#so he keeps saying like 'Oh I'll put her on windows 11! then you can play all the games you can on the other laptop'

[anothermonikan]

I've been thinking about getting bby a new hard drive for her bday / christmas! The only thing is I've never like. done anything hardware wise before. But I don't wanna ask my father or anything to help because I know he'll fuck around and put her running on windows 11 or some shit to prove he can do it. So....I'd be doing everything myself, to component replacement to OS installation and that's really nerve-racking ^^;

[mrs-kodzuken]

hard to desire ⨟ kenma k.

chapter two

babydoll ari abdul

❝Oh, Father, forgive me for all my sins

When I meet your eyes, the Devil, he wins

Blinded by your lies, but I play pretend❞

previous chapter next chapter

"We're going to miss you so much sweetheart," Your mom hugs you tightly, tearing up a bit.

"Call us if you need anything at all, sweet pea." Your dad says, giving you a sad smile over your mom's shoulder.

"I will, I promise. I love you guys so much." You tried keeping the tears at bay because you knew you wouldn't be able to stop. They had packed everything you'd need into your small car and then, of course, sent you with extra money for the things they couldn't fit.

You were going to live with Kuroo in an apartment so surely there should be basic things like a refrigerator or microwave?

"Be safe, sweetie." Your mom said as you were leaving out of the door. You could only nod and wave bye, you'd never left home on your own like this before, so it put you through quite a few emotions.

You hadn't mentioned the part about Kuroo's roommate, Kenma, yet to your parents. They trusted you under Kuroo's care as if you were still a child.

Starting the drive to the town you would be spending the next few years in made you a little nervous. You decided to hook up your playlist and play some of your favorite songs to help with the nerves.

You had also wondered if you would ever see that strange man again, maybe that would be your first ever attempt at romance. Never being in a romantic relationship before meant that you relied on fictional characters from books to fulfill that part of your brain.

You just hoped that Kuroo wouldn't snoop to your bookcase that would be put up in your room to hold all of your books like trophies.

In the time that you had been driving and spacing out to the music, you had magically appeared in the town you kind of remembered.

Quickly, you called Kuroo because he didn't even give you the address to the apartment you would be staying at yet.

"Hey, I'm in town now. Could you send me the address?" You asked into the phone call connected to your car's radio.

"Uh, yeah sure," Maybe a minute went by. "There you go. I'll go let Kenma know you're on the way here, little one. See you in a bit."

Whilst you were trying to figure out the weird directions to get to the damn apartment, Kuroo was trying to get Kenma to come out of his room.

"Kenma, she's on her way now. Make sure you're nice to her, just what I had spoken with you about a couple days ago." Kuroo reminded Kenma, leaning on his door frame.

Kenma had been still trying to sleep even though it was almost 11:40am. That's always a tell-tale sign that he was up late on one of his many consoles or editing his Youtube channel.

"Kenma." Kuroo called once again.

Something stirred within the pile of blankets on Kenma's king-sized bed. Then a grunt was heard and Kuroo decided that it was enough for him, he'd have to actually say it again when Kenma would be up later. Kuroo shut his door and sighed, hoping this would go great for everyone involved.

Soon after, you sent him a text message saying you believe you had gotten to the apartment.

Kuroo came jogging down the apartment stairs to meet you exiting your car.

"Hey, little one. Was the drive okay? You need some help getting all that up the stairs?" He asked, giving you a hug. He'd be mindful of your feelings later when you've settled in so you can spill about your sentiments of being here, like you used to.

"Hey, yeah the drive was fine. Nothing but a bit of music and singing can't help," You chuckled and broke the hug.

"And yeah, it would be great if you could help me." You eyed your car, the backseat seemed to have been spilling through the windows based on everything your parents had insisted on packing.

"They sure do love you; you know that?" He mentioned opening your trunk so he could start with whatever is back there first.

You swallowed your feelings, "Yeah, I know. Let's get this stuff hauled in there." You said, changing the subject so you didn't have to think about that right now.

"I've taken the liberty to give you a queen-sized bed. I assume that you would bring your own sheets because I know you like particular 'aesthetics'." He made finger quotes around the word but that didn't take away how thoughtful it was of him.

"You didn't have to; I could've bought my own and put it together. I'm a manly man, you know?" You joked, enjoying the nice moment between you two.

"Yeah, yeah whatever you say." He grunted, hauling a box over his shoulder up to the apartment. After a couple trips, he told you he'd get the rest and lock your car for you so you could get things organized in your new room without being overwhelmed.

Heeding his instructions, you got to work.

By the time you were done, your room kind of resembled the one at home but this one spoke to you in a way that one never did. It signaled a new era for you – a new you.

Your bookshelf stood tall and proud with plenty of colorful books on it. Your bed had a pink and white theme, a fluffy rug in the middle of your hard wooden floor, and a door mirror were your favorite touches so far.

The apartment itself wasn't so bad. You didn't really get to take a look at it due to unpacking but you definitely wanted to now. Exiting your room, you find the bathroom and you guess the bedrooms where Kuroo and Kenma sleep.

The kitchen wasn't spacious, but it wasn't crowded either. It doesn't take a genius to realize that Kuroo probably meticulously placed the barstools and counter items like the tea, coffee, and toaster machines in specific places.

He was such a geek sometimes.

You looked through the cabinets and tried to stick everything to memory of its place. You, however, brought some of your own favorite dishware that had cute pink ribbons imprinted on the glass. You definitely were going to make your presence known with that.

That happened a lot more throughout the apartment too. Your little decor items like a specific throw blanket and pillow on the couch just for you. Small decorations on shelves here and there. Your toothpaste and toothbrush in the medicine cabinet.

You were popping up everywhere in their lives. In his life. And for some reason, it got under his skin. Even covering his head with a pillow, Kenma could still hear you bustling about in the apartment, talking to yourself about where something should go.

You'd occasionally ask Kuroo, and he'd just say, "Whenever you want to put it is fine with me, little one." Not taking into account Kenma's thoughts and that kind of pissed him off.

Not that it was his fault anyways. It's not like he got out of bed to say hi and greet you. Or it's not like he's pretending to be asleep so he doesn't have to conversate with you.

Kenma doesn't know why exactly you're getting under his skin so much, but it bothers him. It bothers him so deeply.

"Want to come with me to help you set everything up for school? I can show you the main buildings and once you get your class schedule, I'll tour the buildings with you, so you won't be late on your first day?" Kuroo's offer lit your eyes up.

Afterall, you were here because you wanted your degree, so obviously you're excited about classes and school.

"Yes, yes, yes. That'd be amazing. Just let me grab a jacket and I will. I saw something about it possibly raining later." You called out to him, fast walking to your room to get a zip-up you had on earlier.

You heard Kuroo walk back into the hall, and you thought he was going to get on to you for taking forever as you looked at your outfit into the mirror of your door. But that wasn't the case.

A knock was sounded, but it wasn't on your door. It was his.

"Kenma, want to come with us? We're going to go view the fall semester classes." Kuroo said through the door to Kenma's room.

You even stopped breathing to hear him.

You'd see the picture frames on the walls and here and there on the shelves from their high school days but there wasn't a current one of Kenma out. And even in those pictures, he was always looking away or face not closely in the picture. That in itself had made you curious too.

“Too tired.” Was all that was spoken but it still had an effect on you. Even though it was muffled through walls too. It was slightly becoming a bit more than curiosity at this point. But then again, you kind of had gotten a bit sad that he wouldn’t be tagging along.

You’d be living with a man you don’t even know, and he was too tired to go look at fall semester classes? Interesting. 

“Alright, well little one, let’s get this show on the road then.” Kuroo called for you and you opened your door.

“Okay!” You shoved that weird Kenma thought to the back of your brain and went ahead with Kuroo to enjoy how you guys would be spending the rest of your day. 

. . . 

Just like that, two entire weeks of school passed by. And yet, not even once within those fourteen days of school did Kenma take any invite from you.

You remembered how he turned you down multiple times. One day you had softly knocked on Kenma’s door, hoping for him to answer.

“Hey, want to come study with Kuroo and I? I thin-"

"Leave me alone." Kenma's annoyed, muffled voice cut you off and gave you the answer you needed. You purse your lips, hoping you haven't done anything to upset your roommate. Although that isn't even one of the possibilities for you haven't even been in the same room for longer than five minutes max.

Another encounter was when you had gotten home with Kuroo, and you guys decided to get takeout which was aka Mexican – your favorite. You had found Kenma sitting on the couch in the living room scrolling on his phone.

It was as if he could sense you looking at him, he quickly got up and headed straight for his room.

"Hey, wait. I wanted to know if you wanted to add to our order. We're getting Mexican food for dinner tonight." You spoke hopeful, keeping your voice light the entire time. You desperately wanted to connect with your roommate, even if it seemed that he hated you – your mere presence.

However, he had other thoughts as he passed you with a gruff scoff, "Mexican makes me sick."

Just a few words hurt your feelings more than you'd like to even admit. You weren't used to this type of rejection when you had been nothing but cordial.

One fateful day after class, you decided you really needed a study session with Kuroo to boost your spirits. You didn't want to feel so down with it only being the second –almost third– week of college.

"Of course, anything for you. I'm going to invite Kenma; he needs it too." Kuroo said, without thinking. You hadn't confided in Kuroo about how you think Kenma absolutely hates your guts. Every time you try, you just keep thinking maybe there is something you're missing that is making him behave this way towards you.

"Oh... yeah, that's a good idea." You tried to support it, but you were riddled with anxiousness.

Your nerves got even worse when Kuroo had stated that Kenma, begrudgingly, would meet up with you guys. Only to which you then mustered half a smile, knowing that the next few hours would be more stressful than the coursework itself.

You stood at the small cafe that was built into the university's library, you stared at the menu hoping that your memory would be able to recall what Kuroo had always ordered.

On the off chance that you and Tetsu come here to study or get a breather, you always forget what he orders. On the other hand, Kuroo has mentioned what Kenma gets every single time and now that is the only thing that has burned itself into your memory.

A fucking oat milk latte loaded with any sort of sweet syrup.

You'd been secretly watching Kenma when he drinks them, seeing which kind of syrup he favors more. You're not exceptionally sure why you've been doing this either. However, the vanilla and caramel he seemed to like the best, so you asked to add both of those syrups into his latte.

Then, you made sure to send Kuroo a quick text, asking what his order was again – hopefully it just gets blamed on your apparent forgetfulness.

'Iced coffee with a splash of sweet cream' He had texted back, which honestly seemed very basic.

With a drink carrier, you carefully made your way to the study table that soon had everyone's laptops, notebooks, and pens out.

"Thank you, little one." Kuroo said, hastily taking his bland iced coffee from the brown, recyclable drink carrier.

Kenma's sharp golden eyes peered upward at you, causing you to gulp. He took his coffee without so much as uttering a word as Kuroo got to work. You had pretended to type notes for your art class and secretly peered up to see the slightly upward turn of Kenma's lips.

You felt satisfactory with your decision.

After a few hours of studying, you couldn't help that your eyes kept drifting to Kenma. Kuroo had gone to the bathroom and your coursework was definitely not on your mind. You breathed in as you took in his entire form across the study table from you.

Kenma's medium length hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, his brown roots showing more so since they've grown out quite a bit from the starch contrast of the blond hair dye. A few strands of hair had framed his sharp angled face, he seemed extremely concentrated on whatever he was reading at the moment.

Your eyes moved downwards, taking in his frame and clothes. They were the most basic, as expected from someone who didn't really care what outfit he wore. A tee with graphics on it and black sweatpants.

Noticing more, his laptop had one of those light up keyboards that you kind of wanted to run your hands across for fun. If you focused on just him, you could slightly smell the scent of cinnamon apples coming off of it. It felt intoxicating to say the least, making you feel the slightest bit of light-headedness.

You snapped out of your thoughts when he suddenly shut his laptop hard.

"Done studying?" You asked curiously, trying to pretend that there isn't a weird flutter in your stomach nor that you basically were ogling him either.

"Why does it matter? It's not like you're doing any studying with the way you've staring holes into me." He sneered at you, and you couldn't help the faint dust of blush that coated your cheeks.

"I was spacing out, sorry." You muttered, only focusing your attention on the brightly lit laptop screen, not the way you feel embarrassed for the emotions that coursed through your veins when you thought of your roommate – who hated you, you had to remind yourself.

When in the hell was Kuroo coming back from the bathroom to save you from this?

synopsis: it's the summer before you go to university, and you decide to become roommates with your pen pal that you've known since you were in primary. big problem arises, he's got a roommate, and it just so happens that his roommate either has a sexual want for you or hates your guts – or probably both?

tag list: [let me know if you'd like to be in the tag list!]

@geektastic84 @lavanderdreamve @hhoneyhan @kirikeijii @marsoverthestars @nymphsdomain @justagirlnamedkai @kodzukein @74zix47 @kakuzone @jaeminaur @3lectraheart

a/n: i made the banner, and i got my idea for this multi-chapter fic from @deftrow !!

[montammil]

Admittedly I don't read whump often, but cold cold eyes has become a comfort series for me since it hits a lot of tropes I don't see often (parental whumpers are criminally underrated) and oh my god the recent part was so good. The contrast between Marshall's sheer horror and begging while Lawrence comforts him... ahh its so good. I'd love to see a continuation of that with Marshall going into a depressive state as you mentioned in another post, I'm sure it'd be a very interesting progression of events

Sorry I'm a little behind, I've been busier than usual lately! But thank you, I'm so glad CCE is a comfort series for you, that actually means so much to me!! To specify, this is a continuation off of when Lawrence kills Marshall's biological father.

I am keeping my normal content warning, but I'd like to specify again, this is pretty dark and involves attempted suicide via sleeping pills. I just want to warn twice since I know this is a huge trigger to a lot of people, even in the whump community.

CW: Attempted suicide/overdose, parental whumper, manipulation, mentions of death, creepy comfort

It's been a week since Lawrence did what he did. He doesn't regret killing George, but given how Marshall seems so scared and sad… he does regret doing it right in front of Marshall. He thought Charlotte's advice would work, it always did, but apparently not this time.

Lawrence gently knocks on Marshall's door. "Hey, Marshie, can I come in?"

Like always, he gets no reply.

"I'm coming in." Lawrence opens the door to see Marshall absentmindedly playing with a Rubik's cube, not even attempting to solve it, and rather just using it as a fidget.

The younger man doesn't even acknowledge Lawrence, staring blankly at the cube of colors.

Lawrence takes a breath. "Hey, kiddo. How long have you been up? It's almost 11:00." He usually doesn't let Marshall sleep in this late, but when Marshall's awake, he acts like he isn't there.

A slight shrug comes from Marshall. At least he's giving some kind of response.

"Okay… what do you want to eat? We still have time for a late breakfast. We could even go eat somewhere if you want. Or pick something up." Lawrence is desperate for something. This isn't like when Marshall went catatonic, he can tell Marshall is hearing everything he says clearly.

Somehow, that makes him even sadder for him.

"I don't want anything to eat."

"You have to eat something, Marshall. Anything you want."

"If I have to have something... I guess any fast food sounds good."

"Of course," Lawrence chuckles. He's usually against letting Marshall have fast food, but he'd give Marshall the world just to gain his approval again. "Tell me what you want, buddy."

"Fries. And, um, a cheeseburger."

"Alrighty, I'll go pick that up."

With that, Lawrence slips on his shoes and leaves, telling Marshall he'll be back in a few minutes.

In hindsight, that was a pretty stupid decision.

...

Marshall doesn't waste any time as soon as he hears the front door shut. He goes to the front, looking out the window and sighing in relief when he sees Lawrence drive off.

He jogs to the kitchen, then notices the drawers are locked. Well, there goes that idea. He looks around for anything that can put him out of his misery.

Typically, Lawrence keeps the medicine cabinet locked, but sometimes he forgets. Much to Marshall's advantage, when he enters the restroom, he finds the cabinet unlocked.

He tears open the drawer and starts shoving his hand past medications he doesn't know the names of, trying to find something useful.

He sifts through various bottles and pills, but nothing seems to catch his eye.

That is, until he finds an old, worn bottle of Belsomra, half-empty. He remembers his mother had this prescribed to her, and she'd often give Marshall some when he couldn't sleep. He wonders nowadays if that was a responsible thing to do, but it doesn't matter.

He grabs the bottle and opens it after nearly two minutes of struggling. Stupid child safety cap.

He pours the contents into his palm. He walks back into the kitchen, clutching the pills in his palm. He places them on the counter and grabs a glass to fill with water. He never could swallow pills dry.

Marshall's hands are shaking. He notices his whole body is shaking, and tears are dripping down his cheeks and onto the floor. How long has he been crying? He counts the pills, even with his blurring vision from his tears.

Nine pills in total. That should be enough, right?

For a moment, he wonders how Lawrence would react. Hysterical, no doubt. Even though the bastard killed his father, Marshall does know Lawrence loves him... in a fucked up way, but still love, nonetheless.

Would Lawrence even take him to a hospital? Not that he'd want to go, but he's sure Lawrence would be caught if he did that. Unless he had connections there, too. Marshall wouldn't be surprised if the guy had his own hospital, at this point.

Marshall takes the first pill and swigs down the glass of water. It burns in his throat, but not as badly as he expected. He's pretty sure it's just his hatred for swallowing pills.

He takes the second one, and just as he swallows it down, he hears Lawrence's car pull up. No...nonono. He must've dissociated, because what seemed to have been twenty minutes felt like five.

He frantically gathers the pills back in his hand and runs to the bathroom again, along with the glass of water. He's finishing this.

After locking the door behind him, he slips the third pill in his mouth and washes it down with the water. His body is shaking more, and he can't tell if it's from the anxiety or not, at this point.

Marshall sobs as he drops the remaining six pills to the ground, just as he hears the front door open. He falls to his knees and grabs the closest one, getting ready to have the fourth pill, when...

"Marshall? Where are you?"

Great. Marshall knows that means he's already went to his room to not see him there. The younger man tries to stay quiet, but can't control the next sob he gives.

"Marshall?"

Oh God... Please, no. Marshall tries to stand, but his legs aren't listening to him. He stumbles right into the wall, feeling ready to hyperventilate.

The doorknob jiggles, but doesn't open. "Marshall, open the door right now." Lawrence's tone sounds beyond stern, but also terrified, breaking more than once. "Please, Marshall!"

Marshall's heart skips a beat every time the knob jiggles, and he can feel his blood rushing to his face. Is Lawrence going to force the door open? He puts the fourth pill in his mouth, not trusting himself to speak.

"Marshall? What the fuck are you doing?!" Lawrence cries out, louder than usual. He bangs on the door. "Open the fucking door! I know you're in there! Open the goddamn door, dammit!" Lawrence knows the medicine cabinet is in there, and remembers he forgot to lock it.

Growing frantic as well, Marshall searches for the other pills to stuff in his mouth, but then he hears Lawrence start to slam what he assumes is his shoulder against the door, planning to knock it down.

Lawrence knocks the door down after slamming himself against it five times in total. When his eyes lock with Marshall, the blond is screaming in cold-blooded dread, his eyes bulging out of their sockets.

He straddles Marshall and forces the remaining pills out of his mouth, demanding, "HOW MANY!? HOW MANY DID YOU TAKE?! ANSWER ME!"

Terrified, Marshall sobs harder. "Th-three, I took three, please--"

"If you're lying to me--"

"I'm not, just please, you're hurting me!" Marshall's wrists feel broken from the grip Lawrence has on them both.

Just like that, Lawrence is pulling Marshall into an even more tightly gripped hug, so tight it feels like Lawrence is trying to suffocate him. Lawrence starts sobbing into Marshall's hair, causing Marshall to tense up. He's been pulled into suffocating hugs before by Lawrence, but he never seen him openly cry.

"You scared me," Lawrence cries, "you fucking terrified me. Never do that again. Never again, Marshall. You have to promise me."

"Lawrence--"

"Promise!"

"Okay, I-- I promise!"

Lawrence kisses his hair. "Thank you..." He picks Marshall up and puts him on the couch. Lawrence's eyes are red and puffy, tears still pooling his eyes. Marshall would feel guilt if Lawrence hadn't murdered his father. He just doesn't want to argue.

It's hard to breathe. Marshall goes back to feeling suffocated when Lawrence lays down next to him and pulls him into his arms, fingers raking down his back. Compared to how gentle Lawrence usually is with his affection, this is a stark contrast.

Lawrence's fingernails practically dig through Marshall's shirt and into his back. He doesn't know if Lawrence is even doing this on purpose or not.

Marshall wants to say something, but he's afraid if he does, he'll trigger more anger. All he can do is lie there as Lawrence rubs circles on his back.

After a few minutes of silence, he glances up to see Lawrence staring right down at him, expressionless, even with the tears still in his eyes. He looks scary with the blank look he's sporting.

Quietly, Lawrence asks, "Why would you do that? Do you hate me that much?"

"I..." Marshall wants to say he does, to call him every name in the book, but god, Lawrence looks so... broken. He bites his lip and shakes his head. "I'm just depressed. Just because I want freedom doesn't mean I hate you."

Lawrence doesn't answer, but merely continues to stare at him. Marshall isn't sure what to do. What else does he want from him?

"I'm sorry," Marshall tries next. "I wasn't thinking."

"Clearly." Lawrence sighs, wiping his tears with his hand. The circles in his back come to a halt. "I can't live without you. Everyone in my life leaves. If you die, then I'll die, too."

"I don't... um..."

"My father left me as soon as I was born, my mother died of cancer, my other children hate me, my fiancée was murdered... and do you think I'll let you go, too? Especially from suicide, of all things?" He practically cackles, clearly not a shred of humor in it. "Do you really think I'd allow you to do that to me? You're the only reason I breathe, Marshall. You need me and I need you."

Marshall hates how eerily calm he is saying all of this. He feels really tired, the adrenaline of the situation wearing off. His drowsy mind doesn't even think twice about how Lawrence mentioned 'his other children'.

Lawrence seems to notice this. "Get some sleep, sweetie." He smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes. "I'll make sure a situation like this never happens again. It seems I have to keep you safe from yourself now too, huh?" He chuckles. "That's what good dads do, right? They protect."

As Marshall's eyelids droop shut, he feels the older man's hand go into his hair, damp from Lawrence's tears just a couple of minutes ago. He hears his voice one last time before dozing off.

"Good night, sweet boy. I love you so, so much."

[deke-rivers-1957]

Toby Goes to Hogwarts

"Now son how's ya robes fittin ya? Ain't gonna be meltin down cause of em?"

Ah look in the mirror an see mahself in a set of school robes. Ah kinda bounce a bit.

"Ah look sharp! Ah'm ready fer Hogwarts!"

He pats mah shoulder smilin.

"That's mah boy! 11 years old an yer gonna be goin out on yer own havin adventures."

Ah go down ta the kitchen ta put the finishin touches on the tank fer Trevor. Pop an Ah get the last thangs together. Ah pick up mah trunk an' backpack an' Trevor's tank an we head out ta the car.

"Do ya got mah ticket, Pop?"

He smiles an nods.

"Got it right in mah pocket. Ah'mma give ya the ticket once we get ta the station."

"Ok."

Ah start fidgetin an look out the window.

