#like they'll have something of me when i'll stop working there in two weeks

[sous-le-signe-de-la-lune]

I got a new job and it's the first one I had that is almost boring. anyways I'm a cashier so when we don't have customers me and my coworker we talk or play games on our computers. Last week I used memo pads to make flowers origami. My coworker put them on the corner of each computers (we have three registers and each one has a computer) and the flowers are still there

[miyukisu]

I Might Bite .ᐟ

❤︎ | Resorting to dirty measures like biting your superior during sparring usually doesn't end without you having a taste of your own medicine... (2.6k wc) ╰ feat. Hoshina Soshiro (Kn8) x afab! reader

kinktober entry no. 2 | kinktober masterlist

tags - subordinate! reader, biting, marking, spanking, pussy slaps, humiliation & punishment, Hoshina's kinda mean, fingering, p in v, creampies, swearing

minors do not interact

The recent uptick of kaiju attacks over the city has every member of the JAKDF on edge. No one knows when the next attack is coming or if they'll live to see their next birthday. The atmosphere in the Tachikawa base specifically felt odd. Most were hopeless, but then there was you.

You weren't the strongest by any means, but you believed that if it came to being persistent—you'd be the best. It showed; after all, you trained your ass off even in your off hours.

There were times you bled and shed a tear, but you never stopped. Your fellow officers often told you to slow down. But there was one person who always watched from the sidelines—silently observing how you improved every night that you would sneak away into the training rooms.

It was none other than your superior, Hoshina Soshiro.

The vice captain didn't seem all too interested to be invested in the lives of the officers. Frankly, he had better things to do. But the rookie that worked themselves to the bone had successfully caught his eye. There was something about them that reminded him of himself. In many ways, he was drawn to that fiery spirit.

Not a lot of recruits had your determination and he was more than willing to foster that. What kind of vice captain would he be if he didn't help you in honing your skills?

────────────

You stared, dumbfounded, at the fox eyed man in front of you.

"Ya heard me right the first time," he insisted.

You gulp down. "Well... I'm certainly not going to refuse your offer, sir. I was just making sure I understood what you said."

"I told ya—I'll help ya train every night. I meant it."

Finding out that your superior knew you have been violating the curfew had you expecting the worst. But Hoshina's reaction was rather unforeseen.

Instead of making you run laps or do cleaning duty—he offered to train with you during your night sessions. It made sense; training with someone better than you would allow you to improve at faster speeds. The choice was a no-brainer.

"Alright... thank you, sir."

Hoshina simply nodded before walking away from you, satisfied that you were cooperative with his ideas.

"Sir!"

He turns around with a small smile. "Yes?"

"When do we start?"

"Have ya skipped a day before?"

"...No, not really."

His smile widens. "Ya have yer answer then."

────────────

Labored breaths filled the training room—though, most of it came from you. Hoshina barely broke a sweat throughout your entire sparring session. It wasn't shocking anymore at this point.

You estimate that it's already about two weeks since he has started joining you in your training. Not once have you won against him.

At first, it felt quite motivating—knowing that you had so much to improve. But as days go by, it becomes depressing how you can never even land a good hit on him.

You weren't fit to face a kaiju with how things stand and it crushed your once blazing spirits.

With your chest heaving and your vision blurring, you continued to anticipate his next move. You figured he'd at least cut you some slack after seeing the massive difference in skill, but he was merciless. You didn't even fight back as he tackled you to the ground.

Hoshina Soshiro wasn't just talented with a blade, but also with his bare hands. Who would have thought he knew grappling as well? He easily put you in a rear naked choke and you felt your airway quickly constrict.

He taught you that if you couldn't even handle basic hand-to-hand combat—then you'd be nothing doing anything else. Besides, before ending your session with the usual bare knuckled fighting, he trained you with swords and other weapons... in which you couldn't beat him in either.

Going up against him was futile. You absorbed his teachings like a sponge, but when it came to applying them—all hope is lost.

You were going to pass out soon; you could feel it.

Despite telling yourself that you'd always fight fair and square—you realized that this wasn't the time to be righteous. Virtues, principles—whatever the fuck it is—chucked out the window.

You bit down on his arm—hard. Did you draw blood? Perhaps. But that hardly mattered to you. He finally let go, failing to defeat you completely. Hoshina hissed, checking out the fresh wound you gave him.

Neither could you move or speak. In fact, you kept your back leaning on his chest. Doing anything other than breathing was a bit too much at the moment.

"Ya play dirty, don'cha?" he whispered darkly into your ear.

The thickness and intimidation laced in his voice was enough to reinvigorate your entire being. You took the deepest breath possible before peeling yourself off of him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"Of course ya didn't mean ta do that, right?" he cuts you off, lifting you off of the ground with his impressive strength.

"What shall I ever do with ya? Li'l thing bitin' her superior."

You could only stutter out a pathetic apology as he carries you in his arms.

"Nah, don'cha apologize now. Ya must be sick of me treatin' ya like a ragdoll hm?"

He was right, of course. But you weren't about to admit that to him.

Hoshina carried you over to the side of the room where the long metal bench was. Even out of fighting, he continued to treat you like a doll with the way you effortlessly flipped you over. Your stomach pressed against his lap with one of his hands resting on your nape.

You weren't sure where his other hand was, but you soon found out... the hard way.

A sharp slap made its way to your ass. It had you sucking in more air than usual.

"Not even a single yelp huh? Think ya can handle more? Ya need to be punished after all."

Another slap and then another on the other cheek. Tears were starting to brim in your eyes. With the next slap, you finally yelped in pain. Hearing your sharp breaths, he caressed your poor behind in a soothing manner.

"Think ya've repented enough?"

God, you didn't want to sound weak, but a few sniffles escaped you. His question racked your brain, yet not a single good answer came for it. It was a trap and he was steadily luring you in.

You figured—silence was the best response. However, that pissed off the vice captain even more. Hoshina let out a long and deep sigh. He didn't want to do this; he swears. But you just had to push his buttons.

"Not speakin' huh? How many times will ya disrespect yer superior after I've been kind enough ta be trainin' ya every night?"

If you've learned one thing about him these past few sessions—it was that he never gave you time to react. Only now, you're discovering that it applies to things apart from fighting as well.

He slid you off his lap without warning. Soon as you flipped yourself over, the vice captain was already hovering over you with a stern expression on his face.

He inched closer, slowly but steadily. His eyes never left yours and it seemed to have you in a trance because you failed to realize how he had already caged you between his thick arms.

"Sir..." you managed to say between shaky breaths.

"So you can speak?"

Your eyes finally stray from his face, feeling flustered by the proximity.

"Ya should use that mouth of yers fer talkin' —not fer bitin' ," he said. He leaned in to the point that you felt the warmth of his breath against your neck. It was tantalizing—almost paralyzing. "I think ya should get a taste of yer own medicine," he added.

No time was given to protest as he sunk his sharp teeth into your neck. You gasp, hands finding purchase on his arms. He suckled on the tender skin, sure to leave a mark that you'd have to cover up in the morning.

Then another bite came. Your fingers dug into his flesh. It was painful, but oddly arousing. The intoxicating scent he radiated coupled with his fine looks were a recipe for disaster. But the only one being ruined was you.

Perhaps he felt satisfied after two bites, settling on wet kisses scattered on your neck instead. He kept getting lower and lower until he was met with a barrier.

"Lemme get this out of the way, a'ight?" he says before gripping the soft fabric of your black tanktop��ripping it apart. He smirked at the sight, a flimsy lacey bra.

He pushed it up before smashing his face down on your chest, sucking and lightly biting at a sensitive bud. Your hands went from his biceps to his hair, almost pulling out the strands from the roots.

He bit, tugged, and marked you all over again—like he was staking claim. Hoshina made sure to give attention to the other one as well, sucking on the swell of your breast while using his fingers to toy with the other.

Truth be told, he was too excited and immersed in devouring you that he only now became aware of your sounds. It was delightful to say the least. It made him smile as he nipped at the sensitive flesh.

You began to arch your back, needing more of him. But he took this as a sign to go even lower, planting more kisses that trailed down your stomach. He was giving you whiplash with the alternating softness and harshness of his touch.

He looked up at you and saw your dazed expression, unable to even look back at him. This was fine; this was the only time he'd permit a subordinate not looking him in the eye.

For once, you were able to catch your breath and make sense of it all. You returned your gaze to the man above you. He was hovering over you again, looking down with a feral glare. His large hand gripped your thigh.

"Ya know... fer someone bein' disciplined... ya sure look like yer enjoyin' this."

"I'm not," you retorted. But both of you knew the truth.

"Ya challengin' me? Let's see then, shall we?"

He made quick work of the zipper on your pants before pulling it down and throwing it off to God knows where. His eyes opened slightly, zeroing on the damp patch on your panties. Of course, he was right.

"Would ya look at that—yer pussy's all soaked from that. How naughty."

"I... I... um..."

He huffed. "Ya what?"

Slap. He had slapped your pussy. The stinging sensation had you arching your back off of the cold metallic surface of the bench. A soft groan fell from your lips.

He landed another slap. "Look at how wet ya are right now. Ya shouldn't have lied huh?"

As if to soothe you again, he began rubbing his thumb over your poor cunt. "Didn't mean ta make her cry."

Hoshina smirked at his own joke—because who else would appreciate it? Definitely not you; you were too fucked out to even catch everything that he's saying.

He hooked a finger in the gusset before pulling your panties out of the way. The sight of your dripping cunt made his dick twitch. He had already been especially frustrated this week and the cute little subordinate he trained every night wasn't helping. Her little stunt was essentially the final nail in the coffin.

There was nothing else he wanted more but to fuck you senseless already. But he was a refined man; he had patience.

Hoshina pushed in two digits at first and it almost made him shudder with how tight and warm you were. Patience be damned; he was crumbling all too quickly for his liking.

"Fuck... yer suckin' it in."

A string of soft moans left you. It was music to his ears and he wanted it to be louder.

He began fucking his fingers into you at a faster pace. The muscles of his arm tensed and the veins on his forearm were popping out. A loud and vulgar moan reverberated through the training room. You could only hope that everyone in the base was asleep because there was no way you could be quiet with what he's doing to you.

You tightened around his fingers before unravelling completely. Your pussy fluttered, cumming on to his fingers shamelessly. It almost felt like a task to him—only getting it out of the way to get to the main event.

Hoshina pulled out his fingers, sucking them clean. He would have loved to get a taste of it on his tongue, but all restraint had been lost. He had to sheath himself in you or else he'd actually lose it.

"Take a deep breath for me, a'ight?" he says while unzipping his pants, only barely pulling out his leaking cock from its confines.

Maybe you should have listened because the sudden intrusion of his cock knocked the air out of your lungs. It filled you up nicely, hitting every spot with just one fluid motion.

He groans, throwing his head back in ecstasy. His fingers were practically white with how hard he gripped the bench supporting the both of you.

"Coulda fought me with this instead. Maybe ya coulda won," he teased. He began slowly fucking into you, perhaps a reprieve after his previous actions.

Your hands held on to his back, softly digging your nails into the chiseled flesh. A satisfied groan poured from his smiling lips.

The string of moans coming from you urged him to go faster. He had enough of being slow and soft. He snapped his hips at a maddening pace almost immediately. Your leg fell of the bench, hanging off and allowing him deeper access into you.

He never faltered for a second—even as he leaned down to leave marks on your neck again. You held him closer to you as if you never wanted him to leave... and he wasn't; at least, not until you've cum all over his cock.

His ragged breaths filled your ear as he continued to rut into you. Hoshina was tough, ruthless, and precise—much like on the battlefield.

A familiar clench squeezed his dick. "Ya close? Ya gonna cum on my cock? C'mon, do it," he goaded.

His thumb began circling your swollen clit. After holding on to the cold bench for a while, his touch felt freezing. The warmth you felt inside contrasted with the cold touch of his thumb. The sensation was almost numbing with how good it felt.

"Wanna cum with me? How romantic of ya," he teased again. "Fuck... I'm cummin' —take it all. This is still part of yer punishment. Got that?"

You responded with a breathless moan. That was all it took before hot ropes of cum filled you. The warmth seemed to push you over the edge as well, milking him for all he's worth. And like he said—it would be romantic. He grabbed your chin, forcing you to look at him.

"Ya learned yer lesson yet?" he asked, but not before capturing your wet lips in a kiss.

Hoshina let a shaky breath out as he pulled away. He knew it would be good, but he wasn't expecting for it to be this good.

"Shit... was only plannin' one round. Guess it wouldn't hurt ta discipline ya more."

He lazily rubbed his still hard cock. "C'mon, get on all fours fer me and I might not make ya run laps in morning's training." He watched intently as you followed, lining up his dick against your entrance. It was going to be a long night.

"Good fuckin' girl."

©miyukisu do not repost/reupload/translate any of my works on other platforms

╰ author's note slightly longer I guess because I like Hoshina more lol

[findmeinforks]

The Incident - Paul Lahote x Fem!Reader

A little one shot that I just couldn't stop writing. A good angst to fluff (btw my fics will never be all angst, im too soft). Also do not fear, Im working on a Sam fic and part 3 to not letting you go. But you let ME know what you think of this one ❤️ 2K words

"My SISTER, Paul. She's my fucking SISTER!" you yelled, voice hoarse as your throat cracked.

"I could give a SHIT LESS WHAT SHE IS. YOU'RE. NOT. GOING." He screamed, jaw taut as he tried his best to subside the tremors that were threatening to take over his body.

You ignored the teeth he bared, shaking your head and scoffing.

"Aren't you tired of this?! I'm going over there. I HAVE to know she's safe."

"YOU SERIOUSLY THINK I'LL JUST SIT BY AND WATCH MY IMPRINT GO TO A PLACE WHERE I CAN'T PROTECT HER? WHAT ABOUT ME KNOWING THAT YOU'RE SAFE?? HUH?? YOU'RE SICK IF YOU THINK I WOULD BE OKAY WITH THIS!"

"Sick?!? SICK?!? LETS TALK ABOUT HOW 'SICK' IT IS THAT YOU WOULD WANT TO KILL HER AND THE BABY. THATS MY FAMILY PAUL!"

"AND WERE NOT?"

It had been like this for a week straight. Ever since the pack stormed through the door announcing their mission to kill Bella and the unborn child within her.

You felt as though your two families had been pinned against each other. Head spinning at the idea of there being a 'choice' between your sister and imprint.

On one hand you were desperate to make sure she was alright, but also exhausted at the never ending battle with your boyfriend.

Sure you had talked to Bella over the phone, but you didn't buy into the lies like your father had. Even though you knew significantly more than he did, she still attempted to downplay the situation. She had done this numerous times since getting thrown into the vampire world, but she could only keep you in the dark for so long before you unraveled the truth.

You had to see her. Even if it was the last time. By fate, or at the hands of the pack. You had to be there for her, as she would you.

Leaving your imprint though? Was at task challenging at best. On at least four different occasions you fought with Paul for so long that Emily and Sam had to intervene, prying you two apart at the pleads of other pack members.

Emily would console you while you ranted and Sam would make Paul run off his anger in the woods. When you faced him again, it turned into a rerun of the same argument. Nobody in the house had gotten sleep, and the things were progressively getting worse.

Quil came through the door, widening his eyes.

"Just a heads up everyone, a little comedic relief does not go over well. I saw my life flash before Paul's eyes." He huffed before sitting down.

"When is this going to be overrrr?" Embry whined. He shoved his head in his hands on the kitchen table while you and Paul went at it in the front yard.

Emily sighed.

"Unfortunately sooner than you think....Y/N packed her suitcase this morning." She said quietly.

"You're not really going to let her go over there are you?!?" Kim stood up, looking at both Emily and Sam.

"If you would like to stop her, please, be my guest." Sam motioned his hand to outside, where you and Paul could be seen through the window. You were throwing your arms up and pointing fingers at him, while his voice boomed loudly, towering his large frame over yours.

Kim winced.

You had always been the calm to Paul's raging storm. 'Made him all soft' as the guys would tease. None of them had actually seen you two disagree with each other. In the mind link they saw glimpses of minor arguments, most of the time being reconciled in the sheets..

Paul eventually got an order by Sam to think about something else while on patrol. 'Literally, anything else'.

"She's not going anywhere. I can count on my hand how many times they've been apart since he imprinted. They'll work it out eventually." Jared said as he pulled Kim on his lap, taking a hunk out of his apple.

Kim didn't share a look that she believed him, worriedly looking out to where you stood.

A few moments passed when her body stiffened and she gasped, making Jared look where she was.

"SHIT! SHIT!" He said, throwing Kim off his lap.

Sam turned to look out the window in time to see Paul phase, his sharp claw making contact with your skin. Your blood curdling scream instantly had everyone else off their seats, nearly knocking each other over to race outside.

You laid on the ground as your body wracked with sobs, clutching your side. Blood gushed through your hand as you started to panic, scrambling to stand. The large silver wolf only stood for a few moments before Paul shifted back, completely horrified as he frantically tried to reach you.

He felt his heart nearly rip out of his chest as you backpedaled into Emily, who was helping to hold you upright.

"NO! NO! GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME! IM DONE!" You cried.

Sam stood in the middle of the two of you.

Paul could feel his chest caving in, hand out, speaking more gently than he had at all in the past week.

"B-baby. Please. Please, I'm- I'm so sorry baby. Please let me just see-"

"NO! I'm done. I'm done. I'm leaving. I'm done." You repeated like a mantra, limping to the car.

"Y/N you cannot drive like this..." Emily attempted to say as she stepped in from behind you. She could see your anxiety was heightened, and afraid to set you off further.

"I have to go," you choked, on the verge of tears as you tried to open the drivers side. You had yet to even notice the gash in your side, adrenaline pumping wildly through your body.

Paul made his way around Sam, grabbing your other arm that was holding the door.

"You are crazy if you think I'm letting you leave like this. Please come-"

You yanked your arm from his grasp.

"Don't. Let me go!" You said coldly.

Paul froze. He couldn't move. You never spoke to him like this. Even in the numerous fights you two had this week.

Every single instinct in his body needed to help you. He knew you were downplaying your injuries. He knew he just royally fucked everything up. But the absolute last thing you could do was walk into a house full of vampires dripping in blood. Fucking doctor or not.

"Come inside and let me take a look at you, okay? Please." Emily said to coax you, frantically looking at your wound.

This made Sam follow her gaze, looking down to see the blood pouring from your side hadn't stopped, and you were growing paler by the minute.

"Y/N....you're going to stay here and I'll call Sue." He said in an authoritative voice, leaving no room to argue as he turned to start dialing the number.

You almost argued. You almost fought both of them on the subject. Your stubbornness almost won.

But you felt an immense pain. So strong you don't know how the hell you didn't notice it when you stood up.

That couldn't be good.

"....Y/N?" Paul said, barely above a whisper. Tears were now silently streaming down his face as he held both hands out slightly. Not close enough to touch you but to be prepared in case you fell.

You could feel yourself start to float in and out of consciousness. You tried to ground yourself by focusing on something. You looked at his hands that were outstretched.

Those hands that you held on your first date. The hands that hover your back anywhere you go. The hands that lift you up from the couch on movie nights to bring you to bed. The hands that move in just the right way when making love to you. The hands that were now shaking, not out of anger, but fear. You loved those hands.

"Y/N? Baby?" Paul said louder, more urgently as he could see you fading.

You watched him get blurry as the world started to spin.

"Paul," you murmured, before fading into darkness. The last thing you remember were the hands that caught you before you hit the ground.

"Y/N!!!" Paul screamed as he caught your body falling into him.

Sam ran back, telling him Sue was just up the street. He instructed Paul to carry you inside and onto the bed. The pack dispersed, each trying to find something to help you such as towels, an emergency kit and pillows.

Paul held you close as he lay you down, while repeatedly whispering in your ear.

"I'm so sorry baby. I'm so-so sorry. I cant lose you. Youre everything to me. I'll never yell at you again. I swear on my life. You can do whatever you want. I'll do whatever you want. Please, I love you." Paul pressed kisses to your hairline when Sue and her nurse friend entered.

Jared reluctantly came in behind them to lead Paul out of the room as they worked.

"Come on man, she'll wake up soon I promise."

After he was guided out, Paul slid down to sit on the other side of the door, refusing to move. Jared didn't push it, leaning down to sit next to him.

"Sue's seen this kind of stuff before. Just needs stitching up and stuff," Jared reassured as he put his hand on Paul's shoulder.

"It's not the injuries I'm worried about. So much as what she'll think of me when she wakes up. I....I fucked this one up, Jare."

"If Emily can forgive Sam, I think Y/N will forgive you. She's crazy about your ass."

Paul just nodded, praying he was right.

~

Your eyes fluttered open slowly as you woke. You looked around to see that you had been bandaged up along your left side, an IV attached to your arm sat close by. You attempted to sit up, whining when the pain wouldn't allow it. Within a few minutes Emily entered, her face showing relief.

