#so legend was trying to set him free from the dream

[adrift-in-thyme]

I had the weirdest dream last night

[luimagines]

Hey hey!!! Saw you opened asks- so I wanted to send my love and appreciation for everything you do💕💕

Maybe a reverse of “You Blurt Out Who’s Your Favorite” , where the chain accidentally say that reader is their favorite? Silly pining ensues. (You don’t have to do this as always. Have a good day 💕)

Sure thing, Anti! I hope you have a good day too! <3 :D

Masterlist

Immediate Reader, boys under the cut!

"I am the best!"

"In your dreams!"

"The greatest!

"Uh-huh."

You snorted as the boys all ragged on each other. Typical sibling behavior.

They were all playing the game of 'Who is the greatest? Certainly not you.' And you were trying really hard to not make it seem like you were paying attention to their shenanigans.

"Well, Malon likes me more!"

"No way! I'm her favorite."

Screw it you're joining this.

"I am the favorite!" All eyes turn to you as you smirk.

"....I doubt that."

You laugh and cross your arms. "I have yet to be proven wrong."

"Well you're certainly mine."

***

Legend

Legend crosses his arms as he rolls his eyes. He sees the group look to him and huffs. "I mean, honestly- Hello? Have you met them? They're easily the odd man out here."

"Ok." You deadpan. "Rude."

"Which means-" Legend flicks your forehead non too gently. "-that you're not as annoying or willing to throw us all off of a cliff."

"That was one time!" Wild shouts from the back.

"Well regardless, I can trust them to get the work done with out having to pick up the slack." Legend admires the ring on his fingers, acting nonchalant about the whole thing.

Some of the boys all seem to shuffle nervously on their feet. they seem to know what he's talking about.

This catches your attention. "Wait- hold on. When was this? What happened?"

Legend grins, looking like the cat that caught the canary. "A while ago. You were too busy doing your part to notice that we had been left to get rid of the rest of the monsters."

That last part was pointed. And you don't think his bombastic side eye was helping matters.

Ok. So Legend was holding a grudge. That's good to know.

You cleared you throat and rubbed the back of your neck. "So... that makes me your favorite?"

"Especially so." Legend turns back to you. His expression almost changes in a full 180. Before it looked at if his glare could have set them all ablaze but now his gaze is almost... soft. Tender, even.

Your breath gets stuck in your throat and you're shocked that you're even beginning to feel flustered by it. "....Don't mention it."

"I haven't." Legend winks and you bite your lip, losing your nerve and looking away. "But I don't mind bringing it up that you've been most helpful."

"Ugh, gross, he's flirting." Wind groans and shoves his way between the two of you, breaking the moment in twain. "Get a room! We don't need to see it!"

"I wasn't flirting-"

"That wasn't-"

'Yeah, yeah..." Wind blows a raspberry, making some of the others boys snicker. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

Twilight

"Thank you." You grin and happily start walking with a spring in your step.

Twilight seems to pause, letting his words sink into his head. The others rapidly catch on that he hadn't intended to say that out loud, but you seem none the wiser and actually quite pleased with this revelation.

You skip ahead and even go as far as to loop your arm with his. "I think you're pretty neat too, Twilight."

He coughs and rub the back of his neck with his free hand, letting you hold his dominant arm hostage. It's not like he's complaining. "I'm glad."

Hyrule snickers on the side lines and Twilight finds it in himself to send him a particularly nasty look. Over your head, naturally, so you don't see and don't get the hint that some of the other boy seem persistent to drop in his stead.

You drop your grip on his arm to hold his hand instead, swinging your hands together as you all walk. "Good to know that I'm the favorite over all."

"That can't be it." Legend says with a smirk on his face.

Twilight growls. "Shut it-"

"Twilight said so. You all heard it." You fire back, ignoring Twilight's words. "I am the favorite."

"Mhm." Time hums in agreement. "I don't see why not."

"Old man." Twilight stresses the nickname, pleading as wordlessly as he can to let the subject drop and let him live.

You finally look up to him with a tilt of your head. "Were you lying?"

Panic stabs his heart and he rips his hand away from you in shock as he tries to salvage the situation. Whatever it is he's trying to salvage anyway. "What?! No! Of course I wasn't lying! I think you're incredible!"

"Ok!" You grin as if nothing had happened and grab his hand again. "That's a relief. I wasn't going to say anything but you're my favorite too. So it all works out in the end."

Twilight flushes as you begin to drag him forward on the trail. "....I beg your pardon?"

"You're pardoned!" You start swinging your hands again. "Let's go!"

Time

You trip over your feet and snap your head to face the old man who hadn't even bothered to look in your direction.

Surprisingly, it was Twilight who spoke next. "...Well that doesn't very fair."

Time snorts but comments no further.

Part of you wants to beam in joy. And to rub it in the rest of the boy's faces.

That's high praise coming from Time and you all knew it.

There's a sudden pep in your step as you keep walking forward. "Ha! I'm Time's favorite. Na nana na~"

Time smirks and watches you with an amused smile. Wind groans dramatically and launches himself onto Time's arm. "But come on! We're all cool and nice and how come I'm not your favorite?"

"It's not that you're not my favorite." Time explains gently, chuckles as he pries Wind off of his arm with a particularly rough hair ruffle. "It's that they-" He points to you. "-don't make it their life mission to give me grey hairs before my time."

"You don't need our help to get grey hair, Old Man." Legend teases.

Time swipes at the hero playfully, letting him easily evade his grasp. "I'm fully aware. And yet you all seem keen on making it happen."

You laugh, feeling more proud of yourself than you probably should. It feels good, even if there's a little voice in your head that's telling you Time only said you were the favorite to tease the other heroes. Even if that were case, you can't bring yourself to mind it. You can tease the others about it as well!

Twilight seems particularly put out and you make it a point to stick your tongue out at him out of childish pettiness.

Twilight catches on and pouts harder, sticking his tongue out at you in return- right for Time to clock him in the back of his head. "Easy, Pup."

"They started it!" Twilight cries petulantly.

"I'm ending it." Time gets a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Besides, I didn't hear them arguing with you lot about who was the greatest among you."

You put your hands on your hips. "I am quite awesome though, aren't I?"

Time sighs. "A mark of a true hero is humility." He flicks your forehead. "But yes- you are awesome."

Sky

"Awww... Sky, that's so sweet!" You put your hand to your heart and grin at the suddenly bashful boy.

"Ah- well... You're welcome."

Hyrule laughs and slugs him on the shoulder. "You didn't intend to say that out loud, did you?"

"Nope." Sky scratches the back of his head.

"That's ok." You pat his back, feeling a little better about your own ego. "I think that makes it all the better."

"...Right..." Sky smiles a little tensely, seeming a little more nervous than he's willing to let know.

"Wait-" Warrior raises an eyebrow. He says your name questioningly. "Who's your favorite?"

"Oh! Hyrule."

"Huh?"

"Yup." You give Sky a wink while the other boys start rapidly firing questions. Not because they want to know why Hyrule, but they want to know why not them.

You know, like the children they are.

Sky relaxes a little bit when you walk forward to keep the attention of off him and onto yourself, giving him enough time to collect himself and then wonder if you wee serious or not.

So... you didn't technically help him despite your efforts, but you don't have to know where his head space is at.

"...You were serious, weren't you?" Hyrule says in a quite voice. "Did you mean that as in more than just being a favorite?"

"...So when I say I didn't intend to say that out loud-"

"Sky, oh my god."

"I know."

"You even looked them in the eye-!"

"I know!"

"..."

"..."

"....My condolences."

"Don't remind me." Sky groans, hiding his face in his hands.

Warrior

Everyone freezes before all heads slowly turn to him.

Your jaw drops in total shock. Of all people to say something in this context, in that manner, he was would have been at the bottom of the list.

Warrior raises a cool eyebrow, daring to smirk as the cherry on top.

No body makes a move, almost afraid to break the tedious atmosphere around the group and once rowdy boys.

You clear your throat, garnering the attention for yourself against your wishes. You however, keep your gaze on Warrior. The son of a gun winks.

You flush and feel the need to clear your throat again. You were trying to be sarcastic and facetious. You weren't expecting a genuine response. At least you think he's being serious. The silence certainly doesn't help you get your nerve back.

"Moving on." Warrior turns on his heel and begins to walk away, leaving you all in the wake of his cutting sentence.

You try to meet the eyes of the other but they're all looking at you for your reaction instead.

You throw up your hands in a desperate attempt to get the attention off of yourself. "I didn't tell him to say that!"

"Of course not." Warrior has the gall to speak once more on the topic. "But that doesn't make it any less true."

"You-!" You shout, unintentionally being louder than you intended. "SHUT! Not a peep out of you!"

Warrior gets a gleam in his eye that spells trouble for you later. He grins even wider and blows you a kiss.

You have half the mind to throw something at him.

Wild leans up next to you and bumps your shoulder with his. You turn to him in a desperate attempt to hide your shame. His eyebrows dance in a knowing fashion and you give completely. Shoving the Champion as far aware from you as you can, you also begin to get a move on for the day.

The others boys laugh quietly around you, amused at the turn of events.

"I hate all of you."

"No you don't!" Someone gleefully calls back to you.

"Why don't tell that to Warrior?" Four teases.

You plan revenge on him specifically. Instead of following through with that however, you speed up to catch up to Warrior.

"Am I really your favorite?" You find yourself saying before you could stop yourself.

Warrior chuckled. "Of course. Have I ever lied to you?'

"Well..." He has a point there. You take a deep breath. "No."

"Well, there you have it."

Four

"Are you serious?" Wind pouts. "I thought it was Time."

"Nope." Four puts his hands on his hips. "And unlike some people, I'm not afraid to speak my mind. I said it and I'll say it again. They're my favorite person here. Any one that disagree has to come up with some pretty convincing evidence to make me change my mind?"

You beam and feel yourself bubble up with happiness. You bounce on the balls of your feet and clap happily. "Yay! I'm Four's favorite!"

You turn to Sky excitedly, pointing in his face. "Eat it!"

He gives you a startled look before he starts laughing under his breath.

Four snorts and shakes his head. "Any objections?"

Most of the boys shake their heads, amusement twinkling in their eyes. Four grins as well and shrugs. "I guess we're done here."

You giggle like a maniac as everyone starts falling back into line, the conversation ending then and there with Four's declaration.

You on the other hand, feel like that you've gotten the ego boost of a life time. You're not entirely sure why. Being Four's favorite went straight to your head and elevated your mood to a whole other level.

"This is the greatest achievement of my life." You say, not entirely sarcastic as you wanted to sound. "I think I can die happy now."

"I didn't think it would make you this happy." Four noticed you bouncing on cloud nine. "Do you think I'm that special that it's so important to be my favorite?"

You pause and blush softly. A beat passes with all eyes on you and you decide to bite the bullet. "Of course I do. You're also my favorite person."

"Person?" Wild catches your slip up.

You snap your head to him and stick your tongue out. "Don't even start. I said what I said. I won't take it back."

You turn back to Four and see him giving you the softest smile. Your heart starts pounding in your chest. Oh. That's new. You finds yourself smiling back.

"Get a room!!" Warrior drops his hand to your head, nearly throwing you to the ground as he ruffles your hair. Twilight does the same to Four, ruining the moment.

"Hey-! Get off!" You shout and shove the hero away.

"Twilight, watch it!"

Wind

You snap your head in the direction of the voice and feel a wide grin cover your face. "Well thank you very much, Pirate."

You reach over and ruffle his hair roughly, playfully throwing off his balance as he yells and tries to fight you off without making it into a legitimate fight.

"Ok, ok, take it easy you two." Time steps in, taking your hand off of the boy with a light chuckle on his breath.

"That's it." You say, meeting the rest of the group with a wild gleam in your eye. You aim to start trouble. "Wind is officially my favorite too. The rest of you stink."

"Oh, come on. Be nice." Wild snickers, throwing his arms round your shoulders to shake you just as playfully. "We all have our good moments. Why does Wind get the sudden promotion?"

"Well you literally stink." You jokingly, pinch your nose and throw him off of you. "Come on, Wind."

You turn around, sticking your tongue out at all the other as they snicker at Wild's offended face. Wind was laughing loudly, happily taking your outstretched hand when you offered it.

"Let's go to the front of the group where all the cool kids hang out."

"Ok!" He giggles, swinging your hands together as you start to walk a little faster to get ahead of everyone else.

"Are we just going to let them get away with this?" Wild shouts, having his pride wounded by your throw away comment.

"I mean..." Sky shrugs.

"Seriously?!"

"They're not wrong." Warrior snort, gently knocking the back of the Wild's with the heel of his wrist. "Maybe change your clothes every once and a while."

"You're one to talk." Wild grumbled, taking out his sheikah slate to look for something to wear. "I am not that bad."

You bite your lip to keep your amusement at bay and shrug as well. "If it's any consolation, Wild, you're not as bad as Twilight."

"I heard that!"

"You were supposed to!" Wind calls out for you and laughs loudly once more, pulling you along before taking off in a sprint. You looked behind you to see what happened, only to see Twilight chasing after you both.

"Wind, run!"

Hyrule

"Rulie', you gotta warn people before you say things like that." Wild chuckles as he knocks the Traveler in the back of the head in your stead while you stood staring at the boy agape.

"Sorry." He blushes and rubs the back of his head. "I couldn't stop myself fast enough."

"Wait- hold up." You find yourself saying. "....You mean it. Like... really really, you mean it. You wouldn't react that way if you didn't."

Hyrule coughs and bite his lips, bravely meeting you in the eyes. Goodness- you didn't think you have a thing for him but that particular expression has all cylinders firing off in your brain at once. You didn't even know he could pull that kind of look off. And he's not even trying!! It's not that kid fo context!

"Yup... I uh-... Well, there's nothing wrong with admitting it, right?"

"Rulie' I thought we had something." Legend dramatically put his hand to his heart, falling with his full weight onto the other hero. "The betrayal is deep Hero of Hyrule."

"Get off of me!"

"Just twist the knife deeper while you're at it!"

You snort and quickly cover your mouth with your hands, horrified that sound escaped you so easily.

It catches Hyrule's attention easily.

In an attempt to clear yourself of the embarrassment, you lean heavily in your bravado and wink at the hero in front of you. Hyrule manages to throw Legend off of him but he suddenly can't look you in the eye.

Hey- it was to save yourself from the embarrassment, not him.

"Of course there's nothing wrong with it." You find yourself saying. You continue to lean into your bravado and put your hands on your hips. "You're my favorite too, Link. So don't worry about it."

"Wait, really?" He looks up back to you, with a light dusting of pink over his cheeks.

"Um- they said Link." Warrior throws his arm on Hyrule's head, using it as a head rest. "Clearly they meant me."

"They did not!" Wind jumps on Warrior's arm. "They meant me!"

You start laughing again and when your eyes meet Hyrule's once last time, you wink again for good measure.

You both know who you meant.

Wild

"Whoops, did I say that out loud?" Wild laughs awkward, bringing his hand to the back of his neck. He scratches it, worried about how all of the people in the group turn to look at him.

"Yes." Sky tilts his head, trying (and failing) to keep the smile off of his face. "Yes, you did."

"My bad." He coughs, clearing his throat in the process. He does nothing to clear the blush on his face.

"Really?" You whisper, feeling your heart swell.

Wild bite his lip, turning on his heel. If he was trying to play it off and be inconspicuous, he's doing a horrible job of sweeping it under the rug. "Of course. Now- where were we?"

"No nono no no-" You grin wider and begin to chase the resident wild child. "You're not running away from this."

He actually takes off in a sprint.

You squawk, as do some of the other boy in the group before you decide to call his bluff and chase him as well. "Wild, get back here!"

"No, I'm good!" He shouts over his shoulder.

You nearly stop as you process your words before you decide to pick up the pace. You don't respond at first, too focused on closing the distance. You watch the hero as he runs, watching the steps he takes to copy them and not trip over the unfamiliar terrain.

He's not familiar with it either, but he seems to assimilate to any climate faster than anyone else you've ever seen.

Until he starts to slow down and looks behind him to see you running at him at full speed.

The scream he lets out is nothing short of comical and the brief second it took him to process and react to what he was was enough to allow you tackle him.

It doesn't work. He's too strong to be knocked over that easily but an attempt was made.

You laugh, feel as light as feather and very much out of breath. "Am I really your favorite?"

"Why did you chase me?!"

"That doesn't answer my question." You smile cheekily.

Wild pants and puts his hands on your shoulders, pushing you away from him so that he could look into your eyes. "...Yes."

"Perfect!" You kiss his cheek and start to run back to the group before either of you could get into trouble. "See you back at the group!"

"....What does that even mean?"

[inbabylontheywept]

The Condom Bomber

The crux of the story is Brother Dean. Brother Dean was…is…a hate preacher. Red or blue, everyone agreed on that. His origins and his motivations, those were a little more mysterious. Different groups had their own legends. I had a class with a guy that was part of the campus pro-life movement, and the tale he gave me is the one that I give the most credence to. According to him, Brother Dean had started out as a “normal” pro-life preacher. He’d gone around campus, led parades, given speeches… And then he’d gotten punched in the face.

This led to a lawsuit against the school. Something about failing to provide adequate protection? The main result was that he got something like half a mil. Half a mil is an incredible amount if you’re still working, but he’d tried to use the money to fund a sort of pro-life career, and it had just… trickled down. Ten years later he was running dead low on funds, and had taken to the particularly dumb strategy of trying to get punched in the face again. You know. For economic reasons. It had become kind of a vicious cycle: He’d started off saying some objectionable shit to try and goad someone into taking the punch. The worse the shit he said was, the harder it became for him to find work doing anything else, and the harder it became for him to find work doing anything else, the less he had to lose by saying really objectionable shit. Throw in two years of living on ramen, and he was so desperate to get punched that he was quoting the Westboro Baptists. If you know, you know. The pro-life group, to their credit, hated him the most out of anyone. They viewed him as the ultimate sellout, someone who was actively making their positions and beliefs look worse by the day, solely for his own enrichment. The other conservative groups held him in the same regard. The rest of the campus hated him for simpler reasons. It would be difficult to find anyone more detested anywhere else on site. Brother Dean’s antithesis was the Trojan Warrior. TW was a normal student by day, but maybe once a month or so he’d don his hoplite armor and roam around, handing out free condoms. Trojan condoms. It was kind of his shtick. Between the costume, and the whole character that he had going on, most people didn’t really recognize his alter ego. I myself am pretty good with faces, so one day I noticed he was behind me in the foodcourt and decided to thank him by paying for his smoothie. Small tangent, but if you’re looking to get good stories, buying lunches for interesting people works like magic. TW decided that he was going to thank me for thanking him by giving me something like 10 feet of condom roll. I was mortified, aggressively single, and on SSRI’s. He was not sure how many of those were permanent. I wasn’t either. He wound up giving me just a handful, and said that if nothing else, they could probably be used as water balloons. I accepted. Who doesn’t like water balloons?

I finished my lunch with the warrior and left, considering targets for the "balloons". I passed by Brother Dean near the main commons and had my lightbulb moment. I spent a few minutes watching him from a distance, trying to find the optimal angle to get him without getting caught on camera (he always had someone filing in the background, it was a necessary thing for his hopeful future lawsuit). The time delay was useful for helping me realize that it really wasn't worth it. The sun had been bearing down so hard that the glue in my shoes had melted, and getting him wet would be a favor that day. 

So, mildly disappointed, I shelved my dream and left. 

A week later the monsoons hit. I left one class and ran to a campus computer commons to try and get some shelter and study between classes. Just before I got through the door, I saw Brother Dean, umbrella in hand, setting up his speaker and mic. He wasn't technically allowed this far into campus (the commons were owned by the city) but he'd gone to where his audience was and security was probably holed up somewhere cozy. I could hardly blame them. 

I made it up to the second floor and started studying when the mic picked up. All glass buildings are not very soundproof. He was loud, and he was annoying, and he was outside a library, under a balcony, and-

And I had condoms. Water balloon condoms. 

And he was under a balcony. 

I put my laptop away, pulled out my condom roll, and went to the bathroom. I wasn’t sure how big a condom could actually stretch, so I just kept filling it until it was about the size of basketball. Maybe a smaller watermelon? And thus armed, I waddled my way out into the halls. I cannot emphasize enough just how unsubtle this was. I was cradling this big, overfilled condom like some sort of phallic ghost baby, and it was so heavy that I sort of had to squat as I went. People saw me. Lots of people saw me. I passed by one room full of computer science students, all learning C++, and three of them waved at me. And I waved back in that my-arms-are-full-but-I’m-excited-to-see-you-too way, where you jut your wrist up a little bit and flap your hand around excitedly. I did, eventually, make it to the balcony. The building’s high ceilings made the second-floor thing kind of a misnomer: I was easily forty feet up. I scooched my way to the edge, and the view I had… it was perfect. Brother Dean was directly underneath, thank God. If he’d been even seven or eight feet out, I’m not sure if I could’ve shotput the condom-bomb far enough to hit him directly. Better yet his cameraman was only a few feet away from him, far too close to catch any action going up 40 feet above. I managed to wrestle the payload onto the balcony, and with a gentle push, I sent it and Dean to destiny. I realized that I’d made a mistake almost as soon as the condom began to fall. You know that sound that bombs make in cartoons, that long drawn out whistle? The condom made that sound. I had a second education in the seriousness of my mistake when the condom hit Dean’s umbrella. It did not pop. Of course it didn’t pop. I had no experience with condoms, I swear to you, I promise, I did not know how much they could stretch. You can fit your whole leg into them. You can fit them over whole park benches. A gallon and a half of water was nothing compared to that. It broke Dean’s umbrella. It hit the top, and it snapped the stem like a twig, and then-

Violence. Unspeakable violence. It clipped Dean’s shoulder and stretched down to his knees before recoiling back to its original shoulder height. It did not bounce. It floated in space, no wasted energy in the collision. One hundred percent of the kinetic energy, all 3300 Joules of it, were discharged into this sad wretch of a man. He did not collapse. There was no time for that. He rotated on his axis. It was as if the hand of God had reached down and grabbed him about his waist, only to twist. In a fraction of a second, his head filled the space where his ass had been and his ass filled the space where his head had been, and then his cheek, carried by the shuriken motion of his body, slammed into the pavement with a noise like Shaq slam dunking a porkchop. Maybe wetter.

He did not move.

I panicked.

I want to make it clear: I did not mean to assault this man. I meant to get him wet and embarrassed. But I also have to confess that this was a beating. Mike Tyson himself can only put about 1600 Joules into one of his punches, and if he hit me I would bounce off five walls before I fell. I would not wish 3300 Joules upon anyone.

I walked into the building and sat myself in the back of the C++ class. The people next to, to my immense and eternal gratitude, did not question why I was wet.

A minute later, Brother Dean stormed into the building with his microphone.

He yelled. He screamed. He hollered. He informed the entire world that he had been assaulted, with a condom, by someone on the second floor. I was ecstatic that he was alive. 

Every person in that class knew who had brought this hell upon them. Every single one of them knew it was me. And if I’d done this to someone else, some Steven Crowder, some Ben Shapiro, someone would’ve thrown me to the wolves. It would have only taken one person in that room of sixty. But Brother Dean was hated by everyone, literally everyone, and so the entire class sat in silence.

Some of that silence was gleeful, and some of it was bored, and some of it, a very small amount, was directly disapproving, but even the disapproving silence carried an understanding. A note of, “Yes, yes, that was very irresponsible, and you should not do that again, but who could blame you? Something needed to happen. Not that something, but…something.”

