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maddie-dog-story-blog · 7 months ago

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The Birthday - 7

PREVIOUS CHAPTER

My stomach's rumbling woke me up. I felt incredibly hungry. Despite that, I hesitated before opening my eyes.

My dreams had been some of the most horrific I had ever had, and they felt real. One in particular I swore actually happened. In that dream, Melody found out about my ABDL fetish and then hypnotized and blackmailed me into becoming her adult baby. I had spent a day being diapered, pissing my pants, humping a teddy bear, and nursing on her tit.

But, despite how real that felt, laying here in bed, I knew it had to have been a dream. In that dream, I had fallen asleep in our living room on the couch. I could feel that I was sleeping in my bed now. There was no way that Melody could ever carry me from our living room back to the bedroom. Relief washed over me at the realization that that must all have been a creation of my subconscious at the same time my stomach audibly rumbled again.

Moments later, I felt a familiar hand reach over my waist and gently rub my belly.

"Oh, sounds like somebody has a grumbly tummy! Is it because the baby's hungry or is he working on a little present for Mommy?"

My eyes immediately shot open as my wife whispered in my ear. There was no way! That dream couldn't have been real! I felt my cheeks start to redden as I slowly came to terms with the fact that my nightmare may have been real and, worse, may not be over yet.

Hesitantly, I decided to talk.

"What'cha mean, Mommy?" My words came out in a lisp around the rubber nipple occupying my mouth. My worst fears were confirmed. My nightmare wasn't a nightmare. It was real life, and I was still living through it.

I felt a soft hand tug at the back waistband of what had to be a diaper strapped around my waist at the same time as another hand cupped my ass and pressed damp padding up into my body. Melody was checking my fucking diaper.

"Well, baby, I know there are two things you didn't do yesterday that all babies need to do. You didn't really eat anything and you haven't made messies for Mommy," my wife said with the condescending, motherly tone she has adopted this weekend. "The way that tummy of yours is grumbling, I bet it's a little bit of both."

"I'm not gonna poop my pants!" I lisped out indignantly. "How did I get to bed?" I asked, both genuinely curious and trying to change the topic of conversation.

As I asked, I moved to sit up and noticed two new pieces of clothing, other than the wet diaper and pacifier, for the first time. As I pushed myself up in bed, I looked down at my hands. Instead of seeing the long, slightly calloused fingers I was used to, I noticed I was wearing a pair of baby blue, padded, locking mittens that completely immobilized my hands.

"What the fuck?!?" I exclaimed, holding my mittened hands in front of my face. Next to me, Melody, wearing my favorite blue lace nightie, sat up and glared sternly at me.

"Language mister! I will not have my baby saying naughty words!" Melody chastised me. "Do not make me punish you."

I stared at my wife, fuming. Now I wasn't allowed to use my hands? I was not a fucking adult baby. I was not fucking helpless. I would say what I fucking wanted and do what I fucking wanted. That's what I thought to myself, at least, until I felt the sudden urge to have my morning pee. Suddenly, the irrational, horrible fear of the toilet struck me again, and I remembered what 'punishment' from 'Mommy' actually meant.

"Otay, Mommy," I said, defeated, as I made the disgusting, humiliating choice to release my bladder into my already soaked diaper.

"Good baby! Smart move," Melody said, grinning as the hissing sound of urine hitting already wet padding radiated from my crotch. "And good job for using your diapers like a good baby!" My wife then leaned over and gave me an encouraging peck on the cheek.

"As to how you got here," Melody continued, "Well, despite being a baby, you are too heavy for Mommy to carry. But, did you know your hypnosis doesn't just go away while your sleeping? In some ways, it's actually easier to use when you're already unconscious!"

I swallowed nervously as Melody leaned over to her nightstand and grabbed her phone. "Take a look, big boy!"

I watched as Melody pulled up the first of what looked like numerous videos on her phone. This one started with a shot of me half naked, except for the diaper I was currently wearing, laying on the couch. She pressed play. Her voice radiated out of the small speaker as the image started moving.

*"Baby, can you hear me?" Melody's voice asked from behind the camera. My sleeping body just grunted.

Melody tried again, "Baby, Mommy says answer my questions without waking up. Can you hear me?"

This time, I respond. "Yes, Momma."

"Mommy says crawl to the bedroom," Melody ordered.

I watch my body roll onto the floor, get on all fours, and crawl to the bedroom, completely unbothered by the fact that my wife is laughing at my swaying, diapered butt.*

Watching myself moving without having any memory of it was disturbing to say the least. I put my hand to my head in shock, only to be reminded of the mittens strapped to my wrist. Melody noticed my reaction and smiled.

"I have to admit, it was so fun to watch you be so compliant, I couldn't resist playing some more after you fell asleep. Do you want to watch more, baby?" My wife asked.

There was nothing in the world I wanted less than to watch another video of myself meekly and unconcernedly debasing myself for Melody's pleasure. I said as much to Melody.

"No, Mommy."

Melody put her finger to her lip in thought, then smiled. "No, I think you should watch them. They are pretty entertaining and show just how good of a baby you can be!"

I turned my head away from the phone as she hit play on the next video. Melody was not pleased.

"Bad boy! Mommy says watch the videos."

Involuntarily, my head snapped back to phone, forced to obey my wife's orders. She restarted the next video.

*I was sitting in the carpet in front of our bed, my legs spread in front of me, my diapered crotch on display. I sucked contentedly on the pacifier between my lips as I stared off in a clear trance. The crisp sound of another of my wife's giggles sounded from behind the camera.

"Do you need to go potty, baby?" Melody asked.

I answer monotonously from behind my pacifier, "Yeth, Mommy."

"Go potty for Mommy, baby," Melody instructed my hypnotized body.

I feel my eyes grow wide as I watch myself immediately scrunch up my face in concentration and lean forward a little. Then, as I, unfortunately, expected, I heard a tell tale hissing sound complemented by the yellowing of the once blue wetness indicator on the front of the diaper.

To my horror, the video didn't end when I finished peeing.

"Do you like how your wet diapy feels, baby?" the version of my wife video taping the scene asked. My tranced-out self on the screen smiled broadly behind the shield of the pacifier in his mouth.

"Yeth, Mommy," I said.

"Why don't you play in your diapers a little bit, I bet that would feel nice!" Melody's voice rang out again.

I wanted to tear my eyes away. I didn't want to watch what I did next. But, because of my wife's command, I couldn't resist it.

I watched as, just as I was told too, I began playing with my wet diaper. The video version of myself got onto his knees so the soaked padding was now dangling just off the floor. He began to poke and proud at the stuffing, examining the wet diaper. Then, disgustingly, he started to bounce.

Slowly at first, and then faster, the 'me' on Melody's phone quickly lowered all of his weight to the ground, landing on the urine soaked padding, letting out a wet squelch. The speed picked up as video-me found he enjoyed the sound and sensation. In mere moments, I was watching myself bouncing up in down on the floor in my wet diaper, uncoordinatedly clapping my hands like an idiot toddler.

"Good boy! Good boy to bounce for Mommy! Tell Mommy how much you love your wet diapy, love!" Melody's voice rang out again.

"I wuv mah diapies DIS MUCH," the me on screen said, holding his hands out as far as he could as he bounced.

The video cut off in the middle of Melody's torrent of laughter.*

As the video ended, I felt the pacifier drop out of my mouth as my jaw dropped in horror.

"No," was all I could say, my voice barely above a whisper.

I remembered from my hours of research and writing ABDL fiction learning that you can't get someone to do something under the influence of hypnosis that they didn't truly want to do. I didn't truly want to do that, did I? I didn't want to become a giant baby who wanted nothing more than to bounce around in his piss-soaked Pampers? Right?

Melody didn't let me dwell on my existential crisis. She wanted to add to my psychological torture.

"How about just one more?" She said as she pressed play on the device.

*I saw myself sitting in the same location and position as in the previous video. However, unlike the last video, my diaper, the same one I am currently wearing, is soaked.

"Do you want to play a game with me, baby?" Melody asked.

"Yeth, Mommy," video me blathered at the phone.

"Do you want to really act like a baby?" My wife asked.

Video me didn't respond verbally. Instead, he just turned his head to the side as he suckled his pacifier, looking like a confused dog.

"I want you to show me how much of a drooly, babbling baby you can be for me. Can you show me that you can drool and talk like a baby?" Melody asked.

My stomach dropped as I watched what looked to be a genuine smile cross the tranced-out version of myself's face. Instead of answering verbally, he popped the pacifier out of his mouth and let spit and dribble start to build around his lips.

"Pfffftttttt!" Drool and spittal flew through the air and dripped down my chest as video-me blew a raspberry. Then, to my horror, I started to blather mindlessly while continuing to drool. "Goo, gaaahh, ooooo, goo, gahh!" I watched myself say, each word accompanied by a gush of saliva.

"Oh, very interesting, tell me more, baby," Melody chuckled back as if she was talking to an actually infant.

I watched as the person occupying my body, as at this point, I knew it couldn't have been me, giggle in response to my wife's words then shove the four fingers on his right hand into his mouth, suck on them, then continue to 'talk.'

"Ooo, doo gah, maaaa, maaa, mamamamaaaaa," I watched my body yell out from behind my fingers.

"Such a good little talker!" Melody said condescendingly, "Do you want to give Mommy a big, drooly, baby kiss?"

No, was all I could think as I watched the past version of myself pull his fingers out of his mouth, prop himself up on all fours, and lean up towards the camera, drool covered lips puckered into a big circle. The scene screamed of a toddler kissing their mother rather than a sensual or even affection-filled kiss typical between husband and wife.

As I watched myself extend my lips up towards the camera on all fours, Melody's face briefly enter the frame before I saw myself reach up and give her a sloppy, drooly kiss. I wanted to vomit.

"Oh, that's my big, stupid, drooly baby!" Melody said on the video. The words cut to my soul.

As I watched, the me in the video happily settled back down onto his wet diaper, bouncing up and down and sucking on his fingers as he giggled.

"Whose my big stupid baby?! Who is it?" Melody continued. I watched myself giggle. "That's right! You are!"

The video me replied by smiling around his fingers, leaning forward, and letting out a resounding fart into his diaper.

The video ended, like the others, with my wife laughing at me.*

I felt a knot growing in my stomach as I sat on my bed, and Melody's phone cut to black. That wasn't me. It couldn't have been me. But it was.

You can't force someone under hypnosis to do something they don't want to. The phrase rang out in my head again and again. I didn't want that. I don't want that. But, that was me. And, hadn't I just wet myself with barely a second thought? What was wrong with me.

"Did you like my videos?" My wife asked with a big grin on her face. As she spoke, she tucked the pacifier--my pacifier?--in my mouth.

My stomach gurgled even louder than before. Melody reached over and rubbed it again.

"Well, that means one of two things, and I can only take care of one. Let's go get breakfast, baby boy!" She said cheerily.

Feeling broken, I got on my feet and followed her, wet diaper dangling between my legs, to the kitchen.

#ab/dl kink #ab/dl diaper #ab/dl couple #ab/dl story time #diaper stories #ab/dl caption #diaper regression #ab/dl mommy #humiliation kink #ab/dl boy #mdlb relationship #md/lb #md/lb relationship #the birthday

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stories-and-stars · 3 months ago

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Traveling Mages

Traveling towards Crocus to Malba City the weather took a turn for the worse. The small town inn she could see off the road seemed to have a lively atmosphere despite the downpour and darkness outside. She hoped to get more ground covered that day but given as she couldn't see much past her feet, she turned towards the smaller stone path.

Most people inside she determined were other travelers doing the same. The warmth of the hearth floating through the tavern and the smell of ale hitting her nose. Walking towards the bar, a different earthy musk hit her senses, one of cedar and cypress. She ordered a smooth whiskey before turning to find an empty side table somewhere. One nestled off to the right was lit dimly by a small lacrama, the weight off her feet felt better than she expected setting her travel bag down. Simply watching the ramble of people dancing and laughing as the bard, who made some decent change off the already drunk crowd, was amusing enough for the evening. A large figure strolled past to a bench just beside the fire, the scent of cedar and cypress she discovered belonged to him. Nearly intoxicating with the whiskey intensifying the feeling washing over her, her eyes lingered on him while his attention was not on her for the moment. He sat with an ale in his hand, an impassive expression matching his sharp features. His blonde hair slightly damp and a large coat hanging from his shoulders, she guessed he was another traveler. She tore her eyes away from him, pulling out a journal. Checking a map for tomorrow's travel, a small picture slipped out and he noticed it fall from the corner of his eye. A vibrant young woman with h/c hair draped over her shoulders, arms wrapped around a smaller blue haired woman. Both beaming brightly with smiles large enough to make anyone smile, including him in that moment. A slender hand swiped it off the floor before he could make out more details. He followed the dark fabric of her sleeve to the same long h/c hair in the photo swaying lightly, The same vibrant light has long left her features. She tucks the hair behind her ear, a few gold pieces of jewelry adorning her ear as he tries to make out what they are. Her features are older than in the photo but graceful. She was younger then, he thinks to himself and turns his eyes back to the music before she sees him staring. The drunken group and the warmth of the fire slowly bringing his demeanor up from the darker feelings he constantly fights in his thoughts. Trying to focus on bettering himself after his banishment from Fairy Tail, knowing it can't be forced and he can't control it is something that frustrates him from time to time, but continues on his travels to grow himself nevertheless. She looks up from picking up the photo to see a small smile grace the man's now softened face, watching the merry bunch sing loudly in the middle. A small smile crosses her own lips as she sees her friend In the photo. Searching for her in her years of traveling and hoping to somehow come across each other again. The smile leaving as quickly as it came remembering the night they got separated, when the bandits attacked the small town they both called home. y/n knew her friend had escaped but didn't know where they had managed to go. y/n simply became a nomad from that point, she had wanted to mainly travel when she got older anyway but didn't think it would start the way it did. As the crowd died down, she leaves her seat to pay for a room from the inn keeper. The cedar scent catching her senses again before she disappears down the hall. He did the same shortly after he finished his last ale. The room small but comfortable, a lacrama illuminates a small table next to a bed. He almost doesn't fit on it with his height, Sleep does not find him easily and his dragon slayer ears pick up on the quiet scratching of pen on parchment in the room next to his. The calming scent of lavender drifts in from somewhere and lulls him to sleep finally.

The next day she completes her short trek to the nearby town large enough have a train station. She was able to secure a seat to Malba and hopped on the next train out. Seated by a window to enjoy the sun on her face, The landscape rolls by. Malba is supposed to be known for its outdoor market place and scenery, she was very intrigued to walk through. Hoping to pick up a silver trinket she could carry with her. He boarded the train with a small bag in hand, A specific herb Porlyusica asked him to bring to Malba for a friend of theirs. Someone both She and His grandfather knew from the start of the guild, specialized in plants from what he could remember. Walking down the middle isle, that same scent of lavender hit his nose. The h/c haired woman at the tavern. Curious of her intention, he laid back a row and planned on waiting to see if this was anything more than coincidence. Lost in her thoughts for a moment she didn't see the blonde mage that had sat a row behind. He quickly realized she was oblivious the her surroundings looking out the window. Cute, he thought before shaking it away.

She deboards as its nearly dusk but there's enough time to stroll through the stalls still out in the market. Laxus only tails her for a moment off the train until he can tell she's not paying attention to him. He delivers the bag and finds out that this man is named Warrod and started Fairy Tail with the others he'd learned about, Including his Great grandfather, Who Warrod commented Laxus looked very similar to. As he walked back to the town center and a found a local bar to get something to eat at, he passed by the same area the stalls had been. He didn't pick up her scent since he'd parted to go to Worrad's, he thought no more of it. After enjoying his food he straightened himself on his bench seat to feel a sharp point of metal and a sly voice behind him.

" Hey there, wouldn't move much further back if I were you" Slipped off her tongue in a flirty voice.

" Don't threaten me with a good time" He jested in return. How he hadn't picked up on her being there made him reel for a second. She'd concealed her presence to him and skillfully so. His rumbling, deep voice washed over her and she nearly lost concentration. Regaining her bearings she leaned closer to him.

" Why follow me to the market?" She said quietly, her hot breath hitting his ear and neck. She couldn't see the way his eyes fluttered shut for a moment.

" Thought you were following me, went on my way after I thought you hadn't noticed me" He turned his head to bring her into peripheral. She lowered the dagger concealed by cloak fabric, he made no move to sit forward. She slid herself around to be seated next to him.

" Names y/n, Apologies but I can't be too careful. Seems you had the same idea though" She extended a small hand from under the draped cloth.

" Laxus" His hand slid gently around hers, the touch felt conductive.

#laxus x reader #laxus dreyar #fairytail #dragon slayer #laxus dreyar x reader

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yellowbunnydreams · 6 months ago

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Only Donors Left Alive [Vampire! Dave Miller x F! Reader] (Part 2)

~Glad that vampire Dave has made more people feral. He doesn't hang about so let's jump into a new chapter!~

Taglist: @ruh--roh-raggy @springlockedfool @brightcosmos

CW: 18+ MINORS DNI- Female Reader, legal age gap, older man/younger woman, graphic acts of violence, biting, knife-play, blood, blood-drinking/licking, unbalanced power dynamic, anaemia, possessive behaviour, partial nudity

You sighed as you made it to the landing of your floor and ran your fingers through your hair, the night-shift at the small town's diner was taking it's toll on you. Bleary eyes looked at the time on your phone and barely registered that it was three in the morning. Having to squeeze them shut before looking again to confirm the time. It had been the best paying position you could find locally, although you assumed some of that was hazard pay considering the disappearances that had occurred in Hurricane recently, but you were feeling exhausted. Whilst you weren't a morning person, you definitely were suffering not being able to sleep at your usual times.

"You look like shit." The raspy voice from behind you made you blink and turn your head, grunting slightly as you barely registered the gut twisting feeling that Dave always gave you as your body craved sleep and you could only think of a cool shower to ease off some of the already oppressive heat.

