#now i just have three extra i have no idea what to do with. backups i guess bc they're kinda cheap oops

[juice-enjoyer]

swapped out my case fans all by myself and i feel like a greek god rn

[deathbyathousandspiders]

“ cuddle bugs. ,,

(( REQUEST PART FOUR )).

mcu!peter parker x reader.

!!! read part one | two | three | five here. !!!

IN WHICH — you fell asleep on your best friend’s shoulder during movie night and now things aren’t going the way you anticipating. how far will things go before one of you confess your feelings?

✨masterlist✨.

3.2k.

Peter found it quite amusing how every single trip to the compound kitchen somehow involved Sam Wilson. He wasn’t sure how or why, but perhaps, Sam had been planning this strategically. Every time he went to grab a snack, or make a cup of cocoa, Sam happened to beat him there and lurk in the corner. He also happened to make it his goal to tease him about his feelings for you.

“You going to the holiday party tomorrow night?” Sam asked, a smirk coating his lips. “I heard there’s gonna be mistletoe.” His eyebrows wiggled as he went to sip from his drink. “You should take Y/N and go find it.”

Just the idea of kissing you made Peter’s legs turn to jelly. He’d tried to picture what such an intimate moment would be like with you, but he couldn’t fathom it. He especially couldn’t fathom it when he had to try and picture the rest of the team there, watching. Peter knew he had to make the moment extra special, and if the team was there ogling you both, that would make things extra awkward.

Taking a deep breath, Peter sighed to try and tame how big his grin had gotten. “I’m not gonna do that. I can’t.” He saw the way Sam’s eyes widened a bit, and Peter figured that it was because he’d gotten confused. “I just don’t want..” Peter trailed off, wanting to find a way to explain without getting extra cheesy. He wasn’t sure why Sam wasn’t holding eye contact anymore, leering behind Peter’s shoulder, or why he looked so shocked, but Peter knew he needed to find his words sooner than later.

“You don’t want to kiss me?”

Fuck.

Cold. Everything ran cold with panic. Panic and regret and sadness and desperation to fix this. Peter turned on his heels, meeting your eyes in the state they were; in a state he hadn’t been exposed to. You were hurt, and he could tell. What was so painful for Peter to realize was that he could read that you weren’t just hurt by his words, you were hurt by him and his actions. It sliced at his heart in a way that he didn’t think was possible. He couldn’t tell if the sound of shattered glass came from your heart, or his.

“Y/N, I–”

It absolutely crushed him to see you take distance when he got closer. Peter knew he didn’t set up his point well, but he hated that he couldn’t explain it to you. He hated every second that he couldn’t spend giving you the security that you needed.

“No, no. It’s fine.” You seemed to understand it. Or, you tried to make it seem like you got it. Like it registered the way he wanted it to, but it didn’t. It could never. Peter felt like the scum of the earth; unforgivable, and douchey unlike any other. He felt every single hurting syllable when you said: “But you don’t have to make kissing your best friend sound like such a chore.”

Your tone of voice when you snapped at him was almost as haunting as the sight of you walking away so quickly. Peter wanted nothing more than to rush after you and explain everything, but he also wanted to respect your boundaries. Luckily, Sam rushed after you so that he didn’t have to.

He turned back to face Peter, “Don’t worry, I’ve got a plan.” And that was all he needed to say to give Peter some peace of mind. At least, a little peace of mind.

Peter didn’t know that Sam’s plan was to dupe him into a partnered stakeout with you. He didn’t know that the two of you would be stuck, in a car, alone, for hours. He didn’t know that it was an actual mission. A serious, dangerous, very important mission; and Peter had no idea that Sam and Bucky fully went out of their way to be your guys' backup for the stakeout if it started escalating.

Yet, there you were: alone, in a car, Peter in the driver’s seat, and you riding shotgun. The Prius was parked on a street corner, just as Peter was instructed to leave it by Fury himself. It had already been two hours. Two hours had gone by, and neither of you had spoken a word to the other. Silent, in superhero suits, listening to the wind rattling the windows and the car occasionally click and hum in the quiet.

It was awful.

It was the third longest period of radio silence between the two of you, right next to when you had laryngitis in the fifth grade and when you avoided him senseless three days ago. And Peter didn’t want the silent treatment to go on any longer.

He knew he had to say the first word. He needed to. He just didn’t know how to fix the mess he made, or get you to stop staring out the dashboard like you were mad at it. He knew that the anger you expressed to the sheet of glass was actually directed at him.

Peter tapped his fingers along the steering wheel, pulled at the spandex fabric covering his fingers, and tried to run through and rationalize any and every outcome that could occur once he opened his mouth. You were his best friend, and had been for as long as he could remember. He wasn’t going to let this be the rift that tore your friendship apart.

His eyes finally stuck to your figure for longer than a second’s glance. He saw the way your face was barren, relaxed. It was a look you had when you were lost in thought. Taking a deep breath, Peter tried to suck as much of the thickened tension as he could.

“Y/N, I’m sorry–”

Your eyes shut tight, and your face scrunched in a way that had regret immediately wash out Peter’s bloodstream. You didn’t even look in his direction when you said the word: “Don’t.” Your tone was sharp, trying to slice off any remnants of the conversation; a conversation that you were well trying to move past.

Peter’s lips pressed into a thin line, hiding how frantically he wracked his brain for the right words to say. “But I need to explain myself! Can’t you let me do that?” His body posture craned towards you. One leg tucked beneath the weight of his torso as he looked at you. His brows knit together in desperation, and his eyes sent you a leer that could break you into pieces.

But your walls were becoming too thick for his shattered stare.

You huffed out a breath of frustration. “Peter, I don’t see what’s there to explain.” Your tone was short, stiff, and stuffed with something you hoped sounded like a backbone. Lying to yourself wouldn’t stop the fact that you were hurting, silently grieving over the loss of your expectations. Grieving over the loss of what could’ve been between you and Peter Parker. “You don’t want to kiss me! What else is there to understand?”

“That’s not true!” Peter was quick to defend himself, his voice growing a bit in the process. “I do want to kiss you–”

Scoffing, you also raised your voice a little. “God, Peter! I don’t want your pity!” You couldn’t believe him. He was just pulling shit from his ass to try and make you feel better. “I don’t need your pity either!” You sunk deeper into your seat, a crossed expression staking claim in your eyes, and your arms folding over your chest to hold your ground.

Peter could physically feel the distance you were putting between the two of you. He studied you, how irritated you were, how much hurt he caused. “Y/N, it’s not pity–”

“Harley asked me out.” You cut him off, finally looking at him. It was the first time your eyes had met since yesterday. The first time you let your guard down a little. And the way his eyes widened at you, you could tell this was the first time he’d seen you in such a dimming light; perhaps you really were slipping through his fingers, out of his grasp.

His silence said millions of words, yet none of them were satisfying. It felt so much worse, quite frankly. What you really wanted from him was the reassurance that he felt the same way. It wasn’t just about a kiss, rather than wanting a romantic connection. It wasn’t about the misunderstanding, but the way he’d go about fixing it. And it wasn’t about Harley asking you out, you wanted to see how Peter would react.

The look in his eyes mirrored yours. It was a glisten of betrayal, and the lingering stare of denial. Peter looked at you like it would be the last time he was allowed to. He didn’t know where to go from here, and it was obvious.

You let out a sigh, irritated and remorseful and heartached. “Harley asked me out, and I–” Pausing, you looked straight ahead, unable to meet Peter���s eyes while the words muttered from your lips. “I think I’m going to change my answer.”

Peter’s breath caught, and you could hear his hushed thought process. He filtered through the words you said, and kept searching for the phrase or touch or look that would convince you to stay with him. To choose him.

“I–”

You couldn’t even stomach the sound of his voice. Your nerves spiked much higher than you’d anticipated. What were you even getting at? Making him jealous? All you felt was guilt. Embarrassment. Suddenly, you were nervous. “I need some air.” You choked abruptly, fleeing from the passenger’s seat and exiting the vehicle.

Peter sat in the driver’s side, frozen in his place as he watched you walk further from the car. He couldn’t deny how much of a gut punch your words were, but he also kept replaying the way you’d phrased it like a broken record.

‘I think I’m going to change my answer.’

Even you seemed uncertain about it, and if Peter had any chance with you, he knew he needed to act now. Just as went to get out of the car and follow you, he felt his spider sense heighten. Blood ran cold and the world moved slow as he watched the scene. From behind a bush merely fifteen feet from where Peter was, you were grabbed and pulled out of sight.

“Shit!” Peter panicked. He slipped his mask on, updating KAREN to alert Sam and Bucky. He was lucky that whoever had taken you didn’t spot him, but he felt every fiber of his being spiral about how to get you back. When Peter said he was afraid of losing you, this was not what he meant.

And he was going to do everything in his power to bring you back safely.

Shuttered and softened gasps fell from your lips as your eyes opened, and you watched your breath visibly leave your mouth. Was it below freezing in the room? It had to be. It was the middle of December, after all. Your skin ached as you gained consciousness, every inch of your body screaming for warmth by the time you’d finally come to.

Some scrawny white man with disheveled hair and a short–sleeved t-shirt stood in front of you, holding you in whatever darkened room you seemed to be in. He stood rather close to you, much closer than your comfort levels permitted. He didn’t seem any bit irked by your presence in the slightest.

Maybe that was because your wrists were tightly chained to exposed water–pipes spouting from the floor, or because he’d finally discovered your super–heroine identity. Either way, the light in his eyes was anything but frightened or angered or even confused.

In fact, his eyes scanned your body with marvel and awe. It sent a shiver down your spine.

“Astonishing..” His accent was thick through his words, letting the statement fall heavy with the sigh it traveled through. “It’s working…”

Your blood ran even colder at the words, stilling your posture for a millisecond. What chilled your bones even more was when your body broke out into an intense fit of shivers, and the man laughed. A laugh that was maniacal, entertained, psychopathic. Psychopathic, and relieved.

Thick clouds of steam left your mouth as your breaths drew faster in panic, indicating just how below zero the temperature was. You could barely muster out the words that your throat shoved out: “Wha–what’s so funny?” You asked, clearly freezing.

Now, a bit more serious, the man leaned disarmingly close to your face, eying you in a way that sobered your mind, soul, and being.

“You’re cold.”

The muttered words only caused more confusion, until you finally noticed the two broken syringes on the ground to your left, and how the liquid oozing from the shattered glass had frozen over. It was ice. You became aware of the sweat caking the hairline of the man in front of you, and how disgustingly consuming the warmth of his breath was.

The room wasn’t cold, you were cold. And you were left to assume that it was only a matter of time before you froze to death.

Quite frankly, as much as the dude yapped your ear off with his “diabolical” plan, your brian was clouded with more pressing matters: how you left things with Peter. You didn’t know how long it would take for the team to find you, or if you’d even make it to see this guy get his ass kicked. Either way, you knew Peter was overthinking.

And so were you.

The wave of relief that cast over your body when Sam broke the door down was indescribable. You hadn’t known how long it had been, or how much time you had left, but pins and needles pricked every inch of your body and you’d spent however long shivering just to try and shake the feeling.

Peter immediately swooped down from the ceiling at Sam’s cue, webbed the guy to a wall, and rushed to your aid in the blink of an eye. Not a word was said until he unclasped the restraints and pulled you into a hug. It was the quickest hug he’d ever given you; record time of point–two seconds. “Jesus Christ! Y/N, you’re fucking freezing!!” It were though he hadn’t heard your teeth chattering this entire time.

You could only look at him with a concerned crinkle in your brow, unable to speak through the chill you kept continually catching.

“KAREN!” Peter called out, his mask still on over his face. “Turn on the thermal–heater–protocol thing!! Pronto!” Hearing his panicked demands almost brought you peace, yet nothing could compare to how nice it felt to finally come in contact with warmth.

It barely helped at all, but the contrast was enough to notice. All and every part of you melted into Peter, giving him unspoken permission to pick you up and carry you to the Quinjet. His touch didn’t waver as he sat down on the plane, and his jaw didn’t unclench until his response was requested. His protective demeanor provided a sense of safety, yet it felt tugged from beneath you with one quick statement.

“We should probably call Harley and tell him you’re alright.”

The disappointment tugging at his expression was enough to shatter your heart into a million pieces. You could tell that it broke his just the same, too.

Your head shook against his chest as he sat you down on a bench, seating himself closely beside you to keep you from whatever fridged feeling this kidnapping brought upon you.

“Harley doesn’t– He doesn’t need to know.” Confusion washed over Peter’s face so quickly, you nearly forgot the rut you dug yourself in. “Pe–Pete.. I owe you an apo–ology.” The words were almost impossible to mutter out. You were only getting colder by the second.

His attention was so fixated on you, eyes glued to yours, brows sewn together, and thoughts racing circles trying to grasp whatever you could mean. Peter’s eyes studied your face for the possible answers, but he was getting ahead of himself.

There was nothing left to do other than to come clean. The confession was yours to make, and the look Peter gave you only made that more apparent. His emotions pierced your soul, all his sincerity and curiosity and genuity and eagerness. It was almost like he knew what you were trying to choke out between shivers. Or as though it were his job to fix whatever you presented broken.

You couldn’t tell whether the rapid rhythmic heartbeat was your own, or Peter’s, but either way, you had to force these words out before they staled with the lump in your throat. “I–I–” You took a deep breath to still your chattering teeth, feeling Peter’s grip tighten reassuringly around you in the midst of it. “I was upset that you didn’t want to kiss me.”

The apology flashed in his eyes just as he went to open his mouth, but you weren’t finished. “I was upset, because I–” You nearly sped through the sentence, but halted. “I—” And it were though you froze in place, right then and there. You completely froze, stopped moving, stopped breathing.

Panic. It washed over you like panic, sheer uncontrollable unexpected panic. Your blood ran cold, and if it weren’t for the feeling of your body washing white, you would’ve thought you were dying.

Peter calling your name almost sounded fake. It was so distant and faint that you swore you were dreaming. However, with a small hitch of your breath, reality hit you a lot harder than necessary. Your entire being shook, spazzing in this cold and freezing state. So much so, it was painful.

You knew you were being hugged and blanketed by Peter’s protection much more intently. The press of his biceps communicated that he felt like he was to fault for this. The dazy holler of his voice told you that he felt responsible and sorry and nervous. There wasn’t anything in the world you wanted to do more than to fight against this and assure him that you were okay. You were going to be fine.

Bucky walked over with a sense of urgency, relaying to Peter a medical analysis that Bruce laid out. He stated things about your condition that the author was far too lazy to look up you couldn’t make out in this fridged trance.

Every inch of your body had stopped shouting for warmth and instead now screamed for it, for relief. It begged and pleaded and bruised its knees just for some sense of stillness from whatever blizzard was injected into your system.

So cold, too cold, everything blurred to white. Every sound was washed out, every sensation pricked in spears and spikes against you, and every thought felt too heavy to handle. You weren’t sure how or when, but at a certain point, you passed out. Consciousness suddenly became too overwhelming for your fragile limp little body.

Part of you wasn’t sure whether this was better than feeling the sting of Peter’s rejection, but you knew that was a demon you’d have to face sooner than later. You made a promise to yourself right then and there that regardless of what and when, the next time you saw Peter Parker, you’d tell him how you’d really felt.

You were going to tell your best friend that you’d been in love with him. And still very much so were.

tag–list : @helen-on-earth @ellebutnotwoods @hufflepuff-n-fluff @petersparkerss @tommysfrog @zelzablues @mavex @thatmarvelchick19 @parkersmaterialgirl @justtuesdays @coralineyouareinterribledanger @abucketofweird @cayleejx16 @thievin-stealing

[ms-demeanor]

my thing is I'm capable of any of this stuff up to at least level 3 and can do them for special occasions and if I've rested enough no problem, but I can't do it OFTEN because it just uses up too many spoons. any thoughts on this? besides practice, I already cook as often as I can (which is not very)

Mise en place your life as much as possible. I've talked about this before but this is what I do to make things easier on myself. My baking station with all the ingredients out and clearly labeled instead of at the bottom of the pantry where I have to dig for them makes it much, much, much easier to bake. My knife strip on the wall and the dozen cutting boards in a rack on the wall and the frying pan that lives on the stove instead of under the counter all make it much easier for me to cook.

Like, a lot of what I've been going through and doing in terms of home improvement/home decor is attempting to configure the house in such a way that large bastard and i can easily do the things we want to/need to do. We need batteries all the time, so the batteries live in an organized box where we can see it instead of in the back of the cabinet. We also need to *discard* batteries all the time, so the battery discard tub is right next to that box otherwise we'll start accumulating used batteries on surfaces.