Time Skip

Ah'm startin ta get a lil scared once we get ta the station. Pop parks the car an helps get mah stuff out. Ah see 'em lookin at me like he think somethin's wrong.

"Wha's wrong Pop?"

"You's best be fixin ta get ya cryin out the way Toby. Ah know this' gonna be yer first time away from me so jus let out yer cryin now."

Ah try not ta cry... but Ah can't help it. Ah hug Pop an cry a little bit. He hugs me back.

"Ah'm givin ya money fer lil snacks an yer ticket. Ya can send me letters anytime ya want. It'll take awhile but Ah promise ta send ya one back."

Ah'm still cryin an in a way Ah'm glad it's rainin. Ah like this type a rain cause it's all nice an cold.

"We's best be gettin on the platform before we get wet."

Ah follow Pop as we run inta the wall ta get on the platform. Ah'm a lil upset Ah started cryin in front a people but Ah keep on goin', hopin' Pop'll think Ah'm brave.

"Jus be brave, Toby. Ah know this'll be hard at first but it'll be ok."

Ah see the train an hear a sound tha's like a mix a whistles an train wheel squeak. Pop looks over at mah face an notices mah lil' waterin' eyes.

"Doncha worry bout the train son. It'll sound loud at first but once ya give it a couple mins, yer gonna feel better."

Ah wipe mah eyes knowin Pop's makin sense. Ah can't really say anythang cause Ah'm tryna catch mah breath. Pop pats mah head an Ah start ta feel better.

"You's gonna be makin new friends Toby. Got yer frog, Trevor goin wit ya. Just gotta let out yer feelins an get on the train."

"Oh-Ok, Pop."

Ah wanna make sure Ah'm gonna find mah way on that train, seein' as how Ah'm not so good wit trains normally. Mah mind goes blank an mah stomach feels tied up wit knots. But this time instead of bein' a scared kid it feels different. Ah think this' the first time Ah've ever felt real special. Maybe this' what Hogwarts' supposed ta be like.

"Watch yer step son. Jus gotta get on the train an you'll be fine."

"Thanks, Pop."

Ah make it ta the top an stand by the train window. Ah look back at Pop standin on the platform. Mah face is full a excitement an a flood of feelins. Mah stomach starts ta hurt real bad.

"Bye Pop! Ah love ya!"

"Bye son. Love ya too."

Ah try ta keep a straight face an keep watchin' mah Pop as the train pulls outta the station while gainin' speed.

"Trevor. Are we gonna be ok?"

He looks at me with his froggie eyes and ribbits. Ah try not ta cry agin.

"Thanks Trevor. We's gonna be great then."

Ah hear somebody clear their throat. Ah turn round.

"Need help? I'll show ya how to find a seat."

"Well. Ok."

Ah follow the man through the train till Ah find a special train room.

"Thank ya sir."

Ah sit down knowin it's time ta close mah eyes an take a deep breath. Mah head leans against the train window as the train rattles down the tracks. Mah stomach starts to hurt real bad, like real bad... But Ah'm on the way to Hogwarts.

Time Skip

"Hello. My name is Jacklin. Jacklin Gryffindor. May I sit here with you?"

Ah peek out one eye an see a girl bout mah age lookin at mah face. She's got very pale skin an almost white hair. She's looks magical like the LOTR girl from mah daydreams. Mah stomach is still turnin' somersaults in mah gut.

"Oh, Ah guess so... Mah name's Toby Kwimper."

Ah notice that her eyes are still on mah face. She opens her mouth to say something, then stops and just stares at mah face.

"Is this your first time on the Hogwarts Express? You look like you have motion sickness."

"Uh yeah...how'd ya know?"

Ah'm surprised she could even notice all that. Mah stomach's still turnin' over in all kinds a directions.

"When I got on the train I saw a few other first year students get sick."

"Oh. Well Ah'm not just gettin' sick, Ah'm gettin' real sick. Would ya maybe have somethin' ta settle mah stomach? Do ya know any spells?"

Ah feel sick enough to puke.

"Well I do know something. Try to focus on me, Toby."

"But mah stomach's turnin' and hurtin' real bad. Ah'm gonna puke."

Ah clutch mah stomach an look at Jacklin. Her eyes seem ta be drawin' me in.

"Just take deep breaths."

Ah'm scared ta hold her hands. But Ah'm scared to puke in front a her even worse. Ah slowly put mah hands out an we grab each other's hands. We jus look at each other's faces an try to think about somethin' else.

"Are you feeling better, Toby?"

The pain's gone. Ah can still feel mah stomach movin, but it's stopped hurtin'.

"Thanks."

Ah look at her an give her a little smile.

"That's lovely to hear, Toby. If you don't mind I think we try to distract ourselves. Let's talk about our wands."

Ah sit back in mah seat an' look at her. It's been awhile since Ah've seen mah wand. Ah dig it outta mah pocket an take a good look at it.

"Awright. What d'ya wanna know?"

Ah see 'er lookin at it.

"Is that an english oak wand? What's the core?"

"Yeap, English oak wit'a unicorn hair core."

Ah give her another little smile.

"And tha's good?"

"English oak wood supposedly was used to make Merlin's wand. Wizards who use this wand have to have strong intuition, and tend to like nature. You might end up becoming really good with our classes that focus on plants and magical creatures."

Ah feel mahself noddin but Ah don't really get everythang she's sayin.

"Yeap. Ah think Mr. Ollivander done tol me bout all that. Ah like it."

Ah smile an seem ta be a little cloud a light an have warm, fuzzy feelings in mah brain that's makin' me feel good fer a change. Jacklin takes out her wand.

"This is a cherry wood wand with a Veela hair core."

"Cherry wood wand with a Veela hair core? What's a Veela?"

She looks up at me.

"Veela are semi-human magical beings; beautiful women with white-gold hair and skin that appears to shine like the moon. When angry, Veela take on a less pleasant appearance; their faces elongate into sharp, cruel-beaked bird heads, and long scaly wings burst from their shoulders. My mother can do that but since I'm only half-Veela I can't."

Ah blink at her cause she said a lotta words.

"But what does that mean about the core of the wand?"

"Veela hair helps tame temperamental wands. Cherry wood is very rare in the UK and can be very dangerous. Only wizards with a lot of self control should get wands like this."

Ah look at her with big surprised eyes.

"Why d'ya gotta say that?"

Ah can feel mah stomach startin' ta rumble again. Mah face heats up an Ah start ta look at mah wand again ta try an' distract myself.

"Since I'm part Veela, I'm always trying to keep my powers under control. Veela have the ability to hypnotize most people attracted to girls when we dance. I try not to dance though because I know it makes them do dangerous things."

Ah look up at you. Mah stomach is rumblin' still, but Ah'm more scared of lookin' at her eyes now that Ah know what they can do. Ah hear her sigh.

"Veela magic is a curse when you think about it. You never know who your real friends are. My family supports half blooded and human born wizards but it's too dangerous for me to be around pure humans."

Mah stomach's turned back into just a big knot. Ah can feel mah face tryin' ta change into a soft, sad little face. Ah got no choice bout this one.

"Tha's a shame. Ah'm sorry ya have ta live wit that. Ya seem so nice."

"We're always, no matter what, physically perfect; graceful; and flawless. Nothing can make us look bad. Even when I start to get acne it doesn't seem to matter. That's why I wish I can have someone tell me I look snotty. At least that would be a sign I'm like any other 11 year old girl."

Ah notice her skin seems ta look perfect. She ain't got bruises or paper cuts on her hands like Ah do. Ah wish Ah could comfort her an Ah don't want her to feel so bad. After a bit, Ah start ta think about somethin'.

"Hey! Yer lips don't look perfect. There's a crack right in the middle of one of 'em!"

Ah hope Ah weren't soundin too mean. Girls in the past usually jus laugh at me or think Ah'm gross.

"Where?"

Ah point ta her lip an the little crack in the middle.

"Right there. See it?"

She looks at her reflection in the window.

"They do look a bit chapped. So does that mean that you don't feel affected by my magic?"

"Nah. Least Ah don't think Ah do cause now that Ah'm seein yer dry lips tha's all Ah can focus on."

She looks away from the window.

"I see. I didn't realize they were that dry."

Ah'm glad Ah was able to find somethin' that ain't perfect bout her. The knot in mah stomach slowly starts ta go away.

"See ya ain't so perfect. Perfect girls ain't got cracked lips."

She touches them ta feel how they're so dry.

"I should probably buy a bottle of pumpkin juice when the Honeydukes trolley passes by."

Ah look at her, an Ah wanna laugh. Ah dunno why since Ah know it probly ain't that funny.

"Wha's pumpkin juice good fer?"

"Anything to drink should help add moisture to my lips. The trolley on this train has only pumpkin juice since we're going to have a feast when we get to Hogwarts."

Mah eyes look real big cause Ah sure Ah ain't knowed we's gonna eat a lotta food.

"Feast?"

"Oh. Don't you have start of term feasts where you're from, Toby?"

Ah jus look at her knowin Ah ain't understood a word she said.

"Oh, not at mah school. Sometimes we got pizza days but then on the last day a school we get this hotdog day. Sure ain't a feast cause we'd only get one hotdog an a bag a Fritos or Pringles. Ya know those small little bags they give ya cause the school jus ain't got a lotta money..."

Ah jus start ramblin bout mah old school. Ah guess tha's a good thang cause she ain't tol' me ta shut up yet.

"Are you autistic Toby?"

Ah stop talkin. Ah need a sec ta figure out wha she said but Ah nod cause Ah'm scared ta say yes out loud.

"Uh huh."

"I think that might explain why you're not affected by my Veela magic."

Ah turn mah head a bit cause that don't make sense.

"How come?"

"I'm not sure since not everyone with autism seems to be affected the same way. It’s very rare to even have any immunity as it is."

"An yer sayin' Ah'm the only person that ain't affected by yer magic?"

"Outside of my family, yes. I’m not sure if there’s anyone else who wouldn’t be affected by it."

Ah look at her with wide eyes. Mah mind's racein' with ideas and excitement.

"If it ain't too personal, what does yer family worry about?"

"That my Veela magic causes the boys to do dangerous things to try to impress me. That’s why I said my magic is similar to a siren. Even when I don’t willingly use it, it’s still there. I can’t turn it off."

"Sounds like a pain."

Ah look out da window while smackin mah hands gainst mah seat.

"We nearly at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft an Wizardry yet?"

Ah look back at her an give her another half-smilin' look.

"I think we have another hour before we get there. Do you want anything from the trolley?"

Ah remember mah stomach's rumblin a bit.

"Yes. Ah think Ah could go fer one of 'em pumpkin juices. Ah ain't gonna be gettin cracked lips too."

The trolley lady appears an Ah try ta get mah wizardin money.

"Anythin off the trolley dears?"

"Yes, ma'am. One of dem pumpkin juices if ya got it."

She turns ta Jacklin an she wants ta get everythang. She's gotta be rich if she can get all 'em snacks an pumpkin juice too. Ah dunno if Ah'd be able ta eat anythang at the feast. Ah can't help but smile like a baby, an mah stomach seems ta go from a knot ta a floppin' flounders tail.

"Tha'll be 12 sickles loves."

Ah try ta count out tha money an hand it ta her.

"Thank ya ma'am."

Mah mouth is almost drooling. Mah eyes're all wide open. Mah stomach's a-rumblin' an' a-growlin'. Mah hands're all fidgety on tha pumpkin juice.

"Have you ever had anything from Honeydukes before, Toby?"

Ah shake my head, still lookin' at her snack an droolin' an starvin' an waitin' impatiently, like a baby might act.

"Oh that's right, you're American. You probably don't have Honeydukes there."

"Oh no. We ain't even got a trolley fer snacks. Is tha pumpkin juice good? It smells real good."

"I think it makes for a nice summer's drink. It seems to be popular because it's sweet."

Ah nod an mah stomach growls again.

"So it means Ah can have a sip right now?"

"Oh yes. Sorry about that, Toby."

Ah smile at her then immediately take a big drink out of tha bottle. The drink seems ta instantly help mah hunger pangs. Ah feel mah stomach settlin.

"Thanks fer buyin all these snacks, Jacklin."

"I figure it’s time that you learn what all these snacks are. Have you ever tried a chocolate frog before?"

"Nah. No one eats frogs back home. Ah mean some do but they don't cover 'em in chocolate. They fry their legs. Ah don't eat 'em though cause... Ah got mah frog Trevor."

Ah look at a package an then back ta her. Mah stomach growls an then Ah turn ta look at tha frog package. Ah'm tryin' real hard ta be polite an well behaved.

"Go on Toby, open it."

Ah open it up. A magical chocolate frog starts ta hop around.

"Don't worry, Toby. These frogs are just chocolate shaped like ones. They’re not alive."

Ah grab it an' start nommin' tha chocolate frog like it's some kinda animal. It's meltin' in mah mouth... A real frog'd take some time to eat or swallow.

"It's reeeeeal gooood."

Mah stomach's growlin slows down.

"Thank ya."

Ah smile like a baby at her.

"There’s the card that comes with it. The boys like to trade them when they collect these."

Ah look at the picture of tha frog and read tha card.

"Which one did you get, Toby?"

"Ah dunno who Ah got but it says Albus Dumbledore."

"Oh that's Headmaster Dumbledore. We'll be meeting him today once we get to Hogwarts."

Mah growlin' calms way down. Ah feel real full an relaxed and tired, but Ah feel good. Ah smile up at her like one o' those baby animals with tha big eyes.

"Ya know, Ah feel like Ah ate mah favorite dinner an' then Ah ate mah dessert an then some mo' favorite dinner an then some mo dessert. Ah feel kinda... kinda full... A little... sleepy...

Ah yawn a little, an' Ah lean against her until Trevor ribbits.

"What was that? Chocolate frogs never sound like real ones."

Ah snap awake after her voice startles mah half-asleep mind.

"Oh."

Ah look around to find tha sound. Ah see Trevor on tha floor an' Ah pick it up.

"Trevor started talkin' ta me."

"Is that your pet, Toby?"

"Uh huh. His name's Trevor."

Ah let Trevor sit on mah hand an' scratch tha back a his head. He likes tha way Ah'm scratchin' him. Ah wonder if he likes mah scratchin' better than tha others. He likes tha way Ah pet him.

"Wanna come an sit on mah lap Trevor?"

There's a big smile on mah face. Trevor climbs onto mah lap so Ah can get better access ta pet him. Ah notice Jacklin lookin at me.

"Wha's happened?"

"Oh nothing. Nothing happened, Toby. I was just thinking about you and your frog. I think the English oak was a good choice for your wand.

"Why's that?"

She smiles at me.

"Trevor seems to understand what you’re saying like he’s a person too."

"Well tha's cause Trevor's smart like Ah am. He's talkin' ta me like he knew me real well ever since Ah got 'em. We're basically friends."

Ah say all that wit a serious face. Cause Ah mean it. Jacklin don't seem ta think Ah'm weird that Ah talk ta frogs.

"Well that's nice Toby."

Ah give Trevor a long and tender scratch along tha back an' tha back a his neck, an he seems ta like it. Ah look at Jacklin an Ah see the same kinda look in her eyes now too. She seems ta understand me a little better all a sudden. Mah stomach doesn't growl no more. Ah feel really happy like Ah ain't ever felt before. Mah heart's flippin around. But Ah'm happy. Real happy...

Tag list: @arrolyn1114, @aliengoth3, @vintagepresley, @comebackep, @thetaoofzoe, and @presleysgirl6.

[beautifulsnake2162020]

Higher Intervention: Aemond x FemReader (House of the Dragon x Sandman fanfic) Part 13

Disclaimer: This is a fanwork to show appreciation for the intellectual properties used. I also haven’t read Fire and Blood and most if not all that I know is from the TV show.

Premise: Alys Velaryon, older twin sister of Jace Velaryon is the only member among Rhaenyra’s children whom Aemond cannot completely hate. As their love story progresses, a newer and larger threat complicates things and reveals discoveries that neither the greens or the blacks had ever imagined.

AN: We are now at war, and the battle of the Gods and of men has officially begun. This version of the Dance of Dragons involve both men and the other worldly and is now not just a Westerosi concern. This might seem a bit rushed because I'm trying to finish the story before my next semster classes officially begin. Or at least before I officially become focused on it. Also while there is background geopolitics, I'll mainly still focus on the love story aspect.

If you wish to read the previous parts (which I recommend you do if you haven’t read them yet):

Part 1 / Part 2/ Part 3/ Part 4/ Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11/ Part 12 Taglist (comment down below if you want to be included): @winxschester @memento-mora @mxrgodsstuff @thepowerstoner Also tagging:

@lady-phasma @aemonds-war-crime @adderess @princeaemonds because some of their ideas of Aemond have undoubtedly influenced my work.

You find yourself in a strange state of unconsciousness. Not awake enough to fight back against the Storm God, but not deep enough to be able to enter the Dreaming. Credit where credit is due, whomever thought to keep you in this state was wise and that you were practically useless in this state.

All you can do is somehow hope that Aemond had heard your cry as you were kidnapped by the Storm God and Balerion. You remember that you thought initially it was just a thunderstorm. You should have known to be skeptical of a thunderstorm suddenly appearing so conveniently once Aemond's party has arrived in the North, far away even on dragonback, to return to King's landing right away.

You hope that Aemond either heard your cries or that he would learn of it soon, You hope that your dragon children are fine and have managed to escape the conflict somehow. You wouldn't put it past Balerion or the Storm God to also capture and to use them as leverage against you and against your family.

You steady yourself as you check on your unborn child. If either Balerion or the Storm God has caused any harm on your fetus then you will be more than pissed and you would ensure that these two would suffer a fate worse than death. Fortunately you feel it still getting your energy and to your relief, it didn't seem to have suffered any injury.

"You are not going to die." You tell your unborn child.

"Your father and I have worked hard to conceive you." You say to it mentally as you reach into yourself to give it a little more life force - more vitality - for your peace of mind. After awhile as you rest and recuperate whatever energy you can, you hear voices as you slowly find yourself waking up.

"How dare you do this to my muña?!" Meraxes?!

"I don't expect a child like you to understand."

"I understand that she loves my kepa very muchand he loves her too. Why can't you understand that?!"

"Oh? Let's see if he still loves her when she is over here, and he is back in Westeros." You hear Balerion leave wherever it is you and Meraxes are in.

"Mera...Meraxes?" You call to her softly as you awaken in a sparsely covered room. The bed you were laying in was decently warm and comfortable amidst the cool winds that were coming from windows that were too high up for you to be able to close down. As you move to sit up you realize that the room was gently rocking. You and Meraxes were on a boat somewhere. Probably shrouded - making wherever you are hard to find.

"Muña?" You feel her go to you as she settles on your lap. You finally look down on her as she gives you a look mixed with expression of relief mixed with worry.

"Meraxes, what are you doing here?"

"Balerion aslo took us muña."

Oh no.

You feel dread and fury rise in you.

"All of you?"

"No mama, just nyke, Araea, Rhaegar, and Shaena. Uncle Luce and a Yi Ti magic person saved the others. They fought for awhile and somehow Uncle Lucerys was able to slash Balerion's eye. This distracted him while the Yi Ti magic person grabbed the others before they ran away."

You are relieved, better than having all of them kidnapped but you were still concerned that some of them were with you as captives.

"How did the four of you got captured? I'm not mad, I need to know how so that I could inform your kepa."

"I screamed when I saw you being taken and Balerion heard me. Rhaegar, Araea, and Shaena were beside me as we tried biting and attacking him but he put some type of sētera on us that turned into chains. Araea got really mad when Balerion said that he knows she and the rest of us couldn't make dragonfire yet because he created her and we were his sacred animal. She tried biting his finger off. Uncle Lucerys tried getting us but we were dragged away by Balerion."

Oh dear. It was sweet that they tried to do something to save you but this was one of the times when impulsive actions were a bad idea.

You pick her up and bring her to your eye level. You notice that you were no longer shackled as of now, but you don't want to assume anything. You, your unborn child and four of your dragon children are now officially prisoners of war. You now need to play your cards right and ensure that all of you survive this war and return home.

"Meraxes, ñuha tala, we will need to be very careful now because we are now currently in the hands of our enemies. Understood?"

"Issa muña." She says both remorsefully and intelligently at the same time.

"Now where are the others?" She turns her head and you see your three other children slowly waking up. The first to wake up was Aerea, the nameday dragon that Balerion gave you. She chose the name because it was the closest to the Andal word for air. Next was Shaena, the sole ice baby dragon, she chose the name because she loved the way it was distinctive compared to the other names that other women in your family had. And finally Rhaegar awoke as he joins his sisters in sitting on your lap.

"Muña? Where are we?" He asks.

"It appears we are in a cabin in a boat."

"Ugh, I think this is why I feel dizzy." Says Shaena as she puts her light blue divinely iced head on your lap in trying to control her dizziness.

"So you've finally awakened." Balerion says as he appears from the fire.

"Balerion."

"You stay back from my mama!" Aerea says as she quickly goes on front of you.

"Aerea let muña handle this. Alright tala?"

"Issa muña." She says reluctantly before you face Balerion's violet flaming eyes.

"If this is your plan on stopping me from punishing you, it's not working."

"Honestly Glaesēt I fail to see why marrying me won't solve the problem. You get to monitor me while I ensure you'll be in power."

"Are we really going to argue like this again? Your power came from me when you were only a minor war God. You cannot offer me something I already have Balerion. I may only have a fraction of it now since the rest of it would only be incompatible with my mortal shell but the moment this shell dies, you will no longer escape the punishment I should have brought upon you long ago."

"You mean 'if' your mortal shell dies." He says sinisterly as he goes closer to you and your children press themselves closer to you.

"You may have forgotten Glaesēt that by giving me some of your Divine vitality several centuries ago that I have managed to imbue it on some of the flora here. I have it hidden in the depths of Sothyros along with the other creations of mine that you have despised. And I have begun gradually feeding it to you ever since we have boarded this ship. You are too beautiful in that form, even now when you are gestating the mortal's child. But mark my words, you cannot punish me if you cannot die, and then your only choice would be to bind yourself to me in marriage."

"Have you no remorse left within you?!" You ask with disdain.

"Have you not learned what happens when you break the laws we the Endless are made to enforce? Do you really not mind losing Meraxes -"

"Don't you dare talk about my mother." He says with a dangerous tone. But you didn't care right now.

"She was the one who convinced me not to punish you. Of course we are talking about her. Isn't losing her enough? This is what happens to you and the world if you continue this way. The Doom of Valyria is what happened when you broke my laws and you were left unpunished. Now you want to break the laws of both my mother and my aunt just to avoid punishment from me?"

"We are currently in the midst of change Glaesēt." He says as he stands up and heads for the door.

"From what I know of your father's story since his imprisonment by a wizard, even the Endless cannot avoid change." With that he leaves.

"You're right Balerion, we too are susceptible to change, just not like this." You mutter as you stand up to stretch your legs.

"Mama? What do we do?"

"For now Aerea, we must stick together. We were forced apart from our home and family, I'm not allowing that to happen to us again."

They nod as you feel the ship stop and you and your little family was escorted into the territory of Ibben. One of the Storm God's major cult centers, though he is not the only God worshipped here. As you were escorted into their control you see some of the Ice Dragons in your periphery coming out of the shrouded mist to bow before their master the Storm God. So that's why you were placed here. Ibben was protected by the Storm God's Ice Dragons. Even if spies were to report back to Westeros, it wouldn't change that any violent rescue mission would mean getting through at least ten Ice Dragons from what you could see.

