#she’s a little wiggly but she’s got the right spirit

[he-said-irene]

She’s basted!

[simpcityy]

My Little Spawn Pt.6 (Dadstarion X Child!Reader)

Summary: Astarion was finally free from Cazador after being kidnapped by a mindflayer but he was stuck with one annoying task, you.

Disclaimer: I do not own Baldur's Gate 3 or any of its characters.

Word Count: 960

Warnings: Use of (Y/N), Cazador, language, violence, spoilers for those who haven't gone far in the game, mentions of blood, animal death...Uhhh...I think that is all. MAJOR SPOILERS IF YOU AREN'T IN ACT 2 YET.

Author Notes: Hello everyone, another short chapter for this week but next week I am going to focus on the new story I want to publish soon while. Thank you so much for the support! I should be updating the master list with all the links of each chapter. Remember to Reblog and like if you enjoy this series.

You looked at Astarion as the group was having a meeting of what they have done so far. “So we slayed an old hag, killed a Gur, defeated some Gnolls, met a devil and killed other creatures we came across and you still want us to rescue this Halsin guy?” He complained, crossing his arms. “He can be our ticket to curing this tadpole.” Tav stubbornly kept the same plan, recusing Halsin. You tugged at his arm “ Astarion, if we save the mister, we won’t have that yucky worm.” You tried to cheer him up. “See, that’s the spirit little soldier!” Kalarch smiles, “You should listen to them Fangs.”  Astarion only mutters looking down at you before picking you up “ I guess you are right but I won’t be happy if this Halsin can’t do anything. Just wasted time is all. We could’ve been in Baldur’s Gate by now.” He walks off to his tent with you in his arms. 

  How Astarion hated that he was right, after a long brutal battle, Halsin wasn’t any help. He stood at his tent sipping the cheap and awful wine. He wasn’t even in the mood for a celebration. He scanned the camp seeing the tieflings and his odd companions celebrating for taking down the leaders. He turns his head hearing your giggles as Scratch is chasing you around. He turns over to Tav as they walk over. He smirks and puts on an act “You know, I never picture myself as a hero.”

You were by the lake looking out to the moon. Scratch was long gone resting after playing with you. You boredly threw rocks into the lake before looking over hearing something shuffle in the bushes. You walked off into the woods that surround the campsite. There is a sweet scent in the air and you wanted to find out what it is. Getting closer and closer to the sweet smell before a gloved hand grabbed you from behind. Your tadpole was squirming. “Let me go! Astarion” You yelled before the headache got worse before going to a deep sleep. Someone else has had a wiggly worm like yours and made you go into a deep sleep. 

The following morning, Astarion walked back to camp watching Tav head back to their own tent because anyone else wakes up. He walked into his but stopped seeing it empty “Oh Little spawn, where are you?” He hums “Having a sleepover without telling me?” He hums to himself and lays down on the bedroll. He pulls back out the book and continues reading till everyone else wakes up.A couple minutes passed and he heard the shuffling of everyone stirring away. He lets out a chuckle knowing some of them might be hungover. He gets himself changed and walks out seeing everyone but he keeps looking for his little spawn. “Have you seen (Y/N)?” He walks over to the Wizard. Gale looks up “No…last time I saw them was last night playing with Scratch.” He looks around “Maybe she stayed with Shadowheart?” He goes back to cooking breakfast. The pale elf walks over to the Cleric. “No, I haven’t seen her since last night.” Shadowheart says “but maybe that gith might know” She was already pointing fingers. Astarion was slowly panicking, no one knows where the hells you were. He quickly downs a potion of animal speaking and walks over to Scratch. “Where is (Y/N)?” He stood in front of the dog. Scratch tilts his head “(Y/N) was last seen by the lake before I went off to rest?” He begins to sniff the ground and runs into the woods. Astarion follows quickly, and looks around seeing your small footsteps along with larger ones. “No….” He whispers. Scratch barks looking up at him “The scent goes through this path.” He walks off sniffing the ground. Astarion only stood still, his mind wondering who took you. Was there a goblin that they didn’t kill, did another Gur hunter found you? He was brought back down to earth hearing someone calling his name. “Astarion what’s the matter.” Tav walks over with the rest of the group. “(Y/N)...they…they were taken…” He whispers before stabbing his dagger to the tree frowning. “ This…this..is all your fault.” He looks at tav refusing to believe it was his own fault. Pulling back the dagger, he walks off following Scratch who was on your trail. Everyone else watching him walk off, seeing how a few days together alone, you have impacted greatly on his life. 

You were placed in a dark jail cell, the trip was a long one. When you woke up, all you could do was wail and hug yourself. “I wanna go home!” You cried. You quickly kept quiet as the big door opens and hear heavy footsteps. “What’s this general?” You only push yourself closer to the corner scared. “ My soldiers told me about this young one with a tadpole. I had to see myself.” You look over whimpering and flinch as the door to your cell opens. “So young and tell me why are they here? When this isn’t part of our plan Ketheric.” Ketheric looks over “ Someone did some digging into her tadpole, they aren’t just a human child with a tadpole but a dhampir Gortash.” This puts a smile on Gortash's face, “Such a beautiful creature” He looks down at you. “Bring them with you to the city when your part of the plan is done…we can use them as part of our plan.” He added before walking off. Both men walk off locking the cell once again. You only whimper crying out softly “I wanna go home” You whisper “Astarion” You cried out in the empty cell.

[bumblebeesfromvenus]

Lost and Found ♧ | 3.

Leon S. Kennedy x reader (ft. Ashford Graham)

《A/N》: FINALLY THE LAST PART!! I really like how this one turned out. You can definitely tell that my writing has improved if you look at the first parts lol. I do plan on remastering parts 1 & 2 just to clean every up a little! Enjoy <3

~ Fi 🐝

《Warnings》: mild panic attack, PTSD, mentions of Raccoon City, R and Leon being huge fucking geeks/nerds (I love them) LADY the bernese mountain doggy <33 + Dot, the convenience store cashier.

《Word count》: 5.9k

Part 1 ♧ Part 2 ♧ Part 3 ♧

This series is a quick read with only a little over 10k words in total :)

Please don't copy my work! I put a lot of effort and heart into the things I write.

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The little bar hangout you had with Leon lifted your spirits beyond expectations. It had felt so good to see him again, not within your stressful line of work or distant and painful memories, but in normal surroundings, just like it used to be.

Despite the high emotional tension that lingered after you'd returned his police badge to him, the night lightened the heavy weight that rested on your soul, making it that much easier to get out of bed in the morning.

You'd now left your little apartment on more occasions, not only when you had to. When taking Lady out for her walks, you'd stop by a local Cafe and enjoy a warm drink or frequent the little antique shop that had always caught your eye. It felt like a fresh breath of air, a new start to a life you didn't think you'd be capable of having.

It's not like everything was magically fixed, not even Leon had such power, but things were better. And right now, better was more than enough for you. Certain things changed in your living space as well.

You'd open a curtain or two, and finally put up the new mirror you bought. Even things as little as letting the sun into your living room had improved your overall well being.

And there was someone that was ecstatic that you were doing better. Lady had really been your lifeline the past few years. She gave you a reason to keep going, to not give up and maybe even let the small flame of hope in your heart burn without extinguishing it immediately. She was your best friend, really, always keeping you company and distracting you if you ever got lost in your head.

She'd always be there if you woke up from a bad nightmare, by your side in the blink of an eye. Lady would whine and nudge at you with her nose or lick your cheeks that were tear stained from yet another excruciating replay of that night. She'd cuddle close to you and lay her head on your chest, something that helped you steady your frantic breaths.

In return, you did everything in your power to make her life as best as you could. She deserved that and so much more in your eyes. Dogs really were a blessing.

"I don't know when he's getting here, Deedee. I'm sorry." You cooed at your wiggly pup. She'd pace around the living room and sit in front of your door with her beloved stuffie tucked between her teeth. Lady looked back at you with big eyes and whined, though the wagging of her tail never stopped.

"C'mere. Come on." You softly called for her, patting the spot next to you on the couch. Lady trotted over, the quiet 'pat pat' of her paws on the floor accompanying her until she reached you and jumped onto the sofa. She laid her head in your lap and looked up at you expectantly.

"You're excited, huh? S'not often we get visitors. We'll just have to wait a little bit longer, okay-"

You were cut off by the sound of your doorbell. Lady perked up and let out a hearty bark before she was sprinting to the door.

"Alright, alright, calm down, sweet girl." You chuckled, leaving your cozy spot on the couch and taking a peak through the peephole. A smile etched onto your face when you spotted that familiar head of blonde hair and those lovely blue eyes. He was swaying slightly, hands in his pockets. He looked quite nervous. It cut into your heart just a little, knowing that the comfortable atmosphere that you two had around you was gone after everything that had happened.

To an extent, you were basically strangers, and you needed to start from scratch, building a new friendship. Both of you have changed, to no surprise, so what was, will never be again, though you were certain that you still fit together like you used to. Or at least that was what the ever growing sprout of hope inside you told you.

"Leon." You smiled gently when you opened the door, being met with a kind smile of his own.

"Hi." He replied softly, pulling you into a hug. You melted into eachother, craving that familiar and comfortable touch. "I missed you." He mumbled, followed by a relieved sigh.

"I missed you too, blondie," you giggled softly,

"has work been hard on you lately?"

Leon chuckled as he pulled away, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"How do you always know?" You gave him a nonchalant shrug with a small grin before stepping aside, beckoning him into your home. Lady was sitting by your feet with her tongue out and a wagging tail, waiting to finally meet this guest you'd been talking about for weeks. There was a smile on his face as he stepped onto your doormat and knelt down, holding his hand out for your pup to sniff.

"Hi there, Lady. I'm Leon." He spoke softly as you watched in awe, your heart beating faster at his gentleness. Leon's gentleness was nothing new to you, but you've missed it after Raccoon City. You craved it, that soft and warm tone that never failed to make any worries fade away.

Seeing him being so soft with your dog was a bittersweet sting in your chest when you realized you wanted him to be that gentle with you again. Lady nudge her wet nose against his palm a few times before the wagging of her tail picked up, gentle drumming against your leg, before she surged forward and whined, excitedly sticking her face wherever she could.

Leon shifted his weight backwards a little so Lady wouldn't tackle him and he laughed and cooed at her, petting her face and scratching behind her ears.

"Such a sweet girl, huh? Who's a good girl? You've been keeping her safe and happy for me?" He leaned in closer for the last phrase, as if telling her a secret and he chuckled when he was met with a series of barks and huffs.

"She's absolutely infatuated with you." You smirked, your arms crossing in front of your chest. 'And so am I' you tried not to entertain the thought for too long, but every refusal you made about loving Leon, really loving Leon, slowly drifted away, letting your shoulders slightly slack and just feel the warmth of your love for him in your heart.

So what if you were in love with him? It wasn't hard to fall for him, but instead of tripping and stumbling forward a little, you fell off the highest mountain peak and landed straight on your face. But who could blame you, with that cute smile, those ocean blue eyes and a heart so pure it hurt. You'd think about it more later, maybe talk to Ashley about it, too. Right now, you wanted to keep the promise you made in the bar and enjoy an evening with your best friend. A measly attempt to feel normal again. To forget all the things you've seen, to feel whole again.

There always was a lingering darkness that shuddered through you, and it only seemed to be bearable when you were with Leon. You imagined what it would be like to live with him and Lady, to share a bed and wake up every morning with him, with that lingering cloud of gloom getting smaller day by day.

The sound of Leon's voice slammed that drawer of dreams and fantasies shut and snapped you back into the moment. He softly called your name, a worried crease between his brows. "Hey, are you alright?"

"Yeah, sorry, I just kinda... space out sometimes." You chuckled awkwardly. He cracked a small smile. "I get that. You're not alone." He said quietly, placing a firm hand on your shoulder while his other was scratching your pup's head.

Lady was whining quietly, her stuffed toy hanging from her mouth, upset at the lack of attention she was getting from Leon.

"Neither are you." You spoke gently, but with a sincere firmness. Leon's hand slid down your arm until it reached the faint scar on your forearm. He took your arm into his hands and drew circles into the skin surrounding your scar.

The gesture made the butterflies in your stomach flutter uncontrollably and you cursed them in your mind for making your cheeks heat up.

"How's your arm, hm?"

"It's good, all healed. It doesn't hurt, it's just... hard to look at some days." You gave him a tight lipped smile.

"Scars make you a survivor. You made it out of that shithole with your life, and that's one hell of a thing to do."

"I hope you talk that kindly to yourself, too."

Leon's head tipped forward slightly, exhaling sharply before swinging one of his arms over your shoulders.

"I don't know about you but I'm starving. And if I remember correctly, I was promised cuddles." He grinned, making you roll your eyes with a smile.

"I don't have much in the fridge but we can go to the convenience store right around the corner, they have decent hot dogs."

Lady perked up and barked at the mention of hot dogs.

"Hot dogs it is, then." Leon grinned, petting Lady again.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

The walk to the little convenience store was quiet and pleasant, making casual small talk about your daily life and any hobbies that you'd both spend time on outside of work. Lady was happily walking on her leash between you and Leon, him being on the side closer to the road, of course.

He insisted, and there was no arguing with him. Not that you wanted to, but he couldn't know that, so you feigned push back until you 'relented' with a sigh, and you walked on with Leon having a triumphant smirk on his face.

Lady was excitedly looking around at all the colorful light up signs and street lamps. You never took her out this late, you never felt safe enough to do so, but with Leon by your side you've never felt safer.

There was a quiet splat sound as you stepped through a puddle, courtesy of a downpour earlier in the day.

You could spot the familiar sign of the store further down the street when Leon spoke up.

"What movie did you pick?" A small grin crept onto your face at his question.

"You know how you're such a big fan of the Lord of the Rings hexalogy?"

"Yeah..." his furrowed brows and the hesitancy in his voice almost made you chuckle.

"And you know how they made the books into movies a couple of years ago?"

"Wait, don't tell me-"

"Well," you interrupted him as his eyes widened, "I happen to have the entire trilogy at home. Extended editions. I figured we could watch the first one." You smiled, watching the light in his eyes grow.

"Are you serious?" He chuckled breathlessly.

"Very."

"God, you're the best best friend."

"Right back at you, Lee."

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

The little bell attached to the top of the door frame jingled as you stepped inside, Leon and Lady in tow. Leon's eyes fell on the short, elderly woman that was seated behind the counter, glasses on the tip of her nose with a pencil in hand, seemingly solving a crossword puzzle or perhaps Sodoku.

She wore a pink cardigan, and there were a few rollers hidden in her short silver curls. She glared over the top of her glasses at the ring of the bell, but her forming scowl was replaced by a bright smile when she spotted your kind face. Leon smiled just a little at the observation.

Apparently, you had the habit of carving yourself a spot in others' hearts no matter how cold or grumpy they were.

"Why, hello, dear! It's so nice to see you. You've brought Lady, too, I presume?" She chuckled, being met with a proud bark from your dog.

The woman slightly stretched upwards to take a look at your pup that was hidden behind the counter and she wiggled her manicured hand in Lady's direction, a form of greeting, before she rummaged through a drawer, pulling out a treat. Lady tapped her paws on the linoleum floor excitedly, waiting for her to throw the treat. She did with a soft giggle, clapping when Lady caught it.

"Good to see you, too, Dot." You smiled, scratching Lady's cheek.

"And who's this, hm?" She gave you a smirk before letting her gaze run over Leon,

"have you finally got yourself a boyfriend? Oh, I thought the day would never come!" She sighed excitedly.

"Rude." You grumbled underneath your breath. Before you could answer her, Leon took the reigns of the conversation.

"I'm Leon, her best friend. Nice to meet you." He said with a kind smile, holding out his hand for Dot to shake. She glared suspiciously at his hand but decided to take it in the end.

"Best friend, huh? How come I've never seen you before? God help me if I find out you're only pretending to be her friend so you can take her to bed and break her heart like the rest of your generation-" she pointed a finger at Leon accusingly, stretching forward as much as she could, though never reaching for enough to jab at his chest.

"Dot, Dot!" You scolded with a small chuckled, taking her wrist and tugging it back at her side.

"He's not like that, I promise." You said gently, watching as Dot still glared at Leon.

"Ma'am, I can assure you, I have no intention of ever breaking her heart." He chuckled, placing a hand over his heart.

Dot sank back into her chair.

"Good." She said firmly.

"We lost touch a couple of years ago due to some... unfortunate circumstances in the town we lived in," Leon glanced at you briefly, "but we recently found eachother again on a work trip."

He explained, watching as Dot's judgemental facade slowly crumbled.

"Oh, alright. I suppose you do look like a nice boy." She relented with a sigh, making Leon grin.

"Quite handsome, too." She pondered before turning in your direction, "it's a shame he isn't your boyfriend, you know."

"Dot-"

"What? You can't be alone forever. You've known him a longtime. Most boys are either pretty or decent, not both. He's the exception, it seems. Are you just going to waste that?"

You sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of your nose. You knew very well that Leon was smiling bashfully with a blush on his cheeks. He never knew how to deal with compliments.

"Dot. We've been over this so many times. And can you please not talk about him like he isn't here??" You whisper-yelled the last part, feeling a heat crawl up your spine when Leon chuckled.

"Fine, don't take my advice then." She brushed you off, turning to Leon.

"Maybe you should take her to bed-"

"DOROTHY."

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

You waved Dot goodbye, stepping into the cool chill of the night with some snacks you'd bought in your bag and the only thing warming your hands being that delectable looking hot dog.

You sat down on a nearby bench, Lady sitting patiently at your feet while you fed her a couple bits of the sausage.

"These are pretty good for convenience store hot dogs." Leon's voice came muffled from beside you, when you turned your head you broke into laughter seeing him basically inhale that hot dog.

"What? I'm hungry." He defended himself, still muffled and obstructed as he chewed on the bun. You took another bite of your hot dog and chuckled as Leon licked his fingers.

Your laughter was contagious to Leon, he couldn't help when the familiar rumble of laughter surged through his chest.

You sat giggling and laughing on that bench for a while, no real reason or purpose for your laughter other than the person beside you, a feeling the both of you had longed for for as long as you can remember.

The laughing didn't stop on your way home, watching fondly as Leon continously threw a stick for Lady who darted off before returning with said stick. The empty streets echoed of excited barks and heartfelt laughter.

And that carefree feeling that made you breath without a heavy weight on your chest was something you wanted to cling on for as long as you could.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

Leon's eyes were glued to your TV as he attentively watched as the scenes of The Fellowship of the Ring ran across the screen.

The bright and lovely beginning of the movie with all the green hills and the Hobbithole made tears of joy sit on his lashline as he talked about how surreal it was to see the world he'd read of and imagined so many times before. Lady was asleep with her head in Leon's lap while he gently petted her, like it was second nature to him, his other arm resting on the back of the couch.

You watched as the colorful light of the movie ran over the handsome features of his profile.

Your mind drifted to a multitude of different scenarios. What if he was your boyfriend? Is that something he'd want? Is that something you'd want? That answer came to you quicker than you'd like to admit. You wouldn't mind if you were dating. No, you wanted to date him. You wondered, what if he had similar thoughts about you? Or were you just as foolish as the last times and end up having to pick the shards of your heart off the ground?

But how nice it would be.

Your own little life with Lady and Leon, your own little family. Your heart yearned for it, you could feel that aching pull in your chest. Before you knew it, the credits were rolling and you snapped out of your somewhat embarrassing daydreams.

You rested your chin on his shoulder.

"So, what did you think?" You asked softly. Leon smiled before trying to start a sentence a couple of times but failing.

"I... it was incredible. S'like my childhood came to life. I mean, it did every time I read the books, but... this is different. Thank you." He said quietly, taking your hand and giving it a squeeze.

"Anything for you."

It slipped out before you could stop it. But instead of taking it back in a scramble of haphazardly formulated excuses, you let it linger.

You let it linger between the two of you, reveling in the warmth of it. Leon's arm slowly slipped from the back of the couch, settling heavy on your shoulders.

You let out a quiet sighed and subconsciously shuffled yourself closer to him to the point where your noses were almost brushing against one another.

"I'm so glad that I have you. Life's only been getting better since you came back into my life, it's like... all the color returned." He whispered, drawing circles into the back of your neck, sending both a searing hot feeling and a chill up your spine.

You could feel his warm breath on your face, and his blue eyes had never shone this bright.

You inched closer with half lidded eyes, enveloped and dazed by his embrace, his touch, his warmth.

Your lips brushed for a mere second before a loud bark from Lady snapped the both of you out of it, and you scrambled away from each other. You were pressed to the other end of the couch with burning cheeks as you kept your gaze away from Leon.

Lady whine and tilted her head, nudging her toy closer to Leon.

"You... you want to play?" He asked gently, a hint of disappointment tarnishing his tone. He got his confirmation with yet another bark and a wagging tail.

"M'sorry, but it's late. I should.." he cleared his throat and briefly glanced at you, making you whip your head away, "I should go home."

Lady whimpered sadly but Leon just gave her a few consolation pets before he got up from the couch.

You followed behind him, being the good host you were, seeing him out the door. The tension that hung in the air was thick and uncomfortable. Instead of the usual warm hug, you opted for an awkward wave. And with a stumbled promise of calling you in the coming days, Leon was out the door.

When you heard the click of the lock, you slid down onto the floor, back pressed against the door as you groaned, laying your face in your hands.

Your cheeks were a raging inferno by this point, and your pounding heart didn't exactly help either. There were so many things going on in your head at once. It felt like your brain was about to explode.

You wanted to cry and yell in frustration for having such a perfect moment ruined, but there was slight relief because were you ready for a change that big? Were you ready to never have your newly built friendship with Leon be the same again? All these unanswered questions were making your head spin.

You felt Lady's wet nose nudge at your hands and you pulled your head back, letting it fall back against the door with a soft thump. You sighed and closed your eyes.

"I love you, DeeDee, but what the hell was that?" You glanced at her, your voice being laced with nothing but defeat.

Your pup laid down beside you and looked at you apologetically and let out a soft whine. You cracked a small, soft smile and stroked her head.

"It's okay. I guess. I don't know. I need to sleep on it." You said quietly, followed by a sigh.

You retreated to your bedroom, tossing and turning. You spent most of the night staring at your ceiling or watching Lady take gentle breaths beside you.

Sleep didn't come easily to you that night. Though, you were lucky sleep came to you at all.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

Leon let his head hit the steering wheel of his car with a sigh. He was finally so close to expressing his feelings for you without having to actually say it when it was all ripped away from him.

"Lady is lucky she's cute." He mumbled, starting the car and driving off to his home.

The growing frustration in his chest didn't go away as he drove on, to his dismay. He laid awake all night, staring at the empty side of his bed, imagining what it would be like if you were there.

If his bed wouldn't feel so cold anymore, despite his thick blanket.

He wanted nothing more than to hold you, to kiss you, to love you. Leon was certain you'd died that day. He remembered his cracked voice after screaming for you until he was dragged away.

The emtpiness in his heart when it sunk in that he had failed to save you and would now have to live with the overwhelming guilt of your loss.

The day you two crossed paths in that Spanish village, Leon swore to himself that he would do anything in his power to never feel like that again. He wouldn't lose you this time. Not again.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

"I don't know what to do! It was so awkward." You sighed frustratedly, pulling at your hair.

"You guys almost kissed! A kiss is a two-sided thing. Usually. He's totally into you, too." Ashley beamed through the phone.

Your contact with Leon had been kept to a minimum these past few weeks. You didn't know how to even start a conversion now.

It was just that embarrassing and awkward almost-kiss moment running on loop in your mind whenever you thought of him.

"I just... I don't know. He might be? I mean, I want him to be... but I've been wrong before and I don't think I could handle getting my heart broken by him." You spoke, albeit somewhat dazed as you seemed to be lost in your thoughts.

"I think you should talk to him. I know it's awkward and uncomfortable, but it's only gonna get worse if you two keep avoiding each other like this." Ashley said softly, making you sigh and drag a hand down your face.

Not talking to Leon was eating you from the inside. You'd missed him terribly, but the thought of having to look him in the eyes after that incident made your skin crawl.

You looked outside of your window, the moonlit streets littered with bright neon signs reminded you of that you spent with him and Lady.

If talking to him meant you would experience something like that again and feel that intoxicating euphoria that was freedom and peace all over, you'd swallow your nerves and the twisting churn in your stomach and do it.

"I suppose.. you're right. It feels different now, you know? I guess now that I look back I've been in love with him for a while. Saying it out loud just... makes it real." You laughed half-heartedly, chewing on the inside of your cheek.

Lady was laying by your feet as you petted her absent-mindedly.

"It'll all work out, I promise! You gotta have more faith in yourself. You're a real catch." She giggled, making you crack a lopsided smile.

