#maker: legend sisters

[plussizepatterndatabase]

Willow Dress | Legend Sisters

Link: https://www.etsy.com/listing/992823147/intro-price-digital-download-willow

Description: Dress pack with five sleeve options and two skirt shapes.

Pattern Options: Five sleeves: bishop sleeve with working or closed cuff, 3/4 sleeve with elasticated cuff, angel sleeve, ruffle sleeve, sleeveless; full skirt with soft hem and skater style skirt with straight hem

Pattern Maker: Legend Sisters

Pattern Price: $12.94

Max Bust: 60 inches

Max Waist: 53 inches

Max Hip: 62 inches

Size Range: XXS-5X

Fabric Type: All fabrics, including knit and woven, lighter weight fabrics ideal.

Hashtag for Posting: N/A

Difficulty: Intermediate

Photo: Y

Video: N

PDF: Y

Projector Files: N

Printed: Y, see listing here: https://www.legendsisters.co.uk/shop/p/willow-dress-sewing-pattern-printed

[tomatenmaler]

The only machine this herald needs is an electric razor...

[alaniesims]

Foxbury Football Season Recap (2024) 🏈🦞

What a season it was for the Foxbury Lobsters' football team! They made a strong return to the college football scene and are steadily making their way back to the top. As we gear up for the next season with the Tide 🌊, let��s take a look back at their unforgettable highlights from last season.

A huge thank you to all the CC creators, builders, animators, pose makers, and sims creators whose content helped bring this video to life!  🫶🏾

Credits: Check all these lovely creators out! Netflix screen template by: @rensimss Sims that formed the opposing teams by: @ maggysimz (TikTok/Patreon), @camssimz @rhdweauni0 @ameliaasimss @ bobpancakes (Twitter/Patreon) @retrgrd @ SimsAnastasia (TikTok/Patreon) Stadium | Locker Room: MarmeladArt (EA ID) | The Infinity Studio (YouTube/Patreon)

What's in the Netflix blurb?

The Lobsters had a season to remember. Led by QB Hayden Mayberry, they finished 9-4 and ended a two-year bowl loss streak with a Foxchester Bowl win over rival Britechester. With school records broken, top recruits, and an SFL legend joining the coaching staff, last season set the stage for something special. The Lobsters might just be on the cusp of greatness.

This passion project has been in the works since November and I'm so glad to see it brought to life. A huge thank you to my sister for being my sounding board from the start, and to my moots who always had the best feedback and support. Love you all deeply! 🩷

[thisgirlnamedblusy]

i love your donnaxreader oneshots 🥲❤️‍🩹 may i request some angst?

the reader has been friends with Donna since childhood, and they're so close that they know each other's deepest secrets. when donna's parents die, the reader tries to stay with her but her family forbids her to do so, and donna ends up all alone.

not knowing her reasons, donna kept to herself all those years despite wanting to reach out to reader. donna's in love with her still, she never did forget her.

fast forward years later, donna went to the duke's to buy expensive pieces of cloth for her dolls, you know, the usual. but that time, reader was there too and donna grabbed the opportunity to talk to her.

when they chatted, donna was caught off-guard having found out reader was getting married to someone else soon.

donna doesn't want that, so, ehem, smut happens. but make it fluffy thoughhh and like donna was so gentle to reader because she doesn't want to hurt her, yet she's very possessive because she doesn't want reader to leave her for the second time.

please, make it happy ending 🥲

Yessss!!!! Thank you for your words and for your request!!! I'm sorry, I think it's maybe too long :S I hope you like it and sorry about the language mistakes!!! :)))))

Come back to me

Pairing: Donna Beneviento x Fem!! Reader

Warnings: smut, Minors DNI, angst, fluff, happy ending

Word count: 9,422 (Again, I'm sorry for it being too long)

Summary:  After 18 years, she came back to you...

N/A: Sorry about the language mistakes!!! Requests are open!!! I'm waiting yours!!!I love you all!!!

“Look at me! I'm the undisputed queen of the place!” you said amused, dangerously climbing a tree.

“(Y/N), Get… Get down from there, you, you'll hurt yourself,” your friend said, holding her doll in an adorable way, looking at you worriedly.

“I'm invincible, Donna, didn't you know that? I'm… Ah!” you said embarrassedly, interrupted by a branch that creaked under your feet, making you fall into the snow and proving your best friend right.

“So… Invincible, huh?” she said, looking down at you with a mocking smile, extending a hand to help you up.

You took it and brushed the snow off your dress, with a bright blush on your cheeks.

“I'm sure the tree was bewitched by the enemy…” you murmured, making your friend laugh amusedly, shaking her head.

You had always heard that village was the least suitable place for a ten-year-old girl like you, but you never found a reason to take that mantra for granted.

Daughter of farmers, from a family devoted to Mother Miranda, the Black Gods and the three Lords, your life had not been very different from that of the rest of the children of your age. But, by chance, one day you went into the forest, due to your constant thirst for adventure, meeting the one who would be your best friend forever, Donna Beneviento.

She was two years older than you, but she was completely alone. Her family was important in the village, the makers of those porcelain dolls that even you had. Even so, her daughter was a complete mystery.

Rumors said she had been born with a deformity, that she had two faces, four arms, absurd legends. Donna was a normal girl, with the only flaw being the lack of her right eye, according to what she told you, due to an accident.

Her family seemed to be cursed, even her little sister, Claudia, passed away a couple of years ago due to a strange illness.

There were no secrets between you, even when you were younger, you forged a bond that you thought was inseparable. You dared to leave aside your friends from the village, those boring and normal children, to cross that dangerous bridge and spend afternoons and afternoons with your friend Donna, with your best friend.

Your parents did not look favorably on that friendship, since they were convinced that poor girl was mentally ill. It could be true, you checked it several times, you knew that the doll that her father made her, Angie, was her only means of communication with others, well, with anyone other than you.

But after checking that every night you came back safe and sound, they decided to stop worrying about you, at least not that much.

“One day you're going to hurt yourself, (Y/N)…” the young Beneviento sighed, shaking her head. “I, I wouldn't like anything to happen to you.”

“Nothing will happen to me,” you said, calmer, rubbing your back due to that resounding fall. “What do you say, Angie?” you asked amused, looking at the doll that Donna was holding, her most faithful companion.

“Sure, (Y/N) is invincible!” Donna replied in a squeaky voice, pretending to speak for the doll, pretending that the two of them were completely different, something that fascinated you.

“See?” you said in an amused whisper, approaching a small cliff, which bordered Donna's family's land. “Come on, Donna, let's play to see who can throw the rocks the farthest.”

“It's, it's dangerous,” the young girl murmured, hiding her fear behind Angie, approaching you with an unsure step. You scolded and made a gesture with your hand to downplay it, throwing the first rock.

“Look, Donna, look how far I threw it,” you said excitedly, comically hitting the shoulder of the older girl, who smiled shyly, bending down to get another rock.

“I think I won,” she said satisfied, thus beginning another of your usual competitions.

“We'll see about that,” you challenged, putting all your strength into that childish rock throwing, thus spending another fun time, another day that was supposed to be boring.

“Hey, (Y/N)…” Beneviento murmured, with a more serious tone “What, what are you going to do when you're older?”

“Oh, well…” you sighed, a bit confused by that question. “My parents say that I'll have to get married and… Well, I guess I'll follow the family tradition and take care of the farm.”

Donna opened her mouth moving her doll and nodded, sighing in a melancholic way.

“What about you?” you asked, relaxing your throwing and sitting on the ground, where your friend joined you. “I guess you won't have to work, right? Your parents have a lot of money.”

“My father is teaching me to make dolls like him,” the brunette explained, playing with a bunch of grass that the snow took pity on. “He says that when I grow up, I will take his place.”

“Oh…”you said, open-mouthed, listening attentively to your friend, who seemed increasingly sad. “How cool, so you can continue living in that big house.”

“I, I don't think it's cool, (Y/N)…” she murmured, with some resentment in her voice, stopping moving the doll, as if she didn't even want to include it in the conversation.

“Your house is amazing, and it has a very cool waterfall, we could play throwing ourselves down it,” you said amused, giving her a little nudge.

“We would die horribly, (Y/N),” she answered with a dark voice. “I, I don't know, if, if I could, I would… I would leave this village.”

“The village? Why?” you asked a bit surprised. You had always known that world. You didn't seem as uncomfortable as your friend living there.

“Everyone in the village thinks that… That I'm a monster… I, I'd like to wake up one day and see… The, the sun shining on the horizon and… Hear the, the sea waves,” she said, as if she wasn't talking to you, but to herself.

“You're not a monster, you're my friend,” you said, saddened by those words. “Hey, you, you're Italian, aren't you?”

She nodded slowly, holding back a sob.

“My, my family is Italian,” she whispered, angrily pulling out several of those herbs.

“That, that's great because, because there's sun there, and it has a lot of sea…” you said trying to cheer her up, trying to keep her from being taken away by her demons again. “I'm sure that when you're older, you'll have so much money that you'll be able to go wherever you want.”

“I don't know but… But I'd be alone again,” she said, looking at the ground again. You answered her with a smile and a bright face, getting up from the snow.

“Okay, would you take me with you?”  you asked with a satisfied voice. “That way you wouldn't be alone.”

Donna stood up too, with a distrustful look, hugging the doll.

“Would you... Would you want to come with me?” Donna asked unsure, with a shy smile forming on her face.

“Of course, you're my friend, I would never leave you alone,” you said, nodding. She laughed happily and nodded enthusiastically.

“Really?” she asked, getting a little closer to you. “I would love to take you with me everywhere. Sure, it’s going to be quite funny.”

“Yes, we could play pirates in the sea and... And we could have everything we wanted. It would be great,” you fantasized, moving your arms in an exaggerated way.

“Yes, I... It would be great...” the young girl said, in a small voice.

“Mistress, Mistress Donna!” a male voice interrupted that endearing moment.

Josef, the family gardener ran towards you. He seemed nervous, upset, panting and putting his hands on your friend's shoulders.

“Josef, what's wrong? It's not dinner time yet,” Donna protested, speaking, as always, through her doll.

“Mistress Donna, I... I'm, I'm so sorry... Your, your parents have... They have...” the man said, bending down in front of the little girl, looking at her with deep sadness.

“My parents? What's wrong with them?” the doll asked.

The man looked at you and growled, looking back at his young mistress.

“Gods, Donna... They, they have...” he whispered, giving her the worst news she could have.

Totally unexpectedly, confirming the rumors of that cursed family, Lord and Lady Beneviento had decided to end their lives, throwing themselves down the estate's waterfall.

Poor Donna was left in shock, looking at the ground as the three of you returned to the house, while the gardener tried by all means to cheer up the young girl, without success.

You didn't know what to say, and you didn't want to either.

Your friend sobbed, hugging Angie in that gloomy mansion while Josef did what he could to comfort her.

“Why did they do it?” she sighed through tears, looking at you, who discreetly put a hand on her back, trying not to cry too. “Why, (Y/N)?”

“I, I don't know, Donna,” you whispered in a small voice, lost in your friend's sadness, guilty for having said that waterfall was the coolest thing in the world.

 “I know, I'm sure it was my fault... They, they hated me,” the young Beneviento sobbed, leaning on your shoulder, pulling on your clothes desperately. “They hated me because I wasn't as perfect as Claudia.”

“Don't say that, Mistress,” -the gardener intervened, separating her from you so she wouldn't accidentally hurt you. “Your parents loved you very much.”

“Now, now I'm alone,” she murmured after a few moments of heartbreaking crying. That was a good time to do something for her. “They've left me alone...”

“You're not alone, Donna, I'm here with you,” you said with a voice more mature than your age indicated, with the tireless desire to make her feel good, to see a smile on your best friend's face again.

The clock struck the time in a sinister way. You couldn't miss dinner, your parents would be angry.

“You’re going to leave me too,” the girl whispered, hugging her doll and moving away from your comfort.

“No, I will never leave you,” you said in a firm voice. “Now, now I have to go but, but I promise you that tomorrow I will come to see you, and the day after, and the next day too, every day.”

“Really?” Donna asked, with tears in her only eye, with the hope of her soul still burning. “Will you come every day?”

“Yes, yes every day, every day. I told you that I would never leave you alone,” you repeated excited to be able to see some light in her eye.

“Promise me,” she said, now with a voice that emanated a deep darkness. “You have to promise me.”

“I promise you,” you said smiling, hugging your best friend for the last time, leaving her alone in her pain.

“Come on, little one…” Josef said, putting a hand on your back to guide you towards the door, leaving Donna crying inconsolably again. “Mistress Donna is very lucky to have you, (Y/N).”

“She is my best friend, sir,” you murmured, taking one last look at that mess of tears and increasingly unhinged screams.

You didn't know it, but that would be the last time you would see her, the last time you would walk through those woods.

“Mm, it was to be expected,” your father murmured during dinner. “Those two freaks…”

“Poor girl…” your mother sighed, of course, joining your father's monologue about what had happened. “First it was her sister and then…”

“Don't pity her, Rose, I've always told you that family is cursed,” the man interrupted.

You didn't say anything. You just looked at your food, not hungry, not wanting to do anything other than being with your friend in those horrible moments.

“Let's hope the Black Gods take pity on their souls,” your mother said in a solemn tone, joining her hands to emphasize her devotion.

“Nonsense, those Beneviento have never had the favor of the Gods, I’m sure, I knew Giuseppe,” your father said, remembering that brief friendship with the family patriarch, that conversation he had with him the day you got lost in the woods and met Donna.

“You only spoke to him once, Dimitri,” your mother corrected, always being a little more sensible.

“Enough to realize that he was totally out of his mind,” he said, haughtily, drinking from his glass of wine. “And the same will happen to his daughter, you'll see…”

“Where are you going, (Y/N)?” your father asked when you, fed up with that horrible conversation, got up from the table. “You haven't had dinner.”

“I'm not hungry, father,” you whispered, with a tear in your eyes threatening to betray your sadness.

That night, you could only think about Donna, only about her sad look, about her desire to be better than her parents, to leave the village, a feeling she had and you didn't. Maybe if you hadn't distracted her, they could... No, you couldn't think that way. At that moment the most important thing was to take care of her, to keep your promise.

“I'll come at dinner time,” you said the next day, picking up your backpack, ready to see your friend, to spend the day with her, something that normally wasn't a problem for your parents. That day, the smiles turned into silence.

“Hey, hey, young lady, where do you think you're going?” your father asked, putting a hand on your shoulder.

“Donna's house, father,” you said sincerely. He put on a cold look and shook his head.

“No, no way, (Y/N),” he said in a stern voice, closing the door with a loud bang. “You will not go to that house again.”

“But, but father...” you protested incredulously at that strange attitude.

“Don't protest, young lady. I forbid it,” he insisted, abruptly removing your backpack from your shoulders and letting it fall to the floor.

“Dimitri, what harm can a little company do to that poor girl?” your mother protested, unsuccessfully trying to change his mind.

“That little nutcase brat doesn't worry me, I worry about (Y/N), what will happen if she loses her mind and hurts her?” your father said, raising his tone.

“She won't hurt me, father, she's my friend!” you shrieked in a childish way, desperate for that unexpected prohibition. –

“Your friend? Ha, she's a crazy, sick girl and she's not a good company for you,” he said, with a slightly calmer tone.

“Come on, darling, they've been friends for a long time and they've never…” your mother said, discreetly taking your side.

“Her parents didn't seem to pose any threat either, did they Rose? And look where they are now, at the bottom of the river. No, no, those things are inherited and I'm not going to allow that brat to hurt our daughter.”

“But father, I promised her, I promised her that I would be with her!” you protested again.