Security could be given grace to ignore the man when it was raining, and he was just outside the building, but they were not given such grace when he was inside with a microphone. Just a few short minutes later, a golfcart pulled up, and he was summarily marched out. There was maybe a minute of silence after that before the professor announced that his class was not open to visitors.

I left. He’d made his point.

It was a few weeks before I saw Brother Dean again, and his black eye still hadn’t healed all the way when I did. He was, however, still preaching the same old things as always. Percussive maintenance works better on vacuum tubes than human brains. I will say that he definitely made a point to stay away from balconies after that. And the next time it rained, I actually went out to watch him put his speaker and his mic into the back of a wagon and wheel it off the campus.

It appeared that he’d developed some opinions about the kind of weather he was willing to preach hate in.

[patito-oward]

No I in Team

masterlist

WC: 11.7k

Summary: You’ve just started a new job as a social media manager at Arrow McLaren, and get off onto the wrong foot with your insanely attractive new coworker.

Tags: angst, fluff, smut, 18+

February

This is what you’ve been working for since you were 13. Your first trip to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was love at first sight. Since then, you’ve revolved your life around racing and getting to every race possible.

You studied marketing and public relations in high school and have now gotten your dream job working as the social media manager at Arrow McLaren.

You’re starting your first day by joining a full team meeting at the team’s headquarters. Except walking around the large building, you can’t seem to find the intended conference room. You’re looking down at your phone, trying to decipher the directions in your email, when you collide with a solid body.

Before you even look up, an apology is spilling out of your mouth. "Oh my god, I am so sorry-" You cut yourself off when you realize who you’ve just bumped into.

"Just watch where you’re going."

"I’m so, so sorry, it’s just my first day and I have no idea where I’m going, the email I got said conference room on the second floor, but this place is huge and I’m all turned around." You only stop to breathe, realizing you’ve run into not only an indycar legend but a now-coworker, Pato O’ward, and have completely embarrassed yourself.

"I’m headed there; follow me." He was very straight to the point, but you nodded and thanked him.

When you walked into the conference room, you found a few faces of people you recognized from interviews and more you recognized from watching the sport. The meeting began, and plans for the new season were being discussed. You were introduced to the group, but mainly to Pato, Alex, and Felix as the new head of the team’s social media.

Everyone was very welcoming, making jokes with you and telling you not to believe Rossi when he acts annoyed whenever you make him do anything. Overall, you had a really great morning.

After the full team meeting, you were set to have a meeting with just the drivers, owners, and a PR team. You had a 30-minute break between the meetings where you overheard a conversation between Pato and Felix.

"Y/N seems cool." Felix's saying your name caught your attention. "It’ll be nice to have someone young running the social media make sure it stays relevant."

"I guess, yeah." Pato seemed unsure and dismissive.

"You’re not sure?"

"She already seems like a walking disaster. This morning she was staring at her phone and ran straight into me, and then she told me she couldn’t find the conference room, and it was right there. And she talks so much." He puts emphasis on the so much, and you take a little offense; you were just trying to be nice. Felix doubles over laughing. "What is so funny?"

"Oh, nothing, mate," He can barely get his words out because he’s laughing so hard. "you just described yourself, that’s all."

"Oh, come on! I am not that bad!"

You’re glad Felix is defending you and seems to like you, but still, you wish Pato felt the same. It’ll make this job really awkward if he’s never cooperative with what you need to do.

Your second meeting of the day goes okay. The team wants you to share a little of what you have planned for the socials and discuss how these things are usually done. Everyone on the team seems really receptive to your ideas, and you’ve seemed to charm the room. You’re joking with the team owners about making the drivers do trends, and Felix and Alex are laughing along with you. Pato doesn’t talk much unless spoken to, and you just wish this day had started out better.

After your meeting, you were free to leave for the day. As you’re walking towards the elevator, Felix calls out to you. When you turn to face him, he begins to speak. "I’m sorry about Pato; I don’t know what’s up with him, but he’s definitely acting off today. Just give him time and he’ll warm up to you; you’re doing a great job already." You smile at him and thank him genuinely.

You really hope he’s right and Pato’s just having an off day. You start working with the team immediately, so whatever has him upset, he’s hopefully over by the morning.

March

Unfortunately, that is not the case; a whole month has gone by, and Pato still hasn’t warmed up to you. He’s in no way rude; he’ll do whatever you ask him to, and he’s always polite, but he’s never been personable with you.

You watch him during interviews and photo shoots, and he makes everyone in the room laugh. He’s kind to everyone, introduces himself to everyone in the room, and immediately becomes the center of it. You can see that he’s an entertainer at heart, and you wish he’d be like that with you. Even in more personal and private settings, he’s still very outgoing.

He’s so loud talking to Fro and Alex that you can often hear him through walls. He has a great relationship with his pit crew; he is so personable with them whenever he’s around them and will ask them about their wives and kids. If you’re ever in a room alone, it’s always very silent, and he answers you in the shortest way possible. Mostly, he’ll make up an excuse to leave the room or call someone in.

All of this keeps making you wonder where you’re going wrong. Rossi and Felix both seem to really like you; you’ve started getting along really well with both of their partners, and occasionally they will invite you to drinks after a day at work. They even tried to talk you into watching the Firestone GP with them in Rossi’s motorhome despite your having to work.

You’ve become friends with most of the team, and you’ve become really great friends with an engineer on the team, she’s been teaching you a lot about the makeup of the car during your downtimes. This job was so perfect, you just wish you knew why a certain driver seemed to have it out for you.

The Firestone GP that kicks off the season was a small letdown for the team. Rosenqvist had the best finishing position in 8th place, Rossi in 10th, and Pato in 13th. The team has been working so hard and really thought that they’d start the season off much better than this.

April

The team has been working a month straight at improving speed for Texas, and they’ve found some. During Friday practice, Rossi and Rosenqvist showed a lot of speed and were 3rd and 5th, but O’ward was still 9th, leaving the team to wonder where they were going wrong with him.

While walking by his garage, you notice a few engineers, including your new friend, and Pato watching his in-car footage from practice. As you watch, you notice what’s going on. You watch for another lap to make sure. "You’re going into the turns too fast, breaking heavy late, and by the time you’ve regained control of the car, you’ve ended up losing time." It feels like every eye in the speedway turns to you in that moment, like you could hear a pin drop in the garage.

Before anyone says anything, they simply rewind the tape and watch a lap. You watch everyone watch the screen as he goes into a turn, starts losing the car, then breaks heavy while getting it back under control. It happens three more times, and a mechanic speaks. "Holy shit, she’s right."

Pato takes the car back out, and in the few laps he’s able to do, his speed has skyrocketed. The speed he has now would have him at P1.

When he gets back into his pit, he’s celebrating with the team all around, and then he approaches you. "Thank you so much! You’ve saved my ass for this race."

"It’s no problem, really.”

Pato qualified for P3 the next day and finished the race 2nd. It's been a way better weekend for the team, and everyone is buzzing with energy.

After the race, Alex and Fro ask you to join them for celebratory drinks at a bar near the speedway. You join them and their partners, as well as Pato, and you all have a great time. You even got some content for Instagram and TikTok.

Everyone’s feeling pretty good and has a decent amount of liquor in their systems when Pato approaches you. "I owe you an apology."

You really were confused by this. "What?"

"Over the way I’ve been acting, I don’t even know why; I think I was just having a bad day and then got too stubborn to admit that I was wrong."

"Oh, it’s okay, water under the bridge." You try to wave it off, as this conversation feels very awkward.

No, I’ve been a total jerk for no real reason, and you haven’t deserved it, so I really am sorry. Can I please just have another chance at introducing myself?"

"You never introduced yourself in the first place."

He looks sheepish. "Another thing I’m sorry for." Holding out his right hand, he says, "Hi, I’m Pato. I’m glad you’re joining the team. I’m sure you’ll make a great addition."

"Hi, Pato, I’m YN; it’s so nice to finally meet you." When you shake his hand, you can see him soften a bit and his demeanor change, and you really hope that everything from the last two months really is water under the bridge in the morning.

You had a week and a half break after that, where you were only required to make a few posts and had one meeting. When you returned to work at Long Beach, Pato brought you coffee. You were shocked, but glad that fences really were mended.

April also held the first practice for the 500, which showed great promise for the team.

May

You and Pato have turned into fast friends. It turns out the two of you really are a lot alike. As you’ve entered the most important month for the sport, you cannot be more glad that things have been smoothed over.

Now that you’re close with all three of the boys, you’re often drugged into content whenever you’re filming it. The boys will often start arguing and look to you to settle it, or when you make them do a challenge, you have to clarify the winner.

Pato will even ask you to follow certain trends he’s seen floating around, and whenever you reveal that in a caption, his fans go crazy.

You don’t just begin to get closer professionally, though; when Pato finds out you’re a fan of the Marvel movies, he gets very excited to have someone on the team to watch them with. During the first week of May, he invited you to come watch Iron Man with him after a day of work, and you accepted.

When you first walked into his motorhome, it was definitely a little awkward; you didn’t really know where to sit or what to do with yourself. He quickly eased the tension, though. "Sit on the seat with the blue blanket; I dug it out in case you’d want it. I always keep it cold in here because I like to snuggle under a blankie."

You laughed at him. "Blankie? Are you five?"

"No! I’m just a sensitive guy who likes to be warm."

"Thank you for getting a blankie out for me too."

"Do you want anything to drink? I have water, electrolit, topo chico.."

"You realize we’re in private; you don’t have to endorse your sponsors to me."

He gives you a dirty look from the fridge and says, "You are so funny. I’ll have you know that I just don’t keep the fridge very stocked, and my sponsors provided all this."

"I’ll take a topo chico, please." You give him a sickly sweet smile from your place curled up on the loveseat, and he brings one for you and one for himself. You place both in the cup holders between you. "Thank you, sir."

"Don’t call me that, it's weird. I’m going to order food, did you eat or should I order you something too?"

"You don’t have to order me something; I’ll order myself food."

"Don’t be silly; I invited you; I’ll pay for takeout." He opens Grub Hub and starts scrolling through options. "You know what the worst part about frequent travel is?" You hum out a response. "I never know what food is good. I have no clue where to order from."

Oh, I know. My family and I used to always get food from this Chinese place on race weekend. Here it is." You pulled up the place on your phone, and you had to call to place the delivery order.

Once the order was placed, you both settled into your spots on the sofa and started the movie. Before long, the food has arrived, and you’re both digging in as the movie plays. "This is the best Chinese I’ve ever had. You definitely saved the day!"

"I don’t know about the whole day; maybe just dinner. Besides, I definitely didn’t save your wallet." You looked at all the takeout boxes on the counter. "I think we ordered enough for a small army."

"Yeah, but it’s so good." He punctuates his sentence with a groan and an eye roll that make your stomach flutter for just a moment; you’re not blind after all.

You’ve always found Pato attractive, even before you started working here, but now that you have the job, you know it's important to keep those feelings at bay. Not only that, but he made it easy to do so when he was constantly icing you out. Reminding yourself of those facts, you redirect your attention to the TV in front of you.

That was the first of many movie nights with Pato. You were at the paddock basically every day, and he claimed he got lonely being alone in his trailer every night, so he kept inviting you back.

For a tik tok, you had Pato and Felix make a list of red flags about each other, in which they both mentioned each other's taste in movies. Of course, the two started to argue about it, and Pato turned to you. "YN thinks my taste in movies is great; we always do movie nights together."

"Mate, I can’t believe you’ve been exposing her to that." He pauses, then says, "Wait, how often do you do movie nights? And why am I never invited?"

"Because your taste in movies sucks."

They move onto the next topic, and you cut that part out of the video, really not wanting too many people to see it, but it does get you wondering why he never invites Felix over instead of or even with you.

Two nights later, at your next movie night, you bring it up. "Patito?"

He groans. "What?"

"Why don’t you ever invite Felix over for movie night?" He looks at you quizzically. "I mean, he’s like your best friend, right? So why don’t you ever have him over instead of me?"

"Felix likes to be doing something. He wants to play a game or go out, which is great and all, but after work sometimes I just like to relax and watch a movie but don’t necessarily want to be alone."

"So you picked me because I’m boring."

He laughs. "Not boring, just easy." You squeal at him and smack him in the chest, but he grabs your arm and pulls you onto him from across the sofa. "Come on, you know I’m just playing."

You’re facing him, and your upper body is in his lap as you look up at him. All of a sudden, you feel way too close to him, and like you’re crossing into dangerous territory. You sit up and pull back into your seat. "Yeah, I know. Let’s start the movie."

"You’re right, I don’t want to be up too late with quals tomorrow."

"It’s May; you always have something tomorrow."

Qualifying for the Indy GP goes really well, and Pato gets pole. The team getting pole was a huge accomplishment, so a bunch of people went out for drinks at a bar 10 minutes from the speedway. You’re out for a few hours, and around 11, everyone decides to disperse, and you begin to call for an Uber to your place, which is 30 minutes away. While standing outside and both of you ordering ubers, you complain to Pato about how late it’ll be when you finally get home.

"Just come stay at mine; you have to be back in Speedway at 6 anyway."

"Are you sure it’s not a problem? I can just Uber back."

"Stop being silly. You’re my friend, you’re never a problem."

You both climb into an Uber and ride the 10 minutes back to the speedway. You have the Uber drop you off at the entrance and walk to the driver lot from there. It’s a gorgeous night, and no one’s out right now.

Pato turns to you, "Let’s go walk the track." You laugh at him, not thinking he was serious. "No, come on, it’ll be fun."

"You’re crazy; we’ll get in trouble."

"Oh, come on, live a little, baby."

The name rolls off his lips, and you’re convinced you may do anything he asks. You’re being pulled by him towards the gasoline alley and pit lane, where you could climb onto the track.

He begins shouting when you get on the track. Calling out just to hear his echo. You pull him to you and put your hand over his mouth. Hush, you’re going to get us caught." You’re laughing as you say it because he’s fighting against your hand.

When you take your hand off his mouth, he looks around the track. "In 3 weeks, every one of these seats will be filled."

"I know, it’s crazy to think about."

"It’s like 300,000 eyes on you, watching every move you make; it’s nerve-wracking but also so thrilling."

He’s still looking out at the bleachers; you’re standing on the bricks in front of the padoga. "We could kiss the bricks?"

He looks down at his feet, dragging his shoe across the bricks. "Nah, I want to save it until I win."

Well, I don’t think you’ll have to wait long."

It’s silent for a moment, and you wonder if you’ve said the wrong thing. "We should probably head back. I have a GP to win before I can win the 500."

You burst out laughing at him. "You’re so cocky."

"Confident." He corrects you with a raised eyebrow. He grabs your wrist, then interlocks your hands. "Let’s go."

On the walk back, you’re leaning into his side with your head on his shoulder and never letting go of his hand. When you arrive back at the motorhome, you’re exhausted. You head into the bathroom to wash your face, and Pato calls out to you, "There’s a spare toothbrush under the sink; I’ll get out some clothes for you."

When you exit the bathroom, there’s a pair of Pato’s merch pajamas sitting on his bed for you. "We can either share the bed or I can pull out the couch, but Elba says the couch is uncomfortable, so it’s up to you."

The thought of being that close to him all night makes your heart skip a beat. "Are you sure you’re okay sharing the bed?"

"We’re adults." He shrugs like it’s obvious. "As long as you’re not a blanket hog, we’ll be just fine."

After you change into pajamas, you get into the side of the bed that doesn’t have his things on the nightstand. As you climb under the layers of blankets, warmth and his smell engulf you. It’s different from how he smells day to day; it’s like what he usually smells like minus the sweat and gasoline. It makes you feel incredibly close to and surrounded by him. Sleep quickly begins to overtake you; you’re vaguely aware of him climbing into bed next to you, but you're fast asleep within 5 minutes.

The next morning, you woke up with a minor headache, and as you woke, you noticed that you were clinging to the man next to you. You’re half lying on top of him and have your arm across his chest and your face on his pec. Despite how comfortable you were, you knew it would be bad if he woke up and found you hanging all over him. You reluctantly and carefully pulled away from him and climbed out of bed. When you climbed out of bed, he rolled over and started searching for something in the bed. Rocky jumped up into the spot you’d just vacated and cuddled up with Pato, which seemed to settle him back into sleep. You quietly got ready for your day at work, stealing an Electrolit to hopefully ward off your headache.

As you searched the fridge for something edible, Pato emerged from the bedroom. His shorts hung low on his hips, and he’s shirtless; even with his bedhead, he looks absolutely delicious. "Goodmorning, sunshine."

He groans and stretches. "Morning, did you sleep good?"

"Yeah, I was exhausted, and that bed is stupidly comfortable.

"We still have an hour until we have to be at work; do you want to get breakfast?"

"I love the way you think."

"Give me five to get ready, and we’ll head out."

You end up taking his McLaren to a small diner. There’s a mural of IMS on one of the walls of the diner and a checkered flag in the window. "I still can’t believe this whole town celebrates like this for a whole month." Pato is looking out the window at the stores, all with flags adorning them.

"This is how I grew up. My dad and I looked forward all year for this month. I could never sleep the night before the 500; I was always too hyped up, like a kid on Christmas. I love this sport."

You quickly finish eating, then head to the track. Today’s the day of the Indianapolis Grand Prix, where Pato will be starting on pole, and you both have work to do before the race starts.

You don’t see him much after you get back to the track; you’re both being pulled in twenty different directions, but you’re able to get a photo of him climbing into the car for the Instagram story and wish him luck then.

The race starts well; he’s able to get through the first lap scrape-free, which cannot be said for all of the field. Around lap 60, he gets hit from behind and spins out; by the time the AMR team gets him going again, he’s in 21st place. The team is ecstatic with the finish of the race, with Rossi winning it, but for Pato, the race went awful. He had really high hopes for the race but ended up in P17.

The team has obligatory celebrations, and you have to capture some content of Rossi for the social media accounts. After all the celebrations are done, you go on a search to find Pato. You find him in his pit box reviewing race footage.

You lightly place your hand on his shoulder, "Hey,"

"Oh, hi."

"Tough race."

He lets out a dry laugh. "Yeah, no kidding."

"Are you ok?"

"Just frustrated."

"We’ve been invited to drink to celebrate Rossi’s win; wanna go?"

"No, I’ll just bring the mood down. You should go, though."

"There are plenty of chances to go drinking with them; do you want to just do a movie night? We can watch a sad movie, so you can’t bring the mood down."

He laughs, which was your intended reaction. "Yeah, you always cheer me up."

You go up on your tippy toes and wrap him in a hug, "You ran a great race today." As you pull away, Kevin Lee is hanging nearby to get a word with Pato. "I’ll see you tonight."

You have lots of work to do, and it’s a job in itself just to be able to grab Alex and take up his time. It’s hours later when you’re finally done for the day and able to escape to Pato’s trailer. He’s already in there and changed into sweats; when he opens the door for you, he looks mopey.

You’ve run to Walmart and bought fresh clothes—a pair of sweats and an oversized t-shirt—that you’ve now changed into.

You’ve been in his trailer so many times now that it’s anything but awkward. You look around at the place; the TV is still off, but there’s an almost empty glass and a bottle of tequila on the counter. Rocky and Norbi are calm in a way they wouldn’t be if he hadn’t taken them out, so at least you know that’s been done. You don’t really know how to comfort him; today was a big loss, and going into the 500, you know it hurts.

"You came to watch a movie, right?”

"I came because you’re my friend, and I know you’re upset. So whatever you want to do,"

He slumps down on the couch in front of you. "I’m so disappointed. I failed myself and the team. I had this race in the bag to win, but I fucked it all up."

You sat down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "You did everything you could to make this a great race. You couldn’t help that you got hit. All you can do now is focus forward on the 500."

He leans back, "I know. You’re right." He pulls you back, and you’re now both reclining on the sofa with heads turned towards each other, only a few inches apart. "You’re my best friend, you know."

You smile at him. "Yeah, you’re mine too."

The two of you are pressed together from your shoulders to your knees. You grab the blanket that’s on the couch next to you and cover both of you with it. You turn on the TV to a show you’ve seen a million times and let the soft noise of it drift the two of you to sleep.

You wake up at 2:00 AM and can barely move from the position you’ve been sleeping in. You gently wake Pato and convince him to move to the bed. When you both climb under the covers, he grabs you and pulls you into him, placing a kiss on the side of your head. He’s clearly barely awake, but you can’t fall asleep.

Your body is buzzing with the feeling of his against yours and his breath on your neck. You feel like a horrible person because he got so vulnerable with you and is clearly just seeking comfort in you after a bad day, and you’re obsessing over it like a schoolgirl. Still, you can’t help the feeling that’s coursing through your body, like you’d be content to stay this way forever.

When you wake up, it’s like nothing has changed between the two of you. Pato feels better and is back to his normal and cheerful self, and your relationship stays what it always was, friends. It’s not that you ever expected anything to change, but for that night, you allowed yourself to hope it would.

A week of lots of work, three movie nights, and one sleepover goes by, and then it’s Saturday and time for qualifying. The team does incredible, all four cars make it into the fast 12. Sunday holds so much anticipation for the team. You’re slammed with making posts to celebrate yesterday’s results along with today’s. Not to mention, every time one of the drivers went out, you stopped everything to watch their run.

After the first run, Pato and Fro advance to the fast 6, and you watch to see who gets bumped. Knowing the drivers has brought a whole new side to this sport for you, you can’t even imagine what it’s like for the drivers who have failed to make it. The Firestone Fast 6 has Marcus Ericsson on pole, with Pato starting 3rd and Felix 5th. You know this is an incredible place to be for the race; to have a spot in the front row is a huge deal, but Ericsson on pole has everyone worried he’ll pull away with a second win.

You have a week that consists of two practices and studying every move Ericsson makes to find his weak spots and figure out how Pato can play off them. You’re posting on social media five times a day to lead up to the race. The Legends Day parade made for incredible content, and you’re left in awe at the people covering the streets just for a chance to be waved at by a driver.

Pato convinced you to spend the night with him after the parade; you couldn’t say no when he pulled out the puppy dog eyes and pouted at you to stay, especially when you never wanted to say no in the first place. It really was easier to stay in Speedway for the night, considering the traffic in the morning will be horrendous, and you sleep the best you ever have when you’re lying next to him.

The 500 lived up to everything it should. It was 200 laps of pure excitement. At no point in the race were you sure of who was going to win, and it left you unable to breathe for most of it. You had spent the day taking photos and videos so you could do an "Admin’s photo dump," and if you took some photos of Pato making ridiculous faces at you that you planned to just keep to yourself, no one had to know.

At lap 190, Ericsson is in the lead, with Colton Herta second and Pato third. You know that Pato will have to pull off a huge move to take the lead; he’s racing against two of the greatest in the field. As they go around turn 3, Herta goes on the outside of Ericsson, trying to make a pass for the lead, but he finds the marbles and wrecks both of them. Pato got by, but others behind him were not so lucky. The four car wreck gets red flagged immediately. The good news is, Pato’s restarting in 1st; the bad news is there are nine laps left, and Palou is right behind him. As the race starts up again, you can barely breathe. After a warmup lap, the race goes green, Palou takes a hard dive to the inside and passes Pato. He has the lead for three laps, and you’re already upset for Pato; you know how badly he wants this. As you’re thinking that, Pato passes him from the outside, and begins to run away with the lead. He leads the last five laps of the race and crosses the start-finish line as the winner of the 110th Indianapolis 500.