"You're up! How are you feeling?" She checked the IV before sitting on the edge of the bed, careful of your body.

"Sore...where's, where's Paul?" Your heart ached as you started to replay what happened. There was no doubt in your mind what happened was an accident. You had seen the signs he always warned you about, and chose to ignore them in the heat of the argument. Not only that, but the look on his face when you had refused him was too much to bare.

Emily smiled, not expecting you to want to see him so soon.

"He's just outside the door. Hasn't moved. He didn't know if you'd want to see him..."

"I need to talk to him."

It hadn't even been a few seconds when Paul stood at the door. He looked more out of shape than you did. The disheveled hair and dark circles under his eyes told you he hadn't slept in days.

"I'll give you two some space. Just holler if you need anything," Emily spoke as she stood up, making her way around him and down the stairs.

Paul remained where he stood,

"If you don't want to be with me I understand. I have no words for my actions other than I am so...." he cleared his throat, trying not to cry. "So incredibly sorry I put you through this. I put you in danger when I was trying to keep you out of it. You don't have to stay I-"

"Paul please just kiss me." You interrupted, not wanting to hear the rest as you already made up your mind in forgiving him.

He stood for just a moment longer, trying to comprehend if he heard you correctly. It was when you weakly opened your arms for him that he wasted no time in rushing over to you, cupping your face and gently yet passionately kissed you with everything he had. Tears flowed his cheeks at the relief that you still wanted him. Even after everything he had put you through.

You two pulled back for air after a moment, and you ran your hand through his hair.

"I forgive you, okay? I can't imagine my life without you."

He let out a breath, smiling for the first time in weeks.

"It will never happen again. I swear on my fucking life baby." He caressed your hair, neck, landing his palm on your heart.

You two sat like that for awhile. Almost scared to leave each other's presence. You two talked for hours on the bed. Paul had confessed that the night before, while you were sleeping, the pack had fought with the Cullens. You learned that Paul refused to go, not wanting to leave your side. You were grateful to hear that Sam didn't push on him being there, knowing you were all that mattered to him, and he'd refuse him if he had too. Even if it went against his every instinct as a wolf. Turns out that Jacob had imprinted on your niece, and Bella had survived, now as a vampire.

You weren't particularly thrilled your sister was now a bloodsucker, but as long as she was alive, you were happy.

Paul eventually made his way to the other side of the bed, kissing every exposed inch of you, whispering all the things he loved about you in your ear until you fell asleep.

When your heartbeat slowed down and he was sure you were out, he reached down and felt the velvet box in his pocket. No doubt in his mind about the future you both held.

[gabrielleyueerrrrr]

Broken (but it's on the mend) - AVA/M

Word count: 6,221

TW/CW:

-Graphic depictions of panic attack

-Mentioning of past child abuse

Characters: Purple, King Orange/Mango Tango, Green, Blue, Yellow, Red, The Second Coming, Navy Blue(mentioned), Orchid/Pink(mentioned), Gold(mentioned)

Relationships: (No romantic pairings) Purple & King Orange/Mango Tango, Purple & Green, Purple & The Colour Gang

Additional tags: Hurt/Comfort, Post AVM Ep 30 "The King" , Purple having self-worth issues, Good parent Mango, Bad parent Navy, the Colour Gang being good friends

Summary: Purple decided to clean up Mango's house while he was away, but made a terrible mistake in the process.

»»———— ❋ ————-««

"Okay, I'm leaving. Remember not to open the door for strangers, if you want to visit Green and the other kids in Minecraft drop me a message first, if I'm not home yet when you come back, don't forget to close the nether portal, also-"

"Sir-MT, I'm not a kid anymore. I've been living by myself for almost 2 years now, you don't have to worry about me." Purple pouted at Mango as the latter reached for his gold scarf, wrapping it around his neck meticulously.

"I know, I know. I have completely faith in your ability to take care of yourself, it's just..." Mango let out a sigh and placed a hand on the door knob, "...old habits die hard."

Purple bit their lip as they watched Mango open the door. The fierce, icy wind of December blew some snow flakes onto the doormat. 

"And don't forget to eat your lunch, there's food in the fridge. Don't heat metal containers in the microwave, remember to scoop whatever's inside into a bowl first-"

"MT!"

"Okay okay I'll stop now." Mango laughed and ruffled Purple's hair. "See you in the afternoon."

"See you!"

The door closed with a thud. Purple let out a breath they didn't know they were holding and turned around.

Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock...The sound of the wall clock echoed across the living room, the only sound keeping them company.

They were alone, the realisation slowly sank in like a pebble descending down a deep well. Purple hugged themselves absentmindedly, their gaze drifted onto the small framed photograph placed on a low cabinet to their left. In it, a young child sat on their father's shoulders, beaming at them brightly. 

Purple responded with a small smile of their own, then withdrew their gaze and straightened their back. No use in standing here like a moron, they scolded themselves, they need to find something to do.

They scanned across the living room and only then did they realise what a mess it still was. The walls were covered with furious scribbles of Mango King Orange's notes and calculations, books and previous iterations of the King's staff were hastily piled up in the corners, the floor was coated by a thick layer of dust. 

Purple mentally kicked themselves. It's been two weeks since Mango gave up his title as King Orange and even allowed Purple to live with him in his own house, and they didn't even think of cleaning up said house for him? What kind of child roommate were they?

They'll make the house spotless before Mango came back. Purple's heart leaped as they pictured Mango returning home, pleasantly surprised, and telling them how good it was to have them around. They bounced on their feet a few times in excitement, and immediately set themselves in motion.

An indefinite amount of scrubbing, sweeping, mopping and tidying later, Purple glanced at the wall clock and noticed the minute hand had thrice swept pass the same marking since Mango left. They stretched their sore muscles and admired their work: the once dusty and stained floor now practically gleaming, the walls clean and polished, furnitures and items neatly arranged, a fresh scent of cleaning products filled the air. Several short, joyful notes escaped from Purple’s mouth, they can’t wait for Mango to see this! 

Satisfied, they realised how exhausted they were, and decided to take a well deserved break.

A bucket of dirty soap water, coincidentally sitting in Purple's way, was knocked over. Purple stumbled on the slippery floor and lost their balance. They yelped in surprise, flailed their arms and tried to grab hold of something, but failed and fell painfully into the puddle of filthy water with a splash. "Ow..." They mumbled, sitting up and rubbed their aching elbows. "Great, I have to mop the floor all over again..."

Suddenly, they spotted something on the floor. Blood drained from their face.

The photograph of Mango and his child lay submerged in the foul, murky water. A large, ugly crack marred the lovingly polished glass, liquid gradually seeped in through the crack, tainting Gold's wide grin with a greyish stain.

"God, oh no, oh nononononono...." Purple snatched the broken photograph from the ground and desperately wiped away all the disgusting liquid from its surface, but the damage was already done.

"It's okay, it's okay! I-I can fix this!" Purple reassured themselves with trembling voice, knowing perfectly well deep down that there's nothing they could do to reverse the damage. They traced the cracks with cold, numb fingers, the glaring blemish on the photo paper stung their eyes. "Oh god, what have I done..."

Purple recalled the first time they entered Mango's house, everything was carelessly lying around unkempt except for this photograph, which was free from the slightest speckle of dust. When Purple picked up the photograph to have a closer look, Mango snatched the photo away from Purple immediately. Every now and then, Mango would stare at the photo with such tenderness in his eyes that made Purple's heart throb.

A newfound horror dawned upon Purple. What would Mango do when he found out that Purple broke his most cherished possession? The one and only memento of his dearest child? 

The mere thought alone made Purple's whole body seize up in fear. Their legs felt like noodles as they sat helplessly in the slowly spreading puddle of dirty water. Purple hugged the broken photograph closely to their chest, their frame trembling with every sharp inhale, wet eyes darting around the room, desperately trying to find a solution.

Then, Purple heard the click of a key inserted into the keyhole, followed by the soft clunk of the bolt retracting.

Their heart stopped.

"I'm home!" Mango's deep, warm voice sounded like death knell to Purple's ears. They suddenly found themselves pinned to the ground, eyes glued to the dark liquid beneath them, unable to move, unable to speak. Their knuckles went white with how tightly they clinched the photograph, heart hammering against their chest.

"Wait no-shoot...wrong house..." 

"...Eh? But this is my house?"

"Purple! Kid, did you clean up the whole place while I was gone? Hehe, I didn't even recognise this place!"

"...Purple?" 

Footsteps. Mango's voice was right above them. "Purple? Why are you...what's wrong?"

Purple tried to answer, but their vocal cord cannot make a sound.

"Hey, kid-" Purple felt Mango touching their shoulders, they jerked backwards so violently as if being burnt. Purple looked up, and saw Mango towering over them.

A heavy kick from Navy sent Purple slamming into the gravel ground. The friction sent scorching pain across their back. Their father towered over them, looking angry and disappointed. "Get up! Now!" He growled, stomping the ground hard with one foot.

"S-sir! I-" Purple wanted to stand up, but their feet doesn't feel like theirs. Instead they scrambled backwards like a wounded animal. 

Mango must have sensed something was wrong. Purple didn't miss how his brows furrowed and how his eyes went sharp and scrutinising. His gaze was like an invisible hand squeezing the air out of Purple's lungs.

"Get up you little-! You think your enemies are just going to let you take your own sweet time?! If you're in a real battle you'd be dead by now!" Navy's mouth was contorted in a snarl, his booming voice rung at Purple's ears. They tried to stand up, but every muscle inside them screamed of pain and exhaustion.

"Purple, I need you to to tell me what's wrong. I promise I won't hurt you." Mango's voice was gentle and steady, but Purple still flinched as if Mango was yelling.

"I...I..." Purple's tongue felt like sandpaper inside their mouth.

Say something! Make something up! Anything! He cannot find out about the photograph!

As if on cue, Mango's piercing gaze locked onto the small rectangular frame in Purple's arms. All was lost.

Time slowed down. Purple watched, frozen in place, as Mango slowly bent down and took away the photograph. Seeing the damage, Mango's body stiffened, lips pressed together tightly. Then, his eyes turned to Purple again.

The floor was spinning. The room was spinning. Purple's chest felt weird. They tasted bile in their throat. Heartbeats were deafening. Needles were pricking their hands and feet. Somewhere in the distance someone was gasping for breath. They were gasping for breath. 

"What the hell is wrong with you today?! Stop crying like a wimp! Did you forget everything I taught you? GET. UP!!" This wasn't their father. This couldn't be their father. The being yelling at them was a demon taking form of their father. Purple curled into a fetal position and hid their face, wishing for everything to stop.

No, no, no. They need to calm down, go back normal. Mango's gonna notice and things would get worse. These episodes always make things worse. Stop breathing this fast, NOW!

"Purple, what-" Mango's lips were moving, but Purple cannot register what he was saying. Mango crouched down. Mango lifted their hand towards them.

The first kick landed on Purple's back, knocking the air out of them. 

Useless. Thud. 

Weak. Thud.

Pathetic. Thud.

Failure. Thud.

Purple's pupils contracted as the hand inched closer to them. No, no, no. This is bad. This's very bad. He's angry. He's going to hurt them. He's going to hurt them like Navy did. 

They need to stay away from him, they need to run, they need to get out of here.

Driven by a sudden rush of adrenaline, Purple bolted like a doe startled by a gunshot and dove straight into the trap door leading to the basement. Mango's astonished shout rang behind them, but they didn't dare to look back. They stumbled across the passageway littered with debris, blood pounded in their ears.

Purple activated the nether portal and threw themselves inside.

»»———— ❋ ————-««

Purple stumbled through the jagged terrain between deep ravines filled with flowing lava. The sweltering heat amplified their dizziness, making everything around them swirl and warp. The crimson landscape around them seemed to close in, muffling every sound except their desperate, shallow gasps of breath, and the frantic scream in their mind urging them to run, escape, get away.

They didn't know how long they ran or how far they went, eventually fatigue overtook them, as if molten lead had filled their veins. They staggered to a stop, bending over and gasping for breath. Wetness clung to their face, but they couldn't even tell if it was sweat or tears.

Suddenly, a faint, melodious sound of the flute drifted into Purple's ears, a stark contrast to the incessant grunt and rumble in the Nether. Purple's heart skipped a beat. But it couldn't be who they hoped it was, right? Must have been their ears playing tricks on them.

The sound rang out again, Purple held their breath and lifted their head. Could it be? Could it really be?

"...uuuuurrrrrple......!" Purple gasped. A young, silky voice was calling out their name. The familiarity of that voice nearly made Purple burst into tears in relief. They wanted to shout back, but their throat was too tight to make a sound.

"My dear ol' grape boy!" A blur of vibrant green flashed before their eyes and they were enveloped by a pair of warm, slender arms. They automatically replicated the gesture, suddenly felt so completely drained that they could barely stand. It took all they had not to instantly melt into a sobbing mess.

"-so nice to see you again! How're you and King doing? Are you here by yourself?"

"...Green? How...how'd you..." They croaked weakly. Green seemed to notice something was off.

"Why's your voice so...and oh my Alan-"Green pulled away from the embrace, hands still clutching Purple's shoulders, "-you're shaking like crazy! What happened?!"

"I-uh-" The intensity in those emerald eyes made Purple look away. "I...I'm lost...?"

Green's brow twitched. "Purple, that's the lamest lie I've ever heard, even Red can do better than that." He scanned them from head to toe with concern and barely concealed anger. “Tell me, is it King again? Did he do something to you?!"

"No no h-he didn't, I just-"

"You know you can tell me anything, right? You don't have to worry about anyone, you're safe with me!"

And just like that, the dam collapsed. Purple's knees quietly buckled below them, they hid their face in the crook of Green's neck and started to bawl. 

"Cursors!" Green stumbled backward slightly due to Purple's weight but quickly steadied himself. With one arm he cradled Purple firmly, supporting their limp body, with the other he began to rub soothing circles on Purple's back. 

"No, no-It-it's not him..." They whispered between sobs,"-It's me...I did something...I did something terrible...I messed up...Oh Green, I messed up so bad!"

"Shh, shh…A-ah, it’s alright Purp, it's alright..." Green replied, with a slight tremble in his voice that Purple did not notice.

“An-and now he must be so mad at me! W-what if he doesn’t want me anymore? What if h-he kick me out?” Purple wailed.

“Don’t say that! King wouldn’t-“

“It-it’s all m-my fault! I’m so u-useless!”

That obviously hit a nerve, because Green’s body immediately went rigid. “Bullshit!” He retorted heatedly. “Look, Purple, forget whatever just happened, right now what you need is plenty of rest. So here’s the plan. You, are going to come to our place and stay here for the night. After that we’ll figure out the situation with the other guys. Deal?”

Purple could only stare at Green blankly, teardrops still on their cheeks.

“Actually, never mind! C'mere!” Without further ado, Green tucked a dumbfounded Purple beneath his arm and started walking towards a Nether Portal.

What happened after that was a blur. Various colours danced around Purple emitting a cacophony of voices, but they barely have the energy to acknowledge each of the Colour Gang's presence. Green kept Purple close to his side and exchanged a few words with the others. Then, Purple was led into a dim and quiet room and lay down on a soft surface. They vaguely registered a small plushie being slid into their arms and felt the comforting pressure of a soft, warm blanket wrapped around them. Purple let out a long sigh of relief and silently thanked the Colour Gang for their consideration. At last, they allowed their weary mind to drift into sweet oblivion.

»»———— ❋ ————-««

Purple was woken up by raised voices outside their room. 

"...did you do this time?! Purple ran into the Nether! They weren't even wearing their elytra! You have no idea how bad a state they were in, shaking and crying all that, who knows what would've happened if I haven't found them!" Green was shouting angrily.

Purple's heart raced as they faintly heard Mango's voice outside the door, but his exact words were indecipherable.

"No! What kind of 'accident' are you talking about?! Was mistreating and betraying them in the past also counted as 'accidents'? We won't let you take another step forward unless you tell us exactly what happened!"

"What happened is between Purple and me. Let me talk to them and things would be resolved." Mango's voice increased in volume, his tone was carefully kept neutral, but Purple could detect the seething anger underneath.

"They're terrified of you! Who knows what you'll do to them if we let you through!"

"I won't do anything to them you stupid kid! I already told you it was a misunderstanding!" Great, now Mango was shouting too. 

Purple hurriedly untangled themselves from the blankets and stood up. Despite their dread of confronting Mango, they knew they had to intervene before things escalated further. Having two people who mean the most to them fighting over them was the last thing they wanted. They already made enough mistakes.

Purple took a deep breath and opened the door.

Just as they thought, Mango and the Colour Gang were outside. The five teenagers formed a semi-circle around Mango, shielding Purple from the adult stick figure.

"H-hey MT..."

Seeing Purple, Mango's irritated expression was immediately replaced by relief. 

"Purple! Thank the internet you’re okay!" He barged his way through the gang, ignoring their indignant yelp, and strode towards Purple, only stopping abruptly at a 2 meters away as if fearing Purple might run away again if he gets too close.

That wasn't right. Shouldn't Mango be furiously yelling at them for damaging his most valuable possession? Or at least gave them "the look" of disappointment like what Navy used to do? But Mango did nothing like that. Instead, he looked at Purple as if they were made out of delicate glass, and when he spoke his voice was soft and cautious.

“Purple, are-are you…is it alright if I talk with you for a moment? In private?”

What was happening?

“S-sure…?” Purple’s answer was more like a question. They never saw Mango like this before. King Orange was always authoritative and commanding, and although he often treated Purple harshly, his demeanour somehow made Purple feel safe. After giving up his title, Mango became calm and gentle. Purple really liked that, even if they were still unsure how to act around him. But right now, Mango looked like he was treading on thin ice, it even reminded Purple of themselves. 

“Purple, you sure? You don’t have to if you don’t want to, we’ll deal with him.” Green walked to Purple’s side and whispered. The rest of the gang also looked at Purple with concern.

“Thank you guys, but I want to talk with him. We’ll be okay.” Purple offered the gang a weak but genuine smile.

“…Right. If you say so.” Green reluctantly walked away, throwing Mango a dirty look as he brushed past the tall stick figure. Mango visibly heaved a sigh of relief, and together they entered Purple’s room.

Sitting on their bed, Purple’s heart start pounding again. What if all that was just an act, and Mango was going to unleash all of his anger on them now that they were alone? Purple’s mind drifted back to the broken photograph and trembled. After committing such a horrendous crime, how could they just ran away without a single apology? Indeed, Mango had every right to be furious with them, they deserved every bit of his wrath and disappointment. 

But first, they need to apologise to Mango, it was the least they could do.

Purple watched as Mango quietly closed the door and turned to Purple. They cowered and squeezed their eyes shut, took a deep breath, and-

“I-I’m sorry MT!”

“Purple, I’m so sorry.” 

Two voices said in unison, both of them froze.

Wait, what? Was Purple's ears playing tricks on them again?

Purple opened their eyes and stared incredulously at Mango. Mango, meanwhile, grabbed a chair and sat down at a comfortable distance away from Purple. Purple saw him shifting in his seat.

"Allow me to start first, alright?" Mango closed his eyes and took a deep breath, suddenly appearing ten years older. Then, he straightened his back, and that fleeting moment of vulnerability was gone.

"I want to apologise to you for overlooking the damage I inflicted upon you as King Orange. I manipulated you, deceived you, oppressed you, forced you to act against your conscience, and I had almost... if not for these kids...I would've..." Mango closed his eyes again, his face twitched as if in pain. "...I should never assume that you were okay. No one would be okay after what you've been through. And due to my ignorance, I caused you much distress today. I scared you, didn't I? You ran away because you were afraid I might hurt you again like before, didn't you?" Mango's eyes were shimmering with tears.

"Oh Purple, I am so, so sorry. For everything." Mango's hand inched forward as if wanting to hold Purple's hand, but quickly gave up when Purple did not replicate the gesture.

This conversation was not at all what Purple anticipated to be. The memories of King Orange were still raw and painful, they didn't want to relate this kind, gentle stick in front of them with the ruthless, intimidating King they remembered. It broke Purple's heart to witness Mango being swallowed by guilt, but at the same time, it felt like an empty, aching part of them was gradually being filled up by something warm and fuzzy. These complicated feelings was not something they experienced before, and it scared them. So instead, they decided to push them away for the time being and ask Mango the question they cared about the most: 

"You...you're not mad about me? For ruining the photograph?"

Mango turned his head to the side and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "No, Purple. It was an accident. It was not your fault."

"But I tripped over a bucket and knocked it down! If I were more careful..."

"Everyone makes mistakes, you didn't mean it."

"But that was your only keepsake of Gold! It's so important to you, yet I ruined it! "

"...I am upset about the stain, yes. but what is done is done. Being angry at you doesn't reverse the damage."