“There's nothing to say, (Y/N), forget about that Beneviento and start being what is expected of you,” your father whispered, moving away from you.

“Mom…” you whispered, pulling at your mother's dress.

She sighed and shook her head, with a different look.

“I'm sorry, (Y/N), but your father is right. That girl is not right in the head, honey…” your mother said, making you open your eyes in surprise at that change of mind.

“She is not right because she is alone, she needs me,” you pleaded, with tears already running down your cheeks.

“Nonsense,” your father muttered, ending that conversation, the worst of your life. “What she needs is to be locked up with that horrible doll. I'm not going to argue anymore, (Y/N), obey or there will be consequences.”

You couldn't do anything. It didn't matter how many times you cried, how many times you screamed, how many slaps you received for your insistence. You couldn't keep your promise.

Donna was left alone, you stopped being her friend involuntarily, forced to be with your mother and learn things that a good villager should know. You didn't want to play with anyone, the excitement typical of a girl your age faded after a few days, when you realized that, in truth, you would never see your friend again.

But you saw her, years later.

Accustomed to the idea of ​​having lost her, your life continued. You continued to grow. You continued to make your parents proud. Only an old photograph, taken by the old gardener, reminded you that you once had a friend, the best friend, and that you, you had failed her.

Being already a teenager, you discovered something disturbing, something that made you remember again what your sin had been, what had been the promise you could not keep.

Apparently, Mother Miranda had adopted a new daughter, one who would sit next to the rest of the Lords, as powerful as them, as fearsome as them. It didn't seem like something that interested you, until you heard her name: Donna Beneviento.

Your old friend was now in church, dressed entirely in black, with a veil covering her face, always accompanied by Angie, who seemed more alive than before.

She was no longer a child, she was a woman, like you, and you watched her every day, every time there was a mass, every time her dark gaze seemed to penetrate your insides. The years passed like a painful clock that never stopped counting the seconds, the hours that passed since that involuntary betrayal.

You could have apologized. You could have begged her to believe you, to be friends again. You didn't, you couldn't do it.

She was now a Lord, you were still a simple villager. The difference in power was overwhelming. Your attendance at mass was discreet, always trying to escape from her nonexistent gaze, sitting in the back row to avoid being recognized.

You knew she was watching you, you could feel it. But you, you didn't do anything. You didn't feel strong enough to do it, you felt ashamed, hurt for not being there for her when she needed you. The reasons didn't matter, what mattered was that you were her only friend, and you left her alone.

That shame for your past mistakes haunted you every day, every time you saw her black figure, her elegant walk, every time Donna Beneviento was present and you pretended not to be.

18 years after the fall of Beneviento…

“Don't let him fool you, (Y/N),” your tired mother said, sending you on errands as usual. You rolled your eyes and smiled, shaking your head.

“Not even someone like the Duke would be able to fool me,” you joked, picking up the list of items your parents wanted, frowning when you read one of them. “White fabric with ruffles? Mom…”

“It's the best, you'll look beautiful with that,” the woman said, with a tender smile, running her hand over your cheek, which you pushed away when you remembered the only thing you tried to forget day by day and that was getting closer and closer.

“I'd be prettier if you'd just leave me alone,” you hissed furiously, changing your happy face to a dark one, to one that indicated that your stomach was turning at the thought of it.

“It's for your own sake, darling, for the sake of...” she said, knowing that this horrible decision didn't make you the slightest bit happy.

“Yes, yes... For the sake of the family, I know,” you whispered with irony. “Like everything you do, right? It's all for my own sake.”

“(Y/N)...” your mother sighed, with an understanding look.

“Forget it, I have to go,” you said, trying not to argue again, not to make known your opinion about what your family wanted, what they thought, wrongly, was the best for you.

The village had long since ceased to be comfortable for you, a peaceful place to live. With your head now mature, with your feelings constantly battered, you remembered those desires to flee that your old friend had. Now, you understood why she wanted to leave and not look back.

 “(Y/N),” a voice distracted you from your complaints, a girl you knew, and that you didn't want to see.

“Mihaela,” you said listlessly, stopping in your tracks. “I'm a bit busy right now.”

“Yes, well I... I wanted, I wanted you to know that my husband isn't home this afternoon and that... I, I'd like you to come,” she said shyly.

You laughed, thinking about it, but finally, you shook your head.

“I can't go this afternoon,” you lied, fleeing from one of the many sexual encounters you had with the young woman.

“Oh, well, but…” the young woman insisted, getting a little closer to you.

“I said no, I can't,” you said abruptly, regretting it instantly. “We, we'll see each other another day,” you finished, fleeing from the insane obsession that girl had for you.

Yes, you may have been an ordinary village girl, but your tastes were not ordinary. Nothing you could feel was tied to a man. The more you grew, the more your interest in women did, an interest that would be definitive.

You had lovers, one-night stands with girls from the village, but, for some reason, none of them made you feel loved, none of them managed to make you fall in love. Because of the situation you were in, that feeling of helplessness was almost unbearable.

“Miss (Y/N), it's a pleasure to see you in my humble shop,” the village merchant, the Duke said, when you approached that sinister carriage.

You smiled at him in a false way and threw the list at him in an unpleasant way.

“Oh... Very well,” the merchant murmured, looking at you over that sheet of paper. “I suppose you're nervous about the great day, aren't you?”

You laughed mockingly.

“Yes, look at my excited face,” you joked, pointing at yourself. “Do you have it or not?”

“Take a look back there,” he murmured, indicating the back of the carriage, where you walked slowly, running your hand over the fabrics he used to sell that were neither white nor ruffled.

“Oh... Lady Beneviento...” the Duke said, causing you to immediately raise your head and your body to stiffen.

“Duke, Duke!” a shrill voice disturbed your ears. It wasn't Donna's voice, it was… It was Angie's voice.

You, with your whole body trembling, looked out. Indeed, the lady in black was in front of the merchant, holding a rickety Angie in her arms.

It had been so long since you had been so close to her that your first move was to hide, to avoid her seeing you, recognizing you. No, anything before having to face your own betrayal, a Lord, who you knew what she was capable of and who, surely, hated you.

“Do you have fabrics?” Angie asked, with a darker voice.

“Of course I have,” the Duke said, amused. “The best ones for you, my lady.”

“We'll see about that,” the doll mocked in a scornful tone.

The lady began to look around too close to you. Her pale hands gently touched the fabrics on the counter, checking their quality. Your eyes followed them, followed those hands that seemed soft, that delicate touch.

Donna was your friend, you betrayed her. She was your friend and because of you now, now she was... A monster.

“Don't you have anything better?” the puppet asked again, following the gestures of its owner, who was looking at the merchant through that disturbing black veil.

“Try back there,” he said, disinterested, counting a pile of coins that the lady handed him, pointing with his head to the worst possible place, the place where you were.

“Shit,” you whispered, running to hide behind the carriage, with such bad luck that you tripped on one of the Duke's absurd trinkets, crashing to the ground.

A sinister laugh sounded behind you.

“Clumsy, clumsy, clumsy, clumsy village girl,” the Angie doll pointed at you, humming mockingly. You groaned in defeat, trying to get up clumsily.

A hand grabbed your arms, pulling you up. The lavender scent intoxicated your senses and in front of you, you could only see a black figure, Donna. She had helped you up and now, now she was in front of you.

“Th, thanks,” you said, looking away, turning around to flee from that horrible situation. You couldn't, a hand grabbed your arm, preventing you from continuing to walk.

“(Y/N)…” a hoarse whisper came from the black veil, forcing your body to turn slowly, forcing you to lower your gaze further. “Is it…? Is it you?”

“I don't... I think, I think you’ve mistaken me with someone else, my lady,” you said nervously, playing with your gaze not to match hers. Her hand didn't let you go, gently pulling you when you tried to run away again.

“Non mi mentire...” she whispered, with a melodic voice, one that had changed a bit, but was still recognizable, taking you back to your childhood.

“I, I don't lie, my lady,” you said without thinking, closing your eyes for having fallen into that little trap. “Oh, fu...”

“Yes, it's you,” the lady in black whispered, with a slightly happier voice, with a tone a bit higher than a simple and almost inaudible whisper. “You understood me.”

“I... I...” you stammered, unable to flee, to escape, to deny again and again something that she already knew, that it was you, her friend, the friend who betrayed her. “I...”

“(Y/N), don’t, don't you remember me?” she asked out of place, with a tremor in her hand that you already knew.

“I remember you, Donna,” you whispered, embarrassed, looking away from the lady, subtly removing her warm hand from your arms.

“It’s, it's been a long time, hasn't it?” she stammered, with the Angie doll looking at you suspiciously. “How long has it been?”

“18 years,” you whispered, trapped in that horrible conversation, one that you never wanted to have again, that you would never be able to have again.

“Yes, I…” she murmured, nervous, also looking everywhere. “You're always, always so far away in the sermons that… I, I wasn't sure if it was really you.”

“I guess it was me,” you said shyly, with your body shaking at the same time as hers. “I, I'm sorry but… I have things to do and…” you murmured, making a second attempt to flee, one frustrated again by a strong grip on your arm.

“No, no, please don't go,” the lady in black said, approaching you again with a pleading, nervous tone. “Wait, please.”

“Donna I…” you said quietly, repressing a sob, a cry you wanted to release for having met her again and being unable to say anything but vague things. “I, I'm glad to see you but… I have, I have, I have to…”

“Please, (Y/N), it's, it's been so many years,” she insisted, her voice getting weaker. “Don't go away again now that I've found you.”

Well, that was a good argument, which made you sigh, rub your eyes and nod reluctantly.

“Okay, okay,” you whispered, breathing hard, but giving up trying to separate yourself from her, who let you go and started playing with her hands.

“I, I'd like to talk to you... I have, I have a lot of things to tell you...” she sighed, her voice becoming less and less clear, saying with her words what her hidden gaze couldn't. “I know you're busy but please... I...”

“Well, well, I guess it wouldn't be a problem if...” you murmured unsurely, running a hand over your neck, searching for some sanity in your attitude, some of the courage you lacked when you left her alone.

“Ahem,” the Duke interrupted, clearing his throat in an exaggerated way, drawing  your attention.

“I don't think this is the best place for it,” you said with a subtle smile, narrowing your eyes at the merchant, who laughed mockingly.

“No, certo, I... Do you want...? Do you want to come to my house? We can, we can have tea, a real one,” Donna said, clenching her hands tighter, her knuckles white from the pressure.

“Come, come home, silly, you'll have fun…” the doll said, pulling your dress in a comical way, something that made you shudder. That doll was alive, just as the rumors said.

“I… Um… Okay, okay,” you finally said, giving up.

A tender laugh came from that horrible black veil at the same time that the lady turned around, picking up the doll from the ground and leaving the Duke's shop.

The walk was tense, terribly tense. Going through those doors, that bridge, made all the memories of your childhood assault you at the same time. That place didn't seem the same, it seemed much wilder, neglected, surely due to the lack of that gardener, who was rumored to have been murdered by Lady Beneviento.

The weeds covered the gates, the paths, there was nothing left of that cozy atmosphere, of those perfectly cared plants, there was only a landscape that became more gloomy as you advanced, making you even consider running away, fearing that her anger would be directed at you, and rightly so.

The old mansion was still there, just like the rest of the landscape, eaten away by time, by the years, like a reflection of Donna herself, a neglected and dark being, a sinister place for a sinister woman.

“Come, come in,” the woman said, kindly opening the door for you.

The smell of humidity penetrated your nose immediately, a familiar smell enhanced by all those years of neglect. The mansion wasn’t as you remembered it, the curtains prevented the light from illuminating the place, mold grew freely in the corners. Pieces of cloth, disordered books, the house of a sick woman, Donna's house.

“Sorry, (Y/N), this is a bit… Messy,” she said, noticing your pitiful look at that place, how it had changed in your memories. “I, I don’t get many visitors. No visitors, actually.”

“Am I the first?” you asked in a small voice, something that made your friend laugh again, in that shy way you knew.

“Yes, you are,” she said amused, guiding you towards a small corner, the corner where you used to play tea when you were little girls, now covered by that same sinister darkness. “Get, get comfortable, please. I’m going, I’m going to make the tea.”

“Fine,” you sighed, letting yourself fall on the sofa, raising a cloud of dust that made you cough, something that, apparently, amused that sinister doll.

“(Y/N), huh?” the puppet asked, looking at you from too close, making you even more uncomfortable. “I’ve heard a lot of things about you…”

“Have you?” you asked confused, shifting on the couch to get away from that sinister gaze. “It's funny, don't you remember me?”

“You? No,” Angie said simply. “I only see you in Donna's memories.”

“Well, you used to be part of our adventures,” you said, trying by all means to be nice, not to disturb the calm of that demonic doll. Angie simply shrugged.

“Here, here is the tea,” Donna said, appearing shortly after, leaving a tray on the table and sitting in front of you, as she did before.

Everything seemed so the same and so different at the same time that your nerves didn’t allow your hands to stop shaking, bringing your cup to your mouth with distrust.

“Is it to your liking? Is it too hot?” the lady asked, worried when she saw your cold expression. You faked a smile and shook your head.

“It's, it's okay,” you said with another fake smile, leaving the cup back on the table, enduring another moment of uncertain silence, of nervous breathing.

With your hands now free, you looked for something to touch, something to start a conversation that you hoped would end soon.

A porcelain doll, leaning on the side of the sofa, caught your attention and you slowly picked it up, observing every detail.

“I see that you finally followed in your father's footsteps,” you commented quietly, putting that doll back in its place. “I thought you would leave.”

“I couldn't,” she whispered abruptly, clenching her fists again. “When I was old enough I... I wanted to, I wanted to leave but... Mother Miranda took pity on me and adopted me, naming me Lord. Besides, I... I couldn't leave without...  Well, it doesn't matter.”

“I see,” you sighed, increasingly uncomfortable. “Well, Lord sounds much better than doll maker,” you said amused.

“At least now I'm part of something,” Donna said, with a serious tone, as if she was looking away, something that made you notice her black veil again.

“Why are you covering your face?” you asked suddenly, wanting to satisfy the curiosity that contradicted your desire to leave that place. “There's nothing wrong with not having an…”

Donna sighed, lowering her head and bringing her trembling hands to the black cloth, removing it with an elegant movement.

You were a bit shocked by what you saw. Donna Beneviento had become a really beautiful woman, but that scar, that part of her face she was ashamed of had suffered a horrible transformation, turning into a bulging abscess that covered part of her right side.

“The Black Gods don't give gifts in exchange for nothing, (Y/N),” she murmured, embarrassed by her new appearance, nervously wringing the black cloth in her hands.

“Well, it’s, it's not that bad,” you said, calming an impending nervous breakdown by doing the same thing you did when you were little, pushing away her fears with an amused smile. “Look, you can hardly tell.”

The lady pushed your hands away when they approached her hair, trying to hide her scar under it. You stepped back, biting your lip. It didn't really matter what her appearance was, she was still a terribly beautiful woman.

She smiled more calmly, fixing the hair you moved, shaking her head.

“You haven't changed at all, (Y/N),” she murmured, without looking at your face, leaving the black veil on the table, sighing sadly but with the emotion of nostalgia in her gaze.

“Well, I don't climb trees now,” you joked, drinking some more tea, relaxed by being able to look at her face, by being able to see your friend again, at least a shadow of what she was.

“Now you climb women,” she whispered with a different voice. You gulped at that comment, your cheeks flushed.

“I see a Lord knows everything,” you said with a broken, nervous voice.

“Only what I want to know,” she corrected abruptly, blinking erratically.

After that somewhat sinister statement, silence came again to that disturbing place. You, nervous, tried not to make any comment but, as always, your curiosity spoke for you. You wish it hadn't.