You’re so thrilled for him that you don’t know what to do with yourself. You can hear him on the team radio celebrating and thanking God in Spanish. He does his victory lap, and then brings the car back into pit lane. You’re at his car before it’s even stopped, taking his steering wheel from him, and when he gets out of the car, he wraps you in a hug. He’s holding you around the waist and lifting you up, spinning you. "You just won the fucking Indy 500. I’m so proud of you."

"I couldn’t have done it without you."

He’s all too quickly being pulled away from you and being congratulated by the rest of the team. You stand in awe as you watch one of the most important people in the world to you live out their dreams. You watch every part of the celebration with so much pride. You can’t think of anyone more deserving of the ring, the wreath, or dumping a bottle of milk on himself.

When he kisses the bricks, you’re right there next to him, kissing them too. "I guess it’s good we waited for the real deal to do this."

"This was definitely better than doing it just because we could." He has the biggest smile on his face, from ear to ear and reaching his eyes, and all you can think is how you’d give anything to always have him this happy.

It's been hours of celebrating him, and you’re soaking up every moment. When all of your business at the Speedway is over, you both head back to his motorhome to get ready to go out and celebrate. When you get there, he pulls down the fanciest-looking bottle of tequila you’ve ever seen.

"Take a shot with me?"

You scrunch your nose. "I hate doing shots."

"You can’t say no to me, I’m an Indy 500 winner.”

You sigh and give in. "That card works for today and today only." He has poured out two shot glasses, and handed one to you. "Here’s to you, being the best friend a girl could ask for, and the best damn driver this track has even seen." You clink your glass with his and take the shot, choking it down. "Holy shit, that needs a chase-"

You’re cut off by lips on yours. At first, you’re shocked and don’t react. Once you do, you have one hand on his cheek and the other around his neck, and you lean into the kiss like it’s oxygen. It’s easily the best kiss you’ve ever had, you’re thinking everything and nothing at once, and the pieces of the world feel as if they’ve fallen together. His hands around your waist pulling you to him, the way his mouth presses into yours, the taste of tequila on his lips, and the faint smell of sweat, it’s all too much and yet not enough.

You’re unsure how much time has passed when he pulls away, but you’re panting to catch your breath. "Yeah, that’ll work."

"I promise we’ll talk about this later, I just had to do that, and I really need to shower.”

You’re left a little stunned as he disappears into the bathroom. It has you wondering what this means for the two of you, what if it was just a caught-in-the moment thing and he didn’t really mean it?

He is ready to go within 20 minutes, you’ve changed into a pair of ripped jeans and a corset top, and he’s wearing white dress pants, with a white t-shirt and a gold chain around his neck. You’ve put on a light layer of makeup, and pulled your hair into a bun in an attempt to hide the fact that you’ve been in the sun all day. When he sees you, he says, "You look beautiful."

"Not too bad yourself."

Once you arrive at a bar in Indianapolis, Pato walks around and opens your door for you. He always opens the door for you because you have no clue how to open the doors to his McLaren on your own. When you step out, he places his hand on your lower back. "Is this ok?" You nod at him, and walk into the bar together.

The bar is already filled with people, Pato’s family, friends, other drivers, their partners, and parts of the team out to celebrate Pato’s win. Not everyone in the paddock is best friends, but they all get along, and Pato is so personable that he’s friends with almost everyone, so most drivers are happy for his win. Even Colton and Alex, who are surely having a rough night, came out to congratulate him.

You’re able to watch Pato all night, and he’s a different person than when it’s just the two of you. He’s an entertainer at heart, always putting on a show in front of a crowd, but when it’s just the two of you, it’s like he’s able to relax and just be his authentic self. You've been seated with Kelly and Emille for most of the night, not drinking because you told Pato you’d drive so he could party properly. Even while celebrating with everyone, he still checks in with you periodically throughout the night.

Kelly and Emille must notice the hand he places on your thigh or his lips brushing against your ear because they ask you if the two of you have "finally realized you’re soulmates". You shrug them off, figuring they’d just been drinking too much, but then they confess that one of the reasons they invited you to drink so much is because Felix and Rossi were convinced that you two would be perfect for each other. They quickly move onto a new topic, but you begin to wonder what dating Pato would be like. You figure it’d be a lot like your relationship now, but you’d get to have all of him, and not have to hide your feelings for him. The thought of getting to know him more intimately sends a chill down your spine.

As things start to wind down, Pato comes to where you’re sitting, and wraps his arm across your shoulders. The group has moved around your table, and he’s starting to say his goodbyes. Once you’re out to the car, he hands you his keys. "Please don’t wreck my baby."

"Oh come on, you’ve gotta have more faith in me than that."

"You’re the only person besides my papa I’ve ever let drive this car. That’s enough faith."

You turn on the radio, and the car ride back to Speedway is filled with Pato’s singing. When you arrive back in his motorhome, he’s begging you to spend the night again. You, of course, stay with him.

Climbing in bed, he reaches his hand out to the space in between the two of you. "Too much space. Come closer." You’re on your sides facing each other, and as you scoot in, he wraps his arms around your waist and pulls you towards him. "Much better."

You fall asleep like that, but when you wake up, he’s not in the bed. It has you panicking, wondering if it was a mistake to kiss him, and even more, imagining a relationship with him. You’re in one of his sweatshirts when you climb out of bed and head to the living area. You find it empty, of both Pato and the dogs. You’re pretty worried now, not knowing where he could’ve gone or why he disappeared so early.

Before your mind is able to wander too much further, the door to his motorhome opens, and the dogs come barging in. Pato has his hands full, but when he sets the stuff down on the counter and finally looks at you, he’s upset. "Oh no! You were supposed to still be in bed. Shoot!"

"Where did you go?" You’re very confused about his whereabouts and his aversion to you being awake.

"I went to get us breakfast, I wanted to surprise you when you woke up. I got all your favorites."

You can’t help the smile breaking out on your face. "You got me breakfast?"

"Of course I did. I know I said we’d talk about the kissing later, but I still feel bad for making you wait," a blush spreading across his cheeks. "I wanted to show you how much you mean to me."

You’re wrapping him in a hug before you know it. "I thought you freaked on me and bailed."

He pulls back from you and lightly takes your face in both hands. "I’m not bailing or freaking. I’ve wanted to do that for a long time, and I can’t stop thinking about you, haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. I can feel myself falling for you more each day."

You can see the sincerity in his eyes as they bore into yours. "Pato,"

"Yeah?"

"Kiss me again."

A huge grin breaks out on his face as he pulls yours to him. The kiss starts softly, with one of his hands cradling the back of your head while the other stays rested on your face. As it goes on, you continue to push him, your tongue swiping across his lips, seeking entrance. His hand tangles in your hair, and the other moves down to your waist, pulling you impossibly closer to him. He has full control of the kiss, and you, at this point. Your hands are in his hair and on his chest, letting him lead you through minutes of a make out session like you’re in high school.

He pulls away, but you continue to chase his lips. He almost gives in, but he grabs your face and stops you from continuing. "Wait," He’s panting, and you’re pretty sure it’s the best sound you’ve ever heard. "I have something important I need to ask you."

You look at him expectantly and hope he can’t tell how fast your heart is beating. "Will you come to the victory banquet with me tonight? I want to celebrate with you."

You consider it, you know it’s a black tie event, and you know it’s broadcasted; you really don’t want anyone wondering or theorizing about who you are. "I don’t have anything to wear."

"I’ll buy you something."

"I do not need you to buy me clothes."

"Now you’re just being difficult. Come with me, por favor, and let me buy you a dress."

You caved to his begging, like always, and he took you to a high-end boutique to find a dress. As you looked through the store, he grabbed a few dresses to add to the ones you were trying on. He followed you to the dressing rooms, and you modeled each dress for him.

"Pato, I can’t believe you picked this out."

"What’s wrong with it?" His voice is whiny, and you can tell through the door that he’s offended.

You look at yourself one more time in the mirror before stepping out to show him. It’s a rouched pink satin dress that’s all too short, and shows an insane amount of cleavage. Pato leaned back on the seat, looking as smug as ever. "You’ve never looked better."

You give him a death stare, "This is so not appropriate, and so not funny." You’re getting stressed about all of this, it’s a lot to go to this event with him and be seen by all of your coworkers, but even more so by any fans.

He must notice how overwhelmed you’re getting because he reaches out and grabs your hand. "Woah, baby, what’s wrong?" You explain to him everything that’s on your mind. "Hey, it’ll be alright, I promise you. What do you need to feel better about this? I’ll give you anything."

"I just want to find something to wear."

"Ok, we’ll find something, I’ll take you to every store in the state if I have to. You’ve still got a few more in there, yeah?" You nod and disappear behind the curtain to try the last couple on.

Finally, you put on a dress that felt perfect. It’s a floor-length black gown with a slit on the left leg and a deep v-neck. "I really like this one, but tell me what you think, and be honest."

You walk out and stand in front of Pato, giving him a slow twirl. "Wow."

"Do you like it?"

"Wow." You slap his arm lightly. "Estás deliciosa." (You are delicious)

You wrap your arms around his shoulder and sit perched on his legs. "Y estás muy rico." (And you are very hot)

"I think this is the one, but I won’t be able to keep my hands off you all night."

You change back into your clothes, and head to buy that dress. Your jaw drops when you realize the dress is $450, but before you’re able to protest, Pato has already paid for it. "You did not have to do that, I could’ve found a different dress."

"I liked that one."

"I don’t even know how I ended up trying it on, I didn’t grab anything that expensive."

"I grabbed it, you deserve nice things." He kisses your cheek. "Now stop and let me spoil you."

You feel a heat rise on your cheeks, You’re not used to being treated like you deserve everything, but something tells you Pato’s not going to stop doing so.

You spend hours getting ready, but finally you’re at the victory banquet together. He pays for a ride there, so you could both drink and not worry about it. You walk the red carpet together, and he has his hand around your waist or on the small of your back the whole time.

Everything feels so natural with Pato, from the way he gets you a drink without having to ask what you’d like to his hand resting just above your knee. As a host drones on, you lean into him and whisper, "Pato?"

"Hmm?"

"Is this a date?"

He turns to you a little quizzically, and almost looks offended. "What? No."

You try to hide your disappointment. "Oh, ok, I just thought..."

"When I take you on a date, you will have no doubt it’s a date. There’ll be flowers and dinner, and I will pick you up, and if you’re lucky, I’ll kiss you at the end of the night."

June

And a few days later, he keeps his promise. He picks you up from your hotel with the largest bouquet you’ve ever seen. He then brings you to a restaurant in downtown Detroit, it’s easily the nicest place you’ve ever been. He pays for the meal, which was easily $500, and then drives you home. Things with Pato were easy, the date was the best you’d ever been on, and you both spent dinner laughing, and constantly brushing against each other in some way. When you got to your hotel door, he kissed you as promised. Everything with him is still so new, which makes you want him desperately. His hand wrapped in your hair, which pulls slightly as his tongue slips into your mouth, sends a chill down your spine. You lose track of time, and your thoughts are flooded with nothing but him. You pull away from him, but he immediately moves his lips to your neck.

You can feel your chest heaving, "We should stop." even though you really don’t want to.

"This is more fun." You can feel the vibrations of his words against your neck.

"If we don’t stop now, I don’t think I will." Despite how much you want that, you’re still hesitant about jumping into things too quickly with him.

He detaches himself from your neck, and when he pulls back, you can see that his pupils are blown, and his hair is mussed from your hands running through it. "Have I told you how insanely gorgeous you look tonight?"

"Only about 30 times." You stand there smiling at each other for a moment, stuck in your own bubble. "It’s getting late."

"I know. I should go."

"Yeah, you probably should." Except you can’t help yourself from kissing him one last time. This time it’s soft and sweet.

"Now I’ve really got to go before we get started again." He walks towards the elevator, but turns just before heading into it. "You’re driving me crazy, invading all of my thoughts, I can barely function!" You know he’s joking, but you also feel the same way.

"Goodnight, Patito!" You call after him, and he returns with "Sweet dreams."

You spent the next few weeks settling into each other. You haven’t told anyone about being together, and have been enjoying your time in secret. You’ve just decided that there’s no rush to tell anyone, and it’s a little fun sneaking around.

It’s three days before Road America when you and Pato are softly chatting while waiting for Fro and Alex to arrive so you can film some content. You mindlessly have your hands locked together, and he’s rubbing your knuckles with his thumb. You don’t notice the guys arrive, and they sneak up on you.

"Hey, guys, what’s up?" You jump when you hear Felix’s voice and pull your hand back.

Pato tries to play it off by greeting him back, but Felix just bursts into laughter. You and Pato both laugh along with him but are confused. "What’s so funny?"

"Are you seriously trying to hide that you’re together right now?" Felix can hardly get the words out.

You and Pato both share a look before trying to play it off. "What? We’re not together, we’re just friends."

Now Alex, who tends to just watch, joins in, "We’ve known since the 500."

You roll your eyes at him. "Ok, we haven’t even known since the 500."

"Tell that to lover boy because he didn’t take his eyes off of you all night, and we saw the way he was touching you."

Pato’s cheeks are now bright red, "Ok, I wasn’t that bad."

"Like a love sick puppy." Pato hides his face in his hands.

At this point, you’re just laughing, leave it to Rossi to be brutally honest. You pull his hands away, "Aww, baby, don’t be shy; I think it’s cute."

July

Mid-Ohio once again falls on the Fourth of July weekend. Pato did great in the race, working from 10th place qualifying to a 2nd place finish. The two of you booked a hotel room together for the weekend because you end up in the same hotel most of the time anyway.

After the race, Pato took you out to celebrate. You found a place that was putting on a fireworks show and was lined with food trucks. You both got the greasiest food imaginable, and bought an elephant ear. You found a place in the grass and got comfortable on a large blanket. You laid against him as you waited for the fireworks to start and ate your food.

You’re talking about everything and nothing when Pato grabs your hand and then kisses you softly. "What was that for?"

"I think I’m falling in love with you."

At first, you’re a little shocked to hear it, but you can’t say you don’t feel the same. Everything with Pato has been so fast, but it’s also been so incredibly easy and natural. "I think I’m falling in love with you, too."

You feel like a teenager, making out in front of all these people, but it’s dark enough that you hope no one can see you. It’s the most loved you’ve ever felt, you can tell he’s pouring everything he feels into the kiss. You’re lying down on the ground, cuddled together, as you watch the fireworks go off above you.

When you get back to the hotel room, you’re not tired in the slightest. You’re pulling him into you and kissing him as he tries to unlock the door. When he finally gets the door open, he pulls you inside the room, pins you against the back side of it, and automatically asks for entry into your mouth with his tongue.

It doesn’t take long until he’s backing you up onto the bed and you’re falling back on it.

He continues chasing your lips, only breaking away to pull off his shirt. He grabs the hem of your shirt, but before lifting off, he stops to make sure you really want to do this. When you nod your head, he pulls it over your head. Your chest is heaving as he reaches behind you to undo your bra.

You can feel him pressing up against you, and you reach down to grab him as he attaches his mouth to your breasts. It has him pressing into your hand and letting out a moan that has you shivering.

Before you know it, you’re lying together in the middle of the bed, and you’re begging him to slide into you. When he finally does, you see stars. He’s babbling in Spanish, you can’t pick it all up, but you understand that he’s telling you how beautiful you are and that he loves you. You’ve never felt so fully connected to or in love with a person.

Your foreheads are pressed together, and your lips are brushing every time he moves. His right hand is holding yours, and his left is tweaking your nipple.

"Eres la persona más sexy que he conocido." (You’re the sexiest person I’ve ever met.)

His Spanish has you shivering under him as he continuously pumps into you. You feel yourself growing closer as he begins to speed up, and you move your hand down to your clit to move yourself along. He slaps your hand away and replaces it with his own. "Quiero explorar cada centímetro de tu cuerpo." (I want to explore every inch of your body)

You can tell he’s close by his faltering rhythm, but so are you. As he moves his lips to your ear and tells you to let go, you go flying over the edge. You’re seeing white, and he follows quickly after; it’s the best orgasm you’ve ever had.

You’re both naked with a layer of sweat covering your bodies, and you’re curled into his side. You’re tracing random designs across his chest as you both try to catch your breath, and he is placing kisses on your forehead.

"I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy." You’re whispering into the dim room, hoping he knows how special he is to you.

"Me either. Estoy enloquecido por ti." (I am crazy for you)

Things with Pato keep getting better. He took you to Mexico with him during the break between Ohio and Toronto, and you met a lot of his family. You automatically got along with everyone, and loved how close knit everyone was. You only fell deeper for him around his family. He introduced you to everyone as his girlfriend, and told everyone how much he loved you. You’re having dinner at one of his Tio’s farms, and you watch him as he runs around with all of his younger cousins, and you decide that if he asked you tomorrow, you’d run off to Mexico and spend the rest of your life with him.

August

Nashville came, and the two of you spent the weekend partying like it was your 21st birthday. When you came to a bar with a mechanical bull in it, Pato was convinced he could ride it. You took a picture of him, cowboy hat on and arm in the air, and put it on your Instagram story with the caption "save a horse, ride a cowboy". This was the first time you’ve posted anything about him, but you figured it wouldn’t be a big deal because you have a small following made up mostly of friends and family.

The following morning, Pato posted a photo dump of the weekend, and included a picture of you kissing his helmet before he climbed into his car. You can’t tell that it’s you, from your hair or the angle Elba took the photo from, but that doesn’t stop people from noticing. Immediately, fans flood the comments with questions about your identity. Your papaya polo is the only thing that gives people any clue as to who you are. No one really ends up finding out it’s you, but a few people see your story and like it.

You’re back in Indianapolis the next week, and Pato is staying at your apartment. He insists that he meet your family, claiming it’s unfair that he hasn’t met them when you’ve met all of his. You took him to your childhood home for dinner. Your dad grilled steaks, and your mom made corn on the cob and baked potatoes. Your parents knew about you and Pato, and they’d known who he was since he started racing. You were nervous as you pulled into your driveway. Pato grew up with money, you know that most drivers do, and he grew up in a huge house in San Antonio. You don’t know exactly what he makes now, but you know that it’s a lot, most likely pushing $1 million a year. Your yearly salary is a weekend getaway for him. He’s never shown that he cared at all; he gladly stays with you in your apartment with creaky floors and poor water pressure, but you still worry about what he will think of the home.

Your worries dissipate as soon as you walk in the door, and he’s nothing but his perfect self. He shakes hands with your father and hugs your mother, you can tell that they love him already. You eat dinner together in your backyard, and he immediately starts talking racing with your dad. Your dog stares at him as he eats, begging for a bite, and you chuckle when he caves and tries to secretly feed him a bite.

You know that the season only has a month left in it, and the thought of living in two different states looms like a bit of a dark cloud, but moments like this make you know you’ll be okay.

September

The season is closing, and you’re busier than you’ve thought possible. The top 3 for the championship are Palou, Pato, and Felix, so you’ve been insanely busy promoting the last 2 weeks of the season, and planning posts for the result of the championship.

There’s a lot of tension on the team because of how close Pato and Felix are, and either of them could win the championship. There’s also the chance that neither of them would win it, which would stink after such a strong year for the team. You worry about Pato and his relationship with Felix, and you don’t want the fight for the championship to hurt that at all. You can also tell that the stress is getting to Pato, he’s at work constantly, and even when you’re home, he’s studying his previous races or working out ridiculous amounts. You try to be there for him, but it’s hard when there’s no way you can ensure he wins the next two races.

And Portland doesn’t go the way he wanted. He has a 3rd-place finish, which slots him down a spot in the race for the championship and makes it so he needs to have an absolutely perfect run for Monterey.

You’re exiting the bathroom in your hotel room when you notice he’s sitting on the bed, staring off into space. "Pato, are you ok, honey?"

He takes a minute before responding. "There are five days left of the season."

"I know that."

"I live in San Antonio; you live in Indianapolis."

"Oh." You’ve both been avoiding this subject for as long as possible, but you’re running out of time, and it needs to be addressed. You sit down gently on the bed next to him.

"I love you, you know that, but I don’t know if I can handle being away from you that often."

"I know, I’ve gotten so used to being with you that it’s hard to be apart." You know that some couples crave distance, and would not be able to handle working together as well as basically living together, but you always want to be within 30 feet of Pato.

"Maybe I’ll move up here, it’s where the team is based, so it makes sense. I just already don’t see my family enough, especially the ones in Mexico."

Pato does so much for you, and works so hard that you know what the answer is. "I’ll move to San Antonio." You’ll be with him, but you have to be in Indiana frequently anyway for work, so you’d still see your family a lot.

"That’s not fair to you, to pick up your whole life."

"It’s what I want to do. I don’t want to be anywhere that you aren’t, and I’ll see my family whenever we have to work."

He pulls you into a hug that’s a little bone crushing. "I love you, mas que vida." (more than life)

"Te amo también." (I love you too) Your eyes are a little watery, and having moments like this with Pato remind you how endlessly lucky you are.

Pato seems to be in overdrive, his car is lightning fast, and he comes out on top of both practices.

You’re sitting in the driver's room with Pato while he gets ready for qualifying, he’d arrived insanely early, so he had time to decompress before going out. You’re cuddled together on the couch, with his fire suit hanging off his hips, and you’re talking about something other than racing for what feels like the first time in months. Rossi enters and finds the two of you there, "You know this is for drivers only?" You know he’s just giving you a hard time.

"I had to be here, I’m doing very important business." You smile up at him as he begins to grab all of his racing gear.

"I can tell."

As Rossi gets ready, he joins in on your and Pato’s conversation, but not much because the two of you talk so much that it barely gives him a chance. Then Felix shows up, late as always. He grabs his helmet and then hands it to you.

"What am I going with this?"

Oh, you don’t need it? I thought you were a driver now."

"You are sooo funny." You grab a pillow off the couch and throw it at him.

You sit with Pato until you have to go to the pits to do work. During qualifying, he puts up an insane lap that puts him in P1 by over a second. Pato gets the pole for the race tomorrow.

You’re both buzzing when you walk into your hotel room, and he’s immediately all over you. You’re setting your stuff down by the door, and he’s crowding up behind you. His hands are on your hips, and he’s grinding into you as he attaches his lips to your neck. "You’re my good luck charm. I’m gonna take you to bed and show you how thankful I am."

Heat is riding up your neck, and you’re leaning back into his touch. He takes you to the bed and tosses you on top of it. He takes his shirt off, but then turns all his attention towards you. He was kissing a trail down your body as he undressed you. Worshipping every new piece of revealed skin. He had you in just underwear panting and begging for him to do something more. He’s teasing you over the lace of your panties, and you know it’s absolutely soaked.

He finally takes them off and slips one finger in. You’re so desperate that it has you crying out, and he quickly adds another. "Is this why they call you fast hands?" You can barely get the sentence out, but it has him laughing. His hands are good, but they’re nothing compared to his mouth. He’s still pumping into you with his fingers, but he brings his tongue to your clit. He circles it with his tongue a few times, but then sucks on it lightly, which has you crying out.

Your hands are in his hair, pulling so hard that you know it has to hurt, but it seems to only spur him on. He lays his tongue flat against you, and you buck against him as he repeatedly hits your spot. It has you tumbling toward the edge, but you pull him away before you’re able to.

He looks a little confused, but you quickly dissolve his fears. "Want to come with you in me." He immediately crawls up your body, and pulls down his sweats, which now have a wet spot on them, just enough to free his cock. He gives himself a few pumps before he's filling you. He doesn’t give you time to adjust as he starts pounding into you, his thumb pressing circles around your clit.