"Thanks Dave. Good morning to you too." You mumbled, hearing his footsteps approaching you as you fumbled with your keys. Yawning and feeling momentary confusion as you stared at you hands, keys absent from them before you blinked and looked up at Dave.

He was wearing his security uniform again, his hair even more tousled than you had seen it before, the bags under his blue eyes darker as he glanced at you. The usually lopsided, sharp smile gone and replaced with a furrowed brow as he expertly flicked through the ring of keys and found the correct one, letting you into the unit with your thanks being mumbled sleepily. A lazy smile creeping across his face as he leaned against the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Nights are really fucking you, and not in the fun way." Chuckling to himself as he handed you back your keys and watched you lean into the unit to place them on the little table in the hallway, where they usually lived.

"Yeah, I'm just too tired, and too hot. God I feel dizzy standing up sometimes." Laughing weakly before you felt Dave's cold, clammy hands against your cheeks and turning your head towards him. His eyes darting about your face as you felt your body relaxing slightly at the touch as much as it made your insides bristle at the touch. Slender fingers moving to just under your eye and pulling gently on the eyelid, finally focusing on you as he released the skin and took one of your hands, pressing on your nails and watching them with a growing concerned expression.

"Sugar, you're getting anaemic."

"No way, I'm fine. I just need-"

"No, you definitely are. I know one of myself when I see it." He chuckled again, a little more bitterly and in a way that made your tired brain want to reach out and comfort him. You could never figure out how to feel when Dave spoke to you, it was like your brain was being disconnected from part of itself, although you couldn't tell which part it was. "Let's get you inside, take a shower, you stink of people."

"Gee Dave, and you smell of roses." Rolling your eyes at him as you stepped into your apartment and felt a little sense of relief wash over you when you had the threshold between you, although you couldn't quite place why.

"I'll have you know I only save my best smelling stuff for special occasions."

"Like when, Christmas and your birthday?"

"Maybe yours too if you're lucky, pet." He chuckled, and you couldn't help but join in, shaking your head as you sighed and leaned against the cool wall. Sucking your teeth lightly before you grasped the door handle, looking at the sleazy, cock-sure smile on his gaunt, pale face. Watching it disappear behind your door before you heard his quiet footsteps moving off and the sound of his own door opening and closing left you with a strange discontent as you shuffled yourself off to bed.

You weren't sure what time you woke up next, rubbing sleep from your eyes as you padded into the kitchen wearing whatever you had thrown on for sleep. Hair messy and feeling groggy but at least more aware than you had before your shower and sleep. Passing the doorway into the main building and glancing over towards it naturally to see a little package sitting just inside the doorway, waiting to be collected.

You paused. You didn't remember bringing in any packages.

Cautiously, you made your way over to it and looked at the small tupper-ware container with a few items in it. Squatting down to pick it up, you gently rifled through the items and found there were iron supplements, some vitamin c tablets, a small bottle of orange juice and a bottle of melatonin. A paper note caught your attention as you picked it up gingerly between two fingers. Squinting as you tried to decipher the spidery handwriting that looked like it had been written in a hurry against a surface that wasn't quite flat to boot.

'Your door was unlocked, so I left it in the doorway. I thought we talked about locking out things that went bump in the night? Anyway, you need to take the iron twice daily, vitamin c in the morning and drink some orange juice. The melatonin should help with your transition to becoming nocturnal like me'

The smile spread on your face before you knew what was happening. Even if it was kinda creepy that Dave had opened your door, you found it sweet that he had left you things to help you out. After unscrewing the top of the iron and taking the box of things into the kitchen, popping the little terracotta coloured tablet into your mouth and swallowing it down with some orange juice, you had to admit after a few minutes that you felt a bit better. Maybe Dave had been right after all.

You'd have to thank him in some way, once you'd adjusted to your new routine and supplements.

Dave was shockingly elusive for most of the following week. You didn't even see a package arriving for him, and his mail piled up in his pigeon-hole. You began to find yourself growing more concerned for your strange landlord, wondering if you should go and check on him, you decided to wait until dusk. For some reason, that felt like the right time to try and summon the tall, gaunt man.

And so you found yourself at his door, noticing that the bulb in the little alcove around his door was out and shrouding it in darkness. You were dressed for your shift, a little earlier than usual but you figured that you needed time to make sure that Dave actually answered his door. Something whispered in the back of your mind that you should just leave it, but you raised your fist and knocked on the door. Listening intently to any sounds of movement inside.

The sudden cracking open of the door startled you, sending your pulse racing as you couldn't see anything inside, but the door closed again and you heard the sound of a chain being unlatched from the door. Opening it brought you a sense of relief as you saw Dave's scrawny build standing opposite you, opening your mouth to speak before you realised that he wasn't quite dressed.

He had a t-shirt on that looked like it hadn't been washed for a few days, a faded logo on it as you naturally glanced down his body and felt your cheeks heating up as your eyes naturally landed on what you had first assumed were shorts, but you quickly realised they were Dave's boxers, complete with little hearts printed all over them. You made some tiny squeak as you diverted your attention to his feet, feeling a little laugh bubbling up in your throat as you realised that the left one had a hole over the big toe, but it was quickly silenced in confusion as you realised that they were in fact Christmas socks. You mentally had to re-affirm to yourself that it was August as you blinked and stared at them, red and green stripes complete with the tiny, gaudy bells at the top.

"I must still be dreaming, finding such a present wrapped up on my doorstep." The raspy voice sounded gravellier than usual, snapping you out of your shock at his half-dressed state and looking up into his face. Watching Dave rub his eyes with the heel of his palm, his greasy dark hair messy and tousled, sticking up at various angles like he had just dragged himself from bed.

"Good evening Dave." You laughed softly as he grunted, eyes darting about as he blinked and clearly tried to focus. Yawning and developing that lazy, crooked smirk that made your chest tighten and stomach flip with uncertainty. "You...uh...appear to be slightly undressed...and in Christmas socks?"

"My evening is certainly off to a good start with you at my door, sugar." The lazy smile grew wider as his eyes fixated on you, seeming to take their time sleazily rolling over you and your work uniform like he was drinking in every detail. Your arms naturally raising up to cover across your stomach self-conciously.

"That doesn't answer the question about the socks."

"You never wear socks out of season?"

"They have a hole in them."

"Generally useful for putting my feet into, yes." That cocky smile as he tipped his head and leaned against his doorframe made you roll your eyes and sigh dramatically. "Any more questions, darling? I saw the little hearts in your eyes whilst you were admiring something else covered in hearts..." Tongue running over his teeth and chuckling as you visibly cringed back and your lip curled up in distaste even as your cheeks flushed.

"Says the man who answered his door in his boxers."

"Says the woman who was staring at me through them for longer than necessary."

"You caught me off guard."

"You were the one who knocked sugar, you're in my domain now." Dave's dark chuckle sent a few hairs on the back of your neck on end, feeling your pulse racing slightly as something in the way he said it made the words feel a little threatening to your primal brain.

Sighing, you knew you weren't going to get anywhere with him, and you knew you shouldn't have been worried about your sleazy landlord, especially as his gaze seemed to linger on your neck, just above the collar of your polo-shirt. Running your fingers over your hair and messing it up slightly, Dave's eyes resuming their usual darting as he seemed to scan the air behind you. Shrugging your shoulders as you shoved your hands into your pockets.

"Look, Dave, I just came to check you were alright. You haven't collected your mail in a few days and I wanted to make sure you hadn't fallen and died in the shower or something." Dave smirked at you, blue eyes returning to yours as you felt your heart pounding faster in your chest. Something behind his intense focus was something that made your brain scream to move away from him. You ignored it, brushing it off as Dave's usual weirdness.

"I'm touched by your concern, sugar. You look much better by the way. Been taking iron?"

"Yeah, thanks for the little gift basket by the way. Is there anything I can get you in return?"

"Oh it'll repay itself, don't you worry pet," his tongue running over his teeth again before he took a sharp, deep breath in. His nostrils flaring slightly as he stepped towards you, making you take a step back. "I'll be by at some point to collect the rent. You should get to work, shame you're not on the menu....there...."

The comment made you cringe again and wonder why he stipulated 'there', but before you could ask or answer. The gaunt man brought a white ceramic mug to his lips, one that you hadn't even noticed him holding, downing the contents and pulling a face like whatever was inside had been in distaste. You wondered if it was tea that had gone cold or something before he closed the door on you. Leaving you stood in his dark doorway and wondering what on earth you had just talked about with your landlord.

You headed to work, feeling like eyes were lingering on your back as you bounced down the stairs and out into the growing night air. Crickets and other bugs forming their dusk-song as you made the subconscious decision to stick to well-lit areas.

Knocking on your door woke you up on your day off from the diner. Grumbling as the knock grew a little more insistent and you pulled yourself from your couch where you had fallen asleep watching TV. The knock occured again.

"Jesus fucking Christ! Pack it in! I'm coming." Sighing as you rubbed your hand over your face and padded over to the door, dressed in sweatpants and t-shirt as you pulled open the door admittedly a little viciously. Scowl on your face as you blinked at the chest in front of you, tilting your head up slightly to see Dave's lazy smile spreading across his sallow face.

"Now now sugar, I've told you that you can always scream my name." Your scowl deepened as you tried to process what Miller wanted, wondering why he was knocking on your door well past midnight on your days off. The dull buzz of unease was ignored as you crossed your arms across your stomach.

"What do you fucking want Dave? I was asleep." You sighed, irritated as you seriously contemplated moving for a moment as you watched the lanky man hold up a mug with something printed on it that you took a moment to decipher in your half-awake state. 'Abnormally large dick'. You mentally sighed, of course Dave would have a mug that said something like that.

"I need to borrow a cup of blood." He smiled, making you pause and blink as you laughed a little.

"Sorry, it sounded for a moment like you said 'blood'" Chuckling as you blinked the sleep from your eyes, watching him tilt his head to one side and hum like he was contemplating something.

"Nope. That is what I said."

Hair began to stand up on the back of your neck, feeling your half-aware state becoming more lucid as all those uneasy feelings piled back onto you all at once. Swallowing thickly, you laughed, your knuckles turning white on the edge of the door.

"I...Dave what the actual FUCK? I'm not giving you anything, I'm calling the cops." Realising only after you said it that you didn't have your phone on you and you would have to leave Dave at your door. His smile falling and his expression serious as he set his face into a grim expression.

"Wow, how very undeadist of you, I feel offended you would even say that. I'll have to put your rent up by ten dollars for emotional damages."

"WHAT?!"

"I have been emotionally compromised and I demand satisfaction." Shaking the mug at you, still with that serious expression as you realised that he was totally serious. No wonder the rent was cheap, you thought to yourself, they didn't disclose that the landlord was fucking insane.

"Come on," he cooed your name, raising a thin eyebrow at you. "just a quick little slice to that juicy vein in your left wrist and we're both happy." Your blood felt like it was running cold in your veins, heart pounding wildly in your chest as you tried to think of any reason to stall him so you could get your phone and call for help.

"And why would I be happy, Dave?"

"I'll reduce your rent for repairing your cold-hearted emotional damage by supporting my condition, of course." That lazy smile creeping back onto his face as he leaned against your door-frame, your mind racing at a million miles an hour as you tried to think of anything. If Dave really believed he was a vampire, and watching the way his eyes ferally flickered around, the mild tremor in his hand, the unkemptness of his appearance, then you tried to dredge up any knowledge you had of the supernatural to play against him.

"Well... I feel like I could just...not? If you're really a vampire, you can't come in without permission."

"Oh sugar, you think I didn't think of that? It's in your contract, silly goose, I can come in any time I like." The almost chipper tone with which he said it made your stomach turn uneasily. Had he let himself into your apartment before? He must have done, he'd left you gifts. Something whispered in the back of your mind that it was making sure the cattle were healthy.

"Sugar, you're so lucky I'm asking nicely." His eyes focused on yours with that ensnaring intensity that made you feel hot and cold at the same time. They looked dark, like there was nothing alive behind them except something that really wanted to see what colour crimson lived inside you. The hairs on the back of your neck stood up and you felt your skin crawling into goosebumps, swearing you heard a low growl under that familiar rasp. His long, thin fingers curled around the edge of the door and pressed it open all the way even as you pressed against it to try and resist it.

Once the door was wide, Dave took a deliberate step inside, it was in some form of breathless horror that your mind realised that he was still dressed the same as earlier. You were about to be killed by a man in fucking Christmas socks with bells on and heart-boxers.

Before you could even think about running, Dave's thin arm wrapped around your waist and hoisted you over his shoulder in a semi-fluid movement. Making you gasp as you held onto his t-shirt, the sudden movement making your head spin as he simply turned and headed further into your apartment, dumping you unceremoniously onto the couch. Your heart pounding as he dissapeared and you heard the sound of the door locking before you lost track of where he was again. The tall, lanky figure that was shockingly strong for his build reappearing as he sat opposite you ontop of your sturdy coffee table, holding one of the knives from your kitchen block.

"Now, this one is nice and sharp, so you won't have to cut deep. In fact, please don't, I don't want to lose such a good tenant this way." The way he spoke was so natural, but you were just left with dread and unease as your fingers automatically wrapped around the black handle.

"Why?"

"Why? Sugar, we'll have time for 'why' after you've been a good neighbour." There was a spark of guilt that wormed it's way into your mind, making you wonder if you were really being unreasonable. The knife shifted in your hand, raising it slightly before common sense took ahold again and you lowered it, much to Dave's mild scowl of disapproval. "Come on, don't be a baby, it's just a little cut. You've probably done worse cutting vegetables for dinner, and this is my dinner."

"I can't..I can't.."

Dave tutted and rolled his eyes, which would have made you laugh given the absurdity of the situation if your mind wasn't reeling with the possibility that he really might be what he claimed to be. Holding out his slender hand, he raised a dark eyebrow at you.

"May I?"

Nodding, he took the knife from you and laid your arm across his knee, scowling as he looked for a sensible place to put his mug before holding it between his bruised, boney looking knees. Carefully running the knife against your skin without breaking it and making you shiver, watching the predatory and precise way he moved that seemed so out of place on Dave's wiry, tired body.

You were so focused on him that you barely noticed the bite of metal into your flesh. Your eyes darting wildly as you clocked that your arm felt cold suddenly, watching with wide eyes as crimson spilt over your skin and began a somewhat steady stream into his mug, splashing over parts of his pale thigh that were exposed by the way he was sitting. Breathing harder and faster as adrenaline kicked in, Dave looking up and giving you that same coy, lazy smile that he always did as he held onto your wrist. Swearing slightly as you moved and you spilt some of yourself onto your floor, Dave frowned and mopped it up with his sock whilst trying to hold you still.

You brain decided it couldn't handle any more as he lifted your arm and your felt his cold, wet tongue drag up the skin and chase any rivulets that had escaped, and mercifully; everything went black as you passed out.

#william afton #william afton x reader #springtrap x reader #fnaf x reader #vampire! dave miller #dave miller x reader #springtrap #william afton x you

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i-am-hungry-24-7 · 1 year ago

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Bed all day - Simon "Ghost" Riley*GN!Reader

Just a short fluff inspired by my favorite song

content warning: 18+, mdni, hand job, morning sex

You crack an eye open, groaning at the beam of light pouring into the room because you didn’t close the curtain properly yesterday.

Stretching to pop your spine, you walk to the window and pull the curtain tighter, avoiding any bit of light interrupting your peaceful Sunday morning.

Simon is sleeping soundly on the bed, you always had a bad sleeping habit of kicking your comforter and making it pool at the end of the bed. On normal nights, he makes sure to pull it back to cover you in case you catch a cold, but last night he didn’t, and you gladly see that cause it means he’s having a better rest this time.

You lay back on the bed, it sinks slightly due to your weight, making Simon stir, hands probing around to search your warmness, and he lets out a small sigh when you snuggle closer to him and let his arms pull you by your midsection and tuck you back to his chest.

Your ear and his heart are just separate by his chest bone now, and you can hear his heartbeats, steady like a marching song, while you feel Simon's finger drawing small circles on your back.

“Did I wake you up?” You mumble to him, receiving a grunt and a little shaking of his head, his arms secure you tightly to his figure, so you squirm into a more comfortable position, and this is how you realize something is prodding at your thigh.

“Simon...” Oh, now he’s tracing kisses down your neck, his movements are slow, still groggy from his slumber, the finger drawing circles on you just a minute ago starts traveling down your spine, hands sometimes groping at your ass, sometimes trailing down to give your thigh little squeezes, as if he can’t decide what he wants more.

A shuddering moan leaves his lips when your hands sneak into his boxers, he’s hard, and precum leaks onto your hand when you start stroking him slowly.

“Naughty little thing...” Simon's eyes finally open, you can see the blurriness in those caramel-like eyes, but his gaze is stuck to yours, while you just give him a little swipe on his tip and make him choke back his teasing quip.

“You started it first, babe.” Faux innocence on your pretty face only turns him on more, but all those flirtings turn into little moans and groans when you speed up the pace, cupping his balls with your left hand, whilst your right hand swirls around his shaft, using his abundant precum as lube to slide your hand proficiently.

He buries his face into the crook of your neck, those hot breaths of his pick up frequency when he climbs to the peak of orgasm.

“I’m gonna cum, luv...slower...ahh...”Simon's hand catches your wrist in his, trying to control yours so he won’t come too quickly, so he can enjoy the delectation through his hazy mind just a little longer.

but you smirk when his hands tremble and fail to stop you “shhh, Simon, just cum, alright? I got you.”

The coos you say when you press your lips to his send him over the edge, a loud whine leaves him when the overwhelming bliss makes him lose other functions and become a moaning mess under your hands.

When he finally calms down, you already go to the bathroom to wash your hands, and clean him up with tissues.

Tossing the tissues sloppily into the trash can, you jump back on the bed, and Simon's arms snake around your waist immediately again.

“Want some breakfast?” You smiled sweetly up at him.

“Nah.”