"Thanks, Ash. I'll... I'll talk to him. Soon. I'm... really tired right now, I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, no problem. Keep me updated!"

"I will, Bye-Bye." You chuckled.

"Talk soon!"

You let out a heavy sigh when the noise of the ended phone call hit your ears.

"What a mess, huh?" You asked Lady, smiling slightly when she gave you an affirmative huff.

Your thoughts were running wild, but you were exhausted. So, despite your brain screaming at you, you eventually fell asleep, a weird dread settling in your stomach as your eyes shut.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

Your limbs felt leaden, your mind slowly waking up but your body refusing to as tears nipped at your lashline. Your muscles ached and quiet sobs slipped past your lips as the horrific pictures of that night ran behind your eyelids like a movie on a screen.

The blanket that would usually soothe your anxiety with its weight suddenly felt too heavy, all too much like the rubble you were buried under after the building collapsed on top of you. You could feel the sharp edges of concrete and rebar digging and cutting into your skin all over again. Your throat felt dry, just like when you breathed in all the dust and debris back then.

Your sobs grew louder, and they turned into pathetic wails as the memories continued to flood your mind. Still, your legs and arms refused to move, your breaths turning shallow as panic set in. All you could do was lay there like a wounded animal, trapped in the literal nightmare that were your memories.

Your door opened slightly, and Lady came rushing in, alarmed by your cries. She jumped up onto the bed and licked at your cheeks before nudging your arm with her nose. Your fingers twitched, and you gathered all your strength before you reached over to your nightstand and felt for your phone, all while Lady whimpered beside you.

You sagged back onto the bed once you've had a steady grasp on your cell. With trembling fingers, you clumsily tapped at the screen, hoping you'd somehow call Leon. Lady laid her head on your chest, hoping to help steady your breathing.

Sobs tore through you when that familiar pain in your chest set in, the one you felt when you thought Leon had you left you behind. You were angry and hurt, ready to chew him out the second you'd find him in all this mess.

But once you got out and ran from all the resident evil, and all you found was his bloodied badge, your anger evaporated and all that was left was the heart wrenching pain of having lost your best friend.

You grew frustrated with yourself when your numb fingers refused to his the right button, but eventually you managed to click on Leon's contact and your panic was soothed just a tiny bit when you hit the call button.

You cried through the rings of the phone, mentally begging for him to pick up. It was the middle of the night. You were all alone, but you hoped he'd pick up.

You felt like you were dying, the pain in your chest, the heaviness in your limbs, the lack of oxygen caused by your hurried breaths making you light headed.

"Please, please, please..." You sobbed, your hands shaking. A particular unpleasant wail left your throat when it went straight to his voice-mail. Lady softly barked at you, beckoning you to try again.

You could see the worry when you glanced down into ber big brown eyes. You tried again, feeling exhausted as all the crying and fast breathing sucked the strength from you. This time, he picked up at the first ring, making you sob in relief.

"It's the middle of the night, what- hey, hey, what's going on, are you okay?" His voice made the ache in your chest lessen, and you could even muster up the tiniest smile.

"L-Leon...'" You forced out between sobs and hiccups.

"What happened? Where are you?" He asked firmly, a rustling sound in the background.

"N-need you... please.."

"I'm coming, okay? Just breathe for me." There was worry and panic in his voice, but he kept it soft and soothing for you to help you calm down. You slightly nodded your head.

"Yeah, y-yeah, okay-" your trembling hand accidentally hit the red button, ending the called. Your arm gave out and your phone fell onto your bed, just out of reach.

The crying had drained more of your energy than you thought and you weeped as your phone lit up again and again, Leon calling you. You watched for what felt like forever as he called you continously and all you could do was watch with no strength left to move.

Lady whimpered and pushed your phone closer to you, but you couldn't even lift your finger to pick up.

You've never felt so helpless and pathetic in your life.

So, you continued sobbing as the memories still wouldn't stop as you waited for Leon, feeling a pouding headache setting in already.

Finally, after what felt like some excruciating hours to you, you heard your front door click. You thanked all of the gods above that you'd exchanged spare keys with Leon. Lady jumped off the bed and barked, running towards the front door.

"Where is she?" Leon heaved urgently, following your dog who pulled at his sleeve, leading him to you. His heart shattered at the sight of you. Red and puffy eyes with heavy bags under them, cracked lips, and a heaving chest.

Your complexion looked all wrong, as if you were sick, and to be honest, you did look like you were about to pass out any second.

He rushed to your side, pulling you close to him and slowly rubbing circles on your chest to help you get more air into your lungs.

Leon's jacket was shrugged off, same with his boots and he climbed in next to you and sat you upright. You felt so weak, like your bones were made of jelly, so you awkwardly slumped against him.

"What's going on with you?" He asked softy, gently wiping away your tears.

"Nightmare.. Raccoon City..." Your sobbing picked back up when you uttered the name of your once beloved city, and Leon swallowed thickly.

"I-I thought that you-you left me again.." You wailed, grabbing onto his shirt. Leon pulled you closer with tears glistening in his eyes and a deep ache in his heart.

"I never left you... I would've never ever left you. They made me, dragged me away, and I couldn't... I couldn't go back for you." His voice cracked halfway through, and you gently shifted your head back to look at him.

The heart broken look in his blue eyes almost made your own shatter. You pulled yourself up and into his lap and wrapped your arms around his neck in a tight hug. His arms tightened around you as he buried his face in your neck, rubbing between your shoulder blades to help you breathe deeper.

You cried in each other's arms, mourning the loss of the normal life you had before the incident and the pain of having been apart for 6 years. Lady watched from the foot of the bed, visibly relaxing as your sobs lessened. You pulled back and took his face in your hands, wiping his tears away. Leon melted into your touch, and the crease between his brows softened ever so slightly. You sniffled and took a deep breath.

"I love you. And not like a best friend. I'm in love with you, Leon Kennedy." His eyes shot open at your words and his jaw slacked slightly.

"I've loved you for so long it hurts. I was terrified, so I never said anything but when I thought I lost you I regretted never telling you. I love you so much." You sighed, stroking his cheek.

If you had any tears left to cry, you would be a mess right now. Or at least, more of a mess than you already were

"I just... you're the only one who... who can make it better, you know? Make it hurt less."

Leon's shocked eyes softened, and a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. You searched for anyhing; hatred, disgust, joy, reciprocation, anything.

"A-And it's fine if you don't feel the same but-"

You were cut off by Leon connecting your lips in a kiss so soft it made a tear roll down your cheek as you leaned into him. Cupping the back of your neck, he gently pulled you in closer in and sighed against your lips.

"I love you too. I never stopped, even when I thought you were gone. You... you make it hurt less, too." He spoke softly, a lopsided grin on his face. You chuckled softly and hugged him again, burning the feeling of his touch into your mind. Leon rested his forehead against yours and stole a few soft pecks from you.

"Will you stay?" You asked in a whisper, suddenly being hit with a wave of sleepiness.

"I'll always stay. Always, I promise." He said softly, kissing the tip of your nose. You smiled hazily and slowly slid down the headboard, dragging Leon with you under the covers. You realxed into his embrace, your face nuzzled against his chest as he pressed a kiss to the top of your head.

Lady, who had watched the whole thing with a slowly wagging tail, crawled up the bed between the two of you and nudged her nose against Leon's cheek repeatedly. He giggled, albeit with an exhausted undertone.

"I guess you finally have a Dad, DeeDee." You said quietly, earning a small huff from your pup and one last kiss from Leon along with an amused chuckle before you drifted off to pleasant dreams for the first time in years. He soothed your mind and kept all the bad memories away.

Your love acting like a shield, protecting you from nightmares. You'd been wandering in the dark for years, searching for all the pieces of yourself that you lost that night.

You were lost once, but with Leon, you were found again.

🎬••••••••••••••••••🧡••••••••••••••••••🎬

More Leon works here 💫

I have a lil something planned for 500 followers (we're almost there it's crazy!!) And it may involve my obsession with Victorian England, Bloodborne and AC Syndicate 👀

《Tag list》: (lmk if you wanna be added) @vampkennedy @k-fallingstar @dmitriene @valkyrurx

<3

[crossnamara]

wjos. him. ill yap

my horrible ex husband. my beautiful wife,,,,,,,,my .john.

get ready for horrible fictkin ramblings

okay so. youre not like. in the fandom. so ill jsut explain the basics. john and i worked together. at peip. a secret part of the us military that investigated paranormal extraterrestrial and interdimensional phenomena. i was his mentor. and we. were in love. it was a secret, obviously, it was the early 2000s in the fucking us military, of course it was a secret. didnt stop us, though. he was everything to me.

but. then. the portal. peip built a portal to access a place beyond all realities, the black and white. we knew it was risky, but. they never told us how deeply unstable it was. he gave me his dog tag. as a little good luck charm. i never managed to give it back.

i went through the portal. it was dark, at first. just endless blackness. then He revealed Himself to me. first it was wiggog y'wrath, the lord in black, then his brothers. pokotho, bliklotep, t'noy karaxis, nibblenephim. it was horrible and yet everything about it was so right. it was terrific in every single sense of the word. and i knew. they would bring about salvation, the true gods. (for um. context. these are horrible eldritch gods that want to destroy humanity. telling this from my perspective at the Time but they fuckeddd with my head. a lot.)

it felt like i was there for a month, but when they finally dragged me out, i had only been gone for a few hours. still, i tried to tell them the truth and they didnt listen. said id gone mad. howd john describe it. a raving lunatic. they tried to fix me, like that was possible, but i managed to get out before they fucked with my head even more. i want to say i didnt see john until he saw me, but. thats a lie. the black and white is just. a void. mostly. and after a few years all i could feel was boredom. so i watched him. started from afar, catching glimpses of him any time he went out in public. he still looked like shit. but he. slowly got better. slowly started moving on. and god that fuckking hurt. there was a time, a few years after the portal. maybe around 2010 ish. that i would watch him sleep every fucking night. i wanted to slit his throat. i didnt.

(more plot context bc i started rambling. the lord in black wiggog y'wrath, also known as wiggly, wants to enter the world and make it his. to do so, he needs a cult, which he gets by getting people obsessed with dolls of him. peip sends the president, howard goodman, through the portal to the black and white to speak with him. try to negotiate by threatening to nuke him)

then. im so fucking close to finishing wigglys plan. but. john. he came into the black and white after the president did. wiggly was about to kill him. but john. came through. stopped it. it still worked out, in a way. johns spirit dissolved into the black and white. howie got out, they sent in the nuke, but. they forgot the russians had a portal too. moscows gone and world war 3 is imminent. we still couldve won. but that bastard gave his gun to that little brat through the black and white. she gave it to barnes, who used it to kill the prophet. the world still ended, but because of john, wiggly had no chance to reign.

and i miss him. i miss him so fucking bad. i remember him helping me go to sleep after id pulled a couple all nighters in a row. i remember letting him win at chess as i taught him until he was actually better than me. the way his breath always smelled a bit like coffee. the way he held me when i cried to him about my father. the way id held him when he did the same. the way we always promised each other we'd quit smoking and never did. his problem got a lot worse after i went through the portal.

anyway i got post limited half an hour ago so ive been able to add so much to this. sorry for the length

[star-cherub]

⛆

“On Rainy days.”

Author’s note here!!

This will be my first time ever publicly releasing my writing, so I’m very excited to put it out there and see how people feel about my characters as well as anything else I write.

This is all largely just backstory for my own Resident Evil OC Carmela, so stick around if you��d like to see how things develop from here!

Some content warnings for topics this writing will cover

Injured and abused children

implied abuse of power

“implied” human trafficking

blackmail(later on)

Rain battered the old windows of the Raccoon City Police station, the thick walls occasionally groaning as wind tore about the empty streets. Despite the storm, spirits were relatively high among those in the station, celebrating a successful rescue out in the mountains with wide smiles. A few of the special operative agents were scolded for being so reckless, a redheaded nurse tugging one woman to sit back down on the little infirmary bed. “You are staying put until I finish stitching you up.” The agent opened her mouth to argue but was cut off quickly, the nurse holding up the needle as if to threaten her counterpart, which was of course not taken seriously. “And if you keep squirming like that you’ll end up gouged open somewhere else.” Her murmurs were low and playful, the agents expression seeming to slip into something just a tad more romantic, leaning in to whisper to the nurse.

They shared their playful moment, narrowly avoiding suspicion every so often with the nurse chastising her charge for being so wiggly.

“Come on Cammie.. Carmela.. Nurse? just a few minutes, they won’t even notice we’re gone.” Her pouting went unheeded, Carmela shaking her head and putting away her medical supplies, eventually turning with a huff of mock relent.

“Hm.. I suppose I could let a certain officer take me out to dinner tonight.” The nurse cooed playfully, signing a clipboard before setting it aside and shooing the agent out of the infirmary to join her fellow S.T.A.R.S members. “Bye Jill..” She sang after the agent, watching as Jill blew a discreet kiss her way, only to chuckle and carry on as Carmela’s cheeks burned.

still the station buzzed with life, the nurses milling about and cleaning things up while the officers got rowdy the floor above, clearly overjoyed simply to be back in one piece from yet another harrowing mission. As Carmela paced through the infirmary she had an odd feeling, given no time to ponder on it as an ear splitting shriek pulled her from the papers she was holding. Tiny footsteps scrambled in her direction, and she tossed her files aside as a young girl barreled into the room, nearly knocking Cammie to the floor when she crouched to the girls level.

“Whoa!!” She gasped, getting her bearings before wrapping her arms around the little girl, offering her brief comfort before pulling away just enough to get a good look at her. The girl wore a school uniform, little black shoes scuffed, her right sleeve torn with a terrible gash.. but Carmela’s eyes were fixed on the girls little face, swollen and bruised, her skin glistening from the rain and her coal black hair sticking to her face.. the only colorful thing on her person were two bright purple clips holding up little pigtails that bounced with every movement. The child’s face was scrunched up as she bawled noiselessly, pointing behind her as if to express that something was there.. or something was coming. The nurse took a deep breath and scooped the girl up, setting her on the bed nearest to her and kneeling in front of the girl while analyzing her vitals, trying to gently pry information from the injured girl.

“honey, I’m here to help you, okay? nobody here wants to hurt you.. we’re the good guys.” Carmela carefully cleaned up one of the open gashes on the girl’s face, the pus ridden wound aching as the girl tried to speak through ragged breaths. Carmela held the girls hand and offered a warm smile. “you are such a brave girl. My name is Nurse Carmela. you can call me Cammie if you’d like. what’s your name?”

The girls mouth opened slowly, lips bloody and cracking, the sight of her struggling to speak breaking Carmela’s heart. Just as She seemed able to speak, a voice came from over Carmela's shoulder, one she was familiar with, one that demanded attention.

“Chelsea.. there you are. everyone was so worried about you. come here.” Not an ounce of affection in those words, nor an ounce of any love through the entirety of the police chief’s body. unless you counted his love for depraved art pieces. Carmela turned to face him quickly, offering him a nod.

“Chief Irons, she just ran in on her own. I’ll have her patched up in just a moment here, and I can send her out with you.” At this declaration the young girl gripped the nurses hand tight, still shying behind her as the police chief walked closer, shaking his head. something was wrong.. this girl seemed to know the Chief, but she was terrified, clinging to Carmela as if she were her final hope.

“No. she’s coming with me now. I’ll finish patching her up when we get home.” He waved Carmela off, the look he was giving Chelsea making the nurses stomach turn. for the first time she gave a second thought to his commands, to his leadership.. to his dealings off the clock. She knew he ran the orphanage, but something didn’t feel right about how he eyed this young girl.

“Sir, all due respect but her wounds need to be-“

“I said I've got it, Nurse. now beat it.” he spat, cutting her off as he waved her out of the way, crouching in front of Chelsea and whispering something to her that Carmela couldn't hear. Whatever he said.. it got him what he wanted. The girls expression was somber, accepting, like someone who had no other choice but death. She slid off the bed and followed after the chief, but not before looking back a final time at Carmela to mouth.

“Help.”

[moonstar-mush]

Exalted Secret Santa Journal Post

Excited to be participating in this for the first time! It's nice to meet other fans of this game outside of my regular playgroup.

(ping for @shiftingpath )

Entry 1: Tendaji Greenwich Twilight Caste Solar Exalt (Bureaucracy Supernal) Pronouns: She/Her, Xe/Xyr, or They/Them Age: 22 (been a solar for less than a year) Ht: 5'8"

Other References: 1 (anima & firewand) 2 (artwork from campaign's start) 3 (adorable wiggly gif i commissioned) also look at the #tendaji tag on this blog

Description: Once a low-ranking bureaucrat for the Urim Civil Service Corps, Tennie had aspirations of becoming an architect someday. Everything changed when a near-death in a bridge collapse caused her exaltation. As an anathema on the run, she is adrift in a world she’s terrified of, with powers she’s only barely comprehending, and unpacking a decade of bureaucratic programming of the very system that would now reject her if they knew what she really was. But lucky enough for her, she's found community amongst a diverse assortment of fellow misfits, and has formed something of a family with them. Now she'll do anything to keep that family.

Anima: Instead of appearing on xer forehead, Tendaji's castemark is actually situated on xer left eye, which turned teal upon xer exaltation. They manifest the Sun's command over the cycles of night and day, which essentially means they have time-powers. Tennie doesn't just build things, they push forward the hands of time to a project's completion. They don't just move quickly, they skip through time in a series of glitchy leaps and teal after-images. The nature of their exaltation is a bit overwhelming, and the more they use their powers, the less control they seem to have over what they're doing, slipping into a trance-like state and babbling in First Age tongues.

Anatomy Notes: Tendaji lost xer right arm in a battle with an Abyssal who shot an arrow the size of a dachshund into her shoulder. It was a pretty awful experience, but the upside is that later on down the line, she got a new replacement! A liminal necrosurgen attached a new arm to Tendaji, and said arm was generously donated to her by her boyfriend (also a liminal so he was okay). So if you're drawing Tennie in a sleeveless outfit (something she actually does a lot now bc she's so grateful for the new arm and likes to show off the scars) take a look at the references above to see how it should look. Other small notes on appearance: Tennie is narrow but a little top-heavy (like a lollipop body-shape); they wear a small bit of eyeliner; their hair falls a bit below the shoulders when not put up; they have very good posture.

Motifs: Teal & Yellow; clocks, watches; hourglasses, sundials and other assorted time imagery; architecture and city layouts; sunflowers & honeybees; paperwork, pens, sketches, and blueprints; when theyre having a bad time: glitchiness and intense shadows.

Entry 2: Mokshi Bodhisattva Compassion No-Moon Caste Lunar Exalt (Carpenter Bee Spirit Shape) Pronouns: She/Her Age: 22 (exalted a year or so ago) Ht: 5'2"

Other References: 1 (hybrid form/limit break) 2 (another color reference & bee mode) 3 (alt outfit) Also check out the #mokshi tag on this blog

Description: Technically not my player character, she's an NPC in the game I play Tendaji. That's bc Mokshi and Tennie are a Lunar/Solar pair. A kid during the fall of Thorns, Mokshi lost her parents and her home and fled to Jiara. There she became wrapped up in a local criminal syndicate as a burglar. One night while breaking into a house, she encountered Luna and became one of her chosen (the exact details of this encounter have yet to be revealed by the GM). Tendaji and the party rescued Mokshi from her mob family when they started turning against her, and has joined their funny little freak brigade ever since. Mokshi and Tennie couldn't be more different as people, as she's boastful and reckless as opposed to her Solar counterpart's carefulness and timidness. The pair of them are having a tough time figuring out what exactly they mean to each other, but hopefully they'll work it out someday.

Anima: Like Tennie, Mokshi's caste mark doesn't appear on her forehead, but rather on her eye. Specifically her left eye, which turned bright yellow upon her exaltation (mirroring Tendaji's heterochromia). When using her essence in displays of lunar power, the classic silver is overpowered by ambery-gold hues of honey. At higher anima levels, an amber moon hangs behind her like a halo, and spectral yellow bees swarm like a hive.

Anatomy Notes: Upon exaltation, Mokshi received a pair of bee wings attached to her back, they normally aren't large enough for true flight unless she's in hybrid form. The bee wings and the exoskeleton of her hybrid from are primarily glossy black like a carpenter bee. Other small notes on appearance: Mokshi is fat and curvy, so if you're drawing her please try to depict her body type accurately (no skinny Mokshi's please!); she wears pretty pronounced eyeliner and eyeshadow, and has glossy black lipstick; feel free to give her a lil fang or pointy teeth or two, as a treat. Also she has moonsilver tattoos, but i havent really gotten around to designing them so don't worry about it, except i will say that she has moonsilver knuckle-tats that say "BUZZ" and "KILL"

Motifs: Yellow & Black; bees, honey, and hives; honeycomb & hexagonal grids; goth aesthetics; fashion & clothing; comics and very sketchy pencil doodles; knives; money and burglary imagery; finger guns

anyway, thanks for reading! Can't wait to get started!

[shiftperception]

Unown (Pokemon Legends Arceus): It is hard to believe these strangely shaped pokemon are truly living creatures. I’ve pointed out that the species’ many forms resemble writing from other lands; no one will take me seriously.

-

“But there are clear patterns to them! See-“ he flips through the booklet of field notes and points at the inscriptions. “They’re arranged in blocks, like sentences! Each form could be a different letter!”

“They match no language in recorded history, professor.” Kamado’s gruff voice responds.

“It could be an ancient language, maybe it’s so old all the records have been lost!”

“Well we’re all out of luck then.”

“Don’t you think it deserves further study?”

He chuckles dismissively. “With all due respect sir there are more important places to spend our time than trying to decipher this mess.” He says, gesturing at the book. “I suggest we keep our focus on the present and questions we can actually answer. Unless you have any leads let’s leave the past where it belongs shall we?” He gives him a rough pat on the shoulder.

“Cylene,” Laventon turns to the captain. “Surely you’re with me on this at least?”

She shakes her head, speaking with thinly veiled sympathy. “I’m sorry professor, we’ve hit a wall. We have no further evidence to pursue on the topic. It’s certainly no language I’ve ever seen. I can’t help you.”

“Then that’s that.” Kamado concludes. “Consider this meeting adjourned.”

Laventon sighs in defeat, making his way for the door.

“I believe you.”

An embarrassingly high pitched squeal escapes him as he flinches in surprise, swiveling to face whoever just seemingly teleported behind him. He breathes a sigh of relief when he sees Ress leaning against the doorframe. “Oh, it’s just you. Were you eavesdropping the whole time?”

“Maybe. What can I say, as a fellow scientist I can’t resist getting the rundown on the latest theories as soon as I can.”

“Well it’s nice to know someone believes in discovery for discovery’s sake. I couldn’t get those two to give me the time of day, but I suppose you heard as much.”

“Well of course! Especially when it comes to all those weird wiggly letters I tracked down, I spent weeks scouring the fields for them you know.”

“That you did. And made incredible time all things considered.” He flips through the pages again, hoping he’ll have some sort of epiphany if he stares hard enough. “I know there’s something to this but even I have to admit... maybe Kamado’s right. It’s utter nonsense.”

“Not necessarily.” There’s an odd glint in their eyes.

“What do you mean? Have you found something?”

“No, unfortunately. I just mean there must be someone out there who can read them right?”

“You think so?”

“I’m positive.”

He laughs at their relentless optimism. “No one can really be certain unless they’ve met such a person themselves, but you’ve got the spirit my friend!” He gently closes the notebook and returns it to one of his labcoat pockets. “Wait.” He remembers the rift. “Have you met someone? Can you read them? Ress, do you recognize this language?”

They seem to be considering something. After a brief moment of silence they respond with a casual smile. “How do you think I found them so quick?”

“Wait! You- you can read them? What do they say?”

“Those inscriptions say where all the letters are hiding. Well, were hiding before I found them. Some are a little cryptic but they get the job done. Most of the time.” They suppress a grimace, thinking about those fucking trees. Every tree in that swamp was withered, it was worse than the one with the magikarp statue.

“Is it a language from your world then? From the future? One we don’t have the means to decode yet, I mean?”

There’s that look again. That glint in their eye. Why does something feel strange about it? Does something feel strange about it? He must be imagining things.

Their smile drifts slightly closer to smirk territory. “Something like that.”

[bbrandy2002]

Happy Birthday Burnsy!

The Country AU -- I'm Gonna Live Where The Green Grass Grows

Pairing: Drake x Alyssa, Liam x Riley, and a whole host of other TRR characters.

A/N: This was a silly little idea I had months ago for an AU built around the places and people where I grew up. I never had plans to actually write it, but I mentioned it to Burns, and well ... she wanted it lol so here we are. And she’s already read half of this and is the one who made the mood board for it and the song inspo hahaha. Thank you to @mskaneko for the edits of our OTP’s, and @charlotteg234 for pre-reading the first half of this.