"Come on, pretty girl, come for me." His words send you over, and you’re coming with a loud moan. He follows you shortly after, biting into your shoulder to muffle the groan he lets out.

He collapses next to you as you catch your breath. Your chests are both heaving when he says, "Round two?"

It has you laughing out loud because, of course, he wants to go again. "I'm afraid I won’t be your good luck charm if you fall asleep behind the wheel because you were up fucking me all night."

"Doesn’t matter. It’ll be worth it."

You do end up sleeping, which is a good thing because you both have incredibly busy days. You've been incredibly nervous all day, buzzing with anticipation of whether Pato will become the champion. You don’t get a lot of time, but you do see him for a few minutes before he has to get in the car.

"Kiss for good luck?" You place an exaggerated kiss on his lips. "What about a quickie?"

"Patricio O’ward!" Your jaw is open, and you’re looking around to see if anyone heard him. "Get in your car."

He hugs you before he has to go, but you whisper to him as he does. "Be safe. And I’ll give you whatever you want if you win." When he pulls back, he’s smiling from ear to ear, and he jogs off to his car.

You were on the edge of your seat for all 95 laps. Each lap was more nerve wracking than the last, and you felt like you could only breathe when a yellow was thrown. To make matters worse, there wasn’t a dull moment in the race. There were six yellows and a red flag thrown in the race, and one of the yellows screwed Pato, letting most of the field pit on yellow when he’d just pitted on green. You felt crazy, with his radio in your ear, tracking his stats for every lap, and counting how long each pit stop took. The whole team was on edge, but you were even more so.

After what felt like 10 hours, the race ended with Pato in the lead. You realized immediately everything this meant for him. This is the year he became an Indy 500 winner and an IndyCar champion.

He pulls into pit lane, and there’s cameras all over as the team runs out to meet him. He’s standing on top of his car, screaming out and celebrating, but then he spots you. He points to you and runs over to you as he takes off his helmet. He’s kissing you before you can really process anything. You grab his face and look into his eyes to speak to him. "I can’t believe it, I’m so proud of you." Your cheeks hurt from how wide your smile is.

"Never could’ve done it without you."

Your kiss was put on national television, and fans quickly put together that you’re the girl from Nashville and the victory banquet, but you don’t care. You are so insanely in love with Pato, and you want the world to know it.

[attapullman]

The Boys Are Back / Whodunit? Origin Story

Summary: When best friends and childhood sleuths Bob Floyd and Mickey Garcia grow up, everything seems less fun. Thankfully things are about to completely change for these two hometown goofs.

Word Count: 1.7k

Warnings: 18+ as always, language, 80s inaccuracies, sci-fi opinions do not reflect that of the author

A Note From Mo: As would be the only appropriate gift for providing the inspiration for Whodunit?, happy birthday @bobgasm! Thank you for loving these two as much as me and helping make their story as fun as it is. Wishing you the best birthday on New Zealand time (we'll be celebrating America time as well, don't worry 😉)

origin story / prologue / whodunit? masterlist

“Are you really trying to convince me that Return of the Jedi is better than The Wrath of Khan?” Mickey couldn’t wipe the look of disgust off his face at this zit-faced teenager at the counter. The two fairly recent box office hits were a common disagreement, and this kid came in thinking he knew all that and a bag of chips.

��Force lightning? Luke trying to redeem his father? Dude, George Lucas made the last two movies true masterpieces, cinematic perfection!” 

Rolling his eyes, aware that this knucklehead has no clue who he’s going against (all the best film geeks in town knew to not go against Fanboy Garcia and his sci-fi knowledge), Mickey dropped the copy of Raiders of the Lost Ark into a plastic bag along with the receipt.

“The Wrath of Khan brought people to tears. Invested us deeper into the characters we’ve loved for years, grown up with. Spock’s death shocked an entire nation, no doubt about it. And don’t be stupid, Vulcan nerve pinch defeats Force lightning every time.” He slides the bag across the counter with a scoff. “Movie is due back Tuesday. Come back with some real ammunition next time, airhead.”

Cheeks red, the teen grabs his bag and scuttles out of the Blockbuster. The bell chimes and suddenly the shop is empty. 

While the access to new releases and movies in the break room were great perks, Mickey was so over this job. The blunderhead teens with their gnarly opinions, the bratty moms who always complain about the return dates. It’s just renting a movie for a week, not that complicated. When was his cousin going to get back to him about that maintenance gig at city hall? The sci-fi fan slumped against the counter and continued watching the copy of Legend they just got in.

Across town, Bob was also struggling with his work day. When was everyone going to realize he didn’t set the price of parts? He wasn’t even really a mechanic, just a guy who needed a summer job in high school and never stopped coming in. A star employee, he enjoyed the puzzle of putting components together and the purr of a perfectly oiled engine. 

It may not have been his dream job, but the free parts for his ’65 Mustang and the content silence he and his uncle worked in wasn’t horrible.

Two more customers come in and try the haggle the price. Neither are impressed with the calm way Bob explains the cost of labor and parts, rubbing his greasy palms impatiently on his coveralls as he breaks down why he doesn’t work for free. And when he asks if they’d like him to undo the work to cut the cost, pocketbooks are pulled out and he’s got money in his pocket for beers later.

His uncle is long gone by the time Bob locks up the shop with a heavy padlock on the garage door. His boots scuff in the dirt as he makes his way to the Mustang, her blue paint shining in the late summer sun. She was stunning.

The breeze whipped through his hair - too long for his mother’s liking - as he drove across town. Mickey was just opening the door to The Alibi as he parked on the street. The best friends tip their heads in greeting.

“Bobby.”

“Fanboy.”

The two slap their hands together. Palms first, then two slaps from the back, before looping around to fist bump. A handshake from elementary school that somehow has carried on twenty years. After a few drinks a shimmy will make its way into the mix.

They take up residence at the bar, the same spot they’ve occupied a few nights a week since they walked out of that Navy enlistment meeting and never looked back. The bartender always knows to hand out whatever’s cheapest unless they’re holding paychecks.

“How many people confuse Star Wars and Star Trek today?” The cutting glare Mickey gives him says it all. Probably not the best time to make a Darth Khan joke.

Lost in the clatter and whoops of the bar, the best friends mull over their meaningless hourly jobs and contemplate the meaning of ‘the man’. Bob’s leather jacket hangs off the stool back, the sticky air of the bar clinging to the twentysomethings’ skin. One beer becomes two, two becomes three as the weekend arrives.

A loose curl hanging over his forehead, Mickey makes eyes contact with a babe across the room. He’d happily spend the evening with those beautiful eyes. The only perk of this dingy bar is it’s the only one in town, and a mix of old classmates and new-in-towns keep the dating game fresh.

Bob himself does a quick look around at the night’s prospects, doing a double take. No, it couldn’t be. When did the police captain’s daughter get back into town? She shoots an amiable smile and nod back before turning to her own drink and friends. 

Mickey raises his eyebrows at his bud. Bob shoves him off his stool on the way to the bathroom.

As the night progresses, only the young and the young at heart (and alcoholics) are still in their seats at The Alibi. The best friends are a handful of beers deep, leaning across the bar to chat with Mickey’s childhood neighbor, Tom - a gruff guy with a beer gut and a penchant for belching when he laughs. They love making him laugh.

“I tell you two about the rocks that keep showing up on my doorstep?”

Mysterious rocks? The boys lean in closer, their light denim-clad pelvises nearly over the bar top. Shaking their heads, all ears, they urge Tom for more information.

“Been happenin’ for months now. At first I didn’t think anything of it. Animals maybe? But they keep getting bigger and bigger. Tripped over one the size of a melon yesterday, stupid fucking rock. Belchhhh.” The boys snicker into their beers. “Can’t figure out who’s doing it. Gonna end up breaking my front step with a mountain one of these days.”

The boys exchange a look as they contemplate the conundrum. Who would just leave rocks on Tom’s doorstep? Wouldn’t it get old after a few weeks? And rocks of all things?

“It’s not that big of town. Who could it be?” Mickey cocks his head to the side. Tom has always been a nice guy. A little oblivious, but harmless. “Your ex-wife back in town?”

The bearded man shakes his head, scratching the underside of his belly as he realizes it’s time to call it a night. 

As Tom goes to pay his tab, Phil, who’s been manning the bar at The Alibi since before LBJ was in office, spoke up. “You two solved mysteries as kids, yeah?” 

The young men give him a perturbed look, confused why he’d bring up their silly sleuthing games from decades before. Hesitant, Bob nods. Who could forget the years spent hunched in random hiding spots, notebooks and binoculars at the ready. Mickey still had a scar from falling out of the second floor stairwell in the community center.

Tom is delighted, his drunken eyes lighting up. “Any chance you two could take a whack at figuring out who’s leaving all these fucking rocks on my doorstep? There’s a twenty in it for ya.”

It’s been…years since they last solved anything. Petty crimes from other classmates, some neighborhood drama, but that was before puberty. Did they still have the gift?

“Sure man, why not?” Shoulders are shrugged, hands are shook tipsily. They’d stop by in the morning before their shifts. Natural curiosity has them dying to see the assortment of rocks.

Tom heads out and the boys clink the necks of their bottles together, enjoying the last sip of the night. Who knew where this was going, but they were always up for a challenge.

A week later, the two returning sleuths are hunched over behind a bush with a pack of pretzels and a six-pack, mud caking Mickey’s new Air Forces. There’s cigarette stubs in the dirt and they’ve been arguing over the best flavor of Fanta for an hour.

In the wee hours of the morning Tom’s next door neighbor sneaks into his garden to place a rock roughly the size of a pumpkin on the front step. The shared fence issue Tom thought to be resolved? Definitely not. 

Another neighborhood drama solved. Twenty dollars in their pocket.

But with the solve comes a burning itch that Mickey can’t scratch. Keeps him up at night, lives in the corner of his brain while he rents movies to bored-face teens. A blazing fire that can only be tended, not extinguished.

“What if we started our own detective agency?”

Bob spat out his ginger ale on Mrs. Garcia’s freshly cleaned granite countertop. Was Fanboy tripping?

“C’mon man, why not? Put up some flyers and solve whatever rinky dink shit comes up in our free time? Make some extra cash? We might actually be able to move out on our own. Don’t you want freedom?” 

They’d been bitching about it for months, wanting to get out of their childhood bedrooms and actually do something with their lives. So the Navy wasn’t for them, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t serve their community in other ways. Maybe this was the answer to their unsure futures.

Bob grabbed his best friend’s hand, the decade-old handshake turning into a brotherly hug. “Just promise me we won’t get into anything too crazy. I like my Sundays on the couch.”

In six months they’d raised the cash for their own apartment, a small two bed in the dusky pink modular building off Main Street. In a year the amateur sleuths had been in the local paper twice. And two years and several police case assistances later, they stood across from the police captain’s daughter, not a smile in sight.

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[thisdudedoesntexist]

So I had a dream about a helluva boss and danny phantom crossover with a little dc in it so keep scrolling if you just want dpxdc or don't like spectral owl (danny Fenton x Octavia goetia). Also for some context only Loona and Octavia know about danny being phantom and the ghost king. Its also incomplete cause I can't remember the rest, so feel free to add on.

Stolas (the wiki said 30's so he's 35): red

Danny 19: green

Octavia 18: purple

Please excuse any grammar or spelling errors

Stolas had be trying for MONTHS. Two whole-MONTHS to bring his daughter back. Everyone else was trying to distract him with placateions like a funeral and time to grieve. To tare him away from what he knows he saw!!

Stolace: "Oh Octavia, only 18 and just over a year into dating that Daniel Fenton, that normal boy was one of the best things to happen to her even if it earth and hell was a rather long distance relationship. He couldn't even speak at the funeral, he was just sitting there stiff as a corps staring as the closed casket (Satan, there wasn't even a body). If that dammed, and now dead executioner hadn't gotten so careless she would have never disappeared- JUST DISAPPEARED in that flash of green light!"

But no matter! He had been researching and researching for days and nights on end (my, Blitzo's attempts to make him sleep were tempting). He had-despite the protests of some of his family found a tome, one book on summoning himself the Ghost King's castle, more like Pariah dark's current location but thats irrelevant. If legends of his exploits and one of his advisors mastery of chronomancy are to be believed he could bring his daughter back.

He has it all set up and he will be doing soon, he just needs to wait for the sacrifice to arrive (an exorbitant amount of gold coins and a sword thats taken at least 100 lives).

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

Danny has been having a great two months.

Ok so there was a bit of worry when he had to save his girlfriend from that rogue executioner angel by teleporting her to his castle (thank the ancients that Octavia and their friend situationship loona were so acceptingof that, you have no idea what being told by your parents that they were going to "Rip you apart molecule by molecule!" Does to a former fourteen year old. He still has a little panic attack when people ask him if he knows phantom.)

After explaining what happened and telling her about the "Non Ecto-material returnal laws" he's been working on with his advisors (ghost friends) he and Octavia have essentially been having an extended sleep over. Danny's been showing her around all the cool places in his castel like the garden of dangerous extinct plants, the throne room (An abrupt visit from the teen titans cause Trigon was about to appear on earth.), and the recreational center that was built after Danny discovered why pariah went mad.(That crown had been beaming him with the suffering screams of his subjects and he couldn't do anything about it). Speaking of the rec-center, he and his Moon (Octavia) had an appointment with the former tyrant where is she?

Danny: "Octavia! My moon where are you!"(He starts in a casual flight speed down the halls towards the guest room his girlfriendhad been staying in). "Via~" he says in the way he always does when he's being intentionally stupid. "Where are you my darling?" while his voice is sweet he's grinning like the experienced menace to society he is. "Its almost time to go annoy the old man!"

This earns him a blob ghost plushy to the face while Octavia "the smartest person in the world in Danny's opinion" chuckles at his mock-suffering.

Octavia: "Stop it you sound like my dad! Who would want to date such an nerdy guy?" (her, apparently) "And yes we should get going before Janice (Danny's secretary with an obsession with office management) starts eating her clipboard."

As they are walking down the hallways and corridors Octavia speaks "Don't you have that meeting with Constantine later?"

"Right, forgot about that." (The laughing magician had been checking up on him through bi-weekly attempts to "scam him into making choices that wouldn'tjust benefit ghosts.") "Should probably ask him to help set up a meeting between me and your dad so we can finally get you home next week."

"Thank Satan I can sit in my own bed again soon!"

"Huh?!" Danny says in a pretend offense that doesn't reach even his face. "Sick of me already? Have I not been a good host?" He wipes a phantom tear (get it?) from his eye. Earning a laugh from the other.

Honestly, what could go wrong today.

[linkeduniverse-writing]

General LU Headcanons part 1

Heya! So I'm starting this blog with some general headcanons about the boys, I think I'll divide it in three parts so it's not too long. First up are Four, Hyrule, and Legend! Hope you enjoy :D

Part 2 Part 3

Four

It takes him so long to emerge from sleep

Like he'll be in a haze for like 20 minutes, not able to form any coherent thoughts

Which is kind of a surprise because he's one of the early risers, and is super reactive once fully awake

He tends to talk to himself a lot, mostly when he does something or thinks through a problem

It's mostly to exteriorize all the noise inside his head tho

The others aren't as weirded out by it than he feared, and he's thankful for it

Whenever they're in a market or just in a town, he always finds himself drawn to craftsmanship

Like if they need to interrogate people about monsters and stuff, he'll go ask artisans mostly

He feels more comfortable around them

It feels like home

Also he likes to compare his work to other blacksmith's

He feels like he has a lot to learn still, and he's very curious about how the craft has evolved with time

He doesn't know first aid and the scent of blood makes him sick, but if his teammates need tending he'll do his best

He tries to see their wounds as metal work needing repairs

It helps him keep his cool

But he'd rather leave it to someone else

Hyrule

Another early riser, but he hates it

He loves sleeping in and wishes his body would let him sometimes

But oh well, when it's time to wake up it's time to wake up

He's a very light sleeper too, like the wind blowing in the leaves above would wake him up

He hates it

Botany nerd

Loves keeping track of the new plants he finds along the way

He always asks the Link from the Hyrule they're in if he knows about it, and will pick them up if he can't get an answer, to study them later hopefully

He rarely can, but when they have a moment he'll either find a plant book (and a Link who can read it for him) or straight up ask someone if they know about the plant

He's always so polite and genuinely curious, people can't help but answer

He accidentally set Sky's stuff on fire once when showing off his fire magic to Wind

Sky was too impressed to truly be mad at him tho

(Also Hyrule replaced all of the stuff that couldn't be repaired, don't ask him how)

He doesn't mind blood and grime and gore, but can't handle anything with maggots in it

He'll stitch up anything, he'll put bones back in place if necessary, but one bug? In a wound? Don't count on him

He can keep his calm even before the grossest injuries, which is why he's often fixing up the others after a fight

He rarely uses his healing magic tho, he knows he'll tire too easily, and he can't help them if he can barely stay awake

So potions potions potions

He's a gentle caregiver but you better do as he says when you're hurt

Legend

A heavy sleeper, and he dreams a lot, but he never remember them

Probably for the best if you ask him

He usually wakes late, but never truly rested unfortunately

That never stoped him from being immediately efficient and fully awake tho

He knows he has a reputation of being sharp and closed off, but he's a really good listener

He's the kind of person curse the world with you when you vent until you're in the right headspace to find a solution

He kind of encourages the others in their dumbest ideas just to see what'll happen

(not the too dangerous ones, of course)

But he's curious, and after all the adventures he's been through, he believes that if he survived all of this, surely Wild will survive trying to cook a bomb flower

He did, but Twilight almost died of stress

He's the one who helps Warrior with refilling their inventory when they're low on supplies

He's a great negotiator and can get them twice the supplies for the same price

He's sometimes even charming enough to get them all a free meal

It's his favorite skill

He doesn't mind blood but will not look at broken limbs

Not his own, not other's

He tries to keep his cool around the others to not make them panic, but he really hates broken bones

If one of them is hurt, he'll try to distract them and make sure they have water and enough heat

He'll also keep them in place if they move around too much for Hyrule or Warrior to work on them

He's not gentle, but he's still reassuring somehow

[marvelstars]

Star Wars

I believe SW fandom oppinion is always going from one extreme to another, the Jedi or Sith are either good or evil and Anakin was evil from birth, etc and the thing is that the story needs to be taken with more nuance to fully appreciate it imo.

For example:

I honestly don´t like the Jedi as an institution in the PT, I believe they were arrogant, thought themselves above non force sensitives, not in words but in actions, lest remember this Jedi Order didn´t tought much about using Jedi mindtricks to get their way or even just because a non- force sensitive annoyed them, they used control chips to make their clone soldiers more obedient, they just didn´t expect those chips to also have hidden orders to attack them with their guard down.

Sure they had good reasons always but actions speak louder than words and from this perspective, they were good with those actions because there is a certain feeling of superiority on their part, a feeling of " I have the power, I am in charge, I am doing this for the good of the galaxy and so I can do this" and they were too set in their ways, even their critical elements like Qui-Gon or Count Dooku, to truly question why they did this and if it´s even neccesary and their enemies noticed this, Sidious used those inherent flaws agaisn´t them to gain power by appearing to be a normal non force sensitive, their arrogance didn´t allow them to recognize him as a foe even with the growing political power he amassed for himself until it was far too late and they needed to know he was a sith for this to happen.

Still their whole institution seek to help the galaxy, their problem was that with time this became equal to "help the Senate keep its power" and later this same Senate betrayed them. 0rder 66 was a lawful order approved by the Senate.

Still the fact the Jedi had flaws doesn´t mean the Sith were right to kill them all or to impose a dictatorship over the galaxy.

The Sith in star wars canon always wanted to impose an Empire with slavery included, they treat their apprentice as slaves until they get to become a master and the cycle goes on and on.

The force itself had to bring the birth of Anakin to stop the Sith and their manipulation of the force, because they also tried to alter the whole nature of the force to become inmortal and rule forever.

The Jedi became famous in the galaxy after they managed to defeat the Sith Empire, ending slavery on many worlds, that´s part of their legend, that´s why Anakin and Shmi to a certain point, thought the Jedi were on Tatooine to free the slaves but even when they were told this wasn´t why they were on Tatooine they still wanted to help them to help Naboo. Anakin and Shmi believed in compassion as the answer to the problems in the galaxy.

What the PT presents to us is a story about a good institution trying to do some good in the galaxy but that had fatal flaws that were used by their enemies to destroy all of them because the goverment they served became a dictatorship on their watch.

The OT is about the common people, the non-force sensitives getting together and inspriring everyone to bring down this dictatorship helped by the descendants of the old Jedi Order and the honest leadership of the Old Republic, representend by Luke and Leia, Anakin´s and Padme´s children and this union is so strong that they not only manage to convert former imperial soldiers to their pov but also Darth Vader himself.

Anakin is the central caracter, a character who suffered under the previous status quo as a slave during Republic and Jedi Order rule, a person who was later used as a weapon by both the Jedi and the Sith, who thought the Empire was the answer to the problems in the galaxy in a big part because of the grooming Sidious did with him, allowed by the Jedi but he had his own dreams to help make a better galaxy and keep his loved ones safe and alive and happy and this also played into his fall to the darkside, because he went from believing love and compassion was the answer to power was the answer, as a result he lost everything(his family, his body, his sanity) and became a slave to Sidious, as a consequence of his actions agaisn´t the jedi.

Later, at the end of his life, seeing all over again Sidius killing the last one of his family in front of him, he choose to sacrifice himself instead of keep being the second most powerful of a galaxy, despite being a slave, a galaxy abused by the dominance of the Empire, to save what he found worth keeping alive in the galaxy, his Son and his compassion even for those like him who seemed lost forever to everyone else, because that ideal was worth keeping alive, it could heal the galaxy just as it healed him, he remembered he used to believe love and compassion could solve the galaxie´s problems as well.

Star Wars is a story that allows all the dimensions between good or bad to his characters, allowing them to grow or become worse because that´s fundamentally part of human nature and it´s a story that tells us that despite this everybody can become better if they choose to be, everybody can be saved if they want to and that´s a beautiful message.

So when we try to see the story into your are either fully good or fully bad of course we will never get the full picture, the story just wasn´t written that way.

[faefaye]

Sometimes I get so emotional about the original Klein.

He was just a normal person with simple dreams of having a better life and a bigger house with his siblings. His education was through Sunday school until his father's death provided the money for enrolling somewhere else. The year he entered university, his mother died. Despite or because of all that, he worked hard trying to achieve what he wanted.

While he got average results in university, that's because he got in on a scholarship and was of a lower social and economic class compared to most of his peers, having to study a lot more to catch up. During which he ended up knowing at least half a dozen different languages. After graduating, he immediately started to prepare for his interview and was just two days away from going for it... then came 28th June.

Somewhere out there is a world in which the Antigonus notebook incident didn't happen, where he passed that interview and lived an ordinary and happy life as a university lecturer (although maybe not all that ordinary if he went after Fourth Epoch history following his interest :p).

Don't get me wrong, I adore LOTM Klein, but I can't help but wonder about the person he was and could be without the infusion of Zhou Mingrui.

(hiding canon quotes illustrating this under the read more, do feel free to add other information on og Klein):

Chapter 1: (1) [His father's] bereavement allowance gave Klein the opportunity to study in a private language school and laid the foundation for his admission into university...

(2) [His mother] passed away the year Klein passed the entrance examinations to Khoy University...

Chapter 2: However, back when he burned the midnight oil four years ago to be admitted into Khoy University[...]

Chapter 3: (1) In light of the present situation, Zhou Mingrui believed that if Klein were to return to university, it was unlikely he could graduate. This was despite him having left campus just days ago without relaxing one bit.