“Just lay here?”

“mmhmm.”

You chuckle, your man truly needs some proper repose, and you can’t say you aren’t well-pleasing to just lay here all day. Sundays are a day for relaxation, and refreshing, and you are each other’s best company to purify your fatigued soul, so why not just lay here and enjoy the peaceful morning? You two have a whole day to indulge in each other’s soothing presence.

Simon already falls back to his dream, and you count his regular tiny snores, slowly but contently, joining him into the sleep.

#simon riley x reader #simon riley x you #ghost x reader #simon riley imagine #cod imagine #simon ghost riley #gender neutral reader #Spotify

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bartxnhood · 2 years ago

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love you need | s.h

shawn hunter x fem!reader

summary: you notice shawn distancing himself from you and the group until one night she shows up at your door hoping to talk it out.

warnings: angst! both shawn and reader have some self doubt.

a/n: this is my first time writing for shawn, and tbh it’s been a hot minute since i’ve rewatched bmw so😭 but i really miss shawn and i relate to his character sm. so i might start writing for him now, this is just to test the waters. enjoy !

requests open

not proofread

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you stand at your locker rummaging through your books searching for your history book. “hey!” topanga hollers, followed by cory. you push you locker door inwards revealing the couple. “have you seen shawn?” cory questions, you simply shake your head and close your locker. “no, why?” you ask, leaning against the metal. “i haven’t heard from him over the weekend. totally unusual, normally i csnt get rid of him” cory answers, your eyebrows raised. now that you think of it, he hasn’t called or stopped by to see you either.

shawn was the type of boyfriend to check in occasionally, even out of school. he’d often surprise you with small gifts just to lighten things up if you were having a bad day. so this was out of character for him, if he was sick or something came up he’d always tell you or cory. something wasn’t right.

“wel..” you trailed off, furrowing your brows. “we can call if he doesn’t show. surely he wouldn’t not show up and not have a reason or tell us” the other two agrees and decided to let it go for the rest of the day.

but a day turned into two, and next thing you knew he never showed that whole week. you tried desperately to call but each time it went to voicemail. you felt frustrated, why did he disappear all of a sudden? why didn’t he tell anybody? you were high strung for the remainder of that week. snapping at people when you didn’t mean to but, nothing was as important as shawn was to you.

“did i do something to upset him?” you’re laying on topangas bed. she invited you over to work on a project, but after you stayed for dinner. “what if he doesn’t want to be with me anymore? what if he found someone else.” your mind is racing, why else would shawn not come to school or return your calls?

you hear topanga sigh, and came to your aide. “y/n, look at me” you sit-up, looking at her. she puts her hands on your shoulder, “he loves you, y/n. i’m sure he has a reason for why he’s been gone.” you groan, she was probably right but it didn’t your heart from aching. “now, cmon. let’s go eat dinner, okay? get your mind off things.”

it wasn’t unusual for you to be home alone as your parents were typically on work trips. you had your own little routine after school. you’d come home, make a snack, do some homework, maybe read for a couple hours, shower, then go to bed. but today was different, after doing your homework you were pretty exhausted so you had just planned on laying down. thank god you we’re graduating in a few months, the work was beginning to run you down mentally.

it seemed no matter how hard yo supplied yourself, you always came in last. you were barely making the grades to pass your classes, but you were trying so hard.

as you were entering the bathroom, ready to brush your teeth and wash your face you heard banging at your door. of course, you didn’t want to answer because who would be banging on your door at this hour? but, something told you to answer it. you cursed at yourself mentally, you were too nice for your own good and your kindness would be your demise. but when you opened the door you didn’t expect to see him. “shawn?”

“i’m sorry for coming here so late but i just didn’t know where else to go.” shawn states as he runs his hand through his hair. your heart broke just looking at him. it looked like he hadn’t slept in days, his eyes were so dark, he looked beyond exhausted. “shawn, you don’t have to apologize. you know you’ll always have a place here.”

shawn took a seat at the edge of your bed he feels like his heart has been ripped out, all he wants to do is sleep and probably never wake up again. “i just” he rubs his eyes. “i got left alone again, dad went out. i just i didn’t have the guts to face you.” he feels so little, sitting in front of you like this on the verge of tears. “oh, shawn..” you cup his face making him look at you. “it’s okay, you know i’ll always be here. no judgement, shawn. it’s just you and me” you offer a smile.

you see the tears swell in his eyes. shawn wraps his arms around you and rests his head on your stomach. “i’m sorry” he says just above a whisper. “shawn, you didn't do anything wrong. there's nothing to apologize for." you feel him shake his head against your, “no, y/n. i’m sorry i’m not good enough for you.” tears begin to fall from his eyes and he hold on to you as if you were about to be ripped away from him.

“i live in a trailer park, i have nothing to offer you, you could do some much better than me..i don’t deserve you, y/n. you need someone who can provide and give you what you need..i don’t know if i can be that person for you, y/n” you can feel his tears staining your shirt. you remove his arms from your waist as you fall to your knees so you could be eye level with him. “shawn. listen to me” you wipe away his tears, smiling sadly. “you are good enough for me. in fact, i often think you’re too good for me because sometimes i think you could find someone better than me.” now you begin to tear up, confessing all of your bottled emotions.

“shawn, i have felt this toward someone as much as i have you. you’ve saved me so many times and you probably don’t even know it. i promise, you are good enough. you’ll always be good enough,okay? i’ll always be here for you, just let me be the love you need.” tears begin to fall from your eyes, so now the both of you are a crying mess.

“don’t cry, i hate seeing your cry” shawn hums, he wipes away your tears and rests his hand on your cheek. you nod, “i know..” sniffling.

there’s a moment of silence between you two, a comfortable silence. shawn is staring at you. admiring you, puffy eyes and all. he realizes how in love he is, that no matter what life throws at him that he will always have you. shawn softly rubs the pad of his thumb over your check.

“i love you.”

you blink, a few seconds of silence fills the room. he hadn’t said that to you yet, in your years of dating he hadn’t said he loved you, once. shawn was too afraid to love anybody. afraid that he’d ruin the person he wants to love. shawn was like that most of his life, until you changed his mind.

“what?” you feel all the air leave your lungs, your emotions were all over the place now. from crying to now feeling this warmth in your chest as you heard him say the words you had been waiting so long to hear. “say it again”

“i love you, y/n.”

instinctively you wrap your arms around his neck, embracing him in a tight hug. “i’ve been waiting to hear that for so long” you sniffle. shawn rubs you back, you feel him nod. “i know, i should’ve said it a long time ago.”

hours later, after the both of you had spilled your hearts to each other, you offered him dinner but he denied claiming he just wanted to lie down.

you rested comfortably on his chest, he drew circles on your spine. both of you enjoying the silent. “i want to spend the rest of my life with you.” you say. shawn is taken aback, looking down at you. “what?” you look up, smiling softly. “i know we’re still young, but there’s no one else in my life i’d want besides you. i want to be with you forever.” you see him smile, and he tightens his grip around you.

“i like the sound of that…y/n hunter…that has a nice ring to it”

#shawn hunter #shawn hunter x reader #bmw imagines #boy meets world fanfic #shawn hunter fanfic #shawn hunter imagine #shawn hunter x you #shawn hunter x y/n #bmw x reader #boy meets world fanfiction

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skyloftian-nutcase · 1 month ago

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Blood of the Hero Ch 16 (Link’s Parents Play BotW)

Summary: The Soul of the Hero will always be there to save Hyrule. But when Calamity Ganon is nearly victorious in killing him, it's those that bear the Blood of the Hero who will prevail. Ten years after the Great Calamity, the Shrine of Resurrection is damaged and Link's parents fight to save their son and Hyrule along with him.

(AO3 link)

Previous // Next

Tilieth listened to the wind chimes in the distance as she washed Link’s hair. The world around her was warm and bright, and her pack was full of freshly harvested mushrooms and herbs. The bathing area for the Sheikah was a pond just up the hill from the village. There were two ponds, actually, though one had a strange massive flower bud that glowed, and the area was considered sacred. Tilieth didn’t want to upset anyone, though she did bottle some of the water, so she took Link to the watering hole everyone else used. It granted a beautiful view of the village, and it gave her some peace.

After Tilieth and Impa had chased Abel, and their subsequent return to the village, Tilieth had called for help, and Kollin had arrived quickly. Abel was given a potion to alleviate the alarmingly fast rate he was bleeding through his shoulder injury, and while the wound was now gone, her husband was utterly spent from blood loss, stress, and a lack of sleep. She’d stayed by his side until he’d passed out, and then she’d resolved to take care of Link before returning to her vigil. She’d needed to clear her mind.

Where should she even start? She was still reeling, heart having only just slowed down as she’d watched Abel steadily fall asleep, his hand clutched desperately in hers. The moment of clarity she’d had as they’d teleported to the village allowed her to stay calm for her poor husband, but now she was alone with Link, and her head wouldn’t stay quiet.

Abel had hurt her? He had gotten so desperately out of control that he’d hurt her? It was clearly a complete accident, one he regretted so much he was terrified to even get near her, but it was frightening in itself.

How far gone was her husband, that he could lose such control of his mind? Had he always been this bad and she’d simply failed to notice? Tilieth tried to think of other instances where perhaps Abel simply wasn’t acting right, but aside from his short temper or paranoia…

Perhaps that was it, then. It wasn’t that he’d always been this way, it was just the logical conclusion to worsening of his already bad habits.

But how could she possibly help him with this? What had tipped him over the edge? Was it the lack of sleep? She knew he hadn’t slept at least one night. She had to be more on top of it – her husband had always been the strong one, but it was clear now that in some ways the poor man was downright brittle.

And that was frightening too. Because Abel had always been her steady rock, and now he was crumbling.

This wasn’t the first time the man had faltered, of course. He’d snapped at her before, he’d shown signs of being worn down. But this was… far more extreme than she imagined him capable of.

Sleep, she resolved to herself. He needs to sleep well. I have to make sure he sleeps well.

Sighing, Tilieth glanced down at her son, who was boneless under her care. The past day or two he’d wake up easily to stimulation, and the cool water had startled his eyes open, but the gentle touch of his mother had soothed him back to sleep. She didn’t mind. He’d already eaten. He could rest. Hylia knew he needed it.

Carefully, Tilieth pulled Link out of the shallow edge of the pond, laying him on a blanket she’d brought and wrapping him in it. Link shivered, brow furrowing in discomfort, and she kissed his forehead.

I can be the strong one for a little while, she surmised, smiling down at her baby boy. They were just going to stay in Kakariko. She could run a calm, domestic scene just fine. She wasn’t alone here. She had plenty of ideas already for what she could do while her boys slept.

“Tilieth?”

She jumped, startled, but the voice was familiar. Glancing down the hill a little bit, she caught sight of the Sheikah chief, Impa. “Oh! You made it back safely! I was worried.”

Lady Impa smiled. “I was worried too. I checked in with Kollin – it seems Sir Abel is resting now?”

Tilieth nodded. “He…”

She didn’t know what to say, honestly, so she just gave a weak shrug with a small smile.

“He loves you,” Lady Impa said, reading her body language. Her words were spoken with sincerity and conviction. “He loves both of you so much. And he’s strong. He’ll be okay. He just… I’ve seen it. With others. The Calamity left scars on us all. I’m just… afraid that perhaps his wounds have not had the chance to heal to that point.”

No. They truly haven’t. “I hope you don’t mind us staying in Kakariko for a little longer. I appreciate your hospitality. You’ve been so kind to us.”

“It’s my pleasure,” the Sheikah chief replied warmly. “I’m going to return to the village, but I wanted to find you to make sure you were alright. Your husband’s horse is in the stable with Epona.”

“Thank you,” Tilieth gratefully said. “Truly. For everything.”

Lady Impa was too humble to acknowledge the gratitude once again, so she bowed her head and departed. Tilieth looked down at her son, drying him off a little and dressing him in the tunic she’d made for him, as well as a fresh set of trousers she’d been gifted by one of the Sheikah. Then she braced herself and clipped the harness to her back, slowly carrying the boy back into the village.

Liyah, the innkeeper, was waiting for her return, and she smiled warmly. “Welcome back, dear. Your husband’s been sleeping quite peacefully. Can I get you anything?”

“No, I’m fine, thank you,” Tilieth acknowledged as she grunted, contradicting her words. Golden Three, why did her baby have to be so heavy? She couldn’t imagine hauling him around at his healthy weight – he was far skinnier now than he should be.

“He looks much more comfortable,” Liyah noted cheerily, leaning over Link as Tilieth tucked him back into the bed. “A good bath will do that. Perhaps you can help your husband clean up when he’s awake.”

Tilieth hummed, brushing hair out of Link’s face before glancing at her husband in the bed beside them. Abel’s face was worn and pale, but at least he looked at peace. He still had dried blood caked on his neck, though – his doublet had been removed to examine the wound, and the dirt, grime, and clots from the last day or so were evident where the clean bandages didn’t cover. A bath was a good idea. She was a little worried to take Abel any distance from the village, though.

“Oh, I remember long ago, before the Calamity, how there used to be this wonderful bath house,” Liyah continued, eyes lost to the past as her voice became dreamy. “My husband used to be a royal scientist, you know, and we’d travel often. Well, he would. I tried to go with him as much as I could. But ah, Tilieth, the bath house that my people built near Akkala! There were so many Sheikah spread across central locations of Hyrule, you see, so we made little settlements sometimes. Everyone loved that place – it became a vacationing spot, even! Utilizing the hot springs from the Goron lands was a genius idea.”

“It sounds nice,” Tilieth commented, imagining how wonderful a warm bath sounded. And to achieve one with no extra effort in making a fire to heat the water! She wondered if her family would have a chance to see Death Mountain at all on this journey.

The thought of it was certainly exciting, but also a little daunting. But now wasn’t the time to spiral over that. Tilieth knew that what everyone needed right now was rest, so she tried to only focus on the moment.

“Perhaps you should get some sleep too, my dear,” the innkeeper suggested.

Tilieth considered it, but to be honest, she was far too wired. If she laid down, she would only worry, not sleep, so she shook her head. “I don’t think sleep is attainable for me at the moment.”

“Well, then get yourself some fresh air,” Liyah insisted. “I can watch these two. If they awaken, I will retrieve you.”

Leave both of them? Tilieth watched the elderly innkeeper uncertainly. But, the more she pondered it, the better the idea sounded. Abel’s clothes were threadbare at best, worn thin from years of use with little to no repair. She had an opportunity to make something for him just as she had for Link. Perhaps she could even make something for herself instead of using an old repurposed dress as a tunic.

Yes… she supposed stepping out would be good. In fact, she was maybe even a little excited about it. Her heart still sped with anxiety as she looked at her husband, though.

“He’s resting,” Liyah said gently, following her gaze. “It will do neither of you any good to hover over him for now. Take care of yourself so that you can look after him, my dear. Now is the best time to do so.”

Tilieth sighed a little, feeling weight lifted from her shoulders as she smiled softly at the innkeeper. “Thank you. I… I needed to hear that.”

With a caring smile mirrored back at her, Tilieth happily went outdoors, feeling freer than she had in a while, ready to explore the village and set to work helping her boys. She could talk to Hakeez, the woman attempting to rebuild her clothing shop, in order to get materials; she’d helped Tilieth make Link’s tunic, after all. There had to be something Tilieth could offer in return. Perhaps she could make some garments for Hakeez as well?

She found the older Sheikah woman with the young mother who had just given birth recently. The new mother looked exhausted, nearly in tears as Hakeez tried to assure her with an offered baby blanket she clearly had made for her.

“Come on now, Pala, it’ll get better,” Hakeez tried to assure the young woman.

“Mellie just won’t stop crying,” the mother, Pala, lamented.

Tilieth recognized the desperation born from exhaustion, and she quickly stepped up. “Let me help. I can look after Mellie alongside Hakeez so you can get some sleep.”

Pala glanced at her, vaguely recognizing Tilieth from the celebrations the village had held for Mellie’s birth the other day. Hakeez quickly nodded, latching on to the idea. “Yes, we can help! Get some rest, dear, you need it.”

The tired mother didn’t put up much of a fight when a more familiar face made the argument, and Mellie was in Tilieth’s arms in no time, wrapped in the blanket Hakeez had made for her.

“Poor dear,” Hakeez lamented as the two exited the home, Mellie gazing up at Tilieth curiously. Tilieth smiled back at the newborn, admiring her beautiful red eyes, large and innocent as they were, light skin unblemished by the sun and not carrying a care in the world.

It was amazing, really, looking at such new life in such a broken world. In the chaos of Tilieth’s life, just holding the baby and standing there, rocking gently, gazing down at her, brought the tired woman some peace of her own.

Memories of her own children flooded her mind and heart, when she’d held Link for the first time, when her first few months with him were harrowing and exhausting, when Lyra made even more of a fuss than her brother at the same age.

She remembered Abel being there to help, having requested time home from the military, supporting her every step of the way.

Tilieth bit her lip, holding the baby close, closing her eyes and just soaking up the moment, remembering the love she had for her family and how much they loved her in return.

“Are you alright?” Hakeez asked quietly.

Tilieth exhaled slowly, swallowing the lump in her throat and smiling a little and nodding. The craftswoman continued to talk, then, being rather chatty and not wishing to stand in silence for so long. She cooed at the little newborn in Tilieth’s arms a moment before telling her about how she had made more clothes for the village. She did lament, though, that it was difficult trying to reestablish bartering and trade; money was rather meaningless within the village, and sometimes people’s offers of trade for her clothes were not what she’d hope for.

“What exactly do you need?” Tilieth asked, latching on to the topic as Mellie slept in her arms.

“Honestly, what I need is some of that stamina elixir that Kollin seems to know how to make,” Hakeez snorted. “I swear he hoards it for himself and his fiancée.”

Tilieth glanced at the seamstress, gleaning who it could be, confirming, “Lady Impa is engaged to Kollin?”