Trigger warning: Gun usage, hunting, mild language ... I think that’s it

@burnsoslow

My dearest friend, when I think back at where we were one year ago, I can’t help but be reminded of the vastly different world we live in now. On February 5, 2020, there was no covid keeping us sheltered and fearful, families were complete, jobs were stable, and so many of the things we worried about then simply pale in comparison to now, Life wasn’t so bad. But here we are with all these new changes and mindsets. Through it all, one thing remained consistent: YOU. You have been my strength, my rock, the anchor that grounded me. We have cried together, laughed a lot together, worried for each other, and celebrated those small victories that were important to each other. And I get so happy when someone comments about how much they love the friendship between Riley and Alyssa because it's the most real part of Fearless. If anyone ever wanted to know what we’re like, it's all written out in that story. I’ve got your back, and you have mine. You’re my best friend and I just love the hell out of ya! I hope your birthday is amazing and that this fic is everything you wanted for this AU.

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

On Sunday mornings in southern Georgia, you did one of two things: You woke up early for church services or woke up late to watch NFL football.

Some people figured out a long time ago how to do both.

Sitting in the back pew of the First Cordonian Church of Everlasting Peace, Alyssa Walker sat quietly with the sweetest southern belle smile, nodding her head along to the beautiful words spoken during Pastor Hakim’s sermon and hiding a pair of earbuds lodged in each ear. 

She and her husband, Drake, had laid claim to the pew when they were teens trying to sneak a kiss or two during prayers. After ten years of marriage, they no longer needed to sneak kisses but stayed in that same seat, believing the biggest sinners should stay as far away from the minister as possible. Why be the barrier that may prevent the spirit from reaching the rest of the congregation? The couple felt it was the least they could do.

They were actually pretty good folks and well respected in their community. Alyssa had taught first grade for eight years at the local elementary school, where her two children, nine-year-old Audrey and six-year-old Patrick, also attended. Her best friend since third grade, Riley, was the art teacher there. 

Drake worked nearby as the lead mechanic at Rys and Sons Chevrolet out on North Ramsford Avenue. Constantine had owned the auto dealership for 35 years before passing it down to his sons, Leo and Liam, when he ran for and became the town's mayor. Leo peaced out, heading to South Florida, while Liam took on the sole responsibility of ownership himself. 

And while most people in this sleepy little town of Cordonia were Falcons fanatics, Alyssa grew up rooting for the team where her parents were born and raised before settling in Georgia as newlywed lawyers: The Chicago Bears.

With the game against the Packers blaring into her ear, she kept a keen eye on the rest of her fellow parishioners. When they clapped, she clapped. When they sang, she sang. She raised her hands in hallelujahs when they did. She had learned to read lips and could “Amen” and “Praise God” right on cue with the rest of them. All the while, she sat in contentment, listening to her weekly football games. 

“The score with 14 seconds left in the second quarter is Chicago -- 14, Green Bay -- 17. The Bears have the ball on the 5-yard line. It’s third and goal. If Trubisky can score here, they’ll go into the locker room at halftime with a lead for the first time in this game, or possibly tie it all up with a field goal after this down. This is a huge, HUGE play, Jim ...” 

Alyssa twined her fingers together and lowered her forehead onto them as she waited with bated breath for the announcer to call the play-by-play. As far as anyone else knew, she was praying fervently for the Hebrews crossing the parted Red Sea away from Pharoah's army that the pastor was chronicling.

“And here comes the snap. Trubisky backs up. He tosses to Robinson in the end zone. OHHH! So close… batted away by Alexender …”

“JESUS!” Alyssa yelled out in anger. With earbuds in, she didn’t realize how loudly that just came out of her mouth. Drake nudged her in the thigh. She glanced over at him for a second before he nodded to the 123 pairs of eyes that had all turned at once in her direction. It instantly dawned on her that everyone in the congregation heard the outburst.

Feeling the color drain from her face, Alyssa placed a hand over her chest and addressed, “I am soooo into this sermon, Hakim. Woohoo! Go, Jesus, go!” She pumped her fist in the air like she was rooting him on.

Drake dropped his face onto Patrick’s shoulder, who was sitting on his lap, to cover the incessant laughter that threatened to spill out of him. He was doing a terrible job of it, as a momentary burst of muffled snickers could be heard through the sound of the game playing in Alyssa’s ear. Her husband was nothing but a big kid himself -- she wouldn’t change that for anything.

“Mommy,” Audrey whispered next to her. “It’s about Moses. Not Jesus.”

Alyssa smiled, patting her daughter’s knee. “Same thing, baby. They both performed miracles.” She cut her eyes to the phone hidden under the cardigan draped across her thighs. “And the Bears need a miracle right now, guys,” she muttered, “Part those shithead Packer’s defensive line, Lord. It’s time to help my Bears get to the promised land.”

“Going for it on fourth down, Trubisky drops back. The Packer defense is putting a lot of pressure on the Bear’s offensive line. Every man is covered in the end zone. He has no one to throw to, Jim. They’re running out of time. Four seconds left. And, NOOO, they sack Trubisky on the 10-yard line … WAIT THE BALL IS LOOSE … THE BALL IS LOOSE ... he fumbled the ball. The Packers are scrambling to get it. There are green and white jerseys all over that ball. BUT LOOK … Green Bay’s Klark picks it up. He’s running the other way … and he just slipped … he just slipped, and the football fell right into the hands of Chicago’s Robinson --”  

Alyssa grabbed Drake’s thigh, her fingers digging deeply with hope and panic. “Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck,” her stressed words weren’t audible to the crowd, but they were speaking volumes in her heart.

“--Robinson’s on the 20, now 15, he’s sweeping past the defense to the 10 -- 5 -- TOUCHDOWN, CHICAGO!!!”

"FUCK YES!" Alyssa jumped up, her arms outstretched in a V shape. “Hallelujah. Holy shit. Thank ya, Jesus.” She let out a huge sigh of relief, feeling nothing short of elated, not concerned in the slightest by the heads that twisted around again.

Hakim stood slack-jawed from the raised platform for a moment, his tallish physique slouching on the pulpit, before adjusting the microphone and clearing his throat deeply. "I'm certainly glad, Sister Alyssa is ... feeling the spirit this morning."

"I am feeling it, Brother Hakim," She shook her head profusely. "I. Am. Feeling it." She shot him a dimpled grin.

Drake snorted loudly, covering his face with one hand and grabbing the side of her dress to pull her back down with the other.

They turned to each other, neither one able to control the snickering and shaking of their bodies. Drake lifted a sleeping Patrick over his shoulder while Alyssa grabbed Audrey's hand; the Walker couple decided they were too immature for church this morning.

They laughed all the way to the parking lot.

"It's never a dull moment with you, baby girl," Drake chuckled, turning over the ignition.

"You know me …” She blew on her nails before rubbing them against her chest. “... just doing the Lord's work." 

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

It was customary in Cordonia for families to gather together each week for a big supper after church. 

The Walkers traditionally took turns hosting with Liam and Riley, and Constantine and Regina. This week's meal was at the elder Ryses.

Sitting down at the dining room table, everyone licked their chops, hungry and ready to dig into all the made-from-scratch southern goodness Mrs. Regina had prepared: Fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, coleslaw, macaroni and cheese, green beans with hamhock, corn-on-the-cob, deviled eggs, biscuits, sweet tea, and coffee. It was all accompanied by two containers of broccoli salad, Alyssa picked up from the Piggly Wiggly deli after church, and Riley's lopsided carrot cake.

There was always a lot of food, a lot of love, and what would it be in a small town without a little gossip here and there.

"Regina, you've outdone yourself on this meal," Liam raved while placing his five-month-old son in a high chair and fastening the clasps. "If it tastes as good as it smells, we're all in for a big treat."

Everyone agreed as she sat down, Constantine pushing her chair in with a peck to the top of her head. "Thank you, Liam." She looked up at her husband with a sincere smile, rubbing his arm. "Only the best for our family."

She meant every word of that as she and Constantine glanced around the table at all the cheerful faces of the people they loved most — that included Drake and his family. 

Drake's father had been the sheriff for many years before his untimely death, while the younger Walker was a teen. Connie had never met a braver, more hard-working man than Jackson; the now mayor stepped in after that death to be the father figure in Drake's life. Drake was already best friends with Liam, and over time, the family just considered him one of their own. Drake and Alyssa's children referred to them as Mamaw and Papaw Rys.

As everyone settled in and passed the food around the table, the doorbell rang; 7-year-old Ellie -- Liam and Riley's oldest -- jumped up to answer it. With everyone focused on getting their helpings, Riley leaned over and whispered to Alyssa, "Any more scoop on Savannah?"

Alyssa passed the potatoes to her and answered in a hushed tone, "I drove past her house yesterday ... Chuck was there. His big rig was backed right up into the driveway. They're not even trying to hide it anymore."

"I knew it." Riley slapped a scoop of potatoes onto her plate, passing them across to Liam. "When does Bertrand get back from that Bankers Convention in Atlanta?"

"I think Max said on Tuesday. And I guarn-damn-tee, Chuck will be there until then."

"Of course he will. Have you told Drake yet?"

Alyssa shook her head, peeking over at her husband, who was in hog heaven, dousing everything on his plate with white gravy, blissfully unaware of their idle chitchat. She turned back to Riley. "Not yet. You know how protective he is. I'll need to hide the gun cabinet keys when he finds out ... if he finds out. You remember how upset he got when Bianca got caught at the Love's Truck Stop with Landon Ebrim over the summer. His mama can do what she wants, but not with a married man."

Riley agreed with a nod before taking a sip and swallowing her sweet tea. "Ya know, I've never seen sweet Emmaline that angry."

"Yeah, me neither. She sure whopped ass that day." They both giggled lightly. "Landon's dentures flew clean across that truck lot."

"I saw her the other day at the Food Lion, grinnin' like a baked possum. Got that ol' dog for everything he had."

Alyssa huffed, "Cept' his nuts."

Ellie ran back in and hopped in her chair. "Miss Olivia is here!"

Alyssa stiffened, clutching her fork a little tighter before letting out a faint groan. Not that she didn't like the Assistant Principal of Cordonia Elementary -- she was her boss, after all, and they grew up together -- she could just be a little off-putting, sometimes with her treatment of Drake. In light of Olivia's recent divorce, she had, however, started directing most of her scorn on her ex-husband, Anton.

Everyone greeted Olivia as she strolled in behind the youngster, shrugging her jacket off and tossing it on a counter with her purse. "I smelled your chicken and taters all the way from Lythikos Drive, Regina. You know how I love a good rib stickin' meal."

"Is Travis and Waylon here?" Patrick piped up eagerly from the children's table, hoping to have some boys to play with rather than the three little girls who kept ganging up on him.

Olivia pulled out a chair and started loading her plate down. "They're with their daddy this weekend, sugar. I'll tell them you asked about them."

Drake lifted his coffee mug, not making eye contact with anyone. "Speaking of ... I saw Anton yesterday at the Dollar Tree ... with someone." He smirked into his drink. While everyone else knew who and was trying to avoid the elephant in the room, he owed her for years of squabble.

"Who? Madeleine?" Olivia spat, adding heaping spoonfuls of sugar to her already overly sweetened tea. "Bless her rotten heart, he was seeing her before our break up. Moved in with her right after the divorce was final, so I hope she's enjoyed cookin' and cleanin' after my youngins' all weekend, cause she's gonna be doin it a hell of a lot more now that she got herself fired."

Madeleine was a bank teller in the drive-thru at First Cordonia and also Leo's ex-fiancee. 

"Madeleine got fired?" Alyssa asked in surprise. "She's been there for years."

The redhead swirled the sugar around in her tea with a spoon before licking it off and continuing, "Mmm-hmm. Bertrand caught her on video, stuffing her gaudy drawers into the vacuum tubes at the bank and sending them to that bastard when he drove through to make a deposit. He was making deposits alright. Right between her scrawny, cankled ass --"

"Olivia!" Liam quickly interjected, knowing once she got going, it would likely turn R-rated with several little ears listening. "I'm dying to hear how the Christmas Festival for next Saturday is coming along." He shot a look across the table at Drake for getting her worked up. Drake simply grinned.

By late afternoon, supper had been eaten, dishes cleaned, and pants unbuttoned. After a couple of hours of chatting on the back porch and watching the kids play, the two younger couples packed up leftovers Regina insisted they take home and were ready to hit the road. 

Liam and Riley lived next door and walked out with the Walkers who were making their way to the Tahoe parked on the street.

Alyssa bounced and cooed over baby Jacob before handing him back to Riley and getting into the vehicle's passenger seat. 

Liam was leaning into the driver's side window, having a casual discussion with Drake about the opening day of deer season next Saturday and asking what time he wanted to head out.

Alyssa was half-listening and half-working the stereo when an idea popped into her head. "You know what would be fun?” Both men stopped talking and glanced over at her. “We should all go?”

Drake knit his brows. “Go where?

“Hunting. We can make it a double date. You and me, Riley and Liam. The great outdoors. Some quality time together. I’ll even make snacks for everyone. It’ll be fun,” her voice was chipper. She was excited about it. 

She was also deadly serious. 

So were the dubious looks Drake and Liam gave each other over the thought of taking their wives on the most important hunting event of their year. Not that either didn't enjoy spending time with their significant others, but hunting was a whole different world. It was a one-person sport where you spent the day away from reality and responsibilities and just enjoying the great outdoors —a place to be alone and experience the thrill of a good hunt.

“Guys, I’m serious. We go fishing together, and I’ve shot targets plenty of times. I really wanna go hunting with you. Riley wants to go too, don't you?” She cast an inquisitive glance out her window at Riley, who glared back with the biggest what-the-fuck look she'd ever made. “See, she wants to go too.”

“Baby,” Drake began softly, giving her knee light squeezes. “I don’t mind taking you, but this is opening day. We’ll be in the woods for hours, in the cold. It’s not really what someone would consider a ‘date.’ And we’re going to the Festival that night … we’ll get a chance to spend time together there.”

She held his gaze as her lips began to quiver. “I understand. You .. you need time to be away from me, and it was a dumb idea anyway --”

“No,” Drake cut in. His heart plummeted from the sadness in her voice and eyes. “That’s not it at all. I love spending time with you. And if you really want to do this, then … let’s do this.”

“Really? We can go together?” Drake nodded with a smile before she squealed in his ear and pulled him into a tight hug. “I can’t wait! Thank you!”

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Liam let out a heavy breath as he looked over at Riley -- The woman he knew would not be a fun hunting partner next week -- still standing on the sidewalk, appearing like she might faint. “Yeah ... I can’t wait either.”

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

Saturday. 5:15 a.m. The cellphone alarm on Drake’s bedside table let off a series of rhythmic beeping sounds and vibrations. 

The alarm wasn’t needed. The man had been awake for hours, listening to his wife's gentle snores; the anticipation of bringing home at least a 12-pointer keeping him from falling back asleep. 

Letting out a ferocious yawn and a hearty stretch, he picked up his phone to dismiss the alarm and rolled over to wake Alyssa.

With her ass perfectly curled into the space between his stomach and thighs, his hands settled on her curvy hip, jostling her slightly. “Time to get up, my little peach. We gotta get crackin’ before all the good deer are gone.”

“I just need one more hour, okay? Thanks,” she protested with a drowsy murmur, pulling the pillow over her head.

Drake chuckled, rubbing soothing circles over her back. “No. We have to get up now. We’re wasting time, sleepyhead. Unless … you don’t want to go.”

Alyssa’s heavy eyes stung as she tried to peel them open one at a time. “No, I wanna … go ...” she trailed. Her eyes slowly shut again, and she was out.

On a day like today, Drake was usually up and ready in ten minutes. Once he could finally get his wife out of bed, dressed, and back awake again from where she fell asleep on the toilet, it was close to 45 minutes. 

Maxwell, who was also a childhood friend and the music teacher where Alyssa taught, rented the room over their garage. He agreed to come down that morning and watch the kids while the pair spent their morning in the woods. Bianca used to help out in that regard, but the kids complained she slept the whole time, and Alyssa was pretty sure her mother-in-law smoked pot around them.

Drake loaded up the truck, placing his rifle and a smaller .22 caliber for Alyssa behind the seat. Dragging herself slowly to the vehicle, the night sky still pitch black and her breath turning to thick vapors in the frigid air, she listlessly tossed a Taylor Swift tote bag on the floorboard and climbed in.

Drake looked at his phone after everything was packed up to see if Liam had sent a message about being late. It was unusual for him not to be there already. Typically, his best friend was up and at his house before Drake was even ready. He sent off a quick text to check.

Drake: Where you at, man?

Liam: Running late. Riley had to put makeup on and do her hair. 

Liam: I’m having so much fun already 😑

Liam: snark

Drake: Lyss couldn’t decide which gloves looked the best with her orange vest. I guess she wants to impress the deer before she kills them.

Liam: We’re not catching deer today. We’ll be lucky if we catch a cold. Be there in 10.

Twenty minutes later, Liam’s gray Silverado pulled onto the Walker’s gravel drive. Riley had wanted biscuits and gravy from McDonald's, and she had to run back inside to pee, so that set them back. But, with everyone now there, they were finally ready to head out.

Just down the rural road from where Drake and Alyssa lived, the current sheriff of Cordonia, Bastien, owned several acres of unoccupied land that he used for recreation. He had been a close friend of Drake’s dad and agreed to let Drake and Liam hunt and fish on his property whenever they wanted.

Turning onto the dirt road and opening the gate, the four friends arrived at their spot just as dawn was breaking. 

No one spoke much as they trekked through the mud, sticks, and brittle fall leaves that littered the path to the deer stands. Riley and Alyssa were too exhausted to say anything. Drake and Liam just weren’t used to talking at all.

"Riley, love,” Liam whispered softly. “Can you watch how you’re walking? The noise is going to scare the deer away.”

“I can’t help it if … " She reacted loudly in frustration before Liam placed a finger over his lips, and she resumed speaking more quietly. “I can’t help it if there're leaves everywhere. I’m walking on them as delicately as possible.”

“How much further? I think my toes are frozen and I need coffee.” Alyssa bemoaned while walking on the balls of her heels. Drake was basically dragging her sluggish body by the hand. Her eyes were still drooping from exhaustion with every careful step.

“Just over yonder of that fence row is our stand.” He pointed out.

Alyssa aimed her flashlight around the woods in several spots. "And where do we pee at?"

Liam lightly snorted as Drake answered matter-of-factly. "Just over yonder of that fence row below our stand."

"Oh ... " her tone was small and apprehensive, "... I guess that's ... okay." She glanced back timidly at Liam, who was following close behind.

He shielded his eyes from the beam of her flashlight in his face and frowned. "I'm not going to watch you pee, Alyssa."

Riley gasped, "Eww! I don't want Drake watching me pee either." 

"Shhhhh." Liam was quick to remind her again of the volume of her voice.

"Stop, shushing me, Liam! Those deer don't know I'm out here."

Drake grunted, then whipped around to face the three of them. "Would you keep your voices down? No one's watching anybody take a piss," he whisper-yelled. "Lyssa and I will be at least a hundred yards away from ya'll. Riley, I promise you can piss your little heart out, and I won't see it."

"We're separating?" Alyssa asked wistfully. "What if I need to ask Riley something, and she can't hear me yelling across to her?"

"You'll just have to ask her when we're done, baby girl. And ... please don't yell questions to her while we're out here. Low voices."

They continued on with their noisy hike.

"Having so much fun," Liam grumbled to himself.

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

Liam and Riley headed to their tree stand as Drake helped Alyssa climb up the ladder to theirs. 

The stand and ladder were made of plywood -- chipped and faded from years of exposure to the elements -- and were attached at the apex to an oak tree about twenty feet off the ground. At the top it had enough room to take a step onto, with a wooden seat just wide enough to accommodate them. One plank rail came out on both sides. 

Alyssa plopped down onto the seat, clutching her tote bag of goodies on her lap. She lifted the brim of the orange beanie she borrowed from Drake -- that smelled of animal carcass and gun powder -- above her eyes and peered out to the wilderness spread monumentally below. She closed her eyes and slowly inhaled the fresh, dewy air, taking in the sounds of twittering birds, branches clashing from the nearby squirrel frolicking on them, and the rippling of a bubbling brook streaming down the hill. 

A pleasant warmth overcame her as Drake's much larger body sat down next to her and protected her from the frosty wind blowing in from his side.

Alyssa wrapped her arms around his waist, snuggling into him. "I can see why you like this so much. It's so quiet and peaceful ... look how purty it is out here, Drake. It's just real purty, isn't it?"

Working diligently on getting their gear together, he stopped briefly to look out; affection glowed in his eyes. “It sure is, darlin’. Almost as purty as you ... and notice I said 'almost.'” He winked, and Alyssa blushed, feeling that same love trickling up inside her she'd had since they were teenagers. Drake could charm the pants off a chipmunk, but she was thankful he only used that gift on her.

"Sooo ... " She drawled in her thick Southern accent. "How long will it be before the deer start coming out?" 

Drake drew the barrel of her gun back after loading it with shells and explained, "Don't know. It could be minutes. It could be a few hours. Just whenever they head this way, I reckon."

Perplexed, Alyssa nodded slowly. "A few hours? I s'pose that's okay. What do you do while you're waiting?"

He shrugged, passing a gun to her. "You just ... sit here."

"You just sit here and do what?"

Drake leaned over to kiss into her orange cap and replied, "Wait."

"Wait." She acknowledged. "I can do that. I'll just sit here ... and wait."

Several minutes had passed, and Alyssa was already bored with listening to nature, Drake's gurgling stomach, and sitting quietly with nothing to do. Every so often, a shotgun blast was heard in the distance, signifying either someone out there had gotten their prize or Riley had driven Liam insane. It was the only break from the monotony that came with the boredom of sitting in a tree for who knew how many hours.

Letting out a giant exhale that caught Drake's attention, she propped her rifle against the railing and pulled the cloth tote that was sitting between her boots into her lap. Rummaging through the bag, she pulled out her phone and began thumbing out a message.

Drake furrowed his brows and asked, "What're you doin'?" 

"Just texting Riley,' she answered dismissively. He shook his head and leaned it back against the tree while she formulated her message.

Alyssa: You still alive over there? How's it going?

Riley: This is boring as shit.

Riley: And now my texting is apparently scaring away the deer. F the deer Liam. F all the damn deer!!!! What were you thinking, Lyss?

Alyssa: I was thinking we could spend quality time with our husbands. The men we love and cherish with all of our hearts. I’m having a great time with Drake so far 😍😘

Alyssa: And no one twisted your arm to come bitch.

Riley: Liam's just staring through binoculars. He hasn’t spoken in 20 minutes except to tell me to point the gun away from him or to quit moving. Let’s go get our hair did at Adelaide's.”

Alyssa: OHHH Yes! And get Chinese food ... CRAB RANGOONS!! I'll have Drake drive us back. Girls Day Out. Love you!

Drake let out a belch and blew it away when Alyssa turned to him with a dazzling smile and a sparkle in her blues. "Can you drive Riley and me back to the house?"

"What? Right now?" he shrieked. She answered him with a cheerful nod. "What happened to all that talk about wanting to spend quality time with me?"

"I still do. But ... we're just sitting here, not really doing anything. I could be getting my hair done for tonight's festival. I also have a ton of laundry to do, some papers to grade, and I’m supposed to be making the Devereaux’s famous peach cobbler for the raffle. If I leave now, I’ll have time to do all of it.” Alyssa knew she probably wouldn’t do half of that, and Audrey would likely make the cobbler, but it made the situation sound more urgent.

"It's opening day, baby. I'm not leaving this spot." He reached into the pocket of his overalls and pulled out his keys. "If you and Riley wanna take my truck, I'll ride back with Liam."

She gave him an exasperated look. "I don't know my way back to the truck. And I sure as hell know Riley doesn't."

He smirked, stuffing his keys back. "Then you're stuck."

The next hour was brutal. Alyssa texted Riley to alleviate the boredom for several minutes, but there had been no responses in a long while. She wasn't aware that Liam tossed her friend's phone over the hill when she started making TikTok videos of her plight -- Liam took his deer hunting seriously: No noise meant no noise.

Drake wasn't much better; he was quieter than his usual self. It wouldn't have been so bad if she could at least talk. An occasional whispered word was not going to cut it.

Alyssa sighed heavily. She wiggled around for comfort. She unwrapped a Nutty Bar. She crunched. She opened a can of pop. She tapped her fingers. She flipped the pages of a magazine. Each one got that look from Drake that let her know it was too loud. If she ever made it out of there, she planned to jabber and stir until she couldn't do it anymore.

After another half-hour of stewing quietly in her thoughts without a sign of a deer anywhere, Alyssa decided now was the time to finally just talk. 