“They say you killed Josef,” you commented, looking away from her pale skin, from her beauty that was screaming to be admired.

“I did,” she answered without any problem, with a cold look that pierced your soul.

“Why, Donna?” you asked disappointed by that statement, by the legend that stopped being one with a few cold words. “He was good to you.”

“It's none of your business, (Y/N),” she hissed, almost breaking her cup with the grip of her hands. Shortly after, she closed her eye, as if trying to control her nerves. “I had to do it, that's all.”

“Of course,” you said with a slightly ironic tone, with one that was dying to leave your lips. “Everything that happens to you stopped being my business 18 years ago, Donna.”

“You were the one who abandoned me,” she reproached you, giving light to a resentment that you were sure she felt. It was the moment of truth. “You were the one who stopped being interested in me.”

“Well, then why didn't you kill me too?” you said, getting up from the couch, waving your arms, letting your own guilt consume your insides, speaking in that way to the one who was once your best friend.

“Why would I do that?” the lady asked, standing up as well, in a furious tone, kicking the small table, causing the cups to shake dangerously.

“You said it, I abandoned you. I left you alone when you needed me, I... I failed you, Donna,” you said furiously too, letting the tears run down your cheeks, losing your nerves just like her. “Don't pretend you don't hold a grudge against me, I see it in your gaze.”

“I can't blame you for not wanting to be with a monster like me,” she whispered, also with her eye full of tears.

“Do you think it's about that? Do you think I would abandon you because of what people said about you?” you asked back, leaving the small corner and looking for calm in your thoughts. You didn't find it.

“I don't know what it could be about then,” she commented calmer, but with the same marked accent, one that revealed her internal rage.

“Oh, it, it wasn't my fault,” you said, shaking your head, running a hand through your hair. “My, my parents, they, they forbade me to see you, they told me that I was in danger by your side.”

“They weren't wrong,” Donna said, whispering dangerously, with a haughty posture.

“Of course they were wrong! You, you were my best friend, Donna…” you sighed, biting your tongue to avoid saying anything else against yourself, to avoid saying that you could have looked for her, but you didn't.

“You were my only friend, (Y/N),” the doll maker said, without removing that dark look from her face.

“Oh, Donna,” you sighed sobbing and doing something that you had wanted to do for years, throwing yourself into her arms, hugging her, feeling her with you again.

The lady was surprised, but she didn't take long to return that hug, holding you tightly against her body, letting your tears wet your dresses without saying anything, just crying, letting out those feelings that neither of you knew how to express.

“Donna…” you sighed again, soaking in her essence, letting her hands embrace you as she trembled, hugged you tightly, sobbed the same way you did. “I've missed you so much…”

“Me, me too,” she answered. “I, I haven't stopped thinking about you all this time… I…”

“Good, good!” the doll squealed, clapping comically. “Hug, hug!”

The two of you looked at each other and laughed, separating, letting your hands join slowly, swinging between your bodies. You caressed hers with your thumb, losing yourself in the softness of her skin, in her warmth, the one you hadn't forgotten.

“Forgive me, Donna, please. I shouldn't have left you alone, I should have been with you,”  you said pleadingly, with a sincere voice, with sincere feelings.

“That doesn't matter anymore, (Y/N),” she whispered, letting your hands go and running one of them over your cheek, making you cry even more, with a splendid smile. “What, what matters is that you're back, you're back by my side.”

You, perhaps too excited by that encounter, by the return of your childhood memories, did something crazy, approaching Donna and kissing her quickly on the lips, the fruit of joy, of being with the only person who understood you again.

She didn't react. She just smiled more widely, blinking confusedly.

“I'm sorry, I got too excited,” you said nervously, biting your lip and trying to control your breathing.

Donna laughed again, with a wider smile, caressing your cheek again.

“You were always so fiery…” she whispered amused, slowly moving her hand away, moving away from you.

“I guess I haven't changed that much,” you said, nervous by that unexpected kiss, by that softness that you didn't imagine, by that act that came from the depths of your heart. “But I think those days of fieryness are over for me.”

You, sighing, letting your duties come back to haunt you, walked through the mansion, shaking your head.

“Why do you say that?” the lady asked, chasing you nervously, turning you slowly, with an intriguing look.

“Well, I...” you murmured, showing your left hand, where a tacky ring decorated your finger. “I'm engaged.”

“Fi, fi, fidanzata...” she murmured confusedly, stammering, as if a jar of ice water had suddenly fallen on her.

“Yes, I'm afraid so,” you sighed, nodding with a sad look, letting yourself fall on the sofa again.

Donna frowned, unable to control the new trembling of her body, approaching you as if she were stalking you.

“Are you getting married?” she asked abruptly, squeezing her hands on either side of her hips, looking at you with an irrational hatred that you were unable to perceive.

“Yes, with Ivan, the boy from the weaver family. He's a jerk, but deep down he's a good boy,” you explained sighing, looking at that cheap jewel on your finger, wishing it would disappear from there by magic.

“With a boy?” Donna asked with that same distrustful tone, with a slow step and a dark air in her gaze.

“Oh, well yes, it's a marriage of convenience,” you said passively, standing up again when you saw the brunette's nervous attitude. “What's wrong with you?”

“What's wrong with me?” she asked with a look of hatred. “You're getting married?”

“It's not my thing, Donna, it was my parents' idea,” you said with a serious tone, crossing your arms. She laughed nervously, with irony adorning that sardonic smile.

“It's always your parents, isn't it? They are to blame for everything,” she hissed, shaking her head, as if that happiness had suddenly vanished, as if it had never existed.

“Yes, that is a pretty accurate statement,” you said arrogantly, frowning. “What do you care?”

“That, that's not fair,” Donna murmured, shaking her head, controlling the trembling of her hand with the other, preventing madness from taking over her again. “You, you can't.”

“Of course it's unfair, that's life,” you whispered, letting all the air out of your lungs.

“No, no, no, you can't, you can't do this to me…” she said, talking to herself, her hands pulling at her hair. “You can't!”

“What's wrong with you?” you asked, annoyed by her attitude, by not understanding the reason for her anger. “Now you worry about me? You could have done it 10 years ago, don't you think?” you said unintentionally, blaming Donna for your misfortune, blaming her for not going to save you, for not taking you with her to Italy, as she promised, as you promised before everything got out of control.

“Cazzo, (Y/N)!” she shouted furiously, kicking the dining table hard, knocking over several chairs in an outburst of fury that you watched in astonishment. “You can't marry someone you don't love!”

“But…” you hissed, now with rage controlling your words, your cocky pose, your irrational hatred for the lady in black, your hatred for not having been rescued when you could have been, when you broke your promise, and she broke hers. “What do you know, Donna? What do you know about love?”

“I know more than you think!” she shrieked, approaching you in a threatening manner, grabbing you firmly by the collar of your dress, with a furious eye, bloodshot, with hatred. “I know what it's like to spend years dreaming of seeing you knock on my door. I know what it's like to see you in sermons, to see how you run away from me, how you don't even dare to look at my face, I know what it's like to cry because I know that you will never feel for me the same as I have felt for you for so long… I know what it's like to love you, (Y/N).”

You were left speechless at that unexpected declaration. Tears spoke for you again, running down your cheeks. Your breathing stopped, your heart stopped beating, writhing in pain, stirring for you to hear it, for you to hear those same feelings you had repressed for so long.

But that revelation didn't really matter, that sea of ​​feelings you had kept inside for so long, hers, the love she said she felt for you. You already suffered for her once, you thought about her every day, you sat in the back row, but your eyes always went to her. A lost friendship that became a subtle obsession, an abyss full of guilt and things you didn't think you could feel for another person.

Once again, it was too late, no matter who was to blame.

“I'm so glad to see you again, Donna,” you whispered, turning around, trying not to look at the lady in black, who was crying inconsolably, controlling her anger, shaking her head as if she wanted to wake up from a nightmare. “I guess we'll see each other around here.”

She didn't answer, she simply sobbed, closing her eye and nodding, not wanting to see you leave her again.

You walked slowly towards the exit, with your mind torturing each of your steps, with your heart hurt by the reality of your feelings, your attitude. You were never able to love, to feel love for anyone, you didn't know why. But, after that argument, you began to see your problem clearly.

Donna was always in your dreams, when you grew up, she began to be like a ghost that you wanted to chase. When you were a child, you wanted to play with her, to be her best friend. When you grew up, that wasn't enough for you.

The guilt of having abandoned her joined with a feeling of anxiety and obsession that began to consume you little by little. You didn't care that she was a Lord, that a black veil covered her face. She was still Donna, your best friend, a friend who stopped being one, and with whom you fell in love little by little, for the simple fact of not being able to have her by your side.

The door creaked open and the cold cut your face. Furious and tired, you turned around to look at her once more, to be able to remember her as she was, and not as the village said. It was a bad decision, but a good one at the same time.

“Gods, what... What am I doing?” you asked yourself, slamming the door and running back through the entrance.

With a firm step, you reached the lady in black, throwing yourself at her lips, letting yourself be invaded by your feelings, by her kisses, by that improvised act that your body and your heart were dying to see you doing.

“(Y/N)…” Donna interrupted, not letting your kisses continue, the salty taste of your tears continue to mix on your lips. “Please, don’t, don't get married…”

“Ask me again, come on,” you said, gently hitting her chest, demanding to hear that request again, demanding that her feelings allow you to commit a madness.

“Don't get married,” Donna repeated, resting her forehead against yours, cupping your face in her hands.

You grabbed her wrists, letting more tears flow, losing yourself in the lavender.

“Again,” you whispered, holding her tightly. “Again.”

“Don't get married, stay with me…” she said, sobbing, as if the revelation had also clouded her senses. Her words were barely whispers, but they sounded like uncontrolled screams in your heart.

“I don't want to get married,” you sobbed, kissing her again, with your wild, wandering lips, with your hands running over her waist, pulling her, barely letting her breathe.

“Then don't do it,” she said with a slightly more serious voice, with her cold gaze penetrating yours.

You didn't answer, the kisses simply returned, they became hungry and messy. You could feel her hands traveling through your hair, your waist, your legs. It was an uncontrolled dance, without brakes, that went faster and faster.

The gasps replaced the sobs, the tears. Your bodies moved on their own, driven only by a blinding passion, by intense, immortal, eternal feelings. Kisses, caresses, love…

A trio of words that vaguely defined what was happening, how your steps began to crash against the walls, how her neck became your target, your playground, your safe place.

Donna accepted those kisses with a satisfied moan, with an anxious sigh as she searched for some corner, a crack in your dress so she could have the honor of touching your skin, of taking you to those same sensations you provoked.

There were no words, there was nothing, only gasps, only passion, only the sound of her back hitting the wall, her nervous movements when your leg was placed between hers and your skillful fingers began an unfair battle against the buttons of her dress.

Her slender fingers scratched your covered back, her hips danced discreetly against your leg, the gasps became more intense, the kisses wilder. Growling like an animal, you grabbed one of her legs, running your nails along the soft skin of her thighs, cursing that horrible black fabric for hiding such a brilliant beauty.

Donna pulled away, taking your hand and desperately guiding you towards the sofa, leaving her chest uncovered by your mischievous hands, lying down, dragging you on top of her while your own dress gave way to her discreet hands.

“(Y/N)…” the lady in black moaned, letting you push aside the fabric that separated you from her skin, that deprived your lips of the addictive taste of her body.

Neck, collarbone, breasts, everything was delicious for your lips, for your desire. She panted nervously, looking for something to entertain herself with, some part of your body that was just as attractive to her. Kisses, she only wanted some crazy kisses, kisses from you, from that girl who abandoned her, who threatened to do it again.

There was more and more clothing on the floor, and less on your body. Her hands were less careful, focusing on forbidden places, on parts of your legs that seemed unreachable.

For you, there was nothing else, there had been nothing else in over 16 years, Donna, just Donna.

Her skin, her sighs, her gasps, those little moans she let out were like fuel for your body, like gasoline so you could move how you wanted, where you wanted.

Soon there were no clothes, just sweat, just your lips moving down her body, worshiping the beautiful woman she had become, worshiping Donna, always Donna.

Her hand in your hair signaled for you to continue, you weren't going to stop, there would be nothing that could stop you, not even your stupid parents.

Her wetness betrayed her own desire. The taste of her arousal was sweet, intense, just as addictive as her kisses. Her body moved confused by your actions, confused by a naughty finger that slowly played with her clit, making her close her eye in shame.

More fuel for your lust. Dazzled by her caresses, by her soft hands in your hair, by those sounds she made, you immersed yourself in her wetness, caressing her with your tongue, making her shudder at your touch, at your not-so-innocent kisses. Your fingers took over from your mouth, entering inside of her, taking refuge in her excited heat.

You had never felt such intense pleasure just by touching a woman, there was nothing in that dirty village that resembled the perfection of her body, her moans, the perfection of Donna Beneviento.

Her back arched and her moans turned into high-pitched screams. Your hands comforted her, helped her to release keeping her close, as if your body was begging you to never leave again.

But that wasn't the end, just the beginning.

If you had to speak without knowing, you would say that Donna would be clumsy, even too rough in her actions, in making you hers, hers forever. Quite the opposite, she wasn't like that. You didn't know if you were the first, you didn't know if there had been other women before, you didn't want to know, just thinking about it made you want to scream with rage.

None of that mattered, only that sweetness mattered, those kisses, those tender words in Italian that watered your ears, that moved your body while she adored yours. You would never have imagined that delicacy, those fingers trying not to hurt you, not to run, trying to feel your whole body without fear of you leaving.

Her slow kisses were almost ardent, the movement of her hips was hypnotic, her fingers danced softly inside of you, her eye looked into yours with desire, with love, true love that you never believed possible.

Sex, moans, hips coming together, a thousand and one ways to give each other pleasure. For a moment, your life was reduced only to that and, in your madness, in your unbridled passion, you wished it would never end.

Her hands went wild, her arms wrapped around you tightly as your wetness rubbed together.

You could see, for a moment, that darkness in her gaze again, that desire to hold you in the strength of her embrace, of the scratches on your back, marking you, claiming you as hers forever, bringing out that possessiveness, that attitude of not wanting to lose what was already hers.

After an uncertain time, it ended, and the gasps and moans were replaced by nervous breathing, by Donna's strong and unbreakable embrace of your naked body, so you would stay on her chest, so the lavender would also be part of you.

Like a cruel return to the past, the clock rang with a shrill tone, alerting you to the worst moment of your life, when you were nothing but a child: the horrible moment of returning home.

“Donna…”you sighed sadly, releasing yourself from her embrace, struggling with her, who protested with a moan. “I have, I have to go.”

“You're leaving me again,” she sighed, wetting her cheeks again, struggling unsuccessfully to regain your warmth in hers.

“I wouldn't do it if I could,” you murmured, looking for your clothes and dressing slowly. She nodded, covering herself timidly, with a lost look.

“You can, but you don't want to,” Donna sighed, stabbing your heart.

“Are you going to explain to my parents that I'm not going to get married?” you said frustrated, putting on your dress. “That I'm leaving my life, my duties to stay with you, with a Lord?”

She shook her head, wiping a tear from her cheek.

“Marry me then,” she whispered, making you turn your head quickly, surprised by those words.

“What? Have you gone crazy?” you said confused, rubbing your eyes. “Donna…”

“If your parents care that much about you getting married… Do it with me,” she explained, with a desperate tone.

You sighed, running a hand over the back of your neck. You might think it was a joke but you knew Donna, you knew she was completely serious.

“It's not… That easy,” you whispered, letting yourself fall on the couch, exhausted, tired and hopelessly in love.