You were essentially placed under house arrest and not allowed to step foot outside of the gates of one of the more luxurious places available. Even though you weren't shackled, you could feel your movements being stifled.

You understood why they placed you in a luxurious place, and it had nothing to do with the fact that you are a Queen. It had more to do with the fact that should you change your mind and marry either the Storm God or Balerion then this was also going to be the place wherein the marriage would be consummated. Perhaps both of them were still traumatized and took pity on you when you voluntarily submitted to the Faith Militant.

No matter, it seems you and the little ones will be here for awhile. And you need to rest once again. Your unborn child needs some energy, and it's easier to do that passively as you rest. After you make sure all of your dragon children were comfortable on the couch near the fire place that was more than enough for all four of them to sleep stretched out; you then allow yourself to drift to relax as much as you can.

"Alys? Alys can you hear me?" You heart leaps as you finally hear his voice in what seemed like a while.

"Aemond darling, I'm about to sleep. Can we meet in the dreaming?"

"Of course, I'll see you there."

Not long after, you both meet in the Dreaming, you find yourself sleeping on top of Fiddler's Green in a beautiful starry sky as Aemond rushes to you holding a torch.

"Alys!"

"Aemond!" He quickly tosses the torch and it turns into a campfire as the two of you embrace and kiss in longing.

Once the two of you settle, you tell him what happened the day you were kidnapped by Balerion and the Storm God.

"I should have known that our defenses was not enough. Maybe if I had given more investment to the Alchemists' Guild -"

"Aemond darling, we all thought that way. But even the finest guards and the finest defenses were nothing compared to the strength of Gods."

"We also had Gods on our side. Even your family is on our side."

"Balerion and the Storm God have my aunt and my relative on their side too. And they are still more powerful than the five of us combined. My siblings and I are still in our adolescence - maybe we are even still children - in the age of the Endless. Aemond my love, don't blame yourself. At least Ayrmidon is safe with you." He sighs.

"Your instincts were right. I'm still trying to see how to best explain to him what's going on."

"He doesn't know yet?"

"He does." Aemond brings you closer as the two of you snuggle by the fire.

"He has yet to understand what's going on."

"Tell him I love him alright. Right now I'm focusing on protecting our unborn child and our four dragon children here with me."

"Hmph, to think that the same move that cost me my eye has saved the other five here now." He runs his fingers through your hair as you feel him relax from his worries even just briefly.

"I'm not sure how much time we have left here so I'm going to tell you plenty of things that you might want to look into. We are currently in Ibben, in a luxurious dungeon since they have us in house arrest and we are not allowed to step beyond the gates of our little area. From what I briefly saw, Ibben is surrounded and guarded by at least ten Ice dragons. Balerion plans to make my mortal shell an immortal shell."

"Hmph? How?"

"I don't know the specific plant, but he says he has cultivated a plant with the Divine Vitality I gave him when I first bestowed on him his powers over fire and vitality energy. He plans on feeding it to me to lock me inside this mortal shell. If I can't die, he cannot be punished."

"Wouldn't that be breaking-?"

"That's what I told him but it seems he hasn't learned. If the Doom of Valyria is the consequence of him going unpunished for breaking my laws, I'm not sure the world would survive if he broke the laws of my mother and aunty Death."

"Then I shall have to make sure that you do die." He says with an underlying dangerous tone as he gives you a kiss on the forehead.

"The plant is somewhere deep in Sothoros. But be careful, that's where all his other blood experiments are aside from Valyria itself."

"Oh fuck." He curses as he leans back.

"What is it?"

"The slaver's cities, Mereen, Yunkai, and Astapor have all sworn allegiance to Balerion. And according to the new batch of Yi Ti magic users and soldiers, their ships were blocked and attacked by the ships of New Ghis. They were saved mainly by the magic users who have brought some of their own water dragons and by the Drowned God and the God of the Seven."

"Oh no." He looks at you grimly before continuing.

"They were forced to travel along the coastlines of Sothoros to avoid any more attacks toward their naval caravan. Fortunately they were able to rest and recuperate in the summer islands before travelling to the ports of Old town and of Flint's finger."

He takes your hand in his as he leans in till your foreheads touched and your noses brushed.

"Alys, this is war now. And I promised that I would protect you." Even if I have to do things that you don't agree with or find detestable, is what he was trying to tell you. He wasn't asking permission, but gently reminding you that there was no turning back and everyone involved would have to bear with the sins that you're all about to do.

Such was the realities of war.

Of protecting what one loves.

"I know, just make sure not to forget our own people." You say reassuringly before leaning in for a kiss.

You knew that falling in love with him would not change his ways. But you also didn't want to. He is who he is and you love him for it.

It's just that now he has an opportunity to unleash it.

After all, what King wouldn't protect his Queen?

And that was how the first year of the war began.

Fortunately, Pentos, Norvos, and Qohor are all on your side. With Aegon and Daeron staying in Qohor in exchange for security and for the forges of Qohor to wield and your father on standby with Caraxes in Norvos.

Unfortunately Lys swore allegiance to Balerion. You couldn't blame them, they shared interests after all in restoring Old Valyria. Plenty of Old Valyrian blood runs in Lys and they were the closest free city to Volantis, Balerion's city.

This in turn caused Tyrosh and Myr to be neutral in the face of war. At the heart of it these two cities would rather engage in trade than get involved in an ever increasing world war.

"Be careful my love." You tell him through the ring as he dresses in his armor as he prepares to mount Vhagar and lead the charge against Lys. Wisely so, since your family did not have much experience no matter how much studying they did with the ice dragons and the water dragons, they knew their way more around a regular fire dragon. Their strategy was to target Volantis and Ghiscar. Since these are the areas that both sides rely on for their supply lines, if they control this area they could monopolize the area for supply lines for your side.

"For you and our children I will. The sooner this war ends, the better." He says with determination. From what you have been hearing from your father, your Endless family as well as other beings are all waiting for the actual fighting to begin. If they act too early, it would give themselves away to your relatives, Desire and Despair, and would make them vulnerable.

That is not to say that they didn't do anything though.

Sensuality improved Vhagar's senses and brought it back to her prime when Visenya was still her rider. She has also given those riding the Ice Dragons on your side provided by the Drowned God heightened senses that were compatible with the cold, increased warmth and heightened vision among others. Not too much because the better and more heightened the senses, the greater the pain when it's exploited against them. The price of sensitivity.

Connectivity strengthened the bonds in your side, especially the ones working together as a team in fighting your enemies. She worked hand in hand with Knowledge in helping spies from your side to stay loyal and to lure other strategic persons to your side among enemy areas. Once the fighting actually begins she plans to weaken certain strategic bonds to weaken your enemies.

Imagination from what you have understood, has already done some preliminary work. Playing to the fears among your enemies while playing to the motivation to act in your side.

They were all waiting for the actual fighting to start before they could go wild in their fury.

You feel him mount Vhagar.

"Sȳz biarves Aemond. Avy jorrāelan."

"Kirimvose, avy jorrāelan Alys."

And so began the first battle of this Dance of Dragons.

While he lead the charge against Volantis, he assigned Baela (and also Jace but he would never publicly admit it so Baela is taking charge) to lead the attack against Lys.

While the three of them were fighting, as expected attacks from Lorath and Saath towards Norvos and Qohor also began. Specifically the Storm God's Ice Dragons. Hopefully having your father, Aegon and Daeron waiting there would finally payoff.

"The Greyjoy navy is delighted to finally be fighting. Though I don't understand why they won't have some of the Yi Ti magical practitioners with them as they fight an Ice Dragon with a Saathi mage as a rider." Knowledge tells you through the dreaming.

"They are filled with pride in their skills brother, even though they may die doing so, it's in their culture among the Iron Born."

"Hmph, at least the other Iron Born have at least two Yi Ti mages with them on their ships." You laugh as you take a sip of milk laced with nectar in the dreaming.

"Speaking of mages, I hear that you have some involvement with an intelligence mission regarding Balerion's plants of divine vitality?" He nods at you grimly.

"Meleys is actually heading that but I am present when they need to clarify a few things. As much as I hate to admit it, Balerion was wise to invent a new plant that contained the Divine Vitality you gave him. That way his only being is not his only source of it should he find himself suddenly in need of turning a mortal immortal."

"Damn I was hoping this wasn't the case." You say as you place a hand on your eight month belly. You know that he hasn't begun feeding it to you yet, but you now worry if he does it would lock you in this shell till some sort of antidote or your aunt helps you find a way to die.

"There is some hope dear sister." Knowledge says as he gets up from his seat.

"The brew that he plans on force feeding to you will require also the involvement of Ghost grass to ensure nourishment to the spirit. The mages in collaboration with the alchemists' guild have now begun experiments on making any people we send there more durable and more aware of the possible dangers of Sothoros." This gives you mixed emotions. You knew very well what he was implying.

"Are...are they making magical mutants?"

"I suppose you could call them that." He doesn't need to see you for him to feel your conflicted feelings about what they are currently doing.

"I just fret at what happens after the war. I'm thankful that there is effort in getting to the mysterious plant that has Divine Vitality but even this will have consequences afterwards."

"In war dear sister, everything has a risk and it's price."

"I know Knowledge, I just wish there was another way."

But even then, the realities of war had it's price. You knew this as you hear reports of your family, both mortal and immortal, causing devastation in the lands of your enemies. You hear about how Vhagar decimated the fields providing food and resources to those inside the Black walls of Volantis, while the fields dedicated to the Red God was ever as fertile for the followers of R'hllor. Causing a civil war inside the capital of Volantis.

You hear about how under Baela's leadership and diplomacy with Vermax hovering not too far away, Lys changed it's stance from being in Balerion's side to being neutral. While many of Old Valyria seeks to return home, even they don't want their island paradise destroyed after living in it since the Doom of Valyria.

And of course, you hear about the new dragonriders of Volantis duelling with Vhagar, Moondancer, and Vermax above the naval battle below them. Vhagar won, while Moondancer and Vermax were at a stalemate with theirs. But according to Aemond, both of them were able to inflict serious injuries on their opponents who were both larger than they were but not as large as Vhagar. His begrudging tone through the ring suggests that it was true.

"Who is leading the attacks against the Storm God's ice dragons?"

"Cregan Stark is my general there. You've been feeling the attacks there...haven't you?"

"I have, it has begun snowing and being a lot more colder than usual. Or so that's what my Ibbennese captors and caretakers say."

"Mmm hmm I hope they have been treating you and our children kindly." You couldn't help but snort a little bit at that.

"Think of it more as reluctant kindness. They know of the consequences that will happen if anyone deliberately hurts me, but their hatred for me - for us - is quite obvious. I'm suspecting that there are plans to assassinate me once I give birth."

"If that happens then I'll tell Mui Lan that she and the other Ice and Water dragon riders have my permission to be harsh toward the Ibbennesse."

"Still, even our children are feeling that something is not right and I agree. I'll need to find someway to escape here after giving birth. Maybe even with the umbilical cord still attaching me to our child." You sense a presence going inside your room.

"Aemond, I'll meet you in the dreaming, someone is here to see me."

"Be careful raqiarzy."

You quickly put down your ring as you quickly gather your dragon children close to you as the Storm God makes his presence known.

"What do you want Arari?" You try to keep your tone as neutral as possible. You know what Balerion wants, but you have yet to hear what the Storm God wants beyond simple desire for you. But now having experienced the powers of your relative first hand, you know better than to underestimate what Desire mixed with some sort of Despair could do.

"I have come to present to you my offer. An offer I believe would be more appealing than Balerion's."

"You would really betray your ally when you both already know that I would still choose Aemond over both of you?"

"We'll see if that remains true once you hear my modified proposal." He settles himself on front of you as you feel your children snuggle to your side. Both wanting comfort and to somehow feel they are also protecting you.

"Once you give birth and once you have finished nursing your child, I propose that you marry me. Become my wife and Queen of the Heavens and I shall help you punish Balerion for breaking your laws, and I shall willingly enforce them by your side."

"And if I still refuse?"

"Then the deaths of the innocent shall be in your hands for what I am about to do." He adds a thunder at the end of his voice. It still surprises you but you refuse to budge.

This was war, nobody but the farmers and other small folk providing for the very sustenance are innocent. You could only hope that someday their souls would understand or at least give you mercy for not giving in.

You are an Endless.

You are bound to the Universe.

Not to anyone who seeks to possess you.

Balerion was your obligation to punish. And no one else should interfere with that. It was your laws he broke, it is therefore you who should deliver the punishment on him for using the very gifts you gave him to violate them.

"With all due respect, I still refuse."

"Then I hope you can live with yourself for the incoming deaths that are now on your hands."

He disappears and once you sense his presence is gone, you take a breath in relief.

"Muña, what do you think he will do?" Rhaegar asks looking up from your womb.

"I think he's going to make the entire world freeze. Or perhaps he and Balerion together will make a firestorm. This time attacking what is crucial for us and not just to shroud their crimes."

"Daor, daor, daor." Shaena says in despair as she shakes her head. You pet her head to comfort her as her eyes starts to tear up.

"Mama, I'm sorry my creator is doing this to you."

"It's alright Shaena, you do not control what your creator does."

"Muña, I think kepa is in the Dreaming now." Meraxes says as she looks at the now glowing hands on your watch.

"Would you like to join us?" You ask softly and they all nod. Your heart breaks a little as they were now more cautious than they were before. They've been angrily stared at and almost screamed at when they were just playing around being themselves. You miss their enthusiastic replies when they didn't have anything to fear.

But this was the world now, and you need all need to adapt accordingly.

You gather them into your arms as you lay them on one side of the bed as you draw the translucent curtains around the bed's canopy for warmth. Then the five of you settle down and allow yourselves to dream.

As you feel yourself enter the dreaming, you find yourself and your children in the library. Roughly you were near the entrance from the throne room. As the five of you make a turn, you spot a familiar figure with your immortal parents and Lucienne.

"Kepa!" Meraxes and Aerea excitedly say. Aemond turns with a smile he reserves for you and your children.

You chuckle as they fly to his arms and in his embrace. They may not be able to fly in the waking world but in here they could fly as high as they want without being harmed.

You take your time walking towards them as your parents go to your side.

"Sit, whatever you need just dream it up and summon to you." Your father says as he makes a lazy boy chair appear for your comfort.

"The little one is going to arrive soon, rest while you can." Your mother says as she summons some of the foods you have been craving, mainly apples and hard boiled quail eggs.

"By any chance, is there a way that you could be the one to help me give birth, mom? I'm suspecting my child won't be safe with the midwife they give me."

"That is actually what we were talking about before you arrived." She says with an assurance that at least there was a plan in place.

"Kepa, my creator threatened muña. He might do something to you." You hear Shaena say as her siblings fly off to where your other dragon children were in the dreaming.

"Oh? What did he say?"

"He says that if mama doesn't marry him then the deaths of the innocent people will be on her hands."

"Shaena, don't worry it's not your muña doing those things. He's just trying to convince her that it's her fault, when really she has just been protecting you. You did a good job by telling me, alright?"

"Issa kepa." He embraces her before he releases her to join her siblings.

They all inform you of the plan and what ideally is going to happen. Since the Yi Ti mages along with the Iron fleet simultaneously with the Ice Dragons and the Water dragons on your side will be making an aggressive attack soon. They cannot tell you when just in case someone was secretly reading your mind.

It is then that you will be making your escape.

"How is Ayrmidon?" You ask Aemond after your parents and Lucienne discuss more logistical matters.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" And soon you hear your little boy racing towards you.

"Muña!"

"Trēsy!" You embrace him as he carefully embraces you and your pregnant womb.

"I miss you muña. I shouldn't have left with kepa."

"Daor Ayrmidon." You have him sit between you and Aemond.

"I'm the one who told your father to take you on that trip. It would be more difficult and more stressful if you are physically with me right now. Our enemies might kill you." You gently but firmly say.

"Also you would break our heart if you were suddenly gone trēsy." Aemond adds as he adjusts Ayrmidon to face you.

"Oh I'm sorry muña."

"It's fine darling. Now tell me, what has been going on? Tell me while we have this brief time together."

For the rest of your dream, you listen to the stories Ayrmidon tells you about his life since your kidnapping. How he and his dragon siblings have been studying on reading and writing, and mathematics much to his chagrin.

"Aelyx and Rhaellor really like mathematics. But I prefer the stories Uncle Imagination or Grandpa Dream tells us."

"Oh another thing that you inherited from me."

"Oh you have no idea raqiarzy." He says teasingly until you both notice that Ayrmidon is starting to wake up.

"No! Daor I just started!"

"Don't worry trēsy, this won't be the end."

"How come kepa is not waking up yet?"

"I was tired Ayrmidon, but don't worry just go and start eating breakfast. I'll be there soon."

And with that Ayrmidon fades away as he wakes up.

"He was sleeping beside me. It turns out none of us could sleep alone without you. And so the seven of us are in the same room almost every night."

"Same here with us." You say as your hands find each other.

"I told them that we are going to stick together and none of us are going anywhere without the rest of us. It's already horrible that we have been kidnapped and kept as captives among people who hate us. We can't afford another forced separation."

"With what we have planned, ideally there shouldn't be."

"You be careful too. I don't know what Balerion and the Storm God have in mind but it's not going to be good." You notice him beginning to fade.

"Take care of them." And then he fades away as he wakes up.

Unfortunately you didn't have to wait long to know what the Storm God was threatening to do. And you were right, he and Balerion worked in tandem to deliver what has now been called "The plague of the skies."

It started when the largest volcano of old Valyria made a massive eruption. An eruption so large that it had lasted for one week. During the eruption, there was an unusually strong wind that was able to spread the ashes and heated volcanic rock all throughout Westeros, and the western side of Essos covering the rest of the Free cities. The large ash clouds had covered the sun for several days. It reminded you of one of the ten plagues the Almighty sent to liberate the Israelites from a very stubborn Pharoah. Fire literally raining down for awhile from the skies. Or so the story goes at least.

Even Ibben was not spared from the flaming volcanic rocks coming from Valyria. If you and your children were hated before, now it became increasingly dangerous for you to remain in Ibben longer than necessary. Volcanic ash was prevalent in the wind and was frightening for you for the sake of your unborn child.

The moment the ash began to fade, the Ice Dragon and Iron Fleet began it's attack.

And that was when your parents in disguise finally came to aid you and your children make your escape.

Your father placed your captors to sleep while your mother places a charm over you and your children to hide you from the consciousness of everyone else. Knowledge was waiting with a boat to port that all of you use to travel to the mainland of Essos. Still concealed your family makes your way to the shelter Knowledge made among the woods of Ifequevron.

And just in time, your labor has begun.

Your other siblings arrive soon after. They explain that the Gods are mainly on duty in Westeros now. You were just glad that you and your children are not alone.

Imagination, Knowledge, and your father concealed your living area and had even recruited some spirits to work with them. You cling to Sensuality's hands as the all too familiar pain of giving birth has now arrived. Your mother was acting as the midwife and Connectivity was assisting her by helping you bend your legs.

"Is muña going to be fine?" You hear Rhaegar ask as he and his siblings watch from the side.

"Don't worry ñuhys trēsy, I'm not going to die today."

"Don't look away children, this is part of life. If ever you plan on having children in your human form, this is what the mother will have to go through. Don't push yet." You hear your mother say as she checks to make sure that the umbilical cord was not choking your baby.

"Everything is fine. If you feel the need to push -"

You pushed.

You kept pushing amidst the pain.

"Argh."

"Good good keep going."

Oh my, this felt to you to be larger than Ayrmidon.

Or at least this baby had a larger head.

"UGH!"

"Alys?!"

"Not now Aemond, I'm giv - AGH FUCK!"

"Good good, keep pushing."

You pushed.

You screamed.

You cursed.

And before you know it, your mother was placing your newborn on your breast as your child was kicking and crying.

"A baby girl."

"WAAH! WAAH!"

"Riñītsos...ñuha tala." You say in relief as your mother helps you to breastfeed her and give her nourishment. You feel yourself push out the placenta as you feel your mother and your sisters clean you up.

"Is she healthy mom?"

"Very much so. She has your hips, which is why you had a bit difficulty after the crowning."

"Īlva tala?"

"Oh issa Aemond. would you mind if I named her Maegella?"

"After Princess Maegelle for entering the sept?"

"In a way, this entire pregnancy has been affected by the divine. But she will still have her say in how she interacts with them as they put us through hell in this war." He chuckles at that. Now that you have your daughter in your arms his laughter now soothes you.

"Then I shall do my best for this war to end so I can bring you all home."

"Tell them for me. According to my mother she has my hips which is why I was still cursing after the crowning."

"Nyke ryptan ao. Especially when you were cursing. I'm just glad both of you are safe."

"Children come, meet your little sister." Connectivity says as she gathers them in her arms and sits beside you.

"Ooh, she's bigger than Ayrmidon." Shaena says as she observes Maegella still suckling your breast.

"She's so round and cute!" Maegella then cries out releasing your breast.

"WAAH! WAAH!" Still hungry, you reposition her as she quickly begins suckling your other breast.

"Is she still cute Meraxes?"

"Issa Aeraea. Skoro syt?"

"She's really loud."

"Of course she's loud, she's a baby."

"Ayrmidon wasn't this loud Rhaegar."

"Maybe it's because she's bigger?"

"Daor Meraxes. Maegella is just really hungry right now. She's not louder just because she is bigger." You say firmly before any body shaming implications might possibly arise unknowingly.

That night in the dreaming, Aemond and all your other children who has not yet seen your daughter is introduced to her for the first time. You take this momentary moment of peace before you need to move again. You relax in your bed surrounded by your dragon children and Ayrmidon sitting beside you. Aemond held her as she enjoyed playing or chewing on his eyepatch.

"See even she prefers you without the eyepatch. And she's only a few minutes old." You tease as they return to your side with Aemond being careful around your dragon children.

"I'm not surprised. She's starting to take after you."

"She has your nose kepa. How come I didn't get your nose?"

"Huh? Ayrmidon your nose is fine." Rhaellor says confused as Maegella reaches out to you and Aemond places her back in your arms.

"But I want to look like kepa."

"Hmm? Ayrmidon you already look a lot like me."

"Ñuha trēsy, you are handsome the way you are."

"Really?" Maegella blows a bubble from her saliva at Ayrmidon, then giggling after.

"See, Maegella likes you already."

She plays with Ayrmidon's fingers before she begins playing with your hair. You spend the rest of the evening catching up with your family before you all wake up and continue fighting on.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm not going to lie, this was a mix of Trojan war/WWI/The ten plagues from the Prince of Egypt.