Hakeez nodded dismissively, sighing. “The point is that I’m always worn out and could use some of that stamina elixir.”

Well, if Tilieth wanted Hakeez’s help with supplies to make new clothes for Abel, she supposed she’d start there. Glancing down at Mellie to confirm she was still asleep, Tilieth headed towards Lady Impa’s abode, though she opted to stop by the inn first to check on her family once more.

The innkeeper, Liyah, looked a little surprised at the bundle in Tilieth’s arms, and then she chuckled. “Did poor Pala need a break?”

Tilieth smiled and nodded. “I didn’t mind. She looked pretty haggard.”

“The first one is always the hardest,” Liyah commented.

Tilieth bit her lip, thinking of her two children, and she looked at Link. Yes, it was certainly an adjustment when he’d been a baby, though Lyra had certainly been fussier.

Goddess, she missed those days.

Link was sleeping peacefully as usual, and, for once, Abel was still managing to rest as well. Mellie stirred, grunting a little, and Tilieth made a hasty retreat before the newborn could wake either of them. The little one’s wails caught the attention of one of the guards stationed in front of Lady Impa’s estate, and Tilieth recognized him as the child’s father. After quickly reassuring the worried man, Tilieth suggested that the little one probably needed a diaper change.

The guard blinked, looking anxious. Tilieth had to laugh at him, wondering if he’d even cleaned the baby up yet or if it had all been Pala. It was no wonder the poor woman was overwhelmed; at least Abel had helped. Though Tilieth supposed Abel had been staying home full time while this man was still working, but…

“Why don’t I show you how to do it?” She offered, tilting her head to the side.

“I—well, I don’t know, Pala—”

“Is exhausted,” Tilieth cut in. “It wouldn’t be a bad idea to help her sometimes, you know. Mellie needs both her parents’ love and care.”

The guard deflated, relenting. Tilieth forgot all her worries as she spent the next ten minutes trying not to laugh at the man dry heaving while cleaning his little girl’s mess.

Men were so silly sometimes. They could handle blood and gore of the battlefield, but a soiled diaper was too much for some of them. Abel had muscled his way through it with Link, but Tilieth could tell the first few times he’d been similarly uneasy.

Mellie seemed much happier in her father’s arms afterward, and his partner at their post said he would watch for a while so the man could be with his baby girl. Tilieth took the opportunity to head inside the chief’s estate, feeling a little satisfied that she’d helped the guard and his wife.

She hadn’t expected to see Sheik inside.

“—should tell them already, this is—”

“What difference does it make?” Sheik hissed, body language tight and defensive as she crossed her arms so tightly she might as well have been hugging herself. “I have my path and he—”

Sheik cut herself off as she caught sight of Tilieth. Her face was still hidden, but Tilieth could imagine her cheeks were flushed with how worked up she seemed to be.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude,” Tilieth said carefully, feeling guilty. She’d gotten so used to just wandering the village, she really should have knocked.

“Yet you did,” Sheik snapped, eyes narrowing.

“That’s enough,” Lady Impa said sharply. “We’ll continue this discussion later.”

The Sheikah warrior sighed, the fight draining out of here, and she walked by Tilieth without another word, exiting the building.

“Is everything all right?” Tilieth asked quietly. She supposed it really wasn’t her business, but if she could help at all, she wanted to offer. Lady Impa had done so much for her and her family, after all.

The chief seemed to debate something, watching Tilieth for a long moment, before she looked away. “Some matters simply must resolve themselves. How can I help you, Tilieth? Is Sir Abel alright?”

“Yes, he’s fine right now,” Tilieth hastily answered, embarrassed she’d seemingly pushed herself into Sheikah affairs. “I just… I was looking for Kollin. Not—not for Link or Abel, but I wanted to see if I could get a stamina elixir for Hakeez.”

Lady Impa raised an eyebrow. “What does Hakeez want with a stamina elixir?”

“I’m assuming she wants to not be tired,” Tilieth chuckled a little, lightening up. “I just want to make a tunic for Abel, but I need something to trade to get materials.”

Before she could stop herself, she added, “Speaking of Kollin, though, I didn’t realize you two were engaged! You two seem like you have a good chemistry with each other. When are you getting married?”

Lady Impa blinked a moment, eyebrows rising, before she giggled, growing somewhat bashful. “Oh. Well, thank you. I… we haven’t decided yet. We only got engaged pretty recently.”

Tilieth wished she could be there for it, but she knew that wasn’t likely to happen. Instead, she said, “Well, I wish you two all the best and happiness in the world. You deserve it.”

“You’re too kind,” Lady Impa quickly dismissed politely. “But if you’re searching for Kollin, he’s likely up by the fairy spring. It’s just beyond the shrine.”

Ah, yes, the spring that the villagers kept talking about. Perhaps the water did indeed having healing properties. She hadn’t given any to Link yet, so she hadn’t been sure.

Wait… fairy spring?

“He might be trying to talk to… well… a Great Fairy lives there,” Lady Impa explained. “But her power is dependent on rupees, and we hardly have any. She can still sometimes emerge, and Kollin tries to pay his respects.”

“Can she heal Link?” Tilieth immediately asked. “I’ll give her all the rupees we’ve found!”

Lady Impa watched her sadly. “I don’t think so. She can summon fairies, but I don’t think Cotera can actually heal anyone. But I suppose it’s worth asking, now that his wounds are not as dire as they used to be.”

Tilieth hastened outside, not waiting a moment longer for explanation, though she at least threw a hasty thanks over her shoulder.

It didn’t take long to reach the spring she’d passed a couple times by now, and she wondered why she hadn’t been told of this sooner. All the Sheikah seemed a little cagey on the matter, as if they wanted to protect Cotera, but it wasn’t as if Tilieth could possibly hurt a Great Fairy.

She supposed perhaps they worried Abel might try, to help Link. Honestly, at this rate, she wouldn’t put it passed him.

But there shouldn’t be a need for such force or concern! Great Fairies were powerful magical creatures, surely she could help Link somehow!

Kollin stood before the strange looking bud Tilieth had seen before, and she slid to a halt, catching his attention.

“Is that the Great Fairy?” She asked, curious and confused. “Is she in there?”

Kollin looked a bit startled, and he hesitated to respond. Tilieth was about to plead when he finally admitted, “Yes, but she hardly comes out anymore. We don’t have much to offer.”

“I have rupees!” Tilieth hastily said, pulling out all three hundred that she’d collected. “Take them!”

The bud made a strange noise, dark and even ominous sounding, and Tilieth immediately retracted her arms, nervous.

“Don’t be afraid, dear girl,” the voice spoke, sounding distorted. “Please, help me restore my power.”

Kollin smiled reassuringly. “I promise it’s safe. Please, let me see the rupees. I think she usually asks for one hundred.”

“Yes, yes, a mere one hundred rupees is all I require!” The supposed Great Fairy agreed.

Tilieth wasn’t entirely sure she trusted the voice, but she did trust Kollin, so she carefully handed the money over to him. A large hand reached out of the bud, snatching it and nearly knocking Kollin over, and Tilieth gasped, growing more scared by the moment. The voice made a sound of delight before the bud opened with a squeal, releasing puffs of pink smoke and blinding Tilieth. When she blinked her eyes open, she was dazzled by the sight of an enormous woman half submerged in water, adorned in shells and jewels, fairy wings peeking out from behind her ears.

Tilieth stared, amazed, mouth open.

“Oh, what a feeling!” The Great Fairy exclaimed, stretching and smiling. “That first breath of fresh air after such a long time of decay… it’s just so intoxicating!”

The fairy turned her eyes to Tilieth, leaning over a little and smiling serenely. “Thanks to you, I’ve been returned to my former glory. And as they say—one good turn deserves another. I can help you—”

“My son!” Tilieth immediately interjected, desperation pushing through her fear. “My son is grievously wounded, please, can you heal him?”

The Great Fairy gasped a little. “Oh, my. My dear girl, I wish that I could – perhaps my children can assist you?”

Tilieth wilted, already knowing that regular fairies were incapable of fixing the matter. The Great Fairy seemed to read that, and Kollin replied, “They haven’t been able to help, I’m afraid. But if you can summon them, I would like to have a few ready to assist my people and any traveler who passes through.”

“Of course,” Cotera replied. She raised a hand, and within seconds fairies seemed to materialize from the sky like snow petals, gently descending, wings flapping peacefully. Kollin bottled a few, thanking the Great Fairy once more, and then passed Tilieth, patting her on the shoulder sympathetically.

Tilieth stood alone, overwhelmed and upset, hope dashed once more, and she shivered as a drizzle started to speckle the area.

“Oh, dear girl,” the Great Fairy looked her over, eyes sad. “I may not be able to heal your boy, but let me help you in other ways. Allow me to enhance your clothing. It’s the least I can do, but I will need the necessary materials.”

Tilieth looked up to stare at the magical creature once more. Enhance her clothes?

“You see, I can increase their abilities to protect, or enhance inherent gifts,” Cotera explained.

But that meant— “Can you help me protect Link?”

“Of course,” Cotera answered gently. “Bring me his clothing and I can ensure he is safer than before.”

That was all Tilieth needed to hear before she was rushing down the hill back into the village. When she entered the inn, though, she immediately realized that Abel was awake and trying to ignore the innkeeper’s words.

“—all right, dear, your family is fine—”

“Abel!” Tilieth called, running to her husband as his eyes locked with hers. Abel reached out shakily, and Tilieth dragged him into a tight hug, whispering, “It’s okay, love, I’m here. Everyone’s safe, I promise.”

Abel felt heavy in her arms, sagging against her and trembling. He was clearly still exhausted, but he didn’t bother trying to argue any point, simply resting his head against her shoulder, hands grappling weakly on her tunic. He didn’t seem to have any more apologies, having spilled them repeatedly earlier, and Tilieth was honestly thankful for it. Her poor husband had apologized enough.

Tilieth kissed his ear, shifting and trying to get him to settle back down on the pillows. “You need to rest, Abel. Don’t worry about anything, okay?”

She supposed it was silly telling her husband not to worry. But he truly needed to rest – he’d driven himself nearly insane.

Abel watched her uncertainly, turning his head to look at Link. Despite wiggling a little on the mattress in an attempt to get comfortable, he couldn’t quite settle, though. Tilieth sighed, and Abel looked even guiltier for it.

“It’s okay,�� she reassured him gently, brushing some hair out of his face. “It’s okay. Why don’t we get you cleaned up?”

If he wasn’t going to sleep, he could at least rest. Tilieth would make sure of it. She advised Abel to stay put while she stripped Link of his tunic and trousers, leaving him bundled under some blankets, before guiding her husband to stand.

Abel was shaky on his feet, but he followed his wife wherever she went, letting her wrap an arm around his waist.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered as they exited the inn.

“No more apologies,” Tilieth said firmly. “What happened is over, Abel—”

Her husband stiffened, looking at her and digging his heels into the ground. “I hurt you.”

“Yes, and then you hurt yourself,” Tilieth fired back. “Honey, I… you have to let me help you. It won’t get any better if you don’t.”

“But I—”

“You are exhausted,” she cut in, putting a hand on his cheek to settle him. “Honey, can’t you see that running away or beating yourself up about it will only make it worse?”

Tears were evident in her husband’s eyes, but he held them in, looking away and kissing her palm. When she got no further argument from him, Tilieth guided him outside of the village. Neither really knew what to say or if anything should be said as they moved. Tilieth was trying to figure out if she could even start confronting what had happened. She was afraid her words would fail her, that she would somehow make things worse, but she knew she was far more emotionally intelligent than her husband and they truly needed to address it. But Abel needed a moment to rest first. The bath would be good for that.

But first, they had to take care of helping Link. Tilieth wasn’t going to keep a Great Fairy waiting.

The fairy fountain was empty when Tilieth arrived, making her heart plummet. Had the Great Fairy left?

“What is this?” Abel asked, distracted. He watched it cautiously, but also with fascination – he too was taken in by the beauty of the place. His eyes also immediately caught sight of the fairies floating around. “Til, is… is this…?”

“A fairy fountain,” Tilieth finished for him, trying not to sound as disappointed as she felt.

The water in the fountain rustled, making both of them jump, and then Cotera burst forth with an excited cry. Abel instinctively pushed Tilieth behind him, reaching for a weapon he wasn’t armed with, and Til tried to calm her husband hastily.

“It’s all right!” She said as the Great Fairy tilted her head to the side.

“Oh, you brought a friend!” The Great Fairy noted, intrigued. “He’s cute!”

Abel stammered, blushing, not expecting the remark. Tilieth laughed, but then she walked around her husband to offer the clothes. “Please, can you bless these? They’re my son’s.”

Cotera leaned over, examining the items. “Oh, yes, I should be able to. I only require a few items to do so.”

After hearing the listed items, Tilieth dug through her bag worriedly, and with great relief realized she had all the necessary ones. Abel looked between his wife and the Great Fairy, bemused, and watched as the large mystical woman received the offerings.

“I didn’t even realize there was a Great Fairy here,” Abel muttered. He looked shyly at Cotera, seeming a little apologetic.

Cotera looked at the clothes, smiled, and nodded, telling Tilieth to place them on the mushroom pedestal in front of her. The couple stood, waiting, and then the Great Fairy…

Blew a kiss on them?

Tilieth could feel a strange sensation, like warmth and tingling and energy, and she knew it had to be magic, could even see it in the air. But the manner in which it was delivered…

Cotera giggled in delight and then dove back into the water.

“What… just happened.” Abel said, monotone denoting a mixture of horror and confusion.

Tilieth hesitantly knelt down to examine the clothes. They didn’t look any different… but the magic had been there nonetheless. Surely it had to have done something.

“These magical creatures can be fickle,” Abel said quietly, kneeling down beside her. “Are you sure she didn’t just take your offerings and leave?”

“I saw the magic,” Tilieth argued mildly, hand running over the threads of the tunic. “Didn’t you?”

“I suppose,” Abel replied quietly, sounding dubious.

Tilieth bit her lip uncertainly. “Well… maybe we should just… well, we shouldn’t bother her, I guess. Let’s just get to the bathing area.”

Abel didn’t argue, seeming resigned to the matter. He grew quiet once more as they climbed the hill to the pond in question. Tilieth helped her husband strip down and ease into the water, exposing injuries old and new.

Tilieth’s hand traced an old scar on the back of his shoulder, and he shivered a little.

“I can bathe myself,” he finally spoke up, though his voice was still soft.

“I want to help,” Tilieth said firmly. Because that was what this was about, after all – Abel kept refusing help, continued to push himself to the point of collapse and near insanity.

It had to stop. She had already resolved she could be strong enough for everyone for a short while, long enough for Abel to get a little better.

Abel sighed, giving up.

The couple was quiet as Tilieth helped him bathe. She wasn’t entirely sure how to start the conversation of addressing what had happened, worried that he would just shut it down or she wouldn’t know what to say. Slowly, Abel started to lean back against her, letting her hold him, letting himself rest. He closed his eyes, calloused hands reaching up to gently hold her wrists as she wrapped her arms around his chest.

Tilieth finally found her voice. “What happened, Abel?”

Her husband grew tense in her hold, eyes opening, though he refused to make eye contact.

“The last thing I remember was that you had said you would sleep, and you didn’t,” she continued. “You snuck off to Hyrule Field of all places. I was so worried.”

Her husband’s face grew stony, eyes gazing off somewhere she couldn’t reach. She was worried he wouldn’t speak at all, and after a minute or so that seemed the case.

“I saw a guardian,” he finally admitted, so quietly she almost missed it.

Tilieth felt her blood freeze.

“It wasn’t real,” her husband added with a breathy, morose laugh. “I… Tilieth, I… I saw a guardian that wasn’t there, and I hurt you as a result. I’m… it isn’t safe to be around me.”

Tilieth tried to catch her breath, to make her heart rate slow down after the mere thought of a guardian being anywhere near her or her family. She swallowed thickly, moving forward to hold him again as if to prove him wrong.

Finally, she said, “The only thing… that isn’t safe… is you not sleeping.”

“I don’t think it’s that simple,” Abel replied darkly.

Tilieth bit her tongue. No, perhaps it wasn’t. But that was the best way she could fix it right now. Lack of sleep had sent him over the edge.

But the truth of the matter was that there was clearly something wrong that sleep deprivation could lead to such a disastrous night. And, even worse, his choices as a result of that night.

Abel took a shaky breath. “My entire life… I… I’ve always had to take care of my family. But lately, I… Til, there comes a time when your usefulness is at an end.”

Tilieth swallowed, trying to argue, eyes widening with alarm.

Abel sighed, rinsing some soap off his shoulder. “I can finish up, love. Please… go back to the village.”

“No.” Her voice came out stronger than she anticipated, stubborn and hurt and scared and angry.

Abel stiffened, very obviously trying to keep his breathing even. His cheeks flushed, but his face grew cold, like it always did when he was getting frustrated.

“You’re sick,” Tilieth spat out. “You’re sick, and you’re hurt, and hurting, and—I’m not leaving you.”

“So I can get you killed too?” Abel hissed, turning sharply in the water, splashing the area around them so he could face her.

“You didn’t get anyone killed—”

“I told Link to go to Fort Hateno!” Abel yelled, rising. The area grew quiet as the birds flew away in fright, as Tilieth stared at him, speechless. “All those years ago—during the Calamity… I—I told him to go to Fort Hateno, that I would meet him there, and it got him almost killed! And then when the Shrine of Resurrection was his last hope—”

“Abel, the Shrine wasn’t your fault!” Tilieth interrupted desperately. “None of it was! You had no way of knowing—”

“What kind of father am I, that I couldn’t protect my children?!” Abel argued, tears starting to slide down his cheeks, voice shaking. “What kind of husband am I that I hit my own wife?! What kind of knight am I, that I murder my own people, that I fail to protect my king, that—”

Tilieth moved towards him hastily, holding him close as his words dissolved into sobs. Her own body trembled, mind whirling, wondering desperately how she could reach him when he had managed to get so far out of reach.