"But...!"

"Purple, if there is one thing I learned from my mistakes as King, is not to let my own emotions get the better of me and to inflict unnecessary harm upon others. Especially those that I care about, like you." Mango's voice regained its strength. He looked at Purple with such impeccable sincerity that Purple almost believed him. And Purple wanted to believe him, but a voice inside them just kept screaming wrong wrong wrong.

Mango shouldn't forgive you, he should be mad, he has to be, because you are-

"Although there is something I want to know." Mango's voice interrupted Purple's train of thought, "Why did you cleaned up the house all by yourself? You know you can wait for me to come home so that we can do it together, right?"

"Oh, I'm sorry- you're right," Purple said quickly, "I shouldn't have...if I didn't mess around, I wouldn't have broken the photograph-"

"No, no, I'm not blaming you!" Mango held up his hands in a placating manner, "As a matter of fact, I should thank you. I don't remember the last time the house was so clean and tidy." He chuckled to himself. "I just wanted to know why you decided to do it. It's not an easy task to do after all."

"Be-because, I wanted to be useful for once..." Purple admitted quietly, "It's been two weeks since...well...you let me to stay with you even though you weren't hiring me anymore, and you've been so nice to me all this time, so I thought, cleaning your house is the least I could do to repay you for that..."

Mango inhaled. "Purple, you don't have to repay me for anything. I let you stay because I...because you're a good kid. I'm no longer your superior and you're no longer my lackey, I should never have treated you as one in the first place." Mango moved his chair forward and gently placed a hand on Purple's lap. The warmth in his gaze was reserved for them alone. "I don't expect you to do anything in my favour, because I care about your welfare more than mine. I wish you could do the same for yourself."

Purple took a second to register what Mango said. The elder stick figure's words sent streams of warmth through their torso and into their limbs, as if there was a tiny sun blooming inside Purple's body. Oh stick, Mango really cared about them, maybe even more than they ever dreamed of. Their whole body was warm with joy...

Useless. Weak. Pathetic. Failure. 

Navy's voice rang at their ears, and suddenly the warmth was gone, a cold realisation set in. Purple lowered their head and discreetly shifted their legs away from Mango's touch. Mango must have noticed their sudden change in attitude. "...Kid, is something... did I say something wrong?" He inquired gingerly.

"MT...sir," Purple replied softly after a moment of silence, "You don't have to keep this up if you don't want to."

Mango blinked, looking surprised. "Wha-Kid, what are you talking about-"

"Sir, I know you're treating me well like this only because you're guilty of what you did to me in the past. I assure you there is no need for that." Purple looked down at their feet, trying their best to keep their tone levelled.

Mango's response didn't came immediately. When Purple timidly raised their head, it was to their mild surprise too see Mango's lower lip wobbling slightly, his expression was a mixture of shock and hurt. Then, it morphed into indignation. “Nonsense!" Mango raised his voice for the first time since their conversation. "Didn't you hear what I was trying say this whole time? I don't know what has gotten into your head all of a sudden-" Purple gritted their teeth at those words, "-but I certainly did not take you in because of guilt! I truly care about you from the bottom of my-"

"But why should you?! I'm of no use to you anymore!" Purple sprung to their feet, hands shaking.

"This isn't about-"

"I can't even get a single job done without breaking the one thing you value the most!"

"That's not-"

"Why're you still keeping me around? You should know I'm just a waste of space by now!"

"Enough!" Mango finally stood up, his face burning with rage."Why do you keep saying things like this?! What makes you think I would stop caring about you just because of your mistakes?! Can't you see how-"

"Because I'm not good enough!" These words made a daring escape out of Purple's lips before their brain could stop them. Tears obscured their vision, they couldn't see Mango's expression, but they didn't care, they just squeezed their eyes shut and kept on going.

"I-I'm weak, I'm useless, I'm a failure...I can't even g-get up on my feet when my dad ordered me to! "It felt like a cold, unforgiving hand had seized Purple's heart, tightening its grip painfully. But still, words tumbled out of their mouth like water pouring through the floodgates.

"If o-only I was strong enough, if only I was a be-better fighter, dad wouldn't have fed up with me and le-left me and mom behind, and, and if d-dad didn't left, then, then mom might still be alive right now! It's all my fault!" Tears streamed down Purple's cheeks as sobs wrack their body, it was as if they were once again the grief-stricken child standing in front of the freshly dug grave of their mother, helpless, vulnerable, alone.

"If I d-don't try hard en-enough, I'll just le-let everyone d-down, then no-no one would-“

“That’s not true!” A voice interrupted Purple’s lament. Green's arms were strong yet gentle, pulling Purple close with a reassuring steadiness, shielding them from the fierce winds on the top of the snowy mountain. "You don't always do the right thing, and you're not always as strong and capable as you want to be, but that's okay! As long as you are your true self, we would love you just the same."

Purple opened their eyes, the familiar warmth made them realise that Mango was holding them. They were both sitting on the floor, Mango's large, firm hand cradled the back of Purple's head, pressing it gently against his chest. Purple automatically leaned into the embrace, resting their head against Mango's broad and sturdy chest. The deep, steady rhythm of his heart beat thrummed against their ears, spreading through Purple's body like a calming wave. They could hear Mango breathing heavily right above them, with every exhale his breath came out wavering and unsteady.

"M..MT?"

"Please, enough...that's enough." Mango's voice was hardly more than a whisper, quivering with raw emotions.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to tell you all these things..." Purple sniffled, wiping their eyes furiously, their cheeks felt tight after crying so hard.

"No, Purple, I should be sorry, sorry for not connecting the dots earlier. I finally understood, everything makes sense now."

"W-What do you mean?"

Mango slowly and gently pulled away from the hug. Holding Purple's hand, he guided them to rise from the floor and settle on the mattress, himself following suit. Honey brown eyes met amethyst, a tender, sincere gaze that wrapped Purple up like a warm, fluffy blanket. "Purple, you need to know that none of what happened to you in the past was your fault. You shouldn't be burdened by those things."

Purple frowned, "How could you say that? My father left because of me, didn't he?"

"Oh Purple..."Mango sighed,"You're such a kind soul to think that way, but no. Definitely not. Your father set unrealistic expectations on you, and blamed you for not living up to them. This is extremely unfair." There was a noticeable edge to Mango's tone, as if he was struggling to contain his boiling anger.

"Unrealistic expectations?" Purple's head whipped towards Mango,"But I thought all parents wanted their children to be good fighters?"

"Well, yes, but not all of us would be such an a- I mean-"Mango took a deep breath, "-apparently, your father's way did more harm than good. At what age did your father start training you, may I ask?"

"Um...he started sparring with me since I was five."

"Five?!" Mango's hand was gripping the bed sheets so hard that it wrinkled. "Me and Gold still play fight with corn dogs when they were your age!"

A snicker broke the solemnity of the conversation, despite the previous emotional breakdown, Purple couldn't help but chuckle at the mental image."S-sorry, but really?" Purple's shoulders trembled with barely conceived laughter, "The King of the Nether, playing with corn dogs?"

Mango raised his eyebrows, clearly not expecting such a reaction from Purple. But Purple's laughter was contagious, soon, Mango's eyes softened, and his lips curled into a grin.

"If you want we can do it as well someday, I know a guy that makes the best corn dogs."

But then his smile wavered, on the verge of fading, as his gaze grew distant and sorrowful, as if he was lost in a bittersweet memory. Purple knew he was thinking of Gold again.

"MT..." Driven by a newfound strength, they gingerly reached for Mango's hand, offering him a reassuring squeeze. Mango blinked, glancing down at his hand in mild surprise before turning back to Purple with a thankful smile, gently holding their hand in return.

"Purple, You...reminded me of Gold in some ways," He said softly. "You're both enthusiastic, curious, and always seeking my attention. But Purple, you are so much more than these similarities. You have a brilliant tactical mind, able to craft creative strategies that outsmart your opponents, " Mango tighten his grip on Purple's hand, "and what you did just now shows just how incredibly observant and compassionate you are. I'm sorry it took me so long to realise what a wonderful kid I've found, but now that I did, how could I not care about you?"

"But I..."

"Before you say anything, yes, I know you are not perfect, you are a real kid, not an emotionless machine. You are allowed to make mistakes, you are allowed to be vulnerable, and you are allowed to feel the way you do. I'm here to accept every part of you——your mistakes, your flaws, your insecurities and your trauma, and I'll keep supporting and caring for you until you are ready to open up to me. So, Purple, will you give me a chance?"

At that very moment, Purple recalled their mother's tender, sad smile as her frail hand gently touched their face before going limp in their grasp. They wondered if Orchid's spirit was still watching over them, and if it was she who blessed them with such a perfect parental figure, because fate could never be so kind. They tried to summon a response, but what words could possibly convey the depth of the emotions surging through their heart? So instead, Purple did what first came to their mind: they threw themselves towards Mango, wrapping their arms tightly around his neck. And Mango did not hesitate for a second to pull Purple into his arms, enveloping them in a firm but gentle hug only a father could offer. "Heh..." He croaked, "I'll take that as a yes."

Yet, one last question lingered in Purple's mind like a blemish on a smooth, clear surface, and they couldn’t be completely at peace until they got an answer.

"But...what if I start doubting myself again? What if something went wrong and-and I-sorry..." Purple bit their lips, trying to break free from Mango's hold." I...I just couldn't see myself as you see me..."

But Mango only hugged Purple tighter. "It's alright, healing isn’t an overnight process,  it's a long journey that requires a lot of patience and support. Whenever doubts cloud your mind, I'll keep reminding you just how wonderful you are, and how much you mean to me, as many times as you need, until you believe it just as I do."

Mango paused, turning his ear towards the door, and smiled mysteriously. "And don't forget-" he released Purple, walked up to the door, and yanked the door open."-you have friends that care about you as well."

"Woah-!"

"What the-!"

"Ow-!"

With surprised yelps, five colourful sticks tumbled to the ground in a tangled heap of limbs.

"What the-!" Purple leaped up from the bed, blood rushing to their cheeks as they sputtered: "Why are- How did- Are you guys eavesdropping?!"

"Red get your fat ass off my- Sorry Purple! I tried to stop them but they just wouldn't listen!" Green explained hurriedly while trying to free himself from the others.

"Hey that not true!" Red shot back, "You were the one eavesdropping in the first place!

"What?!"

Yellow managed to get to his feet first, panting. "How did you know we're behind the door Ki- I mean Mr Tango?" He asked incredulously.

"Eh, I learned from experience." Mango sat back into his chair, a smug smile on his face.

"What does that mean-"

"-Anyway we're really sorry for eavesdropping you guys," Second gave Purple and Mango an apologetic look while helping Blue up, "but we were just worried..."

"Yeah," Blue added, "we heard shouting and we thought-"

"That's not an excuse for eavesdropping us!" Purple stomped the floor in exasperation, face as red as a plum.

"Don't worry!" Red flashed a toothy smile at Purple, "we didn't hear a thing!"

"Well except the part where you screamed you were a waste of space, and the part where-"

"Yellow you're not helping!" The others shouted in unison.

"I...you..!" At this point, Purple just wanted to disappear into thin air and never to be seen again.

"Alright alright," Mango stood up and placed a comforting hand on Purple's shoulder. "I understand you kids are concerned about Purple, but it's improper to listen in on our private conversation."

The five teenagers at least had the courtesy to look ashamed, their eyes fixed to the ground as they mumbled their apologies. Green, in particular, seemed the most uneasy. "Hey uh...Mr Mango? Sorry for talking to you like that earlier... I shouldn't have assumed that you were hurting Purple..." He stepped forward and bowed his head.

"I accept your apology," Mango said, patting Green on the shoulders and gesturing him to lift his head. "Although a bit rash, your protectiveness towards your friend is commendable."

"Yeah, thank you guys for...well...everything. I guess we do owe you an explanation for what happened between me and MT..." Purple scratched the back of their head, suddenly feeling a bit awkward.

"Nah, it's fine, we're just glad that you guys are okay now!" Green gave a dismissive wave of his hand, the others nodded in agreement, smiling at Purple warmly.

Then, Yellow's expression brightened. "Hold on, is this the first time Mr Tango visited the PC?!" Hearing his words, the rest of the gang visibly perked up.

"Oh my gosh you're right! We should totally show him and Purple something cool!" Red chimed in, flapping his arms in excitement. 

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking-" 

"Yes! Sec, grab Alan's pen!"

"On it!" And with that, as swift and sudden as a summer storm, the gang ran off into the desktop.

Green stopped abruptly at the door and turned around, bouncing at the spot and waving at both of them wildly. "Purple! Mr Tango! You gotta come and join us!"

Purple heard Mango chuckle right behind them."These kids..." He sighed fondly before looking down to meet Purple's gaze. "So? What do you think? Want to see what crazy shenanigans they're up to?"

Purple stared into those soft honey-brown eyes, and remembered his words. "Healing isn’t an overnight process, it's a long journey that requires a lot of patience and support." Right now, with Mango by their side and five amazing friends up ahead, Purple know that they will not travel this journey alone.

They smiled. "Of course!"

»»———— ❋ ————-««

Thank you very much for reading this fic! Although Alan gave Mango and Purple a happy ending at the end of AVM Ep.30, I doubt it would be smooth sailing concerning Purple's backstory. This kid really had a rough childhood, years of tryiing and failing the expectations of an overly strict parent and shouldering the weight of another parent's death must have lasting impacts on their mental health. Purple and Mango's relationship was like a thin piece of ice, and it does not take a boulder to break the ice and discover the surging current underneath. But thankfully, both of them have what it takes to strengthen the relationship and to heal from their past trauma: love, understanding, and the support from others.

P.S: I've never played Minecraft before so I apologise for any inaccuracies about the game.

Reblogs and comments are greatly appreciated!

[kaonarvna]

Every now and again, I remember that my disability (EDS) isn't invisible, actually. People are just uncomfortable when they can see it. People don't want to see it. People like to ignore it. Other people just stare at it, and don't even look at me. All they see is a pile of bones and fascia and something to pity.

I've worn a shoulder brace the past week, because it subluxed horribly a week or so ago. Still healing. Visible.

I always have compression sleeves on my arms, full coverage. Bicep to wrist. Visible.

I have soft braces and compression kit for every joint imaginable. Visible.

I'm covered in KT tape. I've worn it on my goddamn face after a jaw sublux, for that little extra support and proprioception help. Tape. On the face. Very visible.

The people I've worked with for years are used to it by now, the good ones, at least. They don't remark when I take a minute to stretch. They know I'll say something if I'm not okay. They know I'm in a constant state of variable dysfunction. They've seen enough, they're used to it.

But then there's people who aren't used to it. People who see me stretch on the ground, watch in discomfort, then they ask someone else if I'm okay. I can hear them quietly mutter it to other staff. I hear them go, "oh, he does that". I can see their discomfort with me (just existing as I need to exist). I can see the discomfort in these new people who aren't accustomed to bodies with slightly different needs, and it's a visceral reminder of being "other". I wonder, how terrible and scary and different I must be, for them to not even have the fortitude to ask me themselves.

And then there are the new people who see it and ask too many questions. The ones who go "but you're so young!" as though my connective tissue has a concept of social expectations for people under (arbitrary age). They go "but you look great!" as though I'm not covered in bruises and held together by tape (nevermind the implication that the disabled must look "bad"). They go "but you never call in!" as though I'm not often two seconds away from doing so, before the fear of losing my job sets in.

...and these are the ones who seem to wish not to see it the most. The ones who ask questions like I should be on display, and as soon as the conversation ends, so does my disability. They'll ask the same questions the next time, and the next time, and the next. It always ends with statements of pity, or something pity-adjacent. If I'm "lucky", they might even make an inappropriate comment about how I shouldn't be working, or sex must be "interesting", or act like I'm some eldritch horror that shouldn't exist.

And I'm reminded of the training I was once made to sit though. A ninety minute training, where you sit and watch the PowerPoint for ninety minutes in a too-small plastic chair, while someone reads the PowerPoint. The presenter started with a cute little "haha I know it's long, feel free to get up and walk around, or stretch".

I did.

I got up, walked myself to the side well out of the way of the tight chair lines, and laid down to stretch (a good spinal twist, loosen things up).

And she stopped the presentation.

She asked if there were any first-aiders present.

She was going to keep going on and on, until I heard someone say, "oh, he's fine, he does that." and a few "that's just (name), he does that". She started apologising profusely, waffling about how she thought there must have been a medical emergency, how people don't usually get up. She seemed baffled by the mere concept that someone would actually need to get up, and couldn't sit for ages. Her statement was entirely performative and insincere.

Today, after the day was effectively done, I laid down on the clean, carpeted floor in my classroom to just...be horizontal for a moment. Find some way, any way, to get my lower back to move and function and not feel like it was being clawed apart from the inside. Relieve myself a little, so I could finish the day without abject misery. And this very-new member of staff sat on the other side of the room, presumably watching me. When I got up, she asked very quietly, "Is something wrong with you?" and all I had the energy to say was "I'm fine". I'm tired of explaining my body. I'm tired of explaining my needs. I'm tired of justifying taking care of myself.

Someone recently told me "You're very brave. I think I'd rather die than live like you."

I didn't respond. I didn't have the energy to break down that she'd effectively told me I should die. I didn't have the energy to tell her that it's not bravery to live "like this".

It's my only option.

I know nothing else.

And I'm just tired. And hurting.

I'm grateful for the few good ones, the ones that are used to it. The people who have stopped asking me if I'm okay when I stretch, or need a little break, or get out the tape and scissors.

They know I'm not okay. That's why I'm on the ground. That's why I'm checking my range of motion, or feeling a joint, or holding pressure on a digit that's come undone. I'm not okay, and I'm trying not to get even worse.

I'm not okay, actually. I'm never okay, and that's fine. I'll never be your version of "okay", and that's fine. I've no choice. Thank you for knowing that I'm not okay, but that that's normal, and that if something was seriously, horribly wrong, I'd do something. Thank you, for just going about your business and talking to me as normal when I'm taking care of myself, instead of sprinkling eggshells on the ground for your own personal crunching.

I'm just tired. I'm visibly disabled if you look for ten goddamn seconds. I'm a person if you look for twenty. I'm a fetish if you just keep staring and staring and asking about my body like you're entitled to my flesh. I just want to sleep for more than two hours without my body waking itself up to remind me it hurts. I'm so tired.

[bloggingboutburgers]

this past week my qpp of almost two years broke up with me. and i know for you, you said you wouldn't necessarily feel heartbroken if your qpr came to an end, but for me, it felt more heartbreaking than some of my past romantic breakups. this whole thing made me wonder if maybe im not queerplatonic or aro enough to be in a qpr, or if id ever want to be in a qpr again. but seeing you post about your qpr gives me hope that queerplatonic love is something that i can experience fully. so thank you for always sharing your story, because that's what's helping me heal right now <3

Aah, to be perfectly honest, as much as I sorta "downplay" it compared to what it must feel for people who experience romantic attraction... I've had a time where I almost felt like I couldn't go on with my QPP as well and the sheer thought of it was really hard to bear too, so my words here aren't necessarily being very fair to the reality of things.

It was during the travel ban of March 2020 to November 2021 where citizens of my country and others weren't allowed to enter the US unless we spent 15 days in a country that wasn't banned. It made it much harder than usual to visit my partner and as it was nearing 2 years with nobody aware it was going on anymore and US people more concerned about whether they'd be able to have turkey for Thanksgiving, my hope was running really thin. So for a few days in mid-October, as I was at rock bottom, I was starting to write in passing to my partner about how maybe going on wasn't worth it because the separation was too hard on us, it wasn't showing signs of stopping, and the whole thing maybe wasn't worth the pain if they could live their life happily and not have to worry about me who couldn't visit.

And then we videocalled at some point, and when they tearfully told me that even if it did end then and there, they wanted me to keep the promise ring they'd recently given me, I suddenly felt a quiet rage in me going like "No. Fuck this. Look at them. I love them. And I love this too much to allow some cruel governmental decision to end it. If it ever ends, it'll be because WE want it to end. Not because of shit like this."

...I'm making it sound super dramatic but yeah long story short this is also a big reason why we're planning to get married. So that when the US government decides to put a ban on countries including mine again, they can't stop us from vibing together this time.

I guess... I still don't wanna 100% assume we'll be together forever because I don't wanna trap them in a situation they may no longer feel happy in. We're doing great now, but I still have it in the back of my mind that maybe someday they'll get sick of me (they say they never will and that'd be dope if they never did, but never say never and all), or we'll both just want other things, and if it ends like that, then... Yeah, that'd be alright. Much more alright than the way it almost ended.

(...Oh, and for the record, if a friendship of mine ended abruptly, or if my brothers stopped being on good terms with me, I'm pretty sure I'd be just as heartbroken, to be fair. And it'd feel like my reality was collapsing a little. I guess anything ending, any human connection ending, has that effect to a degree, if it's important enough, after all.)

