#somehow stayed up for an hour or teo

[nyxypoo]

i may or may not have lied about starting banana fish today

[r0semultiverse]

How many hours did they end up staying awake in total? Do we know? I wanna figure out if I’d survive with my stimulants or not.

[14dayswithyou]

The gang at Disney headcanons?

Ren He'd secretly want to go on all of the fast paced, thrill-seeking rides and haunted attractions; but he'll stay by your side and go on all the rides you want to instead. Ren will pay for you, and you only — everyone else has to supply their own ticket and money to buy food, drinks, and souvenirs. He also won't let anyone else sit next to you and will 100% take up the entire seat if necessary jdhgjhds

Moth They're with you in spirit! Right now, Moth can't afford to travel abroad just to go to Disneyland T_T But if they could, they would prefer meeting the Disney cast and taking pictures with them! It might even give Moth ideas on who to cosplay next.

Violet She'd want to check out all of the attractions and landmarks! Lots and lots of photos are taken that day, and she'll happily go dressed (vaguely) as Kida Nedakh if you wanted to dress up as well ^^ She also somehow keeps getting seated next to Teo on all of the rides, and it takes everything in herself not to unscrew his safety harness every time.

Elanor One of the only two who actually has a plan for the day ^^; She has the entire map memorised and the most optional route from A to B fully panned out. El is usually the type to bring her own snacks, sunscreen, and spare hats for everyone; and greatly prefers to stand to the side and wave at the gang while they zip past on all of the rides.

Conan Designated Dad™️ of the group and the other one with a plan. Conan is probably the one who carpooled everyone to and from the airport/hotel, and will most likely be the one who drives everyone back to Corland Bay. Like Elanor, he's more than happy to sit on a bench while everyone else has fun. He'll wear the Mickey ears if you put them on him — but only if you share your photos of the characters to his phone later (so he can show them to his daughter!)

Jae Bee lines straight to the bumper cars and the closest water park with you (and by extension - Ren), Leon, and Teo in tow. He's the one that gets chewed out by Elanor for not waiting half an hour to finish his churo before swimming, and also the one to buy cute little Disney accessories for Maple. Jae probably won't go on any of the rollercoasters, but he'll happily go on all of the teacup rides!

Leon Happily goes along with whatever you have planned! He doesn't really have any expectations or desires, though he does find the thrill rides/rollercoasters especially interesting. Would probably be the one going on the drop towers and laughing his head off while Jae is screaming for dear life and Ren is stone-faced next to him.

Teo All of the little kids will 100% mistaken him for Gaston, so you have to be the one to pull him away before he starts swearing and saying vulgar phrases. Teo probably prefers going on the scary rides just to watch your mortified expression and have someone cling to his biceps. He'll also sneak off into the restricted zones for fun, so make sure to keep an eye on him (or ask Elanor to).

Olivia Only came along because she won free tickets from a raffle. She situates herself next to Ren and Teo always, and gets a bit irked whenever Ren follows after you like a lost puppy instead of her. Olivia would want to try all of the different foods and get a souvenir to remember the day by! She might also ask you to burn any embarrassing pictures of her from all of the fast-paced rides.

Kiara Doesn't mind paying for everyone, and is most likely good friends with the hotel manager at the place you're staying at (so you knoooow you're getting good rooms!!). Would likely be trying all of the foods with Olivia or taking photos of flowers for her mood-board/fashion inspiration folder back in London. Secretly buys matching cellphone charms for herself and Elanor. If you catch her, she'll most likely buy one for you too.

[sleepyselkiesims]

Part 10

Ok, take 2 of the restaurant's grand opening!

Tiana wished she could be the master chef of her own restaurant, but alas. The sims was stupid.

The host better show up this time...

Tiana occupied herself by making snow angels, trying to trust that this grand opening would work out.

But after a few hours, she knew it was time to fire the host and get a new one. The host was the guy who'd made Hanabi uncomfortable anyway, so no loss.

While she waited for the new host, Tiana tried to be a good manager and make sure everyone was as comfortable as they could be in a draft old warehouse with no host and a socially inept restaurant owner.

There was a Karim though! ...freezing to death. Apparently he was determined to find a way to die, regardless of the benevolent god's presence.

Oh yeah, Tiana gets two proms! She would've gone to the pre-party, but she was trying to hard to keep the restaurant going.

But after another few hours, it became clear the second host wasn't going to show either. How nice.

Tiana accepted defeat when she got another invite; this time, it was hanabi, wanting to go to the romance festival!

Oof, looks like Hanabi was still pretty depressed.... maybe I don't wanna know what goes on at her house.

Maybe some romantic drinks would cheer her up? Tiana certainly wanted to give the new flavor a try.

While Hanabi got her own glass, Tiana fulfilled the age-old tradition of checking in with the romance guru.

...well that's new. And more threatening than it was intended to be. Sims can't even be tall.

Woah woah woah, is Hanabi flirting with this stranger?? Hello??

Oh, hey Karim. And panicking bartender. Tiana would love to stay in chat, but she has to run to prom and get her crush away from this random guy!

Love was definitely in the air at prom! Unless Teo was giving Michaela a friendly rose.

Nope! According the pop-up, Teo was officially dating!

A new partner wasn't on Tiana's agenda for the night, but she was happy for her twin.

Bonus

???? Aoi??? Sage's old roommate???? Geez, did the og Queen kids somehow bestow immortality upon people they got close to??? Aoi was 2 generations ago by now! What's going ooooooon!!!

[dialyasuho]

— TEO TORRIATTE , good morning to me 3 months ago

next ; ii. first fifteen thousand meters｜table of contents

words ; 1024 words

IT WAS September 25th, 1890. People from all over the world gathered at the beach of San Diego for one joint reason. Why you may ask? For the Steel Ball Run race of course! Everyone on this beach had a goal to win this race for one reason or another... but... one person had no intentions to win going into this race. Hell, they didn't even go into this race to survive.

The entire town surrounding the startline at San Diego Beach was bombarded by participants, it was hard to go... anywhere. Avery Evermore rode into town on their trusty steed, Night Rider. They had hoped they made it on time for the beginning of the race AND enough time to actually sign up.

They even came two days in advance to be certain Avery could apply in time! Avery had made sure they had everything they needed to apply... $1,200 USD... check! Night Rider... of course! Race Supplies... double check. Okay! Avery was ready!

Avery made their way over to one of the booths set up for people to enter into the race. It was a box with a chain fence on the window of it with a small slit to pass information from the person and the booth clerk. There were a few counters in a small building on the beach.

Walking up to a free booth with their horse and bag, Avery placed the $1,200 entry fee on the counter.

"When the $1,200 entry fee is paid, there will be no refunds due to personal reasons. The start of the race in two days will be held rain or shine, regardless of accidents. Please sign here to acknowledge the rules," spoke the booth clerk, as he slid the agreement form, "we'll record the rider's fingerprints and horses' noseprints on the starting day. Once recorded, exchange of riders or horses is strictly prohibited."

The booth clerk handed over 2 other things as well towards Avery. "This is your player identification card, Number B-555. Also included is the race commemoration badge," continued the clerk, continuing on with what he has probably said to 100 other eager participants that day... Avery took the identification card and badge, placing the two items in their bag.

Avery grabbed the pen provided and signed their name onto the document: "Avery E." There! Avery was all signed up. They had already made her way outside; heading for a tent to settle in. Just had to wait out the next—

From a few meters over, Avery heard a... fight? There was a generally unremarkable man... and a man with blonde hair wearing a strange hat with holes in it and two green steel balls attached to a chest holster? Ah! It looked like it would become a full on gun duel?!

It was causing quite the commotion... Avery stayed a good bit away from the ordeal but close enough to see what was happening, holding onto the reins of their horse to keep her close.

The blonde man— somehow made the gun shoot the gunner himself! Avery saw there was some sort of rotation that happened to the man's shooting shoulder... Huh. As he was walking off... noticed Avery and he flashed them a smile before chuckling, "Nyo ho~!" Before continuing to walk off? What... a strange man...

Avery made their way to one of the unoccupied tents, they had heard something— Huh?! Johnny Joestar... his legs moved? Avery could have sworn they had moved... but last they heard, he became completely paraplegic! Ah... whatever. As bizarre as it was, it didn't involve them!