(2) It was not that Klein did not think of helping share his elder brother’s burden but being born a commoner and having been admitted into an average language school, he felt a strong sense of inadequacy when he enrolled into university. For example, as the origin of all languages in the Northern Continent, the ancient language of Feysac was something all the children of nobles and of the wealthy class would learn from a young age. In contrast, he only made first contact with it in university.

He faced many similar aspects during his schooling career. Klein nearly gave his all and often stayed up late into the night and woke up early before barely managing to catch up to the others, eventually allowing him to graduate with average results.

Chapter 4: In his memory fragments, he had once fantasized about renting a bungalow in the suburbs. There would be five or six rooms, two bathrooms, a huge balcony upstairs, two rooms, a dining room, a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and an underground storage room on the first floor.

Chapter 9: Having set his sights on solving the mystery and restoring history, Klein didn’t have much interest in the first three eras, whose roots were closer to legends. He was more interested in the Fourth Epoch, also known as the Age of the Gods.

Chapter 18: "Of course, when I received primary education during Sunday school[...]"

Chapter 24: With Klein requiring a scholarship to finance his university studies, he, Welch, and the others had joined Khoy University’s rowing club and were pretty good at it.

Chapter 98: As for the original Klein, he had focused on his studies early on and had suffered from malnutrition. That led him to possess a below-average physical condition. 

Chapter 260: The original Klein was a fanatic towards the history of the Fourth Epoch. He often read journal articles and books, so even now, Klein still remembered a lot of content.

Chapter 323: (1) He tried the words in ancient Feysac, Intis, Loen, and other languages again, but the result was the same.

As for Jotun, Elvish, Dragonese, and other languages from the mysticism domain, Klein could only try them out of hope since they was overly restrictive and unlikely to be the language used.

(2) Klein switched to the languages of Loen, Highlander, and Feysac, but still failed to achieve the desired results.

(Klein studied Jotun after transmigrating, but even excluding all the mysticism languages, considering he knew Hermes in Chapter 1, there's five)

(edited 17/05/23 to add the quote from Ch 98)

[the-stars-in-between]

DAY 13: Till Death Do Us Part

The end of a crew. The end of a legend.

If you haven't seen the "Character Death" tag and you don't like when your favorite characters die, there's still time to turn around. The entire crew dies in this story, it's not a spoiler to say that. (And, the warnings will be put at the beginning of each chapter, in more or less gruesome ways.) I was looking for a poem to be the story's guideline but I couldn't find one that fit what I was looking for. And even though I don't really need it anymore, I decided to write it myself. The first real chapter will be coming tomorrow or in the next few days but in the meantime I left some clues on how each character dies if you want to decipher them. I originally wrote the poem in French and was unable to make it rhyme in English, to my great disappointment. So I left it for you in French with the translation for each line just below. Fandom : One Piece Character(s) : Mugiwara Kaizoku | Straw Hat Pirates Relationship(s) : Mugiwara Kaizoku | Straw Hat Pirates & Mugiwara Kaizoku | Straw Hat Pirates Words Count : 629 No. 13: TEAM AS A FAMILY Familial Curse | Multiple Whumpees | "Death will do us part." (Set It Off, Partner's In Crime)

À bord du navire des rêves,

(On board the ship of dreams,)

vivaient dix animaux

(lived ten animals)

Tous suivaient leur capitaine,

(All followed their captain,)

un singe avec comme couronne un chapeau.

(a monkey with a hat as a crown.)

Le tigre partit le premier, 

(The tiger left first,)

protégeant jusqu’au bout ses camarades.

(protecting his comrades until the end.)

Mais son dos resta intouché, 

(But his back remained untouched,)

marquant l'ultime preuve de sa bravade.

(marking the ultimate proof of his bravado.)

Le cheval solitaire fût le suivant,

(The lonely horse was next,)

son vieux squelette ne tenant plus le coup

(his old skeleton no longer holding up)

Ses amis ne le laissèrent pas seul un instant, 

(His friends did not leave him alone for a moment,)

tenant sa main jusqu’à son dernier pouls.

(holding his hand until his last pulse.)

La fin commença avec celle du caméléon,

(The end began with that of the chameleon,)

son courage inspirant le monde entier

(his courage inspiring the whole world)

Même devant la Mort il ne baissa pas le front,

(Even in the face of Death he did not lower his head,)

lançant sur la mer les navires par milliers.

(launching ships by the thousands into the sea.)

L’ironie n’échappa pas au canard,

(The irony did not escape the duck,)

quand ses yeux se fermèrent de leur plein gré.

(when his eyes closed of their own accord.)

Il aurait aimé que cela arrive un peu plus tard,

(He would have liked it to happen a little later,)

sombrer dans les bras de la mer dont il avait toujours rêvé. 

(to sink into the arms of the sea he had always dreamed of.)

Le taureau résista sans jamais faillir,

(The bull resisted without ever failing,)

quand se déchainèrent les sévices des enfers

(when the torments of hell were unleashed)

Il accueillit la fin avec un sourire,

(He greeted the end with a smile,)

tel était l’adage de l’homme de fer.

(such was the adage of the iron man.)

La chatte affronta sa fin sans ruser,

(The cat faced her end without guile,)

maîtrisant une dernière fois les éléments

(mastering the elements one last time)

Elle ne s’enfuit pas même si elle était effrayée,

(She did not run away even though she was frightened,)

libérant un pays entier du tourment.

(freeing an entire country from torment.)

Le petit renne choisit de rester,

(The little reindeer chose to stay,)

refusant de tourner son dos à ceux dans le besoin

(refusing to turn his back on those in need)

Face à la maladie il ne cessa d’essayer

(Faced with illness he never stopped trying)

et sa compassion causa sa fin.

(and his compassion caused his end.)

La seule grue qui avait réussi à fuir,

(The only crane that had managed to escape,)

finit par retourner à la maison

(ended up returning home)

Pour une fois elle ne pût pas courir,

(For once she could not run,)

et enfermée, elle se plia à la raison.

(and locked up, she bowed to reason.)

L’ours fût là quand personne ne pouvait plus l’être,

(The bear was there when no one could anymore,)

Guidant son capitaine jusqu’à la dernière minute

(Guiding his captain until the last minute)

Il ne laissa jamais sa peur paraître, 

(He never let his fear show,)

Continuant jusqu’au bout pour lui, la lutte.

(Continuing the fight to the end for him.)

Le singe resta le dernier,

(The monkey was the last to remain,)

Seul et froid au milieu de la nuit

(Alone and cold in the middle of the night)

Quand il partit, personne n'était là pour l’en empêcher,

(When he left, no one was there to stop him,)

et il prit le soleil avec lui.

(and he took the sun with him.)

[thomotomo]

Hi! If you're not comfortable with this request feel free to delete it, I just thought about faker and keria being rivals 'cause they're in love with the reader, who is a streamer at t1 and also their best friend, and they're just competing to see who can impress the reader more djfjsjd.

The competition

A/N: Thank you for that request it was very fun to write (after all who wouldn't be happy to have two cute guys fighting over you aksk) I hope you'll be satisfied with this and that you'll like the "plotwist"~

You had always been a huge league of legends fan, since the beginning of the game really, and following the e-sport scene since it really started. So when T1 (well, SKT back when you started) had come up to you and asked to be one of their streamers, you clearly didn't took a long time to accept the offer.

The day you had started, your followers were ecstatic, after all you had always been a huge T1 supporter and this was just a dream come true to you. Over the years now being inside the industry and close to the players you had became friends with all the different people that had player for T1 alongside other teams but nowadays the one you were hanging out with the most was Keria, after all the two of you shared a same enjoyment for Kpop and whenever you could you would just go out to buy kpop merch together.

Unbeknownst to you, but a certain Unkillable Demon King was jealous of this friendship. He knew you for the longest time and yes, maybe he had nourished a small crush on you throughout all the years you had become friends and seeing you hang out with the young support. So he decided that tonight after your stream, the two of you would go eat hotpot. He had texted you his plan, making sure that you wouldn't get whisked away last-minute by Minseok. Naturally you had accepted his offer, after all hotpot was one of your favourite food and in this season it was always welcomed.

Later that night as you cleaned up your streaming room Sanghyeok opened the door with his usual slightly awkward smile.

"Ready? Let's go eat."

You took your backpack, chuckling at his excitement, whenever it was about eating hotpot, Faker was basically becoming as excited as a puppy. The two of you walked out of the headquarters of T1 and headed to a restaurant nearby that Sanghyeok was stopping by pretty often. The owner was always happy to see Sanghyeok and there was a private "area" where she often put him and whomever was coming for privacy. You were starving and you definitely were going to eat like a king, ordering a whole lot of food and when everything was laid out on the table you couldn't help but take a picture, posting it on Instagram and tagging Sanghyeok.

Keria, who had your notifications turned on, immediately clicked on the story and he couldn't help but feel jealousy take over his soul and he wondered if the two of you were on a date, but he quickly shook off the idea away from his head, surely if it was an actual date you wouldn't broadcast it to your whole audience.

And just like that, both Minseok and Sanghyeok were fighting for your attention and trying to impress you. There was a few times where Sanghyeok had been doing his best to impress you by displaying his cooking skills, even feeding you some whilst he was cooking. Minseok on the other hand was bringing you signed items by your favourite idols, or ticket concerts that you could attend together. A few times, on separate occasions, the both of them had been barging in during your streaming sessions, keen on showing off something to you.

"Hyung you gotta see this! I had a new idea and it works perfectly let me show you!", Minseok had promptly dragged you away from your computer, luckily for him you had just been discussing with your audience so it was fine and you weren't missing anything important.

He explained to you excitedly this new idea he had and showed it off to you. You praised him, messing up his hair in affection. And when you set back in your seat, you couldn't help but grin at your audience.

"Honestly, everyone should be scared of Keria, he's a little genius. He's going to eat everyone this year."

" (Y/N)-ah. I need you to taste this.", this time it was Sanghyeok. You turned your chair to face him, keeping an eye on the game that was happening, opening your mouth as he fed you a spoon of whatever he was cooking. Your eyes widened and your tore your gaze away from the screen as you chewed on the food.

"Wa... It's so delicious hyung! Please put some aside for me!", Sanghyeok's chest puffed up in pride due to your compliment.

As this happened one too many times the two men were "scolded" by management, effectively putting an end to the almost daily interruption in order to show off to you, to your fans' greatest sadness, after all they really enjoyed seeing players of T1's League roster stopping by your stream for random interactions.

The atmosphere in the team was kind of different now that Minseok and Sanghyeok were competing for your affections and the scrims were definitely more intense, after all both of them wanted bragging rights when seeing you.

Those days, though, it was hard for them to meet with you, training was taking all of their time. But after two weeks of not being able to see each other you were finally able to coordinate a dinner with the whole team. To the rest of the team's greatest entertainment Sanghyeok and Minseok had tried their best to look conspicuous to have a seat facing you for Sanghyeok and seating to your right was Minseok.

In the end, Keria had been the one who had accidentally discovered that you weren't single. He had been trotting over to your streaming room, you weren't streaming today but you had come up to do some work on your PC so you were there and he was eager to see you, he had brought some albums he had desperately been wanting to open but in his terms you were his "good luck charm" so he wanted to maximise his chances to pull his bias (really an excuse to spend time with you).

He thought he was hearing muffled speaking as he approached your door, but really you enjoyed speaking to yourself so it wouldn't be surprising if you were alone. Only, right after he knocked and stepped into the room he froze because, on the ground with his hair disheveled, t-shirt off and sporting a very clear blush was Sky. You didn't look much better than him and Keria couldn't even get himself to admire your pretty well built torso as you quickly put back on some clothing. It was very clear that what happened right as he entered wasn't some kind of play-fight.

"Minseok-ah!! I'm really sorry you had to see that!!", Haneul spoke first whilst passing a hand through his hair.

"Yes I'm also so sorry about this... I'm... We haven't spoke of this to anyone, could you please keep it on the down low?", your eyes were pleading him, and he completely understood after all it could get complicated if the public heard about this, not everyone was very open-minded and it would be terrible if either you or Haneul had to leave the company with a scandal like that tied to your names.

"It's... Okay hyungs. I can wait until later to come back.", Minseok's right hand was clutching his bag tightly, he was feeling really sad now and he had to get himself out of here fast.

The young man was waiting outside, chewing his lip in awkwardness, he decided it was worth sending a text to Sanghyeok, after all even though they had been "fighting" over you they were still teammates and friends. And even though he didn't want to say who you were dating, after all you had asked him to keep it low until you were ready.

Finally after a few minutes, Haneul left your streaming room, looking more put together than before and he apologised to Minseok before walking away, a small blush still present on his cheeks. Minseok shuffled inside your room, not looking the most comfortable.

"Minseok-ah, I'm once again very sorry you had to see that..."

"It's okay (Y/N)-hyung you don't have to justify yourself!", he put down the bag of albums.

"Still! I'm sorry maybe we should've spoke to the team about it but you know it is kind of still new? And we didn't want to bring any problem inside the team if it wasn't working you know..."

Minseok nodded and the two of you stood there, still in an awkward atmosphere but you tried to dismiss it by pointing to the bag he had brought.

"So... You got new albums?"

Minseok tried to look excited and he started opening them, desperate to ignoring his heartbreak.

A few days later, you and Haneul made your relationship known to the team and the staff, it seemed that you had been discussing with the management so that the situation wouldn't surprise the company if it ever got leaked to the public. As the announcement was made, Zeus, Oner and Gumayusi looked at Faker and Keria from the corner of their eyes, wondering how their teammates were going to react but the two men let nothing negative transpire and instead congratulated the both of you.

Only once the five teammates were together did they admit to the sadness they felt, though Minseok had gotten a bit more time to process his feelings and what he had stumbled upon.

Obviously they were sad, after all, they had been doing their best to impress you and get your attention but all in vain, as you had apparently been dating Haneul since the very beginning. In krder to bury the hatchet properly, Gumayusi had offered to treat them to hotpot, after all it was always guaranteed to warm both hearts and stomachs.

And so that night, they all went together to their favourite hotpot place, burying the hatchet as well as mending their broken hearts. At least they wouldn't harbor harsh feelings or jealousy towards one another if they had been successful in their confession.

[versegm]

The winds howl around him like a thousand beasts, snarling, prowling, nipping at any exposed skin with ice-cold teeth. Goredolf shudders beneath his coat, pulling it closer to his body.

"Is anyone out there?" He yells at the top of his lungs. He can barely hear himself above the storm. "Anyone at all?"

The only response he gets is a faraway thunder.

Alright. Fine. That's fine! He's Goredolf Music. He can handle some cold on his own (on his own?) all he needs to do is to keep walking forward, and he'll end up somewhere eventually (where?)

The thunder gets louder. Is it getting closer? Ah shit, the only thing worse than being lost among cold winds would be to be lost among cold winds while wet. Goredolf speeds up, seeking to outrun the incoming rain.

The thunder keeps getting closer though, like hooves hammering against the ground. Goredolf winces, bracing himself to get hit by water-

It wasn’t the thunder.

A dark figure bolts in his field of vision. A monster; no, a dragon; no, a horse. It towers above him with the all-compassing presence of the night sky. A knight sits on its back, covered in something that might be armor or might be scales.

“… Hello?”

Wordlessly, the knight extends a hand.

They’re quite scary, all clad in black, horns crowning their head. But they don’t seem hostile so far, and just as Goredolf has learned a pretty face isn’t always trustworthy, a scary one is not always to be feared.

The knight yanks him up, tearing a manly yelp out of him. They easily lift him up to set him right behind them. Goredolf opens his mouth to protest- but then the mount starts running, and all he can do is hold onto the knight for his dear life.

The world turns to a blur. The horse runs like the north wind itself- for a second, Goredolf even wonders if they might be flying. It outruns the lightning, the rain, the storm itself- until, eventually, it slows down and stops under clear skies.

“You should be alright now.” They- she? The voice seems feminine- tell him. “Can you get down on your own?”

“I- yes, of course.” He responds, and then immediately contradicts himself by almost falling on his ass. The knight grabs him by the hips before he can tumble down, then she gets down herself to set him down. This is the most embarrassed Goredolf has ever felt.

“… thank you.” His cheeks are burning red. He has never felt more mortified in his life.

The knight doesn’t answer right away. Instead, she reaches up, then lifts her helmet off her face, revealing-

Oh.

This is the face of Goredolf’s (friend? Girlfriend? Fuckbudy?) Or, well, this is a Saberface- this specific body type is far from X-exclusive. Which means that she is, most likely, a servant.

“Apologies.” She bows her head. “It was I who brought the storm here. I did not expect it to disturb your sleep.”

Ah. He gets it now.

This is a dream.

“Who are you?” he should probably get that jotted down first thing- friend or foe, ally or enemy, a name will be a big clue to that end.

A spear suddenly materializes in the servant’s hand. For a second, Goredolf is afraid he deeply offended her, but all she does is stab the weapon into the ground.

“Servant Lancer, Artoria Pendragon Alter. King of the Wild Hunt.”

King of the what.

Alright. Alright. This is fine. Goredolf has seen plenty of servants with impressive legends do the stupidest shit imaginable. He shouldn’t let himself be impressed by some grand title or another. “Well, I thank you for freeing me from that storm, Lancer. Though I would appreciate if it didn’t happen again.”

“It will.” Ah. Well okay then. “Master’s dreams are already filled with too many people. The least I can do is try to not add onto their load myself.”

So she’s coming to him instead. “Have you considered… not haunting people’s dreams?”

Lancer shakes her head. “That is not possible for me.”

Is it him, or is getting explanations from this woman like pulling teeth? “Why not?”

“I am a liminal being by nature. I’m an if of an if, a person who was never supposed to exist. I am the Artoria who chose what she should have never been able to choose. I am the butterfly who dreamt he was a man. I can seldom exist outside of dreams. Reality will not accept me.”

“… This doesn’t really make sense.” He replies.

“It doesn’t.” She agrees. “But that doesn’t make it any less true.”

She reaches down, and then, with no explanation whatsoever, ruffles his hair.

“It appears that you are about to wake up, and I must ride on anyway.” She turns around and gets back on her mount. “I will see you again. Take care, boy.”

Goredolf opens his mouth, blood rushing up his cheeks, and-

Finds himself laying on his back in his bed.

For a few seconds, he stares at the ceiling, mind racing. Then, very slowly, he looks down at himself.

Throbbing boner. Of course. She just had to call him boy in a mildly condescending way, didn’t she. Curse his thing for dangerous women who vaguely look down on him.

Something shifts next to him, then the Mysterious (And very Sexy) Heroine X pokes her head out of the covers, looking at him with tired eyes. “Is it morning yet.”

“N-no, it’s fine. I just had a dream. Go back to sleep.”

X looks at him, blinks, turns her head, and looks at the tent in the covers. “Must have been a good dream.”

Scratch that, this is the most mortified Goredolf has ever been in his life. “It’s not like that! It’s just- there was this woman-”

“Uh-huh.”

“She had your face!”

“I’m flattered.”

“She was a servant!”

That catches X’s attention. She frowns at him, thinking. “… Was she a Saber?”

“No. A Lancer.”

“Ah. Okay.” And just like that, her attention is lost. She crawls back under the sheets, until her ahoge is the only thing left poking out. “This can wait until tomorrow then. Goodnight.”

She is… right, he supposes. Goredolf closes his eyes, steadying his breathing. There’s nothing he can do about it at five in the morning. This can wait.

X’s voice rises one last time, so quiet Goredolf barely hears: “she can have your nights, by the way. So long as I can have you during the day, I don’t mind.”

[jean-dieu]

6, 7, and 20 ! -Yunessa

Yay! Thank you for these, Yunessa !! <3

6. Which mythic path did they choose and why? Do they regret it?

Lazare: Azata for Lazare and no, he doesn't regret it. While clearly good-aligned and wholeheartedly with the crusaders, Lazare doesn't "fit in" exactly, and he's quick to welcome anyone ready to join their cause no matter who they are.

It's a bit ironic for a commander to be spontaenous, but Lazare is a perfect example of Acting First, Think Later (maybe, if his two brain cells collide). Somehow, it works. Maybe it's the sheer power of his good will and determination, maybe it's something else, but Lazare never regrets the choices he made because even when things don't turn out like they should, he knows he acted in accordance with his heart.

Raphaël: Angel, of course. There weren't many other possibilities for Raphaël beside maybe legend. He did make a few Aeon choices there and there but his faith, his values, his moral compass naturally guided him to the Angel path in the end.

He did regret a bit not accepting Iomedae's offer and gives up on hys mythical abilities as he does feel a bit... Nervous at the idea of telling a goddess no, especially a goddess he has so much respect for.

A worry he quickly sets aside when many celestials actually joined his ranks as it was some kind of divine confirmation he was going what was good, and that Heaven was with him.

Because I like "what if" and alternate AU/Dark AU, I can't help but think of what could (big emphasis on COULD) happen if the Devil mythic path was available while starting Angel. I think that would be interesting (and devastating thank you very much).

Ziel: Ziel's still at the begining of his route so it's a bit early to say if he'll regret things or not.

He started as a Demon despite him, just succumbing to rage and not controlling anything... Which is very scary for a tiefling. Eventually, the trickster path will come to light for him, and he feels happy at first to be able to use his fucked up sense of humour instead of rage for his newfound abilities.

But knowing what awaits a Trickster... Ziel will eventually struggle to keep a sense of himself. As much as he relies on dark humour and sarcasm, there's plenty of things he just can't take lightly. And deep down, he's just a scared child that barely knows what he's doing.

7. Is your KC religious? If yes, which deity do they follow? If not, what is their view on religion?

Lazare: Lazare collects faith in the way that he struggles to find a Divinity that really fits him. He prays Shelyn, Desna and Cayden Cailean. After all, he's a kind free-spirited artist that believes wholeheartedly in freedom and self-determination. Also, beer is cool.

As he was born and raised in a brothel, he has a deep respect for Calistria and her followers, but he doesn't pray her himself.

He never got to learn things "properly" and has his very own conceptions of his Deities' teaching, and while he still understands their philosophy, he lacks the knowledge to fully grasp the extent of their domain.

Post crusade, he will also add Nocticula to his Deity portfolio, as the Reedemer Queen is THE divinity made for him.

Raphaël: Idk, is he?

Jokes aside, OF COURSE he is religious. He has devouted his whole life to Sarenrae, trying desperatly to please her and to follow her principles even when they contradict his natural instinct and way of thinking.

He knows this damn well, and yet, he still thinks Sarenrae's ways are an ideal to strive for. Since he was a child, he dreamed of becoming a priest. As an older teenager, he's "kindly" reoriented (I wrote about it in a small fic there) from priesthood to Inquisition as it's deemed it's just more... Fitting for such an angry individual.

His faith is however bound to change.

Since birth, Raphaël has heard divine voices he and his family thought were from Sarenrae because... Well, who else would it be. He wasn't very vocal about them though, only revealing it to close friends in the church's rank, but he never questioned it.

Later in the campaign (as it's something I've taken from the TTRPG WOTR game I have with friends), as he meets Ragathiel, he learns that the voices weren't from Sarenrae but from the General of Vengeance himself.

It's something Raphaël takes time to process in the sense of it was very unexpected, and it does change quite a lot of things. While he stays an Inquisitor operating under Sarenrae's name, he finally accepts his role as more or less Ragathiel's chosen one, and manages to find some peace as the Angel's principles and teachings match his more than Sarenrae's.