The instruments that live on my kitchen counter are the ones that get used most often so that I don't need to go looking for them and so that I know at a glance if they're clean (if so they're in the canister on the counter) or need to be washed. The appliances that I use the most either live on the counter or get put places where it's convenient - I don't have enough bowls and plates that I need to use the top three shelves of my cabinet for bowls and plates like my parents did, but I do use my rice cooker twice a week so my rice cooker lives in the same cabinet as my dishes (as does my tofu press, my waffle maker, and the easiest-to-use 16oz food storage containers).

And you know what sometimes i just can't do it. Sometimes my back isn't working or my hip isn't working or i got glutened recently and I can't do much of anything.

I've got a variety of low spoon foods that I always have ingredients for (one recent addition to this list is tofu; i went from eating no tofu to eating tofu twice a week because two days a week i can't really use one of my arms to make dinner so i just prep the tofu at lunchtime and when i get home from the plasma center all i have to do is season and pan fry it and make a pot of rice. And I also make a shitload of extra rice because rice with eggs and sweet-spicy sauce is now one of my easiest and best go-to lunches) and whenever I make a pot of soup (something that I do pretty much every weekend when it's cool enough) I will make enough for lunch that week plus usually some extra to go in the freezer as backup "I don't feel like cooking" meals.

So, yeah I guess what I'm saying is get a good list of low-spoon foods that you like and can keep the ingredients handy for (ground beef goes bad in a week, tofu lasts like a month, i love tofu, it's so easy and so cheap to keep a bunch of tofu handy), and throw out the idea of what a kitchen is "supposed" to be like and figure out if there are ways to make your kitchen more adaptive for you.

Get anti-fatigue mats for your home kitchen. Get a tall stool that you can sit at while cooking at the stove instead of standing. Reorganize your cabinets for maximum efficiency for your needs. (large bastard and I have been doing this both with organized visible storage like wall racks as well as putting his stuff up high because bending over isn't easy for him but it is easy for me).

And also, like, consider if it's worth it, or how it can be worth it. How do you want to be a better cook? Do you want to be better at making meals for large groups or do you want to be more comfortable cooking for yourself or do you want a wider repertoire of recipes - all of those things will take a different path and some will be harder than others if you're wrangling disabilities that make it difficult to cook. I'm probably never going to be great at cooking for large groups because it doesn't really suit my lifestyle and it hurts! It hurts a lot and after hosting thanksgiving last year i needed to use my cane for a week because of how much it hurt my back! But I can work on stuff that makes it easier for me to cook, like having my baking station or keeping my rice cooker in an easy-to-reach cabinet.

[ct-99xx]

My Tech Theory

Hi everybody. I'm new here. I just marathoned all of the Bad Batch in like three days. I'm absolutely broken up over Tech, but as I've been digging into the theory-crafting and surveys going around, I haven't seen my main theory mentioned, so I feel the need to add it to the pile. I want to start by saying I badly want to get Tech back, but I also am not willing to commit to the idea that he's definitely coming back. I am not making myself any promises. Instead, this is specifically what I think is the most likely way he might come back, based on the Season 3 trailer. The big thing the trailer tells us is that Palpatine is really interested in getting Nala Se to do some specific new, different thing with cloning. Something she says is impossible. What could that be? Well y'all, I am an ancient Star Wars fan. And I have at least a vague idea of how Palpatine's clones work. Or how they worked in older continuities, anyway. Palpatine wants clones who can get his memories and powers after he dies. I don't know precisely how this works in canon. I don't think the specifics have been established in the current canon yet. But what has been established is that somehow Palpatine returned. He definitely has access to extra life clone bullshit in the future. And future Palpatine has all his powers and memories.

That's what I think Nala Se is working on: a method to make a clone that has (or gains) the memories of a dead person. So if Tech is dead, he'd be a perfect candidate for this specific experiment: can a dead person's personality and memory be re-uploaded to a newly cloned version of their body? Now, even if my theory is true, here are the reasons this might not work to give us our happy ending: Palpatine's clones might require the memory backup to occur BEFORE death. It could be that they TRY to do the cloning trick on Tech, but they just produce a clone of his body, and can't upload his memories. This gives us... something at least, but it's still very sad. Tech2 could be a failed attempt at making a vessel for Tech's memories, after which Nala Se figures out that you have to get [Something] from the body before death to get the results that Palpatine wants. I'm guessing that we will at least see someone who is a clone of Tech, even if they aren't ACTUALLY our boy. We may even see several. Why else would they let us know that Hemlock has Tech's body? Even if Tech's dead, that's a real Chekov's corpse right there. Will the person who looks like him actually BE Tech? I'm not willing to promise that. But dang I hope at least one of them will be.

[electricshoebox]

Unsolicited Lore Dump

That is such a fun title for a meme.

Thanks to @bardic-inspo for the tag!

Do you make your bed? Nope. It's just extra time I'd have to budget for in the day and I'll just undo it again after a whole day of not getting to appreciate that it looks nice, so... nah. I'll make it if company's coming.

Favorite number? Always liked 4. No idea why.

What's your job? I've been a phlebotomist with a plasma donation company for many years, and also did a lot related to training and managing training requirements. Around 3 years ago, my company created a position I was the first to step into where I travel between ~10 different locations across 4 states and help improve their training departments, keep them compliant with standards and regulatory (government/legal) requirements, and develop their training supervisors. I also lead a core group that trains supervisors using a class I got to create. It's a big mix of things I love: traveling, helping people build confidence in their skills, and creating.

If you could go back to school would you? I just don't think I could, mentally. Not to get personal, but I drove myself to a bad mental breakdown in college. There were a lot more factors than just school itself, but still. There are things I wish I could get a degree in, but I don't think I should try, at least right now. Maybe some day!

Can you parallel park? I'm not great at it, but I have to do it more often where I live now, so I'm getting better. I have a backup cam now and that helps a lot.

Do you think aliens are real? I think it's highly probable, but not in the mainstream, Hollywood, little green men way. I think statistically the universe is so vast, there has to be life somewhere. But I think it's likely so far beyond anything we could comprehend, and so deeply different from the entirety of human experience, that we'd be highly unlikely to be able to make contact or meaningfully communicate. Doesn't mean I don't enjoy a good alien story/game/movie!

Can you drive a manual car? Nope. I barely understand cars as it is, I'll stick with automatic.

What's your guilty pleasure? I try really hard not to feel guilty about my pleasures, but I guess I have to echo Megh a bit and say fanfiction, just because it's still something I'm not comfortable being open about unless I know the person understands fandom or shares an interest. But honestly, college kinda destroyed my love of reading, and fanfiction is really what brought it back. It's such a joy to see the stories others come up with, and it's so fun to explore worlds I love through writing.

Tattoos? I don't have any but I want them very badly! I know at least 3 I want for sure. One is handwriting from my mom and my two best friends using song lyrics that are important to me and connected to each for me. Two, a shared tattoo with one of my best friends/roommate to do with our cat. Three, a Watership Down tattoo that incorporates "All the world will be your enemy... but first they must catch you."

Favorite color? Purple, and slate blue. Very fond of teals and deep pinks as well.

Favorite types of music? I've started to joke that music is my love language. I love so many genres. I always come back to alternative, though. Very fond of indie rock as well, and folk. But you can still get me with a good pop song.

Do you like puzzles? LOVE puzzles. I don't have a lot of room to do them where I currently live, and I also go through them too fast to make buying them often worth it, but I could do them for hours.

Any phobias? I have unfortunately discovered I am very afraid of roaches. I can typically handle bugs okay, but those absolutely terrify me. I'm also pretty uncomfortable with heights. Not so bad I can't look out a window a few floors up, but definitely can't look over the edge if I'm on a rooftop or super high balcony or something.

Favorite childhood sport? I'm not sure if this is asking my favorite childhood sport to play or just sports I enjoyed as a kid. For the former, I was not a player of sports, but I did love to swim, and I loved playground games. For the latter, I grew up going to baseball games with my dad and I do have a lot of fond memories of that.

Do you talk to yourself? Oh for sure. I do it the most when I'm trying to work out a conversation in a scene I'm writing (so I just have it with myself out loud and see where it goes) or if I have a scene idea I want to try feeling out in conversation. But I'm not above having little therapy talks with myself when I'm alone, if I need to. Oh, and I'm also a big conversation practicer if something I need to talk to someone about is making me anxious.

What movies do you adore? Oh man, how much time do you have? Definitely the Mummy (Brendan Fraser version), and the Matrix (just the first one, but that one was incredibly formative). The LotR trilogy is always going to be very important to me. Song of the Sea and the Secret of Kells are both deeply beloved for me. And then the Lion in Winter (Katharine Hepburn version). Probably the most influential dialogue-writing inspiration movie for me of all time.

Coffee or tea? Iced tea. Unsweetened. I basically have to have one every morning or I will die. (Okay fine I won't die but I'll get a migraine and be very unhappy about it.)

First thing you wanted to be growing up? I genuinely can't remember what was first because I wanted to do like 7,000 things. I wanted to be an author very early on, but also a singer and a figure skater and a gymnast and an artist and I could go on. Writing has probably been the most consistent thing, though.

Tagging (no pressure): @amanita-jack, @lioness-calanthe, @galaxy-starheart, @mercurymiscellany, and @molliehaswords

[forestshadow-wolf]

Another ghost+soap idea because I apparently can't stop giving them the ouchies. This one's a long one.

Ok a while back I on here I said that I hc that soap has a scar on his hand that he got b4 he met ghost. I'm changing that now because I can't stop hurting my boy bubbles

They're sent out on a mission, just the two of them. Price didn't want to send them, it seemed shady, but the higher-ups forced his hand. Intel was limited, backup would be unable to reach their position for days should it be needed, and exfil would be too far to reach in an emergency.