Leaving their horse in a pen until the beginning of the race; Avery had set up in one of the unoccupied tents nearby the pens. They knew Night Rider would get a bit antsy if she got lonely... It was probably best to be nearby to ease Night Rider's nerves.

Three hours before the beginning of the race... Avery checked their bag again to make sure they had EVERYTHING THEY NEEDED. They did NOT want to get into the race just to forget something dumb...! Okay so—

What consisted of Avery's items were: a Flint Lock pistol, a rope, a blanket, a horse brush, saddle, towel, a canteen, canned foods, a knife, a pocket mirror, thread and needles, toothbrush and tooth powder, matches, chopsticks, a map, toilet paper, soap, small bottles of shampoo and conditioner, small bag with some small items inside, 2 bandage wraps, medicine, a compass, and a small notebook with a pencil attached.

Okay! Avery was all set! Hm? There was a commotion outside in the horse pen? Johnny Joestar... again? He was trying to get on a supposedly untamable horse— at least... that's what Avery heard a few men say. Ah! There was that blonde man again too! Avery just couldn't stay away from there two huh...? Hm.. was Joestar planning on entering the race? That's what it seemed like to Avery. Whatever he had in mind, they would hope he would succeed! That was the least Avery could do.

Thirty minutes until the beginning of the Steel Ball Run Race began! Avery lined up in their corresponding spot before the start time of the race. Huh... Avery was just about 80 horses away from that blonde man from earlier. They listened intently to Steven Steel's speech from where they were.

"Pfft... heheh," Avery softly giggled at Steven Steel's 'break the ice' joke. Though— Avery had tensed up when they had heard an all too familiar name was competing... Diego Brando. Avery had just hoped they would avoid HIM this ENTIRE race if lucky!

Their eyes followed Johnny as he was dragged by the horse called 'Slow Dancer' Avery believed... Something about Johnny and that other man... something about them drew Avery to them. Avery wondered just why exactly... Then! Johnny Joestar miraculously made it onto the horse in some sort of spinning motion— like a force flung him onto it! Avery saw it with their own eyes!

There was no time to even ponder on that right now though! Avery heard the announcement...

The race... was about to begin.

[sleidog]

🖊 + teodor!

lil flashback with teo and slei for you! teo was a very anxious sprout and struggled with being a revenant before the general cast of characters even knew what that was, it takes him almost 15 years to fully get to grips with and understand/control his revenant powers! [i suppose CW for sad boy hours, but it gets better and he makes a friend!]

A few days pass, and the twins learn much about the philosophy of the tablet their race their society was founded on. Niamh, their mentor, teaches them about the different tenants that were written on the tablet, by a Harathi centaur named Ventari. As interesting as it was, Teo continued to have difficulties paying attention. A loud voice rumbles through his mind, growing louder as Teo tries to ignore it.

“YOU CAN’T HOLD ME FOREVER. I WILL CONSUME YOU FROM WITHIN.” The demonic voice bellows suddenly, causing Teo to yelp and cower, much to the confusion of the other saplings who were listening to Niamh’s lecture.

“Teo? Brother, please calm down!” Treab is by his side almost immediately, cupping Teo’s cheeks so that he was facing him, and to help ground him back to reality. “You’re alright... it’s not real, and it can’t hurt you.”

Teo opens his eyes slowly, relieved to see his twin instead of whatever monstrosity he saw when he daydreamed too much. The relief is soon replaced by shame though, as soon as he sees his mentor, and the other young sylvari watch him with confusion. “I… I’m sorry...” Teo’s eyes began to well with tears, confused and embarrassed of himself. Unable to stand the judging looks, he takes Treab’s hands off of his face before running out of the room, wanting to get away.

“Teo, wait!” Treab calls out to him in vain. It’s not long before he loses him and is unable to figure out which way he went. All he was left with was the lingering sadness leftover by his twin, and the feeling of guilt from how Treab couldn’t figure out how to help him.

The distraught sylvari didn’t really think of a specific place in mind, just running until he felt completely alone. He stops once he gets tired, falling to his knees in front of a small pond to wipe his tears. Even his own reflection in the water seems to taunt him, his tear stained face warping from the ripples. “Curse me and my stupid mind. I should have stayed in my pod and rotted.” He sobs, slapping the water so he didn’t have to see his own pathetic mug. Eventually he just curls up into a ball, sniffling quietly to himself.

“That’s not a nice thing to say about yourself.” Comes a familiar voice, coming from the tall vividly coloured sylvari Teo met prior in the eatery. Teo’s breath is caught in his throat, as he slowly turns and meets eyes with him.

“...What?” Teo says through hiccups. He’s not sure what he wants from him, or what he was even doing all the way out here. The brightly colored sylvari seemed to be approaching in a kind way though, and he wasn’t sure how to feel about it. “If you’re here to pity me, I don’t need it. Everyone else does it enough.” Teo frowns, scooting so that he was turned away from him.

Slei shrugs his shoulders a bit. “I was gonna tell you this is my quiet place to get away from everything, but you know, seems like you need it more than I do right now.” He isn’t sure what could make a newly awakened sprout so upset, at his age he should still have a rosy outlook on mostly everything.

Teo hugs his knees, grumbling to himself as the horrible voice in his mind fades in and out. Somehow talking to the other sylvari seems to help go away for a moment. “It doesn’t really matter where I go, I just…” He debates if it was even worth telling him about it when it wasn’t something he could fix in the first place, but he didn’t know what else he could do. “I constantly hear my own thoughts taunt me, and despise me, and if I show that I'm bothered by it, it makes everyone uncomfortable. No one knows how to help me either.” Teo sighs. 

Slei wasn’t here to pretend he knew how to help him either. “That sounds like it sucks, I don’t envy you dealing with that.” He sits next to the younger sylvari. “How do you want people to react to it?” Usually, if Slei had a problem that he didn’t know how to deal with, he asked someone else about it, rather than heavy-hand his way through to a solution.

If he was completely honest, he wasn’t sure. “I guess, maybe not stare at me like I’m strange… or get angry at me because I can’t help but react to the thoughts.” Teo thinks about it more, suddenly saddened by the look his twin left him before he ran. “...I like it when my twin hugs me instead of berating me. I always relax when he does that.”

“Don’t stare, maybe ask if you need a hug? Got it.” He can’t help but laugh quietly, hoping it isn’t taken the wrong way by the sprout. “Kinda stupid that the others can’t follow that, it’s so simple.”

Teo can’t help but laugh. “You seem to just accept things really quickly. I like that, it’s rare in a weird way.” He has a grin on his face now, appreciating the company albeit simple in conversation. “I wish I could do that too, it’s so difficult not to complicate things.” 

“I don’t have anythin’ to gain by complicating things. You can relax here, bud.” Slei lays on his back, enjoying the serenity by the little pool. Sometimes there were passerbys,but most of the time this portion of the grove was the most quiet. He figures sharing his relaxation spot wasn’t such an issue.

Perhaps due to running so much, Teo began to yawn. “Is it okay if I take a nap here, I don’t want to go back yet… and I don’t want to sleep alone either.” He admits his concerns, not wanting to hear his fellow sprouts whisper among themselves along with the whispers in his thoughts. “What was your name again? Can… can we be friends?” 

“Sure, go ahead. Name’s Slei, by the way.” He has his eyes closed, enjoying the quiet quality of the little pond, the faint bustle of the rest of the grove is just enough ambience to rest with.

“Thank you Slei… That’s a nice name. I’m Teo.” 

“Nice to meetcha, Teo.”

[titleknown]

KAIJUNE NEO 2024 #6: TEO TORIATTE!

The things we currently know about kaiju are only enough to know that we don't know jack shit about how they work. Fuck me, even "kaiju" is just a wastebin taxa for "anything that tells the square-cube law to go fuck itself," the liquid miracle is part of it, sometimes, but that's not fucking close to all of it, not even within a catgirl's magnum cock of it.

And I was fucking there for that scientific conversation, I was there when that one fucker threw a chair, it was that fucking stupid, so don't you fucking lecture me like my fucking editor, because I've seen the shit!

And that's before we get into people being stupid as hell, and I'm not just talking about the Reverend's sycophants, there's a whole lot more shit out there I had to shovel. God, I thought we had it bad with global warming, and now we have another fucking crisis. Though at least we're doing better on the climate, small blessing for the fucking killbeasts.