How long had he been stewing in this misery, she wondered? And why couldn’t she better help him?

It doesn’t matter, she tried to tell herself. I can’t change what was, only what is.

“You’re only Hylian,” she finally whispered, her own voice trembling as well. “You’re only Hylian, love. You’re doing your best. Sometimes we all falter.”

Abel scoffed, pushing her away. “Sometimes. Sometimes! My failures are constant—”

“You got us to Kakariko safely!” Tilieth stood up, voice strengthening, fists balling. “You protected us the entire journey from the Great Plateau, you’re single-handedly responsible for getting most of the spirit orbs that have been healing Link! You protect me for ten years! You served the kingdom faithfully! Do you really think you could’ve single-handedly stopped the Calamity? Even Link couldn’t, even the Princess couldn’t!”

Her words cut into him, which was apparent from how he flinched. Tilieth honestly wasn’t sure she’d ever yelled at her husband. Her heart was racing, her blood was surging through her, heartbeat drumming in her ears. She was terrified, but she was so frustrated—why couldn’t her beloved just listen to her?!

But the anger seeped out of her quickly. The tears returned, and she started to tremble, strength leaving her alongside her ire. “Can’t you see, Abel? Can’t you see that the only way you’re making things worse is by trying to fight me on this? The only way you can truly hurt us is by leaving us, by hurting yourself the way you are. You’re not perfect, love, none of us are. The only way we can make it though this is with faith in the goddess’ protection and trust in each other.”

Pain was evident on her husband’s face, and he took a small step back, seeming to shrivel into himself as the fight drained out of him. He looked down, ashamed. “I can’t even trust myself.”

“You don’t have to,” Tilieth whispered gently, kneeling down to be at eye level with him as he sank back into the water. She cupped his face with her hands, making him look at her. “Trust me. Don’t you trust me to take care of you?”

Abel’s lips twitched like he was going to argue further, but he thought better of it, sighing and leaning his head forward until their foreheads touched.

“I know you’re sorry,” Tilieth said before he could even try to apologize again, a small smile pulling at her lips.

Abel huffed a wet laugh, shivering and moving forward to hug her again.

Tilieth held him for what felt like an eternity, yet it still didn’t feel like long enough. Eventually, though, the coolness of the water made her husband start to shake, teeth chattering. She didn’t say anything else, out of words and exhausted, but hopeful as well. It seemed like she might have gotten through to him. Abel, for his part, also seemed too worn out to speak anymore.

It wasn’t much, but it was progress, and it gave her hope. Perhaps they could stop lingering on what had happened, then, and start to move on.

Tilieth helped Abel climb out of the water, wrapping him in a towel and holding him again so he could warm up. He rested his chin on her shoulder, leaning his head against hers, no longer fighting the matter at all. However, just as she finished drying him off and was reaching for his clothes, he said softly, “That platform… it looks like a shrine.”

Confused, Tilieth turned to look at the strange platform that she’d noticed when she’d bathed Link earlier in the day. She… supposed the color scheme was similar, but it looked nothing like a shrine, to be honest.

But Abel seemed transfixed now, eyes alight with thoughts. Tilieth let him stew on the matter a moment, more concerned about getting him dressed so he wouldn’t be cold. When she prompted him to put the clothes on, though, he continued, “Wait… the item… that orb in Impa’s home…”

Orb? There was an orb? “Honey, what are you talking about?”

Abel rose, heading towards the bridge to get back to the village, and Tilieth hastily got in his way. “Abel, get dressed!”

Her husband paused, distracted, only realizing then that he was still just in a towel, and hastily put his clothes on. Then he moved with purpose, Tilieth trailing behind him worriedly. He needed to rest, whatever this was about could wait—

Oh, who was she kidding? Abel was nothing if not persistent when he was on a quest. It was where Link got his stubbornness from. At least he was focusing on helping the family and not running away. But she would make him sleep once he’d settled the matter in his mind.

They moved hastily to Lady Impa’s abode, and the Sheikah chief looked surprised to see Abel there. Before she could get a word in, though, he pointed to something in the corner, and Tilieth felt herself gasp a little as she caught sight of it.

Honestly, she hadn’t noticed it before, but the orb did match the platform perfectly.

“We need that,” Abel said, voice not quite as firm as it usually was, but commanding nonetheless.

“I—what?” Lady Impa looked between the glowing ball and Abel. “I’m sorry, but that is a Sheikah heirloom, you can’t have that. It’s been guarded by my ancestors for centuries.”

“Yes, probably millennia,” Abel insisted. “It has to do with the shrines, don’t you see that? There’s a platform where you can place it by your bathing area.”

Impa blinked, stuttering, before looking quickly between the orb and the knight once more. “Wh—I—but—”

To his credit, Abel was patient, lowering his arm and waiting for her to parse it out. Tilieth gasped as she realized it too. “Do you think it’s a puzzle of some sort for the shrine?”

Lady Impa sighed, easing herself to the cushion on the ground as she pondered the matter. “All our research on ancient Sheikah tech and I… really just had this right here in my family’s estate…”

Abel shifted, very clearly trying to hold himself back. “So… may we use it?”

The Sheikah chief rubbed her face a moment before rising and nodding, eyes firm. “I’ll go with you.”

The chief picked up the large orb, refusing to let Abel touch it, but she followed them as they made their way back to the bathing spring. Tilieth’s mind was whirling, but she felt pride in her husband swell in her as well.

The pride grew tenfold, mixing with relief and cheer, as Lady Impa placed the orb in a perfectly carved hole, and a shrine appeared from the earth.

“You really should give yourself more credit, love,” Tilieth said gently, putting a hand on his arm. “Even in your hurt and anguish, you still help us.”

Abel chewed the inside of his cheek, and she knew he was doing that to fight to maintain composure in front of Lady Impa. He was far too tired to succeed very well, though.

“This is amazing,” Lady Impa breathed, awed. “I—we should get Link right away!”

“Yes, we should,” Tilieth agreed, before turning to Abel. “But I want you to go back to the inn and rest, please. Lady Impa and I can handle this shrine.”

Abel’s face paled, eyes widening, before he stopped himself entirely from arguing. Looking defeated, he nodded, and the group made their way back to the village. When the chief rushed inside the inn, Tilieth pulled Abel aside outside the door so they had a moment alone, and she kissed him tenderly.

“It’s okay,” she whispered, looking him in the eye. “I just want you to rest. Please, Abel. Trust me. It’s the only way you’re going to get better.”

Impa let out a yelp from inside, and Abel and Tilieth rushed indoors in an instant to find the Sheikah chief blushing.

“I didn’t realize he was just in his underwear,” the chief waved off with an embarrassed laugh.

Tilieth couldn’t help her own cackling. “I got his clothes blessed by the Great Fairy. Here, let me get him dressed and we can get going.”

She gave one last look to her husband, who looked mildly amused, and kissed his cheek, guiding him to bed before turning her attention to Link. They’d get him to the shrine as the sun was descending towards the horizon, which meant she had just enough time afterward to make dinner for her family and make some clothes for Abel.

Considering how the day had started, this was an enormous improvement, and she thanked Hylia for it.

Abel sat on the bed, watching Tilieth dress their child, and leaned against the pillows reluctantly as she and Impa left.

And then there was silence in the building.

Abel shifted a little, uncomfortable and anxious. He didn’t want Tilieth and Link going to a shrine without him. But he also knew he was in no state to be helpful to anyone. He still had half a mind to try and leave again, but he knew that was irrational fear talking, desperation and panic driven from exhaustion and—

He still couldn’t believe what had happened. Of course he was terrified, he’d—

What sort of monster was he, anyway? And how was it fair in any way for Tilieth to have to clean up the mess he’d made? He was a grown man, he should’ve kept himself in check, should’ve realized that—

Abel let out a shaky breath, burying his face in his hands as he curled in on himself. Then he heard a foot rustle across wood, and he bolted to his feet, eyes alert.

An older woman gasped a little, holding her hands up. Ah. It was the innkeeper. He couldn’t quite remember her name, though.

“It’s just me, it’s all right,” she insisted gently. “Why don’t you try to get some sleep? You were resting quite well earlier.”

There was no way he would be able to sleep knowing that Link and Tilieth were exploring a shrine without him. Those things were dangerous. Abel didn’t bother replying, not wanting to be rude, but not really knowing what to say aside from no. He didn’t have the energy to really care about pleasantries. At least he wasn’t being irritable, he supposed.

He wished time could just… stop. That they could use the Sheikah slate’s time magic to stop everything, for at least a week. He felt like he could sleep a month, honestly, if he knew nothing would happen or change in that time.

But that was a fool’s wish. Time didn’t stop for anyone. Anxiety gripped at him once more, making his chest tight. He needed to do something.

Glancing around, he noticed the innkeeper had started sweeping the floor when he’d been silent in response to her. He felt bad for ignoring her, and he really needed to move. “Can… may I do that?”

The innkeeper glanced up at him, a little surprised. “Do… you want to sweep? Oh, young man, I appreciate your offer, but—”

“Please,” Abel interrupted, getting somewhat desperate. If he didn’t have something to do he knew he’d just leave this place altogether. “I… I can’t just stay in bed. Put me to work, please.”

The innkeeper watched him a moment and then sighed, face sympathetic. “All right, dear. But on one condition.”

Abel perked up, listening.

“If you get tired, you have to take a break,” the innkeeper said gravely, finger in the air to emphasize her point. “You’re supposed to be resting, after all. You’ve had a harrowing time lately.”

Yes, he supposed the innkeeper had seen the majority of his outbursts. Abel felt himself blush in shame, looking at his feet, but he nodded in agreement nonetheless. The innkeeper handed her broom off to him, allowing him to sweep the floor in peace.

The repetitive motion brought some calm to his mind, and he was grateful for it. He wondered if this was why Tilieth liked to clean sometimes, though he knew she was happiest wandering outside.

He tried not to think about the events of the early morning, but it was hard not to. Now that he’d gotten a bit of sleep and time to think about it…

He didn’t know. He still wasn’t entirely sure it had been a mistake to try and leave. He hadn’t been intent on hurting himself, but given the choice between eliminating himself from the equation and potentially hurting Tilieth or Link further, the decision had been very easy.

Abel paused, growing a little breathless. Was he tired, or was he overwhelmed?

What kind of weakling am I, that I cannot handle this anymore?

You’re only Hylian, his wife’s voice whispered back. Even the Princess herself couldn’t stop the Calamity.

Abel wasn’t trying to stop the Calamity, he was trying to save Link! But he couldn’t even hold himself together anymore!

He couldn’t do everything, but Tilieth couldn’t either. He couldn’t rely on her to take care of him and Link.

Was this simply pride? Or was Abel correct, knowing tha the should be stronger than this? When Tilieth had gotten ill all those years ago, he’d taken care of Link and had gone on a mission to Zora’s Domain, fulfilling his duty, financially supporting his family, and raising their son while Tilieth recovered in Hateno. Yet now…

Tilieth was asking for the same, was asking to take care Abel and Link so he could recover.

Could he recover?

Despair filled him for a moment, and he choked it down viciously, sweeping the floor once more and ramming the broom into the wall. His grip on the item trembled, and he stopped.

“Sir Abel,” the innkeeper said gently.

Abel felt anger rise in him, but he bit back whatever scalding remark was fighting its way out. He didn’t know how to stop this.

Have faith in the goddess. Trust in each other.

Abel scowled.

Faith in the goddess. What sort of faith could he have in someone who had abandoned her people? Had she abandoned the princess too? Was that why the young girl had been incompetent?

But do you not trust Tilieth?

He needed to lay down. The world was spinning. He wanted to go to sleep and never wake up.

Sighing, Abel dragged his feet over to the bed. This was a nightmare and he didn’t know how to escape it. Tilieth’s words rattled in his mind once more, and he realized it truly was just a choice. He would feel the same either way, but he had to choose to trust his wife. Either he would be miserable and alone, or miserable with her.

But what if he hurt her again? What if he hurt Link?

They were wasting time here in the village, and it was his fault. No matter what he did, it… if he tried to leave again, Tilieth would track him down. It would be ceaseless, and Link would die. Abel had to… had to…

Funny, how Tilieth had wanted to separate but refused to do so now. Abel felt bitterness and frustration rise in his gut, and he tried to let it go.

The door to the inn opened, and he saw Tilieth returning, triumphant, as Impa carried Link indoors.

“Oh, honey, it was great!” Tilieth said excitedly, rushing over to him. “You solved the puzzle and we didn’t even have to do anything! We got in there and it was just the monk and an opal.”

Abel stared, thinking about it. That had… never happened.

Goddesses… were they getting an actual reprieve for once?

“That’s… good,” he offered hesitantly, watching Impa put Link in the bed next to him.

“It’s great!” Tilieth insisted, hands clasped together before she hugged him. Abel tried to return the gesture, but his wife was too excited and pulled away quickly. “Oh, I have to make dinner, and—will you watch Link, dear?”

Abel nodded mutely, and Tilieth was out the door in an instant. Her cheer was a little infectious, he supposed, pulling a small smile on one side of his lips. Then he slowly dragged himself over to Link’s bed, pulling the boy to him and laying down as Impa turned to leave.

Before the Sheikah chief could depart, though, Abel asked, “Who were those people? From this morning. The ones who attacked us. They didn’t dress like Yiga.”

Lady Impa paused, hugging herself uncertainly. “I… don’t know. They bore something akin to the Yiga symbol on their foreheads, but like you said, they… didn’t dress like them. I’ve never encountered those people before.”

Abel swallowed, holding Link closer. “Very well.”

There was silence between the two, heavy and awkward given their last conversation, and Abel finally said, “Thank you for keeping her safe.”

“I’ll always protect your family,” Impa insisted calmly, with conviction, facing him fully. “Including you, Sir Abel. I’m glad we found you in time.”

Abel huffed, only mildly annoyed.

“Please rest, good knight,” Impa said. “I will pray for your recovery. And it will happen. I’ve seen it in other members of my tribe. The Calamity left scars on us all. You have to allow yourself to heal. Tilieth is more than willing to help.”

Abel stared at the wall, unable to face the chief, feeling like a fool, like a child lost in Castle Town’s bustling atmosphere, freshly orphaned and wondering what he was supposed to do now while his sisters cried. He hated feeling this helpless. He nodded, and he heard the chief leave.

The room fell silent. He wondered if the innkeeper was still there, or if she’d stepped out. Link was silent and motionless as usual. Abel felt tempted to rouse him just to see his eyes, just to talk to him, but he figured the boy needed rest more than he did. So he simply kissed his head and closed his eyes.

He didn’t know what the future would bring. But he knew this respite couldn’t last, no matter what choice he made. They would have to leave tomorrow. But for tonight, he wouldn’t think about any of it, even if that went against every fiber of his being.

Recovery was a choice. Trust was a choice. Tilieth made that choice as she prayed outside at the Hylia statue while the food simmered in the cooking pot. Abel made that choice as he tried to sleep, disregarding Link wiggling in the bed, listening to the crickets peek out and start their symphony of the night.

Trust was a choice. He would try to make it.

He would try.

#Oh wow this chapter got long #Sorry about that #Tilieth embarks on a million side quests and finishes approximately a third of them #Don’t worry I’m sure she got that stamina elixir eventually #Had to make those clothes after all #Sheik is a sourpuss #Abel is a Hot Mess but he’s trying to rest #Emphasis on the trying lol #Me: yeah yeah Abel will get a break :)#Me when I actually write the chapter: ok but like let’s be realistic here he wouldn’t relax that easily—#Abel is hopeless and so am I apparently #BUT HE’S TRYING OK #IT STILL COUNTS #HE GOT A NICE BATH AND CUDDLES AND HUGS #IT. COUNTS.#Anyway guess who got another ✨heart container✨#Link in his comatose state: Why do I sense so much drama and feel the need to be part of it #Impa needs a vacation #honestly they all do #too bad that ain’t gonna happen #Abel said “fine I’ll rest NOW CAN WE GET BACK TO THE PLOT PLEASE”#Yes Abel we can #I’ll stop rambling now #writing #legend of zelda #breath of the wild #Abel #tilieth #Breath of the wild link #blood of the hero

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sigma-69-420 · 5 months ago

Text

Sigma Trump x Sleepy Biden

tw crackfic, omegaverse, m!preg, fluff,

if u bully us we'll kill ourselves, this is just for shits and gigs instead of doing work

431 words

The debate between Sigma Trump and Sleepy Biden was very intense and nerve racking for all the audience. Everyone held their breath as if an atomic bomb had gone off. Sparks flew as they passionately fought with their words.

"No Sigma Trump, you can't keep the Mexicans out!"" But S-s-sle-sleepy Biden, I'm doing it for yo-.. for the country! -Merica number 1🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅"

Suddenly, as if a bullet had grazed pass his ear, a sleepy spell hit Sleepy Biden and he stumbled. His vision went blurry and the audience gasped in horror. Just as he was about to hit the floor, orange strong and veiny hands caught him. It was Sigma Trump!!!!!

The audience shuddered in fear for Sleepy Biden, as the big alpha man handled him.

"Shnookums! What's wrong what happened!!!!!" cried Sigma Trump as tears flowed from his eyes, moisturising his dry skin and washing off his fake tan, but he didn't care, anything for his one true love.

"I-I-I-I..." Sleepy Biden mumbled before his vision went black and he succumbed to his sleepy nature, for he was just an omega.

Sigma Trump yelled in horror "BUT WHAT ABOUT THE BABY🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺" The audience took a swift inhale of breath in unison and you could hear a pin drop. Sigma Trump just realised he had admitted to his omega, Sleepy Biden's pregnancy!

"I can't avoid it any longer.... I'm the sire to Sleepy Biden's pups. I must attend to my omega!" and he rushed off to help Sleepy Biden as the paramedics whisked him away into the night. Who had called the ambulance??????

Kamala watched from the audience, teary eyed as she realised her dad's would be ok, and breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly she leapt from her seat in realisation that she left her pookie Oprah waiting!