Though describing things like that does make it a bit harder to define what makes it "queerplatonic" as opposed to "romantic", I still... Just have that feeling in my gut that it isn't romance, y'know? It's kinda... A mix between being close friends and being an old married couple without ever having gone through the grandiose passion-honeymoon phase. Maybe that phase IS what defines romance per se. I don't know. Maybe someday I'll find more answers, but it's kinda hard to find answers when you have no idea how romance works to begin with I guess 🙈

In any case... Sorry if I caused any confusion or if I made you question your validity. The thing is pretty simple to be honest: if you feel you're aro, you're veeeeeery likely to BE aro. Because nobody can make that call but you and nobody can name the relationships you have but you. And if amongst everything you even FOUND the words "aro" or "queerplatonic" in a world where those identities and types of relationships are so aggressively hidden or erased, then it's gotta stand for something.

...I guess at the very least THIS I can be certain of TwT Sorry I'm a bit messy about all of this myself, I'm still also going on about it trying to figure it out day by day, but I owed it to you and everyone to be honest. These things are hard to define and I hope to keep finding better and better words to do so someday. TwT

[firegirl888101]

Insatiable Madness (4)

|Sagau Yandere Fatui Harbingers x Reader|

Thank you all for the continuous support!

I'm finding it so hard to keep the characters acting how they would in the game...

Also I'm a bit nervous to post this since I'm not feeling confident.

Reader is Gender Neutral!

"Pierro, I think we're attracting unwanted attention." Columbina whispered to the older male, her face unchanging.

He didn't reply, he continued to watch the doctor walk around and look for the Decider.

"Dottore, do you even know what they look like?" Scaramouche asked the man.

"I may or may not have discovered this problematic issue."

Meanwhile, you were in line with your family waiting for your turn to order at the desk.

Your aunt didn't bring her card, so now you all had to physically go to the desk instead of order at one of the tablets.

While your aunt was fiddling with her purse, you were eyeing the Dottore cosplayer walking around the room.

He seemed to be looking for something... or someone...

You wanted to walk up to him, you really did. However, you were with your family right now.

You couldn't just leave them and help someone you wanted to be friends with.

"Y/N! I've been calling your name for the past 5 minutes." Your aunt snapped her fingers in front of your eyes.

"Sorry, sorry, what did you want?" You blinked, focusing your eyes on her.

"I was asking what you wanted, we're next in line." She pointed, the teenagers in front of you grabbing their ticket from the cashier.

"Speaking of which, we're now being served."

Damn it, you were so focused on the cosplayer you didn't decide on what to order!

Hmm, a cheeseburger does sound good... and certainly smells good too.

"Just decide for me." You sighed to yourself, fumbling with your fingers.

"WHAT!? This is so unlike you! ...For your courtesy to my wallet, I'll buy you an extra milkshake."

"Yay."

The Harbingers regrouped at the entrance of the building.

"Dottore, what's our next plan?" Capitano questioned, moving further away from gazes passed at him.

"I'd personally like to leave public view as soon as possible, I think I'm the main problem."

"You could never be the problem, Captain!" Childe smiled.

"Fucking brown noser." Scaramouche scoffed.

"Shut up, balladeer! We all know it's your hat that's attracting attention!"

"Would you two stop arguing like children!" Pulcinella raised his voice, Childe backing away.

"Right, so I'm the child." The Balladeer scoffed, his arms folded as he looks away.

"Do you want extra time in the abyss once we return to Teyvat?" Pierro threatened.

"I'd love that extra time, anywhere away from the fucking man that brought us here is pleasant enough."

"Of course you'd say that." He shook his head in annoyance.

"Dottore, what's our next plan?" Pantalone asked him.

"I have an idea! Let's just kill everyone to attract their attention." Childe suggested.

"Absolutely not, I'm not looking to dirty my hands here." Signora shut him down.

"Tartaglia's idea isn't a bad one." Dottore thought out loud.

"Excuse me?" Sandrone gaped. "How is causing mass-murder an acceptable idea?"

Dottore paused, looked around him, then continued.

"It hurts my intellect to admit this, but we don't have any other options."

"Dottore is right, we can't miss this chance. Who knows when they'll leave the building." Pantalone nodded.

"Additionally, I don't feel like walking much further."

It was decided.

"Well then, comrades, let's dance. I'm glad you all see my way for once."

You were sitting in a dirty ass toilet stall which probably hasn't been cleaned in weeks.

Fiddling with the phone in your hand, you curse to yourself quietly when your Childe still wasn't working.

Okay, it's clearly not your computer that's the issue.

You were about to leave the stall, when all of a sudden you heard screams outside.

Did... Did a celebrity walk through the door or something?

You walked out of the stall, washed your hands and peaked through the main door.

...

Blood. Blood was everywhere. It was splattered across the windows, the stools, the food, the corpses.

The smell was awful. Iron filled your nostrils, making you gag.

You shook with fear, stepping back slightly.

What happened while you were gone!? More importantly, where was your family!?

You wanted to check, but you didn't know if it was safe.

Oh, of course! 999 is usually the number you call in these situations... right? They'll be able to help!

You shut the main door slowly, and ran back to the bathroom stalls.

You quickly dialed the number, and put your phone up to your ear.

"999, what's your--"

"Please, help me, help the people! I don't know what happened." You whispered harshly, hearing footsteps behind the bathroom door.

"Calm down, love... Take deep breaths and explain what's going on." The elderly voice behind the phone calmly warned.

"My... My family. We went to a fast food place for lunch, I went to the toilet. I come back, and... everyone in the entire facility is laid on the floor with blood surrounding them!"

"Did you see anyone out there alive? Perhaps the murderer?"

"No! I ran back inside the toilet in fear! Ohh, I hope my family are safe..."

"Alright, sweetie. Here's what we're going to do. I need you to tell me where you are, and to follow my instructions. From the sound of your situation, you'll need paramedics and police?"

"Yes, yes! Anything that can help! I--"

You heard the bathroom door open.

"I'm fucking checking the room now!" You heard a voice yell. "That damned doctor..."

You felt yourself slowly climb on top of the toilet, hiding your feet from view.

"Hello...? Is everything alright?" You heard the woman on the phone.

When the woman spoke, the footsteps paused.

You couldn't breathe, you were terrified. You could feel your hands shaking, the phone in your grip becoming increasingly heavy.

"There's someone in here!" You heard the male voice shout.

So, there's more than one murderer... who would do this? Who would have the conscience to murder these people in cold-blood?

That's not important. Right now, you had to find an escape.

"_____ ___ _______," You whispered your location. "send help..."

You hung up the phone and frantically looked around the stall for something to defend yourself with.

It's clear to you that you're dead meat. One wrong decision and you're dead. You had to survive until the police arrived.

The footsteps began to move again, you could see sandals when you peaked under the door.

You heard a knock from the other side.

"Listen here, and listen here closely. We've got you surrounded, you can't escape." The voice started.

"If you don't show yourself in 5 seconds, I'm ripping this weak door and showing you to The Doctor." He threatened.

"5..."

What do you do!?

"4..."

They'll kill you!

"3..."

Dottore? Are the cosplayers behind this?

"2..."

This is sick, everything about this is making you sick. Move legs, MOVE!

"1."

BANG!

I want to bring the series into an entirely different direction. I'm going to try and make things quite dark, if possible.

Like I said earlier, I am a very bad writer. The aim of writing these situations is for practice and to see what I'm good at and what I'm bad at.

If anyone has any critiques for me, please tell me if you're comfortable with sharing!

Despite my plans being fucked up, I want to have fun with it!

Please don't expect too many happy, nice and generally fluffy scenes.

This is Yandere, a genre which should never, under any circumstance be considered normal. It's abusive, unhealthy and leads to a lot of victims facing awful conditions which they never should or ever have to endure no matter who they are.

This is fiction that I'm writing, meaning it's all taken light-heartedly IN A FICTIONAL SENSE.

If anyone, by chance, is currently in conditions where a loved-one or yourself has suddenly become distant and/or being hurt when away from eyes please get help. Talk to them, or if it's you, talk to someone you know you can trust.

If you can't talk to anyone, find authorities who can help you. Call 999, as it is in the U.K, or your local emergency service. They will always help you, and will never deny your rights or freedom.

Thanks for reading this, I hope all who's reading knows this information already, but I thought I'd include it since who knows when it comes to where you are in the world and whether your education programs taught critical information like this.

✨Elusive✨ Taglist!:

@valeriele3 @pale-value @pix-stuff @yumi-genshin-writer @yuii-v @itz-luna @annoying-mary @etherisy @khalhaimdad @haikyuusboringassmanager @magica-ren @sweatyexpertdeputyduck @booksandteaplusart @9140

Quick Reminder Here! If you no longer want to be on the taglist that's completely fine! I take no offence whatsoever so please don't hesitate to tell me. ^^

[stubz]

Goodbye

"Have a good summer Pollix! See you in September Zyz! Have fun in the Lakes of Nebula Ezshi!"

Today was the last day of the youngling centre and the first day of summer vacation. Although according to the Captain and his second in command it's the Galactic Solar Solstice. But Kim and Max preferred to call it summer.

Both humans walked around the centre saying goodbye and farewell to the younglings. Many of whom gave hugs or small gifts as a sign of thanks or respect in their respective culture and planet.

All but two children who stood away from the others. Looking not as happy as the others.

"Hey. Look." Max nudged his friend to the two kids.

"Ah...Sam and Dan." together the two walked towards them.

.

"Where's Kim and Max?"

"They're over there."

"What are they doing?"

"I think they're checking on Sam and Dan."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"Look they're hugging. Maybe they're just sad that we won't see them for a long time."

"Probably. Lets play!"

..

"Teacher?"

"Yes Emira?"

"Why did you hug Sam and Danny longer than any of us?"

"Oh...because this is probably the last time I'll see them."

"Why??"

"Sam and Dan are leaving. They're going to a new school. One that's on Earth and we live in different parts of Earth so this is probably the last I'll see them."

"But your only supposed to have one teacher! They can't just leave!"

"Humans are different. We don't have one teacher all our school life. We have different teachers and can change schools."

"Even if you really like your teacher?"

"Even if you really like your teacher."

"Even if you really like your friends and classmates?"

"Even if you really like your friends and classmates. It's not always easy."

They stand in silence. Emira's feathers ruffling as she thinks.

"That must be sad." she finally says.

"It is. Sam and Dan tried to convince us to go work at the new school they'll be going to. They were pretty sad today too but we told them to remember the good memories we have-"

"No I mean for teachers."

"..."

"I know they were the first ones here. They love you a lot, Danny even called you both Mom and Dad before. And I know you both love them."

"...Your quite observant Emira. You know what that means?"

"I'm good at noticing things."

"Yeah. I don't have siblings like Kim and I'm actually not that much older than Sam. I'm the same age as their oldest brother...and to be honest they sometimes felt like my younger brothers."

"So you're going to miss them a lot?"

"Yes. Kim has done this before but this is my first time. Kinda sucks that its with kids I've known for over 3 years..."

"Do you want a hug?"

He nodded and the little avian hugged him.

...

"Max!"

"Hey Kim."

"I got something for you."

"Thanks...but my birthday isn't till next week?"

"Not from me, from Sam and Dan." she handed him the wrapped up gift.

He slowly opened it. It was light, like a feather, and was the size of a picture frame. It was a black screen.

"What is it?"

"Tap the screen."

He did and the screen lit up. Dozens of holographic pictures shot out from it. Most were from class field trips and events but were zoomed in on him and the two brothers. Some he doesn't remember Kim taking but he remembers the time the place.

"I got one too. It started out as a gift for the boys so they could remember us but then they and their parents wanted to return the favor so they made an extra two for us. Some of these are from the parents." she explained smiling at the biggest picture of the boys holding a sign saying 'Thank you for the memories, love Samuel and Daniel'

"..."

"I know I don't show it but I'm gonna miss them too. It does get easier with each time but you never stop missing the kid. Remember the kid I told you about, Penny?"

"The girl who gave you 3 stitches?"

"She was my first goodbye. She was at the preschool I first started at. Sweet, kind, a little ankle biter, but I really liked her. I had known her for 3 years when she left."

"...I'm really gonna miss them." he sighs, slumping towards his friend. She holds him in a side hug.

"I know buddy, me too...me too" they looked at the pictures in silence and if one of them let a tear fall then that was nobodies business but their own.

[heartfullofleeches]

Alright awesome, uh aHEM-

Y/N trying to comfort Theodore: “Listen man I’m really sorry about the divorce, you two really loved each other so it must’ve been really rough.. If you need any help or just want someone next to you then know I’ll be right here for you okay? And hey on the bright side, there are plenty of fish in the sea! I’m sure you’ll find your one and only eventually”

Meanwhile Theodore is internally flipping out cause: Oh my god the divorce was actually a blessing in disguise she’s finally gone and fuck I think I really love Y/N and they’re sitting here comforting me and touching me I want them so bad what do I do fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck-

Theodore never liked coffee. The bitterness clung to the roof of his mouth and caffeine gave him jitters til next week if he drank too much. With the kids and all his school work pilling up, he needed something to keep him awake and everything else he tried had no effect. He experimented with different creamers and sugars, and created the perfect mix to help it all go down. He figured it wouldn't be too much of a crime to ask his then girlfriend to pick up his drink of choice whenever she bought drinks for herself - only to be handed a black coffee everytime.

"Ta-da! One iced latte. They didn't have that toffee creamer you like so I raided your fridge. Once you're feeling better, we really need to get you out of this house, mister."

His blanket falls from his shoulders as he reaches out. "... thanks."

His voice was hoarse and scratchy; startling even him as it crawled from his throat. It sounded foreign to him, but that's exactly what that woman did. Somedays he couldn't look in the mirror without seeing a glimpse of the shy, awkward teen he used to be - and the stranger that person had because. He was a wreck. He hadn't slept. He only showered when he had to pick up the kids from their grandparents. He hadn't eaten anything in days... until you brought him food. Back in your highschool days you'd pay him with his favorite foods in favor of completing some project you forgotten about. While his tastes had changed a lot over the years, he gorged himself on everything you brought until he felt ill.

Theodore tears the lid of the cup and swallows the concoction, not stopping for a breath. Your hand flies to his back as he chokes. "Take it easy, Theo. Give me that."

You pry the cup from his hands as you sit beside him, weighting his palms against his lap until his shakes quiet. "It's going to be okay. You'll find someone when you're ready to look again and I'll always be here to support you."

You always have been. Years went when he forgot about his own birthday and it seemed like the entire world had to - and there you were, cake and a new book in hand. You were his rock through thick and thin; a vow he made with his ex. The guilty euphoria when people mistook you as his spouse instead of her. Beside what he did with his kids, Theodore had forgotten what it was like to enjoy another's company - reminded each time you came around. He couldn't make this about himself. He couldn't.

"The kids.... Erin's still so young. How am I going to tell them."

"Sometimes, a separated home is better than a dysfunction one. It won't be easy and they'll always come before anything, but right now you need to focus on yourself and what you want in life."

Your hands tighten around his. What does he want? He wants to go back to the night he took that cigarette from her. He wants to scream and hit his younger self for following her at that party. He wants to go back and stop the arrangement that kept his mind off the study partner that always came up with an excuse when it was time to hit the books, but there when he needed them most. He wants to tell them how they made him feel. He still does. He wants to love you - and now he finally.... finally can.

"Hold me.... Please, I just want...you to hold me."

His glasses fog up. You wipe the tears from behind his lenses as your arms envelope him. Eyes misty, all he feels is the pull of your warm embrace and he breaks. Theodore wraps the blanket around you and centers his hearing on the steady beat in your chest. It's the most beautiful thing in the world. If he has that to listen to every night, he won't need caffeine - or anything else for that matter. All he needed was you. All he ever needed was you.

[orginllazyblog]

Where Are You?

Summary: Yuu stopped showing up in the HoM mainly because of the canon story still processing. This took place before and during Book 7.

Note: Gender-neutral Yuu (can use your Yuu oc for this)

It has been an exhausting day in school for Yuu. They just dealt with Idia's and Ortho's overblot a few weeks ago, and now Yuu has started to gain awareness. They notice how each overblot resembles the Great Seven's by the vivid dreams they are having, and now worrying for the next one. 

"*Sigh* I need to get ready for work. Just need to rest for a while before dinner." 

As minutes went by, Grim woke up Yuu to remind them that it's about to be dinner time, well, mainly to remind them of his tuna. Yuu couldn't blame Grim for this one, he did get kidnapped and probably never eaten his favorite food. 

"Sure, Grim. Let's go to Mr. Sam's shop. Maybe get more than three this time."

"Fnagh? You will?"

"Yes, I have been saving up from my job. Remember?"

"Oh yeah."

"Well then, let's go in a hurry as I have to go to work in about an hour."

*

*

*

In the House of Mouse, Yuu serves the food to the great sevens as they are the only waiter who wasn't afraid of them. Also the fact they can handle it. Yuu also knows about their evil deeds from their vivid dreams, but after dealing with the OB boys, they kind of got used to them and see the similarities between them. 

After their work hours, they are on their break so they went to the seven's table to chat with them.

"So Yuu, how's your day in Night Raven College?" (QoH)

"Busy as the upcoming exams are coming next month." 

"If you need help, you can ask one of your classmates. Why not ask Azul? I'm sure he'll help you without paying any debt." (Ursula)

"I'm pretty sure they'll ask Riddle as they are not what they call "shady" Ursula." (QoH)

"Aren't you forgetting that Leona is wiser than those two. He's even older than those brats." (Scar)

'Oh boy, here we go.' 

"Oh wait! I forgot to mention that I won't be able to come back to work."

"So when will you be back from your exams?" (EQ)

"I would say about a week or two. I'm not sure how long it'll take considering it's a different school system from my home world, but I know it won't take long."

During the conversation, Yuu didn't bring up another overblot incident, which happened to be the shroud brothers. They didn't want to make them worried, but Yuu still needs to tell them about their vivid dreams and know the truth about them. They just need to wait until the time is right. 

After hours pass, the clubhouse is about to close. Yuu farewell to the great sevens and the other disney characters as they left. Mickey congrat them and gave them their paycheck of 5,000 thuamarks. 

"Thank you, Mickey."

"No problem, Yuu."

"By the way Mickey, I won't be able to work in the next couple of weeks. I have an upcoming exam so I would need time to study and a small break as well."

"Oh okay, thank you for reminding me, Yuu. Remember to take it easy. I'll have to tell the other staff about it."

"No worries, I also told the great sevens about it. I'm sure the rest will understand my situation."

"Okie dokie! Good night, Yuu." 

Little does Yuu know this might be the last time they see the rest of the disney characters again.

________________

After a couple of weeks, Mickey and the staff were able to work knowing Yuu is busy with their education. There was some mischief going around, but it was only from Pete, and one of the great seven's shows up one time only. So far, everything seems normal. Nothing can go wrong… right?

It's been about a month, and the whole House of Mouse Club was panicking. Yuu should have been done with the exams. Where are they? Did something happen to them? 

Of course it wouldn't make sense, Yuu wouldn't just quit their job as they need money to buy their needs or send a message to Mickey or anyone to let them know. 

Even the great seven's were wondering what happened to them. Someone like Maleficent, who has access to travel to Twisted Wonderland world only to find out she can't.

 As if there is a barrier that she can't enter. That's when things are going downhill.

Mickey and his friends try to calm everyone down, but nothing seems to work. Until the lights went dim, the front stage, the screen went black. Then the loading screen started, which is not just any loading screen but the twisted wonderland loading screen. Everyone then quieted down as they sat down at their table as they watched how book 7 started.

*

* half an hour later…

*

With all there is, the screen went black again. With half of them, questions to what just happened and the sleeping beauty cast, now know what's going to happen next. 

Then again, 2 months later, the theater screen went black and the twst loading screen play. Now playing Book 7, chapter 2. 

"Hey Mal, do you know what's going on?" (Hades)

"How I'm I supposed to know? I can't enter Twisted Wonderland because the canon story is happening so I can't interfere." (Maleficent) 

"But do you know what will happen? This is where he will began to overblot." (Jafar) 

"Let's just watch it. There's no way my descendant won't-" (Maleficent)

*Malleus OB by end*

"..." (Maleficent) 

"You were saying~?" (Scar)

"Shut up." (Maleficent)

_______________________

Knowing there's like 5 chapters in Book 7, I have no clue for how long will I continue writing. So I just stop at where chpater 2

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

WIBTA if I told my grandma to stay out of my house for my birthday?

My (14 M) birthday is soon. Normally I'm really excited for this, and I still kinda am, but I'm worried I'll have to deal with my grandma then. That would kinda sour the whole thing.