[m0e-ru]

HI dumb silly liveblog im putting into tumblr post format from a year ago. P4GA vol 4 drama cd "Boo ~ I bear a grudge on you ~" featuring !!! the investigation team +marie horror summer school trip adventures. dojima and adachi at the pub. naoto getting scared to death again.

i am not fluent in JP and i just did this for fun the best i can i hope you can comprehend it at least. here's where i listened to it !!! please listen to it it has all the audio cues and context and it's part of the experience !! it's really fun

September 27, 2021

10:17 PM

synopsis: the IT is trying out summer activities with marie :)

the track: /kids screaming yelling/ /adachi at the pub/ /kids screaming and yelling/

10:18 PM

i mean it also did say 'a test of courage' so i get why'd they be scaring each other but why does golden always love to pick on naoto

10:21 PM

narukami going 'yosuke....goochab (good job)' was cute actually

10:30 PM

from what i can comprehend so far, the IT's on summer break and want more stuff to do and decide to have this 'test of courage' by hanging around yasogami in the middle of the night with marie

they all pull straws and walk around in pairs depending who they pull and theyre narukami and marie, yosuke and rise, kanji and yukiko, then teddie and chie

10:30 PM

i dont wanna rewind rn but yosukes like 'haha im with risette im gonna scare her in revenge (of something, i couldnt catch it)' but shes being a girlboss and sharing her own horror story of something that happened in a film set and yosuke's like '(we are walking in the dark hallways of this school) ths is fine im a brave boy totally haha'

10:32 PM

their segment ended off with 'aww senpai but it's toootally real !!' and wind wooshing and thumping noises scare yosuke and rise's just 'oh thats just the windows. haha hanamura-senpai's a scaredy cat' and all he could do was laugh nervously

10:32 PM

oh tebbi footsteps

10:34 PM

oh he uses watashi?my little mascot bear i never noticed from all the third person or this is a golden thing

10:36 PM

i... couldnt understand what happened. teddie's paired with chie but he was busy scaring each other like 'wh...what if this happens' and chie's like 'omgg!!!stop!!!!' then something scared the two but all i could understand were zipper sounds and punching

10:53 PM

okok so it's dojima and adachi at the pub with dojima already a bit woozy and adachi sober for the sake of keeping his boss in check and we get some mamasan interaction!! (mama-san is what you call the lady bartender at the pub)

anywho, dojima's complaining about naoto being 'prodigy detective' and 'the kubo kid' and almost smacking the soul out of adachi's body while adachi responds like a good subordinate listening to his boss' drunken complaining

it's concerning to know that he made his own cup (mug?) overflow with adachi's concerning 'dojimasan--stop, stop!' and even reminding him about...nanako

keeping him together with the thought of his daughter and hes like 'nanako....' while adachi gets a call about how dojima's doing and while acting in disbelief that his boss going off again when accused and he gets hung up on and he just finds dojima asleep and. yeah.

look, i also forget adachi and dojima's dynamic whether adachi's genuine or not, dojima is right to be grateful for his company woww a pair of besties if i see one

10:54 PM

im only halfway through this disc and i havent even heard marie for the second time but i know she screams

10:55 PM

omg it's kanji and yukiko ohhh she sounds so excited like 'ohh creepy dark hallways this is so fun dont u think so my dear kouhai'

10:55 PM

'whether it'd be a monster or a Shadow i'll fight it' hi kanji

11:00 PM

ohh my vocab is failing me but some lovey dovey dialogue is going down and kanji's misunderstanding it but yukiko's like 'i love.,.,.,.,scary things (I THINK)'

they enter a room and yukiko's like 🗿 and kanji's like 'senpai¿?' and yukiko's like 'ok yeah whatever——OH PIANO' and she plays a few keys sounding creepy something something midnight something something

kanji keeps talking and yukiko just slams on the piano and goes 'kanji.....kanji....!' and she laughs over some pun i couldnt understand

11:04 PM

ok yukiko keeps laughing over the piano and banging on the keys and kanji's 'what if satonaka senpai and the others hear this' and yukiko goes all monotone again like 'you hear that' it;s footsteps

and she slides open the door and kanji's like 'wtf amagi senpai' and she sprints out and he chases after her 'SENPAI????'

11:06 PM

omg,.,.., mari,.,...,.,.,.,narukami asks 'are you scared?' and she's like 'whats a scared?' like her usual genuine unknowingness

11:09 PM

ohh thats so cute narukami's like 'watch this' and in yosuke and rise pov does yosuke get a call from him and rise's like 'yusenpai???!!!' as usual but all he does is breathe into the phone all creepily and while theyre distracted marie sneaks up on them and goes 'boo' and the two lose their minds screaming jskdfasfgwyefgasf

11:10 PM

narukami: so how was it, marie?

marie: it was...fun

narukami: right?

yosuke: WHAT DO YOU MEAN "RIGHT"???

11:11 PM

SHE WANTS TO DO IT AGAIN OOOOHH.,..,.,.,.,MARI HORROR GIRL SUMMER

11:16 PM

from what i can understand it's like chie hid into teddie's costume along with him and hes just having a hard time moving around. hes the only one who can see though and these two are a bunch of scaredy cats (bears) where teddie's like 'theres a-a-a g-g-g-guy'

11:19 PM

before marie finishes her creepy chant, chie loses it and starts kicking and punching inside the costume screaming, but once she unzips it shes like 'YOU GUYS?????'

then narukami's like 'do you hear the other disembodied voice next to you' and teddie's just Dead and while chie's apologizing hes like 'ahh..sharing chie-chan's warmth was such an experience.,.,. i thought i could see the light (from almost dying??????)'

11:22 PM

it's kanji trying to look for yukiko like 'amagi senpaaaaai where are youuuuuu' and marie tries to scare him and he's like 'oaugh. u n senpai tryin to scare me?' and marie's like 'aw geez, old timer' 'im NOT old'

11:22 PM

seven more minutes to this

11:28 PM

kanji goes 'so have you seen amagi senpai?' and narukami immediately tells everyone else 'new goal (idk what the initial one was) let's look for amagi' and oHHHH marie

shes running with the IT and shes like 'im making a memory...my heart feels....' AND THE V ROOM MUSIC BOX STARTS PLAYING AND SHE STARTS MAKING A POEM ON THE SPOT OHHH,.,.,I LOVE HERSO MUCHH

something something kami, shinigami, any god out there, heart something something "forever dreamer" AAAUAUGHGHGHGHG....

and narukami's talking about yukiko totally unrelated to marie, to which she snaps back into reality tsundere screaming 'NOOO NAAHH I WASNT WRITING ANYTHING NOO STUPIDIDIOTIHATEYOU'

11:32 PM

ohh wait they split up lmao so marie's alone and she just heard narukami in her head. anyway theres no one around and she heard something and shes like 'ANYONE?? DOES ANYONE HEAR ME??' and it cuts to narukami, who kanji followed, finding yukiko and hearing marie yelling

theres a weak exhale, as if the person's dead, and kanji's like 'naoto¿??'

11:35 PM

back to adachi in the pub getting a call about naoto and hes like 'yeah yeah yup yup i got it' ending the call he does his usual 'everything's such a pain' then dojima's heard snoring. adachi asks for beer and ponzu and mamasan talks up and goes 'oh it's all a pain, you say. but it's not like you hate it all either, do you?' FUCK OFF

11:38 PM

golden loves bullying naoto huh like the golden anime christmas special wasnt enough

11:43 PM

anyway, new scene where the IT apologize to naoto and they go on a fit with stuff like 'why are you here??? you couldve damaged schoool property????youre all idiots!!!' and something about being at yasogami because of uhh,., adachi?

WAIT SO 'shin-chan' FROM THE FIRST CALL WAS REAL??? SHIROGANEKUN.,.,.,,.,.,.brb strangling adachi for a bit

then a loony cartoon sfx and we're into naoto's pov flashback where they kept running into the IT and accidentally scaring each other starting from yukiko banging on the piano and laughing, being the first one to scare chie and teddie,

and ultimately running away to be where marie is after they split up to find yukiko. from how naoto perceived it, she recites her poem rather,.,.,.,ghoulishly and finally they drop dead on the spot, which was the thump marie heard

11:46 PM

loony cartoon sfx plays again and the flashback is over and rise's like 'aww but all that matters is that youre fine!' and naoto's still in a daze back to yelling 'NO, SCHOOL IS A PLACE TO STUDY AND YOURE ALL MORONS' and the fun time montage plays and fin

11:51 PM

ok thats it for my sucky tl liveblog oh wait heres the thing https://youtu.be/PasKTZtKx

[liopleurodean]

Season 11, Episode 4: Baby

11x04 Baby THEE episode of all time

(I specifically rushed the last six episodes so that I could watch this on my birthday)

Aw yeah

THE LEGOS

Poor Baby is a mess

Sleepy Dean

THE CAR WASH

I wanna see the shorts

That's good

Dean, you're not fine

Anything works

Nice fade

I doubt it, but worth a shot

Dude. Really?

It looks disgusting

Sam...

Aw, Cas

It's awesome

Yeah, he'll be fine

Okay, how many times are they gonna use the caption [engine purring]?

Has food!

Whoa! What's that about Swayze?

Dean...

Logic.

He was in there a while

Why are the windows down?

Sam!

Well, he definitely learned to have fun

Yikes

Dean.

Interesting

Dean knows exactly what happened

NIGHT MOVES

This is the reason Night Moves is on my Dean playlist

Dean's getting into it 😂

Bob Seger!

Better than Sammy

MY BROTHER'S 67 CHEVY!!!

This is great

Oh, that's so pretty

Ah!!!! The camerawork!!!! The lighting!!!!! Baby has never been more beautiful

Oh, Dean... 😂

Okay, Dean

He put a blanket down because he knew you'd kill him if he got anything on the upholstery

Absolutely!

He didn't deny it 😂

Dean. You're 37, not dead

He thinks about it. He doesn't let himself go any further

Dean.

Great question

Must be a dream

Interesting

Of course he has

Has been for a while

Touche

Yeah, well. Didn't work out

Yeah.

Oh, Sam...

You saw Hell, Sam

As always

That was weird

I'll rate it 5 stars

That's sweet

That's concerning

Not like Azazel

He looked kinda weird

Screw John Winchester

But they already knew that

So... just keep going?

Yeah...

Dean is confused™

Spill the tea, Sam

Dean would know

SMART DEAN TRUTHER

Maybe

Makes sense

HIS DREAM

AAAAAHHHHHHH

I'm gonna cry now 😭

They need hugs so bad

Because they like messing with people

I think that's the point

Still worth looking into

I miss that 😭😭😭

And there it is

WEREPIRE

Say it, Sam. WEREPIRE.

Yikes

Uh oh

Yeah...

That's nice

Well now Dean has to try it

No. Not the valet

This is not living, Sam

Listen. Normally, I'm okay with valet, but not when the drivers are that young. It's just asking for trouble

See that smile on her face? She's up to no good

Oh boy

At least they have taste

...but not in music

Recipe for disaster

Yikes

Good riddance

She definitely didn't

That was a quick stop

Dean, no...

Nope. You shouldn't have tipped her

This is scintillating

Dean, why did you leave your phone?

This conversation is horrible

WEREPIRE.

That's lame

Interesting

Cas...

Demons?

Oh great

Dean's a little preoccupied

HE SAID IT

This is great

Yikes

HE SAID IT. HE SAID THE LINE

Season eleven was what? 2016? Cas, the next solar eclipse was in a year. Not that far away

He's a little busy

That's weird

THE WIPER

Waste of bullets

Seriously?

We're doing this Leviathan-style, I guess

It sounds like a Mogwai

Good idea

That is really weird

Uh oh

This'll be fun

That is a long way to drive backward

Interesting shot

It's possible

German.

A ghoulpire!

So, a drachma?

That's convenient

But only before 1982

I knew that too

Don't worry about it, Cas

The purse?

Don't open the cooler

Yeah...

Oh boy

Don't do it

Dean.

Good plan

Not even remotely

Yeah. Of course

Oh no

What did she do?

He doesn't know anything

Yikes

Wow, there is a lot of room in that backseat. I've got a pretty big car, and I don't think I could do that

This is great

Uh oh

Dang it, Sam!

Ah, here we are

So the head can be reattached?

There's the purse

Well, duh

Definitely not dumb

Ah, the hairpin!

Too many

That's not good

Against the Darkness

You'd be surprised

Mm, I doubt that

Of course he is

It wasn't personal

Yeah, that's not gonna happen

Oh-!

That won't do much

Yeah, there we go

Ew

Just use all of them

And there goes another window

Yikes

Yup, there it is

That's one way to chop off a head

Yeah, me too. She's a mess

Poor girl

Yeah

Come on Baby, I know you can do it

Come on

Yeah, there she is!

And there's the 180°. Gets me every time

Still gorgeous

Looks like they're all okay

Good thing they came

Of course

Sam, the monsters were scared of Eve. That doesn't mean much

Yeah, okay 😂

You're both a mess

THANK YOU, SAM

You got it, Baby

Oh, I can't look 😭 I'm so sorry, Baby

YOU CAN SEE PAST THE HEADLIGHTS 😭😭😭

And her engine doesn't sound right either 😭

[thegreatamericanfacebookstatus]

update on this, he moved our hang to a breakfast thing. i went over and a woman was packing up her things from last night, said she was taking the churu. likeeeeeeeeee. playing with the kitten, i asked if she had pets? he didn’t know she had birds. we talked about the birds; one had murdered the others.

she said, i'll see you at 5 tomorrow? this guy👀and i had originally been scheduled for tomorrow at 6. she left. i said, she seems nice, over correcting in my surprise, disappointment. he said, she's sweet. he asked if my partner lived with me. i said, i don’t have a partner. he said, oh, i thought you'd mentioned one.

we talked. i reiterated i could not take off my mask. i've had covid 5 times. i've caught it outside, but i can get stuff to go. he wanted to take me to his favorite coffee place. we talked, walked, he bought me coffee and a pastry.

we talked about this class i'm in, on influence. how i'd put in the terms and conditions for my forgiveness, in his apology for leaving me hanging, that he had to do 4 good deeds. putting good out brings good in.

he'd done way more. he said, you were influencing me to be better. we locked eyes for 30 seconds, standing at a crosswalk in golden light. we talked about climate change, my classes, his classes. he said i was very impressive, lol. we talked about his thoughts on ai (pro 🤢"inevitable")(NO!) and company buy-outs. fossil fuels and university investments. he said, i should lead a revolt, he would follow me.

he complimented my style, said it was distinctive and worked. i don’t know what to think.

on the one hand, if i were in that lady's shoes? seeing another woman come over as i'm leaving...yikes. and to have me come over as she's leaving, that feels like a very clear warning from the universe to watch out. it hurts that he could see me as totally sexless, but i guess that's just ego. rescheduling our hang for theirs, a clear indication of his priorities. she confirmed that they were on, but if he would do that to her? another yikes.

everyone deserves someone apeshit, absolutely devoted to them. he didn’t get up to say goodbye to her. woof. very 25. i avoid entangled people.

and it hurts so much, not just because of the ego insults, that i like him and he's fucking other people. but because i have to mask 24/7, and need a partner that will do the same, and that feels almost impossible to find. painful painful pain. so knowing he's 99% likely a dead end is probably for the best, yet i'm still replaying like, when he complimented my style, and i returned the compliment, he went, no, that's ok, you don't have to repay it in kind. i feel like i should’ve gone, you still look good. self-assured.

but i didn’t. maybe it was self-preservation, from seeing the lady walk out this morning, although the extended eye contact kind of went against that. more likely, it was my constant fear of rejection getting in the way yet again.

i went in saying, do not get attached, and god that is tough. logically i know, i deserve better, someone already committed to masking, someone reliable and as interested in turning the tide on covid as i am. but the loneliness/sadness/longing is killer. he texted me at 11, a photo of his cat. what is going onnnnnnn.

i keep second guessing, should i have been more open about my feelings? when we were looking at a window of a wretched serf and he went, that’s me, should i have said no, you're cute. when i sensed his eyes on me, should i have looked back? the unreliability told me not to. dark thoughts wonder, would he be unreliable if i'd been more clearly into him? but he probably would be.

i've outgrown trying to force someone, someone who seems good in many ways, to be strong in the way i need. it's for the best! but it still sucks to brush with romantic interest, and then have so many small digs of disappointment that it's like....wait....realization of hORROR...these are red flags. will instead invest time in myself and friends, aye aye, capn

[mischiefmanaged71]

The Love Hypothesis (12/22) - Stephen Strange x Reader

Summary: Y/N Y/L/N is a PhD student who wants to prove to her best friend that she has moved on and dating. With no way to prove it, she kisses the first man she sees, which ends up being none other than Dr. Strange, known as one of the most unapproachable and critical professors in the university.

A/N: AU! Stephen Strange is a Professor/Doctor at Columbia University and reader is a Ph.D. student (Reader - 28, Stephen - 34). Credits to Ali Hazelwood for the original story. This work is a piece of fiction. I have no ownership over anything, this is ff.

P.S. Prepare yourselves for more angst. The lighter stuff will come soon. I promise xx

Pairing: Stephen Strange X FEM! Reader

Word Count: 3K

Warning: T/W verbal sexual harassment, same content as the novel. 

Pushing through the door with slight apprehension, Y/N walked through the entrance with her bag on her shoulder. The scent of Stephen’s cologne remained in the air - a mixture of oud, pine and something bitter like coffee. 

It was obvious which bed he slept on with the German book, the sunglasses and the phone charger sticking out of the power outlet. His suitcase was resting against the wall neatly, black and expensive looking. Certainly his style. 

She sighed and placed her own suitcase on the floor next to her bed, between the window and the wall. A solemn feeling crossed her mind as she ran a hand down her face tiredly and slipped her shoes off. A pang rang through her heart as she breathed in his scent, flopping back onto the bed. She hadn’t seen Stephen in person since the night of the Ball when she had left him on the dance floor. Her eyes fell shut, breathing in deeply to hold off the barrel of emotions she’d been harbouring inside. 

After Sam consoled her, she hadn’t said much. She didn’t have to and that was the good thing about their friendship. Although Natasha was confused for a bit, she put it down to a small argument. Natasha could’ve easily asked Stephen and deciphered it for herself, but none of it would fit together. 

Pulling her phone from her pocket, she scrolled down to the last texts from him, none of which she had replied to.

Stephen: 

7:52 p.m. : Y/N, are you okay?

8:03 p.m. : Please text me back.

8:53 p.m. : Are you okay?

11:21 p.m. : Y/N, please let me know if you’re okay

She replied after that last response, feeling a sense of guilt for his worry at this late hour.

Y/N: I’m okay. Sorry I made you worry. I was feeling sick, so Sam took me home early.

Stephen: You weren’t feeling well? Are you okay? You could've told me.

I’m sorry to hear that.

Y/N: Thank you, I'll be okay.

Stephen: Okay. Let me know if there is anything I can do.

That was his last text for a bit. Consumed with work and meetings, the pair hadn’t seen each other in person for some time. Now, Y/N found herself waiting in their shared room awkwardly, unsure of what to do. Changing out of her airport clothes, she put on the dress and heels she picked out for her talk. Shutting her eyes for a moment sounded good until the door opening alerted her to someone else’s presence.

Her heart pattered in her chest until Stephen entered the room. And then her heart was really pounding in her ears. She forced a smile, leaning on her hands against the mattress. “Hey,” 

“Hi,” he snapped his mouth shut, clearing his throat “You’re...here.”

“Yeah,” she nodded, “Here. I just arrived. Flight was surprisingly on time.”

Stephen seemed a bit tired, and Y/N wasn’t sure if it was jetlag or staying up with uncomfortable amounts of coffee to keep him company, as she had done on many an occasion. 

“You look...” he muttered, looking at her dress and heels.

“Professional?”

“Not what I was going to say, but...” he closed his eyes to collect his thoughts, “Yes, you do. How are you?”

Her gaze flickered to the ground and she looked back up, unsure. 

“Yeah, fine. A bit nervous.” 

“You’ll do great.”

“Oh, yeah and how would you know that?”

He walked over, taking a seat on his bed, “Because you have a script. You memorized it and your slides are good.”

“Yeah, thanks for that.”

“No problem.” he smiled.

“I just dumped my things here since I thought that’s where you slept.” pointing at the bed.

“Yeah, I slept there last night.” 

She nodded, a beat passing between them as they weren’t sure of what to speak of. Don’t talk about the unspoken tension in the air. Do not venture onto the topic of your untimely departure from the ball after Stephen tried to kiss you.

“So, uh, are you still coming to my talk?” 

His eyes lit up in recognition, “Course, when is it exactly?”

“At four, room 278. Session three-b. It overlaps with the keynote address though, so I’m not sure how many people will show up...” she trailed off, noticing how Stephen tensed up.

“Unless you were planning on attending the keynote address?”

Stephen froze up, until Y/N glanced at the conference lanyard around his neck.

Stephen Strange, Ph.D.

Columbia University

Keynote Speaker

“Are you kidding? Why didn’t you tell me you're the keynote speaker? That's kind of a big thing." She exclaimed, wide-eyed.

“I didn’t think to?” he sighed, catching the disappointment on her face, “It slipped my mind with everything going on.”

She shook her head, “No. It’s my fault. I didn’t read the program. I feel so dumb now stressing about my ten minute speech to the keynote speaker.”

“Hey, your fear is understandable. I didn’t think any different because I was speaking.”

“When are you presenting? Maybe I can try to make it.” he reasoned.

“I’m presenting halfway through.” she shook her head, “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” despite the pang in her chest.

“I’m sorry I can’t be there.” 

“It’s okay. Really.” she forced a smile, “I have to record the speech for Dr. Xavier. He can’t be here and he wanted to watch my first talk. I can always share it with you, if you’re a fan of second-hand embarrassment and cringing.”

“I’d like that.” Stephen smiled instead.

She nodded, smiling nervously as her anxiety was at a peak. 

“It’ll be okay, Y/N. Just breathe and before you know it, it’ll be over.” 

The soothing nature of his low voice almost made her believe it, visible tension leaving her posture. “Thanks, I’ll do well to remember that when I’m tripping on the stage.”

“Smart-ass.” he grinned, grabbing his thumb drive from the side table.

“Good luck with your talk, Dr. It’s a great honour.” she smiled, “You deserve it, Stephen.”

The compliment caused him to pause, “Don’t be nervous, okay? I know you can do it.”

***

Checking the time for the third time and rushing past several rooms, she found the correct room, recognising someone on her way to the door. 

“Tom!”

“Hey, Y/N. I noticed we were on the same panel.” 

“We are?” she tilted her head.

“Yeah.”

“I didn’t read who else was on the panel.” she sheepishly smiled, walking through the door he held open.

“No worries. It’s mostly boring people. Except for us, of course.” he joked.

The talk didn’t go poorly. 

She stammered a few times and the projector enhanced the image of a black blob, but she assured the audience to believe her with an encouraging ‘Just trust me on this’. A few chuckles and the room settled significantly which boosted her confidence. Soon enough she was going through the rest of her topic with ease and there were even a few questions.

Natasha met her at the side of the stage when it was over, “Oh my god. You were amazing. And you look hot and professional too.”

“That’s what I was going for.” she winked.

“Ladies, the department social begins in half an hour.” Sam hugged Y/N, “You were great, Y/N. We should celebrate the fact you pronounced ‘channel-rhodopsin’ on the first go.”

She slapped his arm, “Ass.” 

He pulled her into a tight hug, “Congrats, Y/n/n. Now, time to celebrate!”

“You guys go ahead, I’ll grab my USB and put my stuff back at the hotel.”

Y/N moved to the computer, looking around at the room now empty. A smile crossed her face as she thought about the new-found confidence she found here. With a few things together, she managed to overcome her fear of public speaking. She should text Stephen and let him know that he was right.