“Let them dare to oppose, (Y/N), we are not two little girls anymore, no one could do anything to stop us…. From loving each other. Please, (Y/N), sposami…”

“Donna, I… I, I don't know what to say… It’s, it's been so long and… And now…” you stammered, your heartbeat getting stronger, your heart already having the answer.

“It may have been a while, (Y/N), but, but I love you, I have never, never stopped and I will never stop loving you… I, I couldn't bear to lose you again without doing something about it,” she said, taking your hand, looking with disgust at that annoying ring.

“Will you take me to Italy?” you asked in a murmur, with an involuntary smile appearing on your face.

“I can't, I can't get out of…” she said, confused, silenced by a finger on her lips.

“I know, but… Would you do it if you were able to?” you asked again, slowly taking the ring off your finger, throwing it away, through the mansion.

She nodded with tears in her eye, with a sincere, beautiful smile.

“I would take you wherever you wanted, as… As long as you were with me,” she whispered, approaching your lips again, kissing them slowly, passionately, with love. “I would do anything for you.”

“Would you buy me a ring?” you asked amused, forgetting your fears, with the most important decision of your life already made. “One better than that trinket…”

“So…? So you, you want…?” Donna stammered nervously, squeezing your hands tightly.

“Yes, Donna, I can't think of a better company for the rest of my life…”

[linderosse]

Wielders of Wisdom: Introductions Part 2

Tetra (Pirate) [WW, PH]

Sarcastic, snarky, and often rude

Surprisingly calm and quick decision-maker, with a clear sense of how to win the respect of people older than her

She teases the crap out of Wind, but secretly values him a lot.

The least likely to get lost

Story: Tetra took King Daphnes’ last request to heart and set out in search of new land— and more importantly, new treasures. She’s found countless strange and wonderful islands to plunder, as well as one particularly interesting alternate world. Still, nothing has fit her criteria yet, and the search across the deep sea is more perilous than even she expected…

Dawn (Gardener) [TLoZ]

Quiet and shy; excessively kind

Determined to help others, but also knows how to accept help.

She’s a little awestruck by Hyrule. She has no idea that Hyrule is a little awestruck by her too. Both of them are a little awestruck by Aurora, who is very fond of them in return.

The most superstitious Zelda

Story: Since Aurora’s awakening, Dawn has found an older sister to confide in. But the world is still devastated by the Great Decline, mistrust runs rampant, and Aurora’s finding it hard to adapt to life centuries in the future. And none of that has stopped monsters from roaming the countryside, searching for ways to revive Ganon— forcing the people to stay isolated in their communities, wary of strangers and immigrants from neighboring Calatia. Dawn wishes everyone would work together against the Decline, but instead her country is withering on the vine…

Fable (Diplomat) [ALttP, OoS/OoA, LBW]

Articulate, dramatic, and extremely charismatic

She wears the pants so Ledge doesn’t have to >:)

Legend discovered that the two of them were siblings on their first adventure and told her again much later. She gives Legend heck, but she’s always there to support him when he needs it.

A surprisingly talented painter

Story: Holodrum, Labrynna, Lorule, Hytopia: the Hero of Legend has saved them all, as well as Hyrule twice over. Now these and other countries, much more aware of their proximity, claim they wish to form an alliance— and Fable knows she’s the perfect person to spearhead the effort. The first step: a celebratory tournament to introduce the peoples of the five-ish countries to each other in friendly competition. But with legions of foreign dignitaries vying for political supremacy, it feels like someone might be plotting something. Perhaps it’s only a matter of time before cultural differences and pride cause negotiations to fail…

< Part 1 | Part 3 >

Masterpost

[little-fae-hero]

So was bored and decided to play around to LU and my old gods au.

War very rarely prayed anymore, why should he, his father was dead, his god already took enough from him during the first war. After becoming the hero of hyrule he wasn’t a helpless little child anymore, he could survive fine on his own.

He could but the others….

War did his best not to grimace at the thought, he tightened his hand into fist, remembering Wind’s tears as they had to re-break and set his bone. The horrible gash on Legend's face that took two red potions to heal properly. Hyrule, their little healer, passes out from overusing his magic and hitting his head on a rock.

War felt something wet on his hand and quickly brought it up, seeing that he had dug his nails into his skin to the point they bled.

There was no pain, there never was any pain….

Not anymore…

War closes his eyes as he enters the old temple, he knew the risk, his father drilled it into his head when they talked about his god. And that risk was clear the first time he requested help from him, but they were at a loss, they had been traveling for days, attacks happening left and right. His friends, don’t they deserve some peace? He just walked to the center of the room and kneeled, reciting the prayer in gerudo he had learned so long ago. He knew when it felt as if the sun had entered the temple he had gotten the god’s attention.

“You again…” The familiar voice practically growls. “I thought you had learned the price of power by now, most learn after their first time calling me.”

War’s looked up, the god had taken a smaller form, but the dark skin and flames for hair made it who he was. “Bringer of Demise, maker of the triforce o-”

“I think we’re already past the point of woes and begs, aren’t we Link?” The god, Demise, that’s the name War called him said. “Why have you called me again?”

“I need your power once again, we’re being attacked again and again, there’s so many enemies.” War explained.

“You know I will happily lend worthy followers some of my power.” Demise said as he walked up to the young boy. “But you know the price…”

War didn’t say anything right away some Demise continued.

“First I gave you their pain, then I took your ability to feel, a feather or a blade would feel the same against your skin. But that wasn’t enough, so I took your sadness, the tears behind your eyes.” Demise said. “And lastly, when that wasn’t enough, I took the memories of your dear sister. That’s more than enough to drive most mad, yet you still ask for my power.”

“My friends-” War’s started to say.

“Is it worth ripping your soul apart even more, bit by bit?” Demise asked.

War looked straight in his eyes and without any hesitation said “Yes.”

Demise let out a laugh. “I see, and what shall I take this time? Would you like the choose, or shall I do it for you?”

War was silent.

“I’ll do it for you.”

—-

[snakes-of-the-undercity]

My thoughts on the end of act 2 (heavy warning for spoilers) -

Vander’s end/the death of Isha -

Vander’s last love was violence. He could never escape it, he could never be separated from it. And so instead he buried it, turned his violence into fuel to protect his own, his first love; his family. But, as Jinx said in the first season, ‘nothing ever stays gone’. He was never delusioned enough to believe that his violence was gone, but he thought he could control it. He couldn’t and that manifested itself in Warwick. Though I doubt Warwick is dead, Vander now most certainly is.

He died to the hand of that which he loved; his family. He died trying to protect them, he died while bringing them together. I’m not sure what this will do to the family of the heart of Zaun but I hope this will not destroy them. They all carry something of his, it would be a shame to waste it.

Vi holds his violence, Jinx his madness, and Sevika his ideals, though those are only surface level things. Sevika also holds his violence and his drive for family, Jinx holds his want for peace (surprising as that is) and isolation, his escapism, and Vi holds his drive, his want for things to get better, his need for others to be safe. Of course there’s other things they embody, but at the end of the day the story of the heart of Zaun is a story about fathers. How Vander was a father to Vi and Jinx, how Vi was a sort of father to Powder, how Sevika’s own father shaped her into being this protector and king maker of Zaun, how they are dealing of the repercussions of fathers (Silco and Singed), and how they were all a ‘father’ in some way to Isha.

In that same way it is a show about daughters and death. How one single act of ignorance, a drive to help that was seen as such good at first can turn from beauty to bodies lain across the rubble of these cities. How Jinx’s sister, her ward, died trying to help. Died in the way Powder did. And now, once again, vander has died. Their family is shattered once again. And once again they lost their father to a well meaning little girl.

Because at the end of the day this is a story of fathers and daughters, of family.

And, at the end of the day, this story is a tragedy.

Authors note - Might not be cooking with this, I am very sleep deprived— just finished watching and typed this out so yeah! Probs will have more + some old art later

[edatheowlladyirl]

ATLA / Avatar Series Chronological Order

Hi everyone!!

I spent a good amount of time with Chat GPT tonight and it eventually helped me come up with this chronological list for the order of the majority of all things Avatar related. I'm not sure that I have everything; I'm not perfect--so if you know of something that you want added to the list, please let me know!). I'll try to remember to update this list when new things come out, but I can't make any promises so just keep in mind that this list is from 3/24/25. Things that are bulleted are apparently not as relevant (I have not read/watched everything yet and am working on it, so this is what Chat told me). Additionally, whether some things are canon or not can be debated, this was the closest I got. Everything that doesn't say Non-Canon or Sorta-Canon is Canon. I hope this helps, thanks! :)

The Dawn of Yangchen — Novel

The Legacy of Yangchen — Novel

The Rise of Kyoshi — Novel

The Shadow of Kyoshi — Novel

The Reckoning of Roku — Novel

The Awakening of Roku — Novel​ (Unreleased; ex. October 14, 2025)

Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024) — Live-Action Television Series

The Last Airbender (2010) — Live-Action Film, Non-Canon

Aang: The Last Airbender — Animated Film​ (Unreleased; ex. January 30, 2026)

Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005–2008) — Animated Television Series (This takes place through the books/comics/graphic novels up to The Promise).

Katara and the Pirate’s Silver — Graphic Novel

Suki, Alone — Graphic Novel

The Bounty Hunter and the Tea Brewer — Graphic Novel

Avatar: The Last Airbender—Chibi Vol. 1: Aang's Unfreezing Day — Graphic Novel

Avatar: The Last Airbender—Screen Comix: Volume 1 — Graphic Novel

Avatar: The Last Airbender—Screen Comix: Volume 2 — Graphic Novel

Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Lost Adventures — Graphic Novel Compilation

Zuko's Story — Graphic Novel, Non-Canon

The Tale of Aang — Graphic Short Story

The Tale of Azula — Graphic Short Story

The Tale of Toph — Graphic Short Story

The Tale of Sokka — Graphic Short Story

The Tale of Zuko — Graphic Short Story

The Tale of Katara — Graphic Short Story

The Promise — Graphic Novel Trilogy

The Search — Graphic Novel Trilogy

The Rift — Graphic Novel Trilogy

Toph Beifong's Metalbending Academy — Graphic Novel

Smoke and Shadow — Graphic Novel Trilogy

New Recruits — Graphic Short Story, Non-Canon

Gym Time — Graphic Short Story, Non-Canon

North and South — Graphic Novel Trilogy

Imbalance — Graphic Novel Trilogy

Azula in the Spirit Temple — Graphic Novel

Ashes of the Academy — Graphic Novel​ (Unreleased; ex. March 25, 2025)

Zuko Finds His Way — Graphic Short Story​ (Also Screen Comix)

The Power of Toph — Graphic Short Story​ (Also Screen Comix)

Shells — Graphic Short Story, Sorta-Canon

Sisters — Graphic Short Story, Sorta-Canon

Matcha Makers — Graphic Short Story, Sorta-Canon

Team Avatar Tales — Graphic Short Story Compilation, Sorta-Canon

Friends for Life — Graphic Short Story

Lost Pets — Graphic Short Story

Clearing the Air — Graphic Short Story

Beach Wars — Graphic Short Story

Avatar: The Last Airbender – Legacy — Companion Book

Avatar: The Last Airbender – Legacy of the Fire Nation — Companion Book

The Legend of Korra (2012–2014) — Animated Television Series

The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars — Graphic Novel Trilogy

The Legend of Korra: Ruins of the Empire — Graphic Novel Trilogy

The Legend of Korra: Patterns in Time — Graphic Novel Anthology

The Legend of Korra: An Avatar's Chronicle — Novel

The Legend of Korra: The Art of the Animated Series - Books 1-4

Korra: The Official Guide to the Animated Series — Guidebook

The Legend of Korra: The Mystery of Penquan Island — Graphic Novel

Avatar: Seven Havens — Animated Television Series​ (Unreleased; ex. 2025 or 2026)

*Update: Sorry for the errors everyone! Thanks for the feedback, please let me know if you find anything that is wrong/needs to be added--everything should be correct to my knowledge as of right now! Tumblr is not keeping my list's format either, so I'll post a better (more organized looking) version on Reddit when I'm not shadowbanned. Again, I haven't read/watched everything so I am not the ultimate guide--thanks!*

[ever-after-portal]

Another EAH oc!

Constance Duckworth

I used the same EAH character maker as I did here.

Constance, or Connie, is a swan adopted by a family of ducks. At a young age, her biological family left her behind, leaving her adopted family to take care of her. Although she's different, she loves her family, and they love her just the same. Her younger siblings annoy her and drive her crazy, but she wouldn't give them up for anything.

She's the daughter of the "ugly duckling," or at least is destined to be the "ugly duckling." As such, she struggles with self-esteem and body issues. In spell-ementary school, she was bullied for her grey feathers and young swan-like appearance. Kids could be pretty cruel. Unlike Duchess Swan, she cannot turn into a swan or have a swan form. Headmaster Grimm says that she must learn to love herself.

Her BFFAs are Penelope Pea, daughter of the Princess and the Pea, and Malita Midas, granddaughter of King Midas. Essentially, they are the only two people she spends time with; she will occasionally hang out with Earnest Charming (but only when Penny is around.) When not helping an underclassmen with their legacy, she's off somewhere by a pond or in the ballet studio.

Duchess Swan was assigned as her legacy mentee; neither of them liked to talk about it and instead just hung out in silence. Often, that silence is broken by some classical music. Connie sees Duchess as a younger sister and, in a way, wants to protect her. During school, when she tries to say hello, she is usually brushed off with a cold shoulder, and it doesn't exactly bother her all that much because many of the kids at Ever After High have reputations to keep.

Connie loves fashion and jewelry. She adorns herself in feathers and silver to distract from her lack of self-confidence. As much as she doesn't want to participate in her story and regrets signing the Storybook of Legends, she can't stop what's already set in motion. It's still being determined if her story will end when she realizes her worth or when she graduates. The only problem she has with the ugly duckling story is that she'll be seen as an ugly duckling. Something that kids had taunted her with for so long.

[thedaddycomplex]

My father-in-law Larry Collins passed away Friday.

A rockabilly guitar legend, he practically invented the genre with his sister Lorrie performing as The Collins Kids back in the '50s.

A little music history for you: The story goes that guitar maker Semi Moseley created the first-ever double-neck guitar for Joe Maphis, who was young Larry's mentor and musical partner on the live TV show Town Hall Party. The idea was that Joe would play the standard neck and Larry would play the small neck. But, Larry said, no, he wanted one, too. So, Semi made a second double-neck guitar for him. It became his signature instrument.

He and his sister toured with luminaries like Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline. Later, Larry became an award-winning songwriter of hits like "Delta Dawn" and "You're The Reason God Made Oklahoma." And among his fans are musicians like Lemmy Kilmister, Bob Dylan, and Jello Biafra.

But, most important to me, he was a wonderful grandfather to Wyatt and Boone and a damn good friend.

Read about his amazing life and accomplishments in this Vintage Guitar magazine article.

[snazzynacho]

The Mermaid Mutt

Finnick Odair x Annie Cresta

Chapter 1/? Read on ao3. Masterlist.

Summary: As Finnick and the other previous Victors know, a Quarter Quell is much different from an average Hunger Games, and this year Snow has plans for a new type of Mutt to stir things up.

Warnings/tags: Mermaid, Muttations (Hunger Games), Human Experimentation, Canon-Typical Death/Violence, Implied/Referenced Torture, Annie Cresta Needs a Hug, Mutilation, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Finnick Odair Loves Annie Cresta, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Suicidal ideation.

A/N: Please see the tags before reading as this fanfic deals with heavy topics. Minors do not interact, please.

Chapter One:

Everyone knows Mermaids are purely fictitious — A legend produced by a cocktail of piracy, aquatic creatures and alcohol. President Snow made plans with Plutarch Heavensbee, the new head gamemaker, to create his own Mutt, specifically for this year's Quarter Quell.

