pillows surged upward and the King stepped back quickly, startled. When the blanket fell back into place, the pillows settled back against the mattress. The King exhaled a sigh from the tension in his throat and pulled the bit of paper that was peeking out from underneath the blanket. With shaking script, the letter read, “King Haas, here is my unofficial resignation letter. Upon returning, I will be ready to either be hung or turn in an official document. Regardless of the outcome, know that my loyalty is to you, your family, and this kingdom. – Knight Shayne Topp of the Royal Guard”

The King read it a second time, then a third. A light breeze moved through the room and he glanced toward the window. It wasn’t fully closed. He moved across the room and pulled it open, gazing out at the linen ladder discarded across the roof. The King wasn’t sure whether to laugh or rage, lowering himself down onto the window sill to sit.

The door to the chambers burst open half past an hour later. The prince was donning something frayed and canvas while Knight Topp was carrying his chainmail over his shoulder. The two men—boys, the King thought—were both laughing and jovial. King Haas stood as they entered, his chest surging forward as he working the kink out of his back from sitting dormant for so long. Damien noticed him first, his face faltering as his chin rose. “Father,” he said gently, a question lining the end of the word.

Knight Topp immediately dropped to his knee, eyes cast down onto the floor. “Your Highness.” His voice was barely above a whisper, quaking as if the King would take a blade to his neck right then.

“Glad to see both of you are safe and sound. I brought books for you since you were feeling so ill, Damien,” the King responded, keeping his gaze fixed on his son. “But I see that you’re well now.”

“I am, thank you,” Damien bowed his head to his father. When he straightened again, there was a beat of silence that fell over the room. “Father—“

The King held up a hand, halting Damien—his son, his heir—immediately. “Knight Topp,” his voice rumbled like a wave breaking at shore. “You are dismissed. Please wait for me in the corridor.”

“Yes, your Highness,” Knight Topp rose to his feet, his eyes still on his iron boots as he left the chamber.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Damien rolled his eyes, dropping into the upholstered chair near the door. He gave a haphazard glance to the small stack of books his father had brought before his gaze wearily fell onto his father again. To his surprise, the King didn’t look at all disappointed. Instead, he almost looked sad. The King clasped his hands behind his back and began to pace the space between the main chamber and Damien’s bed chamber, eyes moving from the prince to the marbled tiles.

“Father?” Damien prompted and the King stopped pacing, eyes landing on the prince’s face.

“May I ask you a question, Damien?”

Damien scrunched his face in confusion, but shrugged. It was better than a lecture. “I suppose, Father, but—“

The King entered the main chamber again and sat on the couch, hand absentmindedly tracing the rectangle cover of the books. “Do you consider me to be a good man? A good father?”

Damien was silent for a full rest and a half before he began to open his mouth, still unsure of what to say or how to respond. He looked away from the King and toward the door, wondering when it would be a good time to mention Knight Topp. “Answer the question, son,” the King encouraged in a soft tone and Damien looked at the man across from him again.

Damien choked on the words that were forming in his throat before he closed his mouth again. He looked at his father, the King, his king and maker—the man that was his reflection of himself, the version of who Damien could be. Their eyes were the same, as was their affinity for mischief and adventure. He recalled a memory from when he was a boy, sitting atop the counter of Master Healer Johnson’s apothecary as Master Gardener Ovenshire and a sturdy ghost of Damien’s late uncle fenced each other with spare sets of sheers. Everyone was laughing, but his father, perched on the counter next to him, the hardest. The King always laughed the hardest.

“Yes,” Damien answered in a whisper, wondering why his father would ever doubt such a thing. He began to ask about Knight Topp but his father began to speak again.

“And tell me,” the king folded one leg over the other and leaned back. “Would you be this insufferable I were a cruel man and a hard father?”

Damien laughed at this. “Probably more so,” he responded without having to think.

Damien’s father almost smiled at this, but his eyes seemed far sadder and darker than Damien had ever seen them to be. “One more question before we get down to business, as it were.” He paused, glancing around his son’s room before eyes landing on his son. “Why do you insist on disobeying your family? Do you not care about our reputation, what could have happened to you?”

It took so much for the prince to disagree with the idea that all of this was simply one question, but he bit his tongue, seeing what appeared to be hurt and concern cross over his father’s features. Damien had never seen this before, even when he broke his wrist at sixteen from falling off a horse. It wasn’t very royal to care for others, Damien was realizing. Not unless necessary.

Damien sighed, leaning back in his chair. “Not everything is about you, you know. Maybe I just want to learn about things.”

“We have a library, Damien. A large one.”

The prince scoffed, rolling his eyes up to the ceiling. “I’m not a boy anymore, father—“

“You’re right, Damien, you’re a prince,” his father countered. Damien began to open his mouth again before his fury stopped, digging itself deep into his throat. He growled instead, eyes landing back on his father again. Why couldn’t he just be a person? Why couldn’t he just be known?