“It went well.” Tom said from behind her. He leaned against a table behind her, arms crossed. 

“Thanks. Yours was good too.” although she had spaced out a bit during the other speeches.

“Where’s Stephen?” he walked over.

“Giving his keynote speech.” 

“Right.” Tom rolled his eyes. Y/N wasn’t sure it was with fondness, though. “He does that, doesn’t he?”

“What?”

“Outdoes you.” he looked down at her, “Well, everyone. It’s never personal.” 

She frowned, confused with the change in demeanour. 

“I think we’ll get along great next year.”

“Hopefully.” she smiled in response. “Thanks again for accepting my project. I can’t wait to starting working at Harvard.”

“You’re welcome. I think there’s quite a bit we have to gain from each other. Don’t you?”

Her face dropped slightly, confused as something tightening in her stomach. Something unnerving and uncomfortable as she stared at him uncertainly. “I-well, yeah. The blood biomarkers could do a lot of good if-”

“And I have what you need? The research funds. The lab. The time and ability to mentor you.”

“Yes...” her eyes glanced around. He hadn’t seemed that tall before, nor did he appear to be this close in the past. His hand gripped her arm, his unfamiliar breath far too close than she wanted.

“What-” she retreated as far as she could, “What are you doing?”

“A preview.” he stated bluntly. 

Y/N wrenched her arm out his grip and shoved him off forcefully, a shiver running along her skin at the cruel and condescending laugh.

“A preview-You’re out of your mind. What the hell?”

“Come on.” he reached out.

“Don’t touch me.” her voice was sharp and fierce, gritting her teeth. Why the hell was he smiling?

“Don’t lie to me and say you didn’t picked out a dress that short for my benefit. Nice legs, by the way. I can see why Stephen’s wasting his time with you.”

“The-what the hell are you talking about?”

“Y/N.” he sighed, as if she were in denial, putting his hands in his pockets. His disgusting hands. Revolting.

“You don’t think I accepted you into my lab because you’re good, do you?”

Her heart dropped into the floor, staring at him with jaw-slack. 

“A girl like you. Who figured out early in her academia that sleeping with well known successful scholars is how you get ahead.” he smiled that same smile she previously thought was thoughtful. “You slept with Stephen, right? We both know you were planning the same here.”

“You’re disgusting.”  She wanted to vomit.

“Am I? You used Stephen to get to me and my lab. To the conference.”

“I didn’t. I didn’t even know Stephen when I applied, nor did I know about you-”

“Oh please, you’re telling me you thought your pitiful abstract was selected for a talk because of its quality and scientific importance?” making a face in disbelief, “Someone has a high opinion of herself considering her research is useless, derivative. Barely put together.” the words stabbed at her.

She froze, “That's not true.” 

“No? You think people wouldn’t go to lengths to impress Stephen Strange? Even kissing the ass of the girl he’s sleeping with? Maybe you’re right. Maybe you know more about academia than me.”

“I’m going to tell Stephen about this. Without a doubt-”

“By all means. Be my guest. Do you need to borrow my phone.” 

“No.” she turned away, marching to the entrance where her phone was strapped onto the tripod. She was going to find Stephen and the conference staff.

“Quick question. Who do you think he’ll believe, Y/N?”

She halted, a few feet from the door.

“You, some girl he’s been sleeping with for about two weeks, or someone who’s been a close friend for years? Someone who helped him get the most important grant of his career? Someone who has had his back since he was younger than you are? Someone who is actually a good scientist?”

She spun around, “What is your problem?”

“I’m tired of being second to Stephen Strange. Because he is always better at everything and I like the idea of taking something from him for once. Because you’re pretty and I look forward to next year. Don’t you?”

“You’re sick if you think I’m still going to Harvard next year.”

“Oh, but you will, because who else is going to accept you? While you’re work isn’t particularly brilliant, it’ll look good with my other projects. And its also easily reproducible with the report you sent me.”

Her jaw was slack, staring ahead in a fugue state, “You wouldn’t. It’s academic misconduct.”

“Listen, Y/N. My friendly advice. Keep Stephen happy for as long as possible. Then come to my lab and work on the biomarkers. Make me as happy as possible and then you can save the world from pancreatic cancer. That sob story about your mother dying will only get you so far. Mediocre at best.”

Y/N didn’t wait, she ran from the room, her heart plunging into her stomach.

***

Hearing the beep from the door releasing was liberating as Y/N stepped through the doors. She had wiped her face with her sleeves countless times, but that probably did nothing to mask the redness from her crying and the puffiness from her face. It took everything in her not to collapse into an anxious mess against the door. Steadying her breath, Y/N pressed herself against the door, hearing the seal quietly click shut. She sighed, counting her breaths before the sound of footsteps alerted her to Stephen’s presence. 

She clenched her eyes shut, pondering what to do. What to say when he looked at her distraught state. He stepped out from the bathroom, spotting her at the door. “Hey. How did your address go?” but her voice was strained and quieter than she expected.

He dismissed the question, noticing the redness of her eyes, “What’s wrong?”

She shook her head, “Nothing.” trying to compose herself, “Did you just finish?”

“What happened?” he repeated, “Your eyes are red.”

“Stephen, I’m fine.” her voice but a whisper, strained from her sore throat.

He stepped closer, “Y/N.”

She held her breath.

“Your hands are shaking.” 

She looked and indeed they were. Clenching them shut, she closed her open mouth. Her false smile was crumbling quickly within a moment. If she was honest, clenching her eyes shut was the only thing keeping her from collapsing. Stephen stood in front of her, carefully scanning her.

“What happened, Y/N?”

She shook her head again, but it was more in defeat than the previous time. “Nothing. It’s really nothing.”

“Did someone spill your coffee?”

“No.” a laugh bubbled from her throat.

“Is it because I missed your talk?”

“I did miss your question from the crowd. They couldn’t bring your enthusiasm.”

He hummed, wiping a tear from her cheek “Of course, I’m your number one fan. No one can take my job.”

“You’ve gotta argue with Sam on that one.”

“I think I’m one base above Sam.”

She smiled, sighing tiredly as Stephen caressed her cheek gently.

“What happened?”

“I-” her mind flickered back to the previous hour, “I just-I thought my talk went okay. My friends said it did. And then I heard some people talking about it. They said it was derivative. Boring.” she exhaled.

“They said the only reason I got the talk was because I’m your girlfriend.”

She needed to get it out of her head. Forget it ever happened.

“Who were they?”

Y/N exhaled, staring up at his concerned eyes, pushing forward for the truth that she couldn’t give him. 

“I don’t know.”

“Did you see their badges? Anything?”

“I didn’t see their faces.” she admitted.

“Were they on your panel?”

Oh, Stephen. She felt her heart pound in her ears, sliding a hand down her face. 

“No. If it’s alright, I don’t really want to talk about it anymore. I don’t really care.”

“Right.�� he snorted.

“I don’t.”

“But that’s not the point, isn’t it? It’s about what you think of yourself.” his voice was low, “You think they’re right.”

Y/N pressed her lips together, trying to slowly move around Stephen when he blocked her path. She stared at his chest, her eyes falling shut. “I-don’t-”

“You are a great scientist, Y/N. Whatever this asshole said to make you think otherwise speaks nothing of about you and everything about them.” he slid a hand on her jaw to make her look up, “Your work is incredible.”

She finally allowed herself to fall into him, lacing her arms tightly around his waist. Her head pressed to his chest, the sound of his thrumming heartbeat soothing to her ears. It was probably dumb and inappropriate, but when Stephen embraced her back, they stood there for a while and she allowed tears to fall. Here, she felt grounded and warm as he held her together. She was the first to pull back and ducking her face to wipe the tears.

She sighed, “I’ll be okay.”

He watched her with a worried look.

“I will be. I just need a bit of time.” she smiled shyly, “Thanks for-uh, consoling me. And for what you said.”

“My pleasure.”

“Are you, uh-still planning on attending the department social?” she asked, running a hand through her hair.

“Are you?”

“Not so sure I feel up to it. I’ll probably stay up here if that’s okay with you? Although the free drinks and food would be nice.”

His eyes were unreadable as he looked at her, “All by yourself?”

“I don’t really feel like talking.”

He paused before extending his hand, “Come on.”

“What?” she stared at him.

He pushed his hand out, nodding his head “Come on. We’re not going to the social.”

“We?”

“Yes, we are going to get drinks and food-” he paused, “Free for you, of course.”

She gaped, groaning, “Stephen, no. You have to go. You’re a part of the social department committee, and you’re the keynote speaker.”

“And I already spoke. Sounds like my job is done.” he grabbed her handbag from the table, taking her hand. “Can you walk in those?” looking at her shoes.

“Yeah,” she nodded

“Great, lets go then.” holding the door open for her, despite the hesitance still evident on her face. 

“Stephen, you can’t miss this. People will say that-”

“What?” his eyebrows raised as he tilted his head, “What will they say? That I spent time with my girlfriend?”

“Let them.”

She was stumped as he tugged her along and they left the room together.

TAGS:

@goldencherriess @severuined @thewinterpoet2 @pasta-warlord @typical-bistander @judig92 @captainbarness @gaitwae​ @sleutherclaw @angstsfordays @mavsketch @mando-is-the-way @samisubi @liar-liar13 @evelynrosestuff @stanny-uwu @colorfuly-blog04 @frostandflamesfanfic @katsuphobic @fiadh-bell @awmysherl @sourgrapes-aa @orighami @apple-and-berry @blue-aconite @kaykay0315 @hunterofshadows04 @ohchoices @empty-canvas @99queenrory99 @savage-rhi @shutupwylow @singhfae @loki-is-loved @jotaros-bara-tiddies @cottagecore-cat @simpforreadheads @levitationcloak  @hospitaldaydream

[musings-of-a-rose]

I'll Always Wait For You - Chapter 12

Pairing: Francisco "Frankie/Catfish" Morales x F!reader

Word Count: 4600+

Rating: Mature - 18+ ONLY!

Warnings: Just like ao3, “creator chooses not to use warnings.” If you click Keep Reading, that means you agree that you’re the age to handle mature themes. Also by clicking Keep Reading, you understand warnings may not be complete in order to avoid spoilers for the story. However, if you’d like trigger warnings, click here to view them for this chapter.

Notes: THANK YOU for waiting while I got through my Meet the Millers fic! That one shot became a full fledged novel and I finally finished it! It feels nice to get back to Frankie. Also this one starts some heavy shit near the end so if you feel the need, please check out the warnings (they will contain spoilers).

A HUGE THANK YOU to @astoryisaloveaffair for being my sounding board and helping me with research. Without you, this wouldn’t be what it is!

I may be moving to an every other week format. It really depends on how my schedule flows these next few weeks. Just a heads up!

**If you want to be added to the taglist, join here or let me know!

<&lt;Chapter 11

I'll Always Wait For You Masterlist

Main Masterlist

You stay over that night and make Frankie a “happy first day at work” breakfast the next morning, promising to bring him lunch later that day.

Once he leaves, you head out as well, picking up the things Aurelia had requested the day before. Managing to find everything, you head to the sandwich place that Frankie loves and pick up his favorite, plus chips and a drink. Grabbing something for yourself too, you drive to Flyboyz, chuckling when you see the sign.

There’s 3 cars in the parking lot including Frankie’s truck when you get there, hopping out and grabbing the food to bring inside. You can’t really see through the windows with their tint and the sun blazing off of them, so you quietly head inside, hoping you don’t disturb anyone. There’s a couple standing in front of the desk, Frankie picking up papers from in front of them and turning to put them in the copy machine.

“Rick will be your pilot. He used to fly Blackhawks back in the day, so you’ll be in safe hands!”

“We can’t wait!” The woman answers, clutching onto the arm of the man beside her. Frankie takes the copies and staples them together, handing it to the man.

“This is your copy and we have one here. I’ll escort you outside to your pilot.” He smiles and gestures to the back door and spots you standing back a ways.

“Um, go ahead and step outside. I’ll be right there.” The couple do as he says, excitedly chatting as the door closes behind them.

“Did you bring me my favorite lunch?” Frankie asks, walking up to you, an excited look on his face.

“Yup!” You hold the bag out to him.

He takes the bag and looks inside. “And you brought me a sandwich too!” He looks up at you from under the brim of his standard oil cap, smirking and giving you a wink as you slap him on the arm, heat rising to your cheeks.

“You have customers, Mr. Morales.”

“Oh shit, right. Can you wait?”

You hold up the second bag. “Brought my own to eat with you, if that works?”

“It does!” He smiles as he leans in to give you a quick kiss.

“I’ll be right back.”

He hands you back his bag and heads out the back door to take care of the customers. You move to his desk and find a spot to set the bags down, placing the drink carrier next to it and tossing your bag down, sitting on the desk on the opposite side from the food. Frankie returns a few minutes later and you hear Rick outside, talking animatedly to the couple.

“Thanks for waiting. Rick’s got them now. They’ll be gone a bit so we have some time.”

You watch him moving around the office space, cane in hand, and can’t help but smile as he putters around, shuffling papers and bringing some into a small back room, emerging a few moments later. He sees you watching him and stops walking, a smirk on his lips.

“What?”

“You’re just so damned cute I can’t help but watch.”

He blushes but approaches you, moving to stand between your legs.

“Just how cute am I?”

You grab onto his shirt and pull his head down to whisper in his ear.

“While I wouldn’t mind being on camera, that’s something I’m only willing to do for us in private, not on your workplace security camera.”

Letting go of his shirt, he pulls back to meet your eyes. “I unplugged the cam- wait. What did you just say?”

You grip his shirt again, pulling him to you and kissing him, biting his bottom lip and sliding your tongue across it. He wraps an arm around your back, hand moving to support your neck while he deepens the kiss, his other hand settling on your hip. You play with the curls at the nape of his neck, using your other hand to trace down his chest, eventually palming him over his khakis.

“Shit, Hermosa.” Frankie pants into your mouth as you move his zipper down and slide your hand in his pants, finding the little pocket men have on their boxers and sliding your hand in there too. He twitches at your touch, growing harder by the second as you gently stroke him, loving the way his velvet soft skin feels on your hand.

“You’re so smooth. I love touching you.” You speak quietly in his ears, listening to the little grunts and pants he lets out.

He pushes you back slightly and you use your other hand to brace yourself on the desk. He fumbles at your zipper, a little whine escaping him as your thumb traces over the slit on the top of him. Once he undoes the zipper, he slides his hand into your pants, feeling how wet you already are for him and he moans.

“How are you so wet already, Hermosa?” He dips a finger underneath your panties and slides it down you, rubbing circles at your entrance.

“I-fuck- you do things to me, Frankie. I can’t help it-” a small cry out as he pushes a finger inside you, massaging that spot you love.

“Yeah? You gonna let me fuck you on my desk, Hermosa?”

“Oh shit, whatever you..you..oh!” Frankie slides another finger inside you, slowly scissoring them as he uses his thumb to lazily circle your clit. You feel your body tense up, heat rising throughout you.

Something snaps in Frankie and he pulls his hands from you, grabbing your wrist and pulling your hand out of his pants. His eyes are dark, full of desire and he grips your hips, spinning you around and yanking your pants down. You hear the clinking of a belt buckle as Frankie drops his pants a little, hand on your upper back pushing you down. You feel him stroke himself a couple times before he lines up with you, choosing to slide his cock through your wet folds and fuck does that feel amazing.

“You want this, Hermosa? Want me to fuck you?”

“Yes! Yes please!”

He pushes inside you, gliding in easily from your wetness and you cry out as he sets a rough pace, the desk making tiny scraping sounds against the floor, despite its weight and size.

“Yes! Oh fuck!” Your hands grip the desk, holding on as he snaps his hips into you, the angle allowing him to hit a spot at the back of you and slide out over your g spot.

“You’re doing so…nghh..good letting me…shit…fuck you how I want.”

Your orgasm is coming, you can feel the blissful tension building quickly inside of you. Reaching around, you make a grab for his ass, trying to pull him in deeper. He takes the hint and starts adding an extra thrust at the end, helping him to go deeper. His grip on your hip tightens while he snakes his other hand around the front of you, rubbing little circles into your bundle of nerves.

“Oh fuck, Frankie!” your orgasm washes over you in waves, each one seemingly just as powerful as the last as you chant out his name. Frankie continues to thrust, helping you ride out your orgasm. But instead of chasing his own, he pulls out.

“Frankie?”

“Turn around.” His voice is deep and husky, commanding. You do as he asks and see the restraint on his face as he holds back.

“Lay back on the desk.”

You kick off your shoes, sliding your pants off the rest of the way and do as he says, Frankie grabbing your legs and holding them up to help you lay flat. He pushes into you as you wrap your legs around him, grunting as he does.

“Shit you’re so tight, Hermosa.”

He leans over you and pushes your shirt up, lightly thrusting into you as he slides his hands up your sides, unhooking your bra and pushing it above your boobs, letting them spring free. He massages them, leaning over to suck each boob into his warm mouth, swirling his tongue over your nipples as you whine beneath him. He sits back up and resumes his earlier rough pace, his eyes glued to your chest, watching as your boobs bounce with his thrusts.

“I wanted to watch these tits bounce. Make me…nghhh…think about them while I work.”

With the change in angle, he’s brushing and rubbing against your g spot, and you feel yourself building to another orgasm. You bring your hand up to your chest, making sure he sees it before snaking down your own body, Frankie’s eyes following you. At your core, you rub yourself how you like it, feeling yourself start to tighten. Frankie’s hips are starting to sputter as he watches your hand.

“I wanna feel your warmth inside me, Frankie. Fill me..u..u..UP!”

On that last word, you come, feeling Frankie release as well, your moans and grunts filling the tiny office space as his hips thrust a few more times before settling. He drops his head to your chest, breathing heavily for a few moments. Never able to resist his hair, you wind your fingers into his curls, scratching his scalp as he moans at your touch.

Finally, he sits up, pulling out of you with a hiss, moving into the tiny bathroom there and grabbing some paper towels. He cleans himself off quickly, tucking himself back in and fixing his pants.He wets a few of the paper towels before coming back to you, apologizing for the roughness. He cleans you up and smirks when your legs twitch as he runs the paper towel over your sensitive core. Tossing them in the trash, he has you lean against the desk as he helps you into your pants, sliding them up your legs and doing up the enclosures. He puts your shoes on too, tying the laces and you chuckle.

“I can dress myself, ya know.”

“I know. But I want to take care of you.” Frankie stands up and moves between your legs again. His eyes roam over your face as he cradles it, bringing you in for a soft kiss before pulling back.

“Too much?”

You shake your head. “I will never get enough of you Frankie.”

He smiles and kisses you a little deeper before his stomach rumbles loudly.

“Let’s get you lunch, Mr. Morales.”

—----

The next day, you finish putting together the things Aurelia wanted. Frankie comes home and showers quickly, knowing Aurelia would be coming over for a few hours. He comes out of the bathroom dress in jeans and a plain grey shirt, his hair still slightly damp and curling up at the ends. He finds you in the living room, gathering up some of your things.

“You planning on going somewhere, Hermosa?”

“I’m just picking up for Aurelia. But actually..yeah. Only for a few hours.”

He looks at you. “What? Why?”

“Frankie, you haven’t had time for just you and Aurelia. I think that’s important. I know she likes me but you need dad and daughter time. Don’t argue. It’s happening. I’m going to hang at Santi’s for a bit.”

“You don’t have to leave Hermosa.”

“I know. But she needs this and so do you.” You cup his face and pull him to you for a quick kiss before glancing at the clock.

“I’m heading out before she sees me here. Be back around…8:30?”

“Perfect. Thank you, Hermosa.”

You head over to Santi’s where you tell him all about Elizabeth just showing up with Aurelia. He reacts the same as you did - suspicious.

“She keeps her from him this entire time and now she wants to let him see her?”

You nod, grabbing another slice of the pizza you had ordered. “Yeah I know. I agree.”

Santi is quiet for a bit. “I don’t like it.”

“Yeah me neither. But hey if she’s nicer to Frankie because of it, that makes it easier on him and Aurelia. And that I’m all for.”

“Mmm.” Santi nods, lost in thought.

After you eat, you both lay on the couch, leaning your head on his shoulder as some trash tv plays out in front of you.

“I’ve missed you, Santi. We never hang anymore.”

“That’s because you’re up Frankie’s ass.”

You slap him on the thigh and he yelps in jest, chuckling after.

“I’ve missed you too, Hermosa.”

You turn your head up to him to ask him about the show and find that he’s already looking at you, eyes heavily lidded with some emotion you can’t place (desire? regret?) blinking away from your gaze when you fully look at him.

“Everything ok?”

“Huh? Oh yeah it’s good. Just…this show. These people suck right?”

“Yeah…”

You head to Frankie’s a little after 8:30, excited to hear all about their time together. You pull in the driveway and see Elizabeth’s car still there. Pulling in, you groan thinking about how you’ll have to talk to her now, but at least you get to see Aurelia.

Walking up to the front door, you grab the spare key from its hiding place and quietly open the door, not wanting to disturb any activities. You can hear a movie playing in the living room so you gently close the door, take your shoes and bag off, and head around the corner.

What you see makes you freeze, unable to move.

A Disney movie is on, Lilo and Stitch, almost near the end. Frankie and Elizabeth are on the couch, both asleep. There’s a little space between them so you assume Aurelia is there. But what sets your blood boiling is the fact that Elizabeth’s head is resting on Frankie’s shoulder and his head is resting on hers.

You stand there, staring at them, unable to move, sort of afraid you’ll launch yourself at her and that’s not fair to Aurelia.

Deciding to not cause a scene for the sake of Aurelia, you tiptoe back to the door and open it, closing it loudly and calling out.

“Frankie!”

You can hear shuffling and Frankie quietly speaking to Elizabeth, getting her to wake up. But then Aurelia is in front of you, leaping into your arms as she screams “‘MOSA!!”

You hug her tight, taking the moment to wipe away a tear. “Hey, Aurelia! Did you have fun with your dad?”

She pulls back. “Yup! I like my stuff. Fanks, ‘Mosa.”

Her little head cocks to the side as she looks at you. “You ok, ‘Mosa?”

Frankie and Elizabeth round the corner, Elizabeth patting her hair down and Frankie shuffling around. You look up at him as you answer Aurelia.

“I’m great.” It comes out forced and while Aurelia seems to have noticed, she doesn’t understand. So she starts telling you about their evening and it takes you until her 3rd sentence to realize she was including Elizabeth in her activities.

“I’m sorry Aurelia. I missed that. Can you tell me again? It sounds like fun!” You kneel down to her level as she gives you an exasperated sigh and launches into her recollection again.

“Mommy brought me here and played with us! We played dolls, and dinosaurs, and mommy and daddy let me do their hair. They took it out but it’s ok. Then we ate peppro..perperoni pizza! A man brought it to us. Delivery? It was soooo good! Then I played while mommy and daddy talked and then we watched a movie. But I fell asleep. But I not…I not…” a big yawn interrupts her, shaking her whole body. “I not tired.”

Keeping your composure, you smile at her. “Yeah I can see that you’re definitely not tired.”

“You play with us next time?” Her eyes are big and puppy-like, very similar to Frankie’s.

“We’ll see.”