But, one of the things that's become a big fucking deal is Kaiju Cities. There's some human-habitated locations, and it's always somewhere that people live, these things just flock to like roaches to a fucking twinkie. There's no real factors for it, it can be anywhere from a Aldaville-level shithole to big shit deals like Seattle, it's just a town they like.

Some people still live there, most nope the fuck out. Though, somehow Detroit still improved. But, they like to stay there and wreck shit, so we mostly have potempkin villages that we give people jobs to rebuild, to keep them occupied so we can study 'em and as like that pumpkin full of meat we give to the animals at the zoo except we're making sure the meat isn't screaming this time.

And that's why I came, because, guess who was on the fucking path to one of them?

Yeah, within the spiral of Black Hole Sun, this town was smack dab in the next inhabited part of the path. And as a good samaritan... well, okay, as a person who hates people being turned into corpses, I went to warn 'em

It was a gang of heterodox weirdos, experimental science-renegades, dropout tinkers and filthy citizen-science freaks, so in other words, my kinda people. So, I would've convinced 'em to leave, but they couldn't, cause they had to take care of an injured friend.

I asked them how fucking injured they had to be for there to be no fucking way to rig something up to get them the fuck out, until I saw the improv medbay the size of a kaiju and and... well, it explained some shit.

Lemmee tell you a bit about Teo Toriatte. If you could call any fuck-off huge god-monster a "goober" it'd be her. Every time I've stumbled upon her she always looked confused as hell and what the godless Britannians call "gormless," and I don't just mean in the normal way lizards always do. She mostly breaks shit by accident and, whenever she gets in a fight, even if you're going to feel that super-blast or veno-ray or whatever the hell they're calling it when she does, boy does she take her time.

But, I think she likes people. Like, not the fucked up yam-dairy shit of ol' I.T. or whatever, a real deal like for humans. I don't think she's ever stepped on a guy who wasn't that asshole ex-RIAA fucker (Who brought it on itself, read my backlog for that) and when push comes to shove in a fight she's never heard no bell. Albeit, not sure if that's partially because of the time for it to get between her ears, but still.

And she was beat up bad, apparently some little town got assblasted by Mr Brightside and she foought back. And she won, holy fucking shit, she won! But, winning isn't much of a win if yo lost enough mincemeat to fit inside your trophy, and holy shit she was hit bad. They were doing all they can, every wire and every blinky thing attached, every chemical in great vats, everything ot save her. 

Some of them prayed. I'm not a religious none-of-your-fucking-business-gender-person. But I prayed a bit too.  And I helped, when I could, over the days, the hours when Black hole Sun was about to arrive. She's not much of a thinker, but she's a fighter. I thanked whatever fucking gods I could for every breath. 

But it wasn't enough, the time to heal was crashing headfirst into the time the thing was coming like a trainwreck, and I could hear the cracks in reality like the cry of rotting tin.

When the last hour came, I walked out to see it. Reality was unwravelling. The rest of them walked out too, arms linked in a human chain. the thought was, maybe just maybe, they could provide an existential wall, to give her that last moment to flee. A sentiment only the deranged would hold. 

I held hands with them, as the unmaker came, and the curtains upon the tragedy man fell. This is it. This is how I die. Not even enough of me to put in that fucking rocket like I planned...

...But then, a funny thing happened. 

Reality... stopped falling apart. It became more stable. And the great black hole stopped in its tracks, and Teo Toriatte stepped out. Fully healed. A spark in its eyes like I'd never seen before.

I don't know how it happened. I don't know how it tanked a blast of concentrated Hawking radiation, I don't know how she fucking blasted the fucking thing with one of her beams, I don't know how she fucking grappled a black hole, but in the end, she won. 

And like that, the thing melted away. Reality returned to all it had been sundered. It was a miracle, an honest to gods miracle. And before she walked to god knows where, she looked at us, and brought her head down as we surrounded her in a hug.

I don't know if Black Hole Sun is coming back. I don't know what other horrors await us in the future. But I do know this. This is an age of the spectacle of ruin, man-made or man-unmaking horrors beyond our comprehension. But this is also an age of miracles. 

And in the end, as corny as it is to say, for the miracles to happen love is the key. Let us cling together, as the years go by, on and on... 

-D.W. Devlin, reporter

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

Ability Notes: Extraordinarily physically strong amongst kaiju, with the ability to project a beam of aerosolized reactive venom (which, seems to only harm creatures at the mass of kaiju) and a small magnesium-esque "fireball" from her throat, both of which she's able to combine and shape into devastating forms of deadly light that're surprisingly varied.

She's often slow to action in both thought and body, but lightning fast when things get serious. Most notably, one of her greatest abilities is her indomitable will. She cannot be mind-controlled or phased, she gets up when you think she's down, and she didn't hear no fucking bell.

Bonus Trivia: 

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

And so, we end... near way back where we started! Because yeah, Teo Toriatte is a version of Jiira from my older Kaijune stuff, basically the "heisei" version to the old one's "showa" version. I named her after the Queen song because, hey, I knew I wanted to name at least one after a Queen song, and that one fit the bill super well thematically.

And yes, I do plan to bring back more characters from the old setting, one in particular comes to mind, though I am... perhaps unsure of how I'll kitbash her model. 

But, that's a problem for next year, and, in Kaijune tradition, this character and all related narrative elements are under a CC-BY 4.0 license, as long as I, Thomas F Johnson, am credited as their creator. Have fun!

[zukkatrash]

atla pirate au

(soley based on me misreading a diff post and now wanting to see mai in a keira knightly getup) (also everything i know abt pirates is based on the pirates of the caribbean, treasure planet and black sails and hasty 2 am googling) (also also big fucking shoutout to @s-suki for helping me with this)

the gaang's ship - aka The Avatar

yue is captain!!! (@s-suki ur brain is huge and i luv u) so from what i know being a captain is a looot abt politics and u know our girl yue is good at that, not to mention how much her crew loves her bc she gives everything for them

sokka is navigator, one look at the stars and he knows where they are instantly, he charts a course in record time, captains have in fact fought over him but he is nothing but loyal to his captain!!!

aang spends at least half his time in the sails, as lookout and keeping knots secure(? idk shit abt sailing haha) he’s also the fastest one they got, no matter if he’s running, swimming or paddling a small boat

suki is the best fighter they have bc of course she is (also theres no misogyny in this bc i said so) grown men shit themselves when they see her / also shes boatswain (the boatswain was in charge of a ship's anchors, cordage, colors, deck crew and the ship's boats, and would also be in charge of the rigging while the ship was in dock)

toph! makes! bombs! also if u give her a gun that u found thats been underwater for three months and u give her like 2 hours, not only is it completely functional afterwards but it somehow works better than before?

katara is quartermaster and shes def like 30% of how yue keeps her crew in line

haru is ship cook (i know this has zero connection to canon but have you considered boi soft and warm like bread)

teo is the ships carpenter (highest ranking if they got more than one)

jet is a fighter obvs, also him and sokka do NOT get along but yue has this real icy stare that makes them both shut up immediately

smellerbee is dating toph and yue is not opposed to their relationship but does make sure theyre not around eachother too much when explosives are also near bc those 2 def get up to some wild shit

longshot is obvs the best shot they have and is the other lookout

appa is a parrot and he spends all of his time being adorable

momo is still a lemur and just steals so much shit

on to the firenation

ozai rules over a whole ass port/island or smth idk but like all the pirates have to deal with his fucking bullshit

zhao is his 2nd in command and yue at some point guts him 😊

azula is of course captain of her ship and she rules with an iron fist

mai is first mate (making any possible future betrayals that much worse)

ty lee is ship medic and just constantly gets underestimated in fights and wins like right away

zukos life motto on azulas ship is 'i hate it here' bc his job is basically everything nobody else wants to do (until! he is no longer on the ship. does he get pushed off the ship to drown? does he leave in the night with all the valuables he can carry and a map of a great prize? idk, YOU DECIDE)

more thoughts on zuko:

i dont think he’d join the gaang right away after he’s no longer with the fire nation but would first like half-die on some island (even if he didn’t get kicked off, i just imagine he’d do smth drastic like think he can sail a ship without getting lost just bc he’s spent a lot of time on a ship but like, honey no, navigation isnt as easy as it looks) bc zuko alone u kno

iroh is still his uncle in this, but zuko doesnt know that, so he thinks he’s just this weird hermit guy that finds him and takes him in

zuko is like "what does he want? what his secret agenda? how will this guy use this against me?" and iroh is just like "boy! eat something but also are u like okay? u want some cryptic advice thats consisting of 60 ocean metaphors?"

iroh does tell him hes his uncle tho and that he left when zuko was really young and he wasnt the only one who ran from that house that day...