Seeing he had hit a wall, the King stood and moved to a cherry-oak cabinet close to the door. He opened one of the doors, reaching his hand in as he pushed away small bottles from the apothecary and salves for minor wounds. He pulled out the bottle of rum Miss Takahashi had given Damien for his eighteenth birthday and the prince’s eyes went wide. It was a strict rule for their family to not have anything that could sway the mind so close to a resting place. Damien found most of their old superstitions silly. If a rogue wanted to break into his chambers to seduce information out of him, he’d gladly give it up—alcohol or otherwise.  He lurched forward; anxiety brimmed to his teeth as he watched his father casually pour two glasses. “How did you know--?” He asked as his father offered him the second glass before tucking the bottle away again.

“Mari gave it to you and told you how to hide it, correct?” The King asked as he sat across from his son again. “Where do you think she learned it from?”

Damien realized his father meant himself and he sat in null shock for a moment before his father continued. “Did anyone see you?” He asked. “When you went into town?”

The prince looked down at the honey colored liquid in his glass. “No, father.”

The King made a noise of approval and sipped his rum. “And that knight… he’s the new boy from the city guard—“

“Shayne,” Damien answered. “Knight Topp. He didn’t have anything to do with my actions, father. I almost tried out the window before he gave me an alternative. I didn’t know he had even left the castle until I realized he was following me.”

His father pondered this for a minute or so, the glass growing warm in his hand. Damien wanted to ask about the death of his uncle, the mausoleum entrance into town, the entrance he was never told about. He bit his tongue as he heard Knight Topp’s heavy armor clink in the corridor outside as his friend shifted from foot to foot. Damien swallowed his questions and cleared his throat, starting again. He kept his voice solid and he raised the volume in his lungs, wanting it to carry. “Father, I’m asking on Knight Topp’s behalf for a pardon—not just as your son and the prince, but also as his friend.”

His father drained the rest of his glass before settling it on the golden table next to him. He folded his hands in his lap before sighing. “This is my only offer. I will not provide a counter. Will you listen?” Damien nodded once before the king continued, “he will be granted a pardon on a single condition—I appoint him to be your personal guard under my knights. He will serve as your number two, your chaperone, and your security. When you inevitably journey back into town, he is required to keep a record of your travels. Do you understand?”

Damien’s heart was swelling in his chest and he found it hard to hide his excitement. “Yes, father,” he whispered, imagining what new adventures he and Knight Topp would have.

The King rose to his feet, looking down at his son. “One final thing, Damien—if your mother hears a single whisper about your journeys outside of these walls from an attendant, a servant, a cook, or a laborer, your friend will be banished from the kingdom.”

Damien’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion and he began to protest, standing quickly. “How could you—?”

“Because I am the King and you are the prince and I will not be undermined by anyone. He’s a damn good Knight, but he should have apprehended you instead of helping you escape, no matter what you told the poor sod.”

“But—“

“But nothing!” His father roared. Damien immediately stilled, though he was still fuming. “You are my son and my heir, Damien. You will be the King one day and I’ll be damned if you screw up every single opportunity your mother and I have worked tirelessly to provide for you.”

“Damn the crown,” Damien mumbled, turning away from the King. He walked toward the large window across the room, gazing out at the city. His eyes traveled the path from the church’s graveyard to the pub. The yellow glow from inside was spilling into the street like small puddles “Every single opportunity has been one for yourselves. Have you ever once considered what I desire instead?”

“Can you be so daft, boy? Those people require a head for that crown.” Damien turned back around when he heard his father pouring himself a second drink. The King sighed, sitting back down on the couch. “That’s my only offer, Damien,” he said, his voice much softer, nearing exhaustion. The man glanced over at his child. “Do you accept my terms?”

The prince scoffed, “obviously.”

His father began to laugh as he rose once again to his feet. “Excellent, I will have him fired and then hired immediately. For the records, my boy, you are only the second most stubborn Haas in our family.”

“There’s someone more insufferable than your own son?” Damien rolled his eyes at the backhanded compliment and crossed back over the room, grabbing the glass from his father’s hand. He drained it and handed it back, emptied. “Who’s the first?”

King Roland Haas grinned a full, proud, toothy smile. “Me.” He turned to leave before he hesitated, lurching the doors of the wooden cabinet open. He pulled the bottle of rum out and headed for the corridor. “I’m confiscating your contraband. See you in the morning, son, sleep well.”

The door closed full and heavy behind him and Damien scrambled to press his ear against it, hearing the King call Knight Topp away from his chambers. The prince cursed, knowing it would be dumb to press his luck by following them. He was exhausted anyway, full of drink and plenty to think about until the morning.

He sighed, pulling on the ties of his cotton tunic and crossed over to the window again. The curtains to the tavern were finally drawn, though a window on the second floor now contained a single, flickering flame. Damien’s mind wandered back to his adventures of the evening, his first successful escape and the very beginning of a new friendship and a new adventure.

[waywardsam]

7.01 // 13.23

[twinklemassu]