Price was told that the higher-ups needed soap and ghost's exact skill set. As much as price hates it, he is unwilling to send someone incompetent, so he sends his two best soldiers.

~~~

Soap lay flat next to ghost, scope to his eye, as he'd been doing for the last 3 days. They were stationed deep in some foreign mountain range, watching a small group of buildings. Price said he thinks it's a research facility. They were meant to figure out what was being researched, gather what other info they can find, then blow the place sky high.

The place was heavily gaurded, which is what attracted their attention in the first place. Normally soap would be capable of soloing the mission, but there were aspects that would put ghost's skills and experience to use. With the terrain and his pack full of explosives he'd need to be extra careful, which ghost could help with.

They'd been sat in their position for 3 days, watching the guard rotations, trying to find an opportunity to slip inside. Higher-ups had put him in a tight spot in terms of method of explosion, with regulations and everything, they refused to loosen up on. With such short notice, Soap grabbed what he could, as he packed but...

They'd been there for 3 days, ample time to run the numbers and do the calculations. Ample time for him to think up twenty different ways to not succeed. The gaurds would make positioning and timing difficult, not to mention the size of area he had to demolish with his limited supplies, and there was always the chance of underground expansion that they couldn't account for. There just wasn't enough to go around, and it was making him antsy.

---

For 3 days ghost lay prone, next to soap, looking through his scope trying to map out gaurd routines.

Six days and fifteen hours ago price had called both himself and Soap into his office. He informed them of a mission, pushed to priority on short notice. It required the best of their skills.

They had barely three hours to pack, before a twelve hour flight, which led to a three day hike, plus three days of waiting lead them to now.

They had limited supplies, the higher-ups hadn't bothered to clear them for more than the standard. Which was fine for ghost's part, he'd had to do far longer with far less. But soap wasn't so happy. It seemed okay until soap began running numbers.

There wasn't enough material, and too much space. Soap was getting agitated, he could tell because he'd been quiet for 2 days. Mouthing numbers, and scenario to himself, but none of it worked. He never said anything to ghost though.

---

On the 4th day they packed up, they'd move in come nightfall. Soap would follow ghost's lead, planting what he had along the outskirts. He still couldn't figure out how to blow the rest of the area. He'd just have to hope to find something along the way.

They stashed their packs, tents and other supplies a few miles down the mountain, where they could quickly grab it on the way to exfil. The trek back gave took enough time that they had just enough time to check their weapons and ammo one more time before they needed to move.

The tower guards were easy enough to snipe from their elevated position, and they were far enough away that there was no one to hear their shots. As soon as they were down ghost set about, clearing the area in a spiral pattern, stopping when soap signaled just long enough to set the charges.

By the time they reached the middle, soap had long since run out of all but one charge, and he warned ghost as such. The man paused, and the bottom of his mask shifted slightly, before he nodded and continued forward.

The large center building, evidently used for some kind of research, was more heavily guarded that the rest of the area. Not really a problem for them though, nothing they haven't handled before. Again Ghost took point while soap watched his 6, it was routine. They went room by room, slowly, collecting whatever intel of other information they could.

One room they came across looked to be a storage room for chemicals and other such materials. Ghost was about to move on, but Soap stopped him. Maybe he could see if they had any kind of chemical accelerant, or atleast make one. If he could they'd have to go back and reset all the charges, it was a risk, but if it meant a mission success...

Ghost took watch while he scanned shelfs of chemicals. He got lucky with a number of them, and immediately he began doing calculations. This could work. Only thing he needed now was a bunson burner. Which evidently was not in the room, as he searched more and more frantically.

Ghost seemed to notice his agitation because he told him to grab what he needed at move of, soap listened, if slightly unhappily.

The next few rooms they cleared were, luckily, pretty sparce. Much to their luck they did stumble across a lab room, which soap made them stop in. The chemicals he took, if done correctly, could be made into a highly reactive sticky paste. A paste that if he used efficiency could spread their charges up to twice or even 3x the area.

If time was on their side he'd have had half a mind for proper protection and measuring equipment for the chemicals, but it wasn't. So in lieu of personal safety he shucke off his gloves, as it was easier to feel out the correct measurements without them.

In a too quick pour a spash of chemicals landed on the webbing of his hand between the thumb and forefinger. It burned as it it foamed down the back of his hand, and ran a stripe down his palm. Too focused on watching two liquids thicken as he mixed them together to notice.

-------------------

This isn't done yet, but I want to get it out of my drafts and this is a kinda good stopping place. I'll probably just reblog this when I have the next part... maybe

[booksandchainmail]

Pale 11.2 extra

I just want you to know I’ve been trying to be my best self and do good in the world and if there’s something that ends up keeping me from coming back to you guys I hope you know that at least.

this bit is incredibly sad to me. "If I died, I died doing the right thing" is actually a pretty good ending, but coming from a kid it's just bleak

All the not listening you did and the ignoring me and everything? I forgive you for that and I think I understand

I wonder how this will feel going on? I imagine that even if Avery is glossing over this a bit for her parents to not feel guilty, she must have done some final sour searching to reach this point. It must be weird to come to terms with everyone in your life, be prepared to not leave regrets behind, and then get to keep on going with the clean slate

Sheridan, you had my back when it counted and I can’t tell you what it means to me, or how it changed the idea of what family is in my head. You get so down on yourself but you’re so so so much better and cooler than you think you are.

oh... that;s really sweet

A beautiful woman once told me I was on the cusp of losing my connection to humanity.

lol at specifying beautiful

no comments on the rest of Avery's letter to Ms. Hardy because I'm tearing up

If I can escape the chaos do you want to hang? We can hang out with Sir and chat art orrrr We could hang out and you can take your shirt off and I can draw you orrrrrrr We could hang out and we both take our shirts off and we can pretend we’re confused about who is supposed to be painting who before finding something else to do

smooth

I told Lucy and Avery and a woman called Miss to pass on a password for a gallery I sent you.  You’re my designated replacement if anything happens and that gallery has the big rundown.  Yep, you thought you were getting to know me?  That was all the tip of the iceberg, buddy.

I'm picturing Jeremy opening this, reading it, and realizing that a girl who was a pretty new friend in his life had no outside contact closer than him

On that note? I’m writing this under the assumption that they’re there. Avery Kelly and Lucy Ellingson. No other end result is okay in my books.

oh Verona

Care and Feeding of Lucy Ellingson and Avery Kelly: I liked the headline but because I wrote it I gotta let you know the feeding part: Lucy gets into stuff like pepperoni sticks and sour foods and things that make you go WOAH (except garlic and onions apparently) and it’s all intense and crap but when you get down to it I think she likes sweet and savory stuff most.  Avery is a vegetarian and she can eat next to anything you could call food, now, but I think what matters is that it comes from a place of care. She likes fruity flavors and mellow stuff. If Lucy’s down and out and needs nourishment to get back in the game then a chance to have a savory home cooked meal or a sweet treat she can spend a bit enjoying would do it for her.  For Avery, just the fact that you notice she’s down and out is important and then you can hand her a sports drink or something and she’ll be up for more.

aww, funny and cute that she's leaning into this bit, deeply touching that she knows this about them

[Tash is] about three years older than us she’s super cool enough I wouldn’t blame you for getting a crush on her. 😉

... yeah that's fair! Don't know how Jeremy would feel about the eyes, but I love that it's not a factor for Verona

If you bring me back as a composite echo and someone wants to take me as a familiar to help clarify me further then I’m down.

what the hell. I mean a good backup plan! But a hell of a lot of pressure to drop casually at the end of this letter

If not or if that’s weird then don’t sweat it.  Thanks for being a friend.

or don't resurrect me if you don't want! wild.

I got lucky because home was the place I could come back to to unload the small things, instead.  This was pretty close to perfect. Except I haven’t come home to unload this time, if you’re reading the letter.

yeah tearing up again

Zed has agreed he’ll fill you in if someone needs to.  He knows most of the story and it’s easier for him to answer your questions than for me to explain everything here.  Imagining you going through my stuff and uncovering it all with a terrible look on your face is making this too hard to write.

Interesting to me that Lucy is the only on who leaves information for her mom to take action, I guess because neither Verona or Avery feel that their parents are particularly useful

As a last ditch effort if the cops fail and Avery and Verona are gone you can contact a man I listed on the sheet. His name is Samaniego and he organizes people who hunt monsters like one of the ones I’m about to fight.

damn that's a nuclear option. But I suppose if all the girls are dead there's no point in playing fair or easy

I don’t want this to end without there being justice.  If I was capable of accepting any other answer then I think this might be the point I gave up.  I could let Edith win, I could choose the option where I didn’t risk me dying and you having to find this letter. I can’t.  I can’t let the people who would do that get what they want and take any more power or get any more influence.

Lucy... I love how much her principles come through in this. Avery may be the soft heart in the group and Lucy all business in her letter, but peel back the focus and drive and you get this moral determination

This can’t end without justice of some sort.

[fantasticbluebirdfan]

brain blurb for The Wight Baby for the Job

 @itshype @thegatorsgoose

i get lots done when sick.....

Connor knew it was a bad idea the second Tim said he needed a backup For tonight's Steakout Not only was he the least patient person to do a Stakeout he was also  looking forward to the pirate that mom made but then Tim said he was looking into a new Academy's research facility under a new name that wasn't weird Tim has been looking into a lot of things recently and he's just glad he stopped a little bit sure he's still staying up 3 days straight and I sleeping but at least He just wished it wasn't him

 but the second he knew it was Academy's related he was really interested cuz they're still a lot left and known about what made him into him sure he's a clone of Superman and likes loser but what else he also wanted to make sure that there is no other little clone kids or whatever it is being made in another secret facility and nobody else was cloned

 getting closer to the facility Connor started noticing some strange things they could see people walking around it we can only hear the heartbeats other people outside he can see people through the windows and such and he could hear them answering over the radios and there's still more people inside scientists guards and the like but he can only see the 12 pacing outside 

Tim hacked into the cameras in the facility and saw that they got a new subject and that they are now working with a sister program called the giw that specialize into the Paranormal a quick Research into it it shows that JW is it government-funded program that Is said to no longer to be in use in the next two months if they don't get any real hard evidence of whatever they're hunting

They can find evidence of ectoplasm and such all over the place but there's no concrete evidence of these  so-called ghosts so far I wouldn't seems to be their extra dimensional beings and they don't get no real evidence at these so called ghosts don't feel and pain their funding will be cut in the program will be disbanded

 but recently it is documented that they were getting close to that subject Phantom and lost him after having him get put captivity for about an undetermined amount of time since some of the data is corroded but they noted that they have found a phantom even though he is in the different condition they are 100% sure it's him they said they'll continue with experiments post-taste regardless of what tricks in mind games he tries to pull by trying to make them believe he looks like a human CHILD  and the next part is  screeched out while Tim finds a photo of phantom he doesn't look to be any bigger than three years old likes to be 10  months  at the youngest and while he's scrolling down the patient sees that the notes are being updated live  and are about to start experimenting on the child and sooner or later plants are vivisection neither caring about anything else they both decided to start extracting the child baby 

 meanwhile on the other side of the facility Danny is tired he's hungry he's asking for his dad and all these non-dead of people refuse to give him his dad in fact they look the opposite of his dad and they smell the opposite of him too his dad never wore White and always smelled something funny and coppery of books Gun Leather and smokes even though he doesn't know what those are that's what his father usually smells like the mean man in white start yelling at him and telling him to stop playing tricks on them and that they know what he Really is and he should just give up The Jig and transform back to the Abomination that he is those are big words Danny only knows half of them he just knows that the mean men are not going to get him his daddy and are being mean to him so he decides to be mean back they try to poke him with those bright shiny things you make sure the minute goes all the way in and it can't get it out They later try to strap him in onto a table but he decided to start floating they can't strap him down if he they can't catch him so little baby Danny decides to start floating like his little astronaut like the game him and his dad play fearing that the Abomination would fly out of the facility they put the active shield around the facility 

at this point Tim and Connor have Infiltrated the facility I started knocking out cards and Gathering evidence against them while they try to look for their baby Sarah and the monitor room trying to check out which room they have the baby in and all of a sudden he just see him on screen flirting above the heads of the scientist and seems to be dropping something on top of them and they're running away from him screaming yelling and start SHOOTING  at him why are they shooting at a baby 

Baby danny decides that this is less fun and decides to face through the floor when Tim and Connor lost  visuals on him they had a mini panic attack on how their going to find him, all the sudden they hurt a small little giggle footing above their heads and there's baby Danny suddenly the doors stretched open and a scientist or where is playing at scientist throws something and it actually latches on to the baby turns out that was a work in progress color to suppress ghost abilities obviously being modeled after the meta collars and  power dampeners Listen to say work in progress and only limited two Abilities at the moment  flight and what the team Heroes would call density shifting this cause the baby to fall onto the floor hard 

Now baby daddy is tired scared wants his papa and hungry and was just 10 ft onto the floor  where he a regular human child this would obviously cause some problems then just problems him being a helper with all these Powers containing to a small body shocked him in his state unless he began to cry he still had his ghostly will which had Connor immediately though his hands above his ears to a person damage thankfully Danny was screaming away from him so that did help a lot after the scientists wannabe was incapacitated the two teens just stared at the baby  seeing that his powered crying pit her off into a normal crying until he started yawning and falling like he needed a nap 

Well that was easy is a shirt suck between the two boys two picks up the baby and wraps his cape around him to keep him safe Connor goes to drag the butt into a closet when all the sudden the computer starts making noise and calls their attention back to it Tim shoves the baby into Connor and says “this is where we got to split up The facility is about to self-destruct and they destroying evidence as fast as they can meet each other back outside you get a small head start I'll finish collecting evidence if all else fails we'll see each other at the  at the JL headquarters in space and about an hour” 

“Tim don't leave me with the baby this was your idea your operation I didn't even want to come” 

“ come on Connor it's just for a little bit he's just a baby he can't be that hard to handle he's asleep and wrapped up in my Cape what could go wrong”

Not even 10 minutes later Connor wanted to punch  him to space straight to the JL headquarters forget an hour Connor will send him there in 5 minutes. Well could go wrong he  said he's taking a nap he said he's just a baby he said  damn it Timothy You jinxed it and the short time they've been apart Danny decided it was a great idea to wake up from his little  impromptu nap  that he'll start calling power nap cuz the second he woke up Danny bit him and  sure he's half human but he's also half Kryptonian meaning a child's bite shouldn't hurt that much but Danny isn't normal so they were both surprised Danny waking up in the arms of somebody that wasn't his father and Connor getting bitten that actually hurt  that made him throw the baby into the air accidentally in shock. not only is throwing a baby a very bad idea that's what I meant to be at the worst moment possible cuz a group of giw Agents decide to swarm him and start shooting at both Connor decided to start blocking off whatever and time meta rhetoric that they were spewing from the mouth saying something about not even being human and says to start Plowing through all of them,  thankfully Danny didn't cry out when he fell this time and started biting all the ankles he could reach

This sadly we came up pattern for the next 30 minutes until they escaped and I am throwing the baby well not just during the baby but the baby causing chaos wherever he went he couldn't keep on carrying the baby so he had to let him down a few times and Danny would bite and Claw and think he could reach whether that be humans or any wall panels in start  crawling through the walls  this is how Tim found them actually Connor surrounded by down to agents calling out for the baby and a weird laugh floating around them

“ Connor where's the baby”

“I lost the baby”

“ how can you lose a baby”

“ well Tim it's easy you see I was carrying him I had to put him down had to knock all these fuck**s out and I turn back around and I can't find him he's like he's in the.. W a l l s”

Thankfully at this time to stop the self destruction sequence got all evidence he needed and spent 30 minutes helping Connor get the baby at the walls promising to take him to his daddy after all this They check the baby over to make sure that he wasn't hurt anywhere and took the weird  collar that ended up being a belt for Danny

 And radioed the Watchtower saying that they needed an extraction at this location because they found a   Cadmus facility working  with a previously unknown organization that tried to experiment on a child that is calling for his dad  

 the JL member that picked up was Flash and started to explain that they were unable to extract them at the moment cuz  they're being blackmailed by someone named RedHood  Help find their child but they'll send someone out as soon as they can as soon as those words were  out of flash’s mouth he was pushed out of the way by someone  wearing a leather jacket and a crude red helmet  “damn right f*** you replacement ain't nobody moving until I find my son back and if I find him with a hair out of place so help me I'll burn this world into the ground  starting with-”

  at that moment Red Hood was cut off by a cheerful voice yelling “Daddy!”

 Red Hood did a complete 180 and started baby talking the child in Connor's arm, “ Hi Danny! Daddy's  been looking all over for you are you okay are you hurt did the Weirdos take you who took you  daddy will come get you as soon as he can okay?”