URSA IS ALIVE!

she had been banished by ozai and threatened with zukos murder if she had stayed, ozai wouldve killed her but he knew he couldnt take her in a straight fight and if she had been the type you could assassinate they wouldntve ever gotten together anyway

now shes vibing with iroh and lu ten, because yes lu ten is alive (listen if there is any feasable way of my boi to be alive he is!!!)

also they’re def supporting everyone who opposes ozai as asafely as they can on whatever weird remote island theyre at

once zuko joins the crew of the avatar, sokka laughs like straight five minutes abt zuko thinking he could navigate his stolen boat after not even learning how to properly read a map, not to mention everything else that goes into navigating and zuko is like "fuck u" and sokka is like "lets show u how to read a map so this doesnt happen again" still with tears of laughter in his eyes, and maybe later when hes been on the crew for longer and maybe saved sokkas life in a fight, sokka teaches him abt the stars too and cue zuko pining after the way too beautiful guy trying to explain constellations but zuko just keeps getting lost in his eyes and being hyper aware of how close sokkas arm is when he points out specific stars

the reason zuko joins them in the first place is bc the avatar is the only crew that could protect him against azula and ozai and they’re the only ones willing/able to go up against the fire nation

also katara is the first to see zuko after he parted with the fn and she like immediately has a sword to his throat and boi just fucking faints

maybe jee is also a captain in this bc i really like it when the wani shows up in fanfics and maybe they’re not on good terms with ozai but they’re flying under the radar bc its just a small ship and they do bring in their percentage so maybe zuko joins his crew before he goes to find the gaang?

now some general thoughts:

the dai lee is the chinese navy out to get them all

miyuki is one of their highest ranking officers and gives the pirates a run for their money, but weirdly never goes to chase the Avatar

hakoda is also a captain but he’s working under ozai to take the operation down from the inside (also yes of course his husband bato is also there with him ^^)

kue is absolutely some weird hermit guy

once again big thanks to @s-suki for helping me with this check out their blog theyre great! (theyre on break rn tho but dont let that deter u!!)

if anyone wants to add to this PLEASE do!!! also if anyone draws or writes smth for this please please please tag me bc i would love to see it!! (also i will love u forever ♡)

[kissjane]

LONELY NIGHT / Short fic

#48 from this prompt list

I think the lovely 🐝 wanted something like this, and some other anonymous Davenzi shipper… Hope you’ll like it.

I called you at 2am because I need you

Trying to sleep alone is the absolute worst. It is bad enough to not be able to see his boyfriend during the day, but at least during the day, he can distract himself with other things. Right now, in the middle of the night, all David can think about is Matteo.

The past few weeks have been nothing but horrible. First David had spent a few days at his parents’ house, and when he got back, Matteo had been rushing to finish a big project for school. When that finally had been handed in, his mother had suffered a bit of a relapse and Matteo had gone to stay with her. He had gotten back to the flat share last Thursday, and David had been more than ready to finally spend some quality time together, but then Hans had decided a party was in order. As usual, it had lasted until early morning, and there hadn’t even been time for a shower together before they had to rush off to class. On Friday they had been invited to Amira and Mohammed, and by the time they had left there, the cold that had been threatening to break through for a few days had made David cough and sniffle, and he had sent Matteo home alone. He’d stayed mostly in bed all weekend, and then when he had finally felt better, it had been Monday again and the normal hustle that came with it had overtaken them once more.

And now they were back to Thursday, and David had snapped at everybody – at breakfast, he’d yelled at Laura for chewing too loud, and before class, he had told a few unsuspecting classmates off because they were giggling about one of David’s favourite movies. During his lunch break, he had scoffed at Carlos and Kiki sitting too close together, which had greatly confused Carlos because he and Matteo would have been even closer – but Matteo had been spending his lunch breaks in tutoring recently. He’d even thrown some sarcastic remark at Hanna when she had walked to the library with him, and when he had stopped by the flat share in the hope of catching Matteo before David had his therapy appointment, he had snarled at Mia and Vicky.

Matteo had sent David a text during the latter’s appointment, asking if he was okay, why he was so grumpy and curt with everybody recently, and if Matteo had done anything wrong.

And David had been ashamed at his behaviour, when he had read the texts after he left his therapists’ office, but by that time it had been over an hour since Matteo had sent them, and David hadn’t known how to explain that he was just frustrated.

His finger had hovered over his phone to call Matteo, but it had been late, and Matteo had seemed so tired when they had briefly talked over the phone that morning, in between classes. So he had just gone home with lead in his shoes.

And as he lays in his bed, tossing and turning, constantly frustrated by the lack of a warm snoring body, he remembers that tomorrow isn’t looking good either. Matteo has class until late and on top of that, he is supposed to get together with some classmates for a group assignment in the evening. It doesn’t look like they will have much time together, and Saturday they already agreed to go help out Jonas with a surprise he was preparing for Hanna’s birthday.

David sighs. He wonders why the whole world is conspiring against him. Is it that bad to want an hour alone, undisturbed, with his boyfriend? Hell, he’d settle for thirty minutes at this point.

He didn’t even know it was possible to miss somebody this much. And it feels like he is overreacting, too – it isn’t like he hasn’t seen Matteo at all, they’d hung out plenty. But it’s just – they haven’t been alone. And while Carlos is right, they are always touching somehow when they are together, it isn’t enough. David needs to be closer to Matteo, to feel the warmth of Matteo’s skin, to breathe the same air, to rest his head on Matteo’s chest and hear his steady heartbeat in his ear. And he also needs Matteo inside him, and Matteo’s tongue all over, and to taste Matteo, and to watch how Matteo closes his eyes and tenses his whole body when he comes. It isn’t wrong to want to have sex with your boyfriend, is it?

Long story short, David is horny, and frustrated, and he doesn’t care about being needy. It is unbearable. He grumbles out loud, trying to get comfortable, hugging Matteo’s pillow as some sort of ersatz Matteo.

Nothing helps. The blankets are too heavy, but without them, he is cold, and the bed is too big without Matteo. He grabs his phone, the bright screen momentarily blinding him, thinking he can watch something on YouTube until he falls asleep. But automatically, he goes to Instagram, checking out Matteo’s pictures, or his own with Matteo in them. And then he opens up their chat history, reading the silly messages of love they exchange all the time. His thumb almost caresses the screen, as if it is Matteo’s face. And then suddenly he notices that Matteo has been active recently.

Before he completely realizes what he is doing, he has pressed call. Matteo answers almost immediately.

“David? What are you doing awake? It’s almost 2 a.m.”

Just hearing Matteo’s voice makes all the stress and grumpiness disappear, and David laughs.

“I could ask the same,” he retorts, his voice teasing.

He can almost hear Matteo smile, and he curls up between the sheets, thinking about how Matteo is probably doing the same right now.

“Is everything okay?”, Matteo asks softly, after a few moments of companionable silence, and David’s cheeks flame up in shame again.

“Yeah…”

Matteo presses on.

“You can tell me, if I did something wrong… I mean, you seemed so grumpy earlier, and Mia said you came by and she thought you were angry… But I can’t figure out what I did, so just tell me, please…”

“Oh, Teo…” David sits straight up against the wall. “You did absolutely nothing wrong!”

“Are you sure? But you are upset about something, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, but it’s just because I’m so frustrated that we haven’t had any time together between the two of us. I miss you, that’s all.”

Matteo is silent, and David wonders if anything is wrong.

“Matteo?”

“Yeah,” the reply comes quickly, “I’m still here. I just… You really are so angry and snappy because you miss me? That’s all?”

God, David didn’t think it was possible to fall even more in love with Matteo, but he just did. He might just have melted at the softness in his boyfriends’ voice. But the fact that Matteo doesn’t get how much David needs him must be rectified, immediately.

“That’s all? It’s just about everything! You are everything. So when I can’t have you, of course I’m gonna get snappy. I need my Matteo fix. I needed my Matteo fix two weeks ago, in fact. A day without alone time with you is… not a good day, no matter what else is going on.”