"Do you ever think about having another baby?" It was a topic that had been on her mind for a while. To her surprise, Drake didn't give her a look or even freak out the way she anticipated. Despite his own rule of silence, he even responded in kind.

"Yeah. Kind of a lot."

Her right brow darted up. "Really?" 

Drake took a breath and shifted the gun across his lap. "I mean, of course. It's always been my dream to settle down and have a bunch of youngin's with the woman I love." He studied her lit-up face; he'd swore she'd gotten more beautiful with age. That's why he hesitated when he added, "But ... "

Her shoulders slumped at his words, and a deflated look impressed upon her face. "But ... " The word barely made it past her lips.

Drake reached for her hand and gripped it tightly. "Lyssa, we have so much going on right now. You're working on National Boards, Audrey has piano recitals and basketball, Patrick has peewee football and Boy Scouts. We barely have time -- except for right now -- for just ... us. I'm not saying,"never"... just that right now ... isn't a good time."

"I understand that, but ... we've always made it work. And don't you miss those tiny little fingers wrapped around yours? And the way they smell fresh out of the bath? And those chubby little cheeks pressed up against yours?" she goaded.

“Of course I do. I remember the first time I held Audrey and PJ in my arms -- there’s just no better feeling in the world than ...to look down ... " Drake paused as his voice cracked, and his brown eyes glistened like glass. " ... and to see someone so small ..." When she sniffled, it made it that much harder for him to speak. "... that you created with the woman you've loved since you were 16 years old. But I like who they are now, and watching them grow, and doing things with them ... And, well ... there’s no shit clean up.”

“You obviously haven’t washed Patrick's clothes in a while,” Alyssa retorted with a chuckle that brought out one in her husband.

"I’ll have to talk to him about that." He gazed deeper into her eyes. "But I do love you ... more than all the peaches in Georgia, Lyssa Claire.”

Alyssa smiled.“That’s what you said to me when you promised to marry me when we were teens.”

Drake returned his own smile. “I did. I remember like it was yesterday too. Sitting in your parent’s basement, watching Friends reruns, eating pizza, making out. And hell, it’s still as true today as it was then. Somehow, even more."

Their cold lips parted and joined halfway for a fervent kiss, with Drake's hand meandering around the subtle groove at the junction of her waist. Just as it became more intense and desirous, a rustling of twigs off in a nearby thicket caught Drake's ear, and he broke away, his eyes scoping the perimeter. Alyssa wasn't offended, she heard it too, and her heart raced with excitement.

Lifting the binoculars hanging from his neck, he spotted two deer eating from a blackberry patch some thirty yards away. He pointed in their direction; Alyssa gave a quick thumbs up, letting him know she saw them too.

Drake carefully lifted the rifle resting in his lap as Alyssa leaned forward and squinted to get a better visual. "Is that a buck and a doe?" she whispered, not moving an inch.

"Sure as fuck is." He mounted the stock of his .30 caliber, Winchester, just beneath his collarbone;  the rush of this moment coursed ravenously through his body. He lined up the scope and placed a steady finger on the trigger -- his thumb pulling the hammer back.

“Wait.” Alyssa loudly whispered. “You can’t shoot him.”

"I'm gonna. Better cover your ears."

"No, Drake. There's a doe with him. What if that's his wife? You can't just leave her all alone without him."

"Lyss, this is the whole reason we're out here."

"So you can make a widow out of her?"

"No ... so I can make deer chili out of him."

Alyssa's mouth flew open. "No. No. RUUUUUUUUN! RUUUUUUN!"

Drake pulled his face away from the scope and fired her a look. "What the hell are you doing? They're getting away!"

She tilted her chin boldly. "I don't care. That was her husband, and they're in love, and you can't take that away from them. I would be so sad if we were just out eating berries and someone came up and shot you, ALL SO THEY COULD EAT DRAKE CHILI!". 

Drake dropped his head. He knew there was no point in arguing with her. As long as he’d known her, she was stubborn, and at that moment, she was dead set in believing those two deer were living out the greatest romance of all time. Nothing he said or did would change her mind on that. 

A thought emerged while he attempted to comprehend the logic of the situation. Those deer ran off in the direction where Liam was set up. Maybe if he could give his friend a heads up, it was still possible at least someone would leave those woods with the prized buck.

Turning his back from Alyssa so that she couldn't stop him, he pulled a small walkie-talkie from his pocket and radioed Liam. Alyssa knew what was up and jumped to her feet, thrusting her arms around him in an attempt to stop the travesty.

"You can't do this, Drake," she hollered, "That’s her soulmate. And why don't I have a walkie-talkie? I want a walkie-talkie!"

While seated next to Liam, Riley was swinging her legs, purposefully making the soles of her boots scrape against the platform. Liam tried to ignore her; maybe he had been a little too uptight about every little noise and utterance she made. But this was playing a whole different ballgame now: she was now making it her mission to piss him off.

Prepared to pound his head against the tree, Liam gritted his teeth, skimming his eyes in her direction. "Love, do you have to do that?"

"Did you have to throw my phone in the woods?" She spat back.

Liam rubbed his hand over his face. "No, and I am sorry that. I apologize for all of eternity. I promise I will get you another one as soon as we get back, okay?”

Riley huffed. "Fine, but that phone had all of my contacts on it. It had our babies' pictures and videos on it ... our vacation photos. I can't get those memories back ever, and I have to find it, and God only knows where it landed. It could be ..." She stopped rattling on when she caught sight of the distressed look Liam was giving her. Knitting her brows, Riley asked, "What?"

"Nothing ... just ... can you lower your voice a little? You're gonna scare the deer away," 

He regretted it as soon as it came out. 

“LIAAAAM!”

He saw the steam gushing out of her ears. There was no time to answer the incoming call on his walkie-talkie from Drake.

Belting out a furious screech, Riley jumped up and tried to jerk the gun from his hands. There was no question she wouldn't shoot him, but she'd sure as hell shred his favorite gun apart piece-by-piece and toss them all the way to Portavira Lake on the other side of town.

Riley tugged with all of her might. "I have HAD IT with being quiet for those damn deer, Liam. HAD IT!"

"Sweetheart, you need to calm down ..." He stood up in front of her, pulling back on the rifle even harder, surprised -- and not pleasantly so -- his considerably smaller wife had this much struggle in her.

"Don't you sweetheart me. You have shushed me for the last time, Liam Preston Rys!"

“Okay, I’m sorry! But can you at least admit us fighting over a gun is dangerous? Somebody is going to get seriously hurt, and I don’t want it to be you, Riley. Please. I won’t shush you anymore, I promise.” His face softened, eventually adorning a loving smile at his wife, who, with a sigh, was unable to resist that handsome face and relaxed her grip. 

Riley gave him a half-smile in return. “I’m sorry, too. I’ve ruined your hunting trip.”

“Yes ... you did.” Liam agreed, dodging the playful slap she nearly made to his upper arm. “But I don’t want to fight anymore.”

With the War of the Ryses finally over, they went in for a makeup kiss until Drake’s voice called out to Liam again through his walkie talkie. Liam set the gun down on the bench and leaned it against the tree before he started digging into his pocket to answer the device. Riley dropped down onto the seat, her elbow brushed against the rifle and caused it to slide away until the barrel end hit the railing and set off a powerful blast.

When the ringing in both of their ears subsided, and the smoke had cleared, Liam and Riley collected themselves from the sudden spine-gripping explosion that shook them both. While Riley explained to Liam what happened, a hysterical sounding Drake came back over the walkie-talkie, wailing, “Alyssa’s been shot! Alyssa’s been shot! Help me!”

__________________

Later that evening, in the courthouse square, the street was lit up with zig-zagged rows of red, green, and white lights. Strands of garland were wound around every lamppost in perfect spiraled loops, and red bows hung and waved with the wintry breeze.

With traffic rerouted away from the area, vendors lined sidewalks selling local goods to put the town's citizens in the festive spirit. What would this small town in Georgia have been without boiled peanuts, low country boil, fried green tomatoes, barbecue, and peach everything? 

Once Constantine had lit the 30-foot spruce, surrounded by hundreds of merry people from all walks of life that made up this small community, the festival was officially kicked-off.

In a large tent set up on the square, Liam and Riley laid out styrofoam containers and drinks they’d purchased from a barbeque vendor on one of several picnic tables inside. With their two young daughters munching away on their meal, and the stroller with their sleeping son beside them, they both sat down with heavy hearts and restless minds.

Liam bit into his barbecue sandwich, noticing Riley only prodding at her mac-and-cheese while staring off into the distance. He didn’t have to ask what was wrong; he knew what happened that morning was bothering her with guilt and worry. It wasn’t every day she accidentally shot someone.

“Are you going to be okay?”

Riley shook her head slightly with a sad look. “No. It’s just not the same without Alyssa here. You know how much she loves Christmas and the festival. She was so looking forward to it too, until --”

“You shot her.”

“Yeeeeeesssss,” she cried out. Liam reached across the table and gave her hand a comforting squeeze, his thumb caressing her smooth skin. Riley continued to sniffle as she grabbed a handful of napkins and wiped the barbecue sauce off Liam’s sticky fingers that were now smeared all over hers. “I didn’t mean to, I swear it. And the way … and the way Drake cried. It broke my heart. Now he has her on bed rest AND house arrest. He won’t let her take calls. I’ll never see or hear from my bestie agaaaain.” The tears continued to flow in steady streams.

Liam stiffened, feeling the eyes of everyone in that tent, gawking at his overly-dramatic wife breaking down. He started to tell her to lower her voice, but after the gun battle in the woods, he thought better of it. “Riley, darlin’, you know Drake is really overprotective of Alyssa. And as scary as what happened was, she only needed the one stitch and band-aid for her graze wound. Something tells me Drake won’t be able to keep her down long.”

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

Liam was right. As much as Drake tried to keep her in bed so he could wait on her hand and foot, protect her from the careless friends of the world who could inadvertently do his baby girl harm, and check to see if she needed a new band-aid every few minutes, he could not keep her down. She had been far too excited to hang out with the people she loved so much and celebrate at one of her favorite festivals.

Maxwell had left for the events with Audrey and Patrick an hour ago; they were part of the children’s caroling group and needed to be there early. Against Drake’s wishes, Alyssa showered, got dressed, and made sure he knew in no uncertain terms would he be able to prevent her from going. The only thing he knew to do was to go, follow her around the entire night, and make sure she wouldn’t get shot again.

They circled the block where everything was held several times, but spaces to park were impossible to find. Three blocks away was the church where they attended, and the parking lot was completely empty. Drake didn’t like the fact that Alyssa would have to walk so far in her debilitated condition and was prepared to haul her piggyback style if he had to, but this was the best spot he could find.

Drake moved the gearshift into park and reached over to grab Alyssa’s arm, who was already bounding out the door. He pulled Alyssa back inside, the chilly air blowing through her open door swept her straighten hair this way and that way. 

She cocked her head to the side and exhaled, “Drake, I can open my own door. I’m not broken. It’s just a scratch. I’m fine.”

“I know.” He smiled that tenderhearted smile only Alyssa had ever seen. The same one sending a shudder through her already chilled body. “I changed my mind,” he replied simply

Alyssa slammed her eyes shut and groaned. “I just told you I was fine --”

“No, no,” He shook his head. “About having another baby. I want to start trying.”

Saddled with curiosity, she slid back into the truck and shut the door. “But, I thought you said we didn’t have time for that --”

“Yeah, I did say that. I still believe it. But … today made me realize that yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today …”

Alyssa’s hand flew to her mouth as she laughed out loud. Drake gave her a confused look before chuckling awkwardly to himself, “What’s so funny?”

She lowered her hand, still laughing. “You got that saying from a quote on a poster in my classroom. You’re the one who hung it up for me.”

The memory dawned on him, and he lowered his head, attempting to cover the guilty grin that spread over it. “Well, hell. Here I was trying to make you think I was all insightful and smart and stuff.”

Alyssa’s hand splayed across his rugged chest as she leaned over to kiss him.“You are very insightful and smart. You know I never settle for anything less than the best.”

“I s’pose.” he said, forking his fingers through his hair. “But … I guess what I wanted to say was … I know that bullet missed you, barely … but what if it hadn’t? What if I’d left those woods without you today? Just like you were afraid that doe might. Time wouldn’t matter anymore. There will NEVER be enough time with you. You’re my life, Alyssa Claire. You’re my lover, my friend, my heart, my confidante, my soul, my everything … my little peach. I want to experience all that life has given me with you as my wife … and forever make time with you.”

“DRAAAKEY!” she bawled, spreading her tiny arms wide around his bulky body. Alyssa drew him into her so hard it nearly crushed the wind right out of his lungs. “I -- love -- you -- so muuuch!” Drake patted her back and kissed into her hair as she sniveled into his shirt. He hated when she cried, but damn if this didn’t feel good to him. Anytime she was happy made him that way too. 

They took a moment to kiss and pet each other a little before Alyssa sat up and asked, “So … when do you want to start trying for a new baby Walker?”

He shrugged. “Whenever you want, baby.”

Alyssa looked through the back window of the truck and scanned the parking lot. She bit her lip and looked back at him impishly. “What about … now?”

Drake’s eyes flew open wide. “In the church parking lot?”

Pursing her lips, she affirmed, “Yes. We’ve done it behind the Piggly Wiggly plenty of times. And let's not forget the ‘Great Ass Blow-out of 2019’ in the Atlanta Convention Center parking garage.”

“I will never forget that.” Drake shook his head as that momentous sexual experience replayed in his mind. “Mmmm, you performed magic that day, woman.”

She raised a brow and coaxed him on, “So? What’dya say?”

Drake took a tentative look around at the dark, empty lot, then back at her. “We’re so going to hell, but I’m in.”

“Eeeeeee,” she squealed, jerking his arm around in excitement. “Try to keep your ass out of the window this time, okay?”

Thirty minutes later, Pastor Hakim pulled into the church parking lot with Mara, the game warden, following behind in her truck. There had been several reports from passerby’s of loud animals howling and screeching behind the church. The stray cat population was out of control in that area, and several cats had burrowed their way inside the church on occasion. 

Hakim parked his car, with Mara pulling in beside him. They both got out simultaneously and listened quietly to see if they could decipher where the commotion was coming from. 

Within seconds, a load moan roared out, followed by several consecutive whimpers that were hard to make out by the duo.

Mara listened intently, then gestured with her flashlight to an area near the back of the lot where clusters of shrubs and dry brush bordered. Hakim ambled behind her, the noise getting closer and closer until the pastor's brow furrowed at the shaking of a nearby truck.

“Damn, teenagers,” he grumbled as they tipped toed discreetly.

Mara crouched down by the truck's tailgate, Hakim bending over while she duck-walked toward the driver's side door.

The game warden turned to the pastor and instructed, “On my three. 1 -- 2 -- 3.” They both jumped up at the same time, flashing the light inside the cab. “HAHA Caught ya! OH MY GOD!”

Alyssa, who was on top of Drake, completely naked except for the band-aid on her left arm, looked up in utter humiliation and shock. She crossed her arms over her chest to cover her breast, feeling like she might faint. Not knowing what to say at that moment to rectify their actions or why those two were still staring inside the truck, Alyssa smiled sheepishly. “I’m still feeling the spirit, Hakim.”

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

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[ish-scribbles]

Wearing his Jersey

At the Nekoma Training Camp, You and your team from Karasuno High get an unexpected invite to a Halloween Costume Party at Nekoma High and since you didn't have a costume, You wore his jersey.

Pairing: Nishinoya Yuu x Reader

Word Count: 2.2k

Warning: Whole lotta flufff~ also this is my first fic :)

"Y/N!" A familiar libero yells to you while frantically waving his hand as he enters the gym with Tanaka "Do you need help carrying that?" He says while jogging to you from the other side of the gym.

"No no, it's alright Noya, me and Yachi can carry it together it once she arrives, I don't want to bother you, you can start with your warm ups tho-" you reply as you try to push the heavy trolley full of volleyball equipment yourself again to which I may add you fail miserably

"Are you kidding me? Nothing makes me happier than helping one of our talented team managers" he replies smoothly while flashing a bright smile at you.

You were one of the two first years Kiyoko scouted to be Team Managers for the Karasuno Boys Volleyball Team after she graduates. Amongst you and Yachi, you were the more social one and comparitively easy to talk to. In in all due time you both mixed well and got to know a lot of things about the team, but the thing you weren't aware of yet was that a certain libero had his eyes set on you for a long time, even before you joined Karasuno.

You and Nishinoya went to the same Middle School and lived around the same neighborhood. He liked you ever since he was in middle school but he could never muster the courage to say 'hi' let alone start a conversation with you which was very ironic to the type of person he was. Since, you never seemed to have anything in common with him, he never tried to start anything in the fear of direct rejection. But when he found out that you were one of the first years at Karasuno High AND are going to be one of the new team managers for his team, he was ECSTATIC to say the least. He would finally get to talk to you, spend time with you, get to know you, maybe even be good friends?! But on the day when Kiyoko brought you and Yachi to introduce yourselves to the team, Noya was beyond shocked even before he got to introduced himself.

"Wait! You're Nishinoya, the libero who was in Chidoriyama Junior High aren't you? I always saw you in our school matches, heck I often came to your matches to cheer for you guys,,, tho it's okay if you don't know me" you said with a nervous laugh.

"Of course I know you, You're Y/N, though I have to admit I never knew you that well or know the fact that you came to watch our matches" he smiles while he scratching his head shyly

"Oh I wouldn't miss your matches for the world unless I had some test or something, Our team was so impressive and now that I think of it your Rolling Thunder move was AMAZING!" You said enthusiastically the poor boi got so flustered~~

It wasn't that you didn't want Noya to be more than friends, You even had a crush on him in middle school but were too shy to do anything about it and then he graduated middle school a year before and you never got the chance again. But the truth was you never thought of yourself to be someone who people could like in such a way you were somewhat insecure about yourself but after joining Karasuno you got to meet him again and the of two slowly became close friends who enjoyed each other's company.

It was at this moment when Nishinoya completely fell for you. After that day, Noya tried to spend anytime he could with you; walking you to school and back since you lived nearby, sitting with you during the lunch time or inviting you to sit with him and Tanaka along with occasional surprises like candies or other snacks. He even helped you with your manager duties. Anything you wanted, he was just one call away. He tried to make it VERY obvious that he liked you VERY much, but you never considered it to be more than a him being friendly,,, atleast that's what you convinced yourself to since you considered him way out of your league and were low-key a little self conscious too.

You not understanding his advances in that way sometimes got him thinking if he even had a chance with you or was it just a loss cause, a one sided crush? But he never gave up on you, thats just the kind of guy he was.

-x-x-x-

It wasn't very long after you joined the team, when you and Yachi were asked to go to Tokyo with the rest of the team for the Nekoma Training Camp and since you wanted to learn everything about being a team manager before Kiyoko graduated, you said yes.

After reaching the Training Camp, a lot of guys from different schools tried to hit on you, Yachi and Kiyoko,,, but Tanaka, Nishinoya and Yamamoto from Nekoma made it their mission to not let guys approach and hit on you by anyone but them.

At the camp, practice started early in the morning and ended late in the evening. While the boys practiced volleyball, you and Yachi learned a lot of new things from Kiyoko and the other managers there. Days went by and it was the second last day of the camp already. You and the team received an unexpected invite to a costume party.

"A costume party?" You asked to which Takeda Sensei answered and addressed to the whole team as well "Yes, apparently it's a tradition like prom at Nekoma High and they have a Halloween Costume Party every year and this year all the teams at the training camp are invited. The party will have students from different schools so it is a good opportunity to make connections...I expect you guys to attend it. The party will start tomorrow at 12 in the afternoon and will end at 6 in the evening. Since the party has a compulsory rule of wearing a costume, all of are free for now to go and find costumes to rent, but I expect everyone to return before 9 or no dinner!!" to which the whole team replied "Yes, sensei!"

-x-x-x-

The next day at the party, Asahi Suga and Daichi being the dorks they are chose to show up as the three musketeers. Kageyama and Hinata lost a bet to Tsukishima so they went as a King and a Tangerine, and the rest of the team showed up with good costumes too. Nishinoya dressed up as a Ninja who looked straight out of anime, yes he looked that good and Tanaka dressed up as a samurai.

"Man~ I really wanted to be a sumo-wrestler instead of a samurai but Daichi said it showed too much skin, He's probably jealous of my good looks" Tanaka pouted while complaining and fidgeting with his costume

"Ew no, nobody wants to see you like that, Tanaka! By the way have you seen Y/N and the others, Aren't they here yet?" Nishinoya asked as he glanced around

"Oh somebody in a rush to see Y/N?" Tanaka cheerily asked with all sorts of wiggly eyebrows "CUT IT OUT ALREADY, What if she's around and she hears you?!" Nishinoya says frantically

"Relax~~ she hasn't arrived yet, otherwise all of the guys would've been drooling over her and rest of our gorgeous team managers"

"I suppose you're right"

After a lot of brainstorming Kiyoko decided she's not wearing anything special, so she wore an oversized hoodie and carried a xbox remote control which she borrowed from Kenma and that gave her a gamer girl look, while you and Yachi remained clueless.

But where were you, Yachi and Kiyoko? Ah yes, you guys still didn't have a costume yet,,,so while the others had already started partying, you guys were still in your shared room deciding on your outfits, since all of the costumes at the store were either too revealing or not in your size, so that was a lost cause.

"Kiyoko-san, its not fair~ you look so pretty even in the simplest of clothes" you sighed

"That's not true, though...haven't you guys decided on a costume yet?" Kiyoko asked

"Noo" you sighed while sitting on the floor with your chin on your knees almost ready to give up on the party.

"Well..umm...I had an idea but it could be a little ridiculous. But like...what if we wore our school volleyball jersey? It can be a way to show our school spirits and we would finally have a costume to wear?" Yachi proposed.

"That seems like a great idea" Kiyoko answered with a slight smile.

"Great, I'll call Hinata and ask if I can borrow his jersey" Yachi said while she scrolling to find his number on her phone.

"I guess I could ask Nishinoya, we're about the same height and we're good friends too so it shouldn't be a problem, I suppose" You say to yourself to which Kiyoko nods in approval and continued getting ready, and then you dial up Noya's number.

When Noya first got your call he got into frenzy thinking why were you calling him since you didn't call each other that often, but he picked up the phone anyways

"Y-Y/N?"

"Hey, Noya? haha funny story and I'll explain it later, but I'm desperate right now so would it be too much trouble if i can I borrow your jer-" before you finished your sentence loud music started blasting over the party and your voice wasn't audible anymore.

"Y/N, Y/N? Hello? Y/N I can't hear you anymore...but if there's something that you want to borrow, you can take it"

When you came back to your room, you and Yachi started changing,,,After wearing Nishinoya's jersey you noticed that his shorts were skin tight while his jersey t-shirt was baggy which made you think how muscular he actually is.

After your call ended, you and Yachi went over to the room where the boys were sleeping over at and while Yachi searched for Hinata's uniform, you searched for Noya's. When you finally found his jersey, an unexpected scent of sweat mixed with sports deo hit your senses, which was nice to smell low-key addicting? and you thought to yourself 'Does he always smells this nice?' and before you went any further, your train of thought was interrupted by Yachi saying "Let's go and get changed" with a slight smile on her face.

After the three of you got ready, you finally started off to the hall where the party was being held. When the three of you showed up at the entry gate, you felt everyone's head turning towards you three. Tanaka and Nishinoya saw the slight commotion and decided to go over to have a look by themselves at what's going on as well.

After reaching the entry, Nishinoya stopped in his tracks when he found a familiar figure looking back at him wearing his orange jersey. YOU WERE FINALLY HERE. IN HIS JERSEY. WEARING HIS NUMBER. WEARING HIS NAME POOR BOY GOT SO SHOCKED HE ALMOST PASSED OUT LIKE AJSKDHDNK

After you finally spotted Nishinoya in the crowd you excused yourself from Kiyoko and Yachi as you wanted to apologize for not taking permission to wear his jersey properly over the phone, so you started walking towards him. While you walking towards him you felt all the guys around eyeing at you and even Nishinoya looked somewhat dumbfounded. While you were trying to make your way towards him, he was so entranced by you that every memory that he had with you flashed before his eyes. The time you tried to hit spikes to help him practice receives, the times you sat with him at lunch laughing at his stupidest jokes, you massaging his shoulders to relax the muscle he pulled during a match, the worry he saw in your eyes when you saw his bruised arms from restless practices, the way you get all excited when he pulls a 'rolling thunder' move while other laughed at him for the name he gave to the move.