As the Quarter Quell is taking place, they almost let the mutt loose several times, but no other time was perfect enough than this one. Finnick, along with Johanna, Wiress, Beetee, Katniss and Peeta, have now formed one big loyal group. Snow, Plutarch and the rest of the viewers at home previously watched Peeta hit the force field, Katniss, Finnick, and Peeta survive the poisonous fog, with Mags sacrificing herself, and then killing feral monkeys, Johanna and her group with the hot, thick blood-rain, and near drowning experience with the spinning cornucopia. Now, they did not know what was to come.

They stand under the shaded area under the palm trees, drawing a diagram of the cornucopia in the sand. Thanks to Wiress, they now know it works like a clock with each hour coming with a new threat in its particular wedge.

Suddenly, a scream from the depths of the jungle cries, "Katniss!" It is a voice only Katniss recognises as she shouts her sister's name, "Prim!"

“Katniss! Wait!” Finnick tries to stop her as he knows its unlikely for Primrose to actually be put into the arena, but Katniss sprints off into the jungle, shouting after Primrose. Finnick runs after her, and when he reaches Katniss, she's looking around defeated.

"You okay?" he asks her with genuine worry and care.

"Finnick!" another scream of a different woman's voice is heard in the distance, which Finnick recognises immediately.

"Annie?!"

"Finnick! No, it's not her!" Katniss attempts to place her hands on his shoulders to ground him, trying to explain, but Finnick is instinctively already chasing after the scream.

"Annie! Annie!”

Even though Annie died five years ago, he still chases after her. Just the sound of her voice he has not heard in years sends him running towards it. Maybe this time she is miraculously alive, how could he know for sure unless he checked? He would run after her to safety in times of danger, and the Capitol knew this and are using this to their advantage, finding pleasure and entertainment in his distraught.

Finnick becomes closer to the whereabouts of Annie's screaming but there is no Annie. Like there was no Primrose. Katniss catches up to him and grabs him by the shoulders. "It's not her! It's just a jabber-jay. It's not her,"

He's confused and distraught, as Katniss explains but then he interjects. "How do you think they got that sound? Jabber-Jay's copy,"

To which, Katniss grows anxious. An inward turmoil begins in her head, as her thoughts spiral. Before she can verbalise her shared worries on how the Game-makers got the screams of their loved ones with Finnick, another shout, this time a man's, yells after Katniss.

"Gale?" She whispers under her breath as the realisation sets in. Then, a sudden swarm of jabber-jays fly around their heads, and the screams from Annie, Prim and Gale get louder and louder, deafening them.

It is terrifying and they start to run away, heading back to the group. The hive of jabber-jays chase after them, as they did to them. A few birds dive down every now and then, taunting them even more, as they emit stomach-wrenching screams. Peeta, Beetee and Johanna come into view, but something is wrong.

It looks as if Peeta is banging against an invisible wall. "It's okay! Katniss it's okay!" he says to her through the see-through barrier. She screams and bangs on the force field but it does not break. She ends up crumbling to the ground, and Peeta crouches down with her, and be never stops reassuring Katniss. She curls in on herself and hides, knowing she and Finnick are stuck with the screaming jabber-jays.

Finnick sits with his head in his hands, covering his ears. It's like hearing Annie die in The Hunger Games all over again, not being able to help her.

_______________🧜🏻‍♀️_______________

After the horrific hour is finally over Peeta holds a crying Katniss in his arm, as Finnick sits unmoving and traumatised.

They then travel back after a moment to the beach with the cornucopia, needing some time to recuperate. Katniss and Peeta sit down on the sand under the shade of the palm trees and leaves, watching Finnick walk straight into the sea, sitting in the shallow part of the water.

The sea has always been calming to him, and after Annie's screams from the Jabber-jays, he needs this more than ever. He sits down and closes his eyes. He hears the tide come in and out and feels water lap now and then. He focuses his whole mind and attention on those feelings and sounds, to ground him. After a while, he blinks his eyes open, ready to take in the scenes of the beach and water he misses from home.

Back on the sand on the beach, Katniss sits by Johanna and asks, "Who's Annie?"

Johanna takes a moment to respond, wondering to herself how she will answer. "Annie Cresta. She died like, four years— five years ago, at the end of her Games. Finnick mentored her,"

"Were they in love?" Katniss dares to ask.

"Mm-hmm, and even if she is six feet under, he'll never stop loving her,"

The silence after that while they process what's been said is long. "Love is weird," Johanna states after the silence and Katniss doesn't really know what to say after that.

Over in the water, Finnick spots something red in the sea. He decides to take a closer look. It may be of use to them, after all. He wades in the water to get nearer. Upon closer inspection, he realises it may just be seaweed swaying in the water. He's seen plenty of seaweed back at home in District Four, along with the sandy beaches, where he collects seashells.

His hand reaches out for it, and moments before he touches the water, bubbles begin to slowly rise. As if someone or something was breathing in the water. A shadow rises in the water and before he knows it, a webbed hand is attempting to claw his face, and its mouth is wide open with sharp teeth — sharper than Enobaria's — on display, and it screeches in his face. The aquatic creature's eyes, hair and complexion are the only things he recognises. They're exactly like Annie's.

The screeching, and the splash of water, attract the others as they come bounding towards him, weapons ready. The creature stares back at him. Its blue eyes blink and it retracts its claws. It recognises him, as he recognises her. The creature screeches, sadder this time, and retreats into the sea. As it flips back, he sees something he can't quite believe. The aquatic creature has a big fishtail, attached to it, or should he say her, human torso. His astonishment is cut short as Johanna exclaims his name worriedly, and he senses them clamber beside him, asking if he's okay, but he intervenes.

"It was Annie! I swear to God!" Finnick yells as he stands and faces the others.

"It was Annie! She's in there, she's in the water!"

The group look at each other with concern and silently communicate that the Jabber-jays must have planted Annie into his thoughts, more than normal, and this screeching creature has sent him over the edge. Everyone, especially now Katniss, knew Finnick had lost Annie when she was the last person to be killed during her games, which he mentored her for, but maybe they had not realised just how much guilt and love he still holds for her, except for Johanna.

Katniss steps closer to him, calming him down as she did for Wiress. Finnick, however protests, and even begins to cry. "It was her! I know it!" he pleads between sobs. Annie's screams from the Jabber-Jays combined with the aquatic creature who Finnick believes looks just like her and may full well be her, is all too much.

When Finnick has somewhat calmed down, though he's still adamant he saw Annie in the water, especially since no one else can rationalise where that screeching came from, they all stand around Beetee who hopes to distract Finnick and start building up a plan. They are still in a Hunger Games, after all.

YOU DO NOT HAVE PERMISSION TO TRANSLATE, TO STEAL OR TO REPOST ANY OF MY WORKS TO THIS OR OTHER PLATFORMS.

Reblogs and comments are appreciated <3

[s4tvrnsays]

The Wish and Master Fu

Miraculi exist everywhere, and their history is deep and rich. But as with all history, details are often lost or altered. The truth about these magical objects has been lost for ages, and anything related to them is few and far between.

That doesn't mean they don't exist, though.

A miraculous could be found in a box in a barren antique shop, or a family heirloom. It could be a ring buried deep beneath the earth in a tomb, opened years later by a grave digger hoping for a fortune. Or, it could be found by a friend. A pair of brooches along with a tome containing all of their secrets.

A tome that spoke of a wish, of a simple ritual that could grant any desire.

This tome would go years without being opened again, discarded underneath a pile of other pieces of writing and forgotten about. But it will be reopened once more by shaking hands, flipping through its pages to find that specific passage.

Blue, bloodshot eyes scan the yellowed page, propping it open to take note of all the information it has about The Wishing Ritual.

The ritual mentions the three great miraculi: the ladybug, the cat, and the crane. It told of their powers and abilities but that section was quickly ignored in favor of the next. The next page spoke of the ritual and how to perform it. It said that if the crane miraculous was destroyed and the cat and ladybug were combined, the kwami of the two miraculi will grant any wish the holder has.

However, the reader of the tome trusted it far too quickly, for the ritual was false. It is but a rumor spread by rogue storytellers, added on as a way to get their tales more renown. The miraculi have no way of granting wishes to anyone.

This rumor is a dangerous one, as it entails the destruction of the crane miraculous and it's kwami, the very thing keeping its sister miraculi stable. If the cat and ladybug were to be combined without presence of the crane, the only result would be the complete annihilation of the universe.

The rumor only stuck due to its fantastical nature, and unfortunately, any attempt at convincing people that the wish doesn’t exist went unheard. The previous gaurdians had to protect the crane as well as they could from thieves and aspiring wish-makers. They became its holders, and used its power of premonition to anticipate any possible threats to it.

Wang Fu, the current guardian, ran away with the miracle box and the crane when it's gaurdian was killed by a group of treasure hunters who heard of the Wish rumor. He had been old and reckless, and had taken off the feathered clips despite his mentee's warnings. Fu fought off the hunters and fled the country as fast as he could, thinking that the miraculi will be safe in Europe where people think them to be nothing but a legend.

Master Fu spent the rest of his life dispelling any trace of the miraculi’s existence in the public’s eye, moving from country to country, buying every piece of magical jewelry he could find to stop any and every use of them. His search took him everywhere, until he settled in Paris, France.

Now, at the age of 125, Wang Fu faces a threat to the miraculi once more. Xiann, the kwami of the crane, prophesied that a threat will come to Paris, and that it will be a great struggle. His knowing eyes shone with worry as he told his holder what he saw.

Fu's 95 years of protecting the miraculi have made their presence loud and clear, and he realises that this is a fight he cannot partake in. With the encouragement of his kwami he releases the ladybug and cat, allowing them to search for their holders. Master Fu reluctantly denounces Xiann as well, bidding their long standing partnership farewell.

He can only hope that the great threat won't do too much harm.

[bluesdesk]

Soo, some time ago I used a really cool picrew by @itsbaydews to make the Links, but honestly it's so great I had to make also some Zeldas and other characters :D

Unified Timeline! Sun and Sky, Dot and Four (Dot's hair should have been a bit more blondish), Lullaby (they kept the Sheik attire), Malon (Her hair should have been more reddish instead, but the other red was too dark) and Time

Child timeline! Dusk (yellow eyes because of Puppet zelda) and Twi Artemis (I hc that she's naturally a brunette but dyes her hair blonde), Linkle (as Wars's little sister!) and Wars Flora (someone will recognize a small detail on her face) and Wild, who should have slightly blonder hair but that blonde was too light

Adult timeline! Tetra (I love those freckles), Aryll (high ponytails because there weren't low ones) and Wind Spirit/Angel (with yellow eyes because of the possession) and Tracks!

Fallen hero timeline! Fable (she got vitiligo because her painting got discolored spots), Ravio (with fluffy hair because why not) and Legend Dawn (Zelda 1), Aurora (her design is taken from a manga promoting Zelda 2, in which she's literally a kid), and Hyrule!

Ok then I spent like 3 days to do this I really should go and do something useful XD

Here's the picrew if any of you wants to try it!

[layce2015]

Supernatural (Dean Winchester x Female!Reader)

Ghostfacers

Masterlist

(A/N: So the way this episode is gonna be written is gonna be different. I forgot about this episode and when I watched it the other night I was like 'well, crap! How am I gonna do this?' So it's gonna be a mix of how my book is normally written but when the characters are 'speaking to the camera' it's gonna be written like how a play is written. But when Harry and Ed speak to the camera or voice over, Ed is in italics and Harry's in bold. Hopefully that makes sense.)

Hello. I am Harry Spangler

And I am Ed Zeddmore. Now if you have received this tape, you must be some sort of bigwig network executive. Well, today is your lucky day, mister.

Because the unsolicited pilot you are about to watch is the bold new future of "reality TV."

Mmmm. We know you've had it hard during the crippling writer's strike.

Lazy fat cats.

Who needs writers when you've got guys like us? Our team faced horrible horrors to bring you the footage that will change your world forever. So strap in for the scariest hour in the history of television.

In the history of your life...

Strap in for...

Ghostfacers! 

Harry and Ed exit an AMC Gremlin with Wisconsin license plate, each carrying a metal briefcase with a "Ghostfacers" sticker.

You know, it can get kind of hard balancing our daytime careers with our nighttime missions.

Yeah, but Ed and I pretty much call the shots at the Kinko's where we work, so we can usually pretty much get off by six every night?

Yeah, six o'clock. It used to be just, you know, you and I taking on the cases -- just Harry and me.

Two lone wolves.

And two lone wolves need, uh...other wolves.

PHASE 1: THE HOMEWORK

"Morning, 'facers." Ed greets the gang as he and Harry enter the Ghostfacers office. "Good morning, Ghostfacers." Harry greets. "It's seven p.m., dude." Spruce, one of their teammates, informs. "It's morning to a Ghostfacer. Corbett, what do we got, buddy?" Harry asked the younger man.

"Oh, I'm just putting up some of the --" Corbett stammers before Ed speaks up. "Yeah, this has got to go up here. That's got to go here...got to see the whole field. Markers, eraser -- good job." He said as he looks over the board.

Corbett: I first saw Ed putting up flyers down at the -- the outlet mall in Scogan, so I-I read one, and I thought to myself, "huh. Where do ghosts come from?" And now here I am.

"Ed, your sister's abusing staff." Harry groaned as Maggie rolls her eyes at him while she sat in front of the computer. "That's adopted sister, thank you very much." Ed corrected him.

Maggie: Ed has been obsessed with the supernatural since we were kids, you know, and then he meets Harry at computer camp...and love at first geek.

Spruce: Spruce here. What up, playaaa? I am 15/16 Jew, 1/16 Cherokee. My grandfather is a mohel, my great-grandfather was a tallis maker, and my great-great-grandfather was a degenerate gambler and had a peyote addiction.

"Okay, people. Let's cut the chatter and get on a mission. Okay? Morton house...one of our big fish. All right, we all know the legend. Every four years, supposedly, this becomes the most haunted place in America." Ed explained to the team. "The leap year ghost, some call it. The ghost returns at midnight just as February 29th begins." Harry adds.

"And no one has ever stayed the night, right?" Maggie asked. "Yeah, well, every testimony that we dug up, every eyewitness has cut and run well before midnight." Harry tells her. "Well, that's all about to change, baby." Ed said, cockily. "Absolutely true, Ed. Absolutely true." Harry said as Ed drinks his cup of coffee then hums approvingly.

"Mmm. That's good." he compliments as he looks over F Corbett. "It's French vanilla, 'cause the other day, you said how much you liked it, so..." Corbett said, bashful, and Ed nods. "Thank you." He said. "You are welcome." Corbett said, awkwardly.

I like Corbett. I do. Shows up early, does his job, lot of good hustle out -- I think he's got the hots for Ed, and that could spell trouble for the whole team.

Corbett: Ed's kind of the more rugged, with that really golden...beautiful sort of beard. Definitely nice. Uh, and Harry's nice.

"29th is this Friday, facers. We want this mission, we got to move on it now, or guess what -- He's gone for another four years." Ed tells the team when there was a sudden loud noise. Ed's whiteboard crashes to the ground, caused by the garage door it was attached to opening up.

"Oh, watch out!"

"Who is that?"

"Dad! Come on!" Ed yells as his dad tries to pull in the garage and looks around in confusion. "Just cut the cameras. We don't need that. We don't need this part. We don't --" Harry tells Spruce before he turns the camera off.

PHASE II: INFILTRATION

"Stay low. Follow formation." Ed tells the team as they walk up to the chain linked fence at the Morton house. "Okay, as suspected. A lot of people have tried to break into the Morton house. The local authorities have just gotten fed up." Ed explained to them. "Looks like the cops have got this place pretty well fenced off." Harry said as he begins to pull out the wire cutters.