Sleepy Biden awoke from his slumber suddenly to see his pookie alpha Sigma Trump staring intently over him. He immediately felt safe for he knew his own true love was watching over him.

He murmured "Daddy T, I can't believe your here! What happened... what about the debate!"

"The debate means nothing compared to my love for you. Don't worry kitten, the baby is fine, fear not kitten whiskers" Trump whispered as he stroked his hair softly, like a summer breeze.

"oh thank goodness! I can't wait to finally meet our pup, I'm so lucky to have you by my side. I love you❤️❤️❤️"

"I love you too pookie, now and forever. Now come on, lets go play some golf" and they drove off into the sunset in their private golf cart.

#donald trump #joe biden #vote kamala #omegaverse #us politics #mpreg #gay men

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lovekz · 2 years ago

Text

mini best friends

syn -> yours and another kid get really close with each other during daycare. but when you see the parent of this kid, you want to help out.

pos. story(?)

dilf!izana kurokawa x milf!reader

nothing to beware of!

“mommy we can’t leave her!” your stubborn son cried out, pointing over to the younger girl with bleach blond hair.

greyish whites peaked out in highlights between her bangs and the back of her head.

“honey i’m sorry, but we have to get home.” you sighed quietly, fixing reiko’s bag that hung off your shoulder.

it was bad enough you left the stove on under the meat for dinner. you weren’t expecting your son to make a new friend.

again.

reiko made it a common occurrence every time he met a friend at his daycare.

if a friend has a parent, the parent must be met. since the parent was met there was no way you’d say no to a playdate this weekend.

“no! if we leave her she’ll be lonely!” reiko jumped up and down, scowling at you with big brook green eyes.

you sighed and rubbed your temple, before taking a seat in one of the tiny chairs near your son. this was a fight you knew you weren’t gonna win.

reiko beamed almost immediately, dashing over to the younger girl and having a seat. she looked up at him and flashed a smile.

her eyes were a gorgeous violet.

“are you staying back today ms. l/n?” one of the workers asked, smiling at you while she held a few papers.

you nodded with a smile. “he’s made friends with that young lady over there.” you gestured, glancing at your son and his companion.

‘i bet 100 dollars he forgot i exist.’ you thought to yourself, sighing.

“oh. he met little zyre! you might be here for a while. dad comes a little late.” the worker informed, giving you a sheepish smile.

of course he found himself one of those friends.

luckily, some of the workers were nice enough to lend you a few snacks and a small apple juice.

you had to let the poor elder lady next door know the stove was on and she could use the spare key to turn it off.

she gladly did so, saving tonight’s dinner.

you checked the time, debating on snatching your son up and coming up with a lie to fill his head with.

your knees were going to hurt if you sat like this any longer.

the door swung open and a very tall lanky man walked in. he wore a business suit and looked intimidating.

his lidded violet eyes scanned the room quickly, as if looking for something.

the young girl sat up almost immediately, beaming a smile at the male. “daddy!” the girl cried, dashing over to him and latching onto his leg.

the man merely peeled the young girl off him and looked towards the boy that was staring at him.

he began sizing him up and down, causing you to stand up and shield your son from his prying eyes.

“he wet himself.” the man stated, jerking his chin up just a little bit.

“huh?” you questioned dumbly, raising your eyebrow.

the man pointed behind you towards your son, and you turned around. reiko had a wet spot forming on his pants.

you cursed quietly and lifted him up, taking him to the bathroom and pulling out a extra change of clothes you had in his backpack.

“i’m sorry mommy.” reiko whimpered softly, fat tears building up in his eyes as he helped you put his clothes on.

“it’s okay, accidents happen.” you replied with a comforting smile, grabbing a plastic bag to put the clothes in.

when he was finally changed and your hands were washed, you headed back out to the classroom to see the man still waiting.

before you could open your mouth and chew him out, he bent at the waist and lowered his head.

“i’m sorry for causing that. i didn’t mean to come off scary.” the man before you said, keeping his hands at his side.

oh. so that’s what had happened.

“oh it’s alright, please pick your head up.” you smiled, understanding his original intentions earlier.

“ko! this is my daddy!” anazyre called from beside her father, pointing up to him with a very proud smile.

almost as if he didn’t just accidentally make a boy wet himself. or even like he hadn’t slept in years and he was ready to kill on sight.

“you made a friend zyre?” the father questioned softly, looking down at the younger girl.

she nodded, letting her father go and hugging reiko with a huge smile. “he’s the best!” anazyre cheered.

the male nodded, before looking at you. “you must be an older sister? i’m izana. anazyre’s father.” the man spoke, holding out his hand.

you took it with a smile. “i’m reiko’s mother.” you informed, saying your name with confidence you didn’t think you had.

older sister? you know you had reiko at a young age but you hadn’t been that young. you’re still not that young!

izana’s eyes widened ever so slightly, before nodding. you could see that he decided not to comment anything about your age.

“okay well i should get going. zy, let’s go.” izana said, turning over to his daughter who was already heading over.

“uhm- excuse me mister!” your ever energetic called before the older man could walk outside with his daughter.

izana looked back at the two of you with a confused look.

“can me and zyre have a playdate? tomorrow?” reiko asked, rubbing the back of his leg with his foot.

you were surprised he was even balancing.

“uhm... sure.” izana agreed, nodding down at the little boy and shooting him a soft smile.

reiko practically beamed, before shoving you to ‘give the big man your number so you can talk’ with a bounce.

you chuckled and rolled your eyes, walking over to izana and handing him your phone for him to type his number in.

you pressed the green phone button and it rang immediately.

izana sent you a warm smile before heading out of the daycare with anazyre screaming ‘bye’ and ‘i’ll bring my cookies’ as loud as possible.

you had no idea this was going to turn out into a every weekend thing.

thoughts?

#izana x reader #izana kurokawa #tokyo revengers izana #izana x you #izana kurokawa x reader #Tokyo Revengers #tokyo rev x you #tokyo rev x reader

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hannahmanderr · 2 years ago

Text

DannyMay Day 31 - Free Day

Words: 6,341

Summary: How do you convince someone to allow you to get yourself killed for them? (rewrite of a scene from "Reign Storm"; takes place a bit further down the timeline)

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

Danny brushed the flyaway strands of hair from Valerie’s sleeping face. The sight of the burns and bruises dotting her skin filled him with an array of emotions - rage, terror, anguish, drive - each of them their own force to be reckoned with. He inhaled shakily.

Tucker and Sam inched closer to him. He didn’t need to see their faces to know they were looking at each other with that worried glance that they thought he never noticed. They could recognize one of his spirals before it even happened at this point.

“Dude, you can’t blame yourself for this,” Tucker said in a gentle whisper. He placed a hand on Danny’s shoulder. “It’s not your fault.” Sam’s eyes echoed the sentiment.

Deep down, Danny knew his friends were right. They’d been over the whole guilt thing before, and logically, he knew he couldn’t pile all the blame on himself. “Maybe not,” he admitted, even as flashes of everything that had happened in the past few days fluttered across his mind - provoking Vlad, provoking the other ghosts, pulling the Soul Shredder from the football field… Each one taunted him, singing songs of his failures and shortcomings, whispering his fears of not being enough back at him.

And yet there was another voice too, a sweet soprano voice peering through the clouds, serenading him with a different set of memories.

“I think I might’ve finally figured out what these powers are for…”

“So even with everybody thinking you’re a bad ghost, you’re still gonna try to be the hero?”

“Well, somebody’s gotta. Hey, if not me, who’s gonna protect this town? Besides, it’s not like I can ignore a scream for help.”

They bled together in a dulcet harmony and wrapped around his core and made it resonate with a sudden burst of clarity, reminding him of his purpose and his reason why he even tried in the first place.

Just like that, he knew what he had to do.

He turned and looked Tucker dead in the eye. “But it is my responsibility,” he said, the sincerity and boldness firm in his voice.

Before either of them could say anything, he stood and transformed. As his core flared to life, the surge of power coursed through his veins and strengthened his resolve for what he was about to do. It was almost enough to quell the wave of fear beginning to wash over him.

Almost.

No. He couldn’t focus on that. Now was not the time. Shaking his head, he grabbed each of his friends’ wrists and shot upward, setting them on the roof in front of the short addition Dad had added to house their defense system mainframes.

“Tucker, I need you to get working on hacking into the ghost shield,” he instructed as he phased his hand through the door to jolt the lock out of place. “With it working overtime to cover such a big part of the city, I don’t know if it’s gonna be easier or harder.”

“You want to take it down?” Sam asked, visibly confused.

Danny shook his head. “Just temporarily. I’ll explain more in a minute.” Except would he? Could he bring himself to explain just how far his plan went? Could he trust the two of them to avoid panicking and keeping him from what he knew he needed to do?

First things first. Sighing, he said, “Get working on that. I’ll be right back, I gotta grab something.” Without further explanation, he dove through the roof again, making a beeline for the basement.

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

Maddie’s brow furrowed lightly as she watched her husband’s sleeping form. She’d insisted on taking him up to bed a couple of hours ago after overworking himself trying to get the ghost shield’s range increased and alerting the town. Even in his sleep, his breathing was labored, and tremors from the nerve damage wracked his body.

Curse that sleazy rat of a man, Vlad! He’d been the one to persuade Jack to use the Ecto-Skeleton’s lower half in the first place. And that was after Jack had told him use of the incomplete Ecto-Skeleton could be fatal! She closed her eyes to keep from seething. If only Jack hadn’t given in to Vlad’s sweet talk…

But Jack was an honorable man, especially to the people he held dear. Of course he’d follow Vlad’s suggestion. He trusted the man he believed to be his best friend, and she knew he loved her enough to move heaven and earth for her, to lay his own life down to protect hers. His fierce loyalty was one of the things she loved most about him.

It was what inspired her to do what she was about to do.

Two floors down, in the basement, sat the Ecto-Skeleton that she’d finished only half an hour ago. Well, nearly finished. The work was hardly her best, what with it being a rush job, and she still had yet to perfect the neural receptors. The suit was far from being safe for use, but with the threat of this self-proclaimed ghost king looming over her town, she had little other choice.

She leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss into Jack’s forehead. “I love you so much,” she whispered before standing and leaving their room.

As she made her way downstairs, she peeked in her kids’ rooms. Jazz’s was dark and empty; Maddie figured she was still outside, helping keep panic from spreading. The thought made her smile. It was a job Jazz was born for, especially with her love of therapy and psychology.

Danny’s room had the light on, and Damon Gray’s girl, the one who’d been injured during the initial wave, was still on the ground, propped up on a beanbag chair. Oddly enough, though, her son and his friends were nowhere to be found. It was strange, considering she’d just told Sam and Tucker a few minutes ago that she’d seen Danny and Damon’s daughter up here a while ago (the initial sight of them both asleep in his room had set off her mom alarms, but given the fact that he was on his bed while she was on the floor and there were far bigger things to be concerned about, she let it slide).

Maddie sighed. There wasn’t time to hunt the three of them down. She’d have to cross her fingers and hope they were somewhere safe and out of trouble - perhaps helping Jazz.

Steeling herself, she shut Danny’s door and headed down the stairs. She dashed into the kitchen and opened the door to the lab only to run into Damon.

“Oh, my bad!” he said, catching her arm. “I know we wanted to monitor the shield and the probe as close as possible, but I haven’t seen Valerie in a bit and I want to make sure she’s okay. Is that alright if I go and check on her? I might ask if she wants anything for dinner while I’m at it.”

“Of course!” Maddie answered immediately. “Take as long as you need! Last time I saw her, she’d fallen asleep in Danny’s room. I’m not sure where he or Sam and Tucker went, but she seemed comfortable and safe.”

Damon’s form relaxed just slightly. “That’s good to know.” He sidled past her and towards the kitchen entry. “I’ll go check on her real fast and then be right back down there to help out.”

Maddie smiled. She hadn’t known Damon for long - less than 48 hours, really - but she could tell he was a good man with a heart of gold. The fact that he’d so readily thrown himself into assisting her and Jack warmed her heart.

It seemed like so many people in her life were of such a high caliber. She only hoped what she was about to do allowed her to even measure up just slightly.

“Help yourself to anything in the fridge,” she said, nodding towards it. “Just be careful of what’s in the containment box on the top shelf - trust me, that’s our secondary refrigeration storage unit.”

He let out a good-hearted chuckle. “Thanks so much, Maddie.” He turned to head up the stairs, leaving her in the kitchen alone with her thoughts. Such a good father, she thought to herself before beginning her descent into the basement lab.

The moment she stepped into the stairwell, she knew something was horribly wrong. The air was cold and sharp, so much so that she was certain she was seeing her breath mist in front of her. A heavy, thick presence filled the air, one of worry and fear. Someone was in the lab, muttering under their breath.

Somehow, she knew exactly who it was.

A careful, silent creep down the stairs proved her right. There, flitting around the Ecto-Skeleton and examining it, was Phantom. In her lab. In her house. Under a ghost shield that had thus far been proven to be impenetrable by any ghost, including the supposed king attacking the town and his knight.

Without taking her eyes off of him, she drew the pistol holstered to her belt and aimed it at him. “Make another move and I’ll shoot you,” she said, surprising herself with the darkness of her voice.

His back was to her when she spoke, but, following her order, he didn’t turn around. “M-Maddie,” he whispered, his voice heavy with dread. “Please, I’m - I promise this isn’t what it looks like.”

“Really? Because from where I stand, it looks like you’re in the middle of sabotaging the one hope anyone has of saving this town!”

“Sabot- Really?” He turned around to face her, but didn’t move closer. She gripped the trigger just a little tighter. “Even in the middle of the worst attack we’ve seen yet, you’re still bent on making me into the main problem?”

“Well, what am I supposed to think when I find you tampering with our weapons?” She did find his insistence to turn the situation into something revolving around him haughty and very typical for him in particular, but she held her tongue about the issue for now. Unlike him, she was focused on the real problem at hand.

Phantom huffed, a move that should’ve been impossible for a being without lungs. “I’m not tampering with it,” he said with strained patience. “I’m trying to figure out how to get in this thing. Or where the ‘on’ button is, or something.”

“And just what do you plan on doing with it?”’

“Seriously? What do you think I’m gonna do with it?” He threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. “I have to stop that guy!” he exclaimed, pointing up and vaguely out of the house.

“Even if I believed you,” she scoffed, “you have no right to invade our home and steal our invention to use for your own gain!”

Without warning, his face grew suddenly somber. Before Maddie’s eyes, he seemed to age years beyond his portrayed age. For the first time since discovering Phantom’s existence, she wondered if his teenage stature was a conscious choice or merely the body he’d had when he died.

That thought chilled her to the bone.

He lowered his gaze to the floor. “It isn’t for my own gain,” he said quietly. “It… I know you don’t believe me, but I really am doing this for you. For everyone.” Then in a near whisper, he said, “It’s my responsibility.”

Maddie narrowed her eyes as she pondered his words. The claim was the same as it had been since day one: he was trying to be the hero, the one good ghost in a sea of evil ones. He hadn’t wavered from that, except for a few times, which, admittedly, could be counted on one hand. At least he was consistent, if nothing else.

She just couldn’t make sense of it. The MO went against everything she and Jack understood about ghosts. If she were to accept his claimed intentions as true, it would mean dozens of theories, hundreds of hours of heated discussion and research, many attempts at creating basic behavioral profiles, they’d all be thrown out the window.

Not to mention the inherent danger of letting their guard down. Ghosts were notoriously tricky, and their ability to do things beyond human capabilities made them even more dangerous of a threat. Phantom especially was one who seemed harmless at first, but who had displayed impressive, terrifying power (and the potential to take it even further). He, like this ghost king, could probably raze the town in less than an hour if he really wanted to.

So… did he want to?

She studied his body language closer. His eyes were still fixed on a distant spot on the floor, and they were glassy as his own thoughts raced through his head. Though he seemed more serious, more battle-worn, he also seemed to be retreating into himself, making himself try and appear smaller than normal. It was hard to believe anyone who looked so solemn and resigned could be secretly plotting to wreak destruction.

“No one ever said it was your responsibility,” she said, matching his tone.

He smiled wryly. “I know,” he admitted with a one-shoulder shrug. “But it doesn’t make it any less true.”

Maddie sighed deeply and holstered her weapon, much to Phantom’s astonishment. She crossed the room and laid a hand on the cold titanium exterior of the Ecto-Skeleton. “It doesn’t matter if it’s your responsibility or not,” she said. Now was not the time to decide ground-breaking things about his true intentions. More important things were at hand. “You won’t be the one using this.”

He glanced up at her, then to the Ecto-Skeleton. His gaze flicked back and forth a few times, growing wider as the realization of her implications hit him. “No, no,” he breathed. She jolted when he caught her wrist; his touch was freezing, but unexpectedly gentle. “Mo… Maddie, you can’t! You saw what that thing did to… to Jack, you can’t seriously expect to go up against a ghost that powerful with that thing!”

She didn’t know how he knew what had happened to Jack, but frankly, she didn’t care at the moment. “It’s the only shot we have of defeating him,” she said soberly, pulling her wrist away. “I have to do it.”

“No one ever said it was your responsibility.” Of course he would stoop so low as to use her own words against her.

“Figures a ghost wouldn’t understand the concept of putting your life on the line for the ones you love,” she muttered. There wasn’t time for this nonsense!

His eyes became thunderous. “That’s just - I’ve…” he stuttered, accentuating it with a shout of exasperation. “Argh, you have no idea what I do and don’t understand! Are you telling me that’s what this is all about?”

“What, proving a factual point to you? I shouldn’t -”

“No, trying to be some self-sacrificial hero for everyone!” he shouted, spreading his arms. “Like why choose now of all the times to play the martyr?”

“It hasn’t been necessary until now!” She hoped her eyes were as piercing as she wanted them to be. Phantom’s inability to understand this only helped prove her and Jack right about his hero act being just that. The fall into familiar territory only marginally soothed her frayed nerves. “My family is in danger. I’m not just going to sit idly by and let them get hurt!”