Ziel: Ziel was raised an Abadarite. His father was a cleric, and he has been involved in te church's life during his childhood. He was quite disinterested in it, mostly just following his dad around, not caring too much about Abdar's principles as a whole but not rejecting them either.

When his father is accused of corruption, Ziel finds the whole trial suspicious, and is persuaded in his father's innocence, as he feels like his father was way too faithful to commit such a crime. Cast aside and excluded from their own circle, Ziel witnesses his mother leaving them both and never coming back, and his father turning to alcoholism to cope with the shame.

Seeing his father in such a state deeply angered him, and he hold Abadar responsible for his father's state, thinking it's completly unfair he didn't do a thing to protect his father who is and has always been a honest man. He will now gladly spit on Abdar's name, not even caring of repercussion as it's his father that matters, not himself.

As a teenager and as he begins to start stealing to support his father that can't find work with his reputation, he's introduced to Calistria by fellow thieflings and eventually converts, determined to seek revenge for his father, wanting to clear his name.

As he grows up, and as he becomes a hardened thief, parts of him feel less and less angered at Abadar, to the point of him sneaking in one of his temple at night just to pray for his father's solace.

20. Which event of the crusade traumatized them?

Answered there!

[thesummerestsolstice]

Hi! I read your fic Myths and Monsters and I must say, I am a bit confused. I understand that these are stories of our predhel being eldritch, but the stories themselves gave me this spinning confusion feel and I was unfortunately unable to enjoy the story to its full extend. If possible, would you be able to explain to me the general plotline of each story? A few sentce summary would suffice. Thank you in advance.

(I'm sorry it took me so long to get to this ask– the last few weeks have been very chaotic for me)

So this is about this fic, which features Elrond and his parents being eldritch in various ways. It has some more poetic language, and the chapters often start in the middle of action scenes, so I can understand how they'd be a little hard to follow.

Chapter plots are under the cut– feel free to check out the fic if you want more eldritch elves and peredhel.

Chapter One: Edoran, the prince of a small mannish kingdom, sets out to visit the Lord of Himring, hoping to get his help in protecting Edoran's people from Morgoth's armies. On his way to Himring, Edoran is attacked by a band of orcs, and is quickly captured. Maedhros appears and fights off the orcs, and Edoran is very appreciative.

Chapter Two: Duniel, a half-elven sailor, has been pretending to be human for years to fit in on a human smuggling ship. When it's revealed that she's a half-elf, the human crew– who have heard all sorts of legends about half-elves being dangerous changelings– turn on her. She runs from them, but they catch up to her. Before they can hurt her, Maglor– now a terrifying spirit of the deep– stops them, before wandering off down the shore.

Chapter Three: Archibald, a sea captain, is at the wheel of his boat one night when he hears some strange things happening on deck. He goes to investigate, and finds nothing. When he goes back to the wheel of his ship, he finds Earendil standing there– though Archibald doesn't know who Earendil is. Earendil says that they're here to protect the ship from getting caught in a storm, and Archibald decides to trust them. They sing together for a while, and then Archibald wakes up– unsure if what just happened was a dream.

Chapter Four: Charles, a mannish lord, and Hugh, a guide, are going hunting in Rivendell. They're both aware that they shouldn't be hunting in "fae woods," as it would be highly disrespectful. Eventually, they see Elwing a strange swan and try to shoot at it, only for it to get away. The hunters give chase, but Hugh trips over something and falls behind Charles. When he catches up, Charles has been caught in one of his own traps, with Elwing the swan terrorizing him. Hugh decides that they're not going to hunt in Rivendell's forests anymore.

Chapter Five. An orcish maiden– who doesn't have a name she likes– is on the run. She was sent away from Mordor because of her inability to fight, and when she went to a local mannish village looking for help, she was instead chased out. On the run from the men and their dogs, she unknowingly wanders into Rivendell. As her pursuers catch up with her, she meets Elrond, who saves her, and invites her to live in Rivendell.

[filhadoboto]

Falling for You - Chapter 6

SUMMARY: Daenerys is a writer and is traveling through the North to do research for her new book when she crosses paths with a charming stranger with a northern accent. (rating: E)

Written for "Jonerys Falling for You 2023" - Day 5 - Free Choice

@iceandfirejonerysdiscord

AO3 (COMPLETE)

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6 (final) - The warg in my path

Daenerys Targaryen awoke from her recurring dream and once again she was unable to see her lover's face clearly.

Although she knew he was young and handsome, his face remained a shifting shadow. She knew he had a long face and dark brown hair. She knew he was strong because of how he held her against his muscular body. She knew he had soft lips because she always woke up to the warm feeling of them on her skin, on her lips.

She stretched and snuggled into her seat as the last images of her dream flashed through her mind. Dany didn't remember when she had first had that dream, but she was sure she had started dreaming about him when she was a teenager and she had thought the dream was a product of her hormonal body, however, now s he was an adult woman and the dream had accompanied her until now. Despite having the same dream for so many years, she had no idea what its meaning was. Maybe it was nothing more than a dream. Maybe it was just her imagination. Maybe it was some kind of premonition showing her what the future held for her .

After a long yawn, she looked out the window of the bus she was traveling on. Outside, the day had turned into night and the vehicle continued calmly along the road while a light rain fell. Trying to relax, Dany took out her cell phone and headphones, put some soft music on and tried to focus her thoughts on what awaited her. By her count, there was more than half the way to reach her first destination, a village called Winter Town that was a few kilometers from the largest city in the North, Winterfell.

Daenerys loved flying, but always chose to travel by bus when she was doing research for her books. Dany had become famous because of her stories based on both legends and historical facts and she always tried to reinterpret them, highlight a darker aspect, explore the role of secondary characters in her books. She found traveling on the road relaxing, and for a writer, it was always good to have new experiences and see the place where she planned to set her story. And, because of the way she wrote, it was always good to research the places where the historical event happened or where the legend originated or was most famous.

For some time she had been wanting to revisit the history and ancient legends of the North, especially those related to the Long Night, the Wall and the Others. She had read about the period called the Long Night and was fascinated by everything involved. First she thought about focusing on the story of Azor Ahai and Nissa Nissa, but she fell in love with the story of the Night's King and his Corpse Queen. Because of them, she ended up delving deeper into history and became fascinated by the idea that a species like the Others existed. There was proof of the existence of the Children of the Forest and that they had fought humanoid creatures alongside the First Men and she wanted to see them in person, so she was on her way to where, according to the history, all the armies of Westeros had gathered to fight the Others.

According to the story, two Long Nights had happened and Dany was planning to write her story from the Others' point of view, exploring their motivations and their culture. Dany would begin her research from Winter Town and travel north. She would stay for a few days in a small town called Mole's Town, a few kilometers from the Wall, and pay a visit to Castle Black, the main castle on the Wall. Then she would continue her journey until arriving in the city of Hardhome located on the tip of the peninsula Storrold's Point on the Shivering Sea. There was a museum in Hardhome with an exhibition of weapons, armor and other artifacts that were supposedly produced and belonged to the Others. There were caves, known as screaming caves, with drawings similar to those found in the caves in Dragonstone that could be visited by tourists and she was quite excited about the idea of being able to explore them.

She would also like to visit the Lands of Always Winter, which was where legends said the Others came from, but as it was a little-known region, she would need to hire a team with experience in excursions in that region and thought it best to focus her research in places where access was easier. Depending on the success or failure of her research, she planned to either stay in one of the cities to begin writing or return to King's Landing by ship.

The bus slowed down and stopped on the side of the road and that brought her out of her thoughts. The lights inside the bus came on and after a few seconds a new passenger entered. Her heart sped up when she saw him. The stranger had the same long, brown hair and the same long, pale face as the man in her dream. He was dressed in black from head to toe and carried a dark gray backpack with him.

Dany watched him curiously when their eyes met. His eyes widened when they fell on her face and he looked at her as if recognizing the face of an old friend and gave her a polite smile. Without hesitation, Dany returned the smile and continued to watch him as he looked for an empty place to sit. His long dark hair was wet from the rain and his eyes were dark gray and looked mysterious and intelligent in the dim lighting of the bus.

She glanced quickly at the man asleep in the seat next to her and it was impossible not to lament the fact that the seat was occupied. She didn't know exactly what she would do if the stranger sat next to her. It wouldn't seem very sane of her to say, 'Hi, I know we just met, but I'm pretty sure you're the man of my dreams'. After a few seconds of assessing the sleeping people and the vacant seats, the new passenger decided to sit in the vacant seat in front of her.

Resigning herself to the situation, she turned up the music and closed her eyes. Her mind, as always, began to create possible plots, characters and backstories for each of them and, slowly, she began to let herself be carried away by the drowsiness that the movement of the bus and the sound of the rain caused. She woke up to the noise of passengers disembarking and saw that the bus had stopped at a roadside restaurant, where they would have about a forty-minute break. The passengers who had woken up disembarked, looking relieved to finally be able to stretch their legs and look for something to eat, but she was more interested in drinking something, preferably water. Even her seatmate had already disembarked and, after grabbing her bag, she followed the flow of passengers.

After going to the bathroom, a sleepy attendant answered her request and gave her a bottle of water. The other passengers chatted sleepily in small groups, but she looked for an empty table outside. She observed the scenery around her and took out her notebook to make some notes about the place and she was distracted writing down the ideas she had on the bus when someone stopped next to her table and said “Excuse me?”

Dany was startled by the sudden interruption and when she looked up she found the new passenger's mysterious gray eyes staring at her. There was a reddish glow to them, but she couldn't tell if it was because of the light in the place or not.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” he said with a small smile and she felt her heart beat faster.

“It’s fine.” she said, her voice rough from sleep and cleared her throat. “I was just a little distracted.”

"Can I?" he asked, pointing to the unoccupied chairs.

"Of course." she replied, indicating the chair in front of her.

But instead of sitting in the place she indicated, he sat in the chair next to her and smiled. His smile, seen from so close up, was simply mesmerizing.

He placed his cup on the table and his backpack on one of the chairs before continuing, "I'm sorry to bother you, but... You're Daenys Stormborn, the writer, aren't you?"

Being recognized surprised her and it took her some time to respond “Yes. I am."

That wasn't her real name. She had chosen it as a pseudonym when she began writing and publishing her stories. Her family was one of the richest in King's Landing and she had decided not to use her real name to avoid people linking her name to her father's.

The stranger stared at her with his mouth open and seemed amazed. Despite being used to being approached by enthusiastic and affectionate fans, she felt her cheeks heating up.

“It is an indescribable pleasure to meet you in person! I’ve read all your books and I dare to tell you that I’m your biggest fan!” he said enthusiastically before asking, “Can you sign my copy?”

She couldn't help but smile. It was exciting when one of her fans recognized her and asked for an autograph. And it was even surprising, in fact, that they recognized her, because the photo on the back cover of the books was so different from who she was that even she had difficulty recognizing herself. She did this on purpose so that it would be more difficult to see the color of her eyes and hair and identify her as a Targaryen. Of course, she took photos with her fans, especially during the launches of her books and at literary events, but not everyone recognized her immediately.

"Sure. It will be a pleasure.”

He picked up his backpack and took out a copy of her latest book and handed it to her. Dany gave him a grateful smile and asked “What’s your name?”

“Jon Snow.” he replied with a smile that made her heart skip a beat and his voice made her skin tingle.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jon Snow.” she said in an unconsciously flirtatious tone.

She opened the book and wrote: To Jon Snow, my biggest fan in the whole world. With great affection and friendship. Daenys Stormborn.

He smiled when she gave him the book back and read what she wrote. She saw him run his finger lightly over what she had written, as if he wanted to make sure it was real.

“Thank you so much, I always wanted your autograph, but I never got to meet you in person.” he confessed with a smile.

“It's always a delight to meet such a kind fan.” she said “From your accent, I gather that you are a northerner.”

He smiled and nodded “ A ye. I was born in Dorne, actually, but was brought to the North when I was a month old and raised here. I was visiting some friends in Greywater and I'm heading home to Winterfell. I should have come back yesterday, but I ended up not being able to. Now I have to thank the old gods, because if I had returned yesterday, I wouldn’t have met you .” he said and then added in a curious tone “And it was really a surprise to meet you here, as I read that you were on vacation in Pentos.”

She gave him a small smile. “If people know I'm in one place and see me in another, they'll think I'm just someone who looks like me.”

“Very clever.” he commented “I guarantee your secret is safe with me.”

An icy wind blew and Dany ran her hands over her arms. Without hesitation Jon took off his hoodie and offered it to her.

"It is not necessary." she said.

“Please, I insist.” he said and she accepted. When she put it on, the residual heat from Jon's body enveloped her like a hug.

Jon gave her a look full of pride and satisfaction when he saw her wearing something of his and Dany felt her cheeks heating up. She remembered the dream once again and, before she could say anything about it to Jon, she forced herself to pay attention to him and was about to ask him about the red glow in his eyes when he said, “Excuse my curiosity, but I need to ask. Are you planning on releasing any books soon?”

Danny smiled. This was one of the questions most asked by her fans, both in person and through social media and correspondence. She didn't usually talk about her new projects, just as she didn't talk about her private life, but seeing a fan so happy to have gotten a simple autograph made her want to share something more with him.

“I’m actually traveling to do research for my next book.”

His eyes lit up with curiosity and expectation. “Will your next book be set in the North?”

"Yes." she replied in a conspiratorial tone “I have wanted to write something about the Long Night, the Wall and the Others for a long time. I want to see the battle sites in person and hear what people have to say about the legend mainly involving the Others and the Night King and his Queen.” she continued “Do you know their legend?”

Jon nodded and replied “Every northerner knows it. Certainly older people will tell you different versions of it.”

“That’s what I hope. I have already read the official sources and now I want to hear about the legends and mysteries surrounding these events and the places where they happened.”

He smiled. “I admit I'm already looking forward to reading what you're going to write about them.”

Dany gave him a grateful smile before commenting, “Well, I might change my mind if something more interesting catches my eye.”

His eyes lit up at her words and he nodded before saying, “As a fan of your stories, I know you enjoy exploring lesser-known facets of legends and stories.” she nodded and he asked "Have you heard about the wargs?"

“Wargs?” she asked, intrigued.

He nodded “They were an important part of the army that fought against the Others during the second Long Night . In the South people call them werewolves.”

“I've heard about werewolves, but I confess this is the first time I've heard about wargs.”

“What about skinchangers or greenseers?”

She shook her head “Also no.” she replied and wrote down the three terms in her notebook. As soon as possible she would definitely research about them.

Jon leaned closer to her and asked, "Have you ever read about Robb Stark, the second-to-last King in the North who became known as the Young Wolf?"

Dany nodded and said what she had learned in her research into the history of the North. “According to the official story, he went into battle alongside his direwolf, Gray Wind. He won every battle before he was betrayed and murdered and people thought he won because he turned into a wolf and commanded an army of wolves when he went into battle.”

"You are right." he said with a proud smile “Robb Stark was a warg and many thought the men in his army were too.”

“You mean he could, in fact, turn into a wolf?”

“No, but he could enter the mind of his direwolf and control the animal.” he replied and added “He and his brothers and sisters were wargs, although Arya and Brandon were considered skinchangers because they could enter the minds of animals other than their direwolves.”

Her curiosity awoke and she said “You managed to pique my interest.”

He gave her a satisfied smile, brought his face closer to hers and whispered, “They say there are still wargs and skinchangers out there.”

Dany looked at him for a few seconds before saying, “Really? And are they dangerous?”

He studied her for a few seconds and asked “How about I tell you what I know and you decide?” she nodded and he smiled before continuing “The wolf swood is full of mysteries and they say there is a creature out there, unlike anything you have ever seen before. He is known as Varamyr Sixskins and lived around the beginning of the second Long Night. He was one of the most powerful skinchangers who ever lived and he was called Sixskins because that was how many animals he could control. He was feared and hated by many of the freefolk and, when he was injured during a fight against some men from the Night's Watch, he tried to transfer his mind into the body of a woman who was tending to his wounds before he died and, when he was unable to do so, he transferred his mind to one of his wolves. Since then, he has survived like this, transferring his consciousness from animal to animal, searching for a human he can control. But each time he switched bodies, he lost a bit of his memory and his humanity, until the only thing that was left of Varamyr was his desire to live as a human again.”

"Interesting." she commented.

“And there is more.” Jon looked across the road and continued “There are reports of people who mysteriously disappear and only reappear days or weeks later, completely mad, wandering along the road.” he fixed his gray eyes on hers before continuing “Several abandoned vehicles have been found, bathed in blood, clothes torn, but they have never found any bodies, or any clue as to what happened to them.”

“They never found anyone?”

"Never. Not even any proof that they are actually dead.”

Dany imagined that scenario, imagined the beast, what it would be like to meet it in person and commented “It's good that we're traveling by bus.”

“Such a creature, if it truly exists, would be capable of attacking anything it wanted.”

She looked at him and there was a strange gleam in his eyes. Dany felt her skin tingle and ran her hands over her arms. Jon watched her and asked “Did I scare you?”

She gave him a fake look of disapproval and replied, “I’d say you managed to scare me while also making me curious.”

Jon gave her a satisfied smile and said “Don’t worry. Although Varamyr did indeed exist and was a warg and a skinchanger, this story is told by elders only to scare children and keep them away from the forest.”

Before she could say anything, the driver got on the bus and honked twice, signaling that the stopping time was over and that everyone should get back on the bus.

They both stood up and he said “I’m so glad I got to meet you in person.”

“I'm also happy to meet you, Jon.” she said and tried to return his hoodie, but he stopped her.

“No need, you can keep it.” he said and then added “That way you will remember me.”

Dany doubted she would ever forget him, but she was grateful.

“Then, thanks for the hoodie and the story. I will certainly seek to know more about what you told me.” she said, holding out her hand to him. He held it and surprised her when he lightly pressed his lips to its back. Dany felt heat spread through her body, starting at the point where his lips touched her.

The two boarded the bus and, upon returning to her seat, Dany saw that her drunk companion was already asleep in his seat. He was snoring softly again, but seemed to have taken advantage of the break to change his clothes, which significantly improved his smell. In front of her, Jon was talking to the girl sitting next to him and she felt a mixture of envy and jealousy in her chest. How was it possible that she was feeling jealous of someone she had just met?

After settling in, she found herself thinking about what Jon had told her. Maybe he was just trying to give her an idea for the next book, which she thought was really sweet, or maybe he was just trying to scare her. She promised herself that as soon as she reached her destination, she would do some research on the subject.

Dany had a strange, vivid dream when she finally fell asleep. She dreamed that she was running through a dense, dark forest. No, she didn't just run. She was running away in terror from something frightening. She heard agonized, terrified screams coming from all around her, as if the trees could scream, as drops of warm rain fell on her.

Then her nightmare scenario changed and she was back on the bus. The vehicle was stopped in the middle of the road and plunged into darkness. She assumed that the driver had made another stop, but dismissed the idea when she realized that there was no sound inside the bus and her seatmate was no longer next to her. Then her brain noticed that a strange but familiar smell filled the bus and that there was no sound either inside or outside the vehicle. Only the light where the driver was was on and she pulled back the curtains so she could look out the window and realized that they were surrounded by the dark silhouette of the wolfswood, and there was no sign of life outside. She sat back and took a deep breath and only then did she realize that the smell she was smelling was blood.

Quickly, she turned on the light above her. It was faint, but the little it illuminated was enough for her scream of horror to break the silence. In the hallway was the body of the man who had sat next to her. His eyes were wide and filled with fear, as if he had seen the most terrifying thing in the world before his death, part of his face marked with what appeared to be claw marks from some animal.

Frightened, Dany staggered up from her seat and went to the front of the bus, bumping into other bodies. The driver was sitting in his chair, dead and with the same expression as the man inside, his throat was destroyed, as if he had been attacked by an angry animal. The windshield was covered in blood and the mangled body of a passenger was lying on the bus dashboard. She put her hand over her mouth to reduce some of the smell, and tried her best to ignore the sight. She examined the dashboard and found the buttons that activated the light inside the bus. Dany looked at herself and saw that her clothes were stained with blood. In a panic, she ran her hands over her face and they came back stained with blood too. That made her move and she went back to her place in search of her cell phone.

The scene was a thousand times worse than she had imagined. There were bodies,body parts and organs scattered everywhere, some bodies with parts missing, with their intestines hanging out and others seemed just asleep, but their cadaverous paleness took away that illusion. The floor, the walls, the ceiling, everything around her was bathed in blood.

The girl who had sat next to Jon was in pieces. Her head was connected to her body only by the spinal column and her legs and arms were full of deep bite marks. Then she realized that Jon wasn't beside her. She tried to gather the courage to look for his body, but the last thing she wanted at that moment was to see that beautiful male specimen torn to pieces.

No matter how much she tried to take her eyes away from that macabre scene, they didn't obey and she couldn't move her body either. No matter how much part of her brain sent orders for her body to move, she remained there, unable to move away. It was as if that grotesque scene had hypnotized her.

A drop of blood fell on her face and that was what made her move. Dany took her cell phone, got out of the bus, turned on its flashlight to light the way and her gaze was drawn to the blood marks on the ground. After a brief examination of her surroundings, she saw that there were paw prints of some animal moving away from the bus and entering the forest. She heard the terrifying sound of a howl that made her body shake in fear. A noise behind her filled her with terror and, when she turned to face the beast, Dany woke up.

Through the window she could see that the day was dawning, which meant she was reaching her destination and she didn't try to sleep again. Less than an hour later, the bus parked at the small bus terminal in Winter Town.

Jon made sure to get off the bus with her when she disembarked so he could say goodbye to her and she couldn't help but smile.

“I hope to hear from you soon.” he said looking into her eyes and she nodded.

“Maybe we’ll meet when I get to Winterfell.” she commented with a more hopeful tone than she should and he gave her a wide smile.

"I would love to."

----

The city was small, but cozy and beautiful, contrary to what she had imagined. Before traveling, she had made reservations at inns and hotels in all the places she would visit, and when she arrived at the inn, her room was already ready. Before unpacking her bags, she called her mother to let her know she had arrived safely and sent a message to her friends' group saying the same.

It was only hours later when she picked up her computer to start researching the things Jon had told her that she realized there was something that wasn't hers inside her bag. Dany took the white envelope carefully, as if it were a poisonous snake and could bite her at any moment. Her name was written outside in an unfamiliar handwriting. She sat on the bed and opened the envelope eagerly. There were two polaroids and a sheet of paper inside. Curious, she took the polaroids. Her heart quickened and she smiled when she saw that the first one showed Jon Snow. He had taken the photo in front of a mirror that she recognized as being in the bathroom of the restaurant where they had stopped.

She moved to the second photo and stared at it for a few seconds as her brain tried to make sense of what she was seeing. It was a photo of what appeared to be the same bathroom and the same mirror. In the reflection was a humanoid creature with long silvery-white hair, blood-red eyes, long fangs protruding above its lips. The creature had one arm raised in front of it and its hand ended in long, frightening black claws. The creature wore the same black hoddie that she was wearing.

The same hoddie that Jon Snow was wearing and that he had given him as a gift the night before.

Dany forced herself to put down the photo, pick up the sheet of paper and read it.