"Wait. Didn't you guys get, like, a permit or something?" Maggie asked them, making Ed and Harry look at her. "A permit?" Harry said, confused, then he and Ed share a look. "That's a good idea for next time." said Harry and Ed nods. "Yeah." He said and they start to cut the chain when Spruce shouts. "Car!"

"Car. shh, shh! Flashlights off." Harry tells the others and the team turns their flashlights off. "Keep totally still." Maggie whispers as the loud rumble of a car engine approaching, along with a radio playing "We're an American Band."

The car pulls up and they could see three people inside of it. The passenger and backseat driver stick their head out and pull out their flashlights. They shined them towards the Morton House for a few moments before they drive away.

"It's okay. Not cops -- just hicks." Spruce informed him friend as Ed opens the gate with the wire cutters. "Ed's got it." Harry said and everyone gets up. "Guys, let's go! Let's go! Let's go! Go! go!" Harry said and they start to make their way to the house.

"Hear that, people? Let's keep it quiet." Ed tells the team as they make their way deeper into house after they make it inside of the buildings. "There's the kitchen sink." Harry tells Ed. "Copy that. Copy that." Ed said as they make it to the living room area. "All right, everybody. Ghostfacers, let's line up. Everybody. We'll set up camp right here. This is command center one." Ed said and everyone sets down the equipment on the floor. "We're gonna call this the Eagle's Nest." Harry said and everyone starts setting up equipment.  

"Hallway cam one up and running." Corbett said after he sets up the camera in one of the hallways. "Looking good, Corbett." Ed compliments from the main base, through the walkie. "Copy that, Ed." Corbett said, smiling, while Ed seemed baffled. "Uh...uh, you're welcome." He stammers.

'All right, Spruce, how are we doing there, buddy?" Ed asked Spruce through his walkie. "Checking basement camera two, mein fuhrer." Spruce replied. "Maggie, I got no visual on you, Maggie." Ed said. "This is Maggie. Do you copy?" Maggie's voice asked through the walkie. "There you are. Hello. Harry, are you alive?" Ed said. "Upstairs, Ed. Camera one." Harry replied.

"Looking good. I can smell syndication. All right, fellas. Let's regroup at the Eagle's Nest." Ed said to the others.

Morton House

10:40PM

Base Camp

"All right, Spangler. Battery check, battery check. Check. Okay." Harry said as they check their equipment. "Check. Check. Yo, Corbett, dude." Spruce said as he looks through the camera and at Corbett, who has a flashlight strapped to his head. "Lookin' good, Corbett." Harry said.

"You're Robocop." Spruce said to Corbett. "R-robocop? You think I -- you think I look like Robocop?" Corbett asked but before Spruce could reply, Ed speaks up. "Everybody, bring it in. Bring it in." Ed said and everyone gather up in a circle..

"We've all been here before. Standard walk-through. Team one, west. Team two, east. Spin the tires, light the fires. Ghostfacers on three. 1, 2, 3..." Ed said then all of them shout. "Ghostfacers!"

PHASE III: FACE TIME

Morton House

10:51 PM

1st Floor

"Hello! I'm speaking to the restless spirits of the Morton house!" Ed calls out as he and Corbett walk around the first floor. "Okay." Corbett mutters as they continue on. "Hello! My name's Ed." Ed shouts then he turns to Corbett. "Careful. Watch my back." He said to him. "Okay. Okay." Corbett said.

"What's your name?" Ed calls out as he looks at his EMF meter. ".3, .29." he reads out. "Is there an entity or entities here with us now? Can you give us a sign of your presence?" Corbett asked, quickly, without taking a breath. "You got to breathe, buddy." Ed tries to calm him.

"I can't breathe." Corbett said, slightly panicked. "Corbett, night vision." Ed tells him and Corbett nods. "Okay. Okay. Yeah." He whispers as he flips the night vision on the camera. "Calm down, buddy. Breathe, all right? Calm the whirlwinds of your mind." Ed tells him, calmly.

2nd Floor

"We're doing a basic EMF, EVP, temp-flux sweep. Looks like we've got all of our ducks in a row here." Harry said as he, Spruce and Maggie walk down the hall. But then there was camera interference on Spruce's camera just as the EMF makes a noise.

"What?" Harry said, shocked. "I don't know. It's weird." Spruce said but then it quit. "It's gone." He said then they come up to a door. 'All right. Get this. Get this." Harry said and he tries unsuccessfully to kick in the door.

"Turn the knob." Spruce tells him. "All right...that's a good idea." Harry said and he opens door then jumps back and runs away. "Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God!" He exclaims, fearfully. "It's just a rat, dude." Spruce said, unfazed.

I don't really like rats. They're gross. Rats are like the... rats of the world.

"What -- was that an apparition? Was that a spectral -- was that a .4? What do we got, 'cause the EMP was just off the --" Harry asked as he comes back but then Spruce throws a dead rat at him. "Oh, God! Oh, that is so not funny, Spruce!" Harry screams as Spruce chuckles.

1st Floor 

"Oh, God. Okay, it was just...I think it was just this branch...Okay...in the window." Corbett said, shakily.. "This is spooky, man. This place..." Ed started to say when they were confronted by three figures, approaching them with flashlights. "Freeze! police officers! don't move!" A male voice shouts. "Oh no!" Corbett exclaims. "All right. All right. All right. Take it easy, take it easy." A different male voice assures them as Ed and Corbett start to freak out.

"Let's see some identification. Come on. Let's see some i.d." a female voice demanded as Corbet hands in his ID. "What -- are we under -- under arrest?" He asked, fearfully, as Ed said. "We are unarmed."

"Want to explain that weirdo outfit, Mr., uh, Corbett?" the man asked as he looks at the ID but Ed stops and realized that these three people looked familiar. "I know you." Ed said and the first man, Dean, looks up at him. "Yeah, sure you do. Give me some identification." Dean demands but Ed shakes his head. "Yeah, ho-- whoa, hold on a second." He said as he looks between the three people, shining his flashlight at them.

"I know all three of you. Yeah." said Ed as he looks between Dean, Sam and (y/n). "What?" Corbett said, confused, as Ed nodded while (y/n)'s eyes widen in recognition. "Holy sh--!" She said and Dean looks over at her. "What?" Dean asked as Sam's eyes widen in recognition too. "Sh--!" Sam mutters as (y/n) turns to Dean.

"Uh, West Texas...the...the tulpa we had to take out. Those two goofballs that almost got us killed...The hellhounds or something?" She said and Dean looks over at Ed. "F--- me." Dean grumbles. "Yeah, we're not hellhounds anymore, okay? It didn't test that well." Ed snapped at them.

"Ed, what's going on?" Corbett asked Ed. "They're not cops, buddy -- no, not at all." Ed tells him. "Ed, you had a partner, too, didn't you -- A different guy?" Dean asked him. "Oh, yeah, yeah." Ed replied. "Is he around here somewhere?" Dean asked him. "He's running around, chasing ghosts." Ed replied. "Okay, well, listen, you and Rambo need to get your girlfriends and get out of here." Dean tells them and Ed gets annoyed.

"All right. Listen here, chisel chest, okay? We were here first. We've already set up base camp. We beat you." he said then Dean turns to Sam and (y/n). "They were here first." He said to them as Ed nods. But then Dean grabs Ed and pushes him up against the wall. "Oh, God." Ed exclaimed.

"Ed..." Dean said in a low voice. "Yeah?" Ed said, unsure. "...where's your partner?" Dean asked again.

​​​2nd Floor

"10.6. 10.7, guys. The EMF is really spiking here." Harry said as he and his team walk down the hall. "Temperature's down, like, 11 degrees." Maggie informs as she holds the thermometer. "All right, all right, keep your eyes peeled. This could be it." Harry said then he turns to Maggie. "Maggie, can I get a reading in here, please?" He asked when Spruce noticed the camera interference. "Something keeps messing with the chip. I don't know what's going on here." Spruce said as there was more interference, then suddenly a man in 50s-style suit and hat appears.

"Guys. Guys. Guys." he shouts and Maggie and Harry turn and see an apparition of the man. "Look buddy, I'm sorry. That's it. I'm telling you, that's all the money I --" the apparition said until gunshots ring out and the apparition of the man falls and disappears, making the three Ghostfacers jump.

​​​1st Floor

"What are you doing in the Morton House, Ed - on leap year -- what are you thinking?" Dean asked Ed, angrily. "We're here to spend the night, okay? It's for our TV show." Ed replied. "What? Great. Perfect." Sam grumbles. "Yeah, nobody's ever spent the night before." Corbett said and the three hunters turn to them. "Uh, actually, yeah, they have." (Y/n) said. "Uh, we've never heard of them." Ed said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yeah, you know why? 'Cause the ones that have haven't lived to talk about it!" (y/n) said to them, loudly. "Oh, come on, I don't believe you." Ed said, exasperated. "Look -- missing-persons reports going back almost a half century. John Graham stayed on a dare -- gone. Julie Wilkerson -- gone. There are tons more. All of them came to just stay the night through, always on a leap year. The only body they ever found was the last owner, Freeman Daggett." Sam explained to them as he shows the reports to Ed and Corbett.

"These look legit." Ed said, shocked. "They are legit." (y/n) said, annoyed. "Look, Ed, we ain't got much time here, buddy. Starting at midnight, your friends are going to die." Sam said when Harry, Maggie, and Spruce run down the stairs and into the living room.

"Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Guys! Guys! Oh, my god! Oh, my god! We got one! Corbett! Corbett, we saw one! We saw one!" Harry shouts to Ed and Corbett, frantically. "Get outta here!" Ed said, amazed. "It was a full apparition! It was like a class four. It was a spectral illumination! It..." Harry said before Maggie speaks up. "It was amazing!" she said then Harry noticed Dean, Sam and (y/n).

"Hey, aren't those the a------s from Texas?" Harry asked. "Yes." replied Ed. "All right, let's have this reunion across the street, guys." Dean tells them.

"Crap. What are you guys doing here?" Harry asked as Sam, Dean and (y/n) try to usher them out of the building. "Come on, come on. We'll get you ice cream -- our treat. What do you say? Let's go." (Y/n) said but Harry stands his ground. "Yeah, I say no." He said and Maggie goes over to Ed.

'Look at this. Look, look. Ed, Ed. No. No. Look at this. Okay, honest-to-god proof, all right?" Maggie said as she shows the group their footage on the laptop. "Are you kidding me?" Ed said, shocked. "Yeah. No, not kidding." Harry said, smiling.

"What kind of reading did we get?" Spruce asked. "Uh, it was a 10.9." Harry replied. "10.9?" Ed said, shocked. "Yeah, it was 10.9. It was almost 11. I came out, and I was like, 'what's going on?' And I was like -- wait, watch this. Oh! He got blasted. It was crazy." Harry exclaimed while Sam, Dean and (y/n) walk away from the group and talk amongst themselves.

Spruce follows them, still recording them on his camera.

"Think we were off on this? I mean, that was just a death echo." Sam said. "Yeah, but what's it doing here? Did anybody get shot here?" Dean asked his brother and girlfriend. "No, not that Sam and I could find." she replied as Sam shakes his head.

"What's a death echo?" Spruce asked and the trio look over at him. "Look, we got a problem here. That ghost ain't it." Sam said. "Yeah, that's real. Like, that happened." Harry said, pointing at the laptop. "What's a death echo?" Spruce asked again. "Echoes are trapped in a loop, okay? They keep replaying how they died over and over and over again, usually in the place where they were ganked. It's about as dangerous as a scary movie." Dean replied.

"So maybe the echo's not dangerous, but maybe something else is." (y/n) said and Dean turns back to her and Sam. "You're right." he mutters then he turns to the Ghostfacers. 

"All right, we need to get out of here, guys. Come on. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Pack it up." Dean shouts. "Guys, time is running out!" Sam said as the trio go to try and move them out. "We're moving!" (Y/n) shouts.

"What about all of our equipment? What are we gonna..." Maggie asked but the trio usher them out of the room. "Lots of fun. Let's go." Dean orders while Harry talks over him. "We got more material. We got all kinds of stuff. We'll make you guys recurring guest stars." He said but Ed looks around and shouts. "Wait! Wait! Where's Corbett?"

2nd Floor

"I wish to communicate with the restless spirits here." Corbett said as he stands in a room by himself. Then there was camera interference. "Uh, lights out? Oh, I think I got night vision here." Corbett mutters and he switches to night vision. "That's better." He said as he points the camera to himself, not realizing a tall figure standing behind him.

Living Room

"No man left behind." Ed said when they hear an anguished scream in the distance. "That was Corbett." Harry and Ed said then they run up the stairs while Dean, Sam and (y/n) protest. "We'll get him! Go back!" Dean shouts. "Guys!" Sam shouts. "Damn it!" (Y/n) growls in anger.

2nd Floor

"No! where are you, dude? Tell us where you are! Corbett!" Ed shouts as they run. "Let me go! Guys!" Corbett shouts but they couldn't find him at all, just hear him. "Corbett, you need to come back, Corbett." Ed shouts then they hear Corbett screaming. "Hey! Hey! Hey! Come on." Dean said to Ed, stopping him from going anywhere as they hear Corbett's screams continue, fading away.

"Corbett's...He's not here. Let's go. Let's go." Sam encourages the Ghostfacers but Harry shakes his head. "No. No. No. No, that was Corbett. Didn't you hear that?" Harry asked while Dean, Sam and (y/n) usher the others back to the living room. But the clock had already midnight.

"Oh, god, what's happened? Oh, god. He's gone. He just disappeared." Ed mutters, devastated. "Okay, let's just go through all the angles. Let's go through all the cameras we have." Harry said while Sam, Dean and (y/n) walk off to the side.

"Well, it's 12:04, boys." (Y/n) said and Sam sighs then turns to Dean. "You good? You happy?" he asked him. "Yeah, I am happy." Dean said, sarcastically. "Let's go hunt the Morton house, you said, it's our Grand Canyon." Sam mocks. "Sam, I don't want to hear this." Dean growls.

"You got two months left, Dean. Instead, we're gonna die tonight." (Y/n) said, annoyed, as Sam picks up a chair and smashes it against the sealed front door. "Whoa! what the hell is going on, guys?" Spruce asked and the trio turn to him. 

"I'll tell you what's going on. Every door, every window, I'm guessing every exit out of this house -- they're all sealed." Sam replied. "But w-why are they sealed?" Maggie asked, scared. "It's a supernatural lockdown, okay? Whatever took Corbett doesn't want us to leave, and it's no death echo. This is a bad mother, and it wants us scared." (Y/n) explained. "Or it just wants us." Maggie said when the sound of the EMF detector goes off.

"Uh, guys, the camera's fritzing again." Spruce said as there was interference on his camera. "Whoa. Whoa. Guys, the EMF's starting to spike. This is a big one!" Ed said as Harry and Maggie walked to the middle of the room, both of them secretly holding hands

"Everybody, stay close. There's something coming." Sam said when another apparition appears. "Woah!" the Ghostfacers shout. "Is this the same echo you guys saw earlier?" Dean asked Harry. "No, it's a different guy." Harry replied and Dean looks over at Sam and (y/n).

"Multiple echoes? What the hell's going on?" he asked them. 'Beats me." Sam said as (y/n) shrugs. "Okay. All right. All right. All right." Dean said then he goes up to the apparition and starts to yell at it. "Uh, hey, buddy! Hey. Hey. Wake up. You're dead! Hello!"

"What's he doing? What's he doing?" Harry asked Sam and (y/n) as Dean continues to shout at the apparition. "It's rare, but sometimes you can shock an echo out of its loop if you can talk to the part of the ghost that's still human, but usually you have to have some kind of connection to the deceased." (Y/n) explains while Dean shouts.  Come on! Wake up! Be dead!"