Back at the Watchtower the hero stood by and amazement seeing the 6'2 man that previously  threatened them in detail how he was going to hurt all of them if they didn't find his child which they would have done without any threats by the way start baby talking a child in the arms of Superboy who's standing next to Robin with a burning building in the back

[rainbowolfe]

A Stupidly Detailed Analysis of Shamura's Theme

Here it is if you haven't heard it, the whole OSTs a bop though. Not a single miss. For context to what I'm going to say, every supporting-lead character has a unique "lead vocalist" in their theme, so when I refer to that character that's what I mean. I found it interesting that the vocals for all their siblings appeared in their theme when the opposite wasn't the case for the Bishops + Nari's themes.

I don't have any ~formal training~ in music or music theory, but I can FEEL the intent and I can see the stuff, I just don't know all the technical terms. So bear with me XD

Link to JUST the analysis, without all the observations.

General

Shamura's voice is very hissy/airy, much like it is in-game. Kallamar and Narinder both have very high voices, but while Narinder's has a lot of "body", Kallamar's doesn't. Heket's voice is mid-range but very distorted. Leshy's voice is mid-to-high range, but has a softer feel to it. And The One Who Waits(TOWW) voice is the alto of all altos lol

Chorus 1

The song starts with the chorus, that's funky. An unknown* voice sets the melody; 6 beats that start at G, work their way up the scale from C, then end on a high note (A or B). This repeats for four measures, with the final measure getting an extra note (goes low, then high). This will be called "Shamura's Melody".

On the second repetition of Shamura's Melody, Shamura joins the unknown voice in a duet with Heket providing her distorted backup vocals (she is 4 beats, but starts on the melody's 3rd note). I noticed that Shamura tends not to sing the last note of each measure.

Analysis

I have two ideas for the voice that creates Shamura's Melody. It's either Vephar's (which would imply that Shamura is following the lead of their followers) or Heket's (which would imply that Shamura is following Heket's lead). Either way, Shamura's beliefs are not their own. They're someone else's ideas that they are repeating and upholding. And Shamura and Heket are on the same page about it.

This could be applied to Shamura's origin with the crown. By donning the Purple Crown, they were made apart of someone else's religion/cult and thus upholding beliefs, doctrines, etc that were already established by another.

"In my silk, I snared a Crown… to their faith, irrevocably bound…"

For the case of it being Heket, TOWW and Narinder do have separate voices despite being the same person (physically anyways). This clearer voice could be Heket before her injury, or it could be that Heket also has two sides to her as well—a good and a corrupt side. While her ideas may have been good/come from a good place, the Heket she is now (the Heket that agrees with Shamura) is warped and corrupt.

Shamura skipping notes in certain measures could be a marker for how they felt about their siblings at that moment. Four measures for four younger siblings.

Based on Bishop Order, this would mark some level of disagreement with Heket, Leshy, and Narinder. Based on age order, the disagreement would be with Leshy, Narinder, and Kallamar.

"He of havoc, he of blight; she of hunger, they of might. Five becomes four becomes three becomes two becomes one becomes nothing."

Oh. The separation between Kallamar and Heket (with the ';') aligns with the two "sides" shown in this song. Cool when things work out like that.

Verse 1

Leshy and TOWW sing an entirely different melody, slightly off from the Main Beat. Deemed TOWWs Melody because, well, that's what it is. It's the through-thread of his theme. It seems to be on 2/4 and flows up and down in a specific pattern. This verse is only four measures, with Kallamar accompanying the harmony towards the end of the second measure. Narinder joins in for the second and fourth measure, but in the fourth measure he sings 4 notes instead of the 2.

Analysis

This splits the family into two sides: Leshy, Narinder, and Kallamar vs Heket and Shamura.

The use of TOWWs melody could have a literal meaning, representing Narinder's beliefs and ideas. Perhaps the "new" ideas that got him locked up in the void. Leshy and Narinder share a few connections, but the most obvious one is the camelias. Not surprising that these two hold the same/similar beliefs, especially with Leshy being a God of Chaos. Kallamar being part of this group is most interesting because he (and Heket) are the stagnant parts of the Old Faith.

I've always wondered why Narinder opted to start calling himself The One Who Waits, when that clearly isn't what he wants to be. He doesn't want to wait. He doesn't want to be the God of Death the way all the others have been. So, an alternative:

TOWWs melody in this piece represents what they have to be as gods and as Bishops of the Old Faith. Leshy lives by it, Kallamar reluctantly lives by it, and Narinder lives by it reluctantly as well... until he doesn't. He tries to sing a different tune.

The siblings opting not to sing at certain parts kind of stuck out to me, so I'll explore it whenever it comes up. I'll stick to age order, since that aligned well in chorus 1.

Leshy sings all four measures, so he's cool with everyone. Narinder shows disagreement with Leshy and Kallamar. Kallamar shows disagreement w/ Leshy and Heket, but he's coming around on her.

Chorus 2

Shamura's Melody once again, now lacking the unknown voice from the first chorus. This time Shamura sings the final note in each measure, and Heket's backup vocals are more confident.

Interlude

The TOWWs melody, but sung by Kallamar with Leshy providing backup vocals. Only four measures again, Leshy absent on the third.

Analysis

Without the third voice leading the song, both Shamura and Heket are louder and more confident. Shamura shows agreement with all their siblings, so whatever was wrong resolved? And yet both sides are still singing different melodies, and now Narinder is absent. Based on the two options discussed above, Kallamar is now the one who is either discontent with his role or suggesting new ideas of change. Leshy being less vocal here compared to the last verse could signify a lack of belief in Kallamar, even if their ideas are the same. His absence on the third measure would also mean strife with Kallamar.

Chorus 3

Kallamar and Leshy carry on the alternate melody in the same fashion, but now Shamura's Melody is over it with slight modifications. First measure gains a note at the end (down, then up), second measure the final note goes down. For the first two measures, Heket gives the leading vocals while Shamura does backup vocals. They switch spots for the last two measures, Shamura opting not to sing the final (new) two notes at the end of the third measure, and goes down on the final note of the fourth measure while Heket goes up. Heket also stops being backup vocals for the last measure, makes it a duet.

Analysis

The back and forth between the two melodies show the different "ideas", but the way Shamura's Melody completely overpowers and drowns out TOWWs Melody would point to those ideas not exactly living in harmony. This is emphasized by how, in the bridge, the two melodies are no longer in sync. Without Narinder/TOWW to back those ideas, they fade away and the "same" continues with Heket taking the lead, even if only for a short time. During this period, Heket gained mixed feelings about Leshy, and a lowered opinion of Narinder.

When Shamura takes the lead position again, they and Heket begin to drift apart ideologically. Maybe it's the changes Heket has subtly made. They're upset with Narinder, and their opinion of Kallamar has lowered. But Heket's opinion of Shamura has gone up, even as she refuses to return to her supporting role. She wants to lead. With Shamura? or in their place?

Kallamar is consistent throughout this section, but Leshy shows strife with Shamura when Heket is in the lead, and strife with Heket and Narinder when Shamura is in the lead.

Bridge

With no vocals, the alternate melody plays over the Secondary Beat using only TOWWs instruments. They are out of sync. On the second repetition of the melody, Leshy's instrument enters playing the Secondary Beat. On the third repetition, the vocals return: First Leshy, then Kallamar, and then Narinder.

Analysis

The Bishops hit a point where none of them are willing to unify. The family's broken. None of them sing. And there's nothing left but TOWWs influence following the tempo Shamura set, two things that are wholly incompatible. But then Leshy's influence unifies with what remains of Shamura's. Maybe it's less influence in the sense of power, but their love for each other. Leshy's instrument plays to Shamura's beat, and the result is the family's reunification.

It's Leshy who starts it, making amends with Kallamar through TOWWs Melody. The two of them make amends with Narinder, and they make the change they've desired from the beginning. (Or they break free of the roles assigned to them)

Alternatively, Leshy forgives all. Kallamar forgives all but Leshy. Narinder forgives only Kallamar and Shamura. But maybe further forgiveness will come later, because....

Final Chorus

A new melody that everyone* sings together in harmony ･ﾟ･(｡>ω<｡)･ﾟ･ Two high notes sung in alternating octaves for the remainder of the song, in sync with both the Main and Secondary beat. Narinder is the loudest voice, but Shamura and Leshy accompany him. Kallamar joins in on the third and fourth measures before the song ends.

Analysis

Shamura finally sings a different melody, in harmony, with Narinder and Leshy. One that is hopeful and bright, and honestly led by Narinder IMO. Kallamar is late to join this final chorus, which could be because he still had unresolved tension with both Shamura and Leshy. But it could also be because he doesn't pay attention (he enters late on his own theme song too lmao).

Heket's part in this is so fascinating. She's there by Shamura's side the entire time, supporting their ideals, their beliefs. Never once straying to the 'other side'. She's characterized as someone vicious, whose words are hurtful and toxic. But also as someone who cares a lot about her family. And yet, it would seem that she may have attempted to usurp Shamura's position as either the head of the Old Faith or the head of the family. Which wouldn't work.

This family seems bound by their love for Shamura. Leshy potentially loves and cares for all of them, but theres clear divides for the rest. Heket loves Shamura and Leshy. She might love Kallamar as a brother, but she certainly doesn't like him. Kallamar loves Shamura (even though he threw them under the bus) and possibly loved Narinder before his fear of death/the Red Crown took priority. And Narinder loves Leshy, Kallamar, and Shamura.

Shamura loves Narinder the most, so it makes sense they finally come to some sort of compromise. Shamura's way didn't work for the boys. But Narinder's way didn't work for Shamura. And the resolution comes from something that is different from what either of them stood by.

What seems like a happy ending is achieved, but without Heket.

[lunarsands]

Empires SMP S1 Fanfic: Night of the Winter Stars

Title: Night of the Winter Stars

Characters: Mythical Sausage, Scott Smajor, Xornoth (in elf form not demon), and a small flock of adopted children

Relationships: MythicalSausage/Scott Smajor

Tags: Empires SMP S1 AU, scosage, adoption, wholesome, fluff

WARNINGS: acknowledgement of amputation (not sure how else to tag that but just in case)

Summary: It’s time for the winter festival in Rivendell. Scott and Sausage bring their little growing family to experience the snow and have some fun.

(Also available on Ao3!)

[ A/N: The story of how Scott and Sausage ended up together (and how Sausage came to lose an arm) is currently a WIP by Cynthrey. The story of how they ended up adopting over a half dozen children is the sequel that I’m currently working on, but I wanted to write a cute little fic for the holidays, so here’s a preview of what life is like for these two as they navigate fatherhood with an adorable mix of children. | Also includes collaborative artwork by Cynthrey here!]

- - -

Packing for the week-long stay in Rivendell for the winter festival had gotten slightly more complicated with the addition of two now five-year-olds and an infant of indeterminate age but at this point was considered to be about six months old. It would be the human children’s first time visiting, and Sausage was probably worrying too much about making sure everyone stayed warm enough. Xornoth had joked about building a lodge just for his brother’s gaggle of kids when three more had first been added, but now with little Mariposa it was pretty much a necessity to have the space plus anything extra they might need, so there would be spare clothes available waiting for them. The elven children would be fine with their newly acquired color-coordinated hats, scarves, and gloves, and at least the older children could handle most of their own packing.

Now at fourteen, Azahar was helping where he could, providing an example of dressing responsibly for the weather with the striped scarf that matched his amber eyes and short orange dreadlocks, contrasting well with his darker skin. He made sure nine-year-old – well, nine-and-a-half, as she would insist – Liana kept both of her gloves in one coat pocket and her hat in the other. She had requested violet for her set to match her eyes, complaining that dark blue would blend in with her long, sapphire hair. Twelve-year-old Elowen, meanwhile, had asked not for dark green that might go with his shoulder-length hair, but for light blue to go with his eyes and also to match with Scott; this had been quietly agreed by the two fathers as a good idea, since it could work as a comfort for the boy if he became nervous in possible crowds.

Meanwhile, Seren and Rayen, the long-blond-haired and brown-eyed human twins, had been given a similar shade of pink so they could interchange accessories as they were wont to do; Sausage had a backup set of everything in case one glove went missing during that mischief. At nine, their older sibling Ilan was also going to be on the more responsible side. They had green to match their eyes, and the hat fit just right to cover all of their brown hair to avoid assumptions about their identity.

Everyone adored the fact that Mariposa had tiny little boots that stuck out of the bottom of the crossbody baby carrier Scott would be using to transport her around, while the rest of her would be swaddled in a light pink fleece onesie plus as many colorful blankets as necessary. She had a tiny hat in bright turquoise to cover her white-blond hair, the shade perfectly matched to her eyes.

Scott didn’t mind being designated baby holder for most of the trip since Sausage wouldn’t be able to easily use the carrier with his own need for an extra layer of clothes, especially the thick, fleece-lined vest needed so his prosthetic arm wouldn’t be covered by a coat, which would render it almost unusable. A cloak draped over the remaining part of his upper arm worked well enough to stave off the chill on that side during his previous visits to Rivendell in winter, and of course fWhip had designed the prosthetic to resist being affected by the cold in general.

With nearly everyone waiting at the carriage outside, Sausage and Ilan were grabbing a few last-minute things, which included Seren, who was escaping every attempt to get her nice new hat on. She kept giggling and evading Sausage as he chased her down the hall; naturally, a five-year-old perpetually had more energy and ability to squirm free of anything, particularly a one-armed grown man, prosthetic limb or not.

Fortunately, Ilan was always prepared to wrangle one or both of their younger sisters, so they easily stepped in after the third escape and plopped the hat onto her head while she giggled again.

“Thank you, Ilan,” Sausage said with a bit of huffing and puffing after all the running. “Now we can go.”

“Carry me, Papa!” Seren crowed and held her arms up toward him.

“Okay, give me a moment. Ilan, can you take this bag? There’s a couple of extra things in there for Mariposa.”

“Got it,” they agreed, picking up the straps in both hands, although it was light enough that they didn’t have to struggle with it any.

“All right, let’s go. You know, Rayen went ahead already without a fuss.” Sausage scooped up Seren with his left arm, bracing her on his hip with careful support from his right hand, checking to be sure neither the bottom of her coat or her scarf got caught in any of the struts of his prosthetic before they all headed outside.

Scott had the rest of the children situated inside the carriage by the time they arrived, except for Azahar, who was on the driver’s bench holding the reins while waiting for Sausage. Ilan climbed in first, then Sausage more or less handed Seren to them so they could take over getting her settled. She saw that Liana was hugging her favorite plush bunny, and immediately clamored for her own plushie. Already prepared, Scott handed her a teddy bear. She then swapped with Rayen for a toy sheep.

Sausage got into the driver’s spot and took the reins. “And we’re off!” he announced.

~*~

The trip went smoothly with Mariposa only crying once on the way, but a few rounds of elven lullabies got her to quiet down again. Elowen and Liana joined in; Ilan was gaining more of a grasp of the new language and sang a few words that they knew through repetition, after the past few months of becoming used to Scott singing to the baby. The twins imitated some of the sounds but mostly hummed instead. It was a good way to keep everyone occupied, Scott decided, as he gently patted Mariposa’s back, having turned her around in the carrier toward him since being able to lean her face on his chest seemed the most comforting for her.

Pulling onto the street leading to the apparent location of their assigned lodge, Sausage spotted Xornoth waiting for them. The purple-haired elf waved and Azahar waved back, calling, “Uncle Xornoth! We’re here!” As Sausage halted the carriage, the younger elf hopped down and ran over for a hug.

“Hey, kiddo! You’ve gotten tall.” Xornoth grinned and walked back over with Azahar while Sausage opened the carriage door and started helping the other children climb down. Xornoth nodded to each of them and greeted them with compliments or comments such as, “Oh, that’s a lovely bunny you have, Liana” and “Watch out, Seren, that sheep might eat your arm like it did to your papa.”

When it was Scott’s turn to exit, Xornoth said, “Okay, let me see, where is my newest little niece – you two are utterly ridiculous by the way, have I told you that? – Ah, there she is!” Scott already had Mariposa out of the carrier and was holding her toward his brother. Xornoth took her into his arms and quickly shifted to holding her in a supported cradle position. “Oh, look at you! You’re so tiny! And in one piece! That’s a miracle, with your two hapless dads. Just wait until you’re old enough to notice one of them misplaced an entire arm!”

“Xornoth,” Scott warned through gritted teeth. When he had gotten his brother to agree to the promise of we don’t talk about what happened to Papa’s arm, he should have known there would be endless jokes involved to avoid the truth.

“Uncle Xornoth!” Liana yelled, “Don’t make her scared of sheep!”

Xornoth chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’ll tell her something else. Maybe this time it could be that… hmm… he traded it for a magic spell that would make a tiny flower turn into a tiny princess, because he and Dad wanted a baby for the family.”

Scott couldn’t help casting a soft-hearted look at Sausage. Well, that one was kind of sweet, at least. The children had gotten used to their elven uncle’s habit of telling a different story every time he started joking about Sausage’s prosthetic arm. The mix of redstone technology and magic that made it work had only fascinated them and hadn’t bothered any of them when they had each first been introduced to the fact. He gave perfectly good hugs with it, after all.

“Well,” Xornoth then said, “Let’s get you settled in. Come on, kids, I’ll show you to your rooms! I assume you two can handle your luggage.” He threw a teasing smirk at Scott and Sausage then swept off into the building while a porter held the door for him, still cradling Mariposa and the other children eagerly following him.

Scott blinked and slowly looked down at the empty baby carrier, as if trying to process that his brother had easily made off with an infant with zero fuss.

Sausage, meanwhile, chuckled as he climbed up to reach the bags secured on top of the carriage. “We’ll see how he handles babysitting them all once the novelty of arriving here wears off for them. Last time he saw the twins they were on their best behavior. Just wait until they find out how much they’re allowed to run around in the snow.”

“That could be the deal, then: if he wants to hold Mariposa, he has to help with the other girls.” Scott began to take bags as Sausage handed them down to him, then the porter and a couple of other servants joined to assist getting everything inside. Aside from Seren and Rayen, the other children knew to come back to get their own things, but in the meantime most of the bags were left near the door so Scott and Sausage had a chance to look around, although Sausage made sure to take one of the baby supply bags with him.