He lowered his arms and regarded her with a stony expression. It was difficult not to flinch under his gaze, and she got the same aura of a battle-worn boy that had washed over him earlier. Her heart fluttered faster and faster.

She was nearing her breaking point of lashing out just to stop that piercing stare of his by the time he finally did something. Sighing, he hung his head low and, so very quietly, said, “I know.”

That… hadn’t been quite what she was expecting. “You know?”

“Yeah. I know. You’re always looking out for the people you care about. You’d never just leave them hanging.” He lifted his head and she found herself taken aback by the reverent, proud twinkle that had taken its place in his eyes. He smiled sadly. “It’s always been one of the things I admire most about you.”

Her mouth opened and twisted, but no words came out. Where did she even begin with a statement like that? The idea that he’d been watching her, possibly Jack too, closely enough to form some sort of attachment sent her heart dropping into her stomach, but it was quickly wrenched back into an anxious thump as she realized the implication of him holding admiration.

It should’ve been a distinctly human conception. Ghosts did not admire one another, they couldn’t. They were too proud of themselves and their own power to look into another and find something to emulate. Their individual powers and cores were their entire world.

So how was Phantom demonstrating the exact opposite of that?

She wanted to shout. She wanted to bang her fist against the Ecto-Skeleton. She wanted to stomp her foot and throw something. Why did he always have to do this? Waltz in and out of their lives, poking careless holes in their life’s work? It wasn’t fair! Before he’d shown his face, they’d never held a shadow of a doubt that their theories were true.

But now, though she could never admit it truly, he had forced her to second-guess herself. She couldn’t help but doubt everything she’d ever known as his otherworldly green eyes bore into her own.

She hated everything about it with every fiber of her being.

He raised his eyebrows in concern as she floundered for a response. “Sorry,” he mumbled sheepishly. “I didn’t - well, I did mean what I said, I just… didn’t mean to say it.”

Her own eyebrows frowned, but softly. “If you admire that about me,” she said slowly, not believing the words coming out of her own mouth, “then you understand why I have to do this.”

His smile faded in tandem with the twinkle in his eye. “I… I understand why you think you have to do this,” he admitted. “But it doesn’t change the fact that you can’t.”

“Who are you to tell me what I can and can’t do?” she snapped. This game of cat and mouse was growing on her last nerve, and with each minute that passed, she knew the ghost king grew closer to launching his final assault.

For some reason, it made her angrier that his face was one of solemnity again, not anger. Anger, she could deal with. Angry ghosts were easy.

Ghosts that supposedly admired humans and understood self-sacrifice weren’t.

He bit his lip. “I’m not - no, I’m not trying to… to tell you that you - you’re not allowed to think that way,” he tried to explain, stumbling over his words. “I know I can’t stop you from believing that, and - and that’s fine. I get it. I’m the same way, even if you don’t believe me. I just… What I’m trying to tell you is that you - you physically can’t do this.”

Her frown deepened now into one of perplexity. “Why not? The Ecto-Skeleton is right here. It’s the only thing that could possibly work against that ghost.”

“Sure, you could take it,” he said, “but I keep trying to tell you, you saw what that did to Jack, and that was only the bottom half! Do you really think you’ll be able to use the whole thing and be okay?”

Again, the question of how he knew these details crossed her mind, but she shoved them into the back of her mind. “It may still be glitchy,” she admitted. There was no sense lying to him about the issues with the neural interface; if he knew it had hurt Jack, he probably knew it was still highly dangerous. “But it’s what I keep trying to tell you: there isn’t another choice.”

“Maddie, please.” She could hear the frustration growing in his voice. “This isn’t - it’s not a choice that exists! You really think you’re gonna be able to take that thing and stop him?”

“I’ll stop him or I’ll die trying!” she bit out.

Phantom looked like her words had just punched him in the gut. “Yeah,” he said hollowly. “Yeah, you’ll try. And one way or another, you’ll end up dead, whether it’s the king or the suit that gets to you first, and then what? What’s supposed to happen?”

She didn’t answer. The way it played out in her head, she imagined the Ecto-Skeleton being enough to cripple the ghost king, at least to the point where someone else, even another ghost could come in and take care of the rest of him. The way Phantom phrased it, though, he made it sound like she’d barely make a dent in his defenses before she got killed.

And the worst part of it was that she was inclined to believe him. The suit’s pants really had sapped such a huge chunk of Jack’s energy in such a short period of time, and though she and Vlad had managed to remedy some of the interface’s complications, there hadn’t been nearly enough time to fix them all, and none of the three of them were quite as familiar with the level of programming knowledge necessary to fix them quickly.

In other words, with the top half of the suit, using the Ecto-Skeleton as a whole was just as dangerous as it had been with the bottom half alone. She knew this perfectly well. For her to use it - for any human to use it - was practically a death sentence.

And Phantom knew this too. He stared at her, hard and intense. “If you take the suit and go off to fight him,” he told her in a low voice, “you’ll die. And he won’t care. You’re just a puny little thing to him. You’d be nothing more than some annoying fly to take care of before he continues on his warpath. And then what?”

Still, she hesitated. She refused to admit he was right, even as he continued to speak. “You’d be handing this town, your family - everyone over to him if you take that thing. He’ll destroy it before someone else can use it against him, and then it’s game over. Especially if we’re right about it being the only chance.”

Though his face remained cloudy, there was something else behind his eyes that made them gleam with an anxious shine. Could he actually be… worried about her?

“Then what am I supposed to do?” she whispered. She couldn’t stand how her voice shook with fear and uncertainty. It was a vulnerability she couldn’t afford to expose, not now.

He straightened and turned to look at the Ecto-Skeleton. “I already told you,” he said, laying his hand next to hers on the suit. “You’re not gonna do anything. It’s gonna be me that takes it.”

“What?” She blinked once, twice as she tried to process what he said. “You’re going to use it?”

He drew in a shaky breath (again, something that should’ve been impossible for him to do) and nodded. “No human could ever have enough power to survive this thing long enough to fight off Pariah Dark.” His exhale was just as shaky. “But I’m no human.”

It was her turn to flick her gaze back and forth between him and the suit. “You can’t possibly expect-”

“Maddie.” He closed his eyes. “You’ve been watching and hunting me for a while now. You know my power, probably better than even me.”

He pressed his forehead against the metal and stilled. She watched him with a frown, but it was impossible to read him. For all that a ghost was supposed to be easy to understand, Phantom was the exact opposite.

“I don’t like to admit it,” he said quietly after a long moment. “I can’t… it’s not easy for me. I don’t like acknowledging what I’m capable of.”

In a flash, he opened his eyes and looked at her. There was a sort of desperation in his eyes that she couldn’t quite place. Just as quickly, he turned his eyes to the ground. “You know just as well as I do that I’m more powerful than I like to let on. We both know that I have a lot more power than just about any of the ghosts that show up around here. I… I’m the only one who even has a shot at stopping him.”

It was strange, hearing him so openly admit his power. He was probably telling the truth about not liking to acknowledge it; most ghosts loved to flaunt their power (the Wisconsin Ghost immediately came to mind), but Phantom tended to exercise restraint in that sense. Oh sure, he loved to mock his opponents and tease them when he was able to get one up on them, but things never escalated beyond battle banter.

But he was right. All of the measurements they’d taken of him, as marred by inaccuracies as they could be, put him at a level 7.3. The average level of the ghosts that attacked the town varied between 3.5 and 5.8. If he wanted to, he could take out those ghosts without breaking a sweat.

And yet he didn’t.

Nothing about him made sense.

“So you think you can actually beat him?” she asked. Normally, the question would’ve been laced with skepticism and venom, but at this point she was beyond it. Dealing with Phantom and his… eccentricities was exhausting, and that was on top of the fact that her husband was nearly bedridden at the moment, her kids were nowhere to be found, and an all-powerful ghost was about to descend on her town.

Yeah, she couldn’t bother to be scathing.

And, though she’d never admit it, as the conversation dragged on, she was beginning to become accustomed to his expressiveness. It was a sort of expressiveness that was human in the most uncanny way, and she couldn’t help but fall for it, even if it was an act. She found herself unwillingly believing his claims more and more, and it was having an effect on how she was viewing him.

To her, right now, he seemed less like the sassy trickster she and Jack had pegged him as, and he seemed less like the valiant hero he tried to be for the town. If she hadn’t known better, she’d have thought he was simply a scared boy who’d bitten off more than he could chew. It was too easy to forget the sheer power that pulsed underneath his skin.

And scared he looked. He folded his arms and gripped his biceps, tucking his chin towards his chest. His face was drawn tight in an anxious frown.

“You want the truth?” he asked so quietly, she almost missed it.

“Obviously.”

A tiny shudder rippled across his body. “I don’t know.” His fingers dug deeper into his arms as he kept his gaze fixed below him. “I don’t know.”

Whatever words she’d been preparing to say were ripped straight from her mouth, leaving her stunned and uneasy. Never before had Phantom allowed himself to be so… vulnerable in front of someone. Or admit doubt in his own ability. For him to do so now was unnerving for a number of reasons.

Thoughts and theories whirled around her head in a violent cyclone. The implications this show of vulnerability had…

No. She couldn’t let herself be distracted by that, not right now. There was something a little more immediate that needed to be addressed. “So wait, you won’t let me use the suit because you think I won’t be able to hold out, but you think you can use it even though you don’t even know you can hold out?”

“I at least have a better chance than you,” he said indignantly. Some of the fire in his eyes reignited, but the fear that remained betrayed him.

“But you’re not planning on coming back, are you?” she accused. “You don’t think…”

The words didn’t need to be said. They both knew exactly what she was alluding to.

He sighed, then set his jaw and looked her square in the eye. “I’ll go to whatever lengths I have to if it means you’ll be protected.”

All she could do was shake her head in disbelief. “Why?”

A weak laugh bubbled past his lips. “Like I told you,” he said with a crooked, feeble grin, “it’s one of the things I admire most about you.”

The two of them stood there (or floated, in Phantom’s case) for what seemed like an eternity, especially when the threat of the king loomed over their heads. She didn’t even want to try to tackle the subject of him holding her as a role model; with a brain that felt like it was full of static, she didn’t trust herself to try, either. As it was, she could barely process this situation.

Phantom. Clearly scared out of his mind. Ready to fight for the town to the point of fading. If she hadn’t been here experiencing it for herself, she’d never have believed it.

The fact that he hadn’t simply taken off yet baffled her further. There was only so much she could do to prevent him from leaving; they both knew that. So why not just take the Ecto-Skeleton and go?

He was waiting for something from her. Something physical, or the answer to some sort of question he hadn’t voiced out loud. It had to be the reason.

She suspected she knew what he was waiting for her to tell him.

“No,” she finally said, her voice hoarse. “I can’t let you.”

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

Danny’s heart dropped as his mom spoke those words.

She wouldn’t. She couldn’t. What was she thinking? Wasn’t she supposed to hate him? Phantom, anyway? Shouldn’t she be perfectly fine with the idea of him meeting an early end to his afterlife?

At least more fine with the idea than he was?

“M-Maddie,” he said, stumbling over her name for the umpteenth time. Normally, he was so careful to make sure to call people by the names that the proper Danny would know. For Danny Fenton, his parents were Mom and Dad, but to Danny Phantom, they were Maddie and Jack. Something about this conversation, though, just kept leading him to slip ups.

Maybe it was the fact that he was talking about going off and offering himself up like a lamb to a slaughter in front of his mother of all people?

He shook his head. “I know you don’t trust me, but I won’t let you stop me.”

Would she have to push hard to keep him from going, though?

He’d been hoping to snag the Ecto-Skeleton and fly out of there before he had a chance to really think about what he was doing, but now, thanks to this conversation, he was starting to lose the same resolve he’d found up in his room. Most of what he was showing to Mom was a false mask of confidence at this point.

Speaking of Mom, she hadn’t reacted to his pushback yet. She was preoccupied with staring at a faint smudge of oil on the shiny metal of the suit. Without her hood, he could pick out the rampant emotion in her eyes that had been present this whole time, ever since she put the gun away. What she was thinking about, though, he had no idea. He didn’t have the same talent for reading people that Jazz did.

“It’s not a matter of trust,” she said eventually. She clenched her hand into a tight fist and averted her gaze even further. “It’s… you have to realize, I… I can’t…”

He felt his face soften in sympathy. “You can’t let someone else take the fall for you,” he finished for her. “I get it.”

She apparently hadn’t been expecting him to say that. Her eyes jerked up to meet his, and behind them, he could practically see the gears in her head churning faster and faster as she tried to make sense of it.

He didn’t blame her. He wasn’t even sure what he was saying anymore, he’d said so many things he would’ve never admitted in a million years at this point. Like telling her he admired her heroism? What was he thinking? After so many months of carefully guarding his secret, what on earth had possessed him to be so careless with this stuff?

Despite his own anxiety, he tried not to shy away from her intense gaze, as difficult as it was. Like worse than when Jazz was getting ready to serve him with a lecture.

The bottoms of her eyes scrunched up in absolute befuddlement. “Who even are you, Phantom?” she finally whispered.

His expression of sympathy relaxed even further into a frown weighed down by nearly a year of sleepless nights, sacrificed grades and relationships, and scrapes and bruises from being thrown into streets and buildings. “Just someone who wants to help.”

Mom narrowed her eyes further. He was really beginning to hate how he could not figure out for the life of him what was going on in her head. Frankly, he was still half-convinced she would pull out her gun again, shoot him, and take the suit anyway. Had telling her she wouldn’t change a thing against Pariah Dark been the right way to go? Would it just make her even more stubborn?

At least he knew what side of the family he got his stubbornness from.

It was also getting harder to resist the temptation to just grab the suit and run. After all, she really couldn’t do much in the way of stopping him, what with a handy thing called intangibility, and, with his courage waning by the minute, the idea seemed more and more plausible. Not to mention that as each second ticked by, the Ghost King grew closer to launching his final attack.

Time was running out.

Just when he thought he wouldn’t be able to take any more, Mom abruptly drew her fist away from the suit and stepped back. Her eyes were closed tight. “Go.”

He had to do a double take, he could hardly believe his ears. “Are you-”

“Just go, Phantom!” The tension in her jaw was visible and obvious. Even still, quieter than before, she added, “Before I change my mind.”

A single tear slipped from the corner of her shut eye, and Danny’s heart shattered.

This… this was all wrong. How could he do this to her? Ask her to allow her own son to go up and face almost-certain death? When she didn’t even know it was her son she was talking to? And then the fact that if he really didn’t return, she’d never know the truth…

In one shallow, shaky breath, he made another decision.

Carefully, he floated toward her and laid a gentle hand on her arm. “Thank you,” he said, pouring as much warmth, sincerity, and gravity into the two words as he could.

She cracked open her eyes to look at him, and then, before he lost the guts to do so and before she could stop him, he said, “You… you asked me who I am.”

This time, Mom opened her eyes fully and regarded him with confusion. Clearly, she’d been expecting him to bolt the minute she gave her permission. “Look, I already-”

“If I don’t - if something happens to me…” he interrupted, cursing the waver in his voice. The fluttering in his stomach was quickly becoming unbearable. “... you’ll find the answer in… in your son’s room, taped to the back of his bed.”

That definitely elicited a response from her. “What does - how…?” She couldn’t find the right question to ask as the emotion in her eyes suddenly turned to panic. Well, that was reasonable at least. He’d just confirmed some involvement of Danny Fenton.

He smiled weakly, apologetic and sheepish. “He’s fine, I promise. Just… yeah. Consider it… a failsafe.” One that he’d prepared months ago, after the incident with Freakshow. Nothing more than a letter explaining the truth. He’d hoped he’d never have to resort to using it, that he’d be able to tell Mom and Dad in person, but…

Her brow knitted together. It was agony, not being able to know what she was thinking. He could only hope she wasn’t about to turn on him for getting too close to her son.

“Well,” she said after what felt like an eternity. “Don’t make me need to use it.”

Without another word, she turned and walked towards the staircase. When she paused on the fourth or fifth step, he could only float there as she looked over her shoulder at him, one last time, her eyes wet and bloodshot.

The corners of her lips turned upward. “Give him hell, Phantom,” she said. And then she was gone, leaving Danny alone in the basement.

He watched where she disappeared up the stairs for a long moment. Somewhere in the back of his mind, it occurred to him that in terms of last words to hear from his mother, those were definitely not the ones he would’ve expected to hear.

He could live with that.

Huffing a short breath, he shook his head to clear it. He needed to focus. No more worrying about Mom and what she thought of him, or if she’d go and find the letter anyway, or why she even let him go in the end. No more dwelling on the fact that he was probably living the last minutes of his life.

It was go time.

He grabbed the Ecto-Skeleton by one of its arms and hoisted it into the air, phasing back up through the ceiling to meet back up with Sam and Tucker.

#danny phantom #dannymay #dannymay2023 #dannymay 2023 #danny fenton #maddie fenton #danny phantom maddie #danny phantom fanfic #hannah writes #reign storm #i love reign storm #but that scene where the adults just all slap each other a bit is kind of silly #this is how i'd want it to go down #long post

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palvichemical · 1 year ago

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Going Beyond Lather: Exploring the Versatile Uses of Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulphate

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ashboy-3 · 2 years ago

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What is it Like in your Shoes?

Written for DabiHawksweek 2023 Day 4 Prompt: BodySwap Fandom: MHA/BNHA Characters: Hawks (Keigo Takami), Dabi (Touya Todoroki), Aizawa Shota, Minor OC, Endeavor to push the plot along Words: 3691 Warnings: Mentions of Dabi's chronic pain that he should have and Aizawa being done with everybody Summary: Hawks and Dabi were happy to just eat dinner and hang out at their apartment, but a quirk mishap makes their day so much worse and why does Dabi have to go out and be a hero!?

“Hey pretty bird,” Dabi greeted the number two hero in the muddy ally.