The moment you reached him, Tanaka left you two alone saying something like "I gotta show Kiyoko my awesome costume~" while Nishinoya still silently looked at you with his mouth slightly agap and spoke nothing until you started talking

"I'm so sorry, I had no costume to wear and Yachi and I decided to show some school spirit by wearing the jerseys, You don't mind, do you? I PROMISE I'LL WASH IT BEFORE I GIVE IT BACK. Its just that costumes were compulsory for entering the party and I didn't knew whether I'll have another chance to an event like this so I'm sorry if bothers you, I'll go back and change right now if you want" You frantically spoke while clasping your hands together to apologize.

Nishinoya couldn't say anything else than "Don't worry about it" his eyes not leaving your body for a second, he was too busy admiring his jersey on you, he was practically MESMERIZED. The way his jersey hugged every part and every curve of your body just perfectly, HE WANTED YOU TO WEAR HIS JERSEY FOREVER! The way his shorts were tight but his t-shirt was baggy, it made him feel slightly bigger than you.

"Do I look that bad tho? I feel like everyone's staring at me" You ask with a slight nervous laugh as you got a little nervous thinking whether everyone is looking at you because you looker weird but you instead got the reaction

"Are you kidding?! That's because you look the like the most beautiful person in the whole world!!" He says without a warning and after realizing what he just said and he himself didn't knew why did he just say it to your face

This catches you off guard as well and your cheek turns to a bright pink tone as well.

But he looks back at you and gathers the last of his remaining courage and puts his hand out to ask "Would you like to dance with me? This is a party after all you know" he says with a big smile shooting his last shot but in the back of his head he expected a straight out rejection because he thought 'Why would girl like her ever dance with a guy like me, stupid stupid stupid' but to his surprise you said "Yes" and took his hand while returning a small and still flustered smile. HE WAS ON CLOUD 9.

After the party ended, he asked you out and you say yes. After that day you were forced to wear his spare jersey to each of Karasuno's game and to this day, you in his jersey at that party is his phone wallpaper and he has no intention of changing it.

[blueskiesandstarrynights]

*sits down cross-legged* tell me all about your ghost!ethan au

*seahawk voice* VALIDATION!

Ok so this got kinda long so I'm gonna put a break here

Ok so basically this takes place post Black Friday but w/o the bomb, bc if there was a bomb, there'd be no plot.

So after the countdown Becky and Tom tell Lex what happened, and she's going through like this stage of denial, and they kinda have to restrain her from running into the burning mall. I'm still trying to find the circumstances to prompt this, cuz I don't think anyone would want to do this so quickly, but at some point everyone sits down and recounts their version of Black Friday and when Hannah talks about the corrupted Ethan that came to her Lex is like "!!! If I can pull a gun from the Black and White, I can pull Ethan out too!!!"

And if this sounds like both a stretch and paper think logic, you'd be right, but girl's desperate.

Anyways, everyone besides Hannah (and maybe Hidgens idk) is just looking at her like ???? cuz she hasn't gotten to her part of the story yet.

So, she runs off to her room to try and summon her dead boyfriend, a whole person, when her entire witch resume is pulling a small inanimate object that is right in front of her. Like I said, she's desperate.

Hannah comes into her room at one point to warn her that Webby said not to, it's too late, etc. After today, Lex is a little more willing to listen to Webby just,,,not about this.

So, after hours of trying she starts to feel something and she tugs harder and suddenly there's like this rip in reality and an exhausted and confused Ethan stumbles through. He looks a little paler than usual, but otherwise fine, not even covered in blood (but uh that might change 😈)

So Lex and Ethan are super relieved to see each other and they go to hug and oops they can't, Ethan's a ghost.

I've decided to follow the JATP rules of ghosting, ie poofing, walking through walls, can pick stuff up if you concentrate, but can't touch people. And considering Ethan is the only ghost, boy is gonna be incredibly touch starved.

Hannah,,,doesn't know what to think. He's not Not Ethan, but he's not entirely Ethan either. She loves Ethan, but doesn't know what to think of this Ethan.

So, he sticks around and everyone's mostly cool with it bc ghost Ethan is better than no Ethan right?

But like a week into his stay, Ethan's spirit is taken over by Wiggly and he tries to attack Lex and Hannah. The girls are able to talk him down and he regains control of his body (?) but now everyone's scared, and those that don't know Ethan well really wanna get an exorcist.

There's a bunch of other plot points where Ethan regularly is fighting off Wiggly's control and yelling at him, I have this angsty idea tangibility, at one point they bring in Ms. Holloway bc I love her

And, uh, that's all I have for now, but there are plenty of things I'm excited for, sorry this got so long :)

[ikeromantic]

Ikemen vampire theo x mc where theo and MC become parents and theo has to take care of the baby for a day by himself? LOL if it’s to hard u don’t gotta do it idk if I requested this before lol

Day 26 of Ikemektober!

I haven’t read all of Theo’s route yet, so I don’t know how accurate to character this is - but I hope you enjoy ^_^  Approx. 1800 words of baby filled fluffiness for the ask.

Theo snuggled to his precious hondje despite the insistent sunlight streaming in the windows. She was soft and warm, and it felt good to have her nestled against his chest. If fate allowed, he might have stayed right where he was until Sebas announced lunch. But late morning weren’t for parents.

As if on cue, the twins began to cry. Anna was breathy and quiet, but her sister Akari made up for that in spades. Her cry was demanding and loud, and there was no way to ignore it. Not even for five more minutes in bed with his lovely wife. 

She sat up and rubbed her eyes. “Oh - oh, my babies. I’m coming, coming . . .”

Theodorus watched her stumbled from the room, half asleep. She was exhausted since they’d had the twins. It was a lot of work, even with helpful uncles in the manor. 

He watched her shuffle back from the nursery, a baby in each arm. They had their mother’s dark, straight hair and their daddy’s big blue eyes. A deadly combination. Theo scooped Akari up and bounced her in his arms. She stopped crying as soon as he held her. 

“Ah, papa has the magic touch, hm?” His wife smiled at him. “I don’t think they’re even hungry. They just wanted company.” Anna was settled too, happy to be held. The four of them ended up laid out in bed, the two babies in the middle with their mom and dad on the sides. 

Hondje was falling asleep already, with long, slow blinks. Theo felt bad for her shouldering so much of the work with the babies. He wanted to help out - he just wasn’t sure what one did with a baby. They were terribly fragile things. 

As if to illustrate his point, Akari wrapped her tiny hand around his finger and started chewing on it. Her mouth was small and pink and it tickled a little. 

“Trying to eat me up, eh?” He laughed quietly. Maybe he could try to give his beauty a break today. Let her sleep in, take a long hot bath, eat pancakes in blessed silence . . . all things neither of them had done since the babies were born.

All he had to do was take care of these two feisty little ones for a few hours. Surely . . . surely that couldn’t be too hard. 

Theo slipped out of bed, silent as a cat. He carefully lifted Anna and Akari and took them for a chat with Vincent.

“So what I want to do is take care of them all today - but, what do you do with a baby, broer?”

Vincent tickled Anna’s tummy, fascinated by her smiles. He didn’t look up as he replied. “Well, if you want her to have peace and quiet, you should take them out someplace.”

“Like a gallery or a cafe?” Theo tried to imagine it. All he could picture was Akari and Anna trying to eat random items and crying a lot. 

“No. Someplace they can just . . . be babies. Maybe take them for a picnic?” Vincent finally looked up. 

“A baby picnic? I guess that could work.” They would stay on the blanket, safe and sound, and well out of their mother’s hair. 

“Perfect. Why don’t you get them dressed and I’ll meet you out front with some picnic supplies.” Vincent smiled widely.

“Are you coming with us?”

“Of course! I can’t miss a chance to dote on my sweet nieces.” 

Theo carried the babies out. At eight months, they were getting a little heavy but they were still too small to walk. He didn’t mind the weight but he wished they wouldn’t wiggle a kick so much.

It took Theodorus almost an hour to get the little ones bundled up for an autumn day. Long sleeve dresses and little warm leggings courtesy many shopping trips with Comte, mittens and boots from Arthur and Dazai, and a red scarf for Akari, and a yellow one for Anna. He topped it off with little knit caps shaped like an apple and a pumpkin. The hats and scarves were handmade by Sebas. He’d taken to knitting cute accessories for the girls in his spare time, and seemed to really enjoy seeing the twins wear his creations.

“Why do my babies look like they’re part of a harvest festival?”

Theo turned to see his beauty in the doorway, making puppy eyes at him. “Mijn knabbel, I was going to surprise you with a day to yourself.” He felt ridiculous having to tell her about it. Couldn’t she see what he was doing? 

She crossed the room and put a kiss on his cheek before he could say anything else. “Thank you, love.” 

The look in her eye made him go warm inside, like a summer breeze. It reminded him of all the reasons he loved her. “Just go back to bed, hondje. You look tired.”

“Mmm, I will. I want to be rested up when you get back.”

“Oh?” And now Theo knew he had something to look forward to. He gave her a quick goodbye kiss and took the squirming babies to the front entry.

Vincent was waiting for him with a double carriage for the babies and a big basket of goodies. He also had a blanket for the ground, a spare one for the babies in case they were cold. “Are you ready to go?”

“I think so. They’re dressed and wiggly.” Theo laughed, setting the babies in the carriage. He looked at the basket on his brother’s arm. “Did you bring something for them to eat?”

“I did. Sebas made up a special pancake and berry blend and put it in little jars. They will love it.” Vincent grinned. “I’m hoping to sketch them today. They are almost a year old and I haven’t managed to get a single good painting of either of them.”

“They move too much.” Theo gave the babies a mock stern look. “You have to hold still for mijn broer when he’s painting you.”

Anna and Akari gurgled at him in response, completely unrepentant. 

The brothers took the babies out to Vincent’s favorite flower meadow. They laid the blanket under a tree and set the babies down on it. Anna sat where her papa put her, but Akari pushed herself up on all-fours and wobbled toward a pile of fallen leaves. 

Theo scooped her up just before she got there. “Think you can escape little one?”

She started to cry, an angry, helpless sound. 

Vincent put his hands to his ears. “Can’t you let her play in the leaves? It wouldn’t hurt anything. We used to play in leaf piles all the time.”

“Yes but -” Theo wasn’t sure how to put it into words. It was different when it was your baby. You worried more. About all kinds of things. Still, his brother was probably right. 

“Ok, ok,” he told Akari, and set her down on the blanket. She immediately stopped crying and went for the leaves again. “Just don’t eat them - please?”��

Vincent laughed. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you plead like that. Being a father has changed you.” 

Theo shrugged. His brother was right, but he didn’t want to admit it. The two of them watched the babies crawl over and under the leaves, picking up the bright red and yellow ones to stare at them in wonder. And occasionally gnaw at them with their little slobbery mouths. 

Gloves, hats, scarves, and booties disappeared through playtime, replaced by dirt and dead leaves. A different sort of fall costume, Theo mused. 

Vincent managed a few quick sketches, but the girls made it hard to catch them in any pose. They had so much energy and everything fascinated them.

Eventually they got tired and let their papa and uncle feed them. Then promptly fell asleep in the baby carriage. 

“I guess that’s our cue to head home,” Vincent sighed. 

Theo nodded and stood up to gather the scattered picnic items. He found the two hats, and the mittens and boots, but the scarves were gone. He tore through the leaf pile and checked under the picnic blanket. They weren’t there. Or in the baby carriage. Or in the basket.

“What’s wrong,” Vincent asked. “Did you drop something?”

“No. Godverdomme. I can’t find the girls’ scarves. They have to be here someplace.” 

“The ones Sebas just gave them to wear for winter?”

“Yes, those.” He shot his brother a look of annoyance that faded the second it landed. It was impossible to be annoyed with Vincent. “Can you help me look for them?”

“I will. I’d hate to see Sebastian’s face if we had to tell him we lost them.”

“Thanks, broer. Helpful.”

“Don’t worry Theo. We’ll find them.” Vincent gave his angelic smile and the two of them tore through the picnic site again. Still no scarves. 

Theo knew they needed to get back soon, but he didn’t want to give up. That just wasn’t his style. “Did you check the grass, Vince?”

“Yes, and I went through the leaf pile again. Lots of red and yellow, nothing knit.”

“And the picnic basket?”

Vincent sighed. “We both looked through it. Unless Akari and Anna managed to stick them in the jam jars, the scarves aren’t in there either.”

Theo popped open the basket and checked the jam jars just in case. With the babies, you could never be sure.

“I think we’ll just have to admit we lost them, Theo. I’m sure Sebas will be alright. The twins got to where them out once at least.”

“Yeah.” Theodorus felt a sudden wave of exhaustion. It had been a very nice day but the ending spoilt it all. 

He and Vincent pushed the baby carriage back to the manor in low spirits. Anna and Akari slept through the whole drama, unaware of the importance of their missing scarves.

Sebastian met them at the door, all smiles. “Did you have a nice day out? Did the girls like their pancakes?” He leaned down to look at the snoozing pups. His smile faltered. “Ah, still not cold enough weather for a scarf?”

Vincent looked over at Theo.

It would be easy to lie right now. Say that’s right, and then the scarves could go missing without it being his fault. But Theodorus wasn’t one to shirk responsibility. Sometimes you had to man up. Admit your faults. He shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels, as he considered how best to break the news.

His fingers brushed something wooly and soft. His eyes widened.

“What is it, broer?”

Theo tugged the soft fluff from his pocket. A scarf. Yellow. And in the other pocket, one red. He grinned at Sebas. “Nah, they took them off while they were playing. I stuck them in my pockets for safe keeping.”

Vincent laughed, relieved. “I wish you could have seen them, Sebastian. They were so cute.”

Sebas smiled. “Well, I’ll have to wait for your next outing.” He gestured upstairs. “I believe your lady is waiting for you?”

Theo grinned. 

Vincent nudged his arm. “Don’t worry, Sebas and I will babysit the rest of tonight.”

He didn’t need anymore encouragement. He bounded upstairs, eager to show the mother of his children how much he appreciated her.

[mshermia]

There... And Back Again?

Febuwhum2021 Day 12 - Who Are You

Summary:

For decades, Tony managed to lock his childhood memories away, never to be talked about again, but with the daughter he adored getting older and more curious, with the boy who he pulled back into his life as nothing less than a son, there were questions coming up, that Tony couldn't suppress any longer.

The Stark's drive upstate to the old Masion where Tony grew up. To Tony's horror, the trip takes him and the kids a lot further down memory lane than anyone could have predicted.

Read on AO3

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Part I

"Wait, you've never been there either?" Peter's voice rang clearly surprised.

"Nope," Morgan bubbled cheerfully, then paused. "Is that weird?"

They had left New York City about an hour ago. Super conveniently, Pepper had to attend an emergency meeting and sent Tony ahead with the kids on this trip from hell, which was great. Just great. Tony was only about 45% sure that she had set it up like this, forcing him to engage. He'd had little say in the matter as the fateful trip was arranged. A trip to his ancestral home. With a hyper-active Spider-kid and a chaotic 6-year-old in the back seat, it would be his hardest part playing 'Respectable Adult' to deliver yet.

Peter - to Tony's horror - had asked to be picked up on Bleeker Street instead of the Parker's apartment in Queens. It wasn't the first time that Tony had heard the odd clue that Peter had grown interested in what they were doing in that Sanctum. He would need to have a bit of a talk with Strange when they got back. The kid dabbling in witchcraft - or whatever it was those dudes were up to in the Sanctum - that just wouldn't do.

His eyes on the road, even with the excited voices chattering in the backseat, Tony couldn't help but hold onto his gloom. He had missed his window of opportunity. In all honesty, Tony had just been a coward, hoping that if he ignored every little mention of his parents, they'd just stay in the deep hole where he had buried all those memories years ago. Decades ago.

First, it had been pain and anger that had kept him determined to keep all of it hidden there. Years, he had carried all that baggage like a ball and chain around his ankle, the weight of it dragging him down for too long, never really allowing him to just let go of the past.

There had been moments along the way, that had lit up these flames before. When Tony had found out about how his parents had really died. The Snap and the loss that followed. Morgan's birth, when he had held his baby girl, while Pepper was sleeping, recovering from labor.

What wouldn't he have given for his mom to live to see Morgan, to hold her. To just be there and tell him what to do, how to do right by this little girl. Both of his girls, really. 

At the same time, there were no words for the relief he felt that his father would never get the chance to touch Morgan. Would never get the opportunity to make either of his kids feel inadequate and small. To make them hate their lives like he had always made Tony hate his.

Howard would never get the chance to do that to his kids. And that sure felt like liberation.

There was a single portrait of his mother on the wall out in the hallway of the cabin right next to the black and white wedding picture of Pepper's parents. When they brought Morgan home from the hospital, Tony added another portrait. One of his father that still sat behind the framed picture of Tony and Peter in the kitchen cupboard. It was there as an ever-present reminder for Tony just in case, so he'd remember every day what he didn't want to be.

Tony had managed to suppress the topic of his parents, the good and the bad. But he didn't want to be trapped in the labyrinth of right and wrong anymore. Just sick of holding onto the pain. It was all too much.

So maybe the cracks had started with him, but Morgan had surely been a catalyst.

It took a few more years though till Tony had to outright confront what he had kept at a safe distance for so long. With the daughter he adored getting older and more curious, with the boy who he pulled back into his life as nothing less than a son, there were questions coming up, that Tony couldn't suppress any longer.

Howard Stark. The Titan. Maria Stark, the quiet, good soul. The anchor in Tony's youth. There came a time when the kids couldn't be held back with empty words, that had just not been enough to nip the whole topic in the bud. Maybe because Tony had never been the kind of father that would cut his kids' excitement and curiosity off like that. Maybe he could at least pretend that this was the father he had truly become. The patient and giving kind. There was still a chance that he could fake this, sell it just right so that the kids would never know what a disappointment he had been to his own parents. So that his kids would never know the coldness and heartache that had been the baseline of his childhood and adolescence.

Darkness had fallen shortly after they had left the city. What had hung as a heavy fog in Manhattan had quickly turned into even nastier weather, storm clouds gathering ready to wreak havoc. But the spirits in the car were high. Despite the dread Tony was trying to hide at the very prospect of this trip, the kids sure amused themself looking up the old house on the internet.

"Whoa! That's huge," Peter gasped. "How many rooms is that?" 

"Let me see, let me see," Morgan begged. Judging by the commotion in the back, she was trying to wrangle the phone out of Peter's hand. "Whoa!"

Tony couldn't help but smirk at how she imitated Peter more and more often.

"Daddy, why have we never been to the Mansion?"

Tony cringed. He hated it when people called it that. The Mansion. It was what his father had called it, though it had probably been for the best since it had surely never been a home, at least not for Tony.

"We've been waiting for you to be old enough to clean it. It's a lot of rooms." He found the kids' eyes in the review mirror. "A lot!"

Morgan wrinkled her nose. "Why do I have to do the cleaning?"

"That job is always for the youngest sibling," Peter jumped in.

"But... but that's not fair! It's a lot of rooms!" She gasped, excitement nevertheless vibrating off her. "Maybe Doctor Strange knows a cleaning spell."

Peter spluttered out a laugh, but Morgan was adamant, grilling Peter for everything he had already learned from the wizard, which - at least so he claimed and Tony could only hope it was true - was nothing really. It wasn't until Peter gave in and spun Morgan a tale about ancient rituals, of witches and spirits that he had allegedly read about at the Sanctum that she stopped interrupting and hung on every single word. It was also the point where Tony once again regretted that his girl had ever even heard of Strange and his godforsaken Sanctum.

"It only happens every few millennia." Peter had turned towards her, his voice drowning out the rain that was pattering against the roof of the car, but not so much the soft thunder in the distance. "It happens when the sun reaches just the right position in the sky, its beams able to penetrate the earth's crusts and open the door to the underworld. It was in one of those nights when witches and ghosts formed their first secret pact, bringing back to life things and creatures that have been dead for a long time and--"

"Pete, seriously..." Tony looked up into the review mirror trying to catch his eye. "Can you not? I don't want Morgan up all night, terrified of some dumb ghosts."

"Come on, it's just a story, Tony. Morgan knows I made it all up, right?" Peter winked at her, then wiggled his eyebrows in a way that seemed kind of familiar.

"Yeah, daddy." But Morgan was full-on ignoring Tony, her eyes on Peter trying to imitate the wink and wiggly eyebrows he had just sent her way. "It's just a story."

He could do little more than groan as Peter continued to spin a tale of spirits and witches, ancient pacts and promises that had to be kept, ransoms that the spirits had vowed to retrieve.

"It was a night very much like tonight," Peter continued, his voice low and full of dreadful foreboding, "that the witches broke that pact they had signed with the blood of the innocent..."

Morgan's gasp morphed into a giddy giggle while Tony could only rub a hand across his brow and mumbled, "Blood of the innocent, give me a fucking break..."

But if either of the kids had heard, they weren't interested in his opinion.

"...and the spirits, they vowed to come back and settle the score one day. One day when the sun and moon would once again be perfectly aligned with the door to the underworld..."

"When did the moon become a part of this?" Tony braced his elbow against the window frame, cradling his head.

"...then they will come back and collect the price that they were promised so many centuries ago."

"What's the price?" Morgan whispered.

"The soul of mankind's bravest hero to punish humanity once and forever. The soul of the hero, that this world can't endure without."

Morgan gasped while Tony rolled his eyes hard enough to potentially sprain some eye muscles.

"In fact..." Peter hesitated, then drew in a deep breath, slamming his lips shut.

"What," Morgan asked, her voice slightly trembling with what Tony could only pray was excitement still.

"In fact, the way the moon and stars are aligned right now, it... it would suggest that the sun--"

Morgan gasped again and Tony was losing his last nerve.

"It's raining harder than it has in like 10 years," Tony groaned. "How could you possibly be able to tell how the moon and stars are aligned, huh? The sun went down 3 hours ago!"

"It's the vibes of the cosmos, Tony. I can feel them. Their energy calls onto me." Peter caught his eyes in the review mirror, sending him a looked that vibed a different message. Something like 'Why are you ruining this for me, man?' Then his eyes found Morgan again. "I feel like... like tonight might be the night. Tonight might--"

There was a flash of lightning that clearly wanted to turn the night into day, a strong current of energy that split the sky in two, followed by a massive bang and deep growling thunder. 

Tony bolted upright in his seat, both hands now clutching the steering wheel as the car skidded across the drenched road onto the other lane before Tony countersteered and brought it back under control. Morgan was shrieking like a banshee in the backseat. At least she didn't catch the imaginative chain of curses that slipped over Tony's lips as he brought the car to a sudden stop. He spun around still panting, darting his eyes from one kid to the other.

"You guys okay?"

"Jeezes, Tony!" Peter panted, his face a little white. Morgan had immediately leaned over to him, both arms wrapped around his torso. "I didn't realize you were this freaked out by witches and spirits."

"There is no such thing as witches and spirits," Tony hissed through his teeth. His shoulders slumping with a deep exhale, he reached out for Morgan's leg, petting her in an attempt to make light of this. "You okay, Morguna?"

She nodded into Peter's chest. Her eyes were wide, shock clearly still clinging to her. In fact, she looked like she was only moments away from crying.

On a whim, Tony figured his only chance to turn this around was to just lean into the ghost stuff. Despite his still trembling knees, he plastered a wide grin on his lips and wiggled his fingers in the universal warning of a tickle attack. 

"Well, just wait till the ghosts come and get you then."

Peter - jumping right into the abyss with him - pulled Morgan tight, tickling her sides, and like a miracle she didn't cry but burst out laughing as hard as he had ever seen her, squirming against her seat belt. Neither of them could resist joining into her joy and the shock from just moments before slowly slipped away. 

Blowing out a deep breath of relief, Tony turned his eyes back on the road. It was time to just freaking get there. Get it over with. They were only half an hour away from the Stark Mansion. The closer they got, the darker the night seemed to turn. The trees were growing closer and closer to the road. There were fewer crossings that lead off to other towns, other houses. The Stark Mansion had after all been picked by his father first and foremost for its secluded location. Hard to get there, hard to get away.

It wasn't just the world outside the car that took a darker turn. The mood inside of it was slowly deteriorating too. Another glance in the review mirror confirmed that Morgan was still snuggled tightly against Peter, her eyes open wide, staring into the void. Peter had a hand in her hair, softly combing through it, his own gaze turned to the woods that stretched along either side of the road. The rain was still strong, drumming on the roof of the car.

15 more minutes. The kids would feel a whole lot better once they were there, some hot chocolate to calm the nerves - maybe with a pinch of rum for Tony's own - and by the time the sun would rise the next day, by the time Pepper would get there to help him with this mess, everything would be alright.

It turned out, that that next morning would not come as fast as Tony had wished for. The rain had still been lashing as he carried his exhausted, strung up little girl through the doors of the large mansion. Even as he sat her down in her pajamas in the ensuite of his old room to blowdry her rain-soaked hair, the mood was still foul. Not even the hot chocolate she was clutching seemed to make a difference.