You stand back up and glance between Frankie and Elizabeth.

“Night, Elizabeth.”

“Good night!” She says it a little too nicely and it annoys the shit out of you. You wave bye to Aurelia and push past Frankie, letting him walk them to the car and see them off. He walks back inside and locks the door, finding you in the kitchen making tea.

“Hey, Hermosa. How - how was your night?”

“It was fine. Haven’t seen Santi in a while.”

“Yeah he’s been busy and so have you I-I guess.”

You nod. “What the hell Frankie?”

He looks nervous. “Wh-what?”

You gesture towards the living room and the front door. “Why was she here?”

“Oh. Aurelia wanted her to play so she stayed.”

“Yeah I get that, but the cuddling?”

“What?”

“I walked in and saw you guys passed out on the couch.”

He’s silent, color draining from his face. “Oh, I uh…we fell asleep.”

“I don’t like it, Frankie. I don’t trust her. And I hated coming in and seeing you lay on each other.”

“Nothing happened-”

You put a finger up. “I believe you. But I don’t like it, Frankie. Imagine if the tables were turned and you came home to see me laying on my ex?”

“You cuddle with Santi and Benny all the time.”

“They’re my friends. I’ve never dated them and I don’t have kids with them. And they didn’t treat me like Elizabeth treated you.”

“I know, I know. She- she wants to keep things nice between us. For Aurelia.”

“And you’re ok with that? Ignoring everything she did to you? To..to us?”

“To be fair, our hang-ups started long before she came into the picture, Hermosa.”

“Wow.”

He takes a step towards you. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean-”

You put a hand up, taking a deep breath. “No, no. You’re right. You are. But she did so many hateful things, Frankie.”

“I haven’t forgotten.”

You scoff. “Really?”

He steps in front of you, gripping your shoulders. “Really. I just want things to be good for Aurelia. Nothing more. I would never want her back.”

You nod. “It’s not you I’m worried about.”

He pulls you to him and you let him, wrapping your arms around him. “I’ve got my eye on it, Hermosa. I haven’t forgotten. And don’t forget - I love you.”

You look up at him, unable to stay mad, but still holding onto your suspicions of Elizabeth. “I love you too, Frankie.”

—----

You were unable to go with Frankie to court the next day so you waited outside, Benny and Santi joining you to support Frankie.

“Where’s Will?” You ask as Benny walks up.

“He’s out of town, remember? Had that speaking thing?”

“Oh right. I forgot.”

The three of you waited around, catching up on each other’s lives as you all had been super busy. You watch Santi and Benny laugh and realize how much you’ve missed them. Between staying in the hospital and then getting with Frankie, you’ve been so absorbed with him you hadn’t been able to really hang out with them. You vowed to change that as the courtroom door at the opposite end of the hall opens. Frankie walks out with his lawyer and shakes her hand, the lawyer walking off. Frankie has a big grin on his face and you all stand to wave him over. Elizabeth walks out of the room then and walks up to Frankie, talking to him. It’s quick, but then she gives him a small hug. Frankie’s entire body tenses as he pats her on the back. She smiles at him, squeezing his arm as she leaves out the side door to the back parking lot.

“What..the fuck was that?” Santi says.

“That started last night. Well the night before, really.”

Santi’s and Benny’s heads snap to you. “What?”

“In short, she’s trying to make it easy on Aurelia and is being too nice and sweet. I know I don’t like it either,” you say to the looks on their faces.

Frankie walks up then, cane clunking on the hard tile with every other step, grinning wide.

“Split custody! 50/50!”

Cheers and yelps, loudest from Benny, as you all rush to hug him.

“So when is she comin’?” Benny asks.

“Next weekend. They had something already scheduled this weekend, so next week!” Frankie’s entire body is lit up, an extra pep in his step as he excitedly talks about having Aurelia live with him.

“We should have a BBQ or somethin’! Celebrate with Aurelia there!” Benny suggests.

Frankie nods. “Yes! She would love that! She was asking about all of you. Will’s back next weekend?”

Benny nods. “Yeah!”

“BBQ at my house next weekend then!”

You all get lunch to celebrate, loving that you’re with almost all your boys again. It felt like old times, being with them, laughing, joking, swapping stories.

As you leave the diner, Frankie turns to you.

“Oh - I’m going to head to work. Rick said he’d fly with me after closing. I’m trying to get as many hours in as I can so I can get back to flying quicker.”

“Makes sense! Will you be late?” You ask.

“Mmm not sure. Shouldn’t be too late.”

“Take your time. I know how important this is for you. Want me to wait at your house? I can get some work done and make you something to eat?”

“I can cook for myse- ok fine, don’t give me that look. I’d love to see you when I get home.”

Saying your goodbyes to Benny and Santi, you get in Frankie’s truck, having rode with him to the courthouse. He talks nearly the entire ride home about Aurelia, telling you about how she was as a baby, what her first word was (dada), when she first walked, etc. His entire face is lit up with pride in his daughter and it makes your heart melt to see this look on him.

When you get to Frankie’s, you hop out of the truck and follow him inside, checking out his ass as he unlocks the door. He turns around and catches you checking him out and a smirk spreads across his face.

“See something you like, Hermosa?”

Dragging your eyes up slowly, you blink up at him. “I see many things I like.”

He leans in, getting so close that his lips brush yours when he speaks. “Oh really?”

You nod against him as his lips meet yours, his fingers gripping your hips and pulling you to him. Before you can deepen the kiss he groans, pushing you back.

“As much as I want to, I have to get to work. Rick will only be there for so long.”

Sticking your bottom lip out, you nod. “Fine. Make it up to me when you get back?”

Frankie’s eyes twinkle in response. “Wait up for me…or don’t.” He winks before heading into his room to change out of his clothes he wore to court.

—----

Frankie shows up to Flyboyz shortly after closing. Rick is waiting for him, having just finished up some paperwork. He looks up at Frankie as he enters, an expectant look on his face.

“You got good news, Frank?”

A smile splits Frankie’s face. “50/50 custody!”

Rick pumps a fist in the air, yelling “YEAH!” as he stands up to move around the desk, pulling Frankie in for a bro hug.

“I knew you’d get it, man! I’m so happy for you.”

“Thanks! I’m so relieved. I missed her.”

“You ready to fly?”

“Yup!”

The 2 men head outside, Rick stopping in the tiny office really quick before they head to the helicopter.

An hour and a half later, the men walk back inside Flyboyz, and the conversation shifts back to Aurelia.

“I’m so happy for you, Frank!”

“Me too! I was worried that I wouldn’t get partial custody for a bit there, but Elizabeth really stepped in and made sure the judge knew that she was comfortable with me taking care of her.”

Rick studies Frankie’s face for a moment before leaning in. “You want to celebrate?”

Frankie’s body tenses as he looks at Rick. “What, uh, what do you mean?”

Rick scoffs slightly. “Celebrate. Like old times.”

Frankie stares at him, swallowing hard. “I-I don’t-”

Rick reaches into his pocket and pulls out a tiny bag, holding it in his open palm. Frankie glances down before his eyes look at the office camera.

“Unplugged it before we left.”

Frankie looks back down at the tiny, unassuming bag. A myriad of emotions cross his face as a battle takes place inside.

“I- I guess it wouldn’t hurt. But just one hit. To- to celebrate.”

Rick claps Frankie on the shoulder. “There’s my Frank!”

The men move to sit in the upcycled chairs, Rick pulling out a tiny mirror, a credit card, and a rolled up dollar bill. He sets it all down on the coffee table, scooping out a tiny portion of the contents of the bag onto the mirror, finely chopping up any parts of the white powder that have stuck together. He makes sure the dollar bill is rolled up tight before handing it to Frankie. He hesitates for a moment, then reaches out with a shaking hand to take it, placing one end in a nostril while plugging the other side of his nose. He lines the end up with the line of white powder, hesitating for a moment more before inhaling, moving down the line in one fast movement. He savors the feeling for a moment before licking a fingertip and gathering up the residue on the mirror, rubbing it along his gums, smiling slightly at the familiar tingle in his mouth. He closes his eyes for a moment, letting the intense feelings wash over him before a tiny voice speaks in his mind before going silent.

I am so fucked

—----

Frankie pulls into his driveway a while later, turning off the engine but not moving to get out. He watches your shadow move behind the curtains in his home, flitting back and forth as you move through your task.

His hand moves to his pocket, immediately finding the little bag that Rick had pushed into his hand, and “On the house” spoken in his ear. He pulls it out, feeling the heavy weight of everything that it represents. His thumb gently rubs along the bag, the powder beneath it shifting slightly under the pressure.

One more won’t hurt…

He tears his eyes away from the shadow of you, the bag calling to a part of him that he thought he had buried deep. It’s silent in the truck, but the bag is loud, crawling out of where he had buried it in his mind, clawing and screaming as it comes to the surface, pulling him back in. He hesitates for one more moment before sniffing, leaning over to pull your hardback book from the passenger door, laying it flat on his lap as he takes out the bag that holds so much power over him, setting up a line. He holds the rolled up dollar in his hand as he stares down at the white powder, piled in a neat row over the cover of your book, a brief memory of you sitting in the passenger seat, feet propped up and book leaning against your legs, completely absorbed in its pages.

The memory is pushed aside almost as fast as it had come, the line beckoning to him. He leans over and inhales quickly, licking his finger and gathering up the residue to rub on his gums like before, the tingle fanning out from where his fingers set it. He sniffs again, checking his nose in the mirror before flinging open the truck door, grabbing his cane and walking as quickly as he can to the front door, inserting his key as that tiny voice speaks again before being choked out.

I am really fucked

—----

Chapter 13 >>

[bbyheedeungie]

Tales of the ring | Orphan! Jay AU Part 1

Pairings: Jay x Reader

Genre: fluff, angst, eventual smut, age gap (4 years)

Warnings: suggestive content, messy timeline

Synopsis: You've spent most of your lives together at a Catholic orphanage in a small town, with Jay being left there as an infant and you volunteering there since you were thirteen years old. Now twenty-three, every child in the orphanage looks up to you as their older sister. Well, except for that one stubborn kid named Jay.

You always tend to his cuts and bruises when he fell down after climbing on trees with his friends, but not after a long hour of bickering.

"Stop climbing trees if you're just gonna fall down!" You scold 9-year old Jay as you rummaged through the first aid kit.

"Just shut up and fix me up, woman." He demands, his arms crossed over his chest. You sigh.

"I'm just worried about you, okay? You could've broken a bone or something!" You reasoned with him. His eyes turns into slits, glaring at you.

"Are you calling me a wimp?" He challenges. Though it never crossed your mind, the thought of calling him a wimp was indeed amusing. You tried to suppress your laughter but it came out as a snort.

"Hey, I'm not a wimp. Drop it." Jay says, almost coming out as a whine. You nod, trying to calm yourself down from wanting to laugh. Cause you know Jay's going to end you if he even hears anything close to a giggle come out from your lips.

_

"Still as wimpy as ever, huh?" You teased him as you disinfected his wounded knees. He was sitting on the couch with you kneeled infront of him, and 16 year old Jay just can't seem to take his eyes off you.

Your lower lip is caught in between your teeth as you concentrated on his cuts, and Jay licks his own lips unconsciously.

At 20 years old, you have grown to be quite a lady, Jay notes. Beautiful, luscious hair that complimented the perfect features of your face, your body slightly plump in some places which gave you that womanly figure, dainty and gentle hands that cared for his wounds, any man would think of you as wife material. And Jay couldn't help but huff in annoyance at the thought of other men wanting you for themselves.

"And you're still as annoying as ever." He mutters before he pinched your cheeks hard, making you yelp in pain and involuntarily putting pressure on the cotton ball you were dipping onto his wound. Soon after, you were both crying from pain.

"How could you." He said in betrayal, clutching his wounded knee.

You always chased after him around the orphanage when he had a fever to make him take his medicine when he refused to drink them, dragging him by the back of his shirt to his room to make him rest.

"You can't just pull a stunt like that when I'm fixing up your cuts you dummy." You glared at him, massaging your reddened cheek.

_

"I don't want to stay in bed, woman. I wanna play outside!" 11-year old Jay huffs in annoyance, kicking off the blanket you've just placed on his body. You sighed and placed it back on him.

"Bold of you to call me a woman after I've just wrestled you at the lobby earlier." 15-year old you chuckled, remembering what you had to go through to make him go back to his room.

"Don't remind me, you were like a freaking hippo back there! Geez." Jay scrunches his nose and turns his back to you.

_

"You insufferable woman." He mutters as you tuck him into his bed. 18-year old Jay was just as irritable as ever, but only when it came to you.

"Yeah yeah." You rolled your eyes at him dismissively as you placed a cold compress to his forehead. He's such a big baby.

"Stop being a jerk for once and learn to take care of yourself, will you?" You scold him, leaning in to fix the position of his pillow. Jay's heartbeat goes nuts, with your body so close above him. He could just grab you by the waist then and there and hold you tight. Your feminine scent was so alluring, filling up his senses, your skin translucent in the moonlight shining through the windows and he even caught a glimpse of your cleavage through your thin, white dress shirt.

Shit, shit, shit. He thinks, fisting his blanket tightly. His cheeks glowed crimson red, but thankfully you thought it was just because of the fever.

_

Rest assured, Jay wasn't all that bad as others make him out to be, and you strongly believe this. You remember that one night, it was your fourteenth birthday but you didn't bother telling anyone. You didn't want to burden the sisters, and your family didn't care much about it either. But Jay did. He cared, and he remembered.

You sat on the roof, your secret hiding place, as you admired the starry sky. But it's not really a secret when Jay knows about it. The ten year old boy climbed up, grunting as he struggled keeping his balance. You flinched at the sound and panicked, but it immediately died down when you saw it was just him. He quietly sat beside you.

Silence took over as you sighed in content, taking in the peaceful evening.

"Happy birthday." Jay said, almost a whisper. Your head turns to him and he immediately looks the other way, refusing to meet your eyes.

"Thank you, Jay." You said in gratitude, not bothering to hide your smile. He still refused to look your way as he held out his fist.

"What is it?" You asked in confusion, furrowing your eyebrows at his closed hand. He sighs, taking your hand in his as he placed something cold and hard on your palm.

"It's for you." He says. You gasped, taking in the shiny object encrusted with tiny jewels that glinted in the moonlight.

"Jay, where did you get this?" You ask him, bewildered.

"The sisters said they found that ring in my pocket when they found me outside the door of the orphanage the night that they took me in. It's my most precious possession. In fact, it's my only possession." He says, laughing lightly as he looked up at the sky.

"Must be an heirloom, maybe you came from a wealthy family! Jay, I can't accept this. This is important to you!" You exclaimed, holding the ring back to him.

You're important to me. He thinks.

"Maybe, but they've left me here haven't they?" He simply shrugs.

"But why give it to me?" You asked, holding the ring close to your chest. Jay rolls his eyes and clicks his tongue.

"Hey, no more questions. I gave it to you as a birthday gift, so you better treasure it. Good night." He says and prepares to climb down, leaving you dumbfounded.

_

At nineteen, Jay was the oldest at the orphanage. He never got adopted, and younger kids would pick on him because of it.

"You never got adopted because your a weirdo."

"They can probably sense that you're useless."

But Jay being Jay, he'd beat them up everytime just because their faces annoy him. And you'd be the one to ask for forgiveness for his sake everytime he got in trouble. You knew him well enough to know that although he'd never admit it out loud, seeing other kids like Jungwon and Sunoo get adopted while he gets left behind hurt him more than it should.

"I'm very sorry for Jay's actions, please don't send him away." You begged to the Mother Superior's feet, and Jay couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Not of you, but of himself for having you go through all this for him.

"Noona, please you don't have to do this." He tells you softly, for once as he tries pulling you up to your feet but you just won't budge.

"I'm sorry Y/N, I know you have grown quite close to Jay for the past ten years. But he is now of legal age he can't just keep hurting minors." The mother superior, which is the head of the orphanage states.

"Jay promises he won't do it again, please." You continue to plead, at this point you were so close at kissing the sister's feet if that'll make them forgive Jay.

"What, when did I promised—." He says and you signal him to shut up. The sisters sigh, and decide to just punish Jay by making him work at the farm for a month. You thank them over and over, tears welling in your eyes.

"Y/N, may I have a word with you. Jay, you may retire to your room." The mother superior instructs. Jay looks at you hesitantly, before leaving.

"Have a seat." She commands you, and you oblige.

"What is it that you wanted to talk about?" You asked.

"Listen, dear. You're now twenty-three years old, you are at your ripest age of getting married. Not only that, but you're also one of the most beautiful maidens of this town. You can't spend your life at this orphanage forever. Won't you consider settling down soon?" She suggests, and you felt a lump in your throat, your heart feeling unease.

"That's alright, Mother Superior. I'm only twenty-three, I still have a lot to figure out in my life. When a man does take interest in me, I'll decide then." You assure her, and stand up to leave.

The next days, you'd wake up early to prepare breakfast for the kids and for Jay before he heads off to the farm. Jay being the stubborn boy he is, refuses to sit down and have breakfast and so on most days, you'd chase after him to bring him his breakfast and lunch box. He'd purposely walk faster, ignoring your shouts. A smirk never leaving his face.

"Jay! Jay! Wait!" You yelled, chasing your breath as you continued to run after him. But your quick steps were no match for his long strides.

"Jay you freaking dimwit! Haaaaalt!" You yell at the top of your lungs with all your might, and he finally stops in his tracks, turning to look at you.

"Oh, you've been calling for me? Did you need something?" He asks, feigning ignorance that you've been shouting his name for a good fifteen minutes. You huff, stomping towards him angrily. His face smug the whole time.

Others would think you're ready to punch him in the face, but instead you would take his hand and place his boxed meal there. You sigh.

"Take care of yourself, okay? And finish everything I packed for you." You say. Jay simply rolls his eyes and waves a hand at you dismissively.

"Yeah yeah, just don't go missing me too much." He teases, suppressing a smile. You scoffed, punching his shoulder lightly.

"Damn right, I wont." You stuck your tongue at him before waving him goodbye, running back to the orphanage.

As you walked back, you notice a fancy carriage parked in front of the orphanage. Many people were gathered around, gossiping.

"The crown prince has selected candidates to be his wife."

"Now that the queen has passed away, the prince must choose his bride in order to ascend to the throne."

"Oh what a lucky girl she must be."

You slip through the crowd of people, successfully making your way inside.

"Oh here she is now." Mother Superior introduces you to the men in fancy clothing, and you stood their dumbfounded.

"She is a beauty indeed." The men agreed to themselves.

"What exactly is happening?" You whisper to the Mother Superior.

"They came here for you, my child. You have been selected by the prince to become a candidate of being his wife. I've already had your suitcases ready, they will take you to the palace now. And don't worry, I've already informed your parents and they are more than happy and wished you the best."

Everything was happening so fast, it's like everything's been decided for you. And amidst the chaos in your mind, you could only think of one person. Jay.

"What about Jay, I haven't said goodbye—" You pleaded to the old woman to let you see Jay one last time but the footmen has announced your departure to the palace. You choked on your tears as pain burned through your chest, clutching Jay's ring to your chest as you were brought further and further away from the place you called home all your life.

Jay plowed the soil over and over, sweat trickling down his neck and forehead. The sun is high and the heat is a pretty tough companion.

"Jay! Jay!" Jay's friend, Sunghoon called his name, sprinting towards him as if his life depended on it. Sunghoon was one of the orphan kids who got adopted recently, whose home was only a few blocks away from the orphanage. Jay halted his work, placing the tool beside him.

"Haven't seen you in a while, what brings you here?" He raises his eyebrow. Sunghoon holds onto his knees as he catches his breath, before uttering words that shattered Jay's heart into pieces.

"No, it can't be." He refuses to believe it, shaking his head aggressively as tears welled in his eyes. It felt as if he was pierced so deeply in the chest with a dagger, so agonizingly painful.

"It is true, they took Y/N to the palace to become the prince's bride. It's been the talk of the town all morning." Sunghoon is sad for his friend, knowing his feelings for her all along.

"No! Y/N wouldn't do that, she wouldn't leave just like that. No." Jay cried and ran his way back to the orphanage, leaving his belongings behind.

He enters the orphanage, screaming for your name.

"Noona? Noona! I'm here, I'm here now. Noona? Where are you?" He kept on calling for you, his voice breaking as tears blurred his vision. The sisters tried to calm him down but he shoved their hands away from him.

"No! It can't be, she couldn't have left. Please tell me she didn't leave, please." Jay crumbled as he called your name over and over in agony. He begged for everything to be just some sick joke, a prank you planned to get back at him for always being so mean to you.

"Y/N." He choked out before everything spiraled infront of him and went black.

[smeraldos]

happier [part 2]

You weren’t picky, but you might be soon, given the way your dates turned out. The men you met were either as boring as a drive through the desert (cue the tumbleweeds) or charming until they ghosted (also cue the tumbleweeds). At this point, dating felt hopeless, and you were ready to call it quits.

Jin doesn’t exactly agree, chaotically good friend that he is. He’s determined to help you, and it starts like this…

genre: fluff, comedy, angst

pairings: seokjin/reader, jeongguk/reader

tags: jin the mischief-maker matchmaker, mutual pining, possibly unrequited love

the rest of the story: part 1. Jin (who you've fallen for, but let's forget about it, okay) sets you up with someone. He just won't tell you who. You take matters into your own hands and find, through Yoongi, that your date's contact name starts with a "Ki."

a/n: shout-out to the anon who left a message about loving these two! hope you enjoy.

Kim’s 7/11

Ready when you are

Also

What's her opinion…

The message disappears quicker than you can read it, but it isn’t the content you're interested in.

It's who it's from.

Kim's 7/11, though a funny nod to the Netflix show, starts with a "Ki." Whether or not he's your date…you’ll have to find out.

To take Jin's phone, you need to distract him, and attempt #1 involves tapping out a tarantella on your armrest. You hated playing the piece when you were younger, the tempo frantic and almost impossible to keep up with. Jin, however, is hardly bothered. He doesn’t spare you a glance.

Attempt #2 involves opening and closing the clasp on your purse, the clicking sound annoying even yourself, before letting go with a sigh. Still, no glance from Jin. At this point, it would take a kangaroo crossing the street to get his attention, and even then, his gaze wouldn't stray far from where his phone is propped, message unanswered.

There goes your chance of getting to it.

"What's up?" 

Or so you thought.

Jin is looking at you expectantly, so you paste on a look you hope says you're fine, but you're really not fine. "Nothing."

"Nice try," he quips. "Now, if you didn't let out the saddest sigh in the history of sighs, then maybe, maybe, I'd believe you."

"Oh, shut up. I'm just…" You stare out the window a moment, the view pristine without a Yoshi plushie in your way. Somehow, it looks a little bare. "Antsy."

"Nervous?"

"Not exactly."

"Well, whatever it is, you’re making me nervous with—" A triple honk startles you both, so he grits his teeth and resumes driving. "Quick, take my phone, pick a playlist, and stop fidgeting. Passcode is your mom's birthday. I'm gonna let the guy pass and give him a friendly honk or four."

"Are you crazy?" As much as your fingers itch to grasp his phone, you can't. The driver Jin wants to enact his revenge on could put you both through the wringer.