For some context, I've never really been that close with my maternal grandparents. I went to their house once when I was very little and they came over some around that time, but at some point a bit before my parents got divorced they just stopped visiting as much. So by the time they started visiting again, when my dad (50s M) had remarried and moved everyone into a new house, they were like complete strangers.

Sometime this year, though, my brother (23 M) got sick. Without airing out too much of his business, it was bad. My grandma (60s F) and grandpa (60s M) came to stay at our house while he was in the hospital. First it was a week, then it was two, three, a month, on and on. I tolerated the best I could because it was for my brother, but when he got out of the hospital and they still stayed, I was done. It wasn't a moment too soon when they left. But then a week later, they came back!!!

Ever since then, I've absolutely hated seeing my grandparents. What will usually happen is they'll show up with no warning because something something brother has an appointment, my grandpa will go back home, and then my grandma will stay for at least a week until grandpa comes back to pick her up, and I can never say anything about it because they’re family or whatever. I don't like my grandma, or her cooking, or how she always manages to be in the kitchen whenever I try to do anything down there. That's mean, but it's the truth.

Currently, my grandma is at my house because my brother got his wisdom teeth removed and I guess he can't be trusted alone afterward even though he's an adult and well enough to go to work and also has my dad and my dad's wife to help him. Since my birthday is so soon, I'm worried she'll just decide to stay so she can be there for it. I don't want her here. I didn't want her here last year either, but this time I'm early enough that I can tell her not to get me anything, too.

WIBTA? I don’t think it's wrong of me to want a say in who's at my house on my one day, but if I can't do it without coming off as rude and getting punished for it I probably won't.

What are these acronyms?

[nagito-kissmaeda]

Community Gardens - Komaeda/Reader

CHAPTER ONE [here]

CHAPTER TWO

Word Count: 4837

Contains: No warnings as of yet Summary: You were a member of the reserve course before everything went to hell. Now you're helping the Future Foundation by tending to a small farm on Jabberwock Island, the real Ultimate Farmer was busy, so you will have to do.

The last member of class 77-B has just woken up, and he has questions.

AKA: A talentless reader teaches Komaeda about the smaller things in life, and maybe they fall in love.

Read on Ao3

You are elbow deep in dirt when he comes up the pathway to the garden plot. Most of the 77th class have been polite enough to you, but it was very rare that you got a visitor because the garden was pretty out of the way. It was fine really, it was going to be a while before any of the vegetables you were planting would even start to sprout so there was no reason for visitors. Hinata would drop by every now and again, though it always felt like it was out of obligation more than genuine concern. So seeing the figure in the distance slowly coming closer is a real shock. 

You tip the brim of your straw hat up so you can take a look at your visitor. It’s someone you’ve never seen before, and with the small number of people on the island, that was an exciting development. You give him a warm smile and a small wave as he comes to a stop at the edge of the garden bed.

His brow furrows and his mouth pulls into a tight line, “Who are you?”

You laugh, “You must be the last one to wake up! Did Hinata not warn you about me before you started your walk?”

“I...no, he didn't.” He crosses his arms, and the sunlight bounces off the back of his metallic hand, “Hajime is in a meeting.”

You clap a palm to your forehead and laugh at yourself, “Silly me! I forgot it was meeting time, how do I keep forgetting something that happens once a week?” You take a moment to bring yourself up to your feet, dusting the dirt off of your overalls, “Did they let you leave early?”

He laughs breathily, “no, that's not it. I wasn't invited.” He swallows, looking down at the ground, “I'm not sure they've all forgiven me for…”

“Oh.”

He doesn't need to finish. The specifics of what went on in the Neo World program were not divulged to you, but you know enough.

“Well, i’m sure they'll come around eventually. Tsumiki had to drop by to check on a nasty bug bite I got a few days ago and she said that everyone was already starting to warm back up to her.” You smile up at him, “You’ll be okay.”

He doesn't say anything, he just blinks at you slowly, his white hair blowing in the breeze. You clear your throat, “well, since you're here. Do you think you could water the seedlings as I plant them? I'll finish up much quicker if you're happy to help.”

“Um.” He looks around for a second, seeming hesitant to answer, “...sure.” 

“Thanks! Two hands make light work, you know?” You hoist the full watering can up from the ground and pass it into his awaiting hands. The handle clinked against his metal palm, “And your name - It’s Komaeda, yeah?” 

“Mm.” He replies, “Komaeda Nagito.” 

“Okay! Well, we need to move onto the empty plot up the back, follow me!” You say, and start walking. Komaeda is a decent bit taller than you, but it feels like his steps are laboured, he'd probably only been awake for a few days and had just re-learned how to walk.

“You never answered my question.” He says

You look at him over your shoulder, his face is already turning a little pink from the sun, “what question?”

“I asked who you are.”

“Oh yeah. Sorry. I can be forgetful sometimes.” You crouch down to the ground and dig a small hole in the dirt before grabbing a seedling and burying it inside, “I'm from the Future Foundation, I stayed behind to get the farm set up so you guys will still have food if something goes wrong with a shipment. Water that one, but be careful not to drown it-” you point to the seedling you’d just planted and then move onto the next, “I should only be here a couple of months longer.”

“Oh! The ultimate gardener! What a hopeful talent!” Komaeda says, watering the seedling before giving you a blinding smile, “nurturing life itself! What could possibly be more hopeful than that?”

“Oh no! Please don't misunderstand. I'm not an ultimate.”

He blinks at you, “not an…”

“The ultimate farmer is on the mainland. Somewhere near Kyoto.” You wipe the sweat from your brow and look up at the sky, watching the clouds pass over the sun, “the ultimate botanist didn't make it through the riots and the ultimate gardener was in Australia last we heard. The Foundation did ask if they wanted to come, but the answer was a no and they weren't going to force them.”

You give Komaeda a polite smile, “I'm just a regular person who likes gardening. That isn't so bad, is it?”

___

Komaeda comes back the next week. You don't ask if he skipped the meeting or if he still wasn't invited, because either way you are glad for the company. He grabs your watering can again and starts following you around as you check on all the seedlings you had planted the week before, he doesn't have much to say. He seems content to water your plants as you walk from plot to plot, it’s good he’s here, the plants do need diligent watering. The sun on the island is always hot and there hasn't been a drop of rain in the month or so since the foundation left you on the island.

“You said you aren't an ultimate.” Komaeda says, snapping you from your rhythm. Today is less labour intensive, so you are wearing a knee length sundress instead of your overalls. Komaeda is still in jeans and a coat, you are worried about him getting heatstroke. 

“I did.” You reach out and finger the leaves of a particularly sad looking carrot, “it sounds like you have a question. Go on, don’t be shy.” 

He nudges you out of the way so he can give the sickly carrot some water, “I didn’t know the Future Foundation hired those without talent.” 

You laugh at that. A gentle chuckle that rises up from your chest, “Every business needs someone to get the coffee, and there are only so many ultimate personal assistants in the world.”

Komaeda is listening carefully, his head cocked gently in a way that makes the sunlight glint off his hair. 

“I think there were about 50 of us normal people in the building, but there must be more out in the field and across the globe. There aren’t nearly enough ultimates to fill every spot at the foundation, and some of them wouldn’t even help us much. Hiring an ultimate firearms expert to file taxes would be a waste, you know what I mean?”

“Hm.” Komaeda says in lieu of a real reply. His lips are pulled tight and his brows are drawn, he is thinking a lot harder about this than you had expected him to. So hard that he loses focus on the plants he is watering.

“Hey.” You start, reaching up to place a hand on his cold metal wrist, “I think that one has had enough.” 

His eyes flick to the carrot he is drowning, and he wrenches the watering can away, Looking at the soaking patch of soil with an expression of forced acceptance, “Ah. My apologies. I’ve ruined your garden...not that it comes as a surprise.”

“We’ve all killed a plant. Gardening is a crapshoot.” You gesture widely to the rest of the plot, “that’s why you plant so many! Kill one plant, kill a hundred, it doesn’t matter. There will still be plenty left.”

He laughs bitterly, tucking his free hand into his pocket, “not if I kill them all.” 

Your heart reaches out for him. For the sad boy who thinks he is so cursed that one drowned plant foretells the death of a thousand. Whatever happened inside the simulation was none of your business, But you can’t help but wonder if it made him like this, or if this is how he has always been. A gust of wind picks up and blows past the garden, picking up dirt and leaves as it swirls past you and through Komaeda’s hair. He is very pretty, you decide.

“Unless you decide to stomp on every plant, you aren’t going to kill them all.” 

He meets your gaze, his mouth curled in an imitation of a smile, but you can see his eyes are sad, “with my luck...you never know.”

___

It is a few weeks this time before you see him again. His green coat is rolled up to the elbows and there is an ill fitting wide brimmed hat on his head, it looks like his hair is all squished underneath it. As he comes closer you notice that the skin on his face is flaking.

“Sunburn?” You ask

He looks away sheepishly, “Mikan wouldn't let me outside again until it went away.” 

“Dr. Tsumiki to the rescue! Good on her!” You exclaim, jumping up from your spot in the garden, “can I...take a look?” 

“Mikan already checked on it this morning.” You can hear the creak of his metal hand clenching and unclenching at his side, “she’s the ultimate nurse, she won’t have missed anything.” 

“I know, I know. But I took a first aid course in middle school, so don’t doubt my expertise.” You chew on your lower lip, squinting up at where the sun disappears behind Komaeda’s head, “Please. I just...I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

He raises his hands, almost like he is planning to shove you away, but then he lets them drop, “hm. Okay.” You take a step towards him, the top of your head only reaches his collarbones. His eyes flit between you and the middle distance as you draw closer and he gives you an uneasy smile, “everything accounted for?” He asks.

You chuckle, “yeah, your nose didn’t burn off or anything. Did Tsumiki give you sunblock? The hat won’t be enough.” 

“She did. It smells weird.” He crosses his arms in front of himself as you continue examining the flaking skin on his face, “can I ask you something?” 

You make a sad noise at a particularly large skin peel under his left eye, your hand itches to touch it, “uhhh. Sure.” You manage, forcing yourself to look him in the eye. 

“Did the foundation scout you? Or did you apply?” 

“Uh, both? Sort of.” Your hands are getting fidgety, so you clench them at your sides to keep them still, “i was actually a student at Hope’s Peak in the reserve course and they were running through the list of students to see if anyone survived. Last they heard um…” you try to focus on anything but Komaeda’s intense eyes, “last they heard, it was just me. I mean, I’m sure there are others who maybe evacuated or didn’t answer the phone. It can’t actually just be me, right?”

“How did you make it out?”

You sigh, “I didn’t. I was sick with the flu the week the riots started, and once my parents heard about what was happening they didn’t let me go back to school.” You can feel your voice getting shaky, “lucky break, huh?”

“So the rest of your cohort died in the name of despair, while you sat at home in bed, huh?” His eyes are cold as he looks at you. His vitriol is palpable, “am I getting this right?” 

You shrug one shoulder, “pretty much.”

His eyebrows jump up at that, “you admit it?” 

“Yeah, no reason not to.” You kneel down to the ground and start absentmindedly weeding around a strawberry patch. They are growing nicely, and it doesn’t look like any birds have been trying to eat them either, “I know that it wasn’t technically my fault what happened there, but the fact that one small change would have left me in the same boat as the rest of the reserve course, well…” you pull back some of the leaves, and smile at the sight of tiny green strawberries just beginning to grow, “I’ve been trying make my good fortune worth something. That’s why I joined the foundation, and why I decided to stay here and help all of you. I know I don’t have a talent, but there are plenty of things I’m good at! So I think that doing my best to bring hope back to the world in whatever small ways I can, is better than doing nothing at all.”

“But surely you must understand that any meagre hope you bring to the world will be inconsequential compared to the deeds of ultimates.” Komaeda replies, staring down at you. With you crouched low in the garden bed and his already impressive height, he makes an intimidating figure. You swallow, “Doesn’t that upset you? Don’t you feel worthless?”

Something clicks into place when he says that. His tone has changed and he sounds far away, like he is talking to someone else. You feel yourself soften, “Why should it upset me?”

“Huh?”

“I can't sing well enough to perform in a stadium, but my voice is perfect for lullabies. I couldn't cook in a five star restaurant, but my class loved my brownies.”  You smile up at Komaeda, you can't help noticing he looks radiant in the sunlight, “I once watched the ultimate farmer plant a pumpkin under concrete and it still managed to grow straight through. I could never do that, but what I can do is grow enough food for you and the rest of the people on this island. Hope is still hope, even if it’s small. Right?”

Komaeda just stares at you for a few seconds, All is silent but for gulls and the ocean off in the distance. one curl of hair has escaped from under his sun hat and it flutters in the light breeze. Your heart is racing when you realise how desperately you want to tuck it behind his ear. 

Then, finally. He moves. He crouches down at your side, close enough that you can see flecks of gold in his eyes, “can you teach me?” 

“Teach you…?” 

“How to garden.” He rests his elbows on his knees and leans in to take a closer look at your crop, “I’ve looked after a few pot plants in the past, but when you leave we’ll need someone to look after the farm so-“

“That’s a wonderful idea.” You said, beaming at him, “I’d love to help!” 

“I hope I won’t be too much of a burden.”

You rest your hand on his and for some reason his skin feels electric, “Komaeda.” You breathe, and his eyes meet yours, “You could never be a burden.”

___

“Nice shirt.” You say the next time Komaeda comes to visit. When he expressed interest in helping you garden, you’d told him that he absolutely couldn’t show up in his big green coat unless he wanted to ruin it and pass out from heatstroke. Sending new clothes over seemed to be very low on the foundation’s list of priorities, so the other folks on the island spent a lot of time raiding the old Jabberwock island gift shop.

Komaeda’s new shirt is at least three sizes too big, he has it tied in a knot at the right hip to keep it from hanging down to mid thigh. The front of it reads in a bold bubblegum font, “Jabberwock Rocks!”

He laughs, “It was the only one left that wasn’t in kids sizes. Just my luck.” 

Most of his white hair is pulled up in a high ponytail, but some of the shorter bits at the front are hanging in his eyes. He lifts one arm up to tuck some behind his ear and the shirt creeps up a little on the side he’s knotted. You see a flash of his skin, it’s suddenly hard to swallow. 

“Oh, i wasn't trying to be facetious. I mean it, you look comfortable.”

He shrugs one shoulder, “It is comfortable I guess, even if i am swimming in it.” 

“Well that’s good, because we’re actually doing some more planting today.” You gesture for Komaeda to follow you as you head out towards your newest garden bed, you’d spent the last three days tilling and fertilizing so it was finally ready for seeds, “It’s not a huge plot, and with you here I’m sure we’ll be finished nice and quick!”

He tilts his head at you, for some reason you find yourself taking notice of the way the large shirt dips under his collarbone. You swallow, “I thought you were done with planting?” He asks

“Oh, I was! This is just for my own enjoyment.” You reply, bending down to grab a spare trowel and a collection of seeds to pass to Komaeda, “We’re planting flowers. Sunflowers specifically.” 

“Just because you like them?”

“I mean mostly because i like them. Tanaka also came by a few days ago looking for a more sustainable food source for his hamster- ah sorry. Dark Devas of Destruction.”

Komaeda nods pensively, “And they can eat sunflower seeds. I do remember him mentioning that.”

“So yeah, two birds one stone.” You crouch down and work on planting your first seed, gesturing for Komaeda to do the same, “I think it will be nice for you guys to have something pretty on the island. Sustainability is all well and good, but most people wouldn't want to live on tofu alone, if you know what i mean.”

He follows your lead, crouching down opposite you and copying the way you plant the seeds. Albeit slower and with shakier hands. They’re very nice hands, his fingers are really pretty. You feel your cheeks burning from more than just the sun, and quickly direct your attention back to the soil as you move onto planting the next seed. 

“Have you…” Komaeda starts, still too focussed on his planting to look at you, “ever wanted a talent?”

“Of course I have. I get a little caught up sometimes in who i am supposed to be, and what my path in life is and I wonder if maybe having a talent would give me some clearer direction.” Komaeda is looking up at you now, there's a smudge of dirt on his cheek, “I’m not always that philosophical about it though, I get jealous like everyone else does. I try not to let it bother me too much, when I can, I work on focusing on the good parts of being talentless.” 

“What good parts?” He says, it sounds more like a dismissal than a legitimate question. You have learned not to take these jabs of his to heart, it doesn't seem like they’re really directed at you.

“Well, even though i find myself a little directionless from time to time. The fact that my future is entirely my choosing is a luxury that most talented people cannot afford, even if they would like it.”

Komaeda scoffs and wipes his nose with the back of his hand. There is more dirt on his face now, “What reason would an Ultimate have to squander their talent?”

“Just because you’re good at something doesn't mean you enjoy it.”

“ Enjoying it, is beside the point. If you are gifted with an Ultimate talent, it’s your duty to use it to bring hope to the world.” He’s stopped gardening now, gesticulating wildly with his hands, sending dirt arcing off into every direction, “If you don’t use your talent, you might as well just be-“ he stops himself, as if he just remembered who he is talking to.

“Talentless?” You offer. Smiling softly.

“I-“ he turns his attention back to the soil, “yes, talentless.”

“People are worth more than their talents.” You say, moving onto planting your next seed, “Did you know that Tsumiki is learning to knit? Last time i saw her she was halfway through making this wobbly little purple scarf, it was her first try and she was so excited. Why should skill mean anything if doing something makes you happy?” 

He doesn't reply, he’s looking up at you now and it feels like he is peeling back your layers with his eyes. You find yourself turning pink under his gaze. 

“You should ask her about it next time you see her. I think she wants to show other people.” You laugh a little, tucking some hair behind your ear, “I mean, she took the time to show me, and I’m not even her friend.”

“Aren’t you?” Komaeda asks, tilting his head to the side.

You scoff, “No. I’m just a worker bee, I don't expect any of you to be friends with me if you don't want to. Anyway, if you want a more straightforward answer to your question, Yes I've often wished I had a talent.” you laugh quietly to yourself, averting your eyes as you feel yourself going red, “I’ve always wanted to be the Ultimate Songwriter, i uh…I really like love songs” You turn to Komaeda and smile, “What about you?”

“Huh?”

“What about you? What do you want your talent to be?”

His brow furrows, and he frowns, “I have a talent. It may be paltry compared to the hopeful talents of my classmates, but i have one. Don’t reduce me to your level.” He crosses his arms, eyes glinting with vitriol.

You laugh, “You misunderstood my question. If you could have a different talent, what would you want it to be?”

“What? I- I don’t-“

You give up on planting for now, crossing your legs and tucking your hands in your lap, Komaeda is practically squirming, “Come on, you can do it! Picture you get to meet yourself from another universe, what talent do you want him to have?” 

Komaeda just stares at you, eyes wide. For a moment you think you’ve said something wrong, that you’ve offended him again. His mouth opens and closes, trying to find the words but unable, his hands are shaking, “He’s-“ 

His chest is heaving and what almost sounds like a sob hiccups in his throat as his arms wrap around himself. Trying to curl up inside of a coat that he isn't wearing, “He’s-”

It’s like something inside him snaps back into place, he shoots back up from the ground and turns away from you. For a moment you forget yourself and reach out to him. He leans away from your hand, panic visible on his face, “I have to go. I’m sorry.”

The wind is blowing gently and the sun is setting behind the trees as Komaeda walks off into the distance. You’re still sitting in the dirt, heart racing in your chest with the gravity of the moment that almost was. The stars, the planets, the whole universe stops, and you realise you are in love with him.

___

It isn't Komaeda who comes to visit next, but Hinata. You feel guilty at the way your heart sinks when you see him walking up the path, he’s wearing one of the shirts he thrifted from the giftshop, a hideous orange hawaiian affair decorated with apples and bananas. The shirt is like a beacon, you know it’s him from a mile away. 

You’d spent all night pondering your next conversation with Komaeda, what you were going to say. You wonder if there has been a shift in your relationship after that moment you stepped over the line in the sand. After he left , you didn't attempt to follow. If he needed space you weren't going to stop him. You just hoped he would trust you enough to come back.

“Good morning, Hinata.” You say, pulling yourself up from the ground and dusting the dirt of your overalls, “everything okay?”

“Oh, uh, yeah. Everything’s fine.” He tucks his hands in his pockets and takes a quick glance at your garden, “plants growing alright?”

You nod, “it’s slow going, I’ve been watering every day but there hasn’t been any rain.”

Hinata cringes, rubbing the back of his neck, “sorry I couldn’t help. I’m still...getting the hang of him.”

A few days after he woke up, Hinata had attempted to, as he described it, ‘wrangle Kamukura’ and use some of his talents to force it to rain. There had been a very quick and very aggressive torrential downpour, and then five hours straight of snow. After that it seems there was an executive decision to keep Kamukura locked away for now.