The apparition flickers and turns around as everyone hears a noise. 'You guys hear that?" Harry asked. "What's that sound?" Ed asked as Dean shouts.  Snap out of it, buddy, huh? Come on, what are you waiting for? You're gonzo! You're dead!" 

A bright light shines on the apparition and the sound of a car horn approaching. The apparition flies backwards, as if hit by an invisible vehicle. "Where the hell did it go?" Harry asked as everyone looks around, confused.

The group follow Sam, Dean and (y/n) down the hallway of the 2nd floor. "Dude, there's no records of any of this here. No one got shot here. Obviously, no one got run over by a freaking train." Dean grumbles to Sam and (y/n). "Stay close." Sam said to the others as they walk on.

"Did the echoes take Corbett?" Maggie asked them. "Yes. No. I don't know. We don't know what's doing what here; that's what we're trying to figure out, okay?" Dean said, annoyed. "All right, stay close." (Y/n) tells them before Sam turns to the others.

"Okay, look, um, death echoes are ghosts, okay? Now, ghosts -- they usually haunt places where they lived or where they died." he explains. 'Except these mooks didn't live or die here." Dean added. "Right." (y/n) agreed.

"So, what are they doing here?" Maggie asked. "Hey, give the lady a cigar." Dean exclaims and (y/n) turns to her and see Maggie still holding a camera. 'All right, seriously, does looking at this nightmare through that camera make you feel better or something? I mean..." she said and Maggie stammers. "Um...I, uh... Well, yeah. Uh, yeah. I think so." She said and (y/n) huffs at this as they continue to walk through house. 

They enter a room full of stuffed animal heads on the walls, as well as file cabinets. Sam goes over and holds up a broken framed certificate. "Freeman Daggett, house's last owner, officially commended for 20 years of fine service at the Gamble General Hospital." he said. "He was a Doctor?" Dean asked. "Janitor." Sam corrected as (y/n) looks around the room.

"This looks like his den. When'd you say he died -- '64?" she asked him. "Yeah, heart attack." Sam replied. "What are these, c-rations?" Maggie asked as she points out something that looked like food trays. "Yeah, army-issued, three squares -- like a lifetime supply." Dean said.

"God, is that all he ate?" Maggie asked. "One-stop shopping." (Y/n) said as they continued to look around the room.

"Oh, come on, guys. This is ridiculous. I mean, how the hell is this supposed to find Corbett, huh? We should be digging up the friggin' floorboards right now." Ed said as Sam holds up a dusty pamphlet. "Huh. Survival Under Atomic Attack. An optimist." He said then there's a loud BANG as Dean pries the safe open then he and (y/n) leaf through the file box.

"Crap. Crap. Taxidermy. Okay. You said Daggett was a hospital janitor?" Dean asked Sam. "Yeah." Sam Reid when (y/n) found something. "Ewww. Got three toe tags here -- one, death by gunshots, train accident, and suicide." she said and Sam and Dean's face scrunch up in disgust. "Ewwwwww!" they said, disgusted. 

"What?" Harry asked. "Well, that explains why all the death echoes are here. They're here because their bodies are here...somewhere in the house." Sam said. "Daggett brought the remains home from the morgue. To play." Dean simplified then Harry and Ed made the same face. 

"Ewwwww! Ugh!" they exclaimed, disgusted. "That's nasty, dude." Spruce said. "Right." Sam said and Dean looks around. "Wait a minute." He said, realizing Maggie was missing. 

"Corbett." Maggie said as she walks around another room. Then she startles herself by coming across her own reflection in a mirror. "Okay, Maggie." She mutters and she swings the camera around, frightened, to reveal Dean. "Closer to the herd, okay?" Dean said as Harry runs in. "Maggie? Maggie?" He calls out. "She's fine." Dean assures him.

"Harry. Harry, I got an 8.6 and climbing fast. Something huge is coming. Look. Something big is coming." Ed exclaims. "It's past 11, you guys." Harry said as Spruce's camera got interference. 'What? Nobody move! Hold on. Hold on. Stay quiet." Dean said, quickly, as there was more camera interference.

Then suddenly (y/n), standing between Sam and Dean, disappears into thin air. "It's really cold in here." Ed said. "Harry?" Maggie said, worried, while Dean and Sam look between them to see (y/n) was gone.

"(Y/n)?" Sam said, confused, while Dean was taken aback by this. "Some kind of surge." Ed said. "(Y/n)?" Dean calls out but no answer. "Where'd she go?" Spruce asked. "Oh, no." Maggie whispers as Dean finds (y/n)'s dropped flashlight and picks it up.

"(Y/n)!" Dean shouts, panicked and worried.

"(Y/n)!" Sam calls out as they walk down the hallway. "Corbett!" Ed shouts. "(Y/n)!" Dean yells, his heart beating against his throat. "Corbett! Talk to us!" Harry shouts as they look around as well. "(Y/n)!" Sam and Dean shout just as Maggie and Harry stopped in a spot in the middle of the room, Spruce turns his camera to them.

"God, I am so scared. I'm so scared." Maggie said, fearfully. "It's gonna be okay. It's gonna be okay, Maggie." Harry assures her. They share a look before Maggie and Harry start to kiss.

"Corbett!" Ed's voice called while Maggie and Harry were still making out. "Bom-chicka-bow-wow...woah." Spruce whispers behind his camera until Ed finds Maggie and Harry. "My best friend... And my best sister." Ed shouts and Harry and Maggie break their kiss and embrace.

"Ed."

"Harry."

"Ed."

"Harry."

"Ed. listen, Ed." Harry said, trying to sound calm. "Are you banging my sister?" Ed asked Harry, angrily. "No! No!" Harry said then Ed takes off his glasses and turns to Spruce. "Hold my glasses." Ed tells him. "You got it." Spruce said as he takes Ed's glasses. "Ed." Harry said but then Ed attacks Harry. "Ed! Ed! Ed! Ed! Ed!" Harry shouts. "Guys!" Spruce shouts as Maggie screams. "Get off Harry!"

Then Dean and Sam show up and break up the fight. "What the f--- are you doing?! Cut it out!" Dean yells at them. "We're down by two people." Sam tells them then he and Dean turn away. "(Y/n)!" Sam shouts as he walks out. "(Y/n)!" Dean shouts.

"Great." Maggie grumbles as Harry and Ed look at each other. "Sorry." Harry said to Ed. "I'm sorry." Ed said then he turns to Spruce. "Give me my glasses. Did he knock my -- my tooth there?" Ed asked Spruce as he hands the glasses back to Ed. "Uh, no." Spruce said.

"I won that, right?" Ed asked him. "Yep. You're good." Spruce said, which annoyed Harry. "Thanks, Spruce." Harry said, sarcastically. "Yeah, it's my fault." Spruce grumbles. "That's real great. That's nice. Thanks." Maggie said as she walks off.

Meanwhile, in the basement, the song, It's My Party was playing in the background. In the middle was a table with cake and confetti and what looked like people gathered around. Corbett, who was at one end of the table, starts to come to consciousness when he heard a voice call out to him. 

"Corbett. Corbett. Hey. Corbett, hey." the voice said and he raises his head to see (y/n) across the table, she was tied to a chair just like he is. "(Y/n)?" Corbett said, confused. "Corbett, hey, you got to keep listening to my voice, okay? I'm right here. Stay awake." (y/n) said but then another voice comes in.

"Don't listen." a deep voice said and Corbett and (y/n) look up to see Daggett as he picks up a knife. "It stops hurting, so don't worry." Daggett said as he goes around Corbett and stands behind him, which started to make (y/n) panic but she does her best to stay cool. 

"Corbett, stay with me. Stay with me, you got it? I'm right here." she said to Corbett, who looks straight at her, and she could tell that he was beyond terrified. "Hey. Stay with me. Don't. Don't." (y/n) shouts at Daggett but it was too late as Daggett stabs Corbett through the throat. "No. Corbett! No! Corbett!" (y/n) screams as blood pours out of Corbett's wound and she watches him die in front of her.

"Corbett! Where'd you guys go?" Harry calls out as Dean and Sam look around. "Where are you guys?" Maggie calls out when Harry looks over at Dean. "Dean, what are you doing?" He asked. "Okay, so Daggett was a cold war nut, okay? He was -- he was an amateur taxidermist. He liked to slow dance with cadavers, and all he ate were c-rations, so what the hell are we looking for?!" Dean growls.

"Horrible little life." Maggie suggests. "Yeah, a lonely life...A cold war life. He was scared." Sam said but then he stops as he realized something. "He was scared...he was scared." Sam said as he and his brother share a look and both of them came to the same conclusion. 

"Scared of what? What?" Harry asked but Sam and Dean run off. "Guys, where are you going?" Harry asked as he follows them. "Wait, don't leave me in here, you guys." Maggie said as she catches up to them.

"Get away from me." (Y/n) growls at the man as he walks up to her. "This won't hurt. It's okay. It's okay. Relax. Relax." Daggett assures her and he straps a party hat onto her head while Corbett slumps dead at the other end of the table.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Where are you going?" Maggie asked Dean and Sam as they start to walk towards the door of the basement. "Guys like Daggett back then, the ones who were really scared of the Russkies -- they built bomb shelters. We're guessing he's got one. I'll bet you it's in the basement." Dean said and Spruce follows him when the door slams behind Dean, cutting him and Spruce off from Harry, Ed, Sam and Maggie.

"Woah!" Harry shouts. "Woah! That is not funny!" Ed said, shocked, while Sam goes to the doorknob and tries to open it but it wouldn't budge.

"Um, who closed the door?" Spruce asked Dean, nervously. "It did. It wants to separate us." Dean replied and goes up to the door. "Sam!" He yells. "Dean! You okay?" Sam asked. "Yeah, listen to me! There's some salt in my duffle. Make a circle and get inside." Dean said. "Okay." Sam said and he walks away from the door while Ed, Harry and Maggie look at him, confused.

"Inside? Inside his duffle bag?" Ed asked Sam. "In the salt!" Sam shouts at him. "Oh, okay. Yeah. Yeah." Ed said and they make their way back to base. Dean continues down the basement stairs.

"Okay. Get in the circle. Get in the circle." Sam tells the others after making a salt circle. "Come on. Come on. Quick, quick." Ed said as Harry and Maggie get into the circle with Sam and Ed. "Guys, guys, I don't want to die, okay, and I don't want you to die." Harry cried. "Harry, listen -- listen to me, okay? listen. If we don't die...it's totally okay if you, uh, do my sister." Ed said and Maggie pushes Ed. 

"Hey, hey, stopped." Sam yells when Maggie realized there was another interference on her camera. "Hey guys, hey guys, it's coming again." she tells them. "Oh, god. Oh, OK. Oh god, oh god." Ed stammers when the lights continue to flicker.

Then the group sees Corbett standing in front of them, bloody and unable to speak. "Oh. Oh, C-Corbett." Ed said, sadly, as they all look at him.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Spruce asked Dean as they make their way around the basement. "What?" Dean asked. "Earlier, you, (y/n) and Sam -- she said you had two months left?" Spruce asked. "Yeah, it's complicated. A while ago, (y/n)..." Dean started to say but stops himself and shakes his head.

"No. No. No. I'm not gonna whine about my b------- problems to some b------- reality show. I'm gonna do my f------ job." he tells Spruce and he looks around some more. "Is it cancer?" Spruce asked. "Shut up." Dean growls then he stops as he hears music.

"You hear that?" he asked Spruce.

"I've been waiting for some more friends." Daggett said to (y/n) as he leans down to her. "I get lonely. But you're coming to my party, aren't you?" He asked her as she tries to pull back as much as she could in her chair.

"Is that music?" Spruce asked as Dean goes up to a cabinet. "Yeah, it's coming from behind this wall." Dean said and he singlehandedly pushes a cabinet away from the wall. "Wow, you're strong." Spruce said with sarcasm and Dean flips a middle finger to Spruce's camera.

"You'll stay a good, long time." Daggett said to (y/n) and he raises his knife until Dean breaks the door open to the bomb shelter. "(Y/n)!" Dean shouts and he shoots Daggett, who disappears, then unties (y/n). "Oh god." Spruce mutters, horrified, as he sees the whole birthday table, with the party guests of old corpses and one new corpse: Corbett. "Oh, no, Corbett." He whispers.

,

Ed, Harry, Sam and Maggie were still in the salt ring as Corbett's death echo happens again. "Oh god, what have we done? Oh god." Ed mutters. "Keep calm." Sam said to them. "Ed. Ed. Corbett's a -- he's a death echo. He's reliving his own murder." Harry tells him. "Over and over forever." Maggie said, sadly.

"What's this Daggett guy's problem anyway?" Spruce asked Dean and (y/n) as they walk out of the room.

"Loneliness." (y/n) replied.

"What, he's never heard of a Realdoll?" Dean asked. "No, no, no, Daggett was the Norman Bates, stuff-your-mother kind of lonely. I mean, that's why he lifted these bodies from the morgue, threw himself a birthday party, except they were the only ones who would come. Anyway, so, at midnight, he sealed them in the bomb shelter and went upstairs and o.d.'d on horse tranqs." (Y/n) informed and Dean looks at her, confused.

"How do you know this?" he asked her. "'Cause he told me." She replied. "Oh. yeah. Okay, so now that he's dead, what? Same song, different verse, trying to get people to come to his party?" Dean said. "Pretty much, yeah. Stay forever." (Y/n) said and Dean starts to load his gun

"Are those real bullets?" Spruce asked him. "It's rock salt." Dean replied.

Harry sings the Ghostfacers theme song that they made up as they stand there until Corbett's apparition appears again. "Guys, it's -- it's Corbett. He's -- he's -- he's trapped. He's in a lot of pain, you know? We got to try and...we got to try and pull him out of his loop. We have to." Ed said as he stands up and faces Corbett. "Ed." Sam and Harry said. "Corbett. Corbett, it's -- Oh, god." Ed said as he looks down at the salt line.

"Don't cross the line of salt." Harry said. Ed hesitates, then steps over the salt line, confronting the ghost of Corbett. "I gotta do it, Harry." Ed said. Harry looks over at Sam, who nods, and Ed turns to Corbett. "Corbett, listen to me. Okay, I'm not gonna hurt you. Listen. Listen. Oh, god. Corbett. Oh." Ed said but then the ghost starts to flicker.

"Get back!" Harry shouts and Ed quickly retreats. "oh, god. Whoa. Oh, I can't, okay? He's not hearing me, okay? He won't stop dying." Ed said, fearfully.

Meanwhile, Dean is attempting to break down the basement door that's still separating Dean, (y/n) and Spruce from the others. (y/n) turns and sees that Spruce was still holding his camera and he had it aimed at her ass. "Hey!" She growls and he moves the camera back to her face. "Eyes up here, buddy. And are you seriously still shooting?" She asked. "It makes him feel better. Don't ask." Dean said when there was camera interference and flickering in Spruce's camera.

"Ah, hell, guys. Get in your ghost-role thing. Something's coming." Spruce said as he spins around and sees Daggett. Daggett then knocks Spruce and his camera to the ground, causing him to roll and scream. Spruce screamed as Daggett approaches Spruce, but is shot and dissipated by (y/n).

"I...I know how we can get through to him." Harry said. "How?" Sam asked him and Harry looks over at Ed. "Ed...He had feelings for you." He said and Ed gives him a bewildered and shocked look. "He wanted you." Harry said. "Wa-- wanted me to what?" Ed said, confused. "You know..." Harry said then he demonstrates with a slight grunt and pelvic thrust

"And you know what you've got to do. You can do it, Ed. You've always been the brave one. Yes, you can. You make us brave -- Maggie, right?" Harry said to her. "Yeah. Yeah you do. You totally do." Maggie said as Ed looks between them. "Ed...You got to go be gay for that poor, dead intern. You got to send him into the light." Harry said then Ed looks over at Sam.