Dear Daenys, First I need to apologize for having gone through your things without your consent. Second, in case you haven't already deduced from the photo, it's me, Jon Snow, your biggest fan. And I'm a warg. As you've seen in the photos, I'm living proof that wargs are as real as this sheet of paper you're holding right now. The story of the greenseers, skinchangers and wargs is my story and the story of many members of my family and so many other families in the North. Something I didn't tell you about us is that if we spend a lot of time in the minds of animals we acquire some of their characteristics. At first I imagined that this referred to the behavior and habits of the animals, but to my surprise, I acquired physical characteristics. And no, I don't turn into a wolf. I know how much I risked by giving you the photos and information in this letter, but I trust that you will destroy the photos and keep the information confidential. I hope I have inspired you to write about wargs, but if I have frightened you and have not achieved the goal of changing your mind, you will still be left with your original idea. I believe my revelation has left you with two options. First. You can get rid of this letter and the photos, move on with your life and try to forget everything I showed you and told you. Second. If you wish, you can come and meet me when you visit Winterfell and ask all the questions that, I have no doubt, are buzzing in your mind right now. If you choose the first, know that I was very happy to meet you in person and I will always remember our meeting and regret not having had more time with you. If you choose the second, my cell phone number is written down on a piece of paper that I put in the pocket of the hoodie I gave you. Whatever your choice, I hope to read something written by you soon. Maybe someday we will meet again and we can talk again. I bet we'll have some great stories to tell each other. From your biggest and wolfish fan. Jon Snow P.S.: If you're scared of meeting me, I promise I won't devour you. P.P.S.: I think that sounded strange. What I meant was that you don't need to be afraid of me. I promise not to do you any harm. P.P.P.S.: Who am I trying to fool? I don't know if I'll ever see you again, so let me tell you that I wanted to devour you from the second I smelled you and our eyes met. I would love to devour you, but not in a literal way.

Her cheeks flushed and she felt heat spreading through her body as she read the last part. She had an idea of how he wanted to devour her, and when a rather graphic image of her and Jon filled her mind, she forced herself to focus on what to do. With shaking hands, she searched her pockets for the paper and found the paper with his phone number on it.

Dany knew she should choose the first option, she knew that the first option was the safest, that it was the only right choice to make... but most of her was inclined to choose the second option and her mind was already working and formulating theories and questions she would ask Jon and possible plots for a story. She could feel the euphoria, the taste of a new story awakening in her mind, taking over, flooding her consciousness. She could already glimpse every detail, every character. She could see everything!

She looked at the photos and reread that letter several times and each time it seemed easier and easier to believe those words. The second option seemed even more tempting, after all, it wasn't every day that a supernatural being showed up to a writer and said he was her fan and asked her to tell his story.

Who was she trying to fool? Even though she knew the risks and dangers of going to meet him, it was already a lost war.

Danger be damned! I need to know more about all this!, she thought.

Daenerys put down the letter, took out her cell phone, saved Jon's number and sent him a message that simply said: Tell me where and when.

---

The sun was setting when the taxi stopped in the Weirwood Park parking lot. There were few people walking around, some with their children and pets, others alone and others accompanied.

Jon had given her options for a place and time and she had chosen the Weirwood Park because she had heard it had the oldest weirwood trees in all of Westeros and she had chosen that time because there were fewer people who could witness what Jon had said he wanted to show her.

She had arrived at Winterfell after lunch and, despite having prepared herself for this meeting, she was nervous. The three days she had spent in Winter Town were full of discovery and anxiety. She had visited some historical sites, spoken to some people and considered whether she had made the right choice. And in the three nights she spent in that city, she had her recurring dream, but this time, with each dream she managed to see a little of her lover's face, until that morning she saw Jon Snow's face emerging from the shadows. When Dany woke up it was with the feeling that he was the man she had been looking for since she started having that dream.

Apart from exchanging messages to arrange the place and time, they hadn't spoken to each other. She walked following the signposts and easily found the section where the picnic tables were. Jon was sitting on one of them and stood up when he saw her approaching.

Dany walked up to meet him and he was more handsome than she remembered. She stopped when she reached the table and it stood between the two.

"You came." he said with a mix of relief and happiness.

"I did."

He motioned for her to sit down and, when the two sat down facing each other, he said “When I wrote that letter I was sure you would choose the first option. And when I received your message and saw that you had chosen the second, at the same time as I yearned, I feared the arrival of that day.”

“I can leave if you want.”

“No, I don't want you to leave, but I can hear your heart beating fast. Are you afraid of me?” he asked.

No, she wasn't scared of him, she was scared of her feelings. Of her feelings for him. Did he remember what he had written to her? Did he remember that he had written that he wanted to devour her? Was he serious or was it just a joke, a tease?

“Should I be afraid, Jon?” she asked and looked at him with narrowed eyes. “Do you want me to be afraid of you?”

“No, I don’t.” he replied quickly “And you must not be afraid of me. I just want to show you who I really am.”

“Do you really want me to write a book about wargs?” she asked and before he could respond, she added “I mean you don't know what kind of person I am, Jon. I could reveal your secret, I could be gathering proof of everything and just sell the story to some tabloid. Maybe I'm even planning to kidnap you and keep you imprisoned in a private zoo.”

"And you are?"

She smiled and replied “No. I just want to understand why you would risk telling your secret to a stranger.”

He gave her a guilty smile. “What if I told you I used that as an excuse?”

“An excuse for what?” she asked intrigued.

“To get closer to you. When I saw you on that bus, I figured you were doing research and when you confirmed my suspicions I thought I would have a chance to meet you again if you had a reason. I wanted to see you again and have the chance to get to know you better.” he confessed and then added “And, maybe I don't care which story you choose to write, because now I have my own story with you.”

“Oh!” was the only thing she could say.

“Are you afraid of me, now?” he asked again.

She looked him in the eyes before replying “Do I look like I am afraid?”

"No." he replied in a relieved tone “And I don’t want to make you uncomfortable either.”

She gave him a smile and changed the subject. “You promised me information.”

"I did. You can ask me anything you want, and if I know the answer, it will be yours.”

“First, I think it’s time you knew something about me.”

"What?" he asked intrigued.

"Daenerys Targaryen." she replied “That’s my real name.”

“It’s a beautiful name.” he said and gave her a smile that made her heart skip a beat and added "It's a pleasure to meet you, Daenerys Targaryen."

She loved hearing him say her name. Dany returned the smile and said “Thank you. My friends call me Dany and you can call me that if you want.”

He nodded and she took her notebook out of her bag and opened it before saying “I did some research on what you told me, but I would like you to tell me what you know.”

He nodded and obeyed. He told her about skinchangers, who could wear the skins of any beast. He told her that, when the animal died, part of its spirit continued to live in the human being and vice versa and how one skinchanger could always sense another. He told her how it was possible for a skinchanger to enter the mind of an animal that had belonged to another skinchanger and that it was common for part of the previous skinchanger to be felt in the animal. Jon told her about a special type of skinchangers, the greenseers, who in addition to doing what wargs did, could also wear the skins of any beast and could look through the eyes of the weirwoods as well.

Jon then told her about wargs and about when and how he realized his connection to his direwolf, Ghost and what it was like to discover what he was. He told her about his wolf dreams, where he dreamed that he was the direwolf. He talked about how he could feel the forest, its smells and the presence of other animals during these dreams. He told her about how it felt to run free through the forest, about the feeling of hunting and feeding and how free he felt when he had these dreams. He talked about his relationship with Ghost and how he could sense the direwolf's presence and tell if he was near or far from him.

Dany gave him a grateful smile when he finished and asked "If you bite me, will I become a warg too?"

“No, but that’s how the legend of werewolves came to be.” he replied “Wargs are born and not created.”

“So your children will be wargs too?”

“They may or may not be.”

She wrote down that information before asking “Have you ever tried to get into the mind of another animal besides Ghost?”

"No!" he replied, looking horrified at the idea “Ghost is as much a part of me as I am a part of him. I wouldn’t have the courage to betray our connection like that.”

“And have you ever tried to get into someone else’s mind?”

“Although it’s tempting, I haven’t.” replied Jon “And to enter the mind of another human being, that person must have a fragile mind and to try that on someone like that would be something very similar to rape in my opinion.”

“And if the person gave you consent, what would you say?” he stared at her in silence for a few seconds and she added “What would you say if I told you I wanted you to try to get into my mind?”

“Even with your consent, I don’t think I could.”

"Why?"

“You don’t strike me as a person whose mind is easy to dominate.”

She nodded and looked at the notes she had made earlier.

“You told me that having an emotional connection with Ghost made it easier when you first entered his mind.” she said and he nodded “What kind of prior connection do you think you would need to have with me to make it easier?”

He stared at her for a few seconds before replying “I… I don’t know.”

She gave him a half smile. “What if I don’t resist?”

“Are you asking me all these questions because of the book or because you really want me to try and get inside your mind?”

“How about you try to find the answers by going inside my mind?”

“I… That's not a good idea, Dany. Even with your consent and you offering no resistance, you may go mad or suffer some other irreversible mental damage.”

Noting his discomfort with the topic, she asked “Can I meet Ghost someday?”

His face lit up with a smile that made her heart race.

"Of course. You can meet him now.” he replied. Jon stood up, walked over to her on the other side of the table and offered her his hand. She looked at him, confused. “I'm asking you to trust me and come with me.” he clarified.

Dany took a deep breath and nodded. She put away her notebook and held his hand. Jon gave her a satisfied smile and led her through the various paths to a deserted part of the park. Night had arrived and the park lights were on. Above them the full moon appeared over the tree canopy and illuminated them. Holding hands, they looked like just a couple walking and enjoying the good weather. His long brown hair being tossed by the wind and touched by the moonlight gave the impression that some strands were silver. Dany stopped herself from running her hand through it.

“Can you show me what you showed me in the photos?” she asked.

He nodded “But I need you to control yourself and not scream. I don't want people to think I'm attacking you or doing anything worse.”

“I promise I will restrain myself.”

They stopped only when they reached a small clearing in the forest that was lit only by the moon. He let go of her hand and took a step away from her. Before her eyes, his hair began to change color, his nails turned into claws and his fangs became larger. When he opened his eyes and looked at her, they were red.

“Wow.” she said and, without thinking, she closed the distance between them and couldn't resist running her hand through his hair. “You're really real.” she whispered.

He gave her a small smile and said “I am and thank you for not yelling.”

She looked him in the eyes. “I have no reason to scream.” she said and asked “Does it hurt?”

He shook his head “At first, but it doesn’t hurt anymore.” he replied, and a few seconds later, he was back to his normal appearance. Jon pointed to a spot in the wolfswood before saying “Ghost is going to come out of the woods. You do not have to be afraid."

"He is here?"

“He was watching us the whole time.” he replied.

She was surprised to hear that, but she nodded and Jon whistled loudly. In the next second, a mountain of white fur rushed out of the darkness of the forest. Dany gasped, but forced herself to remain still. The last thing she wanted was to draw the direwolf's attention to herself.

“Slow down, boy!” Jon said in an affectionate tone and the animal slowed down and began to walk. Jon held her hand again and gave it a comforting squeeze. He looked at her and said “Sorry, he’s looking forward to meeting you.” Dany looked at him with wide eyes and he asked “Remember what I said about sharing emotions?” she swallowed and nodded “He likes the same people as me. Which means he’s very happy you chose to come here.”

When he finished speaking, the direwolf stood before them, and when she looked at him, his intelligent red eyes were fixed on her. The moonlight made his white fur shine and gave it a fantastic air, as if the animal were a forest spirit.

“Dany, this is Ghost.” he said and stroked his ear before adding “Ghost, this is Dany.”

Still unable to move, she heard herself say, “Hi boy.”

“You can touch him if you want.” Jon suggested and she looked at him with wide eyes. He laughed and added “He won’t hurt you.”

She looked at Ghost and took a deep breath to gather her courage. Hesitantly, she reached up to the direwolf's immense head and touched its fur. Slowly, she began to pet him and she couldn't help but laugh when he pressed his head against her hand.

“I told you he liked you.” commented Jon, who was watching them with pride and satisfaction in his gray eyes.

“I like you too, Ghost.” she said and, to her surprise, he licked her hand, which made her laugh again. She looked at Jon and asked "Can I see you warg him?"

He gave her a smile and nodded, “Come.”

She followed him to the edge of the clearing and watched as he sat cross-legged against the trunk of a tree and took a deep breath. His eyes were white and his body was still. Ghost walked up to her and there was something different in his red eyes, something definitely human.

“Jon?” she asked in an uncertain tone.

In response, the direwolf lowered his head and brought his snout to her hand, as if he was asking her to pet him and she did. Then he bent down and, confused, she looked at Jon and back at the direwolf.

“Do you want me to ride you?” she asked and Ghost, no, Jon nodded.

Ghost was big enough for Jon himself to ride, and he wouldn't ask her to do that if it wasn't safe for her and Ghost. As soon as she was properly sitting on his back, Ghost-Jon got up, started walking, and for the first few seconds she had her eyes closed, her face pressed against his soft fur, her arms wrapping around his neck. He walked around the clearing before entering the forest and Dany forced herself to relax and enjoy the experience.

The ride was brief, and about five minutes later, Ghost-Jon took her back to the clearing. Jon was waiting for them standing when they entered the clearing and she deduced that Ghost was in charge.

“So, what did you think of the experience?” he asked as soon as she dismounted the direwolf.

“Absolutely terrifying and absolutely incredible.” she replied with a sincere smile and petted Ghost.

They stayed with him for a few more minutes and Jon took her back to the park entrance.

“What places do you want to visit in Winterfell?” he asked and she told him the ones she remembered.

“I had a crazy idea.” he said.

"What is it?"

He hesitated for a few seconds before saying “I want to accompany you on your trip. If that’s okay with you.”

“Do you want to be my research assistant?”

“I want to be your guide, after all, who better than a northerner to guide you through the North?”

That idea seemed perfect to her.

“I like the idea and I’ll love having you as my guide.” she replied and Jon held her hand and placed a kiss on her gloved palm.

---

The next day Jon took her on a tour of the historic fortress of Winterfell. She was impressed not only by what she saw, but also by everything she heard.

He also introduced her to a lady who was known as Old Nan, who was happy when she heard that Dany was preparing to write a book based on the stories and legends of the North. The lady told her everything she knew about the Long Night, the Others, about the Night King and Dany wished she could hear all the stories that nice little lady had to tell. Old Nan had a gift for telling stories, and as she listened, Dany felt like she was in the story.

Throughout her days at Winterfell Jon convinced her to continue her journey by car instead of bus as she had planned and, when he stopped about forty kilometers after they left the city behind to show her a very preserved part of the place where the battle had taken place during the second Long Night, Dany realized that this had actually been a great idea.

Jon not only knew much of the history of the North, he also knew the meaning of the symbols used by the children of the forest and the wildlings. During the trip and the many stops they made, she wrote down every bit of information, noted details of the landscape, noted how people dressed, spoke and greeted each other. She wrote down some details of the vegetation and ideas she would like to explore in the future.

During the trip they also talked about their lives. Jon told her that he and his mother were very close and shared many things like a love of horses and Northern history, but he didn't know his biological father. His mother had told him that she had met his father during a music festival and that he was the result of a one-night stand. They didn't exchange names or contact details, and weeks later, Lyanna discovered she was pregnant but had no way of contacting him. Jon grew up in the company of his cousins and his uncle Ned ended up becoming his father figure.

She told him about her family and her life and he asked her several questions about her process, about her books and she spent hours talking about her characters.

Dany noted that the last time she had had her recurring dream was the morning she had seen Jon's face and she couldn't help but wonder if that was a sign. She had been attracted to him from the moment she saw him and there were times when the tension between them made even the task of breathing almost impossible, however, at no point during their trip did they comment on what he had written in the letter about wanting to devour her.

She had no doubt that Jon was as attracted to her as she was to him. The way he looked at her, touched her and spoke to her made it clear that he was interested in her. And there had even been a few moments when they had almost kissed, but since she didn't want to do anything that could harm the dynamic between them, Dany had walked away and pretended that she didn't understand his intention. She knew that the way she acted confused him, because she also touched him and looked at him with interest and always kissed his cheek in gratitude when he showed her something new.

As Jon had told her that they were in the off season and as she had made reservations before leaving Dragonstone, she was not concerned with the idea that they might arrive at a location where there would not be a room available for Jon. But that changed when they arrived at Mole's Town, which had maintained one of its main features for centuries, which was its underground buildings connected by tunnels.

As soon as they entered the inn where Dany had made her reservations and Jon asked for a room, the receptionist informed them that there were none available either in that inn or in any other in the city. According to her, a group of Night’s Watch fans were gathered in the city for two weeks to reenact some historical battles that took place on the Wall.

Without thinking, Dany invited him to stay with her in her room. He was hesitant to accept, but since the alternative was sleeping in the car, he ended up accepting. After leaving their things in their room and changing into more weather-appropriate clothes, they headed to the Wall. Dany was eager to climb the great wall of ice that they had seen many miles before reaching the city.

The Wall had been a tourist attraction for centuries, its nineteen castles had been transformed into museums and there were people who swore they had met one of the Others or with one of their creatures.

Jon told her more details about the Night’s Watch, the Wall and the Others as they walked through the museum. She felt a sense of wonder as they passed through the tunnel that led to the other side of the Wall and visited the godswood where the Night's Watch recruits took their vows.

The sun was low on the horizon when they entered the elevator that would take them to the top of the Wall. Seen from above, the landscape was breathtaking. They sheltered from the freezing wind behind one of the watchtowers and Dany was gazing out at the forest beyond the Wall, her imagination playing out an attack by the Others and their creatures when she heard Jon ask, “Have you ever really wanted to kiss someone, but you didn’t know you should?”

She looked at him and answered without thinking “Why don’t you try your luck?”

It was only when Jon's gloved hands cupped her face seconds later and her eyes met his that she understood he was talking about her. Her heart raced and she felt her body react to his proximity and before she could do or say anything else, he kissed her.

His lips were soft, but they were cold as they tentatively touched hers for a few seconds. The way he held her face, the feel of his lips against hers was painfully familiar and, all too soon, he pulled away. She sighed, and when she opened her eyes, she saw that he was watching her carefully, as if he were gauging her reaction. Dany gave him a sweet smile and then he kissed her again gently, as if he were afraid of hurting her or that she would be scared.

Her arms wrapped around his neck and she kissed him urgently, voraciously, as if they didn't have enough time, as if she would disappear if she didn't kiss him. Jon responded to her urgency and her gloved hands delved into his hair and she wished she could feel it between her fingers. He pulled her closer to him, but it was difficult to feel the heat of his body and even his body with so many clothes on. There were too many layers between them and she couldn't wait to get rid of each one of them.

Jon was the first to break the kiss and he rested his forehead on hers before placing soft kisses on her nose and cheeks.

Without thinking, she heard herself saying “It is you, it has always been.”

He looked at her with confusion and she told him about her dream.

“Are you telling me I’m literally the man of your dreams?” he asked with a smug smile.

Dany smiled and nodded “You are. Now, kiss me again.”

He didn't hesitate to obey and when he pressed her against the wall of the watchtower and kissed her more intensely, Dany felt her entire body ignite. It was only when their lips parted once again that Dany realized that it had already become completely dark and the lights at the top of the Wall had been turned on.

“We should go back.” he said “Not long until it closes to the public.”

She nodded and Jon gave her a quick kiss before holding her hand and guiding her back to the elevator. The thirty or so minutes that passed until they reached their room at the inn felt like an eternity to her, and as soon as Jon closed the door to their room, Dany pressed him against it and kissed him as her hands began the arduous but pleasurable work of freeing him from his layers.

It was Jon who had a connection to a beast, but at that moment it was Dany who felt like there was a beast inside her. And that beast wanted to devour Jon, wanted to make him surrender to her . W anted to make him hers .

It was only when she managed to bare his chest that Jon stopped her and said “Dany, I don't have any condoms with me. Do you?"

She shook her head and said “I don’t, but I'm on birth control if you want to keep going.”

“Are you sure, Dany? I might not be able to stop once we start.”

"I'm sure." she assured.

He nodded and gave her a mischievous smile before confessing in a smug tone, “One of the best parts of being who I am is knowing that you want me as much as I want you.”

Well, she couldn't smell his arousal, but there were other ways of knowing. Dany undid the button and zipper of his pants and, slowly and provocatively, slid her hand inside until she found his hardened member and held it carefully through his underwear . Jon threw his head back and moaned her name when she gave it a light squeeze. She wanted to feel him without the barrier of his underwear, but before she could move her hand, Jon kissed her and she began to caress it , making him moan against her lips.

“I love hearing you moan like that.” she whispered against his lips.

She broke the kiss and removed her hand from inside his pants, but only to place soft kisses on his throat. She lightly nibbled the skin at the base of his throat and laughed softly when he moaned. She plunged her hands into his hair and pulled him against her to kiss him, planning to continue her exploration, but Jon reversed their position, pressing her against the wall. He gave her a passionate kiss that made her lose her breath and moan when he caught her lower lip with his teeth and bit it lightly. Jon licked her lip and she moaned once again.

As he kissed her, his hands rested on her waist and slid under her clothes to her back and up, caressing her spine, his heat sending goosebumps across her skin. Jon looked into her eyes as his hands removed the top part of her clothes and she just stared back at him as she tried to catch her breath.

“Now we’re even.” he commented when she was naked from the waist up. He knelt before her and his lips rested on her breasts, his soft, warm lips wrapped around her nipple and he sucked it, making Dany arch her body as a moan of pleasure left her lips.

She pressed her body against his, her hands resting in his hair as he gave the same attention to her other nipple. As his lips and teeth explored her breasts, his hands began to remove what was left of her clothing until she was naked before him.

Jon sat on his knees and looked her over from head to toe with his hungry gray eyes before saying, "You're even more beautiful than I imagined."

She gave him a smile before suggesting “How about we tie the game again?”

Jon smiled, but stood up and, with her help, finished shedding his layers as well. Dany licked her lips as she looked him over from head to toe and when her eyes met his, Jon asked “Do you like what you see?”

She licked her lips once more and nodded slowly. In the next second, Jon was kissing her, his hands tangling in her hair. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers delving into his hair, their bodies as close as possible, the heat of his skin making her body ignite. Without breaking the kiss he guided her to the bed and they both laughed when they bumped into the furniture.

His hands left her hair, rested on her ass and he lifted her off the floor and then carefully placed her on the bed. She pulled him along with her and Jon didn't resist. He kissed her nose, her cheek and kissed down the column of her throat until he reached her breasts where he stayed until her nipples were hard and she was panting with desire once again. He continued down her belly and only stopped when he reached the silver-blonde hair of her cunt. After positioning himself between her legs, he gently moved her knees apart so he could see her. He looked at her cunt with hungry eyes when he saw her soaking wet. Without warning, Jon bent down and licked her, sending a wave of pleasure through her body and making her let out a loud moan.

“Mine.” he growled against her wet folds.

“Say it again.” she ordered, her hands gripping his hair tighter.

He looked at her and his eyes were red and the sight made her walls contract.

Before obeying her, Jon licked her, making her moan louder “Mine.” he said and kissed her clit. “Mine.” he inserted a finger into her and licked her again “All mine.”

Dany moaned his name without realizing it and Jon increased the speed of his fingers and focused the attention of his lips on her clit and then Dany saw stars as her orgasm hit. He continued to lick her and his fingers continued sliding in and out of her for a few more seconds.

Jon lay down next to her and asked “How are you feeling?”

“Amazing.” she replied, panting and he gave a satisfied and proud smile.

Her hand rested on her dick and she stroked it, making him moan.

“Are you sure you want to continue without protection?” he asked in a serious tone and Dany couldn't help but feel happy and relieved that he was so careful and asked for her consent once again, just to make sure she hadn't changed her mind.

“I want to keep going, if you want too.” she replied.