"But I don't want to go to bed," she whined.

"It's already past 11 pm, Morguna. Look at you, you're all cranky. You need your sleep."

"But I don't want to." Big tears rolled down her cheeks, bambi-eyes turned up at Tony. "Daddy, please don't go." She hiccoughed stumbling through the words. "Please. The spirits will come and get you."

"On honey, baby..." He pulled her close against him, not failing to send a fiery glance at the Spiderling who was lingering in the door frame sporting a rosy flush on his cheeks. "That was just a story. Peter made that all up because you wanted to hear a scary story."

"It's true, Morg." To his credit, Peter was fast to slip into the bathroom and crouch down in front of Morgan. "I just made it up. It's not true at all."

"But the lightning," she sobbed into Tony's chest. "It was the door to the underworld that opened back up!"

"That was just pure coincidence! There are no wizards, no ghosts—"

"But Doctor Strange is a wizard. You said he's a wizard." Her little hands still clung to Tony's shirt, but slowly she peeked out from under Tony's arm at Peter.

"But... but that's different, erm..." Peter scratched his head looking to Tony for help.

"He's a good wizard, bambina," Tony tried. "You know the... universe-saving kind." He cringed at his own uselessness. "Come on now, you're just tired. Everything will be just fine in the morning, you'll see."

Between the two of them, they managed to get Morgan into bed at least, but it wasn't until Peter volunteered to sleep in her room for the night that Morgan was finally settling down. Tony pressed a long kiss against her forehead as he knelt next to the bed, letting her pull him close once again until his knees protested and he pushed himself back to his feet. By the time Tony had reached the door of the room, turned off the light, and shot a last glance at his kids, Morgan had already guilted Peter into slipping under the covers on the narrow bed, snuggling against him.

It was moments like this that made it all worth it. All of it. Moments, he had never been supposed to see, would have never been able to cherish if it hadn't been for his brave boy who had pulled him back to this life. Who had given him another chance.

"Love you, kids. Sleep tight."

Morgan's eyes were already closed, as she hummed an affirmative mumbled response that Tony could only decipher as "me too, daddy" because he had heard it so often. Peter squinted at him, his lips pulled into a smirk.

"Night, dad," he purred overly dramatic.

They weren't quite there yet. Peter never called him that unless it could be loosely interpreted as him playing along with either the jokes and teases the team made or for Morgan's sake who had by now unequivocally embraced him as her older brother. Still, Tony made sure that there never was any doubt about what his own feelings on the matter were. He loved the kid like he was his own. And Peter was his in every way that mattered.

The house was already getting to him. Tony didn't seem to be able to stop his thoughts drifting to his parents. He couldn't help but think of his mom. He wished that she could have seen those two rascals. Just as much, Tony would have loved to rub a moment like this in Howard's face. His father would have been mortified, scandalized even and Tony would have lapped up every second of it, bathing in the satisfaction that he didn't let that man break him. That he didn't care what Howard's bullshit parenting had tried to beat out of him. 

It took all the strength and adult responsibility for Tony to close the door and not lean into his mushy feelings. He would just rile the kids back up, the way he was craving another big hug and mumbled declarations of eternal love. It had been a long day, a difficult drive. He just needed to get some shut-eye himself. His feet carried him down the dark corridor but he paused in front of the large authentic walnut door to the master bedroom. 

It had been his parents' room for many years. In fact, Tony had never spent a night in there, not even as a kid. It would have been unthinkable for him to crawl into this room in the dead of the night during a storm like the one that was raging above them, or after he had been woken by a nightmare. No, a Stark was supposed to toughen it out. He was supposed to become a leader. Leaders didn't cry. They didn't whine either. Composure and class didn't include clinging to his mother's apron strings, let alone looking for comfort from his father.

A heavy lump in his throat, Tony reached for the doorknob but before his hand even touched it, he turned away. There had been enough talk of ghosts for one day. He could face those particular once another night. Preferably with Pepper by his side. Instead, his feet carried him back to the end of the hallway where he hit the stairs that brought him all the way down to his father's old workshop.

It was the one part of the house he hadn't had Pepper completely remodel. As he settled at his father's old workbench and wiped away decades of dust from the surface, Tony couldn't help but think of his old man. Of how different things would have been if the old bastard had been a little different. If he had at least tried and—

He pushed the thought away. What did it matter? All that was over with. Done and done. It was down there in the old armchair that stood by the open fireplace that Tony hadn't bothered to light that he fell asleep for the night.

Quiet knocking sounds woke him the next morning. For a second, cold dread had him freeze in the chair until he remembered. The Mansion. The trip. The kids were still upstairs probably up already, looking for him. Tony didn't hesitate. His limbs hurt from the odd angle but he would have to make sure not to mention any of it or there would be one of Pepper's lectures on sleeping on things that weren't designated sleeping surfaces.

The stairs leading up from the basement seemed to drag on and on but with every step, his muscles woke up a little more, felt a little more alive. Still, he took a short break to stretch in the landing, to shake the needles pricking his muscles from his legs, before he climbed up into the first floor to make sure the kids weren't already up to their usual shenanigans. As he arched his back and blew out a groan, he spotted a large picture frame on the sideboard right next to the stairs. Like a sack of rice, he imploded mid-stretch, reaching for the picture.  

"What the..."

It was a family portrait. His mother, Howard, and little Tony. Smiles on all their faces. Decked out in their best suits. It made him want to gag from all the fakeness just looking at it.

"But..." Tony frowned. He had gotten rid of those. Had Pepper... no she wouldn't, would she? He had been clear that he didn't want any of these around.

There was a high pitched scream echoing through the hall. The frame slipped from Tony's hands and shattered on the floor as he sprinted up the stairs, forgotten all the aches from last night's uneasy sleep.

He pushed open the door to his old room, expecting blood or broken bones, but instead, he found his little girl on the bed, squirming in laughter. Next to her on the floor, Peter was holding his stomach, tears in his eyes while he could barely breathe from how hard he was laughing.

It took Tony a second to reboot his brain and realize what Peter was pointing at. "Sweet Jesus..."

There was a portrait on the far wall of the room. A portrait, well, that implied some form of artful expression, no. There was an abomination that covered half the wall. A painting his parents had commissioned when he had been roughly Morgan's age. A painting that he was sure, he had burned more than 30 years ago.

Tony's mouth was flapping open and close but he had no word.

"Daddy, is that really you?" Morgan sat up straight, eyes shining with utter joy. "You were so cute! Look at your hair! It's all so... curly!"

"No wonder you didn't want us to turn up the lights last night." Peter was still holding his stomach. "Are you wearing tights? Oh my—"

"Those are stockings," Tony growled like it was helpful. "It's Edwardian."

Peter snorted, rubbing the tears from his eyes. "But why?"

"Anthony Edward..." He shook his head, hands tangled in his messy hair like it could undo the ghost pains of those hair roller pulling at his scalp. "How in the world is this possible." He glared at Peter. "Stop it with the hysterics, okay?"

"I'm sorry, Tony, I just don't think I'll ever be able to unsee this." The smirk on Peter's face only deepened as he pulled up his phone. "And neither will Twitter."

The phone almost dropped to the ground only saved by Peter's fast reflexes as the door to the room swung open once again and hit the wall with a forceful slam.

"What in the world is going on in here!"

Tony's vision whiting out around the edges. His hands fumbled for something that would keep him upright but there was nothing, only sheer panic that was flooding all of his senses at once.

There was a man in the door frame. Taller than him, grey-ish hair. A man that looked an aweful lot like his father. Howard Stark, there was no doubt in Tony's mind no matter how impossible it was, that was his father who stood in the doorway glaring at him.

"Anthony, what the hell is--" He stopped the frown on his face turning even dark. "Who the hell are you and what... what is this?! What is—"

There was no time to think, no room for a single coherent thought as Tony lunged for him. With strength his trembling hands pulled out of thin air, he pushed Howard back far enough to slam the door shut right in his face. He turned the key twice, bolting the door shut, then spun around and leaned his back against it like it would keep the ghosts of the past out.

There was a beat of silence, only Tony's heavy pants echoing off the walls. His eyes flickered to Morgan who still sat up high on the bed that wasn't the bed he had put her in the night before any longer but held the old, dark wood frame of the bed Tony had slept in for most of his childhood.

Panic. That was all he could think of. That he was drifting into a full-on anxiety attack. This couldn't be happening. It was impossible. It had to be a dream or—

He squinted at Peter. "What did you do?"

Peter's eyes went wide. "What did I do?" He shook his head in bewilderment, frozen just like Morgan was. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything!" Tony's voice was hoarse. This could still be a dream. He could still wake up but given his track record... "Did you bring back some mumbo jumbo from the wizards?"

"No!" He shook his head, scrambling to his feet.

"Peter, you need to tell me the truth! Did you bring them here? This is serious! What if—"

The door vibrated as Howard banged his fist against the other side of it. "Open the goddamn door! This instance! I will not repeat myself!"

Tony braced himself against the door like the devil was knocking from the other side, which in all honesty, it felt like he was.

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To be continued...

For your amusement, the picture I used as inspiration for Tony's portrait:

[harrieatthemet]

Commitment

in which Harry likes to daydream and you burst his bubble. 

“Don't mess this up, love.”

What was partially intended to be words of encouragement are merely taken as added, and honestly unnecessary, pressure. He realizes how it may have come off only after he had said it; only after you cock your neck and side eye him from your spot on Anne’s living room floor. 

He doesn’t mean to be overbearing. He doesn’t mean to, quite literally, be breathing down your neck. And though you’d beg to differ right now as you mumble at him to shut up, he really doesn’t mean to add any pressure. 

Because it’s only a game. It’s just a friendly game amongst family; lighthearted and something to do while everyone digests dessert. Except he’s winning. His team is winning, beating Gemma’s only by a point, and it would just eat him alive watching that smug grimace pop up on his cousins face if you got this question wrong. 

“She hit it!,” he yelps, and Anne instinctively hushes him, “s’fair, g’on and let her answer it.” 

He’s practically squirming in his spot, eyes in slits as he taunts Gemma from the opposing side of his mother’s sitting area. And he’s so jittery that each time he jiggles his knee, it juts against the top of your spine. But seriously, he can’t help it, and as you choke out an answer he feels like he might actually explode. 

“Well fine,” Gemma huffs, “you guys win.”

She’s rolling her eyes at how exaggerated he can be as he literally leaps, taunting Gemma for being a sore loser before he’s showering you in praises. His joy at winning a quiz round during an after dinner game is comparable to that of winning a grammy, and dramatic as it may be, Anne is absolutely eating it up. 

“Hope your kids get her brains.” his cousin jokes, to which, Harry’s smile only doubles. 

“I could only get so lucky, yeah?”  

All it takes is a very haphazard, nonchalant remark about kids to have him like this; musing at a future he’s constantly fantasizing about. Even a bit of a blush crawls onto the apples of his cheeks as he steals a glimpse of you, trying to imagine what your eyes would look like on a baby with his smile. He’s far gone, for sure, wrapped up in a favorite daydream. 

“Talking about babies?” Anne’s practically singing the topic back, it seems to be her favorite as of late. 

She can notice Harry’s off again, in that place, the one where he’s bemused by a concept as he completely neglects existing reality. His smile is dopey and the only thing that lures his attention somewhat back to the small group of family sitting around seems to be the word babies. 

“Oh no,” you laugh, “don’t get him started.”

Not that it matters, anyways, because he’s already gone and gotten started well before you opened your mouth. He’s got a bad habit of letting his thoughts get the best of him; imagination tends to rule his thought process before it completely consumes him. 

Which is, of course, what happens. Because now everyone’s turned in for the night, wrapping paper has been discarded and gifts have been adoringly tucked away before everyone said their goodnights. 

But Harry was here, eyes trained on you as you sorted out a few things in your travel bag, muttering under your breath in frustration. He’s not sure how long he’s been like this, staring at you while he dreamt up a very colorful future. It’s been long enough, he’s sure, because you’ve caught him staring a few times. Each time his smile was dopier than the last. 

“Got something to tell me?” you laugh, catching him again as you dig up a pair of socks. 

“No,” he sighs sweetly, “s’nothing, really.”

“Okay.”

It’s not exactly the answer he was hoping for, nor the one he was really expecting either. His unconvincing, sing-songy hum was supposed to be an invitation for you to dig a little deeper. That was the plan. Clearly it was a shitty one considering you’re elbow deep in your overnight bag, your back turned to him again as you dig for a hairbrush.

An octave higher than normal, making it obvious he’s angling, he caves, “Unless you really wanna know.”

It’s rhetorical because, honestly, either way he figures he’s going to tell you. If he doesn’t there’s a good chance he’ll explode. He’ll be stuck like this for the rest of the night, his legs jumpy and face contorted in excitement. Really, it’s weird you didn’t ask sooner considering he hasn’t been able to sit still or break the smirk that’s starting to make his jaw sore.

“What’s got you all,” and your nose scrunches in adoration when he literally starts squirming, “`wiggly.”

The impulsive wobbling and jittery-ness is that of a child, almost. And honestly, he’s got no idea how odd it might look. He doesn’t care. Surely his big idea is what has him like this, and keeping it to himself is making him grow restless.

“Dunno,” he shrugs, “liked all that baby talk at dinner.”

And what he receives from you is a breathy chuckle, “I figured.”

“Yeah?”

A subtle hum in response is so misleading for him. Because what does that mean? Considering it means anything at all and, knowing you, surely it means something.

And he wants to ask, really that was the entire point of him bringing it up. Of course, he doesn’t. You don’t give him the chance to, either, because as quickly as the conversation started is as quickly as it fades out. It’s only a matter of seconds before you’re back at the bag, dragging out a sleeping ensemble.

“I wasn’t done.” He gripes, nudging the back of your thigh with his foot.

He’s wishing you’d give him a little bit more of your time. It’s hard to talk to you when your shirt is halfway over your head, covering your face and contributing to his impatience. Can’t you see how giddy he is? Thinking about a baby has got him buzzing, he wants to get you in the same headspace.

“M’listening,” you assure, “keep going.”

He almost lets it out in one breath, “Just had me thinking how we’d make pretty babies.”  

It really isn’t anything groundbreaking. It’s not like this is the first time a conversation like this had come up. He can recount the few times baby was on the brain, a handful of those times being brought about mainly by two finished bottles of wine.

This is much different. His intentions are motivated by sincerity, not a $40 bottle of red. He’s asking you sober, with a little bit of butterflies in his belly and a child-like grimace.

“Wanna, y’know,” he wriggles, “start makin’ all these pretty babies.”

Initially, he’d gone into this conversation with his spirits high. He might’ve been riding on a surge of confidence laced with a bit of excitement, a few nerves too. It quickly disappears, almost like it never occurred, as soon as he hears you chuckle to yourself. Any other time he’d be thrilled to hear it. He loves getting a laugh out of you, even goes out of his way sometimes to do it. But this really wasn’t one of those times.

“Wha’,” if the somber expression on his face wasn’t telling enough, his underwhelmed tone of voice gives him away almost instantly, “wasn’t looking t’make you laugh.”

“I know,” and you’re quick to wipe the smile off your face, seeing how disappointed he looks, “just- Harry a baby is a big step.”

“Know tha’.”

“And we’re not married,” you add, “we aren't even engaged.”

“Married,” he reiterates, “wha’ does marriage have t’do with this?”

You’ve known him to be a lot of things; creative, generous, kind. The list could go on. One thing, though, you’ve never known him to be was stupid. And surely, he was smart enough to find the link between a child and a marriage. It wasn’t hard, if it were too intricate you’d have never mentioned it in the first place. 

To him it may as well have been rocket science, because his brows are completely knit into one while the corners of his lips taught up in disinterest. Marriage. He didn't want to talk about marriage and he wishes you’d never brought it up. And, honestly, you’re starting to wish the same. 

“I don’t know,” your sarcasm isn’t taken kindly by him, “everything?” 

“How do y’figure?” 

Not only has his energy completely shifted, but so has the tone of the conversation. He’s visibly put off, unamused and even a bit agitated. For what reason remains unknown to you. But his frown is prominent, the corners of his mouth have even started creasing a bit. And he’s not sitting at the edge of the bed, he’s fully stood up, very impatiently waiting for you to answer his question. 

“I just,” you huff, “I don’t think I could have a baby without a ring first.” 

And that answer just isn’t what he wanted to hear, “Why?” 

“That commitment is important to me, that’s why.” 

Anne is about a few rooms down the hall, is sister just across and a few of his cousins just beneath them in the living room. With that in mind, you’d like to think he’d leave this argument for when the two of you wouldn’t have to take into account the possibility of family overhearing, when you were in the privacy of your own home. The car ride back to London, at the very least, would have been uncomfortable but private. 

Of course, he doesn’t seem to care that his mother could be overhearing them bicker. He doesn’t mind the risk, it’s evident in the way his voice is beginning to grow. 

“Wha’ difference does it make,” and, so badly, you wish he’d just lower his voice, “think m’not already committed?”

“Do we really need to fight about this,” you’re hoping that keeping your tone hushed and soft will be a silent inkling to save this for another time, “right now?”

“Yes!” and to no avail, because he’s still fucking yelling, “Yes, we do.”

“Harry, what’s the big deal if we get married before having-”

“I don’t want t’fucking get married!”

It really wasn’t supposed to come out like that. But it did, impulsively, and blunt. Perhaps, maybe, a little more harsh than something like that should have been. He almost immediately realizes his delivery was shit, it was apathetic.

An ice-like, uncomfortable tension thickens in the room even though it’s a little less stand offish now. Regardless, it doesn’t matter, because the mood is still off-putting and his he’s still a little red in the face as he does what he can to cool off without putting his foot in his mouth for a second time tonight. 

Now he’s in his childhood bedroom, a little bit of guilt starting to sneak up on him. It’s becoming more prominent when he can make out a few tears pooling at your waterline, despite how stoic your face is and how hard you’re forcing yourself not to cry. 

Especially since Anne’s knuckles are raking at the bedroom door. 

[lordxgrinnyxboy]

watching london tgm! pt 2!

they actually carry clarence in in his coffin????

Kupsak sounds Different

OOOOOOOOOOH THAT WAS OSRIC’S VOICE THAT DID THE “Will our land at last be free” LIKE THE LINGERING ECHOES OF THE TRELAW SPIRIT. NICE.

the voice he used leaves me with no doubt he could’ve been another amazing Gwynplaine.

“Get out” WAS OSRIC LITERALLY THERE DID OSRIC STRAIGHT UP GO BUST A FUNERAL

 OOOOH IT’S THE TRELAW REBELLION NOW. SPECIFICALLY THE TRELAW REBELLION. THE REBELLION BELONGING TO TRELAW.

for just a second i was living in a world without Barkilphedro but there he is, man, there he is. i was surprised to see him.

ooooh. oooooh “Angelica has not emerged from her chambers for almost exactly 20 years, during which time, she has not uttered a single word” WHAT?

DON’T SEND SPIKE TO GO GET HER WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU

off topic but getting back to the previous post if the “father she’ll never see” was part of the inscription and Ursus gave it to her then he’d know about it so it can’t be that did the MOM get her a necklace that said she’d never see her father??? was the mom like “ope we gotta pack up and sail away without your dad but lemme get you a cool trinket first” or was there no inscription and Ursus is just assuming that it was the dad who gave her the necklace but it was actually the mom and the mom got a necklace for Dea without telling Ursus but hold up aren’t they poor? wouldn’t somebody have known? do they have separate bank accounts? did the mom say “well I got our unborn child a present but it’s a surprise you’ll find out later” why a necklace that says “dea”? did the mom name her without consulting Ursus? how’d she know wh-? was she going to name the baby ‘Goddess’ regardless of gender? (valid?) was she asking a goddess to protect the baby??? did she have the baby, immediately go get her a little trinket, and then freeze to death? was ‘Dea’ a deliberate move or was it just the last name trinket in the shop? Were all the  “Makynzeiye” necklaces taken? I Have Questions About This Necklace

anyway

the other version always makes me feel almost like Barkilphedro murdered the king himself. i don’t get that so much in this one but i do get the impression he Knows What He’s Doing with this speech and is Doing It On Purpose. Having A Good Time, as it were.

angelica????

oh my

“SWWIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE” uhm

b-bird noises?

ooh she’s actually. calling out the corruption of her father. good girl angelica.

“I will make this country great again” did they. have. to say that. did they have to. was it necessary. why make me think about that man. why do that to me. london has no rights u-u

wHAT we’re back in the cart? No JoJo?

london gets rights for the fact that Gwyn’s crouching. that is a very good crouch sir, perfect.

“with mojo and father...GAH” oh gwyn :(

that hit him so hard so sudden like :(

FIDDLIN WITH THE BANDAGES IS CANOOOOON IT’S CANOOOOOOOON I AM VALID! I’M VALID! I KNEW IT! I THOUGHT SO! YES. YES. WOOHOO

gwyn your arm

the drama of that dismount. the delicate self-yeet. incredible.

WHY IN HEAVEN’S NAME IS YOUR SHIRT TUCKED IN YOU STOP THAT THIS INSTANT

“please help me find” gwyn what is she supposed to do, google it?

CROUCH

oh here we go

that was terrifying jojo

jojo that was terrifying

the dance is. worse.

pleeeease no please no please no pl

where did she get that

i am scared for my life rn

JOJO STOP

ohhh i’m dreading Brand New World. can’t believe i’m gonna have to watch Gwynplaine Trelaw literally be killed for sport. she’s gonna snap him like a twig 😭 

JOJO I AM BEGGING YOU TO PUT THAT DOWN

i am so scared of this jojo i am so

oh JOJO’S gonna offer to make the scuttling dream a reality???

book canon right there

😱😬😭

in this one she literally warns david personally to his face he’s got no excuse let’s go david wygd

but sure let’s go to the fair

i don’t hate this david but he’s like the mellow, zero-energy edition.

he bouncin

he’s turned into a starfish???

i hate Bristol!Jojo’s costume so bad but dang if i haven’t gotten used to it and now this one’s a little weird

i’m not strong enough tbh

dirry-moir just crouched and i’m gonna have to sue for copywrighte on gwynplaine’s behalf. i’ve apparently lost my ability to spell

idk man these people are just incredibly scary

oh thank goodness that part’s over

london!gwyn looks like a hobbit that’s been stretched out. like a screenshot of Mr. Elijah Wood in Unexpected Journey, but it’s been pasted into MS Paint and then stretched out a bit and then squished down and stretched out again and somehow pasted back into the movie.

i am genuinely so grateful we get another cart scene. i need time to recover from never seen a face.

the dynamic feels different in this version

awww the shoulder pat :3

this Gwyn is a whole other person. he’s both Calmer and More Wound Up. at the same time.

😭 he just 😭 literally choked 😭 i can’t 😭 he just fell right over 😭 wilted like a flower 😭 howm i supposed to cope with this 😭 

Don’t pat him so hard Ursus for pity’s sake DX

aw we’re not doing Born Broken in front of an audience this time? rights are evaporating.

is Gwyn even alive rn i think he straight up died

did he take the medicine yet?

Ursus are u touching his face?

HE’S HAVING A WHOLE SEIZURE

What Was That Move

i have lost my ability to exhale

i think Gwyn’s doing a physical impersonation of a fish being mercilessly dragged from a lake by a grappling hook thrown from a moving speedboat

i do like how Ursus crouches down to their level while they’re on the ground

love how Mojo looks over like “are y’all seeing this”

LOOK AT THE SMILE OF YOUR MOTHERL

THAT’S WHY URSUS FREAKIN SNAPS

Ursus is holding Gwyn by the wrist and just shaking his arm as punctuation like “I CANT tell you ANYthing you DON’t already KNOW” URSUS STOP

GWYN TRIED TO PULL AWAY AND URSUS YANKED GWYN’S ARM

URSUS YOU HAVE NO RIGHTS

i mean i always thought the near hysteria was valid and acceptable but you know what Gwyn is MORE than allowed the “NOOO NOT TODAY” line. he can HAVE IT. understandable. he did nothing wrong.

someone’s drinking a beer

i’m sorry but the way he just climbed through that curtain was hilarious

it’s too calm. mr. maskell you’ve got three seconds to lose your damn mind and go absolutely OFF

BOING BOING BOING BOING BOING

CLAP

twinge

this one doesn’t have enough hysteria but it gets points for being even more boneless

lost an elbow again

here we go his brain’s going AGSHAFUIABNAVSBKJAG AGFYAIAFIguAI here we go it’s happening i can see the sparks

MR MASKELL PLEASE

GWYN YOUR ARMS

YOUR SPIN GWYN

that right there was what medical professionals commonly diagnose as a Religious Experience.

his pantlegs are even shorter in this version

OH HE JUST YANKS THE BANDAID RIGHT OFF.

jojo please

hangon i gotta go back and see him in Zero Bones mode one more time that was actually so personal

i must say that rewind was Flawless. without even looking i took it back exactly to him coming through the curtain. at myself goodjob man

i would like to formally apologize to myself for just having the “talent show au” thought. stop that.