"It should work." Sam said and then Ed approaches the ghost of Corbett again. "Corbett." Ed said as he steps over the salt line. "Corbett, look. Hey, it's just Ed, buddy. It's just me. Hey, hey, Corbett, listen to me. Listen to me." Ed said as he approaches Corbett..

"I -- we...Okay. You meant...Corbett, you meant a lot to the team. You meant...You meant a lot to me. You know, never back down...Never say a bad word, okay? I remember that, Corbett. I-I remember that. I remember because I love you, Corbett. I really, truly love you. Do you remember that? do you?" Ed asked, a tear running down his face, and then Corbett looks over at Ed.

"Hey. Ed?" he asked. "Yeah. Yeah, Corbett, it's...Corbett, yeah, it's me. It's me. look at me. You got to help us, man. you have to help us, Corbett. Please. please. Please help us right now." Ed begs as Corbett stares at Ed.

"Take it easy. You all right?" (y/n) asked Spruce when there was camera interference and flickering in Spruce's camera. The ghost of Daggett appears behind Dean. "Uh, guys..." Spruce said then Daggett throws Dean, then (y/n) against the wall and was about to attack Spruce.

"This is bad -- very bad." Spruce stammers, fearfully, when Corbett appears behind Daggett. "Corbett?" Spruce said, confused, then Corbett's ghost attacks Daggett and they both disappear in a blinding flash of light.

"You all right, guys?" Spruce asked as (y/n) and Dean pick themselves up off the floor. "You all right?" Spruce asked he comes up to the couple. "God." (Y/n) groans while Dean looks back at the camera, covering the lens with his hand.

Morning came as the door to the Morton House opens, and Ed, Sam, Dean, (y/n), Harry and Maggie exit. Harry and Maggie pause to hug, while Sam gives Ed his phone number on a scrap of paper and Dean checks on (y/n). Then they start to load up and leave

Leap year, February 29th, the Morton House. A tragic day. A day of souls bound in torment, of lives held in cruel balance. But the Ghostfacers, they did the best that they could.

We lost a beloved friend, but we gained new allies.

We know this much: that every day, including today, is a new beginning. We learned more than we can say in the brutal feat of the Morton House.

The Ghostfacers were forced to face something far more scary than ghosts. They were forced to face themselves.

War changes Man.

 And Maggie and (y/n).

War changes man. And two women...You know Corbett, we just...ah gosh, we just like to think that you're out there, watching over us.

As far as we're concerned, you're not an intern anymore. You have more than earned full Ghostfacer status. Plus, it would be cool to have a ghost on the team.

Yeah. Heh heh. And here we were thinking that, you know, we were teaching you and all this time you were teaching us, about heart, about dedication, and about how gay love can pierce through the veil of death and save the day. Thank you, Alan J. Corbett.

Go well into that starry night, young Turk. Go well.

"Come on, Spruce, I gotta get all this stuff packed up!" Corbett said as he and Spruce load up the van, getting ready to head to the Morton house. "So, pack and talk!" Spruce said as he aims the camera at him. "I don't know what to say." Corbett said. "Say what comes to mind. This is one of our confessional moments, Corbett, so confess. What did you think was going to happen tonight? What do you think is going to happen on this trip?" Spruce asked him.

Corbett sighs then thinks before he speaks up. "I think tonight, I really do, I think all of our dreams are going to come true." He replies then looks over at Spruce. "Does that sound stupid?" He asked. "Kind of does, yeah." Spruce said and the two chuckle a bit.

In Memory of Alan J. Corbett,

1985-2008

King of the Impossible 

*(y/n)'s POV*

"So, guys, what do you think? Are you alright?" Ed asked us as the boys and I say there and finished watching Ed and Harry's show. "You know, I kind of think it was half-awesome." Dean replies. "Half-awesome? That - that's full-on good, right?" Maggie said, excited.

"Yeah, um, I mean it's bizarre how you all are able to honor Corbett's memory while grossly exploiting the manner of his death. Well done." Sam said as Dean secretly slips the device into a backpack under the table. "Yeah. It's a real tight rope you guys are walking there." I said. "Yeah, all right guys." Sam mutters.

"Nah, that's reality, man. Yeah, Corbett gave his life searching for the truth, and it's our job over here to share it with the world." Ed said. "Right. Well, um, our experience, you know what you get when you show the world the truth?" Sam asked him. "A straightjacket." I said. "Or a punch in the face. Sometimes both." Dean adds. "Right." Sam said.

"Oh come on, guys, don't be 'facer haters just because we happen to have gotten the footage of the century." Harry exclaims. "Oh yeah." Ed said. "You got us there." I said, shrugging. "Yeah." Sam said. "Yeah, well we'll see you guys around." Sam said as we start to head towards the door.

"Peace out." Spruce said as Sam, Dean and I leave and Ed shuts the door behind us.

"We clean?" Sam asked as we get to the Impala. Suddenly, we hear Ed shout. "No! are you kidding me?"

"Electromagnet wiped out every tape and hard drive that they have." Dean said, smiling. "The world just isn't ready for the Ghostfacers." I said as we get into the car. "It's too bad. I kinda liked the show." Dean said. "It had its moments." Sam said and I nod. "Yeah, it was pretty entertaining." I added then Dean starts the Impala and we drive off.

@rach5ive @kitsun369 @itzabbyxx @cevans-winchester @ellie-andthemachine

[thebookworm0001]

Overheard in the Rotunda - Banter update

A prompt from @roseategales "solas and leliana (and perhaps inquisitor) talking about orlesian bards?"

Summary: Solas and Leliana discuss Bards and the Inquisition.

Link: AO3

Solas: Before you traveled with the Hero of Ferelden, you were a Bard, were you not?

Leliana: It was why Most Holy made me her Left Hand. She needed someone who could do the things she could not, and whom she could trust. 

(cont. under cut)

Solas: Of course. It would not do for the divine to be seen with blood on her hands, after all. 

Leliana: And you have no blood of your own you wish to be clean of?

Leliana: The Most Holy is a symbol of peace. To see her strained would be to tell all the people of Thedas that their hopes of a better world are impossible. That not even the Maker’s Chosen can escape violence in the end.

Solas: And yet your Andraste waged war. And was made a martyr for her efforts. It would seem to me that those chosen by the Divine are by their very nature doomed to violence.

Leliana: Is a peasant working the field served by that knowledge? When met with an injustice of stolen chickens or ruined crop, is it better that he look to a better or baser nature?

Leliana: The Divine does what she must to keep the peace across all Thedas. If a subtle knife slipped between the ribs of a nagging lay sister is what prevents the common people of Ferelden or Orlais from taking up arms against their neighbors at every imagined slight, then I shall be glad to have served as that implement. 

Solas: You had great faith in Justinia’s cause.

Leliana: You disapprove.

Solas: No. It was not a judgment, merely an observation. 

Solas: The means of those whom we admire are so rarely as righteous as we wish them to be.

Solas: I hope your Divine was worthy of your trust.

--

Solas: A question, Lady Nightingale: Why not engage Bards in the service of the Inquisition? 

Lelaina: You think I do not? I shall have to complement my agents on their subtly, then.  

Solas: I am certain you have employed those with Bardic skills, many of the best even. But their talents are best used to intimidate nobility by their possibility.

Solas: Bards are consummate performers. Skilled in the arts of entertainment and murder and feared perhaps even more than the Crows of Antiva. Their ability to woo, inspire, and dishearten is the stuff of legends. 

Solas: Why levee such a force only against the Orlesians? A less obscure employment may be of use.

Leliana: An interesting opinion for an apostate to hold, Messere Solas.

Solas: Even wandering apostates know of a Bard’s reputation. And the opinion of the masses holds more sway than any ruler would dare admit. Would it not benefit the Inquisitor for her to be seen commanding such a force?

Solas: Would Ferelden’s peasantry not be captivated by the romanticism? Nevera’s leaders not made curious by the development? Antiva’s assassins compelled to consider the new power in its borders?

Solas: You say that the Divine is a symbol, is not the Inquisitor also? As precarious as her position is, should we not press every advantage to command those attentions? 

Leliana: An interesting proposal. 

Leliana: I shall consider it.

--

Solas: Your agent betrayed you, yet you did not neutralize them? From the rumors, I had assumed you would not let such a slight go unanswered. Why allow such a vulnerability to remain.

Leliana: The Inquisitor stayed my hand.

Solas: Ah. The Inquisitor is a merciful woman. It is an admirable trait. But for what must be done, I worry that perhaps she hands out forgiveness too easily.

Leliana: Perhaps. I have wondered as much myself. Our enemies will not pause because we stay our hand.

Leliana: But perhaps she may yet prove that a better way is possible.

[bropunzeling]

i would like to know how alpha leon's interactions with the rat fam go after he's forced his way into matthew's room and they realize why he did that 🥰

It's 9 AM in Florida, and Leon doesn't know what he's doing.

Or—

Here is what happened:

Leon woke up at 8 AM to a missed call, one he half-remembered dismissing in his sleep. It wasn't the first time someone has called him from the wrong time zone, but the first time that it was Matthew. There was a voicemail. He listened to the voicemail. Then he listened to it again. A third time. The fourth time he heard Matthew say I want you all the fucking time in a tired, cracked voice, he stopped listening and started pulling up flights on his phone. He bought plane tickets at an extortionate price. He took the three flights that would get him to Florida fastest—Köln to Frankfurt, Frankfurt to New York, New York to Fort Lauderdale. He made it to baggage claim before realizing he didn't actually know where Matthew's house was. He texted Matthew. After fifteen minutes with no response, he found Brady Tkachuk's Twitter and Instagram and sent messages in both places while crossing his fingers. After giving more of an explanation than he wanted, but less than he expected, he got an address to put into Uber.

By the time the car pulled up in front of Matthew's place, all he could think about was the clip he'd watched ten times of Matthew stumbling around the ice; about how it'd been six months since he'd had Matthew's skin under his hands; about how Matthew said he wanted him. How maybe this time Matthew would mean it.

Leon really, really hoped he meant it.

He wasn't thinking about Matthew's parents, staring at him with obvious bewilderment as he tried to come up with a reason for being there that wasn't being in love with their eldest son. Or Matthew's sister, poking her head around a corner and watching him with a suspicious expression that was bizarrely scary in the way that only teenage girls could be. Or even Brady, pulling him into a quick hug and muttering in his ear, "It's fine. I got this. Go upstairs. First door on the left."

Then he managed to make it upstairs, and his entire world narrowed to Matthew, too skinny and too pale and fast asleep and everything, everything. It had hit him like a fist to the chest, how fucking important it was to be here. To know that Matthew would be okay. To touch the thin skin of his wrist. To breathe in his scent until it was all Leon knew.

Now, it's morning again. Matthew fell back asleep after they talked, drifting off halfway through a sentence. His head is resting against Leon's; when Leon closes his eyes, he can hear the whistle of his breathing, almost but not quite a snore. If Leon could, he'd never get up.

However, Leon really needs to take a piss. And shower. And drink half a gallon of coffee.

And say something to everybody else that's in the house, who are almost certainly wondering what the hell he's doing here.

Leon's no coward. Still, he takes his time pulling himself out of bed, lingering when Matthew murmurs and pulls on his arm. Takes his time in the master bath, too, cleaning the plane off of him and assessing himself in the mirror. At least his hair isn't greasy, but the bags under his eyes and lingering skinniness still don't add up to the kind of impression he'd like to give to the parents of someone he wanted to court.

Especially not when those parents include an NHL legend.

In a stroke of luck, said legend is not in the kitchen when Leon finally makes it downstairs. The only person there is Matthew’s mother, sitting at the kitchen island, sipping a cup of coffee as she looks at her phone. As soon as Leon crosses the threshold, she glances up and smiles. It’s mostly friendly. Mostly.

“You must be Leon,” she says, setting down her phone. “Would you like some coffee?”

Leon blinks, startled. “Um—yes,” he says. Adds, quickly, “Thank you, Mrs. Tkachuk.”

Matthew’s mom stands up and walks over to a cabinet by the coffee maker. “Please. Call me Chantal,” she adds as she grabs another coffee cup. “Cream? Sugar?”

“Ah—no,” Leon says, watching her pour and accepting the cup with numb fingers. "Thank you."

They both sit down, leaving a few barstools between them. Leon takes a sip of coffee. It’s too acidic. He sets it down, breathes in the fumes. Catches a whiff of Matthew—it is his house, after all—but what's stronger is the scent of lilacs, coming from only a few meters away.

Leon turns his head. Chantal has her chin propped on her hand, a focused, serious expression on her face as she looks Leon over. Leon can't help feeling he’s being tested for something, and he’s not sure he's going to pass.

"So," Chantal says. "How long have you known Matthew?"

Technically, Leon has known Matthew—known of him—for years. Hard not to notice the new omega on the Flames, early draft pick and unusually high for his dynamic—North Americans are so weird about that shit—grinning with all his teeth bared, watching Leon like it was only a matter of time before he'd find a way to tick Leon off. Unafraid to throw his weight around, unafraid to be flashy, unafraid to get in Leon's face and push, push, push until all Leon wanted to do was push back. So fucking annoying, so fucking irritating, but—it was good, too. At least Matthew would push.

And then in St. Louis, Leon had walked back into the room and sucked in a breath and his world got tilted on its axis.

That's probably not the answer Matthew's mom would want. So Leon says, "A few years," and hopes he sounds truthful enough.

"Mmm." Chantal's scent twists, becoming more intense. The lilacs are rotting.

Leon can't even remember the last time he felt this nervous. First game in the show, maybe. He can't shake the feeling that he's fucking something up, and he doesn’t—he can’t fuck this up. Not when he finally has it.

"I'm going to court him," Leon blurts out. "Or, I mean—I asked him, if he wanted to, and he said he, um." His ears are burning.

Chantal's eyebrows lift. The rot dissipates. "Oh," she says.

Leon swallows, hard. Fuck, maybe he shouldn't have said that, either. "Please don't tell him that I told you," he adds.

Chantal laughs. It startles Leon, making him jump in his seat, but it’s not unkind, or cruel. When she smiles at Leon, Leon can see the similarities between her and Matthew. The same wrinkles at the corners of their eyes, the same tilt to their mouths.

"Don't worry," Chantal says. "It can be our secret." She takes a sip of coffee, then says, "You must be starving after your flights. Let's get you some breakfast."

Leon nods, unable to get any more words out.

After he’s eaten, Chantal refills his coffee and sends him back upstairs. Now that he’s more awake, Leon can pick out the other scents in the house—Chantal; a mild malty scent he remembers from drinks at last All-Star Game; another that might be Matthew’s sister, curled up on the sectional looking at her phone. At some point, he really is going to have to talk to Matthew’s dad; more to the point, Matthew’s dad is going to know exactly who Leon wants to be for his son. He can't say he's looking forward to it.

But when he gets upstairs, Matthew’s still there, fast asleep. His mouth is half open, hair sweaty and stuck to his skull. When Leon eases onto the bed next to him, he murmurs, rolling closer, then wincing and rolling away.

"Hey, hey," Leon says softly, reaching out and grabbing Matthew’s hand, rubbing his thumb over Matthew’s knuckles.

Matthew’s face eases. He sighs. Scent uncurls between them, sticky and gentle and warm.

Leon leans over, kisses Matthew's hairline. The way he’s allowed to, now. He'd sit through a hundred awkward conversations with Matthew's family if it means he'll get to do that today, tomorrow. As long as he can.