“Hey, hot stuff, waiting long?” Hawks asked with a smirk.

“Please I’m used to you being late,” Dabi scoffed, but it only made Hawks laugh more.

“So we going to hang out here all night. Backway alleys aren’t exactly good for my image,” Hwask tilted his head.

“To good for the dirt of the city?” Dabi asked but grabbed the hero’s arm nonetheless.

“Hell yeah, I’m too good for the dirt of the city!” Hawks put a hand over his head mocking being offended, getting pushed by Dabi into a wall.

“If your to good for the dirt then why spend your time with me?”

“You’re not the dirt of the city Dabi,” Hawks rolled his eyes, use to the fire user blowing off his attempts at compliments.

“Yeah yeah,” Dabi waved him off as they continued to sneak through the night till they made it to Hawk’s apartment.

“Ready to fly up?” Hawks asked, grabbing Dabi around the waist to lift him.

“As I’ll ever be. You drop me and I’m roasting your ass,” Dabi glared but let himself be picked up and flew to the penthouse.

“Finally free!” Dabi ripped the medical mask off of his face.

“I’ll be right back. I’m going to pick up dinner,” Hawks told him as he flew right back out of the apartment.

“Dumb bird needs to eat better,” Dabi grumbled as he sat on the couch putting on some random movie.

Meanwhile, Hawks was able to make it all the way to KFC without incident, a place that he knows Dabi will yell at him about later but he has no food and he agreed to go food shopping once a week. That day is tomorrow not today and even if it was the fire user never gave him a list so fried chicken it is.

The actual problem arises as he was ordering. Hawks was happy to sit in the dining room and wait for his food to be ready, use to the attention that comes with being a top hero.

“Your Hawks,” a kid said, looked to be younger than his favorite and only intern.

“Yep! Number two hero and everything,” Hawks smirked. “Do you want an autograph or a picture?” Hawks asked.

“Wow fame has gone to your head,” the kid glared as alarm bells started to ring in Hawk’s head, but he tried to ignore them. This was just a kid.

The lady at the counter called his name and as he was about to get up and get it the kid stopped him. “Let me! I need to get paper for an autograph anyway,” the kid smiled.

Hawks couldn’t say no without sounding like a dick in public so he just smiled at let the kid go, texting Dabi that he would be home soon with dinner.

“Who am I making it out to?” Hawks asked as he got out a pen.

“Thomas Himura,” Hawks wrote the name flawlessly.

“That’s a strange name,” Hawks commented, curiosity getting the better of him.

“My dad’s Japanese but my mom is from America. Couldn’t decide on a nation so I got the lucky mix,” the kid shrugged as he passed the bag of food to Hawks. “Thanks so much for the autograph number two!” Thomas waved as he flew back home.

“Took you long enough,” Dabi grumbled from the couch.

“Got stopped by a fan,” Hawks shrugged, but put the chicken and sides on two plates, passing one to the fire user.

“You’re going shopping tomorrow. This is sad,” Dabi ordered, but still ate the food.

“Write me about what you want to get. You know I can’t cook,” Hawks shrugged, as he finished his food and the two cuddled on the couch for the rest of the movie before washing the dishes and heading to the bedroom to get some well-rested sleep.

Dabi woke up the next morning with a heavy weight on his back and a distinct lack of chronic pain in his body. Feeling tired and still out of it he made his way to the kitchen, hissing in pain when he felt something hit the weight on his back.

“Too early for this shit,” Dabi grumbled as he started the coffee maker, getting the sugar and creamer out. How Hawks can drink this shit black still amazes him. Grabbing the two fixed drinks he took a sip of his and noticed one that it was way too sweet for his liking which is strange cause he makes it the same way every time. The second thing he noticed was looking down, now fully awake, his arm had no scars, no staples, and no dark purple. It was clean and perfect. Paying attention now he put Hawks’s drink down and put his now free hand to his face. He didn’t feel any staples pulling at his skin. His skin felt way too soft and his eyes which held no staples felt sharper. Looking in the mirror closest mirror he could find he looked and instead of his reflection, he saw the birdbrain himself.

“WHAT THE FUCKING SHIT!” Dabi screamed, dropping his coffee on the floor, and making Hawks run in.

“Who the fuck are you!” Hawks asked pointing at the person standing in the living room who looked exactly like him, confusion forming on his face when a feather didn’t come to his hand when summoned.

“Shit!” Hawks yelled as he dropped his arm from pain, looking down he saw the vast purple scars that he came to fall in love with. Touching his face he felt the staple. Felt them as they connected his skin and induced pain with each movement.

“Hey, Hawks. You good?” Dabi asked in his body and ‘oh my gosh Dabi is in my body!’

“Fine! I am the furthest thing from fine! How the fuck did we swap bodies!” Hawks was freaking out trying to move his arms and talked but was reminded of the pain. “How the fuck do you function with this much fucking pain!” Hawks gasped and he could see the frown forming on his face.

“I’m used to it. How do you handle this huge ass weight on your back?” Dabi grumbled, slouching.

“Don’t slouch. You’ll ruin my posture!” Hawks yelled, making Dabi roll his eyes.

“I think that you’re posture is the least of your worries.”

“You don’t understand. I have to go to work today. You have to go to work today,” Hawks pointed as Dabi’s eyes widened.

“Hell no! I can’t go to work as a hero!” Dabi protested.

“You don’t have a choice. I will go through hell if I miss work. So listen carefully. You have a morning team-up with Endeavor and I don’t want to hear it. Kill him in your own time, but not in my body,” Hawks glared at the fire user.

“I am not working with that asshole,” Dabi growled.

“You want to kill Endeavor well I worked too hard to get this close to him for you to fuck up my image. When you get your body back you can kill him all you want, but while in my body you will not lay a hand on him,” Hawks glared.

“Fine I won’t lay a hand on him,” Dabi grumbled knowing that if he truly angers the number two hero he could lose a good deal the two have going on.

“Good. Second, we have to find the kid that did this to us. I think I know who but we’re going to need Aizawa’s help. I need you to go to UA during your lunch break. Make it like you visiting Tokyami. I can be on call telling you what to say during the entire day if need be. Say his then get Aizawa alone and explain the situation. We will try to keep you being you a secret for as long as possible,” Hawks explained.

“This is never going to work. I don’t have control over your quirk as you do. I won’t be able to do this at all,” Dabi started to freak out.

“You will. I have trained my quirk well. They work kinda like an actual bird. Treat your wings like a second limb. If you jump out of a window and need to fly they will. Trust me,” Hawks smiled at him.

“Do not bring that shit in here. I am not jumping out of this window!”

“If you don’t I will push you,” Hawks glared and Dabi can admit, being on the other side of his glare he can understand why people do what he says.

“What are you going to do while I’m out playing the hero?” Dabi accused, turning on the scared man.

“I can’t go anywhere and it is still my apartment so I’m just going to stay here. Enjoy my time off while I direct you and make sure you don’t ruin my reputation or get me in jail,” Hawks glared, not leaving any room for argument.

“Fine,” Dabi grumbled finally walking towards the window before immediately turning around. “Nope, I can’t do this.”

“Yes you can,” Hawks stopped him easily, slowly pushing him towards the edge.

“Hawks. Babe. Birdie can we talk about this?” Dabi asked, slowly walking backward.

“Their nothing to talk about. Now fly,” Hawks gave him a small kiss on the lips before pushing him over the balcony.

“Fuck you!” Dabi yelled as the wings stopped his fall, deciding not to stay he grumbled and started to fly towards his boyfriend’s agency.

His phone rang just as he landed. Dabi was confused for a second before he remembered. He had the bird’s jacket because he is the bird. This day is going to last forever,” Dabi groaned as he walked into the office, ignoring the call.

‘Deep breaths. You belong here,’ Dabi thought to himself as the sidekicks and other workers waved at him as he passed.

“There you are!” A high-pitched voice stopped him as he was walking, but that didn’t stop the person from grabbing his arm and dragging him to what he hopes is the bird’s office.

“You’re late! Not that I don’t appreciate you finally acting like every other person in the workforce but just because you sign my paychecks doesn’t mean you can’t call ahead like everyone else! Lucky for you that I work for you and I’m damn good at my job. I already warned the Endeavor agency to push the morning patrol to mid-morning. I got the message to clear your lunch which means your modeling gig was pushed to tomorrow but this is the second time I pushed it back so you have to be there. You have a lone patrol tonight, but Best Jeanist has been calling you again. Want me to redirect his calls again?” the woman who must be Hawks’s secretary asked.

“Actually can you give me five seconds?” Dabi asked as he pulled out the phone that hadn’t stopped ringing, they’d just been actively avoiding it.

“I’ll give you two minutes. You know how I feel about personal calls. Honestly, this place would burn to the ground without me here,” she rolled her eyes as she walked outside the office and closed the doors.

“Thank God you finally picked up,” his own voice came over the phone.

“I don’t have a lot of time. You’re secretary lady only gave me like two minutes. She’s scary,” Dabi told him as Hawks laughed.

“Yeah, but she keeps the agency up and running when I can’t. Now listen in my top drawer there’s a set of headphones, not the ones that I wear for flying but a smaller pair. Put one of those in your ear and make sure you can still hear what’s going on around you. I’ll talk you through the day,” Hawks informed him as Dabi did as he was told and found the headphones, putting one in his ear.

“Alright let’s get this day officially started. Make your way to the front desk and grab the papers that I know you didn’t grab,” Hawks's voice came in through his ear.

“Ah, you’re finally done. Are you okay with the schedule change?” she questioned.

“Say yes and thank her. Her name is Sakura.”

“Thank Sakura and yeah the schedule works great,” Dabi assured her as she smiled and walked away. Dabi was amazed at how easy it is to smile in Hawks’body.

“Ah, Hawks there you are. Here are the papers,” the guy at the front desk handed them to Hawks.

“Bring them back to my office and just leave them. I’ll have to do some extra papers tomorrow or whenever we get this fixed, I don’t think you can pull off my signature,” Hawks laughed as Dabi had to stop from rolling his eyes.

“Alright now make your way to the center. That’s where you’re meeting number one.”

“I don’t want to be in the same room as him unless I’m killing him,” Dabi grumbled.

“As long as you’re in my body-”

“I know I’ll behave,” Dabi groaned.

“You’re late Hawks,” Endeavor groaned.

“Relax big man! I’m here aren’t I,” Hawks said with a smile as Dabi repeated it.

“Whatever let’s go,” the taller male started to walk away, leaving Dabi to follow.

“I saw that Shoto is going to be interning at your agency,” Hawks commented and his brother was the last thing that Dabi wanted to talk about.

“How’s Shoto?” Dabi chooses to ask instead.

“My family is none of your business,” Endeavor grunted.

“Don’t lose your cool,” Hawks voice came into his ear, but Dabi didn’t feel like listening.

“Sorry for trying to give a fuck. What else are we supposed to do while on patrol?” Dabi asked and he could hear the head slap through the headphones.

“You have the nerve to talk to me like that!” the fire user roared, turning on his heel to face Dabi.

“Oh, I have the nerve! You have no right to treat me like I’m below you,” Dabi countered as an audience started to form around them.

“Are they fighting?”

“I mean it is Endeavor”

“What did he do to Hawks?”

“Dabi you really fucked this up,” Hawks groaned.

“Hey leave Hawks alone!” a bystander started to yell.

“Yeah stop being a jerk!”

“Oh no! Dabi you got to start riot control! Try to calm them down and assure them that nothing is wrong and everything is okay,” Hawks directed.

“Fuck that shit. I’m walking away,” Dabi whispered back as the crowd parted ways for him., making his way to UA, and hanging up on the bird.

“Hawks, what are you doing here?” Aizawa asked as the number two hero walked into the gym.

“Oh you know just wanting to visit my favorite intern,” Dabi said, but how Eraser’s eyes narrowed at him.

“Cut the shit. I don’t have enough brain cells to deal with shit for the rest of the day,” Aizawa said as he took a drink out of a water bottle that Dabi was sure did not contain water.

“It’s more of a private situation. Just come over to Haw- my apartment when you have time,” Dabi asked.

“Class All Might and Present Mic are taking over I’ve got some business to take care of,” Aizawa yelled as he walked outside the gym.

“Are you coming?” the black-haired man asked.

“Right coming,” Dabi started to walk next to him.

“I’m not flying,” Eraser glared as he jumped up on a rough top, using his cloth.

“Fine by me,” Dabi rolled his eyes as he followed from the ground the two eventually made it to the apartment.

“Alright, what’s the problem?” Aizawa asked.

“We got to get inside first,” Dabi said, voice laced in sarcasm.

“Thank God you are here! I’ve been having an urge for a cigarette since you left. The news already knows about the morning patrol with Endeavor and the HPSC has been calling my personal nonstop,” Hawks complained, but was quickly stopped as Eraser activated his quirk and punched him in the face.

“Hawks, what is going on?” Aizawa asked, looking towards Dabi.

“Did you not tell him anything? You are such a dick!” Hawks yelled, trying to struggle out of the bonds. “Aizawa let me go! He’s Dabi I’m Hawks. I got hit by a quirk and I need your help!”

“Do I want to know?” Aizawa asked.

“He’s telling the truth,” Dabi shrugged as realization hit him and he turned towards Hawks.

“You didn’t feed my body it’s morning or lunch cigarette!”

“I don’t smoke!” Hawks said, sarcasm in his voice.

“But I do and you’re in my body! You know I live off of cigarettes and alcohol!”

“Yet you yell at me to take care of my body,” Hawks rolled his eyes.

“My body is already fucked I can do whatever the hell I want to it! Last I checked you were supposed to be out saving lives!”

“Will you two shut the fuck up! I believe you. I’ll clear your schedule, Hawks. Do not leave this apartment and tell me what happened to make you both like this,” Aizawa used his dad voice on the two.

Dabi and Hawks exchanged a look with each other, fighting quietly before Hawks’s body turned and pouted as Dabi’s smiled wide. Aizawa was deeply unnerved by the body posture of both.

So with a smiling Dabi. Hawks explained what happened to them last night before they both went to bed.

“Ignoring the fact that you are harboring a villain and you are living with a hero,” I will go out and find this kid and let you know what I find. Behave,” Aizawa glared at the two before leaving.

“Could have gone better,” Hawks grumbled.

“Could have gone worse birdbrain,” Dabi rolled his eyes.

“Since you’re in my body would that make you birdbrain?” Hawks asked.

“Nope 'cause I’m still smarter,” Dabi smiled back.

“What do we do till he gets back,” Hawks asked out loud as he stretched on the couch.

“Movie and dinner?” Dabi offered.

“I’ll put in an order,” Hawks got off the couch.

“I’ll find a movie,” Dabi grabbed the remote.

It was forty-five minutes later that there was a knock on the door.

“Hawks Food,” Dabi pointed towards the door.

“I’m the one who looks like a villain you go get the door,” Hawks tried to push Dabi off the couch but forgot about all the muscle on his body.

“Will one of you open this fucking door!” Aizawa yelled from the other side, making both of them walk towards the door.

“Aizawa you got a kid with you,” Dabi observed as Aizawa was indeed holding a teen by his collar.

“Thomas remet the number two hero and fire villain Dabi. Dabi Hawks meet Thomas Himura,” Aizawa pushed the kid inside the apartment.

“Hey that’s the kid from last night,” Hawks observed.

“Yep and here’s your food. Be happy I stopped the delivery boy on his way up, now Thomas touch the damn food. I am too tired to deal with this shit,” the kid did as he was told.

“I only wanted to have a little fun,” Thomas mumbled.

“And I want to go one day without dealing with problem children, but we can’t always have what we want. Now fix the food.” the kid touched the bag of food as Aizawa placed it in front of them. “Now eat. I’ll explain. Kid, you’re free to go, but If I catch you doing something again I’ll put you in a cell for a week,” Aizawa pushed the kid outside the apartment.

“Am I going to jail after this?” Dabi asked as he ate the food.

“Are you going to kidnap another one of my kids?” Aizawa countered.

“Aaaww you call them your kids,” Hawks looked wide-eyed at the tired teacher.

“No Shiggs originally wanted that Todoroki kid and the fire guy, but I actually got him down to one,” Dabi told him.

“And I still have to make sure he’s in therapy!” Aizawa took a few deep breaths before continuing. “I’m not arresting you. If I run into you causing trouble then I’m carting your ass away. I was ready to arrest you when I first found out but was calmed down. The kid had a parent that was taken from him when Hawks did a drug bust a few months ago. His quirk works on food. He can make people switch bodies as long as they ingest the food that he touches. He wanted some revenge, but he already signed forms so he can’t talk about anything that happened today without consent from all three of us or he really will be in a cell. His guardian was there for him to sign the papers so don’t worry. When you wake up tomorrow you should be back to normal. Hawks if you are ever in trouble call me. I don’t care what time it is or what’s going on. I will answer and if I find out that Dabi has hurt you in any way I will kill him,” Aizawa assured as he walked out the door.

“Was he aware that I am still here?” Dabi asked as he finished eating the food.

“I think it was sweet. While I never want to experience this again it was nice to know what you have to go through every day. I had to take way more pain pills than necessary,” Hawks groaned as he picked up both plates to wash them.

“I guess your life as a hero isn’t as easy as I make fun of you for,” Dabi agreed.

“So you’re going to stop making fun of me!?” Hawks asked hopefully.

“Not a chance!” Dabi laughed as the two walked back towards the bedroom.

“Night Kei,” Dabi laid down in bed, turning off the lights.

“Night Tou,” Hawks pulled the covers over them.

Both were in pure bliss when they woke up the next morning to discover themselves in their original bodies.

#dabibnha #bnha dabi #dabi todoroki #dabihawks #dabi my hero academia #hawks x dabi #hawksbnha #ao3 hawks #my hero academia hawks #established couple #established relationship #not canon #aizawa shouta #aizawa is very much done with Hawk's and Dabi's shit #dabihawksweek23

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