In response, Jon kissed her with renewed enthusiasm and positioned himself between her legs. She moaned against his mouth as he ran the tip of his member through her wetness before positioning it at her entrance. He looked into her eyes as he slid into her slowly, giving her time to adjust to his size. Dany moved her hips when she was ready and their bodies easily found a rhythm, as if they already knew each other. As their bodies moved in harmony, Dany realized that this was the scene from her recurring dream that had finally come true.

“You look so beautiful with me inside you.” he commented as he slowly slid in and out of her.

Intoxicated with the sensations caused by Jon, the only thing she could answer was his name in a breathless tone. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders as he kissed her lips and one of his hands found her clit. Her pleasure grew and grew and it wasn't long before she was seeing stars once again.

Jon kissed her neck and whispered against her sweaty skin “That’s my girl.”

Maybe obeying some primal instinct, Dany bit his shoulder, marking him as hers, and whispered, “Mine.”

Jon moaned loudly as he reached his orgasm and she felt him spilling inside her. A few seconds passed before he pulled out of her and Dany moaned when she felt his fingers over her entrance trying to keep his seed inside her. He looked into her eyes and there was a mixture of possession and pride in them as he whispered, “Mine.” once again.

After catching their breath, they took a long hot shower together and then snuggled into each other's arms in bed.

Dany was almost asleep when she heard Jon whisper “I didn’t think it was possible to love someone this much. Home stopped being a place when you entered my life and I'm so scared of losing you.”

She surprised him when she turned in his arms to look him in the eyes.

"You wont lose me. You are everything I dreamed of finding and more.” she said, brushing aside a strand of his hair and placing her hand on his cheek. “I am right where I belong and nothing could ever stop me from being with you.”

---

“Jon?!” Dany called.

"Yes?!" he replied from somewhere in the house.

Almost a year had passed since the day they met and now they were living together in Winterfell. She was finishing the first book in her trilogy inspired by him and there was one detail she needed her boyfriend to confirm.

“Can you help me with something, love?” she asked when her boyfriend joined her in her office seconds later.

“Of course, sweetheart.” he replied with a smile.

“Can you read what I wrote and tell me if it’s good?”

He gave her a sweet smile. “You know I love reading everything you write, Dany.”

She indicated the computer and Jon sat down to read.

Dany made a point of staying close. She really wanted to see his reaction to the book dedication. It wasn't long before he read aloud, "I dedicate this story to my husband, Jon Snow, whose wild side inspired me and guided me through the long history of the wargs."

He turned to look at her with an expression between curiosity and surprise and asked “Was this the way you found to ask me to marry you, Daenerys Targaryen?”

She gave him an innocent smile. “That was my way of telling you that I want you in my life permanently, Jon Snow.”

Jon stood up and wrapped his arms around her waist before saying, “Permanent?” he asked and she nodded “I like the sound of that.”

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him towards her. Her lips met his in a gentle kiss, but touching Jon always set her body on fire and it wasn't long before they were both devouring each other.

“My Dany, I love you so much!” he whispered against her lips “I could never love another as I love you, even if I wanted to.”

She smiled and kissed him with redoubled enthusiasm, planning to show him in other ways how much she loved him.

[sylvaridreams]

I think it's time to 📌PIN a new POST

Dama, 30 -ish, he/him I've been playing GW2 off and on since mid 2014 (end of LWS1.) I came back December 2022 after finally getting a PC that could handle games again. My main blog is @damazcuz and that's where I'll follow and interact from (so if you see a tiger in your notes. Hi.)

My art tag My Ao3 My Toyhou.se link (a few filled out profiles but not many!)

If you ever happen to see me running around feel free to say hello! (NA Server, damazcuz.6892) Below is a masterlist of my 20+ characters with info on each. Some don't have pictures, I'm working on it. This post contains some SotO spoilers!

Alba Moonseeker - he/him, 13. Commander-- RETIRED. Wayfinder-- EX. At the end of SotO, Alba will be forced to step DOWN from his titles and retire to the Isle of Reflection to live safely and comfortably with people who care about him! In the meantime he bears the world's burdens. Canach and Auruim are his current life partners. #alba

Auruim - he/him, 11. A close friend of Alba's before HoT, he was lost in the Breach of Maguuma and presumed dead for years. Actually became Mordremoth's champion, and after the dragon's death, continued leading his forces against the Pact to try and reclaim the jungle. Captured by one of Taimi's krewes shortly before Icebrood Saga, he was forcibly rehabilitated and put through an agonizing reformation process. Blamed Alba for his trauma for a long time. During SotO, had his arm torn off and fell into a demon coma. He's very much like a dog that doesn't know why it bites. #auruim

Bourbon - he/him, 35. Ex-aetherblade, ex-bandit, raised by Dredge in the far shiverpeaks. Set out on a quest of revenge after digging two graves, ended up commiserating with the man who ruined his life (Alba) and joining him. During SotO, saved Auruim from the demons that ate his arm, and became imprisoned in the Tower for a year or more waiting for him to heal. Re-lost his best friend during the waiting period. #bourbon

Aeris - she/her, 13. Ex-Priory, dishonorably and involuntarily discharged. She dreamed of a crystal dragon and awoke shortly after Alba. In all the excitement, her dream was misinterpreted, and she was sent to kill Kralkatorrik. Her assumed purpose consumed her, and she was fully obsessed with Kralk, with killing him, with putting a finish to her quest -- long after Alba had finished with Zhaitan, and Mordremoth. She came to see Alba as her rival, as making her look bad. After years of funneling Priory funds into trying to kill Kralk, she joined Alba's forces at Thunderhead Keep, where they failed to end things as they'd agreed upon. She went searching for answers and finally found the true meaning of her dream: she'd been meant to be Vlast's champion, but had never arrived. Her scion had died without ever knowing a mortal's love. As she mourned, Alba killed Kralkatorrik in her stead. She has crazy bad beef with him now, but can't keep herself from tagging along after him like an unwanted shadow. #aeris windkin

(More) mordrem:

Venasis - she/her, 23. Ex-Nightmare Court. Reformed mordrem. She was a cavalier in the mordrem army. Captured alongside Auruim and Darlio, plus two others, by Taimi's krewe. Venasis has become a pacifist, believing that she'd harmed too many as a courtier, and then plenty more as a mordrem. She sees Auru and Lio as her family, and cares deeply for the bond the three of them share. After Auruim vanishes during SotO, she leaves with Aeris to go travel. #venasis

Darlionia - he/him, 18. Ex-Vigil. Reformed mordrem. He was Auruim's first organically-made friend in the Vigil, one to protect him against being ganged up on. Witnessed Auruim's fall to Mordremoth and ran into the jungle, where he was hunted down and blighted to be Auru's knight. He has no memories prior to blighting, and died briefly during the process. After the Maguuma campaign, he began hearing the voices of Mordrem legends from the Mists, which scream at him near constantly. (Diarmid, Hareth, and Adryn.) He also hears Trahearne's voice, but doesn't recognize him. Darlio is incredibly aggressive and opposed to anything changing within the mordrem "pack" that Auru lead(s) as it's all he's ever known. At his revenant legends' urging, he sabotages Auruim in his reform progress and relationships to try to maintain the status quo between them. Meisi, Rytlock, and Bourbon all eventually work on helping him deal with his Mists voices. He plays the drums thanks to Bourbon. Abandoned during SotO when Auru vanishes, he turns to painkillers to sleep the screaming away. When Venasis leaves too, he has no one to steal pills for him and has to face his spiral. #darlio

Siraz - he/him, 19. Escaped mordrem-- he left the jungle dragon's territory through sheer force of will. He's a hater. He hated being part of a hivemind, and hated Auruim more for being a moron among morons. Made a home in the Horn of Maguuma, where he chased off and maimed adventurers for years, and eventually caught Mabon fucking with his traps. The two became close, and Mabon was his only link to the outside world for ages. Mid-way through SotO, after Mabon had suddenly stopped coming to see him, Siraz travelled to the Tower to confirm that he was dead. Stayed in the tower for a while, beat the shit out of recently-out-of-coma Auruim when they crossed paths. Gave Alba some free therapy. When Alba is forced to step down as Wayfinder after SotO, Siraz will be selected to take his place. Between missions, he pays visits to Alba and Canach's home on the Isle of Reflection to give them psychoanalysis/guidance. It's his hobby. #champion siraz

Alternate Realities?(?)

Laerling - they/them, 26. Jormag's treasured apprentice and… more? Trapped Alba and Auruim in a looping fractal for an unknown amount of time to prove a point about killing their beloved elder dragon. It's a whooooooole thing. #laerling

Kiva Sunchaser - he/him, 13. Alternate-world Alba who never became the Commander. The entire timeline shifted as a result. #kiva sunchaser

Nemeos - he/him, 13. Alternate-world Alba who had a really bad time and turned evil. His version of Aurene died at a botched Dragonstorm, and by the time he faced Soo-won alone, he was so badly corrupted, he was barely recognizable. Began maiming and killing anyone who dared to speak against him. His one-time friends and lovers (those that were able) fled his reach and formed a resistance group against him, seeking to end his reign of destruction and terror. Alba is briefly flung into Nemeos' version of Tyria after SotO ends. #nemeos

Iracynth - he/him, 13. The "Commander" in a Wizard-run fractal build to determine what would happen if Alba failed to kill Zhaitan. The world became overrun with Risen, the Pact crumbled to dust, firstborn Traenard (his version of Trahearne) died sooner, and everything went to hell in general. After years of being half-recognized as "that failed Commander" who "ruined the world," Iracynth's fractal crashed into another (at the beginning of SotO) and he escaped into Tyria proper. How is he coping with knowing his life was a fabrication, that his ultimate failure was just the first of another Commander's countless victories? Yes! Currently on the run trying to keep hidden from Astral Ward and see the REAL world. #iracynth

Roseate Canaries, Nightmare Court, Whispers, Podtwins

(this whole thing…)

Lacrimosen - he/him, 28. As a dreamer, he dreamt of Eldulis, and was introduced to him as a sapling. At this point, Eldulis was a recluse, and didn't look at people at all out of fear of hurting them. They became close regardless. When Eldulis left the Grove to join the Nightmare Court, Lacrimosen took it INCREDIBLY personally. At the advice of reclusive secondborn Soundless Lychen, "why don't you fuck off and build your own house then," Lacrimosen realized that the answer was to create a place where ALL Sylvari could prosper together. It became his goal to reunite dream and nightmare, to see the value in all parts of the experience of life, and then he and Eldulis could be together and happy. But dreams are hard to achieve, and within a few years, Lala was bemoaning to Lychen that he felt stuck in his job as Laranthir's second in command of the Pale Reavers. At Lychen's snapped advice "fuck off and make your own army then," Lala realized that the answer was to steal the infantry and armory. So he did! Half the Reavers and their gear was gone by morning, and Lacrimosen found them a place to set up camp. He used his networking skills to secure a base, and soon he had a castle, a sylvari sniper army that adored him, a long-suffering best friend and lover (Lychen will deny all of this) and an end goal in sight. The Roseate Canaries will take in any Sylvari or ally. They see value in the dream and nightmare, but don't see either as a full path. A lot of Soundless gravitate towards the Canaries, largely because they're very welcome there. #lacrimosen

Lychen - he/him, 32. A Soundless secondborn. The FIRST Soundless, if we're keeping track. He doesn't care if we do. Described by critics as as "apathetic at best" and "I liked him better before he spoke to me" and "that rude little thing." All of his advice to Lacrimosen over the years has been rude remarks and sarcasm. He sticks by Lala because he does like him (he will deny this) and he believes in his vision of uniting Sylvari-kind and ending the war between the two halves of their nature. #lychen

Eldulis - he/him, 32. One of the secondborn kidnapped by Inquest, he was among a group of 20 that were tortured. Four of them came home -- himself, Canach, and two others. What Eldulis was shown in the Inquest lab (the Eternal Alchemy) allowed something to peer into him in turn, and then out through him. He was forced by this to develop a unique ability refered to as mind peeling. Upon making eye contact with another person, he forces them to relive with him their most horrifying, agonizing experience of truth-- what this means varies from person to person, obviously, but it has always been traumatic and horrible. He was unable to control it for years. Faolain invited him to the Court before she was ousted from the Grove, but it wasn't until after he had befriended Lala that Eldulis chose to take her up on it. He learned to control his mind peeling by using it within the Court, and moved up quickly. He was one of Faolain's favorites, named the Duke of Torment, and was given his own camp in the Steamspurs- Lionsbane Copse. Years after Faolain's death, and after several replacements had been appointed and disposed of, Eldulis was chosen to take Faolain's seat. He traveled back to Twilight Arbor with Inoxiam to undergo his Dark Vigil, where he was poisoned by a dissenter and nearly died. Inoxiam snuck him out of the Arbor and tried to hail for help. Audden would be the one to save Eldulis, and then waypointed both of them to Lala's castle. After a few days recovery, Eldulis chose to return to the Court, where he would be cornered to be killed again-- this time, he called for help himself, and willingly left the Court. He and Inoxiam are figuring things out right now, during SotO. Post-SotO, they might accidentally kidnap Auruim briefly. #eldulis

Inoxiam - he/him, 15. An Order of Whispers agent stationed within the Nightmare Court. He's deep undercover; even his podtwin couldn't know why he was joining the Court, and so they've cut ties as saplings. Inoxiam has torn down many Nightmare camps from within-- he changes his name and identity with each move. His name at Lionsbane Copse is Datura; prior, he's been Natila, Lausica, and countless other identities. He was tortured at Twilight Arbor upon being identified (by a lucky guess) as a Whispers plant, and then disposed of in the woods. Rescued by his Whispers Keeper, he recovered for months at the Whispers HQ before being reassigned. To avoid Eldulis' truth-seeking mind peeling ability, he allows himself to disassociate into a foggy sub-ego; he becomes Datura, believes himself a true Courtier, and knows nothing of Inoxiam. He has no idea what he might be doing during his foggy hours as Datura, as Eldulis takes more interest in him. Eldulis corners him on the way to Twilight Arbor and peels him, sees his torture at the Arbor, and backs off, believing Inoxiam to have been "mistakenly accused." As they travel together, Inoxiam's feelings for Eldulis become complex; he sees sides of the Duke that others have never borne witness to, or not in decades at least. He wants to help Eldulis leave, to survive; he's not disloyal to his mission, but he doesn't want to succeed at killing Eldulis. By SotO, he is MIA from the Order of Whispers; they do not know where he is, and he may be presumed dead at the Arbor. He and Eldulis are getting to know one another more closely and exploring their feelings. And kidnapping Auruim for a bit. #inoxiam

Tryllwenn - he/him, 15. Inoxiam's podtwin. His Wyld Hunt called on him to protect Inoxiam as his knight. But as Inoxiam turned to Nightmare, Tryll could not stand by and say nothing. He confronted Inoxiam, who confirmed his fears were true, and the two parted ways on bad terms. Tryllwenn spent over a decade putting distance between himself and his twin-- they could always "feel" one another in the world, but it was easier to ignore from far away. Travelling Elona while Inoxiam was in Twilight Arbor, Tryllwenn felt the first flutter from his twin in years-- a feeling of absolute dread, pain, and fear as Inoxiam was tortured. By the time he came to in the sands, he was certain his twin must be dead. But he'd feel something again, over a year later, when Eldulis peeled Inoxiam's mind during their travels: that same feeling, with another layer of horror. Tryllwenn realized his twin was alive and in danger, and set out to find him. He's returned to Tyria, and is playing a game of warmer/colder with Inoxiam's emotional responses, always just a few steps behind finding him. His trail goes cold at Twilight Arbor… Tryll transitioned after Inoxiam left for the court, and would not be recognizable to his twin were they to cross paths. #tryllwenn

Audden - he/him, 8. Audden awoke as a strange case. He had no dream and no bond to the Tree-- he seemed Soundless from the start, and his perplexing origins led him to be prodded and studied by sylvari for countless months. Annnoyed and othered by sylvari who wanted to understand him, he came to believe he was not sylvari at all, but some parasite, like a cuckoo egg left to be hatched and fed by another mother. The fear that the Nightmare Court had planted him as a blight made him afraid to leave the Grove himself, for fear the Court would swoop in and pick him up. But he could not stay in the city; the intense Otherness he felt was unbearable, and so eventually he slipped out the back and tried to flee into the south. Having no street smarts, he was swiftly cornered by ne'er do wells, but saved by Arbiter Lychen of the Roseate Canaries. Lychen, realizing who he was, invited him back to the castle, where he quietly convinced Lacrimosen to let Audden stay as a a Soundless, but leave him alone. Lychen believes Audden is the true, untouched and natural form of a sylvari, without centaur or human influence, and Lacrimosen thinks he is sooooooooooooooo cute! Audden spends much of his time perusing the Canaries' massive library, safely exploring the world, and training with his rifle. #audden

Dead People (who won't stay dead)

Alixandira - she/her, 38. A devotee to Balthazar, she spent a decade after her friend was kidnapped by centaurs razing a path of hell after her. She became the Hero of Shaemoor, killing and blazing a trail in her god's name, praying without a doubt that Balthazar would reward her for piety. When she finally found her friend, long dead, she found she had lost her purpose. She continued to pray to Balthazar for months, deeply depressed and confused. Why did he fail to answer her? Why had he failed to reward what she had done? She determined that the gods had left Tyria, and that no one was listening-- so when news reached Tyria that Balthazar was around, she made a beeline for Elona to confront and kill her god. He found her attempt kind of funny, if a bit disrespectful, and banished her to the Mists without delay (literally minutes before Alba would arrive to be killed in The Departing.) She spent a solid decade trapped and wandering the Mists, seeking a path back out. When she re-emerged at last, much to the confusion of the humans who had summoned her, she found that she had some portion of Balthazar's power, torn off him when she'd been thrown into the Mists. She's lying low right now, figuring out the extent of her power. #alixandira

Chesha - she/her, dead at 23. Mute, used Tyrian sign language. The Aetherblade who recruited Bourbon, they became best friends. Feelings developed. Everything was a lot of fun until she died. She's been kickin it in the Mists. Eventually she WILL make it back to Tyria and tear Bourbon a new one for palling around with the Commander WHO KILLED HER. #chesha

Glaz - he/him, dead at 41. Bourbon's bandit mentor. He took the kid in at 14, despite his reservations about taking some teenage runaway into his camp. Died in a Vigil raid on the bandit camp. Years later, when the Aetherblades were first traveling the Mists, Glaz's voice stuck out to Bourbon, and he latched onto his rifle that his protege had kept all that time. In addition to the rifle, Glaz can possess Bourbon if he wants to-- he just doesn't, he thinks it would be rude. The fact that he can is enough to get most points across. Glaz is confiscated by the Astral Ward during SotO, for containment and safekeeping. Talks to Auruim from within his coma dream. When the rifle is returned, Glaz's spirit is gone. BUT WE'LL SEE HIM AGAIN SOMEDAY! (*Glaz does not exist in-game except as a rifle skin.) #glaz

Misc (Aka oh my god there's more?)

Thiiyfadora - she/her, 27. A progeny of Inquest parents, she was rescued from her lab and brought back to Rata Sum, where she was raised by her aunt Laz. Suffering physically from her treatment as a progeny, and with several undiagnosed learning disorders, Thiiyf never joined a school of study or a krewe. It was assumed she would never amount to being much more than a NEET. She spent much of her time mapping Rata Sum's hidden passages and back cooridors. When her primary map was confiscated, she felt her life was over-- but it opened the door to the world for her. Her intensely detailed map, which uncovered passages Rata Sum authorities had otherwise been unaware of, had led to her name making it to Trahearne's ear. He invited her on the Orr mission at 15, knowing that skilled cartographers would be needed to make the assault on Zhaitan a success. They struck Zhaitan down when Thiiyfa was 16, and she stayed by Alba's side through the Maguuma mission, at one point reaching Head Cartographer of the Pact. It was after the 43-day assault against Mordremoth, in the aftermath as Alba mourned everything he had lost, that Thiiyf had to step back, step down, step away. The experiments she'd gone through as a progeny had left her with certain physical degenerations-- she had a limited amount of time left to live. Could be a year, could be ten. She could go on adventuring with Alba, who she was realizing was a self-destructive person to be around, watching him wither and wilt, or she could go home and resolve some things. Thiiyfa chose to leave during Alba's lowest moment. She currently lives in Brisban with her aunt Laz, who retired from her Krewe to act as a caretaker. Though Thiiyf no longer adventures, she continued to make maps-- for fantasy books, and occasionally she's able to travel. Recently she visited Cantha with Snargle Goldclaw for promotion of his last book, which she drew the maps for. She and Alba haven't spoken in years. #thiiyf

Tego - AKA Gunpowder Gelatine - AKA Briza Silkburner -she/her, 40's. Briza was involved in (framed for) an explosion which murdered her warband. Realizing that things were Not looking good for her, she vanished and has been running for a solid 20+ years from the horrors. Worked as an assassin for Ash Legion for some years, under the Gunpowder name, until evidence from That Day started dropping into her lap from someone who knew she was Briza. Vanished again. Before the Zhaitan assault, she trained Thiiyfa as a mesmer, but once the past started chasing her again, she had to cut and run. She's changed her hair, her scarred face, her name and identity over and over, but someone is persistently trying to pin this tragedy to her like a badge of honor that she doesn't want to wear. By LWS4, she lives in Elona, in the middle of nowhere with Tryllwenn as an occasional companion. Aeris stays with them for a while, whilst processing her grief for Vlast. Tego is not one for long-term friendships anymore, but she doesn't turn people away either. She's made peace with what happened in her past, and at this point is ready for whatever is going to be served to her as comeuppance for it. #gunpowder gelatine

Kuiltro, Dog-of-Many - he/him, 47. A dog of many names. A bandit from Bourbon's old gang. He's also well known by Krytan authorities at this point, where he's known as Mongrel or Mutt. He takes great offense to being called either by someone he doesn't like. Kuiltro left the shiverpeaks gang several years after Bourbon was ousted from it, travelled to Cantha where he was briefly possessed by an oni, tried to slip through Lion's Arch for a quick trip, and was captured by Lionsguard and handed over to Seraph. Currently, Logan holds the chain to his yoke, and is putting him to work. Kuiltro wants to tear his face off so fucking bad. He HATES Bourbon though. He sees Bourbon as a volatile mess that can't help but get people killed-- he blames Bourbon for Glaz and Hypocrite, and knows enough about Bourbon's history since the old gang to blame him for Chesha and others. Eventually I will let these two meet up and punch each other to death. #dog of many

Tzuuya and Buulma - 33 and 23, she/they and he/her. A pair of siblings. Tzuuya (older, teal braids) had to step up and raise Buulma when their parents suddenly died in an accident, which limited her own horizons. They've tried hard not to resent him for it, but the two have been known to butt heads. Buulma grew up alternating between being dragged to Tzuuya's boring lectures (yawn) and running wild and free through the Metrica swamplands, picking up frogs and murellows and probably diseases from all the muck. Tzuuya was passed up by krewe after krewe because of their responsibility to the progeny she'd felt she had to raise. They took a position at the Priory as a recruitment officer in Rata Sum, but felt unfulfilled with that, and Buulma still took their focuse off the job more often than not. On Buulma's end, he resented that Tzuuya cared more about their career than him, and sought friendship in animals rather than asura. Eventually, Taimi recruited Tzuuya onto one of her krewes, studying dragon minions, and got Buulma as a package deal. Since the two began working together as a team, their relationship has solidified and strengthened; they respect each other a lot, even if there isn't a typical familial bond between the two of them. #tzuuya #buulma