There was the main room with a large fireplace with enough seats for a dozen people, and a small kitchen to the left. A hallway to the right led to one set of rooms, while a staircase went up to another floor. They could hear multiple footsteps above them so they assumed everyone was touring the rooms upstairs. The two were just about to go up when Xornoth appeared, chattering away as he led the children back downstairs.

“See, I remembered ahead of time so you don’t all have to have a room each to yourself. Those rooms are just extras, so you can pick from the ones down here. There is one especially set aside for your dads and Mariposa, though, so maybe not that one.” He flashed a look at Sausage and Scott. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

He expertly held the baby with one hand while opening the door to the first room off the hallway. While the other rooms they had already seen contained two double beds, this room had only one so that there was space for a changing table and a very old, but sturdy-looking wooden crib that was decorated with finely carved images of the moon, stars, and planets on the headboard with slightly more crudely painted images of animals along the outside bottom – lower spots where a small child could reach.

“This crib,” Xornoth announced, as he leaned over the side to gently place Mariposa onto the awaiting blankets, then stood with a flourish of one hand, “Is where your dad slept when he was a baby! Believe it or not, he was once even smaller than Mariposa. I don’t call him my little brother for nothing.”

There were some giggles, then Liana asked, “Did he have magic as a baby?”

“Sometimes, when he sneezed, he caused a tiny snow flurry in the crib, but that was it. Magic only really comes to you when you get older.” Here Xornoth cast a warm smile at Elowen, knowing the boy had begun practicing more spells lately for a special reason.

Ilan had been looking at the animal pictures, but then asked, “Uncle Xornoth, do you know any magic?”

“A little bit, and more like general stuff. Sometimes there is one special magic someone can do, like your dad, and the rest of the time there are many different kinds, which I like to learn about even if I can’t actually cast the spells yet.”

Ilan now looked at him, then at Sausage, with a bit of a hopeful smile. The human child had shown interest in learning magic as well, but had been worried when they couldn’t catch on to the ice magic as easily as Elowen had. If an adult elf was still learning, that meant they had a chance, too.

Rayen started tugging at the bottom of Sausage’s vest. “Papa, I’m hungy.”

“Me too me too,” Seren chimed in, then stuck her thumb in her mouth before tugging on the other side. Well, there was one glove unaccounted for already.

Xornoth smiled down at them. “I’ll go see if dinner is ready at the Great Hall, if you can wait just a bit longer, little ones. If not, there are a few snacks in the kitchen, and you can settle in more until then.”

Mariposa chose that moment to start wailing, causing both Scott and Sausage to turn toward the crib. With the latter hindered by the twins, Scott made it there first and picked her up to carry her over to the changing table for a check.

“Wow, you’re both already really good at this,” Xornoth complimented. “Guess you can handle a baby after all. Well, I’ll be on my way! See you in a bit!”

Sausage handed off the supply bag to Scott, then ushered the other children out to assign them specific rooms – mainly so the twins would be right next door in case they had any late-night issues. Liana agreed to share the room with them, and as expected while being in an unfamiliar place Elowen asked to be in Azahar’s room, leaving Ilan to a room all their own, which they were happy with since it gave them a break from their sisters. The younger girls might behave since they were away from home and would have Liana there to tell them things about the elven homeland in winter.

After dinner Xornoth returned to the lodge with them to chat some more with Sausage, holding Mariposa again while the younger children played under Azahar’s supervision. Scott sat separately with Elowen, going over a few spellcasting gestures without fully creating the intended effect. It would be an early bedtime for everyone, though, since the festival began in the morning.

~*~

Despite being woken up twice during the night by Mariposa crying, Scott was awake on time. He quietly walked around the room getting ready, letting Sausage sleep a few extra minutes before finally waking him and helping him put his prosthetic on for the day.

While Sausage tended to Mariposa, Scott went to wake Elowen to help him fix up his hair with braids along each side of his head and tied together at the back, just like Scott’s. After that they gathered up the rest of the children, bundling up as necessary against the extra chill just as the sun was rising. Elowen walked beside Scott with Azahar right behind, while Liana and Ilan held the hand of one twin each, and Sausage at the rear, temporarily carrying a still-sleepy Mariposa facing outward in the carrier.

Although there was already a fair amount of snow around and frost on the gardens they passed, the official start of the festival called for a little something more. As they entered the area where many residents of Rivendell had already begun to gather, they saw Xornoth waiting with a crown of blue crystals on his head and an attendant at his side holding a folded cloth.

When the group stopped, Xornoth bowed to Scott and took off the crown to place it on his brother’s head. From atop the cloth he took a necklace that had a single blue crystal attached to a gold bauble and bestowed it upon Elowen. He then took the cloth itself, holding it up by one edge so that it unfolded into a shimmering dark blue cape, which he put around Scott’s shoulders, signaling that he would be the Summoner of the Sigils for the duration of Winterfest.

There was some light applause from those closest who had watched. More of the crowd parted as Scott walked to the center of the main festival grounds. Elowen remained behind, looking uncertain, but Azahar used the moment to squeeze his hand and give his best friend-turned-brother a reassuring smile.

Seren and Rayen jostled their way between their older brothers to get closer. Azahar gave them a patient look and now put a hand on each’s head to keep them from wandering further away, but they stayed in place now that they had a better view to watch as Scott shaped the spell that would form the snowflake sigils in the sky. He paused just before completing it and looked over at Elowen with a gentle smile.

The boy glanced around nervously, but Azahar whispered an encouraging, “You can do it,” although he refrained from offering a physical push. Elowen kept his eyes downward as he walked over, but he did look up at Scott once he reached him. Scott gave the slightest of nods, and Elowen took a breath then began to trace out the spell they had practiced the night before. He threw his arms upward at the same time as Scott did. The sigils appeared, accompanied by a small flurry of snow that dusted the surrounding area in a fresh layer of white glitter. The attendees applauded louder now, and there were a few exclamations of wonder as frost elementals materialized beyond the gathering and began to wander around at random, adding more layers of snow in their wake.

Elowen grinned; Scott kept his own arms up a few seconds longer even though he wanted to hug him, but then Azahar ran over to catch the younger boy up in a fierce embrace, getting that hug in first. “You did it! I knew you’d be alright!”

Scott smiled and now hugged them both.

Drawn by the excitement, Seren and Rayen came over as well, running in circles around the three of them. Liana skipped over next, proclaiming, “Elowen did it! He’s a winter wizard!”

Xornoth, remaining beside Sausage and Ilan, chuckled warmly. The summoning was usually a more formal affair, but the crowd didn’t seem to mind, already turning toward individual chatter and breaking off into smaller parties to start exploring the food stalls and market offerings spread throughout the town and adjacent valley. He decided he preferred the rambunctiousness of children over stiff ceremony.

He was about to comment as much to Sausage, but the soft look on the man’s face as he watched Scott and the rest of the kids made him chuckle again instead. He put a gentle hand on Ilan’s head and smiled down when they looked up, then put his other hand on Sausage’s shoulder. “A whole bunch of future wizards and knights and caretakers and whatever else they want to be. You two are doing all right.”

“Thank you,” Sausage replied, glancing down at Mariposa as she babbled and waved her tiny hands in Scott’s direction. “Looks like she wants Dad again. If you’ll excuse us, Your Highness, we’ve got some playing to do.” He grinned and took Ilan’s hand to include the still somewhat stoic child in the wintery games, as the others had started to construct figures out of snow in imitation of the frost elementals with Scott helping to shape and keep the forms with a little extra magic.

~*~

There was a break for food along the way, with plenty of offers of free treats for the younger children, but Sausage insisted on paying for everything. The inn offered a space for tending infants during the day, which Scott used as a chance to converse with a few nursing elven mothers there and get advice while feeding Mariposa her scheduled bottles.

A little later on the family went further separate ways when Sausage took the children to go sledding while Scott brought Mariposa back to the lodge for a nap somewhere warmer rather than continuing to carry her around. Xornoth accompanied him and once Mariposa was settled into the crib, they made some hot cider and sat in the main room close to the hallway to be able to hear if she suddenly woke up crying.

“Parenthood seems to be suiting you both well,” Xornoth commented. “Elowen did wonderfully, and I can see that all of them are fond of you. I assume you’re stopping at seven, though. You might start getting in over your head, and I’m going to run out of embarrassing stories soon.”

“Well, going from three to six was a little overwhelming at first, but things worked out for the best for everyone, I think. We have the space at the castle, after all. And Mariposa just sort of happened before we realized it.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask, and well, just to be honest: what possessed you tw— Uh, sorry, wrong choice of word there, ehm. What made you decide to adopt an infant? It’s your business, of course, I’m not saying you shouldn’t have, just kind of curious how that came about.”

“It was an impulse decision, I’ll admit. We could have let her go to a home better able to meet her needs, but with one look she won our hearts and we decided to at least try.” Scott smiled down at his mug of cider. “This is our new adventure and we’re exploring it together. If we can make a difference in their lives, I’d say it was a success.”

Xornoth couldn’t resist reaching over and ruffling Scott’s hair. “My little brother, taking on the biggest adventure of all. So, tell me more of what everyone is up to. Liana is still a little firecracker, I see. I don’t imagine her having the patience to learn magic, but Ilan seems interested…”

~*~

Out on the sledding hills, a game had been set up of three teams to see who could navigate to the bottom of the hill and climb back up the fastest.

Halfway through the second run, Liana and Elowen were trying to race Sausage back to the top, then Liana stopped and yelled, “Papa, you’re cheating! You can carry them and the sled! They should walk like us!”

Sausage looked back at her, a twin balanced on each hip and the ropes of the small sled tied to his belt. “What? I thought that counted to slow me down? Have you picked one of them up lately? They’re getting heavy!”

The twins giggled. Liana huffed. Sausage laughed and set the girls down one at a time, although for a second he regretted not going right-side first because he thought he felt the rig holding his prosthetic in place shift ever so slightly. fWhip had reinforced it the last time he did maintenance specifically in order for Sausage to handle picking up the kids more often, so it shouldn’t be having an issue. He then untied the sled from his belt, acquiescing to her complaint.

Liana waded through the snow and wrapped her arms around Seren, attempting to pick her up. Seren giggled, while Elowen stood holding the ropes of the other sled, wondering if he should point out to his elven sister that Azahar and Ilan were now winning. Then Rayen wanted to get involved and jumped on Liana, knocking all three of them over into the snow. Seren started crying, getting a little too squished under the other two and with cold ice crystals scraping against her face.

Sausage hurried to intervene before someone started kicking. “Easy, girls. You’re okay. It’s just a little snow.” He got Liana back on her feet then picked up Seren again and brushed the icy flakes off her reddened cheeks with his gloved left hand; the metal of his right would be colder to the touch.

Just then Azahar and Ilan came sledding past, calling out how they were going to win because everyone else was being slowpokes. Liana grabbed the sled from Elowen then charged the rest of the way up with him floundering to follow.

“Slowpokes! We’re slowpokes, Papa! Let’s go!” Rayen called out and tried to push him toward the top of the hill. Naturally she couldn’t move him even half a centimeter.

“In a second, Rayen. Let me make sure your sister is okay.” Seren was making sniffling noises but quieted down after another moment. “I think it might be time to go inside and warm up. We can play more tomorrow, alright?” Seren nodded and hugged him around the neck. Rayen emitted a disappointed whine, as kids do, but started trudging up the hill.

Sausage was about to follow, then felt the horizontal strap securing the prosthetic’s rig around his upper arm start to slip. “Uh, Rayen – Rayen, wait a second—” With little choice he dropped himself straight down into the snow, preventing Seren from falling by herself as his prosthetic came clean off. He winced a little at the abrupt cut off of the redstone signal, but he was more concerned that she would begin crying again from the sudden drop.

Instead, she only blinked before laughing. “Papa! Your arm!”

Fortunately, Azahar and Ilan were on their way back again and noticed there was something wrong, what with how Sausage was sitting on the ground now with both twins clamoring for him to get up. He had fished his prosthetic out of the snow but was resigned to having to put it back down in it so he could get up, but then Ilan took it from him with a sheepish smile while Azahar offered to help Sausage up.

“Thank you. Um, Azahar, can you give that a quick look? I don’t think anything broke. All it did was fall off.”

Having three years of experience watching fWhip tinker with the arm during maintenance visits, the elven teen had a basic idea of how the struts and plates looked in the correct condition. There wasn’t any sparking from any wires and Sausage did a quick test by making the fingers curl; even though it was controlled by remote signal anyway, it was slightly disconcerting to see it move when it wasn’t attached.

At least watching all this unfold kept the twins’ attention rapt, more fascinated than weirded out by the arm seeming to move by itself. A minute later Elowen and Liana caught up to the group as well, stopping to see what had happened.

Sausage clasped his left hand over the exposed stub of his arm, the fabric cuff designed to resist chaffing, not the cold. “Okay, everybody, time to go find Dad and get inside. Let’s go, let’s go.” He waved his left hand to encourage them all to get in front of him, but Liana held back and stared up at his right side.

“Papa,” she said in a scolding tone, “You’re gonna get cold.”

“It’s okay, Liana, let’s just get going.”

“No, Papa. You’re gonna get cold! C’mere.” She waved him down to her level.

He gave an accepting smile and knelt on one knee. She pulled off her scarf and wrapped it around, under, and over his right shoulder, managing to cover that entire part of his arm. He helped tuck in the ends so it wouldn’t come loose. “Thank you. Now I’ll stay good and warm until we get back.”

Liana went skipping off – as much as the snow allowed for skipping – and he followed, catching up to the others in time to hear Seren demand to carry the prosthetic because it was her fault it came off so she should get to help. As she made several attempts to jump and take it from Ilan, Azahar’s answer was to take it instead and hold it up higher out of her reach.

They left their sleds in a corral at the top of the hill for others to use later, then headed in the direction of the lodge. On the way they met up with Xornoth and Scott, chatting together as they strolled around town. Scott was cradling Mariposa in his arms instead of using the baby carrier, perhaps to allow for a thicker layer of swaddling blankets, but once he caught sight of the purple scarf around Sausage’s upper arm, he handed off the entire bundle of quietly murmuring baby to Xornoth so he could go and inspect the prosthetic for himself.

Azahar held it out for him to see. “I didn’t notice any damage. I think the strap got loosened, and… maybe the rig isn’t as cold-proof as Uncle fWhip thought?” the boy suggested.

“That’s possible. Winter in Mythland and the Grimlands is milder, plus you’ve all been out here for a while.” Scott removed his own scarf and put it on Liana despite her claiming that she was fine, then they all headed back to the lodge.

~*~

A clothes line was already strung up across the width of the room in front of the fireplace for all the hats and gloves to be hung up. Armor stands had been made into improvised coat racks, and soon the children had changed into dryer clothes. Scott helped Sausage out of his vest and into a change of clothes of his own while Xornoth kept an eye on everyone, then they sat down together to inspect his prosthetic a little more.

The rig was designed to fit snugly with the strap as more of a backup to keep it in place. As Scott slid it up over the end of Sausage’s arm, it seemed to be fitting correctly, but he kept a thought toward what their eldest son had said. “I think Azahar is right. It might be because it’s just that much colder here and it’s affecting the metal. You might have to take it easy on the extra lifting and carrying we have this time.”

“But that’s not fair to you,” Sausage protested. “You’re already handling most of the things for Mariposa. I’ll just, umm… Well, I’ll find a regular coat to wear and that will be some insulation, at least.”

As their conversation went on, Xornoth listened in while pretending to have his own conversation with Mariposa as she happily gurgled and mumbled, laying on a blanket on the seat beside him so she was free to wave her hands and kick her little legs. He made sure to rest his hands on her so she didn’t make any sudden moves that might make her fall before he snuck a glance at his brother. It was difficult to plan for everything when traveling with kids, but with one extra thing that could become an inconvenience when this was meant to be a simple holiday trip…

Xornoth picked up the baby and started toward the bedrooms, calling back, “Scott, the extra diapers are in that one bag, right? I think Mariposa needs a change. I’ll take care of that then we’ll figure out dinner.”

He only pretended once he got to the room, however, knowing she would fuss if she did need a change. Instead, he pulled on the carrier and placed her in it, then picked up the supply bag and casually walked out. “Grab your coats and hats, kids, we’re going over to the Great Hall now to see what’s cooking. I know they were baking cookies earlier. You two stay here, Papa needs time to warm up some more, I think. I’ll send someone over with a delivery so you can eat right here.”

Of course, with the mention of cookies, the children were happy to follow him without questioning, although Azahar had an amused expression, sensing this was a scheme to distract them from the fact that their fathers were being told to stay put.

Sausage also smiled and subtly made a little shrug that caused his prosthetic to slide off again, and Scott was distracted from potentially stopping his brother when it fell into his lap. “Oops. Maybe just leave it off for now?” He gave his elven husband a soft smile. A few hours without the kids would be fine, and they knew they could trust Xornoth with them.

.

As promised, a dinner for two was brought to the lodge, and they sat in the kitchen enjoying a calm, quiet meal. Afterward they sat by the large window in the main room, watching the sky begin to darken and the occasional bit of snow drifting off the roof in the breeze. Sausage leaned back against Scott’s chest while the elf draped his arms around him, gently resting a hand on the remainder of his right arm, prosthetic already put away for the night.

“Feels weird not jumping up to see why Mariposa might be crying,” Sausage murmured.

“Or getting the girls to stop running around and come to dinner,” Scott put in.

“It’s almost too quiet.”

“Yeah.”

Sausage sighed. “I don’t mind having a moment to ourselves, but… the room feels too empty.”

“Yeah.”

“I can’t tell if you’re really agreeing or not.”

“Well, I’m kind of thinking how it is a bit nice to have my husband in my arms right now.”