Matteo laughs softly.

“Really? I didn’t know. I thought I was the clingy one…”

“Hey!”, David retorts. “I’m not clingy. I just know a good thing when I see it, and I don’t plan on letting go. You’re stuck with me.”

“Just the way I want it.”

They both laugh, and then the line goes silent for a few minutes, only the sound of their breaths coming through.

“I miss you too, you know…”, Matteo then speaks, softly, a bit hesitatingly. “If you want –”

He cuts himself off, and David knows Matteo doesn’t want to assume, doesn’t want to pressure, doesn’t want to offend – so he just takes the proverbial bull at the horns.

“Can I come over?”

He hears the sharp intake of breath at the other end of the line, and then Matteo’s beautiful laugh.

“Hurry up.”

David is already out of his bed, pulling on some pants and a hoodie over his sleeping shirt, not bothering to find socks.

“Be there in ten.”

“Good,” Matteo says. David can hear the excitement in his voice. “Use your key.”

David smirks.

“Why?”, he asks, as he tiptoes through the flat, opening the front door, rushing down the stairs.

“Can’t open the door naked…”

David unlocks his bike in record speed and starts pedalling as fast as he can.

“Be there in five,” he pants, hearing Matteo’s delighted laugh right before he ends the call. The image of a naked Matteo waiting for him is incentive enough.

He makes it in four.

[nekomasteam]

im dogpiling onto the roomies au - haru and teo move into the previously unoccupied apartment on the ground floor. the duke knows them and insists on throwing a little 'welcome to the apartment building' party. chaos likely ensues

this is getting better and better oh my gOD

okay so haru and teo move in and the duke loses his MIND, he loves teo and they attend the same high school, whereas haru attends the same college as the gaang and jet and longshot. haru and jet become bros, they're best friends and it drives katara INSANE. like haru and jet hang out all the time. haru loves spending time at the gaangs apartment so jet will be there too and zuko and katara are just like...why...please

anyways the duke is like “we gotta throw a party” and toph and smellerbee are like yes absolutely, so they try to plan it.

they cannot plan at all, they've never made a coherent plan in their lives.

so sokka takes over, he's the plan guy after all.

anyways they have the party in haru and teos apartment, and it is a MESS. i mean its well planned, thanks to sokka, but the amount of people and relationships is A Lot. zuko and katara spend most of it avoiding jet and staying around aang and mai. sokka does not throw hands with jet this time, for harus sake.

suki is straight vibing with teo. they are two sunshines on a cloudy day, no one can be upset around them because they are so good at making people feel better.

toph and zuko burn half the food. its not food that needed to be heated up or anything, they just somehow manage to burn it. 

teo and the duke manage to get stuck in the stairwell trying to visit the gaangs apartment. there was an elevator, but they didn't use it. it takes two hours to get them out of the stairwell, mainly because smellerbee and toph could not stop laughing at them.

anyways everyone is friends and happy and they all vibe and have fun, because they deserve it.

[solaneceae]

At the end of everything, hold on to anything - TEOS oneshot

When it’s finally over, after nearly five days of pain, anguish and despair, they can’t quite bring themselves to believe it.

 Dave is trembling uncontrollably, his legs barely managing to keep him upright. Linda is on her knees a few paces in front of him, her usually sharp and steely eyes glazed over, staring at nothing. Mateo, ever the protective one, sits at her side silently, gently rubbing her back in an attempt at comfort.

 Slowly, they turn towards each other, their fevered gaze meeting with the same manic apprehension, the same burning doubt.

 Are they safe?

What now?

  Could they sleep at last?

 Then, as the sun disappears over the horizon, they all come to the same conclusion: it doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t, because if they somehow failed, if sleeping still means death even now… then there isn’t anything else to be done. The human mind, hell, even just the human body could only function for so long without sleep. So really, they were doomed anyway.

 That realization was all they needed. No words were exchanged as Mateo got up, his impressive frame towering over his two companions. He took hold of Linda’s hands, gently pulling her up, before turning to his long-time friend and raised his hand, palm up, inviting. Beckoning him over.

 Dave didn’t think; he couldn’t, nor did he need to. He took a shaky step towards his former nightwatch partner, then two, then a third, less steady one, before he lost his balance and crashed against Mateo’s broad chest with a strangled cry, his hands clawing at the back of the other’s shirt.

 It’s over it’s over it’s over everything’s gone everyone else is gone they’re here they’re here alive not dead not dead don’t go please don’t go stay stay stay stay stay-

 Everything he’d been holding back crashed down on him like a tidal wave, leaving him a boneless, sobbing mess. Mateo said something, low and calm, but his words didn’t make sense to Dave. The smaller male felt something sliding behind his knees and on his back before his world tilted sideways; shit, was he falling? The ground was moving away from him though. He felt like floating, the sky coming into view; it was cloudy, shades of blue and white and orange mixing together in a dizzying kaleidoscope. 

 He felt something warm settle against his side, and he blinked in realization. Oh. Mateo had picked him up, and was now holding him securely against his chest. That made more sense. He caught sight of Linda approaching him, her features uncharacteristically soft. The nurse’s hand reached out to brush his hair out of his eyes to critically peer at them.

She was probably checking on something medical-related; he didn’t know what. Still, he couldn’t help but drowsily lean into the touch, a weary sigh escaping his chapped lips.

 Her eyebrows shot up in surprise, but she didn’t seem to detect anything worrying -well, more worrying than extreme sleep deprivation and emotional trauma that is. Her hand left Dave’s forehead but stopped to grab Mateo’s elbow, keeping her hand there as they both started to walk at a sedate pace; just like an anchor during a stormy night, the tall, dark-skinned man seemed to be the one keeping the rest of them from falling apart.

 The next few minutes -or it could’ve been hours, his perception of time was shot to death- were a blur at best, rhythmed only by the sound of two pairs of shoes hitting the pavement, the gentle rocking motion making his hindbrain thrum pleasantly, and the undecipherable pieces of Linda and Mateo’s hushed conversation.

 None of them thought about their sudden clinginess and desperate need for physical contact, nor the fact that it was probably a little weird and awkward because dammit, they’d just been through the literal end of the world. They’d survived, all three of them, when everyone else had disappeared forever. You couldn’t do that without forming a special bond with the people who walked alongside you. 

 So basically, they didn’t give a shit. There was nobody around for probably dozens of miles, and their minds were drowning in a sea of cotton, the world around them distant and insignificant.

 When Dave finally felt Mateo come to a stop, he blearily opened his eyes -when had he closed them?- to see that they were back at the hospital; more precisely the recovery ward, or awakening room as he liked to call it as a child.

 Heh. Talk about ironic. 

 Linda was quickly tearing the covers and pillows off the beds to haphazardly throw them in a pile on the floor while Mateo waited patiently, still holding Dave in a steady -yet gentle- grip. When she was done, she placed a few water bottles next to the improvised bed -which looked more like a nest in the security guard’s sleepy opinion- then laid down on the middle of it, mumbling something about .

 The latino chuckled at her antics before walking up to the pile. He knelt down and laid Dave down on it, eliciting a displeased whine out of the smaller man. Fortunately Dave’s woes didn’t last long for Mateo flopped down right next to him immediately after, pulling his friend against his chest again while soothing words tumbled from his lips. Whether they were for Dave or himself, neither of them were sure.

 He felt something grab his hand and blinked back the darkness seeping into his vision; Linda had scooted over to him and was squeezing his hand, her shadowed grey eyes peering into his own with a hint of anxiety. 

 Dave squeezed back, a tired smile gracing his face; there was no need to be afraid. They were here. And whatever happened next, they’d be together.

 The nurse seemed to understand, her eyes closing in acceptance. She slid closer and curled up, bumping her legs against Dave’s while her chin rested on his mussed black hair. She was out in mere seconds, just like Mateo.

 For a few minutes David just laid there, relishing in the warmth of the other two, in the sound of their -uninterrupted, thank god- breathing. 

 His eyes slowly fell shut, his own breathing deepening, slowing. His thoughts scattered like dust in the wind, and then he thought nothing at all, finally falling into the blissful, dreamless sleep he’d never known.

 They didn’t die.

 After a while, the sun rose; then it set again. An entire day passed without any of them stirring. The slow rising and falling of their chests the only sign that the Elephant hadn’t claimed them. 