“I spoke to Souda about an irrigation system. He’s been scavenging for parts but he said it will

Probably be a few weeks, maybe a month.” You shrug one shoulder, “I just need to keep everything alive until then, it’ll be okay.”

“Thanks for giving him something to do. He was getting a little restless.” Hinata laughs to himself, “Kazuichi can be a nightmare when he’s restless.”

“I’m glad to be useful, even if it just means keeping Souda busy.” You smile and wipe your brow with the back of your hand. The sun is relentless as always, “Did you need something from me, Hinata? I doubt you just came by to chat.”

“Oh, uh yeah.” He starts, “The foundation sent the karaoke set that Ibuki has been begging for since day one.” Hinata smirks wryly at the thought, “So we’re having a party on the beach tonight.”

“Oh!” You say, “That’s nice, i hope you all have fun!”

Hinata blinks and clears his throat, “I’m inviting you.”

“Inviting me? You don't have to do that!” You say, heading a little further down the plot to water some more plants “I’ve been learning how to cross stitch so I have plenty to do tonight.”

Hinata’s red eye is boring into you. Your heart races. There is a secret that you haven't told even Komaeda about, a secret that maybe even the Future Foundation doesn't know, a secret that Hinata himself seems to have forgotten, so you swallow the thoughts down for now. It would be a waste to bring them up.

“Everyone is going to be there, that includes you.”

You smile, it’s nice of him to try and include you in the group. You know better. The class of 77-B has been nothing short of welcoming, but you are not their friend, “I’ll see what i can do.” he turns to leave, but right as he does you have a sudden thought, “Oh, Hinata?”

“Mm?”

“Can you tell Komaeda i said hello?”

Hinata blinks at you, “Tell...Komaeda…” he shakes his head, “Wait, is this where he’s been disappearing to?”

Your heart sinks like a rock in your chest, “He didn't tell you?”

“He didn't tell anyone.”

You try to swallow the lump in your throat, but all you can think about is Komaeda keeping you like some shameful little secret. You force a smile, “Dont worry about it, then!”

Hinata’s brows draw and he takes a step closer to you, “Wait, I have questions.” he sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, “Has he been treating you okay?”

“Of course he has.” You tilt your head to the side, confused, “He gets a little rude sometimes, but i'm not sure he entirely means it.”

“Nothing...weird?”

Now you’re really confused, “No. Nothing weird. He’s quiet, contemplative. He mostly just asks me questions.”

The tension leaves Hinata’s shoulders and he nods, “Okay. Good. I-” He crosses his arms and averts his eyes, “I’m worried about him. He’s been, I don't know, withdrawn? Since he woke up, I haven't had much time to talk to him about it. That is if he would even listen to me.”

“Hinata. I know-” You sigh, wrapping your arms around yourself nervously, “I know that what happened in the program is none of my business, and that there must be a reason the Foundation didnt tell me everything but-”

Hinata holds up a hand and says, “I’m gonna stop you there. You’re right that it’s none of your business, and i would honestly prefer you didn't know if you didn't have to.” he exhales, “but if Nagito wants to tell you, I’m not going to stop him. I’m just not sure that should be my choice to make.”

“I don’t think i want to ask him.”

He huffs and rests his hands on his hips, “Yeah, i probably wouldn't either. Look, it uh- it was kind of fucked in there, you know? I just want to make sure everyone is doing okay now that we’re out, so if you notice anything strange-”

“I’ll tell you.” your eyes are feeling heavy, and you suddenly realise that you are trying not to cry, “Don't um...don't tell Komaeda i mentioned him. I think he would prefer no one knew that he was coming here.”

“Sure…” Hinata replies, he sounds uneasy, maybe even a little confused, “I’ll see you tonight, yeah?”

You nod. 

Hinata leaves. 

You don't go to the party.

[yanderepuck]

Kinktober Day 13

AND WE'RE BACK FOR A FOURTH TIME. It's that lovely time of the year where I write mediocre smut with no plot for a whole month. So sit your ass down and take a few minutes to read some smut.

As always, kinktober is held by our local Napoleon simp, @xxsycamore

If you'd like to read the last three years, go here

Remember to reblog and tell me what you think

Fetish Clothing | Striptease

You groan to yourself as you walk down the hall with a basket. You've been assigned to do laundry too many times this week. You know it's either you or Sebastian who does it, but would it really be so hard to ask the guys to drop their clothes off in the laundry room?

The worst part about it is having to go room to room and collecting it all. You're going to half to talk to Sebastian about this.

You stopped in two rooms since you knew they would be empty. Now into Vincent's room. It was a bit cloudy outside so you knew he'd be in there painting. You knock on his door.

"Yes?"

You push the door open and come inside setting the basket down. "Morning, Vincent."

Just as you thought, he's at his easel painting away.

"Good morning," he doesn't look away from his canvas. He must be working on smaller details with how close he is to it. "Does Sebastian have you doing laundry again?"

"Yeah," you groan loudly.

Walking over to the other side of Vincent's room, you reach into the hamper he has and grabs his clothes.

Vincent is one of the few where you don't mind just grabbing his clothes. Now Dazai? You have no clue where he has been. You aren't touching those.

Vincent let out a soft chuckle. "Hopefully you won't have to-"

He stops mid-sentence as he looks over at you. You simply assume you didn't hear him.

"What was that?" You turn around to look at him and notice that his face is flushed. "Hm? Is something wrong?"

As embarrassed as he is, he can't look away or hide behind his canvas. "Are...are those new pants?"

You look down at when you are wearing. They are a pair of shiny pleather pants. You have had them for a while but never found a reason to wear them, so you decided to just wear them.

"I mean, sort of," you stick your leg out looking at the shiny pleather. "Do you like them?" You get excited, and spin around for him. "They can be a pain to get on but I love how they look."

Vincent can't help but stare. He's always seen you in skirts or looser pants, nothing so tight on your body. He mumbles something but you can't make it out.

"What was that?"

"N-nothing! They look great on you!"

He smiles at you as you walk closer and kiss him.

"You really like them?" you sound as if you don't believe him. As if he's just telling you that you look good.

"I really like them," he kisses you back. With a paint brush still in hand, his hand rests on your hip. "But I'm worried," he pouts.

"Worried? About what?"

"The others seeing you," as he says that his hand slides back to grab your ass.

Now you're the one that's flushed. You always forget how possessive Vincent is. He doesn't like when anybody the other guys touch you. Even Theo is on a thin line. You hadn't thought of how different these pants are to the rest of your wardrobe.

With his hand behind you, he pulls you closer, not minding the bit of laundry in your arms.

"Arthur and Dazai are out," those are really the only two you need to worry about. "There's no need to-"

You get cut off by him holding you tighter.

"They'll still see you," he pouts more, seeming more annoyed by that fact.

"I'll be out of them by dinner, alright?" He seems to think about it for a moment but then nods. You give him another kiss. "Good~ Besides, it took me too long to get them on, I don't want them off yet. Unless if you'll help me take them off."

That seems to snap Vincent out of his jealousy. "Well- I- um- if-if you need help."

His hand comes forward, resting in your hip again, his thumb rubbing back and forth between the pleather and your skin.

"I might," you giggle and walk over to your back and drop the clothes in. "Have fun painting," you pick up the basket and leave his room, closing his door a bit.

Vincent's face stays flushed for a while, which is better than the jealous thoughts from before.

~~

Just as you promised, you changed into a normal pair of pants for dinner. You didn't want to change out of them, but then again it was probably the safer option. Who knows what you were going to hear while you were serving dinner.

Besides, a compliment from Vincent is the best thing you could get. You don't want it ruined by something someone else is going to say, and some of the guys here have a very unique way of saying things.

Once everything is cleaned up and put away you hurry to your room. You've had an idea in the back of your head all day and you want to try it out. But you will have to be quick and pray no one is in the hall.

You get changed and grab the robe off the back of your door and put it on. You tie it shut then leave your room.

Once you knew the coast was clear, you hurried down to Vincent's room and knocked on his door. You are now realizing that the one thing you didn't plan for was Theo possibly being in his room.

Since the doors closed he shouldn't be, right?

"Come in."

You quickly open the door, and then close it behind you. A small breath of relief leaves you when you see Vincent is by himself. He is sitting on his couch, sketchbook and pencil in his hand.

Vincent gives you a puzzled look. "Why are you in your bathrobe?" His head even tilts a little as he asks.

"I wanted to show you something, and I wanted to be sure no one else got to see."

His puzzled look doesn't go away. It eases, but doesn't disappear.

You untie the bathrobe and let it drop, showing yourself in a lingerie top and a shiny pleather skirt. Vincent immediately gets red and the pencil falls out of his hand.

As you walk towards him you are pretty sure his jaw has dropped too. The top is fairly sheer and isn't covering much.

He quickly manages to move the book and pencil. He was about to stand up but you say in his lap, your arms drape over his shoulders. Vincent's hands immediately went behind you to grab your ass over the pleather.

Just as you thought. With the way he was looking at you earlier, you had a feeling it was the pleather he liked.

"You should have told me sooner you wanted to see me in this."

"I didn't think you already owned some."

You move yourself further into his lap and kiss him. You feel him getting harder under you. Tilting your head to the side you kiss him rougher and starts to rock your hips.

It doesn't take much to get him to moan. Kissing you back just as rough, he lifts up the back of the skirt to grab your ass. That's when he realizes there's nothing under the skirt.

You moan into his mouth as he squeezes your ass harder. Your hands fall from his shoulder, down his chest and to the waistband of his pants. Eagerly, you start unbuttoning them and pulling them down.

Vincent lifts his hips just enough to push them down. You lift yourself slightly and help him. His hands go right back to touch you, this time they hold onto your waist, grabbing at you, giving you a slight massage.

When you settle back down, his cock slides right into you getting you both to moan. You rock your hips a few times to adjust to him, but then go right into bouncing on him.

To stop himself from moaning too loud, Vincent starts kissing you again, rougher, nibbling your bottom lip. His hands travel up to grope your boobs. They bounce with you and he couldn't help but grab them.

As you come down on him harder, you moan louder, even kissing him isn't hiding it. Your arms go over his shoulders again. One holds onto him while another hand goes in his hair, lightly tugging it.

You pull his hair enough to break the kiss. He whines. He wanted to keep kissing you but you keep your lips just far enough apart.

His hands drop, holding you by your hips now, squeezing into the pleather. He suddenly holds you down on him so he can thrust up into you.

Not expecting it you yell and hold onto him tighter.

"V-Vincent!" You bite your lip trying to keep quiet. You only closed the door when you should have locked it. You've been walked in on before, hopefully that was a lesson learned.

Your legs start to shake as he thrusts harder. His grip loosens and helps you keep going up and down while he still thrusts up.

"Ahh-hh. I'm... I'm close," you rest your head down onto his shoulder, starting to pant. At this point Vincent is doing most of the work. Your legs feel like jelly.

It only takes a few more moments before you climax, only creating more lube for his cock to slide easier. But after that he cums not long after, holding you down on his lap as he fills you.

His grip on you loosens and you stay sitting on him as you both try catching your breath. You whine here and there when feeling his cock twitch in you.

Walking in with no underwear was a great idea, but now you're going to have cum dripping down your leg if you want to go back to your room and change.

[jpmarvel90]

Don't let me down - Part 9

Y/n's POV:

Masterlist Scarlett Masterlist

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

Relationship: MamaScarlett x 16 yr old Reader

Summary: Whilst Y/n tries to distract herself from the impending court case with Mr Woodstock. She ends up having to face another hurdle she wasn't expecting.

Word count: 6993

Trying to focus on my schoolwork and soccer has been really hard since Danny came around and dropped the bomb that I'm likely going to have to testify against Mr Woodstock. Scarlett and Colin have been great and are supporting me more than I could ask. They're not pushing me, but they are there when I have my moments. I'm glad that I have them to go through this with.

When I told Laura, I've never seen her more angry. She started ranting about how unfair it is to make, not just me, but the other kids have to relive what we went through. She's spent a lot of time with me after school and I'm sure that her and Scarlett have been texting about me. Part of me is a little annoyed as I feel like I'm being watched, but then I'm grateful they care about me enough to check in with each other.

We had a meeting with the DA who is leading the case and he has confirmed that I will be asked a number of questions by himself and then the defence lawyer will have a chance to also question me. The thought of that terrifies me as I know that they are just going to try and prove me wrong or discredit my testimony. I've seen enough Law & Order SUV to know how it goes.

However, both Danny and the DA have assured me that they'll coach me in responding to the questions. I'll already know what they plan to ask me, so I'll be prepared from that point of view. However, we'll have no idea what the defence may say. So, we're going to do some sessions together where they'll prepare me as best they can.

Scarlett has tried to suggest that I do it via video link to give me an extra layer of protection, but I know that I want to be there. I can't bring my parents to justice for the years I spent being abused by them, but I can to Mr Woodstock. It's not just me he hurt and if I had the balls to do this earlier, I could have stopped the other kids getting hurt too.

When we left the DA's office, I felt dread over the upcoming court case. We have a month to prepare before I'll need to testify. Thankfully, I don't need to be there for anything else. It's one day and then hopefully they'll find him guilty, and I'll be able to move on and put my past firmly behind me. Allow me to focus on how my life is going to be better moving forward.

The sessions with Danny have been ok. He's predicted what he believes the defence may ask and then poses the question to me. We then work on how I can approach different elements. He also helps me to control my emotions and focus on breathing. Taking a breather is not a bad thing and will only reflect badly on the defence lawyer if he tries to move me on.

I think the sessions are helping, but I feel drained after every one. I cry in each one and I hate it. Reliving what happened is bad enough, but having to prepare to defend that I'm telling the truth is horrible. I just hope that this is all worth it.

Thankfully, we have our next soccer games this week and it's providing me with something to focus on. It's still hard to give me full attention, but I owe it to the team to still be the best player and captain that I can be. This week, Lizzie is joining Scarlett and Rose to watch. Unfortunately, Colin is working today so can't make it. Scarlett decided to leave Cosmo with Melanie so the three of them can enjoy the afternoon before coming to school to watch the game.

We're so far unbeaten this season. We had two preseason games that gave us a good platform to work from. But we've only play 5 league games. We're playing well and hopefully we'll be able to make it into the playoffs at the end of the year. But today's game will be the biggest test that we've had yet. Rochford High are a tough team and they are aggressive.

I use the warmup to get my mind completely on the game and make sure that I don't let it drift off to everything that is happening in my personal life. Laura is great at keeping me smiling as she jokes around, and we make sure our pre-game warm up doesn't change even though we're playing a tough team.

As we're taking on water, my eyes scan the bleachers, which are bursting tonight. It's like the whole local town has turned up. My eyes quickly land on my little sister who is jumping up and down and waving at me when she sees me looking. I wave back and pull a face at her whilst Lizzie and Scarlett wave to me also.

It gives me a warm fuzzy feeling to see them in the stands. I never thought I would have people here to support me. Scarlett has been to every one of my home games. She even rearranged work to come to the one of them. It makes me feel wanted and loved and it's a strange feeling for me. But I like it and I couldn't be more grateful to see them in the crowd.

Coach Saunders calls us into a huddle and gives us an inspiring team talk. I gulp when I have to follow him up, but I make sure to be confident and re-enforce our teamwork and we win together and lose together. With our huddle over, I make my way over to the referee for the coin toss. I shake their captain's hand and internally fist pump when we win the coin toss. I decide to kick off first and we take our places on the pitch waiting for the whistle to blow.

The game is frantic from the first whistle. As expected, they play hard and are hitting us off the ball a lot. We change our tactic to have quick and accurate passing, which works and starts to frustrate them. They end up fouling us a lot more and the ref warns them about their actions.

We take advantage of this when Laura is on the receiving end of a beautiful freekick from Bella. Even though she's tasselling with the defender, she's able to get up higher than her and her head meets the ball. I watch as it flies past the keeper and into the back of the net.

The crowd go wild as we rush around Laura and Bella, cheering the perfect set piece. "I'm proud of you babe." I tell her as we walk back to our side of the pitch for the restart, my arm draped over her shoulder. "I need to keep impressing you." She smirks, nudging me. "Consider me impressed." I return, moving to take my spot.

We manage to dominate the first half but don't get any more goals. We've been able to adapt our play to make their efforts ineffective. We can see that it's just frustrating them more and that carries on into the second half. We're getting so many shots on goal but we're just not getting it in the net.

They manage to catch us on the counterattack, and I rush back to provide support in defence, with a well time sliding tackle I dispossess their striker as she's about to take her shot on goal. I quickly jump to my feet and sprint down the pitch to get myself into an open position.

Seeing I'm in open space, I call for the ball and trap it with my foot. Looking up I see it's just me against two defenders, my team still getting back into position from the counterattack. Not wasting anytime, I take on the first defender, getting around her with ease.

I look up hoping to see someone in the box, but I'm still the furthest up the field. With a swift nudge to the ball, I megs the final defender and run around her, despite her efforts to stop me getting to the ball. Just as she tugs my t-shirt, I manage to get a good connection with the ball and watch as it sails into the top corner. Though I'm now on the floor as a result of the shirt tug.

This doesn't stop the team celebrating with me, bundling on me on the floor. With our celebration over, Laura holds her hand out to me to help me back to my feet. "You just had to one up me didn't you." She teases. "Maybe I want to impress you too." I wink at her as she shakes her head at my antics. As I'm moving back for the restart, I look to the crown and wave to Rose who's still cheering. She really is my biggest fan, and she looks adorable in our team jersey.

With our energy up, we just seem to get better. With our third goal, the pressure seems to disappear and we're playing more freely. When we win a freekick near the corner flag, I'm on the hunt for a second goal. I'm stood on the edge of the box and hold my hands in the air to indicate the play we should go for.

As the ball is crossed into the box, I run in and go to jump to try and get my head on the ball. Their defender goes up with me, but I see her elbow wind back as she jumps. She's not looking at the ball and I'm helpless as I watch her elbow move towards my face. For a split second I feel pain as she makes a connection, but it soon disappears as I fade into darkness.

Scarlett's POV:

This is the best that I've seen the team play. They're working as a cohesive group and seem to be able to counter anything the other team throw at them. I'm so proud when Y/n scores and the three of us cheer along with the rest of the crowd as the team celebrate.

Y/n had talked about how difficult this game was going to be. The opposition are probably one of the only teams that can match their ability, but they just don't seem to be able to break the team down. Instead of regrouping they're just getting more frustrated.

It's great seeing the smile on Y/n's face. I've not seen her smile like that in a while since we learnt about the court case. Soccer has always brought her happiness and I'm glad it's giving her an outlet today.

The team get ready for another freekick, and it seems certain that it's only a matter of time before they score again. My eyes are on my daughter as the anticipation builds. However, when I see an elbow collide with her face, I'm instantly out of my seat shouting for a foul.

However, I instantly freeze when I see Y/n on the floor not moving, her leg bent in an awkward angle. "Lizzie, watch Rose." I call out as I rush down the stairs of the bleachers and jump over the railing. Coach Saunders sees me and waves me over as he's knelt down next to my unconscious daughter.

As I reach her, I can hear the team arguing with the ref and a couple of them scuffling with the other team, mainly the defender that hit her. "Is she ok?" I ask, panic filling my voice as I kneel down next to her. Laura on one side holding her hand tightly. My eyes look over her and I see blood on her face from her nose. My eyes then move down to her leg, and I have to fight back tears. "She fell awkwardly and landed on her leg as she didn't have control over her body." Coach Saunders explains, moving so I can get in closer.

Fear overrides me as I'm desperate for my daughter to wake up. "We've called 911 and they should be here shortly." One of the assistant coaches calls out. "Y/n baby, wake up for me please." I beg her, my hands gently cupping her face. "Come on sweetheart." I encourage her, hoping that she might start to stir. My eyes flick to Laura who's watching on with teary eyes.

I move my hand and place it over hers that is already holding Y/n's. "She's going to be ok right?" Laura asks, looking up to me hopefully. "Of course she is. She's strong." I reassure her, though I'm scared myself. Thankfully, we don't have to wait for long for the ambulance to arrive and almost simultaneously, Y/n starts to stir awake. "Y/n, sweetie. It's Scarlett are you ok?" I ask her as her eyes fill with fear. "Mom?" She whispers, making my heart clench at the name. I don't let it get to me and focus on her. "I'm here baby. You're ok. The paramedics are here." I tell her and she nods.

She obviously starts to feel the pain and she starts to cry out. "It's ok babe. You're going to be fine. They'll get you some good stuff soon." Laura tries to joke through her own tears. The paramedics soon join us, and we reluctantly have to move out of the way as they treat her.

I take a moment to breathe and notice the referee brandish a red card to the defender that hit her. I have to fight from going over to the kid and giving her a piece of my mind. But I have to remember she is just that. A kid. "Mommy! Is Y/n, ok?" Rose calls out to me. I glance to Y/n and see she's being looked after and right now I need to comfort my other daughter.