Sausage tilted his head to share a smile, then they kissed and went back to peacefully watching the sun set.

~*~

Everyone slept in a little later the next morning. With no other official ceremonies taking place until the end of the week, Scott was free to relax a little more, and now with the slight hiccup of Sausage’s prosthetic not being as snow day-proof as they had thought, there was some rearranging of the system they had previously planned out. It was also the children who woke their fathers first, asking if they could go sledding again after breakfast.

Sausage was in the midst of seeing them off with a comment to Scott warning him to not cheat, when Xornoth arrived at the door. “Hello again, I’m here to help with baby duties. I know you can always use an extra hand with that.” He winked at Sausage.

Scott groaned quietly. “Please, don’t start with the jokes again. I hear enough of those at home, I don’t need them from both of you.”

Xornoth and Sausage traded conspiratorial looks, and the elf said, “Oh, no, I would never subject you to so much torment, my dear brother. The offer goes to Sausage, after all. I know you can handle Mariposa fine by yourself, but he needs an arm to lean on sometimes. Although, I probably should have faith he can do it all single-handedly. Hands down, you both are doing a very good job with all of this—”

While Sausage cracked up at all the puns, Xornoth was hit in the face with a snowball that Scott had conjured from thin air. “Keep it up and you’ll become one with the frost elementals. We’re leaving now. I hate both of you.”

Sausage laughed again. “Okay, see you in a bit! Have f—” He was promptly struck in the chest by a less cohesive clump of snow and there was a round of giggles from outside the doorway. Azahar pointed down at Liana, although the gesture was unnecessary since she was already gathering up more snow from the nearby flower box for another attempt.

Scott conjured a smaller, more loosely packed snowball and tossed it at her. “Keep the snow outside please!”

Liana threw the new clump she had collected at him, then ran off around the side of the lodge to avoid retaliation. Scott glanced at Azahar, and at the unspoken signal the teen ran after her, flinging a snowball he had secretly made. The rest of the children followed and with a little bit of strategic herding, Scott managed to move the snowball fight behind the lodge so they wouldn’t accidentally involve anyone walking on the street.

He provided a few gentle bursts of extra snow, laughing and cheering along with them, and occasionally helping (or limiting) the twins with their enthusiasm. Rayen decided to once again get involved when Elowen and Azahar began to tussle in a snow drift. Scott mentally noted that they should probably keep tabs on how feisty she turned out as she got older. He scooped her up to move her out of the way, lightly swinging her around in the air to distract her.

She laughed and, after he set her down, returned to flinging bits of snow at her sisters and Ilan. Sausage and Xornoth watched from the bedroom window, the latter holding Mariposa up so she could watch while keeping safe and warm where she was. She babbled and giggled, seeing the motion outside and following the various colors as her older siblings happened to pass by the window.

At one point, Azahar stopped and waved at her. She babbled louder and made grabby hands toward him. Sausage opened the window a little and Azahar reached in with a little bit of snow on his glove. Mariposa automatically caught hold of one of his fingers but seemed to rethink it, not sure what to make of the cold and then the wet when the snowflakes melted under her warm touch. She made the baby noise equivalent of confusion and Azahar gently pulled his finger free with a smile and another wave.

Mariposa wiggled and kicked her legs. Xornoth kept a good hold on her, while Sausage went to get a cloth to dry her hand off; it never hurt to be overly cautious when she couldn’t say it might be bothering her.

The request for sledding was forgotten as the snowball fight turned from building small snow fortifications to throw from behind into a group effort to build several snowmen. Sausage put Mariposa down for a nap but remained inside to keep an eye on her while Xornoth went out to join the snow-sculpting. He and Scott worked on the higher parts and would smile warmly at each other from around the figures taking shape, both of them thinking about how they hadn’t played in the snow together since they were children, and rekindled their own brotherly bond – which included things like Xornoth pretending to accidentally dump a large handful of snow on Scott when it was meant to go on the biggest of the snowmen.

Naturally Scott responded by conjuring a tiny, localized snow flurry directly above his brother’s head. Xornoth made an exaggerated annoyed face, much to the amusement of the children; all except Liana, who was extremely focused on trying to weave some sticks together to make a right arm for one of the snowmen. At last, she held up her creation and called out, “Look! It’s just like Papa’s!”

“Oh no!” Xornoth cried dramatically. “Could it be? A frost elemental stole his arm the first time, now another is going to steal his new one?”

Liana emitted an indignant noise. “Uncle Xornoth! Stop changing the story or I’m gonna steal your arm an’ give it to Papa!”

This time the amusement was shared by everyone except Scott and Sausage, who glanced at each other from either side of the open window, until Sausage gave the elf a weak smile then turned away to check on Mariposa. Xornoth noticed the exchange and a realization about his joke hit him; he turned an apologetic wince toward his brother.

“It looks very good, Liana,” Scott interjected, moving to take the stick creation from her and carefully adding it to the tallest of the snowmen. “Everyone did a great job. I think it’s past lunchtime, though, so we should go inside for a while. We can play some more later this afternoon.”

~*~

The week continued on with various snowy activities, and Xornoth made up for his gaffe by babysitting Mariposa so Scott and Sausage could both spend time out with the other children at the same time, although they were just as happy to have everyone gathered by the fire in the main room before bedtime.

On the final evening of the festival everyone bundled up again to go out and join the crowd on the plateau. Scott, wearing the crown of crystals and shimmering cloak, dismissed the sigils, then placed the crown on Xornoth’s head and removed the cloak, folding it up neatly and handing it to his brother to finalize the ceremony, passing the power back to Rivendell’s ruler. Then, as the sun fully set, he found a comfortable spot to sit with Sausage and the children as a fireworks show started.

Sausage handed Mariposa to him then got the twins settled on his lap to keep them still for the show. Liana leaned on him from behind, arms around his neck in a loose hug. Elowen sat beside Scott, fidgeting with the crystal necklace he had worn again despite not contributing to the spellcasting this time, a gift to keep. Behind them Azahar and Ilan sat with Xornoth between them, having joined the family group after sending an attendant off with the ceremonial items.

The fireworks first appeared in the shape of the snow sigils, then, with a little extra magic, became more complex figures representing the frost elementals that appeared to move around, creating more sigils in the next round of colorful bursts. With the kids enchanted by the show, Scott leaned toward Sausage with a soft smile. “Happy Winterfest, love.”

There was the start of an attempt to kiss, but at that moment Mariposa let out a loud, happy squeal of her own and laughed, bright eyes on the sky as she kicked her feet. Sausage chuckled and settled for leaning his head against Scott’s with an answering fond smile.

 ~End~

[sodiumlamp]

Picard

The one thing, the only thing that I really cared about with Picard Season 2 was this moment where he hugs Q. I don't know if I just figured out he was dying all on my own, or I read spoilers at some point. But I'm pretty sure I saw this and decided there was really only one reason for this. I mean, I guess Q could just be "going away for a really long time." Like he got a job screwing with some other characters in a different dimension, and he won't be back before Picard dies of old age. But it simplifies things if he's just dying, or whatever the Q version of death is.

And I guess the basic idea is sound. Q knows he's only got so much time left, and he wants to spend it on one last romp with Picard, and this one is extra special because it forces Picard to confront his feelings about his mother's suicide.

I don't like Yvette's suicide in a vacuum. It's pretty fucking dark, and the gravitas it would have had in another show is wasted in Star Trek: Picard, which does constantly hotshots dark moments in a vain effort to be profound. By the time we get to Yvette's noose we've already seen Icheb's eye get plucked out, several other character deaths, Evil General Picard's skull collection, and all the spooky hallucinations and flashbacks that foreshadowed the Yvette reveal. The actual reveal gets lost in the shuffle.

Still, for what they were trying to do with Q, the gesture he was trying to make to Picard, it almost has to be something that big and character redefining. It's just that it's a good idea that was cast in the purgatory of this tedious bullshit show. Q's powers giving out was completely unnecessary, except as a way to drag out the story. Now he has to walk everywhere and use proxies like Adam Soong, which just ruins the pacing. All the other Q stories are settled in two hours or less, and that's because he can appear whenever and wherever to gas up the plot, or vanish to allow the story to simmer. But Picard isn't built that way.

The thing I realized today is that this show, and others like it, relies more on the audience speculation than the actual writing. What I mean by that is: You get one story over several episodes, and you're supposed to watch them over a span of time, and between episodes you're supposed to wonder about what's going to happen next. You're expected to rewatch the episodes you have access to and search for clues, formulate fan theories, and then tune in for the next one and see if you were right. And there's fun to be had there, but with Picard, it feels like the show is constructed more to tickle the viewer's curiosity more than actually telling a compelling story. For example:

Most of this episode is about the good guys trying to protect Renee and the Europa launch so Adam Soong doesn't spoil it. Q's nearly powerless, and the Borg Queen left in the previous episode, so there's no one left to be the villain except Soong, and he's... not a strong enough character to carry that off. He tries to poison Renee with a fast-acting neurotoxin, but Gary Eight fakes him out with a decoy. Soong's backup plan is to destroy the spacecraft itself with drones, but Raffi hacks their guidance system and Rios manages to use one drone to take out the other three. Then Kore reappears to reveal she erased all his research files, just to twist the knife. Utterly defeated, Soong reaches into his desk and pulls out a file entitled "PROJECT KHAN". You know, like the Star Trek villain. Khan? You know who that is? Do you?

It's... a dumb moment. This story is over, so there's nowhere for it to go. The good guys return to 2401 at the end of this episode, so they don't have to deal with the Eugenics Wars. And we already know how Khan ended up. This show isn't gonna pay any of this off.

But earlier in this viewing, I considered that maybe Adam Soong had something to do with the Eugenics Wars, since he seemed to be a hawk for genetic engineering, and then it turned out he cloned dozens of daughters in some sort of weird experiment. So during the long, dull minutes of this season, I wondered if maybe he was going to turn out to be involved with Khan and the Eugenics Wars somehow. That was kind of fun. And I was right! Good for me!

Except... I had to make my own fun. The text of Star Trek: Picard doesn't actually do much with any of this. Adam Soong's arc in this season is:

Whoa, what's Brent Spiner doing here?

Oh, he's a scientist with a sick daughter, and he's desperate enough to help Q.

Oh, he's turning into a huge dick. It's like Q corrupted his love for his daughter. Very tragic.

Oh, he's some sort of shady war criminal? So he's always been like this, and he always will be.

It's not much of a character arc at all, is my point. The real fun of Adam Soong depends on the audience to try to figure out his whole deal. Maybe he's Alton Soong from the 25th Century, or Data in disguise! Maybe he's Lore! Maybe he has an army of Kore clones in his basement! But the dirty little secret is that he really isn't that interesting at all. And by the time you find out what he really is, it's the end of the season, and they got away with wasting your time with a dud character.

The "PROJECT KHAN" folder is this cheap prize they give you at the end to reward you for sticking around this long. "Hey, you were right, he really is important because he invents Khan later." But it doesn't actually matter because this is his last appearance. It's just Brent Spiner holding a folder.

The same thing applies to Wesley Crusher showing up to recruit Kore into the Watcher/Traveler organization. I guess the idea here is that the Gary Seven people and the Travelers were in the same group? And now that Renee's Watcher is dead, they have a vacancy. But what makes Kore special? Like, Wesley had all these special talents and gifts. Kore spent her whole life indoors waiting for a cure for her genetic ailments. I mean, maybe she's a super-genius, but they never showed that. It just feels like they worked this in to cover for the fact that they never did much with Kore. "No, no, we meant to overlook Kore! That way you'd never see it coming when we... uh... uh... have her team up with Wesley Crusher! Wow!"

I mean, it's nice to see Wesley. I wasn't sure if he was in this series or not, so I can check off that box. I'm glad he's doing well. But it just doesn't matter. I guess they might still turn up in Season 3, but I doubt it.

So, once Q takes everyone back to their own time, we get back to the Borg crisis from the beginning of the season, and it turns out it's Jurati, and she set all this up to coordinate some big joint mission to save the galaxy from another space anomaly. It really doesn't mean anything, but they had to do some big feel-good thing to pay off the Borg. Jurati's Borg are good guy Borgs, I guess, and they request provisional Federation membership. I guess.

I think that's about all I wanted to go over. There's some interesting ideas in this, but the show is so plodding and slow that it never manages to land any of its best shots. Again, all I cared about was Q and Picard hugging. They could have done anything else to set up that moment, and it probably would have been better. Maye Q uses Picard's house as his own hospice, and Picard's stuck with him as a roommate for a while. Maybe he tries to take Picard on some goofy fantasy adventure but his heart just isn't into it, so Picard takes him out for drinks instead. Maybe they just give in to 30+ years of sexual tension and have dirty, nasty, old man sex for three episodes straight.

Oh, and Elnor's alive again. For all the difference it makes.

[holydramon]

I guess for reference the aus I sometimes refer to offhandedly that haunt my mind are (apologies that some have multiple names)…

Fatal Exception Error:

- Super Danganronpa 2 AU, with Chiaki as the protagonist

- This is basically a take on the redo/time travel concept I’ve seen other people do, with the main conceit of this AU being that the Neo World Project crashes and restarts during Chiaki’s execution (it was not programmed to handle what would happen if all the Usami backups were destroyed)

- Chiaki, Monomi, and Monokuma are all aware of what happened last game, and the game is even more them playing a big game of chess than the last time. Some things stay the same, but Monokuma does throw in new motives this time around.

- Chiaki tries to use her knowledge of what she knows about everyone and the events of last time to use and prevent her friends being killed but will she succeed..? (no it’s a rewrite people still die)

- I accidentally made Chiaki and Peko gay for each other and now that’s a large part of the AU. like I swear I did not make this AU with this in mind it just happened.

Your Angel or Your Devil (aka Deal With a Tiny Devil or YAoYD):

- my take on the Hikari’s partner is PicoDevimon AU

- the idea is mainly just a while rewrite of canon but only writing the relevant things that’d change, plus some extra content that just exists within the canon of this AU

- this is actually also a digimon tri rewrite in disguise because a large part of it is trying to set up tri and have it make sense in the broader sense of the series

- I have had this one the longest and have a LOT of thoughts about it but since I have not rewatched Adventure or 02 for a while I am not sure how many of said thoughts actually make sense/fit character or lore wise

Apollo Justice Quadrilogy (aka The Second Quadrilogy or Apollo Justice: Retrial):

- Rewrite of the second Ace Attorney trilogy, meant to actually progress from AA4 left off

- Is a quadrilogy because there are four games! One being Athena Cykes: Ace Attorney which is the third game, is purely Athena POV, and is a Dual Destinies rewrite. I debated moving this around timeline wise but legitimately I think it works best as right after my planned second game.

- Some main things to know are: Phoenix does not become a lawyer again, the sibling reveal happens second game and based a lot around the Gramaryes/Thalassa, and the last game is centered around the Gavin brothers and why Kristoph is Like That

anyway yeah. if you have questions about these let me know I guess because these three haunt my brain 24/7. I will note if you ask about these now it may be a while til I answer tho cause school is a pain.

[hungerandthirst]

second program done – grade 4s again but from a co-ed school

these kids were soooo different from last week’s angels – i think this was genuinely the worst listening ability i’ve ever seen in a group of kids. we never once had silence, it was impossible to get their attention. and it was kind of cute because they all just liked each other a lot and wanted to talk to each other all the time but holy shit. even one minute of actual listening was not achievable.

this group was also a little bit like “too cool for school” and many of them were referencing memes etc which is so sad and disorienting to see from 9 year olds…

that said, at the end of the program we did a gratitude activity and got really genuine answers about like food, nature, family/friends etc so obviously some things clicked. i also got real engagement and insightful answers after the sit spot with my group which was interesting because i honestly didn’t think they would be able to handle it. but sometimes they surprise you

i definitely started the week in a funk and would randomly sink into despair whenever i had a minute to myself. this is the first job i’ve had where i haven’t had coworkers who became true friends (it’s only been two weeks but my only coworkers are three people in the mid 30s to early 40s range who are all my direct superior…..) obviously that’s just lucky on my part but i think it’s actually taking a toll that i just do the work and then I’m completely alone and i’m the only new person and there’s nobody to just like chat shit and process the new working environment with. it feels like being an only child again – i dont know anything and the three of them know each other super well and people are nice to me but there’s nobody to hang out with. and this makes it harder for me to pull off the energy i need to engage kids for 14 hours a day because i have no outlet for anything when I’m there. it’s kind of lonely.

last weekend i was sooooo anxious about canoeing and my walkabout and i had literally no reason to be it was completely fine. canoeing actually kind of pissed me off because nobody gave me any instructions and the tide was sooooooo low that it was so difficult and chaotic to launch…. then when we were trying to raft up with the other canoes i meant to tell the left side to do something but i accidentally said right so we went the wrong way and it just felt so shitty idk. and then when we landed the tide was still so low and my boat hit a sandbar so I had to push us back out and try again to come in and my hiking boots got full of water and i was actually just in such a bad mood. ugghhhhh it was literally fine i just was pissed off

because of that my boots were wet for the entire program and it was so uncomfortable. and now I need to figure out what to do because they smell foul

the weather was unbelievable like it was sunny as they got off the ferry and then it started raining as soon as we launched the canoes an hour later. then it rained and was freezing for 48 hours straight until we did our closing circle and as soon as they got on the ferry to leave it was sunny again…. audacious weather

my poor kids were soaking wet and freezing and we still had to eat lunch outside and they kept asking me why we had to eat outside and i was like girl i literally have no idea. we’re trying to cram 50 people under this tiny tarp can we not just find somewhere to go under cover or indoors like this is insane.