 They still didn’t wake on the second one; but they would shift and twitch in their slumber, snuggling deeper into the crook of a neck or intertwining their legs with a soft sigh, each one of them holding on to the others with the force of a drowning man.

 There would come a time for the aftermath. For figuring out what to do next in this new, almost deserted world. 

 But for now, hidden away in their nest, Mateo, Linda and Dave slept on.

  -----

  listen i have Feelings™ about those three okay-

with all the dave whump (which is excellent and pleases me immensely) we’ve been making i wanted to make something nice and fluffy for a change. i wrote this as platonic, but you can see it as romantic LinDaveTeo too if you like! poly ships are good man.

 Also height-wise mateo > linda > dave and yall can fight me on that

@caustic-synishade i know you're gonna like this one

[nickmuch]

e.j.h. - teo

NOTE: am i a writer? No. Did i have nothing to do at work bc i finished all my stuff 3 hours too early and wrote an imagine out of boredom? Yes.

Also: I seriously wrote this as a joke, but oof 3 pages long?? Just for it to stay locked up on my laptop?? No, ma’am. So I decided to post it here. It’s obviously not bomb and english is not my first language, so don’t roast me pls :(

„Hey…“ he said after entering her room. It was so soft that it could barely be heard at first. However, his presence was felt in the house the moment he had opened the gate. The walls were too thin for her liking and she felt like she had been eavesdropping even though all he did was take off his shoes, put them neatly behind the front door and slowly climb up the stairs to the master’s bed room. He was cautious. Way too cautious, she thought. That made her stomach churn again.

“Talk to me”. His hand touched her forearm lighty, making his way up to her shoulders, then across her collar bone, to her jaw and lastly holding onto her cheeks with both his hands softly but firm enough for her to know that this was real. That he was real. They were real.

Life felt like a simulation these days. She couldn’t feel anything besides her tiredness. Ironically, everything seemed as if she was in a dream world. She was the eyes to a video game character but couldn’t feel what its shallow body felt. Like an illusion.

“I … I-“. She tried to talk to him. After all he didn’t do anything wrong, he wasn’t the reason for her horrible mind-state. Hell, she didn’t even know why she felt so unsure, so irritated and aloof, keeping him at a distance she didn’t feel comfortable with because he was her safe place. Edwin was her safe place.

Her mouth was dry, making her voice raspy when she finally found the words to speak. “I am scared of losing you”. Six words. Six words that held so much more meaning to them than it seemed. Because it didn’t just mean that she was scared of losing him. It meant that she loved him. That she couldn’t imagine a life without him in the picture. That there was this big possibility she could lose her best friend any moment now and that drove her wild.

His eyebrows furrowed. A slight frown visible on his delicate face and his mouth pouty from thinking of what could have possibly happened that she even thought for a second he would ever leave her alone like that. “Whatchu mean?”.

She pulled away. He didn’t know. Of course he didn’t know because for the past week she had been ignoring him mercilessly. It was the fear that kept her from telling him, talking to him, seeing him. The way he would react? Only god knew. But it’s been a week and sooner or later she did have to face him. With or without fear of losing him.

Suddenly her head felt dizzy and before Edwin could process what was going on, she was already on her feet running and hunched over the toilet to empty her stomach. Not that she had eaten anything and even if she did, it didn’t stay for long anyways. “Mi amor” he murmured. He didn’t know what was going on but he for sure wasn’t going to leave her on her own while she felt this miserable. “What did you eat? Did that upset your stomach or something?”. Before he could receive an answer to his question, she was throwing up again. Finally, after what felt like an eternity to her, she turned her body towards him. As if on cue, his arms were wrapped around her securely, holding her fragile self like a safety blanket, ready to protect her from everything evil in this world.

It was only a look, but enough for him to see what she was trying to tell him all this time. Now it all made sense: her avoiding him, the nausea, the tears she shed the last time they saw each other. She was talking to Zion in the PM backyard then. Hushed whispers mixed with frantic worried looks. Soft touches. An unwary smile from Z. Not gonna lie, Ed did feel jealous when he saw them together like that. Who could blame him, though? Last time he checked she was his official-but-not-so-official-girlfriend, promoted from best friend to lover after their last wild party weeks ago. The party itself wasn’t so wild, but what happened between her and Ed after was. So, naturally he felt annoyed that she would go to Zion with her problem instead of him.

Now she was in his embrace on the cold floor while they seemed to be waiting for her next nauseous moment. “You are, aren’t you?” he asked. It was more like a statement. In his mind he had already pieces two and two together. Edwin knew that she was, it was a feeling deep down. A shaky breath left her lips, followed by a short nod of her head. “Are you mad? Are you going to leave? I- I don’t know what to do, you always keep a cool head when things blow up. I am not good with this. How are we supposed to tell the others? Will we even- “. He didn’t let her finish. Too many thoughts clouded her mind and Edwin knew the only way to make it stop was to answer her questions. And so he did by kissing her passionately like never before. The kiss was supposed to tell her that everything was going to be alright, that he wouldn’t leave their side even if the world would end tomorrow. “You talk too much. Let your heart speak for once, mi amor”.

A smile crept up her face. It felt so foreign, she couldn’t remember the last time she had a smile on. Probably two weeks ago before her life was turned upside down in just a matter of 5 minutes. “You sure?”. Her voice seemed stronger now. Edwin took his time before answering. “All I know is that I wanna spend my life with you. Forever. We’ve been best friends for years now and ever since … ever since-“. She nodded quickly, signaling for him that it was okay he felt so nervous and to just continue whenever. “We weren’t supposed to sleep with each other because we’re best friends. Always been”. This made her heart beat faster and scared that this whole conversation was close to taking a different turn than expected. “But maybe” he began. “Maybe we were supposed to be lovers and not best friends all along”. Suddenly Edwin fell backwards a bit. She couldn’t help herself and hug him with so much force and passion. This needed to be true. This needed to be real and not just a simulation of her weird twisted fantasy. That’s why she engulfed him as tight as her weak body allowed.

“So, I’m willing to try and not only be there for you, but also for them. No matter the decision. I want this to work out. I want us to work out. And it will”. The look in his eyes was determined. He was more than sure that this was what he wanted, what was always truly in his heart but couldn’t be said out loud in fear of ruining everything they had built in their friendship. It was too precious for that. But right now was the perfect time and so he did. He told her what was going on in his mind for what felt like years, but really it had only been a couple weeks since he knew what he felt for her and yet, they both believed this love would never end.

Edwin seemed to have an imaginary bullet-list in his head. The way he concentrated and stared into the distance while trying to think and say all the things he loved about her. The way she would make sure to call him at least twice a day – as a good morning and good night -, whether it was on a bad day or good day, busy day or lazy day. Didn’t matter. Or how she would laugh at anything he said, even if the other boys didn’t find the joke very funny. How her lips were so goddamn pouty and soft after a nap. Even back then he had the urge to just kiss them. Silly of him to not realize any sooner how madly in love he was with this girl. “Okay!” she laughed. “I get it. I am awesome or whatever”. It was said more as a joke but honestly? He did think she was awesome. “Oh and, Ed?”. Now it was his turn to look at her quizzically. “I love you, too. And we will conquer this whole love thing. Together. You, me and … and them”. Tears were rushing out of his eyes uncontrollably as she spoke her words. She finished with a short silence, followed by a single word. “Teo”. At first, Edwin didn’t catch on but after repeating what she said in his head a couple of times, it finally clicked. “Yes, it’s definitely gonna be Teo”. This was truly a dream come true and neither her nor him wanted to ever wake up from it.

ANOTHER NOTE: ok so yes, she’s preggo and Teo is short for Mateo and that’s one of my favorite names, so I had to add it in here somehow. Anyways, if you actually read the whole thing: I love you.

- Cami

[dinviataunuitiptrans]

#dinviataunuitiptrans

It's 2020 and my only resolution is to take it easy on me and go walk whenever I feel the sadness circling my soul, so this day I do just that.

I woke up freezing because the heater got broken and I know that if I stay indoors I'm gonna fall into some sort of despair so I go and brew some few cups of tea, purr them in bottles, roll up my last blunt from the stash, eat some pasta left overs from new years eve, dress myself in pretty colors and head out. It's been one hour of walking therapy so I stop by McD. to pee and then head out to the small park to have a smoke and rest my legs.