Jin rolls his eyes so hard you can feel it. "Oh, come on, I'm not actually going to do it," he says, much to your relief. "It just makes me feel better to say I am. But the passcode I'm serious about. Your sister seems to think my phone is free real estate."

You'd scold her on his behalf if you weren’t about to do the same thing. "Want me to switch it back?"

"Please. 041292. I'll change it later. And pick a playlist while you're at it."

Jin's phone unlocks easily, his screen giving way to an image of a little girl's cheeks pressed against a car window. She's making a silly face, no doubt copying him, and sure enough, you catch a reflection of Jin pouting on the side.

Seeing the two of them is enough to make you second-guess snooping. Then again, you wouldn't need to if he weren't intent on keeping your date a secret.

The message from Kim's 7/11 reads:

Ready when you are

Also

What's her opinion on flowers?

A giddy rush of energy sweeps over you, one you try to tamp down as you type out your response:

no thx, she says. she wants to know your name.

Kim’s 7/11

I can't believe you still haven't told her. TELL HER

Me

i'm the friend

Kim's 7/11

o

O

OOoo

You have to bite your lip to keep from laughing.

Kim’s 7/11

Well-played 👏👏👏 And does this brilliant friend have a number?

You'd be wittier if you had the time. Instead, you send your number, reset Jin's passcode, and pick a playlist starting with "Teenage Dirtbag." Heart pounding, you put his phone back.

"Finally," Jin says, but he isn’t addressing you. The traffic is beginning to let up, and the few miles to your destination — also a surprise — go by without a hitch.

A rococo-style building comes into view, the print above the entrance reading Le festin. In high school, you took German, so festin could mean total dunce and you'd still think it's pretty. Either your date is pretentious or desperate to impress.

"Just your type, then," Jin quips when you joke about it. You have half a mind to throttle him.

"Kim, for two," your date tells the hostess, and is promptly surprised when he hears you exclaim, "Wait, that's my reservation, too!"

The hostess takes your outburst in stride, motioning for a waiter to lead the two of you to your table. "Right this way," the waiter says, and you use the time to catch your breath, slowly feeling your flushed cheeks cool off. You can't bring yourself to talk to your date yet, and luckily, he hasn't started talking to you, either.

In fact, his face is unreadable as he rounds the table and takes the chair backed into a gilded column. Curiously, it's also the seat harder to get out of, and he'd done so without any indication from you.

"Can I start you two off with any drinks?" The waiter asks, and because you’re sitting closer to him, his question is directed at you. So maybe this isn't a good spot. You chance a glance at your date, who looks completely at ease reading his menu and ignoring you.

Helpless, you skim the page until you land on a drink you recognize. "I'll have a Merlot, please."

"Excellent," the waiter says, jotting it down. "And you, sir?"

"Just water would be fine."

"Alright, I'll be back with your drinks shortly."

Your date smiles, folding his menu while you study yours for what must be the tenth time. Appetizers you can wing, but if you choose the wrong main course, you'd waste a majority of your dinner. That, and you need a minute to think. You have a feeling your date wouldn't warm up to your icebreakers, and if Jin weren't on a date himself, you'd ask him how in the world he thought you'd click with the man sitting before you.

For one, Kim's 7/11 — Taehyung — is not someone you'd see catching the train to Manhattan. He's someone you'd see on a show catching the train to Manhattan, if that.

With his tailored suit jacket and unbuttoned collar, he looks more at home in the backseat of an S-class. Preferably one with high mileage, and one he could drive if he wanted, a veined hand steering the wheel while the lights played off his strong profile, much as they were doing here. The candlelight, upon last glance, dipped his skin in honey-gold. And while being a looker is a definite plus in your book, he isn't as approachable as he'd been over text.

“I hope you don’t mind.”

You look up to meet his gaze, wide and sincere in a way you didn't expect. “I'll switch seats with you if you'd like,” he explains, then stage-whispers, “but between you and me, yours is the comfier one. I wouldn't complain if you want me to take it.”

A grin plays at the corners of his lips, his eyes sparkling with warmth and mischief. There's something to be said about dates who make you feel at home and just how rare it is. "Thank you," you say with a smile, "though I'll take your word for it. If I didn't know any better, I’d think you wanted my seat."

"Then it's a good thing we're about to know each other," he says smoothly. "I'm Jeongguk, by the way."

Your reply comes a second too late. "Jeongguk?"

"Yeah," he says, now confused. "Is something wrong?"

Kim's 7/11 told you his name was Taehyung. That's what you'd saved his contact name as, and the two of you confirmed your reservation was the same.

"Shoot," you mutter, pulling on your purse and preparing to stand. "I'm so sorry, I don't think I was meant to be your date. It was nice meet—"

He interrupts with your name. "That's who I was supposed to meet tonight. I'm guessing that isn't you?"

"No, that is me," you say slowly. "I'm just…hold on a minute. If you'll excuse me."

You extract your phone, dead set on wringing the truth out of Jin when you see a new message. A few new messages, in fact:

taehyung

And Jeongguk is your date. I'll let him introduce himself, but if you need the dirt on him...🫡

jin from orientation

btw your fate is Jeongguk Jeon

*date

nvm fate kinda has a nice ring to it 💍

you're welcome

You slip your phone back into your purse, choosing to respond to Taehyung later (Jin, you'll ignore). "So," you say to Jeongguk, who has done some quick validation of his own, based on the phone he looks up from, "I have some good news and I have some bad news."

Jeongguk doesn't hesitate. "What's the bad news?"

"I don't know French cuisine."

"And the good news?"

"I'm your date."

"Ah," he says, a hint of a smile gracing his face, "I know a great spot for jjajangmyun. Want to go?"

[masterjedilenawrites]

Batch Family October Prompts: Day 1

Part of my Bad Batch AU: "The Batch Family." [Collection Masterlist]

Word count: 900 | Batch ages: Children (11 y/o)

Note: Still trying to find a rhythm with writing. I'm hoping this will get me into a daily writing habit that'll carry beyond this month. I do still plan to fulfill other requests and finish other WIPs, but at least you can count on getting a daily dose of Batch Family cuteness/shenanigans this month! I'll be working off of this October prompt list. Already off to a great start, one day behind. LOL, oh well.

Ruffled Hair | Crosshair makes a bold decision for a petty reason

Boy oh boy, was Crosshair mad. He sat hunched in the back seat, arms crossed firmly over his chest and frown pulling the features of his otherwise youthful face down into a sag. No one else in the car dared talk to him in this state. That was fine with him. He wasn't in the mood to talk. Not when he was stewing on his feelings and all the ideas they brought.

They were heading home from a visit to Grandma and Grandpa's house. It had been a while since their last trip, as the start of school kept them too busy to do much else. This meant their lack of a recent haircut really stood out to their grandparents. Hunter had always had longer hair - he always threw a fit when their mom tried to do more than a little trim - but the other boys were fine with more regular haircuts. The problem was Cross's hair seemed to grow faster than the others'. So he received the brunt his Grandma's fixation.

So shaggy! she'd cooed while ruffling his hair, several times throughout the day. 

And then, just when they were about to leave, she'd added... You'll look just like Hunter soon!

That had been the final straw. Crosshair had swatted at her hand, and was then promptly grounded.

He'd been told to use the car ride home to think about his behavior. Well, he was thinking, but not about the disrespect he'd shown his grandma. No, he was planning.

He was nothing like Hunter. He definitely did not want to look like him. He'd have to do something about it.

As soon as their van pulled into the driveway, he bounded out and made a beeline for the house. He could hear his mom's warning of a "serious talk" calling after him but he ignored her. He was a boy on a mission.

Rather than holing himself up in his room, he instead slipped into his mom's. Her room was the only one in the house with a lock on the door. He quickly turned the lock and rushed over to the bathroom, pulling open the drawer where she kept the hair clippers. There were different head attachments, which he knew were for different lengths but didn't know how to tell the difference. He guessed the smallest one would be the best for what he wanted.

As he turned the device on and began mowing the first stripe across his head, he could hear his mom trying to open the door and knocking on it a few times. He couldn't really hear what she was saying, but it wasn't hard to imagine she was not very happy. No problem. He'd take whatever punishment came of this. But she couldn't put his shaggy hair back and that's all that mattered to him.

He moved the clippers over the rest of his head, but was growing more frustrated with how horrible it looked. It was so uneven. Some rows still had a lot of hair left, while other rows seemed to be almost bald. He bit his lip to keep it from wobbling. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

"Bold choice."

Crosshair jumped. He hadn't noticed his mom in the mirror, standing just behind him.

"How'd you get in?"

"You're not the only one who knows how to climb through windows."

Beth walked up and cocked her head, but didn't say anything. Crosshair felt unnerved by her calmness.

"I don't like people touching my hair."

"I didn't want it to be that long anyway."

"I can't look like Hunter."

On and on he went, his voice trembling more as he realized what a mistake this all was.

"Okay," Beth eventually said when he ran out of things to say. "Make sure you clean up this mess now. I'm heating leftovers for dinner."

She turned as if leaving and Crosshair panicked.

"What? No, Mom, please. I can't let them see me like this. They'll tease me."

"Put on a hat."

She was walking away and Crosshair found himself doing the one thing he hated doing the most - crying.

He let the clippers fall onto the counter as his vision became too blurry to see. He clasped at his cut-up head in despair. This was the absolute worst day of his life.

But no sooner had the tears fallen did he feel his mother's arms wrap around his thin frame and pull him close. He clung to her, trying to apologize and beg for help, but everything coming out of him was just blubbering nonsense. Beth let him have his moment before finally pulling away and getting on her knees to face him.

"You want to have your own look? That's okay. Just ask me next time, alright? And don't you dare treat your grandmother that way again. Got it?"

He nodded his head furiously.

"Can you fix it?"

Beth ran her fingers over the varying patches of hair in thought. "Well, sweetheart, I think the only thing we can do is shave it all off now."

Crosshair gulped but still nodded. "Okay."

"And you should still wear hats," said Beth as she stood and picked up the clippers. "It's October, I don't want you catching a cold."

Crosshair was okay with that. He was already planning his Halloween costume and could easily work a hat into the ensemble....

~

The Batch Family Tag List: @damerondala, @dangerousstrawberrypie, @pandora-the-halfling, @misogirl828, @darkangel4121, @sobstea, @rintheemolion, @dionysuskid21, @jesseeka, @hanbedumbaf, @harleyevanstan, @imabeautifulbutterfly, @sarahtanmarvel, @itsagrimm, @lackofhonor, @error6gendernotfound, @theclonesdeservebetter, @hannahhearttcw, @Techie-bear, @kaijusplotch, @salaminus, @theroguesully

[lailoken]

“Elder (Sambucus nigra), also known as boor or bour tree.

Elder is one of the most enigmatic plants in British folk tradition. On one hand it is feared and associated with WITCHES and on the other it is valued for its protective qualities, as a fly repellent, and for its use in many herbal remedies.

The whole plant hath a narcotic smell; it is not well to sleep under its shade. [Withering, 1776: 186]

[In Leitrim, Waterford and the south of Ireland] the elder or 'bore' tree is believed to have been the tree from which Judas Iscariot hanged himself. The proof of which is the fact that its leaves have an 'ugly smell', and, moreover, that its fruit has since degenerated from its original size and excellent flavour, and become worthless both as to size and taste. [Anon., 1916: 425]

It was said at Beckley that if you burn elder wood you will become bewitched. You never cut it down. In Wootton they say that the elder is a witch tree. You should not mend a wattle hedge with it, as it will give the witches power. If you cut it, it will bleed. [Oxfordshire Women's In- stitute groups, 1950s]

Unlucky to burn Tramman [elder], it is the FAIRIES’ tree. [Lezayre, Isle of Man, c.1975; Manx Folklife Survey]

Normally in the Isle of Man elder is the fairies' tree which is unlucky to cut down, or burn when fallen. I was told in 1992 by a forestry worker of his pleasure that a large elder had blown over into the field adjoining his garden and thus relieved him of the need to find someone willing to remove it. [Union Mills, Isle of Man, October 1993]

Elder flowers—it is alright to pick the flowers for wine or culinary use, but the tree is a friend of witches and the wood should never come into the house. [Ashreigney, Devon, July 1983]

Elder—unlucky to bring either flowers or wood into a house: (a) because it is the witches' tree, (b) because it was believed that Judas Iscariot hanged himself from an elder tree, (c) because if you fall asleep under elder flowers the scent will poison you or you will never wake up. [Driffield, Humber- side, March 1985]

Collecting firewood from the hedges surrounding the cottage and returning happily laden, but being accused of bringing bits of elder into the house—it was considered unlucky to use these to light a fire. [Bow Street, Dyfed, October 1984]

The only unlucky plant which I have heard of is the elder tree, which the old people looked upon as unlucky. As I have heard the old people say, it was unhealthy to have an elder tree growing near the house as it was often noted the inhabitants seemed more prone to TUBERCULOSIS or 'Consumption' as it was known in Ireland in the old days. However, as TB was rampant all over the country at that time, I don't know if the belief would have any significance. My own people however would not cut down an elder bush or burn it no matter how old or rotten it was. Nor allow an elder stick in the house, and it would be an unforgivable act to strike a child or even an animal with one. [Kill Village, Co. Kildare, October 1984]

The family name dies out on the property where the elder grows in the kitchen garden. [Skibbereen, Co. Cork, January 1993]

Do you know the Rollright Stones in Oxfordshire? You can't count them; you never get the same number twice. In the next field there is a big stone called King Arthur, and there are various stones called after his Knights around. There are some elder bushes nearby. We used to go there as children on our bicycles and try to count the stones. We were told that if we picked a flower or a berry from these elderberry bushes we would be turned into stone. We used to dare each other to pick a berry or a flower, but no one ever did. [Mitcham, Surrey, May 1986]

However, in the early part of the nineteenth century:

On Midsummer Eve, when the 'eldern' tree was in blossom, it was a custom for people to come up to the King Stone and stand in a circle. Then the 'eldern' was cut, as it bled 'the King moved his head.' [Evans, 1895: 20]

Sometimes it was thought that wood, berries, or flowers could be safely taken from an elder only if the tree's permission had been sought first.

Hearing one day that a baby in a cottage close to my own was ill, I went across to see what was the matter. Baby appeared right enough, and I said so; but its mother promptly explained. 'It were all along of my maister's thick 'ed; it were in this how: t'rocker cummed off t'cradle, an' he hedn't no more gumption than to mak' a new ’un out on illerwood without axing the Old Lady's leave, an' in coorse she didn't like that, and she came and pinched t'wean that outrageous he were a'most black i' t' face; but I bashed 'un off, an putten an' esh 'un on, an' t'wean is as gallus as owt agin.' This was something quite new to me, and the clue seemed worth following up. So going home I went straight down to my backyard, where old Johnny Holmes was cutting up firewood—‘chopping kindling,' as he would have said. Watching the opportunity, I put a knot of elder-wood in the way and said, 'You are not feared of chopping that are you ?' 'Nay, he replied at once, 'I bain't feared of choppin' him, he bain't wick (alive); but if her were wick I dussn't, not without axin’ the Old Gal's leave, not if it were ever so'.. . (The words to be used are): 'Oh, them's slape enuff.' You just says, 'Owd Gal, give me of thy wood, and Oi will give some of moine, when I graws inter a tree.' [Heanley, 190I: 55]

If you chop an elder tre e or fell it, you should bow three times and say:

Old Woman, Old Woman, Give me some of your wood And when I am dead I'll give you some of mine. [Whitwick, Leicestershire, August 1983]

[Staffordshire, 1930s:] my mother said it was the thing if one wanted blossoms or fruit from an elder tree to say 'Please Mother Elder may I have .. .' [Ponsanooth, Cornwall, November 1993]

In addition to records of elder being inauspicious, there are many rec- ords of it being a beneficial, protective tree.

[In Northumberland] an old man told me that his aunt used to keep a piece of bour tree, or elder, constantly in her kist (chest) to prevent her clothes from malign influence. [Hardy, 1895: 325]

In south Wales it was deemed very dangerous to build any premises on or near the spot where an eldertree stood. In the past an elder planted before the door of a cow-shed or stable protected the cows and horses from witchcraft and sorcery. [Trevelyan, 1909: 103]

[In Scotland elder was] often planted near old crofts and cottages as protection from witches. [Webster, 1978: 342]

[In Guernsey elder] had to be planted as near as possible to the back door, the most used entrance, since it was a sacred tree and a good protection against witchcraft. [McClintock, 1987: 33]

[In Ireland] it is considered lucky to have an elderberry bush grow near your house, especially if it is "self-set'. [Bracknell, Berkshire, August 1984]

Mother used elder leaves to make a pattern on the floor-bricks. Painting around them with red paint. Making the cross with elder leaves. This was an old custom, going back to her grandmother's time, so the custom had to be continued despite the time-consuming nature of the work. [Bow Street, Dyfed, March 1984]

Elder: this was called Boortree... The leaves were boiled and the water used to dose pigs. For this purpose, and because it was supposed to be a protection against LIGHTNING, there was a tree of it at every house. It can still be seen growing in places where there are no houses now, but where houses were years ago. [Lenamore, Co. Longford, April 1991]

Family folklore passed on to me includes . . . one should plant a ROWAN and elder tree and never cut them down, in order to keep witches away. [Parkstone, Dorset, June 1991]

I can remember as a child elder growing around the wooden bottom-of-the-garden 'lavvy' at my uncle's farm near Brentwood, Essex, and many other similar loos with elder adjacent. I was told that the elder would live 'almost for ever', as if one root died off another would spring from a fallen branch or twig. They were treated with 'respect' as they kept away bad magic—no one used the word 'witches'—but the inference was there. [Yafforth, North Yorkshire, January 1990]

More usually elder trees were planted around toilets and other build ings to deter FLIES.

Elder bushes are invariably to be seen outside the dairy windows on the north side of old-fashioned farmhouses in the Midlands. This was done because elder-leaves are supposed to be very objectionable to flies, wasps and other insects, the tree thus provided both shade and protection. For the same reason a switch of elder with leaves on is used when taking or driving a swarm of bees. [N &Q, 11 ser. 12: 489, 1915]

When inspecting a slaughter house [in Cornwall] a summer or two ago, I commented on the absence of flies, and was told that this was due to a large elder bush growing some feet away and that branches of elder in any building would keep flies away. [Peter, 1915: 123]

An elderberry tree was always grown near the house—I think it was to keep flies away. [Didcot, Oxfordshire, February 1991]

According to some friends of mine elderberry bushes were planted by water butts and outside privies so that the smell would keep the flies away. [Horseheath, Cambridgeshire, April 1991]

As a youth my late father worked on the land...Often handling horses it was common practice to tie bunches of elder leaves to the harness to ward off flies. [St Osyth, Essex, February 1989]

My wife, who comes from Northumberland, tells me that her mother used to make up a concoction with elder flower when she was a child. All the family washed their faces in it to keep virulent Northumbrian midges at bay. She remembers it smelling not too pleasant, and tended to keep other children away as well, so she would take the first opportunity to wash it off! [Hexham, Northumberland, June 1988]

About twelve years ago in Girton, Cambridge, a small swarm of bees (apparently known as a 'cast') settled on a plum tree in our garden, about six feet up. A neighbour, Mr C. G. Puck (now 84 years old), a retired shepherd and lifelong beekeeper, came to collect the bees. He removed the queen bee from the swarm and placed her under a small open wooden box inverted on the ground under the tree. He then asked for a sprig of elder and laid this about nine inches above the swarm, saying that the smell of it was disliked by bees, and by the early evening all the bees had moved into the box . . . He had learned of the use of elder in this fashion from his beekeeper father, in his native village of Thriplow, south Cambridgeshire. [Girton, Cambridge, May 1988]

On the Isle of Man:

Each old cottage has a 'trammon', or elderberry tree, outside the door. This is used by the 'Phynodderree' to swing in. He is a kind of faun who can bring much luck, and even helps materially in outside work. [Daily News, 27 January 1926]

[Fairies] liked most of all to swing and play in the elder trees, and these were always thought of as fairy trees in the Isle of Man. There wasn't a house or farm that didn't have its 'tramman' tree planted by the door or in the garden 'for the fairies'. Many of them are still to be seen; the single tree will soon have grown into a thicket, hiding the old ruined house, but a sure sign that a house once stood there . . . When the wind was blowing the branches, it was then that the fairies were believed to be riding the tramman trees, but it was said that they would desert a house or a farm where the trees had been cut down. This must have happened only very rarely: no-one would cut a branch of the tramman, let alone the tree itself, but if it was done the fairies grieved. [Killip, 1975: 35]

Regardless of whether elder is considered to be malevolent or protec- tive, most of the folk beliefs associated with the tree appear to be con- cerned with its protection and preservation. Two quotations from herbalists writing in the 1940s demonstrate the value of the elder tree.

[According to my [g*psy] friend] the healingest tree that on earth do grow be the elder, them sez, and take it all round I should say 'twas. [Quelch, 1941: 78]

[Elder has] the unusual distinction of being useful in every part. [Ransom, 1949: 55]

Thus it is possible that the various folk beliefs associated with elder were due, at least in part, to efforts to protect a valuable resource.

The period when elder flowered was sometimes considered to be a time when the weather was poor. In the Basingstoke area of Hampshire this time was known as the elderbloom winter [Maida Hill, Lon- don, December 1982], while in Cheshire:

Weather prophets say that if the weather breaks while the elder-flowers are coming out, it will be soaking wet (in Cheshire parlance, drabbly) until they fade. [Hole, 1937: 49]

Francis Bacon (1561–1626) recorded: 'They say' WARTS can be removed by rubbing them 'with a Green Elder Sticke and then bury- ing the Sticke to rot in Mucke' [Bacon, 1631: 258]. Similarly:

A 15-year-old girl, writing in 1954, says that her grandfather told her to pick a small twig of elderberry, touch her warts with it, chant the words, “Wart, wart, on my knee, Please go, one, two, three” and put it 'down the toilet'. [Opie, 1959: 315]

Elder is, perhaps, the wild plant most widely used in folk medicine.