on that note like we literally just need more staff. trying to run programs like this with a staff team of literally 4 people is insane. even just one extra set of hands would make a huge difference and they have no backup plan if somebody gets sick/injured

i’m worried that one of the teachers gave negative feedback about me on the evaluation forms??? there was just some weird specificity in handing out the forms in our debrief meeting that seemed like there was something about either me or one specific other staff member. and that’s fair because i don’t think i did my best work this week but i do wanna know and it sucks because I have THREE BOSSES and NO COWORKERS so everybody just gets to know except for me

i don’t even know like…. in this job i’ve experienced a range from “i like this” to “i actively dislike this” which has never really happened to me at a job like this before. I’ve never once been like wow i love this so much!!! and it’s unusual for my to not enjoy work/being outdoors to the point that i just want to go home. it has its redeeming moments for sure and it seems to get better as the week goes on but it’s hard to not have coworkers that aren’t my superior

my main boss said i was really funny and everybody liked the characters i did this week 👍

got my first pay check and not a moment too soon

i am really looking forward to my summer job w the whales and i have a zoom call with the team on monday so that’s something to look forward to

the program this upcoming week is a completely new curriculum in a completely new location so i’m basically starting from scratch…… sigh.

only 5 more programs babe… it’s fine

[sailorwritesstuff]

Bruno leaving his pregnant S/o behind.

+ a little bit of Mirabel fluff.

Okay so you guys found out you were pregnant not by taking like a pregnancy test or anything but the family is getting ready for breakfast and you are the last two come downstairs and 12-year-old Dolores goes "does anyone hear that?"

of course everyone's confused bc nobody knows what she's talking about and then she keeps talking

"Dolores what are you talking about?" and Dolores frowns and looks at Pepa "mamá It's an extra heartbeat It's so quiet." She took her head while pepa and Felix Just look at her puzzled.

You finally come downstairs to join everybody and little Dolores grabs your wrist and tugs you towards her.

And then she places her ear on your still flat tummy.

"its coming from you."

everyone else at the table is like freaking out except for The youngest three who are literally 4,5, and 9.

Bruno, who's frozen in his chair staring at Dolores like she grew an extra head

And you. who just came downstairs has no idea what Dolores is talking about. You laugh nervously at her and part her head. "what are you talking about, amor?"

"there's an extra heartbeat in you" you make eye contact with Bruno (and he blushes because he's Bruno)

"Oh-"

Julieta insist on a party because honestly no one really thought Bruno was going to have kids.

It's relatively small due to Not a lot of people in town liking him but everyone's really too happy to care.

for a few months everything was perfect every morning when he would wake up he would kiss your stomach and mutter "te amo pequeña mariposa" when he thought you were still sleeping.

he didn't let you do too much due to being paranoid. and anytime the two of you went anywhere he threw salt over his shoulder before entering the room.

seriously tho where does he keep the salt??

The only place he's not allowed to throw salt is in Julieta's the kitchen. his sister will smack him in the back of the head with the wooden spoon "suficiente con la sal!!"

he's constantly making sure you've eaten. and he insist that you wear one of his ponchos everywhere. "What if you get cold, Mi Girasol? or worse you catch a cold."

"you worry to much, miedoso." (scaredy cat)

he insist you wear socks to bed even if they're uncomfortable.

despite that he'll cuddle up with you and throw his arms around your body to hold you close at night.

he'll tell you both good night and sweet dreams.

The two of you discussed names and decided if you had a boy you would name him after Bruno's father Pedro with Alma's permission of course. And if she said no your backup option was Mateo.

and if it was a girl, Which Bruno seemed so sure it was, he decided Aurora, You didn't know where he got it from at all

but it means Dawn Which was the time of day he realized "oh shit I'm in love with them"

Him and Mirabel are so cute together

they both talk to the baby. Not the cute baby talk but they have genuine conversations with this baby. sometimes a kind of feels like you're interrupting.

One time in particular you went to take a nap on the couch and you wake up to Mirabel laying along your legs Her cheeks pressed against her now showing Belly and He finger laying next to your belly button just talking. " 'nd so Luisa said I couldn't beat her in a race and I said of course I can! so we raced and i lost." she huffed. "But I'll show her in a few weeks I'm going to get a really awesome gift. Maybe it'll be super speed. I wonder what kind of gift you'll get, Mariposa."

when you turn your head to the side there is you husband sitting next to the couch head pressed into the sofa arm drooling just a bit.

and then everything went wrong.

those few weeks did pass and Alma asked Bruno to look into Mira's future.

when you asked him how it went he got dodgy and didn't answer. Which was weird because He might have been anxious about things but he always made an effort to talk to you about it.

"everything is fine i promise." And he smiled at you. And you believed him. "go wish Mira good luck for me? I'll be down in just a minute."

And then the gifting ceremony happened and you watched as Mira touch the candle with both her little hands and wipe her nervousness on The top of her dress before reaching out to touch the door handle.

You couldn't really focus because your husband was nowhere to be seen

And when you finally refocused on your niece there was no door. and the crowd was silent.

and Mira looked confused to her Abuela, then to her mamá, and then to you.

when things finally settled down And all the flowers have been put away and all The townspeople had gone home you wonder back up to Bruno's Tower.

"Miedoso? Mi Amor? are you alright you didn't watch Mira's gifting-..."

but the room is empty.

You turn on your feet to go and ask anyone else if they had seen him.

"He isn't in his room? He said he was going to lay down a bit just earlier."

But he couldn't have. He said he'd be down in a minute and he never came. your brain insisted if he wasn't feeling well he would have told you.

and so the family searched for a bit. No luck.

and in the morning Felix and Luisa searched again.

Dolores avoided you like the plague. and Mirabel clung to you more than ever.

that night for the first time the baby kicked.

and he wasn't there.

of course what you didn't know is he kept an eye on you. through little cracks in the wall

he listens to you when you talk at dinner and sat in the walls when you sang to his little mariposa

So far but so out of reach.

He would leave little gifts around for you to find. And you just thought it was Casita being nice.

I mean it was a magic house

You give birth with Julieta in the room holding your hand.

You had a daughter. Aurora.

Aurora Mariposa Madrigal you were just a little happier

but Bruno cried for days because he couldn't be there.

he watched in silent distress as you moved out of your room. and the door was boarded shut.

He listened as his name became a taboo subject.

But you told Aurora stories about him. the REAL him.

when he came back he was so awkward and in serious need of a shower and maybe a new poncho.

The three of you hugged and he tells you "i missed you amor."

And he looks at your daughter and says "You've gotten so big mariposa."

[angelasscribbles]

Bad Romance Disney Adventure Chapter 1: Stuck in LA

Miniseries: Bad Romance Disney Adventure

Main Series: Bad Romance

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Pairings: Riley x Liam, Liam x Max, Riley x Max, Riley x Drake, Riley x Leo (past)

Rating: MA

Warnings for this chapter: Language, Sex will be mentioned

Word Count: 2,078

A/N: Special shout out to @nestledonthaveone and @queen-arabella-of-cordonia for the asks that inspired/launched this little endeavor.

A/N 2: @dcbbw gave me the idea that they wouldn't stay in a hotel, but would have royal residences around the world, and that they could be in LA for Max's latest movie. I ran with that and just for extra chaos, I made it the house Leo lives in and threw him into the mix. THEN @dcbbw said wouldn't it be funny if Riley and Leo had some kind of a past together? We bounced some ideas around and the lines, "Everyone but you baby" and “Leo, that was a very long time ago. That was…..” Liam counted on his fingers, “At least five lovers and four children ago.” are both hers, I have just used them with impunity as well as her permission.

Disclaimer: I know I won't be the first person to ever put Leo and Riley together in some capacity. Most notably @queenrileyrose. Truly, if you haven't read her stuff, go read it because it's amazing! This is my little Bad Romance twist on Leo and Riley and I hope I've done them justice. As always, any similarities to anyone else's work in purely unintentional and coincidental.

My other stuff: Master List.

“This fucking sucks!” Drake sent his water bottle flying across the room to crash into the wall three feet from Max’s head.

Max flinched, “Geez, yeah, I know you’re upset but-“

“Shut the fuck up, Beaumont, this your fucking fault!” Drake pointed a finger at him.

“It’s not Max’s fault, Drake! Stop taking it out on him.” Riley chastised.

“The fuck it isn’t! He’s the whole reason we’re in California to start with!”

“Cuddle bear, listen.” Riley struggled to walk across the room to him, one arm resting on her very pregnant belly, the other pushing into the small of her back. When she reached him, she took his face between her hands, “I was the one that wanted to come with him. He was going to come by himself, remember?”

Drake sighed and nodded. “But-“

“No buts, babe. I insisted on coming and then you insisted on coming with me-“

“I’m the head of your security, I go where you go, you know that!” He said petulantly.

“I know that, Drake. My point is that I was the one that chose to come, and I was the one that chose to stay.”

“Stop trying to handle me, Riley and sit back down. You need to stay off your feet.” His anger whooshed out of him as he shifted into protector mode.

“Great news!” Liam chirped out as he sailed into the room, “Dr. Russo can be here by tomorrow! She’s on her way to our private airstrip now. The backup jet is on standby.”

“They have doctors in LA, Liam.” Riley told him.

“They don’t have your doctor. She’s been monitoring you the entire pregnancy and you need her. She’s coming.”

The door opened again, interrupting their conversation, “What are you fuckers still doing in my house? I thought you were leaving.”

“First of all, it’s not your house, Leo.” Liam pinched the bridge of his nose, “It belongs to the crown, I just let you live here, rent free I might add so-“

“Riley can’t travel, she’s passed the 36 week of pregnancy mark and they won’t let her fly.” Max blurted out.

Leo turned to Riley in astonishment, “How the hell could you not know how far along you are?”

“Well-“

Liam and Drake spoke at the exact same time.

“Oh, shut the fuck up, Leo!” Liam said.

“Swear to God, Rys, I’ll knock you the fuck out!”

Leo crossed his arms over his chest, “That would be treason.”

“Fuck it would.” Drake scoffed, “You aren’t prince, king or really shit anymore and we’re on American soil.”

“I’d pardon you anyway.” Liam told him.

“Thanks.”

“Well, this is very touching.” Leo rolled his eyes, “But I still don’t understand how the hell this happened.”

Riley couldn’t resist the urge to be sarcastic, “Well, when a mommy and a daddy love each other very much-“

“Ha ha ha. I mean, seriously, how did you not plan better?”

“We were supposed to leave three days ago, and that would have been under the wire.” Max explained, “But there were some last minute adjustments to the script that required my input.”

“Right. This is the Royal Romance three? Four?”

“Four.” Max replied with a grin. “The Royal Romance 4: Lost in New York.”

“Based on the summer you guys spent in New York when Riley went back to settle her grandmother’s estate?”

“A fictionalized account of it.” Liam emphasized. The whole thing made him look completely clueless about how to navigate life outside the palace. Honestly, Max had just run out of good material after the second or third book.

“Mostly fictionalized.” Drake smirked at him. Liam had been pretty clueless that summer.

“Yeah, watching you try to figure out how to work a washing machine was fucking hilarious!” Max chortled.

Liam gave him a withering look, “Like you did any better.”

“Ok, ok, don’t start arguing. The point is, I didn’t want to go back without Max and the extra day turned into two, which turned into three and now here we are, stuck.” Riley finished.

“So, you’ll be here for, what, another month?” Leo asked.

Liam shook his head, “I mean…we’re not flying with a newborn so more like two months. I’ll fly back and forth for business if absolutely necessary, but Riley, Drake and Max will be here for the duration.”

“Fuck.” Leo muttered under his breath. This was seriously going to put a crimp in his whoring around.

“Leo, I’m hurt. It sounds like you don’t want to hang out and bond with us.” Max pouted.

“No offense Beaumont, but you guys aren’t exactly fun.”

“Afraid we’re going to cramp your style?” Drake snorted.

“Yes, actually.” Leo answered before turning to Riley with a wink, “Everyone but you baby.”

Riley gave him a little smile as she bit into her lip and rocked her body from side to side.

“What the hell?” Drake looked between Leo and Riley in confusion. “What’s happening?”

“Leo, that was a very long time ago. That was…..” Liam counted on his fingers, “At least five lovers and four children ago.”

“More than five.” Riley smirked, “Hell, that was before Nick.”

“Wait. What?!” Drake exploded.

“Oh. My. God!” Leo’s face lit up in delight, “You didn’t know?”

“I…that….” Drake felt like he was going to hyperventilate.

“It’s ok, it’s ok buddy.” Max soothed in the voice he used when one of the children was having a meltdown, as he rubbed Drake’s shoulders.

“Stop it, Max. I am not a child.”

“I mean…you do act like one sometimes though, don’t you? It’s why we don’t tell you things.” Max replied.

Drake blinked then turned to Riley, “So everyone knew about this but me?”

She nodded. “I had no idea who Leo was at the time. So, it was quite a shock when I saw him at the coronation ball and figured out he was Liam’s brother!”

Riley spotted Liam across the ballroom and made her way over to him. Her eyes were locked on him as she approached so she didn’t notice who he was talking to.

“Riley?! What are you doing here?” A voice from the past pulled her attention.

“Leo? What are you doing here?”

“You two know each other?” Liam’s head swiveled between them.

“Know her? This is the woman I was telling you about! The one from New York that just fucking disappeared on me!”

“Oh no….”

“Oh no, what?” Leo looked back and forth between Liam and Riley.

Liam cleared this throat, “Riley is about to be my fiancé, I’m going to marry her.”

“What? How?” Leo demanded.

“Let’s go have a talk, privately.” Liam suggested.

Drake stared at her in consternation, “Where was I when this revelation occurred?”

“Outside at the bar where I left you, pouting.”

“I wasn’t pouting! I don’t-“

“Dude, you were a wreck that night. Sorry, but it’s true.” Max held his hands up in front of him. “I was having my own struggles with the situation, but even I could tell you were in your fucking feelings.”

“Fine. Whatever. I’m just surprised Liam didn’t tell me at the time.”

“Well, all hell broke loose later that night if you’ll remember, so I had other things on my mind at the time.” Liam told him acridly.

“Right. But still, I’d think that someone would have mentioned it at some point in all the years since. I mean, Beaumont knows!” Drake gestured at Max.

Max shrugged, “She’s always told me everything and we did spend three weeks together immediately after the coronation with nothing else to do but talk and fu-“

“Ok, we get the idea Max!” Leo slapped him in the chest, “If I’d known she was at Ramsford instead of on a plane back to New York, things would have ended differently.”

“No, they wouldn’t have.” Riley rolled her eyes.

“You told Max, but not me.” Drake said accusingly.

“Yeah!” She cried in exasperation.

“Why?”

Riley shrugged expansively, “We knew it would just upset you.”

“Yeah, Walker. She knew you couldn’t handle knowing she’d been with a real man!” Leo gloated.

“Leo, I swear to God, if you don’t shut your fucking cakehole-“

“See?” Riley shot him an I told you so look.

“But baby,” He pulled her into his arms as he made a conscious decision to ignore Leo, “I’ve gotten better.”

“Ah, snuggle bug, you have.” She crooned as she caressed his face and he leaned into it, “I guess it just hasn’t come up. I don’t really think about it much. It was a long time ago and it wasn’t a big deal.”

“What do you mean it wasn’t a big deal?” Leo exclaimed, “That was one of the most amazing weekends of my life!”

“Weekend?” Drake’s jaw clenched tightly.

“Yes, weekend. I met her in New York, just after I’d abdicated. We met at the BRIC festival, she was wearing this tiny little halter top that you would not-“

“I swear to God, Leo, shut your fucking mouth!” Drake looked down at Riley, “Sorry babe.”

Riley pulled out of Drake’s embrace and walked over to Leo, “Stop trying to provoke him, ok?”

Drake turned to Liam, lowering his voice so only Liam could hear him, “How the hell do you not punch him in his smug fucking face every time he brings this up?”

Liam smiled indulgently, “I don’t have to. He does it to himself, every time. Wait for it.”

Drake’s eyes went back across the room where Leo held his hands up in the air, “All I’m saying is that it was an amazing weekend, and we shared a real connection, right baby?”

“Eh,” Riley shrugged, “I mean, we had some fun.”

“Ok, first of all, it seemed like more than that to me. I mean, we had fun,” he quirked his fingers in the air to form imaginary quotation marks around the word fun, “seven times that weekend. Second of all, you’ve still never explained why you left without even telling me goodbye.”

“What?” Drake barked out a laugh.

Leo’s eyes flicked up to Drake, “She just completely ghosted me! I went out for coffee and bagels and when I came back, she was just gone! No note, nothing!”

“And….there it is!” Liam stifled the satisfied giggle that burbled up in his throat, “He’s still salty about it! He couldn’t keep her attention for more than a few days and I married her!”

“I’m sorry, Leo.” She placed her hand on his arm, “You’re just not really my type, that’s all. But I’m sure you’ll make some woman very happy someday.”

“Not your type?” Leo stared at her in disbelief, “Seven times, Riley, seven times!”

“I said it was fun.” She waved him off dismissively, “I’m sure you replaced me by the next night.”

“That’s hardly the point!”

“I think that is the point.” Liam told him, “You just want what you can’t have, that’s all.”

“No, I-“

“Ok, I’m tired of this conversation.” Riley dropped herself onto the couch, “What the hell are we going to do for fun until the baby gets here?”

“Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you the best part!” Liam turned back to Riley, “I know everyone is bummed about being stuck here for the next two months so….we’re going to Disneyland!”

“What?!” Maxwell bounded across the room and threw himself into Liam’s arms with a squeal, “This is the greatest idea you’ve ever had!”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Drake asked in concern. “Riley is eight months pregnant!”

“Oh, it’s fine.” Riley assured him, “I still have a month to go. And the kids will absolutely love it!”

“I don’t know,” Drake mused, as he took a seat on the couch next to her. “Jax is only two, he won’t even remember-“

“We’ll take plenty of pictures!” Riley waved him off, “Ellie and Xander will remember.” At eight and five, the older children would be getting an experience of a lifetime.

“Fine.” Drake sighed, his brain already spinning with the logistical nightmare of protecting everyone while they were there.

“Would you like to join us, Leo?” Liam invited, just to be polite.

Leo opened his mouth to decline, but then his eyes went to Drake sitting next to Riley on his couch, arm wrapped around her protectively as his eyes shot daggers at Leo.

Leo returned Drake’s glower with a bright smile, as he told Liam, “Why thank you, little bro, I’d love to!”

[mountswhore]

𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫 — mason mount

summary: chelsea’s massage therapist, and mason’s long term crush, had moved to a different club. but after reuniting at nationals, you realise just how much you missed him.

notes: requests are open, just ask! this is so fucking long, please read when you have time.

“I will take care of you.” + “I could never get tired of you.”

for @masterclassbaby

“she’s pretty,” mason hummed, chin in the palm of his hands and eyes gazing at you. chelsea’s newest sports massage therapist. he watched as you conversed with a few of the injured teammates, the boys on either side of him laughing at his blushed cheeks.