"- Futu-ți morții mă-tii de adiere băşită" is the best my brain could think of when the wind blowed away the tobacco from my rizla while trying to roll, so I start all over.

"- Futu-ți morții mă-tii...", this is my second attempt, the tobacco is all over my pants so I take a deep breath and keep on trying.

"- Futu-ți morții mă-tiiiii!!!!"

That was my 3d attempt to roll but the wind had other plans for my lungs. But then you came bye amused by the words you didn't understand, holding a pack of cigarettes and inviting me to stop fighting the wind and have a smoke from your pack. So I take one and you take a seat next to me and we lit up the cancer tubes, I say thanks and you say I'm very cute and smile. To scare the shyness away I pretend to flip my hair in the gayest way possible:

- Oh, just cute? and I thought I was beautiful, now you destroyed my dreams to ever be an instagram sensation.

You start laughing and tell me I'm actually beautiful and we start playing this game where we kinda make fun of how dumb we as humans are, I'm cracking up silly jokes and you do the same, I tell you I find you very cute also and I apologise for shattering your dreams of being an insta model, you laugh and you give me another cigarette and then move a bit closer to me.

- You're very smart for such a young guy...are you seeing someone?

- Love, you're sweet but I'm not that young...

Then you touch my hand and tell me you already like me and that I don't have to lie to impress you because you have been with guys younger than my age. That's how I find out that I'm most likely 22 or 23 and that you're just few years older than me, you're 25. I tell you lies are not my sexy kink and that I'm born in 1984, on the 31st of May. You laugh but I see the awe on your face so I tell you the good looks run in my family and that if you see my brothers you'll know what I'm talking about.

- Show me

You say that and then cuddled so close to me that you give me no option but put my arm around you while I start pulling out pictures from the phone.

- Here is Patrick, he's the love of my life and one of the sweetest man the Universe has given us. He's gonna be 35 this year.

You say we look alike but that I'm prettier than him so I turn a bit red and start feeling kind of uncomfortable so I swipe away.

- In this picture he's with Max, they are at a court hearing. Max is the oldest one, he is in his 40s and he lives here in UK but up north. I haven't seen him for ages and I miss him and his signature paranoia very much. This is Andrei, I have tons of pictures with him, we live together and he is so sweet that every time I think of him my heart melts. Probably the reason I take secret pictures of him while sleeping.

I show you more pictures with him and tell you the story when I had to sleep in his room and how he cuddled close to me when we were sleeping and you press yourself against my body and tell me you get it why. This makes me feel even more uncomfortable cuz you kinda took up every cm of my personal space but I don't know what to do so I brush it off.

- He's 22 and he might be one of the sexiest of us but he's not the youngest, Gherman is. See? This is Gabi but I call him Gherman, this is a screenshot from one of our chats, I always do this pictures when we talk so that I have them to look at when I miss them. You would say he's 14 but actually he just turned 18. He's an adorable pain in the ass but with the soul in the right place. And this is Chriss, look how gorgeous this guy is and his heart is pure gold. He's such a talented artist but unfortunately he wasn't discovered yet, he draws nudes and erotic art and it's mind fucking blowing. This is a photo with Chriss, Rami and Teo, I almost cried when I got these pictures of them. Rami represents the whole notion of humanness and he's shy just like me.

- This guy is blonde... is he also your brother?

You pointed out to Teo so I show you more pictures with him and then pull up pictures with Andreas also.

- Yeah, we have few blondes in our family but we decided to love them nonetheless. This is Andreas, not only that he's blond but he's also a very wise man. It's always such a pleasure talking to him. He's in Germany now. Just like Leo.

I'm looking for pictures with Leo so I start scrolling for the screenshots from the last whatsapp conversation and you decide to take a break from your cuddle and have a smoke. Now I feel more comfortable even though you're still resting your body next to mine.

- Here is my adorable Leo.

- He looks alot like the first guy without the beard..

- Like Patrick?

- Yeah

You see the pictures with me and Vlăduț and you like him.

- This is your brother also, I can tell. Is he old like you?

- No, actually he's young like you. And also an amazing musician and sound therapist. He makes sounds with weird instruments and then you feel a bit better. But he's not in London anymore, he returned home, he wasn't feeling very good here.

I feel you're a bit disappointed and probably thinking that you'll have to settle with me but once you get me started with my brothers it's very hard to make me stop.

- And this is Aris, he looks like an artist because he is one, he's a painter and a tattoo artist. And this is Elias, if you're ever looking for a smart conversation then he's the guy to go to. Him or Alexander. The difference is the sarcasm of Alex versus the warmth of Elias.

Then I show you Alexander and you smile and ask me if Elias and Alex are twins but I have no chance to answer because now you're handing me your phone and ask me to pull up my fb and I do just that so you start looking around while I'm getting even more nostalgic going through the pictures in my phone. I'm looking for a picture with Abel but I have no more time to show it to you

- You're transgendered?

- Oh love, there's no such thing as being "transgendered", nobody can transgender me, I am transgender because this is how I am.

- You mean you're not a real man?

- I'm just as a real human as you are love, and for sure am a man. Just that I'm a trans man

- And you're proud of this sickness...

And then you show me my cover photo.

I felt your disgust even since you said "Trasgendered" and I know very well that look in your eyes, I once had a crazy girlfriend who used to look at me just like that and somehow it feels so fucking familiar that I sense what is going to happen next so I try my best to avoid it. I tell you that each of us has its own life to live and that people must learn to accept and embrace diversity if we want to heal this human race. I tell you that body parts are just that, body parts and that gender identity is not defined by sexual anatomy. I want to tell you more but I was right and you snap into rage mode, slap the shit out of me almost poking my eye out with your nails.

- Fucking disgusting predator, man with pussy, you should be burned alive.

You walk away in anger showing the middle finger, shouting "fuck you", so I shout back that you wish to have the luck to get fucked by such a proud trans man but that I don't fuck crazy bitches anymore so you turned around and you were fuming so I told you that if you come back to hit me again I'm gonna punch you in the face. You left. I start rolling one and feel sorry I got angry and yelled back but somehow so relieved that you went away.

Dear L.,

You have my FB now and somehow I hope this message gets to you: please get some medical help you are in desperate need, and you won't get to meet nice guys like me everywhere.

I know you have serious mental issues cuz a healthy mind wouldn't let you go to total strangers looking for their attention and affection on a bench in a park, you don't cuddle with strange men and expose yourself like that.

I lived with a girl like you, extremely violent and unstable that is, for a whole year and I know that you were just looking to meet somebody that looks like a nice guy but actually hoping to get an asshole so you can have an excuse to violently manifest your pain. Been there through that already so I know the drill. The fact that you discovered I'm transgender was just the trigger you were looking for, and I didn't feel you hated me but I did feel that you wanted to make someone suffer and you found me, so it was just a matter of time until something would have triggered you.

PS: I'm sorry I threatened you but I don't like being hit. I wouldn't have hit you back but I would have called the ambulance because I learned that being a sweet person doesn't help when somebody suffers like you do.

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Mutilated Mannequin (Part 10)

Azula leans against the wall of the quietest corner of the gym. Hours before, TyLee had gushed over the opulence of her silk dress;  deep red and and form-fitting until it reaches her thighs and then it fans out. It is decorated with sequins from top to bottom and hemmed with gold and rubies. The collar is high and also trimmed with gold and accented with rubies. She had been going back and forth between it and a red dress accented with blue. Though she had leaned towards the latter, her father insisted that this one was more elegant. And besides, he has given her a hair comb clip of genuine gold to go with the one she wears. Her hair is gathered into a tight bun.

She should be a splendor to behold.

Should be.

Her dress is pretty but she feels ugly again.

Perhaps more than before.

She doesn’t know why she has let TyLee and Mai drag her here and it is a significantly larger slap to the face to see her friend with Chan. They are blissfully unaware of the blades her eyes fire at them. 

She folds her arms over her chest. Her feet are killing her and she wants nothing more than to kick them off, but it is even less pleasurable to think of what sort of grime she’d be stepping on if she did. So she leaves them on, another aspect of her irritation. 

Azula pretends to be invested in her drink as the night unfolds around her. Her sight lands upon the dancefloor. It is sprinkled with confetti of orange and scarlett. Above it are streamers of the same color and a disco ball that casts bounces glimmering light off of the confetti. Zuko has always lacked elegance and coordination, she wonders just how long Yue will be willing to put up with that for. Her dress and heeled shoes kick up the glitter and confetti as she tries to avoid Zuko’s clumsy. 