I walk over to her and pick her up instantly. "She's hurt, but she's being looked after. She's going to have to go the hospital, but she'll be ok." I reassure her as she nods in my neck. "I can take Rose home whilst you're with Y/n." Lizzie offers but Rose instantly argues with that idea. "I don't want to leave Y/n. Please!" She begs. "I can bring her to the hospital?" Lizzie offers and I think for a moment. "You have to understand that it's going to be boring." I explain to Rose, and she nods. "I want to be there to protect Y/n." She responds, making my heart warm at her cuteness.

"How about we go home and grab some things for you both and then we'll come to the hospital." Lizzie suggests. "If you wouldn't mind that would be great." I agree, looking back towards Y/n. "Go, text me where you are, and we'll see you later." Lizzie says when she sees my concern. "Thank you, Lizzie. I love you Rose, and we'll see you later." I say before rushing back to be with Y/n.

They're currently giving her some gas and air when I return, and the paramedic looks to me. "Are you mom?" She asks and I nod. "We're just stabilising her leg and then we'll get her to the hospital. They'll assess her there and give her some additional pain relief." She explains and I nod along, my eyes fixated on Y/n.

Seeing where my eyes are the paramedic continues to reassure me. "This may look scary at the moment, but we need to also to stabilise her head just in case there are any injuries to her neck. We're making sure we take every precaution to prevent further injury." I continue to nod along. Understanding why they're doing what they're doing. It just doesn't make it any easier to watch.

I take my place next to Y/n and provide her any comfort I can whilst she is being seen too. "Can I come with you?" Laura asks, looking from Y/n to me. "No." Y/n jumps in taking Laura by surprise, her eyes showing the hurt. "You need to finish the game." Y/n clarifies. "But..." Laura goes to defend but Y/n cuts her off. "I'll still be broken when the game is over. I'm ok and not going anywhere. Quite literally." She jokes, making us both chuckle. "Please, you need to make sure we win this game and then you can come and see me." She requests. Laura reluctantly agrees but doesn't leave her side until she's guided on to the gurney and moved toward the ambulance. "I'll keep you updated." I promise Laura who nods, reluctant to let go. "I'll see you shortly babe." She smiles, placing a gentle kiss on Y/n's lips, who gives a giddy smile.

I climb in the back of the ambulance and take a seat next to Y/n, reaching out to hold her hand. The paramedics get in and we start on our journey to the hospital. "It hurts mom." Y/n looks to me, tears in her eyes. My heart skips a beat again when she calls me mom. "I know. I'm sorry you're hurt. But I'm here for you." I try to comfort her. "The doctors will be able to get you some morphine when you're in the ER." The paramedic tells Y/n, which seems to appease her for now.

Thankfully, it's not long until we're at the hospital and we're being taking through to the ER where a doctor and some nurses are waiting for us. The potential injury to her neck is their biggest concern right now and they want to confirm there isn't any further injury before properly addressing her leg.

I stand to the side feeling completely helpless as I watch the doctors and nurses move around Y/n, calling out stats and information as they go. The whimpers from Y/n make my heart break. I wish I could take the pain away from here. "Let's get a canula set up and we'll get some pain relief." One of the doctors orders.

Thankfully, the morphine seems to start working quite quickly and Y/n's whimpers start to peter out as the medicine does its job. "Mrs Johansson?" The call of my name tears my eyes away from my daughter and to the doctor who is stood next to me with a kind smile on his face. "Hi, I'm Dr Greenwood. I'm the primary physician for your daughter." He greets me. "On initial examination, it's clear that Y/n has a broken leg and potentially a facial fracture too. We're confident there is no damage to her neck, but we want to be sure before removing the brace. So, we'll be sending her down for some x-rays and scans so we can get a full assessment of her injuries." He explains and I nod along.

"We've given her pain relief and that seems to be working and she's much more comfortable now. I know it's hard to see your kid in pain, but I can assure you we're doing everything that we can to make sure she is comfortable." He assures me, making smile. "Thank you. I appreciate everything you're doing." I respond. "I can get one of the nurses to show you to a private waiting room whilst Y/n is taken for imagery, and we'll come and get you as soon as she's settled in a room." He offers. "Can I see her first?" I request. "Of course. We're just waiting for the porters now." He responds and moves out of the way for me to see Y/n.

The madness around her has died down now and she's just got a couple of nurses monitoring different things. "Hi sweetheart. How are you feeling?" I ask Y/n as I take her hand and gently run my hands through her hair. "Tired and sore." She responds with a croaky voice. Her eye is already starting to swell and bruise, a reminder of the harsh act that led to her being in the hospital. "They're going to take you to get some scans of your leg and neck in a minute. I'll be waiting for you to come back." I explain. "Does that mean I can get this thing off?" She asks, tugging a little at the neck brace. "As long as the scans come back clear you'll be free of the prison." I respond with a smirk, happy that there is a smile on her face.

"We're ready to take her now." One of the nurses tells us. "I'll be right here waiting. I love you ok." I tell her firmly. "I love you too." She responds, taking me by surprise. I don't think she's ever said that to me before. It causes a tear to fall down my cheek as I smile at her lovingly. "Mom, you've got to let me go." She chuckles, just adding to my happiness. I try not to think to much of it, before she was in pain and now, she's on drugs. When she's more with it, we may be going back to Scarlett, but I'll take it for now!

I watch as they roll Y/n away down the corridor, taking a deep breath. I'm then guided to a private waiting room, which I'm very grateful for. I'd rather this not be how news of Y/n gets out. I want it to be on our terms and when she's comfortable. I quickly text Lizzie an update and she confirms they're packing a bag for Y/n as it's likely she'll be in overnight.

Now I just need to call my husband. He's at work today preparing for filming tonight. I hesitate in calling him, but I know that he'd want to be told that she was in the hospital. I hit his contact name and wait for him to answer.

Colin: Hi babe. How was the game? Did they win?

He asks instantly, excitement in his voice. I love how invested he is in Y/n's soccer games.

Scarlett: Uh I'm not actually sure. Y/n got hurt during the game and we're currently at the hospital.

Colin: WHAT?! Is she ok? What happened? How badly is she hurt?

He rambles down the phone, panic lacing his voice.

Scarlett: She was elbowed in the face by a defender when she jumped to head a ball. It knocked her out and as she fell, she landed on her leg awkwardly.

Colin: Oh my God. Was it deliberate? Actually, never mind. I'm leaving work now and I'm coming to the hospital. What did the doctor say?

Scarlett: Col, you don't need to do that. Y/n understands you're working and she's doing ok? She's currently having scans to see how badly her leg is broken and to rule out a neck injury.

Colin: Of course, I'm coming. She's my daughter. Family always comes first, you know that.

I smile down the phone when he refers to Y/n as his daughter. He did it so easily. I really need to bring up the whole adoption thing again. I don't think I can go much longer without having her legal be my daughter. I want her to know that she has a loving mom and dad who will be there for her no matter what.

As he's on the phone I can hear him explaining the situation to someone, I'm assuming the director, who easily agrees for him to leave. He then starts to rush around to get to the car.

Colin: "Ok. I'm about to drive. I'll see you in about 30 minutes. I love you.

Scarlett: I love you too. Drive safely.

And with that he hangs up. I wait nervously to hear that Y/n is back. I'm still worried she's going to have further damage to her neck. I know they said they don't think there is anything to untoward about it, but I can't get the worrying sick feeling out of my stomach.

"Mrs Johansson?" I look up and see Laura waiting hesitantly in the doorway. "How many times do I have to tell you to call me Scarlett." I smile at her, opening my arms to her. She instantly moves forward and melts into my hug. "How is she?" She questions as we move to sit. I fill her in on everything the doctor said, and she listens intently.

"Do you know how hard it was not to go and punch that bitch in the face." She fumes after I explain the extent of her injuries. "I probably shouldn't admit this as the adult in this situation, but I feel the same." I admit to chuckles. "Did you win?" I ask and a smile grows on her face. "We scored two more goals. It was 4-0 in the end." She responds proudly. "Y/n will be happy." I say and Laura nods. "Turns out playing for a teammate helped us to play even better. We wanted to do our best for our captain." She explains.

Not too long later, Colin comes bursting through the door, giving both Laura and I a heart attack. "Jeeze Colin!" I scold, my hand clutching my chest as my racing heart starts to calm. "S-sorry. I was just worried." He apologises. "How is she?" He asks. "We've not heard anything more since I called you. They said it could be a little while whilst she has the different scans and x-rays." I reply.

"Where's Rose?" Colin asks when he notices it's just me and Laura in the waiting room. "With Lizzie. They're getting a bag together, so Y/n has some things with her. Rose is adamant about being here for her big sister." I explain, earning an aw from Laura. "I can ask your mom to come and collect her later and keep the kids over night until we know more." Colin suggests. "I think that'll be wise. Rose can see how Y/n is doing and head to mom's before bedtime." I agree.

Colin places a kiss to my head and moves to the other side of the room to call my mom and explain what has happened. She already has Cosmo today, so she's happy to take Rose too. Though she's concerned for her granddaughter too. I think Y/n is going to be spoilt when she's home.

When Colin joins us again, he takes the seat next to me and wraps a supportive arm around me. I move to rest my head on his shoulder, taking in his comfort. "She called me mom." I say quietly. "What was that?" Colin asks. "She called me mom. When she was on the field, she called me mom and then again in the ambulance and here in the hospital." I explain in more detail. "I'm sure it's just because she's in pain and on drugs but hearing her call me that, it made my heart almost burst." I share, my emotions building once again.

"She means it." Laura speaks up from beside me. Both Colin and I turn to look at her. "Yes, she's in pain and high right now. But she means it. This has just given her the outlet to be able to say it. You've given her a safe and loving environment. Yes, it's taken her a while to be able get to this point. But you never pushed her. I don't think you realise how much that means to her." She explains with a soft smile on her face.

"All I have wanted is to be the mother she deserves. I never thought that she would forgive me, let alone get to a point she could call me mom." I admit, tears welling up in my eyes. "Family of Miss Y/l/n?" A nurse enters the room and calls for us. The sound of Y/n's surname bringing me down for a moment. "You need to work on changing her name." Laura smirks at me as we stand and follow the nurse.

She takes us to a private ward where Y/n is laid in bed, her neck brace off. I breath a sigh of relief knowing there is no injury there. Laura rushes in first and carefully hugs Y/n, pressing a kiss to her lips. "I'm so glad you're ok. It was horrible seeing you out cold." She tells her, cupping her cheeks and gently rubbing her thumb over her cheek. "Did you win?" Y/n asks, making us laugh. "I see you have your priorities right." Laura chuckles. "And yes, we won 4-0." She adds on. "See you don't need me on the team." Y/n responds with a sad smile.

We all get comfortable and wait for the doctor to come in and tell us the severity of Y/n's injury. Laura sits on one side, holding Y/n's hand tightly, whilst Colin and I flank her on the other side. "Aren't you filming tonight?" Y/n asks Colin. "Not anymore, I have to been here for my daughter." He responds, his words causing a wide smile to appear on Y/n's face. "Thanks dad." Y/n responds, her eyes glossed over. "D-did you. Did you just..." Colin stutters in shock. Y/n nods, smiling nervously. "I hope you both don't mind me calling your mom and dad. My experience of parents hasn't a good one. I don't really know what a good mom and dad looks like. But I'm pretty sure it's the both of you. I've not been easy yet you've both been there for me, supporting me and loving me. Especially these last couple of weeks with the court case. To me you are my mom and dad." Y/n shares, making both Colin and I cry.

"Oh, my sweet girl. I have been waiting, hoping, you may one day see me as your mother. Hearing you call me mom, it's everything I could ask for." I reassure her as I hug her gently, placing a kiss to her head. Y/n then looks to Colin who's a blubbering mess, making us all laugh. "Like I said, I've seen you as my daughter from the beginning. Being your dad is an honour I'm glad you've allowed me to have." He expresses, getting up and hugging her also.

A clearing of a voice gets all of our attention, and our heads snap to see the doctor in the doorway a file in his hand. "Sorry to interrupt this moment, but I have Y/n's results." He explains. "Please come on in." Colin composes himself and moves back to his seat as the doctor enters the room.

"Ok, Y/n, having examined your scans, I'm happy to say there is no injury to your neck. Though you probably know that as we removed your brace." He starts off. "However, you do have a fractured eye socket, so that is going to look pretty nasty for a few weeks. There's not much we can do other than provide you pain relief and wait for it to heal." He explains and Y/n nods in understanding.

"Now, on to your leg." I feel Y/n's hand tense in my own as we wait to hear the damage. "You have a displaced transverse fracture to your tibia. This means that it's a complete break of the bone and the two parts are not aligned. In this instance, we will need to surgically realign your leg and put in some pins to secure the fracture, allowing it to heal effectively." The doctor explains, showing us the x-rays of Y/n's clearly broken leg.

Y/n's breath hitches at the news, tears filling her eyes. "Will I be able to play soccer again?" She asks, fear lacing her voice. At the vocalisation of her worries, Laura sits forward and holds her other hand tightly. "I have every confidence that with a successful surgery and physio, you'll be playing again." He responds with a smile. Y/n's whole body relaxes at the confirmation, but I know there is still one question on her mind. "How long until I can play again?" She asks him.

"You'll be in a cast for about 6 weeks and from there you'll start physio. I would guess that you could be back into light training within 8 weeks and playing within 10." He replies. "Wow, that's a long time." Y/n whispers, her head dropping. "You'd be back in time for playoffs." Laura tries to comfort her. "And we'll still need our captain. You're more than the player on the pitch Y/n." Laura reassures her, placing a kiss to her hand. She nods unsurely before the doctor goes into more detail about surgery and recovery.

She'll be going in for surgery in the morning as it's already late this evening. She has a temporary brace on her leg which will stop any more damage happening before they're able to surgically fix her leg. We thank the doctor who leaves us to it. "How are you feeling kiddo?" Colin asks, placing a hand on her uninjured leg. "10 weeks is a long time." She replies emotionlessly.

Soccer has been her saving grace these last two years. It's been an outlet whilst she's been going through so much, and it's suddenly taken away from her. I just hope that now she has a stable home, a loving girlfriend and family, that she won't lose herself.

A knock on the door gains our attention as we all giggle as we see Rose on her tiptoes trying to look through the window. I wave them in and Rose rushes to her sister's side. "Sissy! Are you ok?" Rose asks worriedly, trying to climb up onto the bed. Y/n leans forward to pick her up, but I tap her hand away and do it for her.

Rose is really careful as she sits next to Y/n staring at her now closed up eye. "I'm much better now my sister is here." She responds happily, a smile plastered on her face to hide her pain. "Auntie Lizzie told me that we can't bring your flowers, so I brought you chocolate instead. It's you're favourite." Rose shares, turning to Lizzie holding her hand out expectantly.

Lizzie chuckles and pulls out the chocolate bar from her bag and hands it's to Rose. "Yummy. Thank you, Rosie." Y/n responds, placing a kiss to her head. "That girl was mean. I hope she got told off and grounded for hurting you." Rose huffs snuggling into her sister. "Well, she was sent off and I can't imagine she'll get away without the ban being extended." Laura explains with an angry look on her face. I notice that Y/n reaches out and squeezes her hand in comfort, instantly calming down her fuming girlfriend.

"When can you come home?" Rose now asks as Lizzie makes herself comfortable. "We're not sure yet sweetie. Y/n has to have surgery tomorrow so probably a couple of nights." I explain, making Rose pout. "But I have school tomorrow." She complains. "That's ok Rosie. When I'm home we can have a movie day. Mom, dad, and Cosmo could join us too. What do you think?" Y/n suggests to help placate the 7 year old. "Can Laura come too?" Rose asks shyly. "Of course!" Y/n replies happily.

Lizzie's eyes go wide when she hears what Y/n called us as both Colin and I smile. Lizzie looks to me and I nod to confirm she heard correctly. "I'm happy for you." She mouths to me, not wanting to disturb the kids who are rambling about what movies to watch.

We spend the evening together, chatting and laughing. It's really nice, considering we're sat in a hospital room with my injured daughter laid up in bed. But as it hits 8pm, the nurse comes in and tells us that visiting hours are over. "Are you sure you're going to be ok on your own?" I ask Y/n, worried to leave her. "I can always talk to them about letting me stay." I offer but she shakes her head. "I'll be ok mom. I'm pretty tired so I'll probably get some sleep." She reassures me. "Ok, I'll have my phone on loud so if you need anything, just call or text ok. I can be here in 20 minutes." I tell her and she nods.

I bid her goodnight, leaving a soft kiss to her head, reminding her how much I love her. Colin does the same before picking up a sleepy Rose. We leave Y/n and Laura to have a moment before we all leave together. "Do you want me to drop Rose at your moms?" Lizzie offers, but I shake my head. "Thanks, but we'll go. I'd like to see Cosmo." I respond and she nods. "How about I drive you home. That way this lot can get back." Lizzie suggests turning to Laura.

She blushes at the attention making me smirk. She's totally fangirling right now! "Oh, you don't need to do that Ms Olsen." She declines. "Don't me stupid, come on. Besides it gives me a chance to get to know my niece's girlfriend." Lizzie insists, making Laura gulp a little. "Oh, and don't call me Ms Olsen. I'm not old. Please just call me Lizzie." She adds on, earning a slow nod from the teenager. We all walk out to the car park together and say our goodbyes before heading home.

__________

The next morning, Colin and I are at the hospital as soon as we're allowed so we can be with Y/n before she heads into surgery. She's in a lot of pain this morning and had a bad night sleep, which is horrible to see. I think she's grateful that she's going to be unconscious for a few hours whilst they fix her leg.

The surgeon comes in and talks through the procedure, though most of it goes over my head. I'm just grateful that it seems to be helping Y/n. The nurses are then in to prepare her before we walk with them as they wheel her to the operating floor. "We'll be right here when you wake. Rose and Laura will be here after school too, so you've got that to look forward to." I tell Y/n, hoping to comfort her when I see worry in her eyes. "We both love you very much. Everything is going to be just fine." Colin says, pressing a kiss to Y/n's head. "I love you both too. See you in a few hours." She smiles. I hold her close one last time and watch as they take her away. Colin wraps his arm around me to comfort me as we begin waiting for her to return.

Instead of waiting around in a cold room, we head to the cafeteria and have some breakfast. We both skipped it this morning, worried about Y/n. We talk about what we can do to make things easier for Y/n when she gets home. She's going to be reliant on us for a while and I want everything to be as easy as possible for her.

"Shit, we need to call Danny?" I suddenly say. "Why? You're not planning on suing the kid are you?" Colin jokes, making me roll my eyes. "No. But it's the court case in 9 days." I point out and he lets out a quiet "oh." I know she'll still be able to testify, but she's not exactly going to be very mobile and it's just something else to add on to a stressful period for her. "Danny will know what to do. He's always got Y/n's interests at heart. I'll call him when Y/n is out of surgery, and we'll leave him to deal with anything that needs doing." Colin reassures me.

After about three hours, we move back to Y/n's room to wait. They said surgery will be around 4 hours, and I we don't want to miss her coming back. We settle in and I makes sure her pyjamas are out as I know she'll want to change as soon as she can.

Half an our later a nurse comes by to say that surgery went well and she's just in post op now before they bring her back. I let out a sigh of relief knowing that everything is ok. We can focus on recovery.

Colin and I both crowd around Y/n when they bring her back in. She's still unconscious but the doctor said she should wake shortly. We take our seats either side of our daughter, holding her hands and taking comfort that she's back with us. When she starts to stir, I move to gently run my hands through her hair. "M-mom." She stutters at a whisper. "I'm here sweetheart. Colin is too." I greet her as her eyes flutter open.

I give her the biggest smile I can which she tries to return. Her head then flops to the side to see Colin. "Hey kiddo. Glad you're awake." Colin smiles to her. "Hi dad." She returns. I don't think either Colin or I are going to get used to that, but I will love hearing it every time. I will never take for granted any of my kids calling me mom.

The doctor comes in when Y/n is more with it, confirming that surgery went really well and that he's confident of a full and complete recovery. This relaxes Y/n and I notice that she's become determined to get fit so she can be ready for playoffs when they come around.

That afternoon Laura and Rose come to visit. Laura kindly picked Rose up from school for us. Mom is going to bring Cosmo around dinner time so we can have some family time together. But thankfully, the doctor confirmed that Y/n can come home with us tomorrow. I'm grateful that she won't be in this hospital for longer. I want my daughter home with us so we can all look after her. She's got a stressful few weeks ahead and we want to be by her side, supporting her, through all of it.

Part 10

[verydeadaten]

In the Schnee Manor...

Whitley: *lying down on penny's thighs* Mmmn...

Penny: You seem troubled. Is something wrong, Whitley?

Whitley: I've been thinking about getting combat training.

Penny: Really? Why?