WIGGLY FINGERS ON “WALKS IN THE NIGHT”

can’t believe i’m in love with an overcooked linguini noodle

he is So Floppy it genuinely hurts to even look at and honestly i love that for me. I’m living. i’m about to watch this scene a third time in a row see if i don’t

it really is a little low on the sheer manic vibe but at the same time it kinda has the energy of if you climbed into the washing machine or maybe dryer while the appliance is on? or if you got in the washing machine but you brought a toaster with you. and threw your phone in separate.

another perfect rewind let’s go I’M THE STUUUUUUUFF OF YOUR NIGHTMARES WAS I

his voice sounds like it’s coming from a vintage record player and it’s definitely in black and white with a smattering of static and just a slight flavor of tin and honestly i love that for me

Gwyn’s literally one of those old door stoppers you know like the little stick on the bottom of the door and sometimes you pull it all the way to one side and then let go and it’s like FWOBBLEFWOBBLEFWOBBLE and you’re like “OOOOOOH”

JEAN VALJEAN

ARMS UPPPPPPPP GO BACK AND BOIIIIIIIIIIING

LOVE that dude. Amazing.

did he just spit actually? he physically can’t? at least traditionally?

steppy leggies!

one more time and then i’ll move on. just one more.

rewound too far i’m now back at “Ursus If You Don’t Let Go Of That Boy’s Wrist”

come on through that curtain Gwynlit i am Ready for You.

I’M THE STUUUUUUFFFFF OF YOUR NIGHTM

i want this played at my funeral and i want mr. maskell to be there to dance to it

so i guess in this version his limbs just short-circuit at different times huh because i mean genuinely for real his elbows just seem to nope out every now and then

this right here is what mr. hugo meant when he said, if not in as many words, that you were a ten.

ARRRMMMS UP! ANNNND BAAAAAAACK AND

B O U N C E

he has the x factor

love how he just shuffles back through the curtain like that one gif of the yellow dude being absorbed into the bushes

JOJO I LOVE YOUR DRESS WHAT

Dirry-Moir’s voice is nice even if it’s Very Different

fr jojo that’s actually kinda cute

Osric my dear i Love You

and now they’re all dirilious

dilirius

dilirious

dileros

d e l i r i o u s ?

that

Dea and Gwyn just dropped out of the sky

awww mojo came to check on him

Mojo’s nudging at Gwyn’s arm and Gwyn’s Not Having It

Ursus you’re banned from touching him i am Mad At You

Gwyn’s having another attack in this version it is constantly happening. has this boy sipped any sauce yet?

he just stood up and now he’s like

HE’S DOING HAND FLAPS HE’S GOT FLAPPY HANDS HE’S ACTUALLY. WHAT. FLAP FLAP FLAP I LIKE IT I AGreE WITH THIS

ooh he reacts a little bit to “all the other fairground freaks”

FIDDLING WITH THE BANDAGES

Ursus sounds Angery

 oh. gwynlit :( he’s cryin :( on “I don’t believe you” :(

😭💀😭💀

these two have PROBLEMS in this version and i am Hurt

he’s doing hand things again

VOCAL THINGS

this is canon now

DEA JUST HELPED HIM WITH THE CRIMSON LETHE

it looked like he was too jittery or something so she puts his hand over his and helps him bring the bottle of crimson lethe up to his mouth

im really just filling up a shopping cart over here

did quake just clock ursus over the head or did someone get shot boy golly that was loud

wait though with the little noise that Gwyn did a second ago, we hear it after the crowd starts doing it but in-universe did they hear him do that at some point and now they’re imitating it 👀 

THAT CRISMSON LETHE JUST KNOCKED HIM OUT HE JUST FLOPPED FORWARD AND DEA HAD TO CATCH HIM 📝👀

oh. “The Grinning Man Is Not To Be Disturbed” is because he’s straight up out of it after having the medicine. oh no

Mojo just growled as Gwyn stood up and i heard it wrong and thought there was like a cartoon sound effect like “LOOK HOW FAST HE JUST STOOD UP. WOOSH.” but no it was a growly bark

he held onto Dea’s hand and kind of hopped over to the door that was neat

i’m gonna start holding everything i read Like That

shjshgsj he just held it Like that and Stared before switching to holding it normally and actually opening it

random Itch

her outfit really is cute though i like this costume

“who I aaaaaaaaaam” stop the voice is too good sir

okay but that maneuver really is illegal y’all ought not to have done that

wait wait lemme go back and

i don’t know how i feel about that

one more time lemme check lemme just ch

*phil collins voice* oh lord

there is no reason

gwyn sweetheart you are not strong enough. she will kill you.

i now know what song this reminds me of now and i’m so upset

why do they have the outside of the cart looking like a happy meal box

GWYN WHAT WAS THAT

he just did the squawkiest laugh oml

HOLD UP

“you must see or you’ll never know” “YOU’RE RIGHT! Something is changing! She wants to meet me!” WHAT IS THIS CONVERSATION

HE SOUNDS HAPPY

SHE KNOWS HE’S GOING TO MEET SOMEBODY AND SHE ACTUALLY KISSES HIM LIKE “You must go!” WHAT

boy i know you did not just finger-gun goodbye at the blind girl

he’s walking in place now and i’m crying

she told him he must go now and he took it so literally he left while she was still talking

THE WALKING IN PLACE THOUGH. IT’S IN SLOW MOTION. I AM DISTRAUGHT

did you just wave at someone Gwyn

he’s so doped up

i think he thinks he’s about to get beat

okay in this version he doesn’t Let Osric grab his hand Osric just kind of grabs him and then Gwyn snatches his hand away and Osric’s like “i’ve got a funny feeling in my hand” meanwhile Gwyn puts his hand up and looks at it for a second and shakes down his sleeve and then he’s all hands-on-hips and looking at Osric like >:?

i think he just did the sound with them

and he’s having another attack.

he just fell back and they caught him and one person grabbed his hand and yanked him forward and now they’re picking him up

idk think he knows he’s alive in this version

AJSHFAJGAH THEY’RE DOING HIM LIKE THE PUPPETS IN THE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST DANCE SEQUENCE THEY JUST TOSSED THAT BOY LIKE A FRESHLY-LAUNDERED BEDSHEET

he ain’t well sir

that’s all for now!

[imagine-loki]

Loki's Daughter

TITLE: Loki’s Daughter CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 10: Blue is Better Chap 9 (since it’s been a wee while)

AUTHOR: traveling-classicist ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine Avengers: Endgame AU Loki that gets away with tesseract has been using it to explore the universe. During his adventures, he comes across a little girl with developing but oppressed magical abilities. Intrigued (and subconsciously lonely) Loki keeps her around. RATING: T

AO3 LINK: Here NOTES/WARNINGS: Some negative self talk from Loki in this chapter. Perhaps a bit of healing as well. A bit of fluff.

Author note: Sorry for the long wait. Pandemic has me low. Uplifting comments and CC are always welcome. I am always happily surprised by rising hit counts, kudos/likes, and comments, even when it takes me nearly a month and a half to update. Thanks for reading and returning, folks. It really does lift my spirits and motivate me to return to writing. <3

————————————————————————————————–

They appeared on a beautiful, verdant planet, surrounded by hills and tall mountains. The tesseract had put them out on top of one of these high hills, overlooking, steep, sweeping fjords. Clouds draped over the rounded summits of the neighboring mountains, reaching down into the deep valleys below.

            Kuna wiggled on Loki’s side to get down. He put her down on her feet and she ran towards the edge to look out over the fjord below them. A single sun peeked out at them from behind a few clouds above their heads. Kuna let the light shine on her face before the sun disappeared once again behind the clouds. She smiled and fell back on the grass, feeling it with her arms and legs in long strokes.

            Loki smirked. This did look like a rather nice place. He certainly preferred it over the desert planet the tesseract had previously stranded him on.

It looks like Asgard.

The insidious reminder sent a fiery sensation through his body. Disturbed by the sudden thought, he looked around for any signs of the golden palace in the distance. Even on the tallest mountains and in the deepest fjords of Asgard, you could still see the massive golden palace in the center of Asgard. Odin had designed it as such; dominating, overpowering, annoyingly shiny. Yet, on this planet, they were completely alone on the vast hills.

            “It’s not Asgard, idiot. I don’t know where we are but it’s not there,” he mused to himself.

The cube is misbehaving again. It could take us anywhere. The girl nearly gave it to Thanos. She’s a liability.

He looked at the gleaming cube in his hand. He was not amused by its behavior of late either. The cube, which had hitherto served him so well, had seemed now to have gained a mind of its own. A glimmer of white light shot up from deep inside the cube, sending a little zap through Loki’s finger tips. He recoiled and the tesseract fell out of his hand.

Loki gasped and flailed about, trying to catch it. He caught a corner with one finger, then another, not quite able to grasp it. The cube fell, bouncing off a rock, and tumbled across the grass towards Kuna. It came to a gentle halt against her leg. She sat up and smiled at it. A blue glimmer lit up her face.

It’s chosen her over you, the voice hissed inside Loki’s head.

Loki grit his teeth and stalked towards Kuna and the cube.

I told you to get rid of her. You could have killed her. You could have left her on any one of those wretched planets but no, you had to keep her because you’ve gone soft.

Loki closed his eyes, fists clenched. He inhaled deeply through his nose and scooped up the cube before Kuna could pick it up. He stared into the swirling ocean inside the cube.

Toss her into a portal. Maybe one to a white dwarf star. No, the planet with the cannibals. Which one?

“No,” Loki thought.

No, of course not. Too many to choose from. There must be something more suitable for her.

“Stop.”

I’ve got it. Just open a portal to anywhere in space and leave her there. Let the vacuum take her.

Loki squeezed his eyes shut, trying to force the voice away.

Better yet, a black hole.

Loki’s breath came hard, his jaw clenched. His arms trembled with the effort to control himself. He felt a hand on his arm and wrenched himself away. Kuna stood on her tiptoes, reaching for the cube.

“Kuna, this is not a toy!” Loki said, firmly. “With our luck, you’ll teleport us both into vacuum of space or worse yet, a black hole.”

Kuna jumped back and frowned, scrunching up her little nose at him. Her eyes shot daggers.

“I still haven’t figured out how you were even able to hold it let alone tele… teleport us…” Loki trailed off, looking down at the cranky girl. He shook his hands, “That doesn’t matter now. Look. It’s going to stay in my pocket, where it will be safe from Thano—I mean, the purple man. And just safe in general. So long as it stays in there this time,” he growled at the cube, squeezing it tightly.

            Kuna folded her arms and turned away but something made her turn back. Loki watched her eyes. He did not like the way she looked at the cube. There was a great need in her eyes. A need to protect it. The cube had its own ways of protecting itself - as he had found - and it often involved manipulating beings into sacrificing themselves to keep it from danger.  He put the tesseract into his pocket and dedicated extra energy to keeping it there.

Kuna looked away from him, her brow furrowed. She kicked a rock with her foot and it tumbled over the side of the cliff. She listened as it shattered off the walls and boulders below, on its way down to the bottom. She crossed her legs and plopped down hard on the ground with her back to Loki.

            Loki paced. He wanted to stab something – or at least a part of him did. He tried to push that part of himself away. The sun was falling fast on the horizon. Darker clouds were gathering. His cape lapped at his calves. He looked out across the landscape. There was no sign of any intelligent life that he could see. No cities, towns, or hamlets. Not even a mud hut or shit hole. He sighed. At least they were alone.

“I bought a tent thing on Tenanci’i. After this ordeal, we’ll need some place to recoup. Why don’t we see about putting it together? It looks like it might rain on us.” Loki said, looking up at the darkening sky around them. He glanced at Kuna but she did not waver from her position on the ground. He cut his eyes away, annoyed.

He summoned the tent from his pocket. In his hand appeared a compact box with a few buttons. A red and blue button glowed at him. He scratched his head.

“Of course, there’s no instructions,” he said, flipping the box in his hands. “Of course, I didn’t ask for any,” Loki grumbled. “Just two buttons. On a box. How is this a tent?”

He studied the box for a moment. The red button was the top button, the blue button was the bottom button. Clearly, the tent assembled itself, he figured. One button to assemble, one button to disassemble. The Tenanci’ians were exceedingly simple, Loki thought to himself.

Kuna looked over her shoulder and watched him from her spot on the ground for a moment. She was still sore about not being able to hold the tesseract even for a little bit. She remembered the vendor with the tent. There had been lots of strange and shiny things there that did not resemble any tents she had ever seen.

“What do you think? Red or blue?” Loki asked her as he studied the box.

            Kuna was surprised that he asked her. She tried to work out which button it could be in her head. Red was always bad. Red mushrooms were bad. Red berries were bad. Blood was red. Blue was nicer. The tesseract was blue and the tesseract was the best thing in the whole universe so blue had to be right. Loki was blue once and Loki was the best thing to ever happen to her. The Tenanci’ians made the box and the Tenanci’ians were blue but the Tenanci’ians also tried to kill them…

            “I think blue, maybe,” she said, indecisively. She wondered if Loki had put the instruction papers the vendor had given them in their satchel. Loki had been so busy buying things, she had been collecting all the extra bits and bobs and stuffing them into their purse. She would not read them but Loki could. She started to dig around in the satchel. Loki had really messed it up on the desert planet. It was full of sand and crumpled papers and many other random things.

            Loki returned to the box. Blue was not a color he was fond of.

            What does she know? It’s definitely red, the voice in his head decided.

            He pressed the red button and dropped the box. An explosion of yellow wax erupted from the box, engulfing Loki. He screamed and Kuna screamed. She leapt up and ran to Loki trying to find him in the gobbled mess of wax covering the grass.

            “Loki!” she cried.

            “MMfffrdd!” A muffled cry came from a particularly wiggly few lumps of wax. Kuna ran over to them and ripped of chunks, uncovering Loki’s glowering face. “It’s not red,” he said, angrily.

“I have a feeling you’ve never done camping before,” Kuna said, rather matter-of-factly.

            Loki could feel the voice cackling in his head. He squinted at her, a small twitch developing in his left eye.

            “Get me out of this,” he said through gritted teeth.

            “I told you to press the blue button,” she said.

            “Kuna.”

            “Blue is always better.”

            “Kuna.”

            “The sky is blue.”

            “Kuna.”

            “And water most of the time is blue and havasafruit is blue – that’s my favorite – and my cape is blue and the tesseract is blue and you were blue that one time and—”

            DON’T YOU DARE, YOU LITTLE–

            “KUNA, GET ME OUT OF THIS WAX RIGHT NOW!”

            She flinched and started peeling away more globs of wax from around Loki’s neck and shoulders. “I found the instruction papers, I think,” she said, shyly. “It has pictures on them.”

            “You’re telling me this now?”

            “I was trying to look for them!” she sniffed. “I can’t read them.”

            Loki remembered she could not read and sighed. “Please, just help me out of this and I’ll figure out what the Hel I’ve done this time.”

            Kuna carved Loki out of the wax and he wrestled himself the rest of the way out. She handed him the instructions she had found and ran off, climbing over the gelatinous carnage to recover the box. He brushed himself off, adjusting his disheveled hair. Kuna returned with the box and gave it to him. Loki read aloud:

“‘To deploy your Apidome number-I-cannot-read Survival Tent, first, place box on a clear, level surface, free from debris and away from trees. Then, press the blue button to deploy.’”

            Kuna folded her arms triumphantly and smiled at him. “I think you need to listen more. The tesseract thinks so too.”

            “Yeah, yeah,” Loki said, smirking back at her. He flicked his fingers her way and a spell pulled her cape over her head.

            “Hey!”

            “I let you go on one field trip with the cube and you come back full of sass.”

            Kuna righted her cape, giving Loki the smuggest, sassiest grin she could muster. Loki sped read the page until a header caught his eye.

            “’In case of misdeployment:’,

“Ah, here we go. See, clearly this was designed improperly if they have to put this in here. It happens too often. We’re not the only ones,” he reasoned.

            “I said it was the blue one,” Kuna mumbled. Loki ignored her.

            “’In case of misdeployment, the Apidome number-I-cannot-read may eject its contents in an unseemly manner.’ Yeah, no kidding,” Loki scoffed.

This time when he resumed reading he took on the accent of one of the meek male Tenanci’ians, glancing at Kuna. “’Simply place the box in the center of the tent and press the red button. Stand back! Contents will be hot!’”

Kuna giggled at his high pitched voice and funny faces.

“’When the contents has been properly regathered and the area is clear, refer again to the top of the page for deployment instructions.’ Meh, blah, blah, blah.”

“Read more!” she giggled.

            “The rest is just a bunch of rubbish,” he shrugged, walking over the wax to put the box down.

            “It didn’t sound like that to me,” she said. “This tent is weird.”

            “Yes it is.” Loki pressed the red button and jumped out of the circle of wax to Kuna. He pulled her a few more feet out of the way.

            The box opened and the wax lit up bright white. Kuna could feel the heat on her skin. Loki turned his face away from the heat. He took the page again from Kuna and quickly read through the rest of the instructions. He was not going to be burned alive inside a tent. Thankfully, there did not appear to be a chance of such a thing happening. A whooshing sound emitted from the box and the wax rushed back inside. Kuna let out a little laugh.

            “Now, we press the blue one!” she said, excitedly, running towards the box.

            “Uh, how about I do it?” Loki said, grabbing her cape.

            “Ahh.”

            I think she should. Have her press the red one and then just teleport away.

            “Shut up,” Loki thought. He walked over and pressed the blue button.

            This time the tent grew around them in a hexagonal pattern, stacking up in plump rings, forming a domed roof above them. A circular skylight let in what was left of the dying light. The tent was tall enough for Loki to stand up straight in the center and long enough for him to stretch out along the floor. He was equally impressed and annoyed at the ingenuity. He and Kuna looked around and then at each other.

            “Bees,” they both said at once and laughed together.

            In the very center of the floor was a hexagonal fireplace that contained a dish like mechanism. Loki crouched, studying it. He reviewed the instructions and touched it twice in quick succession. A hologram dome covered the dish and a small fire ignited in the middle. Heat that would cook and warm but not melt their shelter.

            “Hmph,” Loki grumbled. He was not sure about having fire this close to where he slept.

            “Loki look! Look at the door! Shoop!” Kuna made a sound and giggled.

            Loki straightened up and watched. Kuna was outside the tent. The door was more transparent than the rest of the tent’s waxy consistency. Her figure was murky but he could still see her. She fazed back through the door of the tent like walking through gelatin. Loki grimaced. She giggled.

            “I like how it feels! It tickles!”

            “I don’t know how I feel about that,” he said. “Well, it looks like I’m staying inside forever.”

            “Why did they put a red button on it anyways?”

            “Good question. My answer? They’re morons. The instructions answer: ‘For cleaning or personal moulding purposes (not recommended for non-Tenanci’ian races).’ I guess if you want to make it look different.”

            “Oh.”

Loki pulled the bedrolls from his pocket. Thankfully, they were normal looking. He rolled them out. Kuna stood beside hers, looking down at it. Loki watched her. It was as if he could see the gears turning in her head. She was thinking about something but he could not make out what.

            “Kuna?” he asked. “Are you going to sit down?”

            “Do… Do I get to sleep inside the tent? With you?” she asked, quietly, without turning around.

            Loki was taken aback by the question. “Well, yes, of course.” he said, plainly. “What sort of a question is…”

            She turned around to face him. Her eyes were big and filled with tears.

            “Wha… Why are you crying?” he asked.

            She sniffed and rubbed her eyes, smearing dirt and grime on her face. He noticed for the first time, it seemed, the cuts on her hands and the blood on her face from the fight. She had smeared it all over her face from her tears.

            “The other Masters never let me sleep inside the tent. I… I always have to sleep outside,” she gulped. “I… I don’t… I didn’t know if… if you were still m-mad at me.”

            “I’m not mad,” Loki replied, painfully.

I am.

Kuna hung her head, her shoulders drooped. Loki watched her, silently. Tears fell from her chin, pooling in perfect droplets on the waxy floor. He was unsure of how to deal with this much crying in his life.

“Kuna, how many times do I have to tell you? I’m not your master. You’re a free person now. So, yes, of course, you’re sleeping inside this weird beehive tent. And I’m not angry with you. I’m sorry I snapped at you. It seems I struggle a little more when I’m accompanied by someone other than myself.”

She looked up at him and then quickly back down at her hands. She picked at the cuts on her knuckles and fingers.

“Come here. Let’s get you cleaned up.” Loki beckoned to her.

    ��       She plodded over to him, plopping down on the ground in front of him. Loki conjured up some healing supplies and a canteen of water he had stored away. He gently cleaned her hands and knuckles before wrapping them in bandages. He reached into the satchel and gave her the stuffed animals. She hugged them close.

When he was done with her wounds, he looked at her messy hair and sighed. He gently turned her around, setting her down in front of his crossed legs. Conjuring a comb, he combed through her hair and began to plait it. Kuna sat stock still, not understanding what Loki was doing.

            “I think you’re going to like this when I’m done,” Loki said.

            “What are you doing?” Kuna asked, hugging her dragon.

            “I’m plaiting your hair.”

            “What?” she whispered.

            “I’ll show you in just a second,” Loki said, sticking out his tongue in concentration. “I’m almost done. This is how all the noble ladies and gents wear their hair on Asgard – that’s, erm, that’s where I’m from.”

Kuna held her breath in anticipation.

            “Okay, have a look,” Loki said, pulling her plait over her shoulder so she could see it.

            Kuna’s eyes widened at the complexity of the woven locks of her hair. She stared at it in awe, holding it delicately in her hands, afraid that if she touched it too much, she would mess it up. She turned around and hugged Loki. His body tensed at the touch. His senses still wired from the battle had him on edge. He exhaled and relaxed, putting his arms around the child.

            “Loki?” Kuna asked.

            “Mmm,” Loki said, his eyes closed.

            “Why did you free me on Torileena?”

            “Because those men were torturing you and I didn’t like it.”

            “But why did you keep me?”

            “Well, I didn’t have much of a choice, really. We were chased by that monster.”

            “But you could have left me to be eated by the gigagrunt.”

            “To be eaten? That would have been cruel. Even for me. Why do you ask?”

            Kuna fiddled with her dragon’s wings and shrugged. Loki picked her up, trying to get into a comfortable position for what he knew was going to be a long and uncomfortable talk with the child. He conjured some food for them both giving her plenty to eat and drink while they talked. Whatever sort of journey she had been on with the tesseract should have drained her immensely. The fact that she was even awake was still baffling to him but he was sure she would be hungry.

            “I’m assuming you have lots of questions for me after everything that has happened,” Loki said as he settled her back down on his legs. She nodded, hugging both of her toys and munching on a piece of fruity.

            “Alright, well now’s the time to ask them. Go.”

            Kuna scrunched up her face as she thought of all the questions she had for Loki.

            “Will the bad guys be looking for us?”

            “The Nova Corps? Yes, they will. But they’ll have a difficult time of it. They can’t leave the galaxy they love so much and I’m pretty sure we’re on the other side of the universe from them so they’re nothing to worry about now.”

            “What about the purple man? Is he coming for us too. He really doesn’t like you.”

            “He does not. Thanos is his name. He is a very bad guy. Without the tesseract, he’ll have a more difficult time navigating the universe but he’s crafty. It’s possible he could find a way. Which is why it’s safer if we keep moving. Who wants to settle down anyway?”

            Kuna digested this information, taking a long pause and a deep drink of water.

            “Why did he make you attack the blue planet?” she asked.

            Loki was taken aback by this question. “Wh-what do you know about that?”

            “The tesseract showed me the purp—I mean, Thanos, hurting you. Him and his mean friends. I know he made you go there with one of the other stones like the tesseract. But I don’t know why.”

            Loki was surprised by how much the tesseract had shown her and by how much she detail she could remember. “Thanos wanted me to retrieve the tesseract for him from Midgard, the blue planet. It’s also called Earth or Terra. It means ‘dirt’ because that’s what it is. A big, disgusting, pile of dirt.” Loki gestured with his hands how big the pile was. Kuna giggled. “Thanos wanted me to deliver him the tesseract but… things did not go as planned.”

            “Because you got your butt kicked by the dirt people,” Kuna said.

            “Hey!”

            “I saw! The tesseract showed me,” she defended.

            “Yeah? Well, what else did it show you?”

            Kuna ignored him. “You weren’t really going to give the tesseract to him, were you?”

            “No. Not if I could help it. But you’re right, he made me. He was controlling my mind.”

            Kuna gasped and hugged her toys tighter. “No!” she whispered, not wanting to believe him.