Queen of all Forest [of Dean] remedies was 'ellum blow tea'...The flowers were gathered in the spring and hung up to dry in closed paper bags ... in the kitchen ... You dared not sneeze in the winter or down came the bag, a good handful was put in a jug, covered with boiling water, covered with a tea towel, and left to infuse. One had to force this evil-smelling brew down one's throat willy-nilly. I loathed it, and to this day can recall that smell of cats which emanated from it. Poultices of the mixture were used for SPRAINS, aches, etc., in joints, also for boils and 'gathered' fingers—whitlows and so on. It seemed to be a universal panacea; the only use it didn't have was for constipation . . . Elder berries were favoured too; they were boiled up with sugar, the resulting syrup strained, bottled, and used in winter for coughs and colds . . .There is not a Forester alive over the age of 70 who does not know ellum blow tea. [Cinder- ford, Gloucestershire, November 1993]

Elder berries when fried with mutton fat are used for BOILS and ULCERS. [IFCSS MSS 414: 43, Co. Clare]

Elder root when boiled and the water drank supposed to cure RHEUMAT- ISM. [IFCSS MSS 700: 35, Co. Meath]

An infusion of elder flowers in boiling water will alleviate PILES. [Horsted Keynes, West Sussex, February 1991]

A green ointment could be made from the leaves, based on mutton fat, and the creamy white flowers made Elderflower Water for the complexion. The flowers, dried in the sun and stored in a paper bag make a good remedy to break a hard COUGH and bring up phlegm. I always pick and dry some when they are in bloom, put the full of your fingers (one hand) in a mug, pour boiling water over and let it infuse for ten minutes. A little milk or fruit juice can be added. [Lenamore, Co. Longford, April 1991]

For flus and FEVERS

40 oz whiskey bottle. Pick, clean, weigh, one pound ripe elder berries. Delete the strings (most strings anyway) using a fork, and put berries into empty bottle. Add 4 lb sugar. Top up with a bottle (or most of a bottle) of whiskey. Seal well. Store for 3 months and strain. Use strongest spirit. Dose—Strong glass of this 'Elderfire'—add hot water (as hot as possible) and drink. Take 2 or 3 spoons of honey with drink. Repeat each night (or more frequently)–usually two nights is sufficient to clear the flu/fever results guaranteed. [Killarney, Co. Kerry, September 1991]

[My mother, who was 94 when she died in 1987] used to collect elder-flower in the spring, and dried it. In the winter if we had colds or flu, the elderflower was put in a jug covered with boiling water and put on the hob to stew. At night we were given this (strained) with sugar and a few drops of peppermint oil added. We were given a teacup full of this at night, and in the morning we had to drink half a cupful of this cold mixture. It was supposed to sweat out the fever. She used to tell me how she pulled me through PNEUMONIA by poulticing with hot flannel and sips of elderflower tea, day and night. [Hill, Worcestershire, October 1991]

When my three children were small and we had wintery weather (and it can be very cold up here at the foot of the Cairngorms), I made elder-flower wine, and when it was time for them coming from school I had three cups, bowl of sugar, bottle of elderflower wine and the kettle boiling, and I gave them a tody; they never had colds or flu. [Boat-of-Garten, Inverness-shire, November 1991]

Elder flowers and berries are widely collected by makers of homemade wines. The flowers can also be used in cooking [Ó’Ceirin, 1980: o1), and the fruits have been recommended as a substitute for currants [Ransom, 1949: 55]. Elder leaves have been used as a TOBACCO substitute.

Myself, my brother and a friend always smoked elder leaves when money was not available for tailor-made cigarettes. We spent much time in the woodland of Thetford Chase, where on our regular walks we would break down, but not completely snap off, small sprigs of the elder. We found that if we severed the supply of sap completely the leaves on the sprig would dry out resulting in a hot strong smoke. We found that if the leaves remained just slightly damp they were a quite pleasant smoke. It was obviously trial and error, sometimes they remained too wet to burn properly. We would stuff the leaves very lightly into the stems of various umbellifers...We actually prefered these cigarettes to the tailor-made, but they were not available during winter. [West Stow, Suffolk, November 1992]

Elder wood is characterized by its pith, which can be easily removed.

[On Colonsay] boys aspiring to be pipers made chanters of the young branches [of elder], which are full of pith and easily bored. [McNeill, 1910: 130].

Haw-blowers are made by scooping the pith out of an elder branch. Haws are blown through these. [IFCSS MSS 700: 338, Co. Meath]

The people of the parish were able to make toy guns. They got an elder stick about one and a half feet long and scraped out the inside. Then they got a stick about the same length and made it fit into the hole and then the gun was made. [IFCSS MSS 867: 132, Co. Kilkenny]

At the the beginning of the century children in parts of Devon used to make pop-guns' out of elder: they would force a hole through the pith, and then fashion a ram-rod out of HAZEL WOOD. Chewed paper would be rammed down the hollowed elder sticks, and pressed out with considerable force. Great sport ensued. [Lafonte, 1984: 35]

There was another use for the Boor tree in olden times. A suitable length was cut and seasoned, then the white pith in the centre was scraped out, lead was then melted and poured in. When set, this made a good weapon for protection on a journey or out walking at night...My aunt who was born in 1894 remembered one man who had such a stick. [Lenamore, Co. Longford, April 1991]

[In Horsefield, Cambridgeshire] for winter feeding one beekeeper used to make little troughs out of elder wood; he cut pieces about the thickness of a finger and five or six inches long, tapered off one end and removed the pith, and used them for replenishing the bees' honey by inserting this end in the exit hole. [Parsons MSS, 1952]”

—

Oxford Dictionary of Plant-Lore

by Roy Vickery

[fiveisnumber1]

Timeless - Five Hargreeves x Reader

Main Story Parts:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23  | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33

____________________

Pt 2 - A Break In The Timeline

A timeline break occurs every time someone makes a decision to do something. Each outcome leading to more decisions that create a branching tree of everyone's life of the decisions that were made and the ones that would never be. Over the course of your life, you had made plenty of decisions to lead you to this point, but the one you would make today was of impact greater than you would know. You didn't really think much of your decision but it would change the path of your life. A few days ago, your parents had informed you that they were going to go out for the day to your father's business outing and that they would be back home later that night. It was the first time that they were considering leaving you home alone. You could tell your mom was nervous about leaving you by the way she kept asking if you were ready to stay home without them and if you wanted to come along with them.

"You know, all your dad's co-workers always enjoy having you around. Your dad even mentioned that Cheryl was bringing her famous chocolate chip cookies that you love so much." Your mom commented

"As tempting as those cookies sound, you can just bring some home. I'm 12 years old, I think I can manage myself for a day, Mom." You remark

"Oh I know but you're my little baby and I just can't stand how you're growing up so fast. It seems like just yesterday I was holding you in my arms rocking you to sleep." Your mother replies holding you tightly in her arms

Walking down the stairs into the living room you can see your dad tying his tie as he approaches the two of you. Finishing his tie, he places a reassuring hand on your mother's shoulder and gives her a comforting smile as he comments,

"I think our little anomaly can handle herself. How else will she learn some independence, we can't keep her small forever."

"Well she will forever be my baby no matter how much she grows," your mom replies

"I know my love, but we can't keep debating this. We need to get going if we're going to make it there on time. Traffic in this city is such a pain." He explains

Your mom lets out a small huff before relenting,

"Oh alright, but I will miss her immensely."

Your Dad lets out a small chuckle at your mother's affection. He loved her and the way she loved you. Crouching down to your level he places a hand on your shoulder as he says,

"We're leaving you home today, which is a big responsibility. My cell phone and your mom's cell phone numbers are on the fridge. If there is an emergency call 911 and if you use your powers please don't accidentally destroy the house."

"I promise I'll be responsible!" You reply

Your dad ruffles your hair playfully before standing back up. Taking your mom's hand in his he walks the two of them over to the door. As they turn to look back at you once more, you can't help but run over and give them both a hug before they leave. The two of them lovingly hug you back before opening the door and starting to head out. Right as your mom is walking out the door she turns back to you once more and requests,

"While you're home, promise me you'll remember the third rule"

"I will." You answer

You wave goodbye with a smile on your face waiting for the door to shut before running over to the window to watch your parents drive away in the family car. You promised your mom that you would remember the rule but you never promised her to follow the rule. You sat in your living room looking out the window for what felt like an hour planning what you would do to satiate your curiosity and also to make sure that your parents didn't come back unannounced. When you finally felt that the coast was clear you started putting your plan into place. Getting off the couch in your living room you left your house, closed the front door, and made the quick but daunting walk across the street. You stood outside the gate of the house you lived across from, the huge building loomed over you and you began to wonder if the need to ease your curiosity was worth it. No, you had made this decision and you were going to stick to it. It was just one visit. You would see what was up and then you would leave never to return. Once you had built up your confidence enough and felt that the street was clear you used your power to walk through the locked gates. You assumed no one had seen you since when you looked left and right the street was empty, but there was one thing you forgot to do though. You forgot to look up.

_________________________

The house you were forbidden from going to was the residence of eccentric billionaire Sir Reginald Hargreeves. But he did not live alone as his manor also housed that of the seven Hargreeves children. For the children, their days were like clockwork. Always on a set schedule, always doing the same things, rarely ever catching a break, little to no fun. At this time of day, the siblings had finished their training and were now solitary in their rooms. They were not allowed to have fun but for one of the Hargreeves children, this was the best part of his day.

Five enjoyed being able to get away from his family, specifically his father. Every day was the same thing, just a gray, uneventful existence. But when he was in his room alone, for those few moments he could get away from the man. He tried his best to forget the rest of the day but even so, he could hear that calloused voice in his head criticizing,

"Pathetic, your powers aren't ready yet! They aren't developed where they should be! They're not good enough, you need to work harder."

Five hated his father and he hated the repetition of each and every day, but when he was alone in his room he could do what he wanted. Sitting on his window sill he looked down at the street below him. He looked at all the people walking around, getting to be free, and do what they want rather than what they are told. Granted, he and his siblings would sneak out and go to the donut place not too far from here, but he was still with his siblings. He wanted to meet people outside of his family. He started to worry that if he didn't he might end up like his brother Luther.

He liked looking at the people on the street. Some people he would see once and then never again. Others he would see all the time. You were not an exception. He would see you and your parents all the time when you were entering and leaving your house. The three of you seemed to be really happy together. He wondered what it was like to be in a happy family. Every now and then if he peeked through his curtains he could see across the street into your bedroom window and see you dancing, or playing with toys, or working at your desk. He thought about what life might be like for you, a normal kid with a normal family and a normal life.

And as he sat on his window sill looking out at the world he longed to be a part of, he saw you the girl who lived across the way, leave your house, cross the street and stand outside the gates of his home. Curious, he watched intently as you looked up at the building. Could you see him from where you were standing? What were you thinking at that moment? He watched as you looked from the building to gaze upon the locked gates in front of you. Were they locked to keep people like you out or to keep him and the others in? He watched as you placed your hand on the metal of the gate. You would probably just try to push and pull on them before giving up and moving on to whatever else you got to do in your life. But in a matter of seconds, you went from the outside the gate to the inside. He blinked his eyes in shock and confusion. Did he really just see what he thought he saw? He rubbed his eyes trying to clear them but when he opened them back up you were gone. He wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him. Maybe he was finally losing his mind in this solitary confinement. Maybe he just needed some fresh air. Deciding that some air would help, Five left his room and made himself a peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich before heading outside to the courtyard.

_________________________

Unbeknownst to Five, his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. You had entered the premises using your powers. It took a while to figure out what your powers were, as it seemed like it was a whole bunch. When your parents saw them they guessed anything from invisibility to sound powers, teleportation to telekinesis, from A to Z your parents tried to comprehend what in the world your abilities were. After some more years and more practice with your powers, you finally figured out what you could do. You had the ability to manipulate molecules, both of your own body and of that of other objects in the world. You were able to change your own molecules so that they would become transparent, you could break yourself apart and reassemble yourself somewhere else, You were able to move through different objects by playing with your molecules and that of the object. You were able to do those things and so much more, but you needed to practice it as it was difficult to do any of the things if you weren't concentrating on it.

After phasing through the gate of the building you focused on making your molecules transparent so no one would see you. If this place was as dangerous as your parents made it out to be, you had to stay hidden. Quietly you worked your way around the outside of the house looking for any sign of life. Any sign of something. As you continued around you managed to find yourself in a courtyard. As you stepped further into it you watched as a young boy about your age with dark hair sat on a bench of sorts with a sandwich in his hand. He looked so sad. Why would your parents have an issue with a child? You stood frozen and watched as he was about to take a bite out of it when another boy standing in a doorway shouted,

"OOOOH SOMEONE IS OUT OF HIS ROOM! I'M GONNA TELL DAD!"

The boy on the bench threw his sandwich down on his plate and replied,

"You're out of your room too!"

You saw as the boy in the doorway started to run away and the sandwich boy ran inside the door after him. Even with all the commotion, you continued to focus on your molecules. Walking further into the courtyard you approached the sandwich on the bench and took a look at it. It was nothing out of the ordinary. Just peanut butter and marshmallow. As you stared at the abandoned sandwich, your stomach growled and you started contemplating eating the sandwich before you. No, if you did someone would realize you were there. Although maybe they would think it was a bird. You go back and forth for a bit debating whether you were going to be a thief or not but before you could make a decision you felt a hand on your back push you forward. Tripping over the bench you fell to the ground and when you turned around to see what has shoved you you saw the sandwich boy looking at you in shock. You lock eyes with the boy and before you think of anything else you exclaim,

"Hey what was that for!"

Five didn't reply though, he just continued to look at you speechless. There you were. The girl from across the street, at his house, right in front of him. His mind raced with questions. How did you get inside the locked gate? How could he not see you? What were you even doing here?

You stood silently waiting for an explanation from the boy but as he continued to look at you confused you finally realized something huge. You lost focus on your molecules. You weren't invisible anymore. You froze in fear. This was not how your spy mission was supposed to go. As you waiting for your mind to catch up you saw the boy shakes his head slightly before trying to question,

“H-how...How did you-"

Before he could even finish his question you were already up and racing past him trying to get back out the gate. It took Five a moment to process what was happening but when he did he immediately chased after you frantically calling out,

"WAIT!"

You looked back to where his voice came from but didn't see him behind you but when you turned your head back straight you saw the boy standing in front of you with his hands out trying to stop you. Your eyes went wide as you tried to slow down but it was too late. Crashing into him you both lost your balance, falling to the ground. 

After a few moments, Five got up from the ground and dusted himself off before extending his hand out to you. You looked between him and his hand suspiciously. If he was dangerous why was he helping you up? Reluctantly you took his hand as he helped you to your feet. You dust yourself off as well before looking back towards the courtyard and then back at him.

"How about you appear a little close next time, huh?" You comment

"Uh, sorry." He replies before asking "How did I not see you when I went to grab my sandwich?" he asks

The two of you stared at each other quietly. Neither one saying a word. You weren't getting out of this one, were you? Trying to answer him without giving too much away you vaguely reply,

"Um, I can...do things."

Five nods his head averting his gaze. He had no clue what to do in this situation. He had never interacted with someone outside of the academy before. This was uncharted territory and he was very much floundering. 

"So how did you get in front of me so fast?" You question back

"Oh, I can do things too," he replies

"Uh okay." You reply uncomfortably "Cool."

This was awkward. It's like this kid had never talked to anyone in his life before. Trying your best to get out of this odd scenario you added,

"Alright well this has been fun but I'm leaving."

Quickly, you start to make your way past him so you can get back home and forget this ever happened, but as you do so the boy grabs your wrist exclaiming,

"Wait."

You turn around to look at him, your face filled with confusion. What could he want? Not even Five knew the answer to that question though. He had no clue what he was doing, he just knew that he didn't want you to leave just yet. This was new and odd and somewhat exciting. An outsider was here with him. Not just any outsider either, you were the girl from across the street. He saw as you looked at him waiting for some type of explanation and managed to stumble out,

"Can I at least know the name of the girl who lives across the street?"

Your head tilted to the side as you scrunched your eyebrows in confusion.

"How do you know I live across the street?" You questioned

"I can see you from my bedroom window." Five explains

This kid was weird, but it was starting to become more interesting than concerning. You wondered what his life was like to make him like this but you weren't going to ask that yet. Thinking for a moment about his request you finally respond,

Fine, as long as you tell me your name too."

"I'm Five." He states

"You look older than that." You reply back

"No, that's my name." He explains

"Your name is a number?" You ask confused

"Yes." He responds unbothered

"Oh." You say "Well, I'm (Y/N),"

Five lets go of your wrist and extends his hand out to you once more, this time for you to shake it. You hesitate for a moment but you were already in too deep so it didn't matter much at this point. Extending your hand back you take his hand in yours and formally shake it. Finishing the handshake you let go and start to take a step away when Five calls out,

"Can we do this again sometime?"

You pause in your tracks and turn your head to look back at him. With a smirk forming on your face you reply,

"Perhaps. Although I hope it'll be more than an awkward conversation next time."

Five gives you a smile and nods his head eagerly. You said next time. He would get to talk to an outsider again. Giving Five a smile and a wave you turn away and without another word, you phase yourself back through the gates and disappear back towards your house. Standing in place, Five continues to smile to himself before throwing his hands in his pocket and turning back to the courtyard and his sandwich. There was something odd about you, and you might not be as normal as he first expected but he liked that and was still eager to get to know you more.

Quickly, you arrived back home across the street and immediately head inside before plopping yourself down on the couch. You thought this little trek would've been enough to ease your curiosity but now you wanted to know more. And know more you would, because this encounter was just the beginning of the many to come.

[bringingglory]

@eerna oh my god acshdgagaahhdvsahsv I never expected you to see my post, so I won't lie, I feel like super embarrassed acsgsga

anyway! not gonna lie, this wip has been sitting in my drafts for months now because I wanted to see if I could plan stuff but then I got stuck because Details are hard to figure out BUT I did write out a few scenes, so I'll put them below the cut because they're kind of long. the first one is the "opening" of the fic and the second one is a sort of reimagining of the Silent Princess memory. i have a few other scenes sort of scribbled out, but these are the most "polished" of the stuff i've written alsdkfjasdfk

the opening lol

Link wakes to a faint buzzing in his ear that sends little darts of pain shooting through his skull. He waits for it to end, and when it doesn’t he groans and rolls over, smacking the space around him to find whatever was making that noise and make it shut up. He can’t fathom why his brain is rolling through his skull like that and why there’s an intense pressure behind his eyes, but when he rolls onto his side, he has to press a hand to his abdomen to settle whatever was sloshing around inside his stomach.

Ah. He’s hungover.

Link peels open his eyes and the light sends a fresh wave of pain ricocheting through his skull. He blinks once, twice, and then forces his eyes open to find a phone the size vibrating against the ground a few inches away from his hand.

Link groans and pushes himself up to a sitting position before grabbing the phone and dismissing the alarm. When the phone falls silent in his hands, he finally looks around and tries to assess the situation.

He’s sitting in a bathtub, the porcelain slightly damp from what he hopes is just water. His shirt smells vaguely of cheap vodka and he still can barely look at the sunlight streaming through the window without wincing.

A moment later, he realizes the phone in his hands isn’t his.

Link holds the phone up to his face and rubs the grogginess from his eyes. He swipes up on the screen, surprised that it isn’t protected by a password.

The phone is open on note in the notes app, and it reads:

link, if you’re reading this right now, im so sorry for leaving you in the tub like that!!! my dad’s supposed to come home from the office today and the document case i was telling you about is missing and he cant know i lost it. i know we just started getting along, and im so sorry to ask you this, but could you find the document case? impa’s in my contacts and she can help you. also you have permission to dig through my phone, just dont judge me if i have anything embarrassing on there. can you find the file by midnight? his flight leaves at 3 and i can stall him until then.

it’s 6:11 right now so i have to run before he gets back, but please hurry! i’ll be waiting for you

-zelda

Link blinks and turns the phone off.

Last night? What happened last night? Why can’t he remember anything?

Well, if his raging headache tells him anything, it’s that he had probably blacked out last night.

Link isn’t usually a drinker or a partier. He isn’t really one to go to big social events. So he’s really confused as to why he woke up passed out in a tub with zero memories.

And also, why Zelda left her phone with him.

a version of the Silent Princess memory but they're at a party and its modern

Zelda laughs. “I think I got a little too sober from the Yiga incident to enjoy the party now.”

Link isn’t sure if he’s supposed to laugh with her, but nods anyway. “Do you want to get some air?”

Zelda gives him an odd look, then sighs. “Yeah. Yes. That would be a good idea.”

Surprisingly, she grabs his forearm and leads him through all the bodies pressed against each other. He can feel the heat of her hand wrapping entirely around his arm like a hot glove, even above the heat of the late summer air and the heat from other people in close proximity.

Somehow, they make it to the other side of the house. Zelda pushes the back door open and pulls him past the other stragglers outside before they find a nice tree with a patch of grass that seems generally clear of alcohol and vomit.

Zelda releases his arm as soon as she finds the tree and she sits down, dropping her head against the trunk.

“Are you okay?” He asks.

Zelda waves her hand vaguely.

Link pauses. “Do you need water?”

“If you get me any more water, I’m probably gonna piss myself,” says Zelda. “Sit down.”

He sits down.

The crickets hum vaguely around them, mingling with the distant buzzing and thumping bass of the music from the party. But without people pressing in from all sides and an open field in front of them, it finally feels like he can take a full breath.

The silence settles over them like a blanket. It feels comfortable to him, but he isn’t sure if it’s supposed to be.

“Oh, Link, look.”

Link cranes his head to see Zelda twist around and point out a blue flower glowing vaguely in the dark. It was beautiful with blue petals so light they looked almost white, and a sky blue bleeding out from the center before fading out.

He wants to give her a questioning look, but she’s transfixed on the flower. He can see the smallest of smiles creeping up onto the corners of her mouth.

“It’s a Silent Princess,” she says. “It was my mom’s favorite flower.”

He can tell something important is happening, so he keeps his mouth shut.

“She said that we can’t grow them domestically yet, despite our best efforts.” Zelda breaks into a full smile and it’s radiant. “The Princess can only thrive out here. In the wild.”

They both turn to look back at the house as another loud WHOOP cuts through the air, followed by the sound of a can being crushed against a head.

“Nature is beautiful,” says Link.

Zelda swats him and he has to bite back a laugh.

She turns and runs a gentle finger along one of the petals before sighing and leaning back against the tree.

“Thank you,” she says suddenly. “For being there with the Yiga. And for being there the whole party.” He can hear her swallow. “I’m sorry for being a bitch.”

“You weren’t being a bitch,” says Link.

“I was, though.” Zelda inhales beside him. “I mean, just because I’m under a lot of stress from my dad doesn’t mean I’m allowed to take it out on other people. I was acting like a kid.”

“To be fair, your dad sounds like an asshole sometimes.”

Zelda snorts. “Yeah. He can be.” He turns his head to see her lean forward to fiddle with the grass. “But he’s got a lot on his plate. And it probably doesn’t help that his daughter doesn’t want anything to do with his ‘legacy.’”

“Just because your dad’s under a lot of pressure doesn’t mean he’s allowed to be an asshole,” Link points out.

Zelda finally looks up at him and offers him a small grin. “Fair enough.”

“And besides, you’re your own person. You don’t need to follow in his footsteps.”

“That’s what I said,” huffs Zelda. “But of course it’s, ‘blah blah you have a responsibility. I didn’t raise you like this so you could waste your time researching pointless things.’” She sighs. “It’s fine. It’s whatever. I came to this stupid party to blow off steam, I guess. But Goddess, I did not eat enough today to drink that many cans of shitty beer.”

Link sits upright, alert. “Do you need to get food or—”

“No, no, that’s fine.” And that smile returns and Link wonders what else he can say to make it stay. “You’re sweet. But I’ve probably gotten drunk enough tonight.” Her eyes slide up to him and the mischief in them stops his heart for a moment. “You still have to try the Hot Frog.”

Link blinked. “...what is that?”

--

the endings are abrupt on both of them just bc i wasn't entirely sure how to end them akldjfasd. also the "Hot Frog" is gonna be some kind of mixed drink that gets link really drunk -- me trying to allude more to the original memory from the game haha

anyway, thank you so much for the ask! and thank u for coming up with the shitpost because it made me laugh the first time i read it hasdklfj hopefully i'll continue this one day and do ur shitpost au justice!