“mounty’s in love.” chilly sang, pushing mason gently. the three of them were laying on the turf, waiting for their trainer to arrive and being introduced to the pretty lady who would be massaging their injured limbs from now on. “go on, make a move before kai does. you know he will.”

“i’m not making any moves,” mason huffed and pushed himself to his feet, ben following suit and pulling a ball towards him with his foot, “can i appreciate her beauty without wanting to make a move?” ben rolled his eyes at his friend, eyes now focused on the ball for the first time in twenty minutes.

“so you’re just going to stare at her, like a creep.” ben stated, stopping the ball with the side of his foot and kicked it back to mason. “noted.” mason was barely focused, looking over to you every time you laughed or your voice echoed. he’d laugh with you, crinkling his nose when you did, it was sickening.

ben had kicked the ball to mason’s feet, where is stilled and hadn’t even broken his stare. he had ‘regained control of the ball’ by kicking mason’s ankles, which had definitely caught his attention and caused him to hiss in pain. “you fucker, what did you do that for?”

“i just gave you a reason to talk to her, you clown.” ben revealed sarcastically, mason limping over to you as you held a look of concern.

“everything okay, mount?” you politely asked, the slight touch on his back as well as hearing his name fall from your mouth was sending him into a frenzy. he just nodded, and followed you inside to where your new office resided. “what the hell happened? last time i looked, you were kicking a ball about with chilly.”

your voice was as silky as he’d imagined. “yeah, he’s a bit slow. so he thought kicking me in the ankles would be a wise idea.” you couldn’t help but giggle at the man’s joke, avoiding his gaze as you were sure to blush. this man was attractive, but it was your first day, you had to remain professional.

“i better get to work,” you huffed, rubbing some hand sanitiser onto your hands and pulling his socks down. “we can’t have chelsea’s best player injured a few days before the game,” you’d finally met eyes and stared at each other for a brief second, before bashful looking away.

“you think that?” mason almost sounded unsure of himself.

“of course,” you grinned and applied some pressure to the side of his ankle, “i’d say you’re one of the best.” mason hummed almost silently, resting his head back on the table. it didn’t hurt, and if anything, he’d have to thank chilly for kicking his ankles, as it got you two talking.

weeks had passed, mason visiting your office most days with random excuses.

“my legs are fine. but maybe a shoulder rub for good luck?”

“i bought you a smoothie.”

“it’s cold outside, and i told the boys my thighs were sore.”

“now i’m just bored.”

every time he’d appear, you’d just pull up a chair instead of prepping the table. he’d talk to you about the most random of things, the pair of you having an intense debate on whether or not ross and rachel were on a break. he’d quickly become your favourite visitor.

“mr. mount, to what do i owe the pleasure?” you questioned, knowing it was him just by the way he fiddled with the handle before opening the door. he grinned at the nickname, sitting in the desk chair beside you.

“i actually came to ask if you wanted to go for a drink tonight. the boys were meant to, but now it looks like i’m all alone.” mason explained, a white lie thrown into the mix. he wasn’t being left by the boys, he asked them to cancel, so he could spend some with you. “so, you fancy it?”

“sure.” you smiled, accepting his invitation before you could overthink your way into cancelling. “i’ll text you my address.” he nodded his head, resting his head on his hands as you got on with paperwork. you could see out of the corner of your eye, he was staring at you as you worked. he had no training to be getting on with, and saw a better pastime in watching you work.

when you’d finally finished work and gotten yourself dressed up, mason was even more in awe of you. you looked adorable at work, and now he’d seen you in a new light. it’s like seeing your crush outside of school, it’s weird not seeing them in uniform, but seeing a new layer of them was good. he’d picked you up and taken you to the nicest pub he could find, it was a quiet one. it was a pub you had to pay extra for to sit on the terrace with a table to yourself. but he was willing to go the distance.

“it’s weird not seeing you in your kit.” you mentioned, staring at his impeccable sense of fashion. like he’d been ripped from the front page of asos. mason chuckled loudly and sipped on his beer, after doing a brief ‘cheers’ with you. it was british tradition, after all.

“i know. i’m used to seeing you in leggings and a chelsea top.” mason observed, his cheeks blushing at the way you looked at him. he felt the butterflies begin to swarm in his stomach, like they did on the way here. “now you’re in a dress, i can see your legs.” his eyes widened at the weird statement that just fell from his lips, face burning with embarrassment. “sorry, that sounded so creepy.”

you burst into laughter, feeling anything but disturbed. in fact, you felt more comfortable with him. “don’t worry about it, you’re easy to feel comfortable with.” mason took this chance to hide his rosy cheeks by sipping on his beer. the pair of you conversed for well over an hour, your conversations from work spilling into the mix too. and soon enough you were laughing on the walk back to your home.

“that’s hilarious. i can’t believe we could’ve almost met years ago.” you exclaimed, mason proud of recalling that memory. the pair of you remembered an awful christmas concert that happened in a town near central london, and were almost inches apart unknowingly covering your ears at the screeches made by the backup singers.

you’d ended up at your door, mason standing just centimetres away from your face. you knew what he wanted, and you wanted it to. so, with the confidence given to you by the mixer you’d just downed a while ago, you closed the gap between you and engaged in a sweet kiss with him. it was well overdue, mason’s teammates would say as he told them the following day.

you’d settled in really nicely with the team, enjoying every day you spent at the training grounds. you’d only been on that one drink date with mason, always planning to reschedule another but you’d both be too busy to do so. it didn’t stop you from texting nonstop and have some late night facetime calls. you were really beginning to like each other. it was as if nothing could ruin your happiness you felt with your life at this moment.

until you’d been pulled aside and told by chelsea’s own manager that a man united massage therapist had quit, offering you the job. it would mean your whole life would shift, you’d have to move, you’d have to make friends with a team all over again, and leave mason. you couldn’t bear telling him, which you’d also been told to do. you’d have to break the news to your beloved team, who would come and cheer with you after a win, and always pester you with random requests. you were each of their’s personal assistant almost, loving your relationship with them all. and mason, you knew he’d be crushed, the girl he was so deeply falling for, being told to move to another club.

you were on edge since that very morning, not being your usual joking self with your boys as they came in for their sessions. you’d weakly smile at them and make small talk whilst tending to their stiff joints, then let them leave. all the boys carried on with their day, assuming you were just having a bad day. but mason could see through you, he could tell something was playing on your mind.

as you were putting pressure on mason’s ankle, which he’d been take off the pitch for last week, he grabbed your arm gently. sitting up, he pulled you close to him and held you how he usually did. his hands grazing your sides and his eyes almost burning holes into your own. “talk to me, pretty. what’s on your mind?”

you shook your head. “i’d go easy on the foot today, mount. i don’t want to see you benched next game.” would you even be able to see their next game? it brought you close to tears throughout the day, but being trapped in a room with mason, you were bound to cry and tell him everything.

his grip didn’t leave your arm, instead he pulled you closer to him and held you close to his chest, now standing and towering over you. you felt a sob erupt through your chest, opening the flood gates as you cried into him. he’d never seen you like this, you were always his smiling ball of sunshine. “talk to me, y/n.”

“they’re moving me.” you simply stated, hoping not to say another word and him just understand completely. but it didn’t work like that, none of the team knew. mason would be the first to know, and you had to tell the rest of the team before the day was up. as this weekend you’d be arranging accommodation in manchester whilst you looked for permanent residence, as well as meeting the team and staff you’d be working for.

“what?”

“they’re moving me to united, mase. a therapist quit over there and they asked for me, your manager signed me over a few days ago. and i’m gonna be leaving you boys.” you explained, mason’s grip on you loosening as he tried to come to terms with what you were saying. he’d had his fair share of bad news in his life, but this was the biggest blow he’d felt in a while.

“they can’t do that,” mason stuttered over his tears, a frown cast upon his face, “they can’t just expect you to pack up and leave.” you placed your hands over his cheeks, forcing him to look down at you. that’s when his tears began to fall, looking so vulnerably at each other in this time of sadness.

“they can, mason. and they have, i need to go this weekend to meet the team and look to move up there.” you admitted, your hands refused to leave his face. you were soaking up every bit of mason you could before you left. long-distance didn’t work for either of you, especially with how busy you both were. the only time you’d see each other would be if chelsea were to play united.

“i can’t lose you, y/n.” he confessed, pulling you into him and resting his head above yours. it wasn’t just losing a girl he was seeing, it was losing someone he loved. he’d fallen deeply in love with you — but telling you would just hinder your movement. he couldn’t make it any harder than it was, it would ruin you. he just had to let you go.

that afternoon, you’d thought about what you were going to say and met the boys on the pitch. the second mason saw you, it took everything in him to not cry into his hands. but he managed to stay strong. you stood weakly beside the team manager, avoiding everyone’s eyes and fiddling with your jumper sleeves.

“afternoon boys,” you greeted them, hearing a few cheers and whistles, they loved you, “i have some news. today will be my last day working with you. i’ve been transferred to united, which will take full effect this weekend. you guys have my number if you just want to talk rubbish, or have any questions for me.” it was a long while of hugging them all, laughing with them and repeating little inside jokes with them.

“what are you going to do without me, huh?” you asked reece, who just chuckled and gave you a squeeze. “i’ll miss you all, you know who i’ll be cheering on if you ever go against united.”

you’d settled in at united perfectly, but something was missing. it was always going to feel this way, nothing would ever break the bond you shared with the chelsea boys. even when they went head to head, and you’d catch mason’s eyes on the pitch, you’d have to hide your smile when they scored, and try even harder if mason was the one putting it in the back of the net. you got on well with the boys here, but you found yourself missing the boys back at chelsea, and most of all, mason.

months had passed since your move to manchester, and you were heading out of your office on a particular tiring friday afternoon, walking past united’s manager, who always seemed to be on his way to something.

“ah, y/n, just who i needed to see.” he commented, stopping you as you were headed out to find a late rashford for his session. “keep an eye on your emails tonight, please. you’ve been included in an international offer.” you nodded, not hearing anything past the word ‘email’. and when you’d gotten home that evening, waiting for your takeaway to arrive, you mindlessly scrolled your emails.

something about the upcoming world cup, saying you’d been selected as the teams massage therapist. it burned your eyes as you danced around your tiny living room; so happy to have a chance at seeing any of the chelsea boys again. you’d thought that after all these months of just seeing mason’s face in his instagram posts, he’d have forgotten about you and moved on. but it was the furthest from the truth.

mason watched over your socials for months, seeing your various pictures with the likes of rashford, shaw, and lingard. he made sure you had friends and was having a good time up north. but every night he’d go to bed, yearning for you and the time you both spent together. missing your first kiss, missing hearing the sound of your laugh in real life, not just through another footballers videos. he missed spending hours on the phone. and although he had a chance to reconnect with you, it would be too much for the both of you to handle. he’d miss you so much more, knowing you were simply unobtainable.

after signing all of the correct documents to show you could in fact work for the national team, you were on your way to the training grounds and coping with living in the camp alongside the boys and other members of staff. it was better than your tiny manchester apartment, that was for sure. you weren’t really needed outside for training, so you set up your office and began on your paperwork. time passed a lot quicker here than it did when you worked at united, it was nearing your lunch break already. a knock was placed at your door, bringing your out of your work daze.

“hello, stranger.” you heard from behind you, heart overjoyed that it was actually him. it was your mason. you turned round to greet him, standing up and immediately pulling him into a hug. it felt familiar, the only bit of familiarity you had in this place. “god, i missed you.” he even smelt the same, as creepy as it was to say.

“i knew you’d be called up,” you admitted to him, looking up at his red face. it was just like the first time, he was so nervous to talk to you, “you’re still my best player.” his hands found your cheeks, taking advantage of the affection not feeling awkward. it was as if you never left.

“you don’t understand how much i’ve missed you all these months, y/n,” he whispered, face centimetres away from yours. “how much i’ve wanted to kiss you again.” you wanted it too, you finally felt like you found your missing piece. but you had to remain professional, this was national level now, not just club level.

“trust me,” you whispered back at him, holding your hands above his own, “i’ve wanted to kiss this pretty face, too. but we have to be professional.” he nodded, understanding that if they were caught, you’d be the one facing repercussions, not him. so he respected your choice and stood back.

“what about when the day’s over, and we go back to the camp,” he suggested, a hand on your shoulder to stop you from turning around, “what would you say to me then?” you just shrugged, sitting back down in your chair and continuing your work. the remainder of your day was quiet, just talking about a few people tomorrow that have stiff joints that need loosening. you’d made your way back to camp, opening your door and sighing as you took your shoes off.

what room are you in? mason texted, waiting outside his door.

you’re eager, i just finished work. but i’m on the floor above you, room 39. you texted him back, speedily changing your attire for something more comfortable and freshening up. mason would be up here within seconds. and whilst there were no rules stating that the squad shouldn’t be in staff members rooms, it felt wrong.

“you’re gonna have to leave when nobody can see you.” you sighed, opening your door to an eager mason. he wormed past you and sat on your bed, semi annoyed that your bed was comfortable than his.

“so not only do you get a room to yourself, you get a bed that doesn’t feel like a plank of wood.” mason stated, clearly getting comfortable on your bed. “i just might have to stay here.” you rolled your eyes and sat beside him, resting your head on the pillow. “you tired?”

instead of saying anything, you nodded and inched closer to him. his right hand was drawing delicate patterns on your exposed arm, whilst the other was wrapped around you. this was the moment he wanted with you, even when you were working at chelsea. but it’s happening now and that’s all he cared about. holding the girl he still deeply loved in his arms.

“i’ll go down to dinner soon,” he mentioned, even if you could hear him or not, “maybe i’ll bring you something up.” a small kiss was placed on your temple, mason snuggling into you a bit more.

the next day, you knew you had some sessions. so you were up early, a text from mason on your phone.

i left late last night, i fell asleep once i came back from dinner. i hope you had a good night.

you blushed at his text, getting yourself prepared for the day. the boys had a match coming up soon and you wanted to be on top of your game, making sure they were all stretched and ready. you sat in your office, prepping your table and your paper work for the first person to enter.

you’d worked with grealish, bellingham, and lingard today. and they only had a few more hours training until they were done for the day. you sighed in your seat and rested your head against your desk, arms and hands sore. your handle was violently shoved down, your door opening in the process. startled, you watched declan carry his best mate in.

“he rolled his ankle taking a kick,” declan explained, helping his friend onto the table. you quickly sanitised your hands and pulled his sock down to observe his ankle. “will he be okay for the game in a few days?”

“yes, dec. he’ll be out in no time.” you reassured his friend, mason smiling through the sharp pain shooting through his ankle. declan had left shortly afterwards, leaving you to giggle at mason.

“what you giggling at, hm?” mason questioned, a finger tickling your side. you squirmed and brushed a hand over his head, his features relaxing under your touch.

“it’s always the ankles, hm?” you retorted, mason rolling his eyes before letting out a laugh of his own. “let’s get you back on your feet in time for this game.” you had taken his boot and sock off, applying gentle pressure to the sides of his ankle and seeing how badly he reacted to the pain.

after the next few days of training, it was finally time for the match. you stood nervously on the side of the pitch, watching the ball being passed around. you watched as it had gone to mason, someone from the opposing team sliding into mason, and knocking his ankles together. he fell and began to yell in pain, the medics rushing over to him and assessing the pain. after realising it was not too serious, but he still had to be taken off, they’d given the job to you.

mason sat on one of the chairs beside you, head leaned back as you pulled his socks down. he winced as your small, cold fingers had pressed different parts of his ankle, but it didn’t feel bad. in fact, it was quite relieving. “it really is always the ankles,” mason finally agreed, making you chuckle and sit on the floor opposite him, “god, it fucking hurts.”

“i will take care of you,” you mentioned, your hand sliding into his. he smiled at the contact, his free hands gently tickling your side. this small amount of public affection felt scary, but good. you knew someone would pick up on it, but you didn’t care in the slightest. you had been away from mason for far too long. months and months apart, yearning for each other every second you were awake.

when the match was over, england scoring a whopping 4-0, mason was by your side for the rest of the evening. even getting onto the coach to go home, he sat beside you the whole way; his hand in yours and his head gently resting against your shoulders. when heading back to camp, knowing you had a day’s break before the boys were back on for training again in time for the next match, mason followed you to your room. you didn’t mind, neither did anybody else really.

you’d gotten into bed beside him that night, eyes heavy from the amount of work you’d both put in today, and the buzzed feeling from declaring victory had awoken something in him. he had the urge to kiss you, like he has every moment he’s spent with you recently, but more than that. he wanted to tell you he loved you, but decided to keep quiet. he wanted to save it for another day, maybe someday more special, when you weren’t trying to catch up on sleep between games.

“are you tired of me?” mason asked, releasing his voice into the darkness. he had no idea whether you were awake or asleep, as half an hour had passed of you both enjoying each other’s presence. you were wide awake, although your eyes told a different story.

“i’m tired in general,” you admitted, rolling over to face him, barely catching his pearly whites in the dark, “but i could never get tired of you.” mason’s heart was beating through his chest, reaching out for your hand to place onto it. it was a special moment — feeling his heart rapidly paced from your words, you’d barely noticed mason’s arm around you as he pulled you into him.

“good, because i’m not letting you go again,” he spoke quietly, your hand now replaced with your head, feeling his pulses on your cheekbone. you smiled for the millionth time that day, happy you had your mason back.