            “But I broke free from his grasp. I got away with the cube and I’ve been doing everything I can to keep it away from him and anyone else that wants it. It wasn’t long after that I found you,” he said, poking her gently in the chest. She smiled.

“When I met Thanos, he said he was mad at my daddy. I don’t think there’s any way he knows my daddy. Was he… was he talking about you?” Kuna asked after some pause.

            “Yes,” Loki replied.

            She sighed, sprawling across his lap. “I wish I had a daddy like you. My daddy’s shit.”

            Loki snorted at her choice of words. “Yeah, well, so is mine.”

            “Really?” She turned over, looking at him in shock.

            “Yes. Not as terrible as yours though. Mine never sold me into slavery. But mine did trick me into believing I was born to be a king when, in fact, I was born an evil monster that was so useless my own birth parents threw me out. He only kept me around in order to use me as a warfare deterrent and a bargaining chip to keep his own political prowess alive for another five thousand or so years or until he handed off the kingdom to my moronic brother to annihilate.”

            “Oh,” Kuna said, a little confused but sympathetic. “That sounds awful.”

            Loki nodded.

            “So, you’re a prince?”

            I was King!

            “Yes, I am,” he said, proudly. “I was a king.”

            “Woah.” Kuna was very impressed. “What happened?”

            I was betrayed!

            He looked up at her. “I was betrayed.”

            “No!”

            Cast out!

“Cast out by my father and brother for being a monster.” A tear fell from Loki’s eye, landing in his upturned hand.

            “You’re not a monster,” Kuna said, looking up into his eyes. She crawled into his lap and put her arms around his neck.

            “It’s why I turned blue,” he said, not returning her hug. “That’s what I look like. I’m from a horrible place where savage monsters called frost giants murder and kill for pleasure.”

            “I don’t think you’re a monster,” she whispered.

            You don’t know the monster.

            “You were scared of me.”

            “You would be scared too if I suddenly turned blue,” Kuna retorted, straightening up to look at him again. She braced herself on his shoulders.

            He let out a hollow laugh. “I suppose you’re right.”

            “I’m sorry they hurt you, Loki,” she said, hugging him again, tighter this time. He gave her a gentle pat on the back before picking her up and setting her back on the floor. He sniffled, composing himself.

“Any more questions?”

            “What’s your favorite color?”

            “Easy: Green,” he said, holding up his cape.

            “What’s your favorite animal?”

            “I think we’re getting a little off topic, here.”

            “You said if I had questions, now’s the time!” Kuna whined.

            Loki sighed. “Fine. Dragons.”

            “I knew it.”

            “Why don’t you get some sleep and we’ll talk more later, huh? I can imagine how tired you are after your adventure with the tesseract,” Loki said.

Kuna nodded rubbing the sleep in her eyes. She laid down on her bedroll with her stuffed animals. She burrowed under the blanket and curled up, cuddling her toys, and closed her eyes. Loki laid down on his own bedroll but was far from sleep himself. He extinguished the fire and laid on the opposite side of it from Kuna. Hoping he could trick himself to sleep, he closed his eyes.

The pitter patter of rain on the waxy exterior slowly began to fill his ears as the clouds began to open up above them. The wind picked up a little but the tent was sturdy. Thunder began to roll out in the distance. Kuna whimpered beside him at the sound. Loki’s jaw clenched. He desperately tried to calm his mind but the thunder drumming up from the surrounding mountains drilled in his head. Thoughts of Thor and Odin swam through his thoughts, stirring up bitter emotions: anger, hatred, rage. He felt the more insidious side of himself swelling in his mind. Behind the closed lids of his eyes, white-blue lights flashed through the wax. Rain hammered against the tent.

Kuna could not sleep. She stared at the ceiling of the tent, past it, through the storm clouds, into the dark night sky and up into the stars. She closed her eyes but still saw the stacks of stardust and twinkling supernovas. A clap of thunder made her yelp, bringing her crashing back down to the planet. Loki had not heard her. She glanced around the dark hivetent. Bright lightning flashed, casting long, murky shadows on the walls. She hid her head under the blanket, hugging her dragon and sleipnir close. She squeezed her eyes shut. The thunder growled at her.

Creeping out of her bedroll, she gently carried it around to Loki’s other side. She was careful not to make too much noise but the outside was doing a good enough job to cover her up. She slid silently back into her bedroll and quickly snatched her toys back into the safety of the blankets. Cuddling up to Loki’s side, she immediately felt comforted by his presence. She curled into a ball beside him and closed her eyes again.

Her body was sore and ached with the violence from the day. Her mind felt the same. She felt pulled by the universe, stretched in all directions like she was being stretched out on a tanning rack. One moment, she thought of beautiful planets and stars, the next of the greedy peoples she had seen. Then, she thought of Loki’s daddy and mean brother. Her own daddy’s muffled voice rang in her head. She put her hands on her head. She whimpered as thunder continued to rumble and roar.

“Mmm,” Loki mumbled. “Knock it off, Thor.”

Loki struggled in a half sleep stupor. Brought back to the palace of his youth in Asgard, he watched on as Thor summoned lightning with his newly acquired hammer. His gaggle of friends and fans ooed and awed at his strength and power. They pushed past Loki, shoving him out of the way to get a better look at Odin’s golden boy.

Loki’s skin prickled at the feeling of the electricity in the air. A feeling he had learned to abhor and avoid at all costs. He had been electrocuted enough times by stray bolts and arcs to know the strength of his brother’s power. He didn’t need to be shown any parlor tricks to know.

            “What’s the matter, Loki? Are you jealous?” Thor jested.

            Loki’s eyes rolled beneath his eyelids. His fists clenched fistfuls of the blankets. His nostrils flared with anger.

            “I’ll show you, you oaf!” Loki shouted.

            Thor shot a bolt of lightning from Mjolnir as Loki took his own battle stance. The dream faded before Loki could cast a spell in attack as he felt a sudden movement beside him made his skin crawl. His eyes snapped open. Kuna had moved her bedroll beside him, making herself comfortable at his side. She curled up in a little ball like a tiny puppy, snuggling up to his chest with her stuffed animals.

Stop touching me! Get away, you stupid brat!

A feeling of annoyance bubbled up in Loki along with the insidious voice still loose in his head. He wanted to push Kuna away. The muscles in arms tensed but did not heed his desire. He dug his fingernails deep into his skin until he felt pain. Gritting his teeth, the muscles in his jaw flexed. The voice was trying to take control once more, as it had on the desert planet. A clap of thunder brought him out of this stalemate with himself. Kuna jumped and let out a little yelp.

“Ugh,” Loki groaned. “You don’t like thunder, either?” She shook her head. Her whole body shivered with fear. He turned onto his side, facing her. “It’s nothing to worry about,” he said. “Just a lot of noise, really.”

She cuddled closer to Loki. His skin prickled at her touch as it always did during thunderstorms. He was not fond of touch on a good day but even he did not enjoy a cuddle during an angry thunderstorm. His past did not support a love for the racket and certainly not for the light show that followed. He fought with himself not to push her away to make the sensation stop. He closed his eyes. He held his breath. He tried to count to ten. She fell asleep once more.

Loki gently moved himself away from her, only a few inches, so as to stop the uncomfortable sensation her touch was causing. He sighed, closing his eyes once more. It had been days since he had had any true rest. At least since before he had even rescued the child. He just wanted to sleep. Another clap of thunder sent Kuna scurrying to find Loki’s side once more and the flair of pins and needles radiated over Loki’s body. He put his hands on his face.

We’re never going to get any sleep. She won’t leave us alone.

“She’s afraid of thunder, what am I supposed to do?” Loki thought to himself.

Get rid of her!

“Ugh, go away.” Loki turned over.

Kuna whimpered at his side, scuttling ever closer as angry thunder rattled overhead. She tucked herself beneath his armpit and stretched out along his side. His skin rippled with the fiery sensation of her touch. He was nearly shaking with the effort not to her push her away.

“Kuna, please! You cannot get any closer to me!”

Kuna sniffled and moved back a bit at Loki’s outburst. He felt a deep pang of guilt that his inner self batted away like a homerun in the ninth.

She needs to learn. If you’re going to keep her, she’s going to be independent.

Loki turned back over onto his side to face Kuna. She clutched her toys, curled up in a ball, shaking with fear at the racket outside. Her eyes glistened with tears. Loki shook his head.

“Here, you have your toys,” he began. “Have you thought of names?” He adjusted them beside her. She sniffed and circled one of the dragon’s black scales on its back with her finger. Loki pulled the blanket up over her shoulder.

“I want to call him Ratok,” she said.

“Ratok. I’m not familiar with the name,” Loki replied.

“Because he has spots on his scales.” She poked at his scales, not meeting Loki’s eyes.

“Oh, it means ‘spot’,” Loki realized, smiling at the discrepancy his Allspeak had made between the proper name and the noun in Kuna’s mother tongue.

“And what about the sleipnir, hmm? You know these eight legged horses are nearly extinct now? My father rides the very last one of it’s kind.”

She gasped and pushed him away.

“Oh no, no! He’s a good horse. A famous horse even without his ridiculous rider. They are a proud, elegant species! I was there the day Sleipnir was born. I practically caught him as he came from his mother! Eight sprawling legs and all. He thought I was his own mother for weeks; followed me around everywhere. My brother never let me forget it. Spread all sorts of awful rumors about me.”

Loki put his hand to his head remembering the ridicule: the myths, legends, and stories that Thor propagated from one small incident in the stables. He sighed, shaking his head, looking back down at Kuna.

“But this little guy can have whatever name you want to give him or her.”

Kuna thought about this for a while. Loki yawned, waiting patiently for her to make up her mind. “I like Nira,” she said, after a long while.

“That’s very nice,” he said, rubbing his eyes. “So we have Ratok and Nira to protect you from the thunder. So, wrap up in the blanket.” He tucked her into her bedroll, pulling it at least a foot of distance from himself. “And obviously I’m here and I’m not going to let it get you. Oh, what am I saying?” He shook his head and looked down at Kuna’s big green eyes.

“Listen, Kuna. You need to learn this. Thunder is not dangerous. It’s just noise. It’s not a monster. It’s not going to get you. It can’t.”

            In that moment, a clashing of thunder roared out across the mountains. They could feel the sound in their chests. It felt as if it came from everywhere all it once. Kuna jumped, diving under the blanket. She peeked out once more, only her eyes below the edge of the blanket.

"Angry noise.”

“Yes,” Loki said, putting his hand on his face in desperation. “Most of the time. But just noise. Can you try to sleep?”

“I’ll try,” Kuna said, punily.

"Good.” Loki turned over onto his other side, leaving Kuna his back.

She pouted, cuddling her toys. She pulled the blanket over her head to muffle the angry noise and flashy lights but it became too hot and stuffy underneath there. She huffed and sighed. She tossed to one side and then the other, huffing and sighing. She turned onto her back and looked up at the ceiling. The universe pulled on her again. She did not like the stretchy feeling it gave her head. The universe tree began to sprout in her mind’s eye. She watched it grow but the feeling persisted and still she could not sleep. Then, she remembered how the tesseract had sang to her.

“Loki?” she asked. “Are you awake?”

“I am now.”

“Will you sing again?”

He let out a heavy sigh. “No,” he replied without turning over. He had not been able to fall asleep either with all the noise she was making.

"But it was so pretty.”

Loki blushed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about or what you think you heard when I was hallucinating on those candy bars but I do not sing.”

“I thought it was pretty,” Kuna whispered to herself. “And you were so happy.”

“Well I’m throwing those candy bars over the cliff and into a portal to a black hole first thing tomorrow morning.”

Kuna frowned. “So grumpy.”

“Go to sleep.”

“Does the tesseract to sing to you?”

“No.”

“I like the song it sings.”

“Don’t listen.”

“What? Why not?” she whined, sitting up.

Loki sighed. “Because… I don’t want to explain right now, Kuna—”

“Why not?”

I liked her better when she was scared of us. She was much quieter and meeker and quieter.

“Because I want to sleep! Please, just go to sleep. Please.” He turned over to look her in the eye.

“But I can’t sleep!” Kuna cried. “Every time I close my eyes, I see all that out there!” She pointed to the sky.

Loki understood now. This was not just about thunder and lightning. The tesseract had had a deeper effect on her mind than he had thought. Kuna hunkered over, cradling her toys. She did not like yelling. She was not used to arguing. Loki swallowed hard.

“Come here,” he said. She looked up at him, terrified.

Good. You should be.

“Come on. Come close,” Loki said, beckoning her. She shook her head. “No. It’s alright. I mean it. I’m sorry I snapped at you. You’re right. I’m grumpy when I’m sleepy.”

Kuna gingerly moved closer. Loki put his hands on either side of her head. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath through his nose. Kuna’s head was turbulent. He could feel it. Far more turbulent than any child’s mind should ever be. Her aura too was beating to a rhythm he could not place. It rippled and roiled, following a rhythm for only a moment before shifting violently to another. No wonder she could not sleep. He felt deeper. There was a darkness around her essence that disturbed him. A stinging sensation began to seep into his own aura, the same as when he had first met her.

“Lie down,” he said, calmly to her.

            “Am I sick?” she whispered, as she laid down beside him.

            “No. You’ve had a very difficult few days too. I was just thinking of myself and how tired I was. This has been a marathon for you too. Close your eyes. I’m not going to do this often but this should help you sleep tonight.”

            “Okay,” Kuna said, meekly.

            Loki put his fingertips on her forehead and cast a light sleeping spell. Kuna let out a wistful sigh and was finally asleep. Loki knew well the dangers of sleeping spells. Most sleeping spells were forbidden to be used on children on Asgard except in extreme circumstances, as children had the tendency to get ‘lost’ in the spells and sleep for months, years, or sometimes, never wake up from them. Loki had scoured the Great Library’s spellbooks for sleeping spells to use on Thor when he was annoying him. He had one or two good ones he had hidden from his mother and the other nursemaids. If they could knock out Thor for a few hours, they could knock Kuna out for the night at least. She needed a peaceful sleep as much as he did.

He removed his hand and watched her. Her mouth turned up at the corners in a soft smile. He adjusted the blanket over her and placed her stuffed animals closer to her. He hesitated for a moment before gently placing his hand on her head and stroking her hair.

He felt calmer now. The feeling of annoyance was gone. Kuna sighed contentedly in her sleep. He studied her for a moment. Her eyes flitted side to side beneath her eyelids. He pressed a hand to her forehead. Her mind was calmer now as well, though he could still feel the tesseract’s presence there and something more. This anomaly was connected with her magical aura that she had thus far kept hidden from him. Perhaps, tomorrow, it would be his turn to ask questions.

His thoughts began to turn towards the tesseract. Its new behaviors and connections to Kuna were troubling. Ancient Asgardian texts in the Great Library had documented beings with immortal blood like his and Kuna’s being burned up alive by simply touching the Space Stone without proper study and preparation. Intentions needed to be set, energy prepared, concentrated, and focused, safeguards put in place, before even the smallest jump could be managed with the stone. And yet, the child had gone on some insane cosmos fling with stone. It had taken Loki the equivalent of eons on Sanctuary to understand its workings. He wondered if her mind would recover from it. She seemed alright.

She tried to kill you yesterday. Remember, she almost chopped your fingers off.

            “Hardly murder,” Loki thought.

            And then all that nonsense with universe trees and the singing tesseract.

“She did just meet the most terrifying being in the universe.”

            I say we throw the whole child out. She’s ruined.

            “Just like me.”

Loki’s eyes began to feel heavy with sleep.

You know there could be anything outside.

The thought occurred to him that they had no idea what might live on this planet. He had not seen signs of intelligent life but that did not mean there could not be creatures lurking about. He needed to keep watch.

            Conjure a copy, you idiot. You’ve gone so soft you can’t even think straight. You should let me drive.

            “Not a chance,” Loki grumbled at the voice in his head, but conjured a copy of himself to guard the outside of hivetent. It walked towards the sticky door and hesitated, grimacing at Loki.

“Just go!” Loki mouthed, angrily at himself.

He frowned at him and made a rude gesture with his finger as he squished out the doorway. Loki laid his head back down and finally allowed sleep to take him, gently laying his arm over Kuna.

[laytonsartblog]

Okay so I'm dumb here's a one shot

I know I said everything that's a story would be posted on AO3, but, I have dumbass energy and was inspired by the reblog I made earlier and it is 2 am on a school night so WOOO incoherency is at an ALL TIME HIGH

@infinimay whoop tagged u for what I'll call the Bus Duty AU

Perhaps I'll make this a series?? Something light, fluffy, nothing too heavy on the angst (okay I lied)

--

The Wheels on the Bus (Spin the Tales of Love)

Chapter 1., Like Patton

Virgil and Damian woke up to get to school at precisely 7:30 am, and to be ready by 8:10 for when their bus arrived, every school day.

Their mother, which is now Virgil's stepmother, always said that a tight schedule and tighter patience is what wins people over. That must be how she got Virgil's idiot dad, who took nearly three years of coy smiles and teasing touches to even start dating. They had married this year, and while Virgil is certainly happy about it, he didn't realize that it came with having to deal with a new stepbrother.

That's why, instead of 7:30 and 8:10, Virgil rises at 7:15 and is waiting by 8:00. Their mother never notices, never needing to wake up this early for work, and their dad works night shift. They were by themselves, but they handled it for nine year olds. Virgil especially figured out how to handle it as soon as he figured out that despite all this change, he was still by himself.

"Vi! Vi!" Damian, or DeeDee as he liked to be called, shouted as he approached Virgil at the bottom of the street. "Why do you never wait for me?"

Virgil shrugged. "I don't know, you give me a weird feeling, like cooties, but nice? Like wriggling worms in my head. It's sticky."

There was silence between them as they waited for their bus.

"You give me wiggly feelings too. Truce?" Damian suddenly said after what seemed to be forever to their adorable little minds, and he outstretched a hand.

Virgil took it. "Pleasure doing business, Worm boy."

Damian pouted and pulled his hand back, but didn't need to wait much longer in cute anger as the bus pulled up to their street. Seemingly forgetting the nickname, he pulled Virgil along onto the bus.

"Hey, kiddos!" their favorite, and only bus driver greeted as they sat in the front row.

Virgil never liked the bus, despite how early he was this year. It was loud and cranky and he had to sit next to DeeDee and there were always the mean kids who flicked his head as if a ping-pong ball on the way to their seats. The one thing that made it bearable was the fact he got to sit close to Patton.

Patton had allowed them to use his first name from the get go, inspiring names like "Patting!" from the kindergarteners or "Shatting" from the mean sixth graders. Virgil never tainted the name for he saw no reason to change what was already his favorite part of the morning.

Patton gave them treats on their birthday, never forgetting a single one. Patton hugged them when they were sad and showed them that crying was okay. Patton never yelled or screamed when things got too loud; he knew better than to plague these children with learned behavior, scorn, and hatred. Instead he'd play games that involved the whole bus to busy everyone, or at the very least play music and encourage them to sing along or guess the song.

Patton made things better. But Virgil knew he was sad.

Today, even with Damian's unwavering questions at everything he saw and with the fake stories he kept saying to the kid in the seat next to them, even he could tell that their bus driver was tired.

The two observant fourth graders watched as their second father didn't smile as brightly as he usually did whenever he greeted the kids getting on. He sagged; sluggish and baggy. Virgil noticed he looked a lot like his cousin Remy before a test under his eyes.

However, despite how observant, Virgil never knew how to comfort the gentle man. It's why he and Damian are in the front row. The doctors said he has a "speech impediment" where he couldn't put the words in his head to the outside world quite right. They said his brain was wrong. He knew Damian had a streak of lying and throwing tantrums. It's why he didn't like his new brother; he only served to make him look stupider.

Still, that didn't stop Virgil from putting a hand to Patton's shoulder, at least not entirely. He didn't expect for him to gasp and jump, but Virgil didn't exactly know what to expect anyway. He just pulled his hand back and looked down at his ripped pants in shame the rest of the bus ride.

--

They got there slower than Virgil had thought, but no, they were on time. Perhaps his brain was being weird again? He couldn't tell, but either way he walked begrudgingly by Damian into the school.

They passed by their school's office on the way into the gym, which is where you wait until school started. Virgil, again, ever the observant one, saw his school secretary in the window.

He was what was best described as professionally squabbled, or in Virgil's terms, cleanly messy. Mr. Nguyen had hair that was combed back just so and glasses that hid all his worries and fears. He had impeccable pressed ties that, on the occasion, got festive when a holiday came around. He had skilled hands and Virgil hadn't walked by a day where he wasn't working or presenting a board meeting or, if he wasn't doing that, wasn't there at all for the whole day.

Virgil never really disliked Mr. Nguyen. He had no reason to like him either. But right now, Virgil could see he looked exactly like Patton did; utterly miserable.

"Hey, DeeDee, y'see Mr. Nguyen? In the window?" Virgil whispered as he sat right at the entrance so he could get a good look at him.

Damian merely ignored him. "We always see him. What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is," Virgil started, already frustrated with the words that wouldn't come out. "He like- he- he's Patton today."

Damian rose a brow, a suspicious trait he most likely picked up from his mother. "You mean he looks like Patton did today?"

Virgil could only nod in relief. "Yeah! He looks Patton today. Do you think the teachers look like that today?"

Damian scanned around the room. He saw nothing out of the ordinary on the teachers' face. However, he did spot a certain trashy boy that Damian all but felt puppy love for. He waved him over. "Rem! Rem!"

The boy, peeking from the corner around his preoccupied brother at his name being called, grinned a crooked and partially toothless grin and ran over to Damian. They merely embraced before Remus took out his backpack, no doubt to reveal some gross frog from his collection.

Virgil cared less and just kept staring at the office, seeing Patton and a few other drivers come in for their mandatory morning report before they head out to go back to whatever they do when not driving. Patton still looked like a walking corpse.

Virgil vowed to take that frown away.

However, the school bell had other plans.

--

Virgil thinks that time really has slowed down, and maybe it isn't his stupid brain.

Every minute of class felt not as much a blur as it usually was. Usually, class was as easy as it got, and today he even got to skip out of gym for speech classes. He liked the speech teacher, Valerie. She allowed him to say her first name like Patton did. Virgil liked Valerie too.

But even his marvel at how fantastic his day had been so far didn't distract him from the fact his bus driver was unhappy.

Virgil sat with Damian and all the other broken kids at lunch. Remus was there too, and as much as he loved Damian off his back, the two talking about frogs and the fact the French eat frog legs was already starting to get on his nerves. He just focused on his sandwich and juice box, never saying a word.

It became time to throw out the food, and Virgil knew it was gametime. He looked to everyone at the table before rushing, the other two running to throw out their styrofoam plates the fastest.

Sadly, like always, Virgil's dreams of success were barred by Remus's long, nimble legs and long, skinny arms.

Virgil wanted to pout and tell them that Remus always wins, but Mr. Glover came in to clean and one look sent the three of them scrambling to recess.

--

Today they had art time, and Virgil had never been more determined in his life.

He grabbed construction paper, glue, crayons, markers, tape, and a How-To: pop up book. They were supposed to be making Thanksgiving cards for one of the staff members, and technically he was following what he was supposed to do. It was just that Patton's name hadn't been listed on the board to write to for their fake post office.

No matter. He would make the best card ever to cheer up his favorite and only bus driver. Damian seemed more interested in watching Remus eat the glue stick and then calling for them to go to the nurse.

Virgil ignored the two's antics in favor of focusing on his masterpiece.

--

Finally, at the end of the day, with high hopes and spirits and even better hope for Patton, Virgil all but ran to the bus he remembers so clearly beyond anything else. Damian followed close behind, sitting beside him in the seat they always sat.

Virgil heard Patton greet him, as always. Virgil could still hear how tired he was. He looked as pale as Virgil did.

Virgil, without prompting, took out his card and shoved it into Patton's hands before taking his seat and covering himself up with his hoodie as far in the seat as he could go.

Patton watched the young boy sat back down in a hurry before looking down at the card. The craftsmanship, of course, could be better, but honestly Patton could hardly care. He read the "I Think Your Cool" at the top and then a hand drawing of a turkey, covered in glitter and Patton's signature blue.

Patton almost cried, and then did cry when he saw the inside.

It held handwritten words with a picture of presumably Virgil fighting away the storm clouds over Patton; the bus with muscles and also beating up the stormcloud. The words wrote "I saw your sad face. I want to fix it. See! Fixed it!"

When Patton looked up, sniffling and holding the card dear to his heart, he saw Virgil peaking out from his jacket. That little boy held the softest smile and even Damian stopped for a moment to grin, gap tooth apparent but not even a hint of malice could fill Patton at this moment.

Last night had been so awful, but maybe today hadn't been so bad. No, today had been fantastic. Virgil fixed his heart for just a moment.

Edit: the card! Made by moi