Whitley: I just have a bad feeling. Ever since Beacon fell, and Weiss leaving... I don't know. I think something is going to happen to Atlas... to us...

Penny: *hugging him close to her chest* Don't worry, Boyfriend Whitley, I'll protect you.

Whitley: I know, but who is going to protect you? I want to be able to protect you, if you need it.

Penny: Whitley... I love you, and having you fight with me sounds like a dream, but you don't have aura.

Whitely: I know. That's why I want you to unlock mine.

Penny: WHAT! B-B-But Whitley, I've never unlocked anyone's aura! I didn't even unlock mine! I was created with aura pre-installed.

Whitley: I know. But I want it to be YOU.

Penny: Why not get your sisters to unlock it for you?

Whitley: They don't care. They stopped caring about me a long time ago. I don't even think they'll answer my calls. It has to be you!

Penny: O-okay. I've never done anything like this before, so don't be to surprised if it doesn't work.

Whitley: *caressing her cheek* Don't be nervous, I know you can do it.

The couple stood up from the couch. Penny was extremely nervous. Awakening someone's aura was personal, permanently establishing a bond between two people. It was like touching souls together. But how could Penny ever touch Whitley's soul? She thought for a moment. Then it hit her. She felt closest to people when she was hugging them, so maybe if she hugged Whitley, their souls would hug too!

She slowly put her arms around the smaller boy, pulling him gently into her embrace. He reciprocated, if course. Wrapping his arms around the android's frame.

Penny: Whitley...

Whitley: Penny?

Penny: Every moment with you has been...sensational. No, sensational doesn't even begin to describe it. Every time you look at me, every time you touch me, I feel like my machinery is going to burst. You are just so beautiful, and smart, and even though you can seem cold and distant at times, I know you are the sweetest, kindest, most amazing boy in the world! I love you, Whitley Schnee. I love you so much.

Whitley: *tearing up* Penny... I love you too.

Whitley felt a warmth blossoming in his chest. Not the typical warmth he felt when he usually hugs Penny, no, it's a different warmth. Like his soul has been let out of his heart. The warmth begins to seep out of his chest, spreading to the rest of his body.

Penny: Oh my gosh! Whitley! You're glowing!

Whitley looked down, seeing a faint white glow around his body. He felt strong. He felt warm. He pulled her in for a kiss.

Whitley: Penny, I cannot thank you enough.

Penny, giggling in pure glee, grabbed Whitley, taking him with her to the bed. She hugged him close, stroking his hair.

Penny: You are very welcome, Boyfriend Whitley.

They stayed together on the bed, comfortable in their silence. Until a question formed in Penny's mind,

Penny: What weapon will you be using?

Whitley: Dual revolvers.

Penny: Why?

Whitley: ...promise not to laugh?

Penny: *puts a hand to her core* I solemnly swear I won't laugh.

Whitley: *chuckles* Okay. I used to watch a lot of cowboy movies when I was younger. I've always wanted to ride around on a horse, fighting villains and killing grimm. It was a dream of mine, until Father showed his true colors.

Penny imagined him riding around on a horse, with a big white Wetson hat on. It brought a smile to her face.

Penny: I know someone who's really good with a revolver. Would you like me to ask them to train you?

Whitley: If they wouldn't mind.

Penny: I don't think they will.

One week later...

*BANG* *BANG* *BANG*

Ironwood: Three bullseyes at 15 yards... You're a natural with a revolver, Schnee.

Whitley: Thank you sir.

Ironwood: Are you sure Jacques is fine with you coming out to the school?

Whitley: As long as it's not interfering in my work, he doesn't really care. And even if he does, there's not much he can do to me. I'm his only inheritor.

Ironwood: Hmm... Alright, as long as you're sure. *thinking* Yes! Fuck you Jacques! I GOT ANOTHER ONE!!!

[missglittersmiles]

Noble To The Core- CH. 6

Descendants × Fem! ReaderSummary: Saturday is when the fun begins.

Prev Chapter

 •| ⊱ Wigs Part 1 ⊰ |•

Dear Family,

I'm afraid I have misplaced some of my letters I've written on the first day because I can't find them. I would have rewritten all of them, but I have been doing a lot of writing and my hand hurts. As you can already tell, this handwriting isn't my own. My roommate Frida Sutree has offered to write for me.

I am more than thankful that she is my roommate. We might even be reaching the point of calling each other friends. After a brief conversation, it is safe to say that I have made a friend here.

Everything is going well enough. The first day was eventful, and most of my time has been doing tests. The school wants to see what my academic level is. I can proudly say that I have been working hard! There hasn't been a moment where I haven't missed all of you. I hope you are all doing well.

Hopefully, in the next letter, I'll be the one writing it and I won't lose it. I still don't know what could have happened to them.

Next week is when I'll be starting my classes. I can't wait to see what it'll be like. Though regardless of how we did on the tests, we'll all be taking Remedial Goodness 101. They didn't explain much about it, but I have a basic idea of what it is. They also let us choose some classes. Aside from the required one, I'm most excited for art. I'll try to write to you soon. I love you all!

XOXO

y/n Vainira.

"Remedial Goodness 101?" The woman could feel a fire flaring up in her as she washed the dishes with her husband. The man gave her a sympathetic look, but she was too focused on scrubbing the dishes. "It's not like they could do anything. They're just kids. And they made a whole class because they don't think they'll behave or have basic morals? The gall to even think that. You know what it reminds me of—"

There was a slight cracking sound coming from the plate she was scrubbing. He gently grabbed the woman's wrist, stopping her movements. When she looked at him, the frustration in her eyes softened. She realized that she almost broke another plate. A sigh escaped her lips.

"I just worry. I'm already wondering if I made the wrong choice by letting her go there." He couldn't give her any comforting words without lying. It wasn't like he could speak anymore. So all he could do was rub circles on her wrist with his thumb. Tears poured down the woman's wrinkled face.

"I'm just scared that something's going to happen to her, and I can't even be there for her." She turned her head away from her husband. She hated being seen crying by anyone.

"But y/n's a good girl. She'll be fine. She's always been lucky." Her words sounded desperate. He let go of her wrist and held her hand. The two could only hope that their fears wouldn't come true.

For a brief moment, there was frustrated anger in her. It wasn't directed at y/n's future tribulations and her own inability to help her child. It was toward the one who was holding her hand so gently right now.

If only he hadn't been so reckless and fanatic, they wouldn't even have to be worrying about this. To her, it felt like the obvious choice was to throw everything behind. They could have run away. Left Vrahan that place only seemed to give him trouble anyway. Then they could find a new place to start their family. That's what they should have done. That should have been her ending.

It was either his extremist pride or his belief in this grandiose picture that led him down this path. He had spent years going to war with his only family. So much blood tainted the land he called home. He couldn't just throw that away, no matter how much she begged and cried. Love wouldn't win against a sword.

But in the end, it was both their fault for ending up here. Codrin with his unwavering belief and her own willingness to follow him to the end. They were the ones to bring children into this world. They brought this situation upon themselves.

She cracked a small, wistful smile at the image of her children. All of them are so different from one another, but still so precious. They were the ones who made her feel alive on this hellish island. "Everything will be fine." She said aloud. He squeezed her hand, and she responded with one as well. A wordless apology to each other and hope that her words were true.

ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

The idea of going clothing shopping for the new students had been stirring around in Ben's mind for a while now. He wasn't against the shabby look of their clothes. They were fine, but everything looked like they had been through a number of fights. There were holes and poor stitches that were barely holding the fabric together.

Not to mention the backhanded comments from other students. No one said anything when the five were around, but when they were out of sight, so many snide remarks slipped out from the students' mouths. Sometimes they'd say it openly in front of Ben as if trying to bait a reaction out of him. Of course, he never caved in and gave them what they wanted.

He wasn't going to say that he regretted his choice. From what little he has seen of the five, they all seem to be a well-rounded bunch. Just a little different from everyone here, but that didn't make them bad. Their blood didn't mean they were any less than them. No one's future was determined.

So when Frida came up to Ben and asked if she could take y/n out for some shopping. He couldn't hide his grin. His plan of trying to integrate the Island kids was working faster than he thought.

"You don't have to ask for my permission." Ben's words were followed by a slight chuckle. Frida gave him a dubious look, which stopped his laughter. He went silent for a moment before realizing that asking for permission was probably the best thing.

As much as he didn't want the school to be a prison cell for the five. He couldn't exactly let them leave school grounds without some sort of security following behind them. It was a bit dehumanizing, he knows, but his parents believed that this was a safety net of sorts. Things could be worse. He just hoped that, over time, everyone would learn to respect one another.

Frida waited for the prince's response. Watching his face shift from mild sadness to his usual sunny self. "That is a great idea!" He gasped before adding, "We should plan a whole day for them to get out of school and do some shopping!" Frida stood as still as a statue and watched Ben go on and on.

She wasn't into fashion, but she thought updating y/n's wardrobe would brighten her mood. The Island girl had become less enthusiastic as the first week went on, and it wasn't just her missing letters that were bothering her. When Frida asked what was wrong, all she'd say was that she was tired and was missing home.

It was clear that wasn't the only problem, but she never pushed y/n to give her the full answer. Why bother forcing it out? That usually leads to hostility. Still, she was glad to have Ben back up her idea. She wasn't sure about adding the other four to their little field trip, but she'd put up with it.

The rest of that free period was spent talking about what shopping would look like. It was mostly Ben brainstorming aloud and Frida trying to get back to her classwork.

'At least we have everything planned out, I guess. Well, that's if the King and Queen agree.' Frida thought glumly as the bell rang. She was still slightly upset that her classwork wasn't partially finished. It threw off her whole schedule. With the appearance of y/n, she had thrown everything in for a loop.

Later that day, when school was over, Ben made a beeline towards the palace. It wasn't too far from the school, just a little over half an hour ride. When the carriage came to a stop, he practically jumped out and sprinted in. He quickly found his mom in the library. If she wasn't anywhere else, then she was there.

When Ben loudly busted down the door, Belle slightly jumped at the sudden noise. She looked up from her book with curiosity at who had rudely entered the room. Much to her surprise, it was Ben.

Belle looked at the clock and asked, "Don't you have tourney practice?" Ben shook his head, then thought for a moment before nodding. "Usually, yes, but all the bats have gone missing. Every single one, even the spare ones. Everyone thinks Percy is behind it, and I don't want to be quick to judge- ah. That doesn't matter right now. That's not why I'm here right now."

She was getting to the good part of the book, but she put it down and put all her attention on Ben. Not interrupting once while he talked on and on about getting the Isle kids new clothes. He wanted them to pick their clothes themselves instead of some random person doing it for them. He also wanted them to experience more than just the school. There was a whole world that they had yet to know about.

The whole time Ben spoke, his eyes sparkled with excitement and hope. He was hoping that with these five, they could show that rehabilitation was possible for some of the children of the Isle. With them being a success story, other kids could join the rehabilitation program as well. But at the same time, there wasn't anything wrong with wanting them to enjoy their time here.

Once Ben finished speaking, he looked at his mom. He looked at her with pleading eyes. Belle gave him a sympathetic smile as she said, "Let's talk to your father about this." She watched his shoulders slump slightly. They both knew how this would end, but he would need permission from both parties.

And so, during dinner, another debate between Father and Son began. Ben didn't bother easing into things or touching his food. When the king took his seat at the head of the table, Ben brought up his idea. Catching everyone off guard. Belle played moderator during the whole discussion to keep things from getting out of hand.

The two were so stubborn that it wasn't amusing to Belle anymore. In the end, the king declared that those five were to stay on school grounds until he believed that they wouldn't try to run away or something worse. Ben was going to argue more until Belle called his name. Her voice was as stern as her expression. Silently telling Ben to back down.

Ben bit his tongue and nodded his head. If his mom wasn't going to back him up, then there was no point in fighting with his father. It'd be an uphill battle, but regardless of the obvious loss, Ben was thinking.

Just as the room had calmed down, Ben spoke up to bring back the tension. "At least let me, Chad, Audrey, and Frida be the ones to pick out their clothes. We'll ask what they like, and then we'll get it." He turned to his mom while saying, "It's better to have us do it than some random strangers, right?"

Already wanting to be done with this topic in general. The king agreed, which ceased further conversations about the Isle kids. With that, Ben spent his free time silently thinking to himself.

It didn't take him long to plan out this idea. All that needed to be done was to get the cogs moving. There were definitely some cogs that wouldn't move, but a little oil would loosen them.

During the wee hours in the morning, Ben woke up. He didn't bother waiting around to join his parents for breakfast. There was too much to be done. He was on a timer, and his deadline was Saturday.

In his closet, he spent a good moment looking through clothes. Trying to find something that didn't look too flashy or make him stand out. Then he finally settled on a simple white button-up and some brown pants. He looked in the mirror and messed up his hair. With his hair looking like a bird's nest, he looked a little less recognizable. If someone were to really look at him, then they'd probably realize who he was.

He ordered his carriage, which surprised the servants by how early it was. Still, an order was an order, and they began preparing everything for the prince. While his ride was getting ready, he grabbed a bag and threw his usual clothes in there, along with a purse with too many coins in it.

When the carriage was ready, equipped with a horse and a coachman, Ben's parents were waking up. Just as he was about to enter, he turned to the servant standing by. "Tell Mom and Father that I said good morning for me." He said with a smile before jumping in.

As always, the ride between the castle and the school was long and boring. It was the main reason why he has his own room in the dorm. He used to share his dorm room with someone, but his parents unrolled him with the announcement about the Isle kids. Ben seemed to have lost a bit of respect amongst his peers and even friends because of his decision.

Ben didn't regret any of this, but he does wish some of his friends didn't leave him behind. Or at least tried to understand where he was coming from.

His social circle may have diminished quite a bit, but at least he had Audrey and Chad. They were still opposed to the Isle kids, yet were willing to support Ben. It seemed like Frida Sutree, the recluse princess, would be joining them in their effort. Though it seemed like Frida was only interested in y/n. Which was a small victory to Ben regardless.

As the carriage entered the town, Ben told the coachman to stop when he saw what he was looking for. The coachman did as told before Ben leaped out. "Sir, what are you doing!?" The old man yelled out to the prince. "Don't worry, I'll be right back! I just need to pick up something!" Ben told the coachman as he entered the store.

The store owner was startled by Ben busting into the store. He couldn't tell if the woman was more startled by having a customer this early in the morning or how much energy he had. The prince smiled as he made his way to the counter. "Good morning! How are you doing?"

The woman spoke with wide eyes, "Good morning to you as well. I-I'm doing well." Ben looked around the shop. Taking in everything in the prop shop. The whole place looked messy yet organized at the same time. So many knickknacks. The woman rubbed her eyes, trying to see if her sleepiness was making her see things.

"You do wigs here, don't you?" He asked. His question was responded with a wordless nod.

"Great! You don't happen to have." He stopped and looked at his hands. Silently naming off names with each finger. Then he looked back at the woman to continue speaking, "Nine spare wigs?"

The woman didn't raise an eyebrow and went in the back. After waiting for a few minutes, she came back with a box of wigs. He grabbed the whole box and asked, "How much for them?"

"All of them?" She asked.

"All of them."

The moment Ben got back to school, he sneaked into the girl's dorm. Tiptoeing to Audrey's room. He knocked on the door lightly. Audrey wasn't a light sleeper, and she always got up early, so he was confident that she'd answer. The moment she opened the door, he rushed in and right past her.

Before she could question her boyfriend, he held out the box. "Do you think any of these bring out my eyes?" She peered into the boxes to see wigs. "What are these for? Wait, why do you even have these in the first place?"

He gave her a sheepish smile. "Listen, I have a plan." At that moment, Audrey's confusion turned into weariness. Ben and his little ideas were interesting, but not always successful. For instance, the tree incident that his friends would bring up. Or when he put hot sauce up his nose when he had a cold when he was younger.

"No! Don't look at me like that! Just hear me out, please, Audrey. It's for a good cause." Ben pleaded with his girlfriend. She didn't even have to look at his puppy dog eyes. His voice was enough for her. The prince of Auradon could make her do anything if he just asked. It was unfair how much power he had over her, but she supposed that was just love.

She let out a slight sigh and sat on her bed. "Fine." There was a slight pang of satisfaction when she saw him smile, and he thanked her. He set the box down and began explaining everything. How his father still didn't trust the five off school grounds. Even with security. Then on to his plan.

On Saturday, they'd sneak the Isle kids out. Everyone would be disguised, just so they wouldn't attract any unnecessary attention. He's already working out a deal with one of the coachmen, and he could bribe some of the guards. Although he would prefer fewer people get involved, he doesn't want to end up working with loose lips.

The boy stood the whole time while he talked. Making slight hand gestures from time to time. When he was done, he asked what Audrey thought about it. Without hesitation, she told him, "You're doing too much for them." He blinked. "You've brought them here. Isn't that enough?"

"Audrey," His usual sunshine aura slightly disappearing. "You know there's so much that needs to be done. Think about how many kids will be saved from that place if this program works. I know you don't believe in this, but—"

Audrey held up her hand to silence him. His mouth slightly hung open, but he quickly closed it when she spoke. "I believe you." She looked him in the eyes to clarify herself. "I believe in you. And if this program doesn't go right. If everything goes up in flames, I won't say I told you so. Because Chad and everyone will be saying it for me."

A slight laugh slipped from Ben. She continued on. "But no matter what, I'll always be right beside you. Helping you with whatever trouble you get into next. I'm sure Chad will be right there as well."

Ben wiped the corner of his eyes with his fingertips. "Why do you always say the sweetest things that make me cry? It's not fair."

She spoke in mild amusement. "It must be love, I suppose."

Once his eyes were cleared of any tears, he asked the important question. "Are you going to help me sneak them out?" His words made her "tsk" aloud and shake her head. "After everything I just said, you think I'd say no?"

ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

"Why do you have to wear a wig?" y/n asked Frida.

"I guess the Prince is worried that I'll be recognized and ruin everything." Frida explained while putting on a red wig. Then she looked in the mirror and thought to herself, 'I don't even think the people of Auradon even know where Murkmire is on a map.'

The two went to gather Evie and Mal. Jay and Carlos would be picked up by Chad. Audrey and Ben would be waiting at the carriage. As the girls sneakily made their way to where the couple was waiting, y/n glanced at the two. Mal wore a short black wig. While Evie had a long green wig.

"Green looks good on you," y/n said without much thought. Evie smiled and spoke proudly, "Everything looks good on me." The other two had second thoughts on Evie's wig. The color was rather obnoxious and looked ugly. It didn't matter who wore it. No one could pull it off. Not even Evie. Still, they didn't voice their opinion. Mal had already spoken her mind just an hour ago.

When they made it to the stables, the boys had arrived before them. Jay busted out laughing when he saw Evie's wig. Carlos laughed as well, but he was much quieter. "What the hell is that?" Jay asked, pointing at Evie.

Evie flipped her hair while striking a pose. "It's called fashion, Jay. It's something you've never heard of." He shook his head slightly. His smile never faltered. "Whatever you say, snot green." She paid no mind to the name.

Chad introduced himself to the girls. Evie's eyes went wide when she heard his last name. Before she could start flirting with him, he focused his attention on Frida. "What do you think about long hair?" He asked while running his fingers through his blue wig. Frida shrugged her shoulders, uninterested by him and the question. "I have no opinion on it."

"Hm, well, do you think I should grow my hair out?" He asked. Frida shrugged her shoulders again and gave him a cold look. "I don't care." He quickly backed off.

Evie would add, "I think you'd look good with any hair." Chad didn't pay much attention to her and said thanks before moving closer to his friends.

While everyone chatted, y/n discreetly inched closer to Carlos. She took in the wig he wore for a moment before turning her eyes away from him. "That wig looks bad on you." She bluntly stated. He gasped and spoke with a quiver. "I thought it looked good on me."

Carlos watched her tense her shoulders from the corner of his eye. "I'm sorry, I just—" He quickly cut her off. He felt a little bad for making her worry, but only a little. "I'm kidding. That [random color] wig doesn't look good on you, either."

Her lips quirked up into a small smile. "I don't mind it looking bad, but it's a bit uncomfortable, isn't it?" He only hummed in agreement.

Ben clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. With all eyes on him, he went over a few things. They all stay close to each other, no wandering off. There should be no unnecessary conversations with strangers. When they get into town, they'll be divided into two groups, boys and girls.

"Today we are different people." Ben said.

Noble To The Core Masterlist

I just wanted to get something out before my birthday and get something out. Also sorry for the Ben focused chapter and lack of y/n. I enjoy stuff that doesn't focus on the main cast and fleshing out. As always, I have a vague idea for what I'll write, but I'd like to know what character/characters you would like y/n interact more with. Maybe I'll write it in the next chapter. Thanks for reading, and here's a quick doodle I made in an hour.

Taglist: @nobl3sse @remiechu