Azula scoffs to herself, even he has a date and she doesn’t. She can’t imagine that Chan is going to let it go very easily. Especially if he finds out that she had tried to evict him from their lunch table. She occupies herself by feigning a deep interest in the concessions stand.  

She scans the crowd and picks out Mai and Kei Lo. Mai looks enthusiastic for the first time in ages. She has her hair done up to look like the wings of a bat and wears a velvet black mini-dress. When she lifts her arms a fold of lace fans out, also akin to bat wings. Dancing near by are Suki and Sokka and next to them are Teo and Aang. No wonder the boy didn’t aim for Katara. 

Azula tries to pick her out in the crowd. She finds her and crickles her brows. Is that…? She looks closer. What the hell is she doing with Jet? Jet had mentioned asking her, but if she recalls right he had mocked her for her dark complexion only days before. 

Azula finishes the rest of her drink and throws the cup into the trash with more force than necessary. Everyone she knows, save for the BeiFong girl, has a date. Yet she is all alone, she must look like a joke. For someone who is completely ignored she feels wholly exposed. 

She knows that Chan will have a lot to say considering that she had rubbed in his face that she’d find someone both sexier and smarter than he.

TyLee says something, Chan laughs. Yue walks Zuko through a new dance, he smiles. Jet kisses Katara...Azula turns her head. 

She turns her head because she doesn’t have any of that. 

She won’t have any of that.

Maybe what she has done still isn’t good enough. She trails her fingers down her cheek. She peers back at Yue, immaculate and awe-striking Yue and she is certain that the surgeries she has aren’t enough. She doesn’t look like that. She still looks like herself. Too much like herself. She had her doubts before, but now she is certain that she needs to let go of her old face, it isn’t that great anyhow. 

“Lame dance, huh?” Toph asks. She hadn’t noticed that Toph had propped herself up against the wall. 

“I don’t know why I bothered to come.” Azula confesses. 

“Tell me about it.” Toph grumbles. “Aren’t you popular folk supposed to like dances? Isn’t this your thing?” 

“My thing is...certainly not this. School dances are a waste of time.”

“Yeah, they kind of are. Especially when your dumb friends who promised you that they’d be hanging out with you blow you off for their boyfriends.” She pauses. “If I knew where Katara and Aang were I would be glaring at them to indicate that I’m talking about them. But I don’t know where they are so just pretend like I’m giving them an accusatory glare.” 

“Noted.” Azula replies. She almost tells Toph that she feels very much the same. But she and Toph run with different crowds, she can’t imagine that they have much in common save for a lack of a date. “I think that I’m going to head out.” 

“Lucky, I’m stuck here.” Toph folds her arms and half-pouts, half-scowls. 

Azula puts on her jacket, stuffs her hands into her pockets, and heads for the door. Somehow she feels as though the dancefloor’s spotlights are on her and her dramatic and lonely departure. 

Her hand is on the door handle when she hears her name called from somewhere in the crowd. She makes off like she has heard nothing at all and pushes the double doors open. The doors shut and the slam echos down the mostly vacant halls. 

She heads for the door, she passes a weeping girl, mascara running down her face, heels sandals in her shaking hands. She recognizes the girl from the school volleyball team. She decides that it is better to let the girl think that no one has noticed her tears. 

Azula can still feel the floor vibrate with the bass but the music is muffled by those double doors. She can hear Ruon shouting into his phone about how whoever he is talking to needs to get their ass over here and pick him up now. She looks back at the crying girl and wonders what the story is. 

Momentarily she hears the door open again and two people emerge. One of them sprints for the door, she doesn’t catch who it is because the second person taps her on the shoulder causing her to jerk. 

“Where are you going, Azula?”

“Home, TyLee.” 

“But you’re our ride.”

“I’m sure that Chan will be happy to escort you home. Not that he’s the chivalrous type.” She replies dismissively. 

“Azula, what’s wrong.” She pauses.

“Go back to the dance, TyLee.” 

“I’ll go back if you do.” She gives a lopsided smile. 

“Then I guess that you’re going to miss it.” She turns back towards the door and begins walking. She feels TyLee’s hand on her shoulder and picks up the pace. 

“Azula!” 

Fingers curling around her wrist cause her to turn around and snap, “what?” 

TyLee flinches. 

“What did I do wrong?”

“Unless being an empty-headed bimbo is a crime, nothing I suppose.” She jerks her hand out of TyLee’s grasp. 

TyLee’s eyes begin to well up and Azula’s stomach lolls. She opens her mouth.

“Nice job.” Chan frowns. “She was just trying to make sure that you were okay.” 

“That’s more than you can say…”

“Are you fucking kidding me!?”  He throws his hands up and slaps them against his thighs. “You’re really going to do this?”

Azula narrows her eyes, “this is your fault.” 

“My fault?” 

“Guys, please.” TyLee whimpers.

“Yes, you’re fault.” Azula hisses. “Maybe if you didn’t whore around…”

Chan laughs, the high pitched sort of laugh. The kind Zuko usually gives when their father is berating him and he can do nothing else. “Whore around? I was trying to be nice to you. It’s not my fault that you took it the wrong way.” 

“Maybe if you didn’t...” 

“You guys!” TyLee cuts in again.

“No, if you didn’t have...have something wrong with your brain...”

“Chan, come on.” She is openly crying now and Azula feels a pang in her chest. Still, she can’t let Chan say whatever the hell he pleases. 

“It’s not my fault that you don’t like yourself. How the hell am I...is anyone supposed to like you if you don’t even...”

“No! You’re mistaken! She’s not that pretty.” She shouts, giving his chest a hard jab. Even the crying girl takes a pause to look up. “You don’t know what you could have had.” There is a boiling churning within her it reels in her mind and it is growing hard to contain. 

“Seriously?” Chan crinkles his nose. “You really think that that’s what this is about?” He pinches the bridge of his nose.

“You’ll see, you’ll see and you’ll know soon.” She throws her hand back to her side.

“No, this is why I want to be with TyLee.” 

TyLee whose lower lips quiver uncontrollably, whose eyes are watery, whose cheeks are tear-stained. And yet she still looks impeccable, she can still brush her tears away and go on with her night.

TyLee who Azula feels just as venomusly about. 

“Please don’t fight.” In that moment, her voice is nothing but an annoying ringing in her ear. A ringing that is driving her absolutely insane. Not that she isn’t already well and there. 

“There’s something wrong with you and it’s more than your face.” 

Something new enters the roaring heat of her inner turmoil, something cold. Something that sets things in stone. Her gaze goes icy enough for Chan to take a physical step back. She has many things on her tongue. So many sharp and evil things. She doesn’t know which to choose so she simply mutters a soft, “you’ll see,” and storms towards the door.

Someone else is sitting on the curb with her head in her lap. The exterior of the school is littered with boys and girls alike waiting for early rides home. A dismal meadow of students who didn’t have the glamorous and exciting night they expected.

She doesn’t cry until she is in her room with the knowledge that her father is still at a business dinner. She lays in the dark with her face against the pillow, wishing that she would have just stayed in her room to begin with. 

Really, what had she expected in going to that dance? 

That much is, in fact, her own fault. 

She gives a gasping cry, but she knows now that she has to change everything. 

Everything. 

She gets up and drinks in her reflection. She doesn’t cry pretty, not like TyLee. But it’s hard to cry pretty when her resting face is unpleasant to begin with. Even still, she continues to stare at her face because she vows that it will be the last time that she sees it.

[lets-do-the-time-whump]

Whumptober Day 1: Let’s Hang Out Sometime

Alright, very excited to post some content for the first time. I’ve never used all these Tumblr features before so I hope I get them right lmaoo

So, this scene is based around the ‘Shackled’ prompt, and is a scene in one of my WIPs I hadn’t got to writing yet, so I decided to rip it out and do it here. Be prepared for 1400 words of someone’s uncle being a jack*ss.

Previously: Teodarn Malik, wanted by the law, several Mage villages and a half a ragtag crew of adventurers, is at the end of his tether. Caught in a war between two kingdoms for a draught of immortality, he’s taken the only vial of a key ingredient in many kingdoms, and is meeting his uncle in a remote location to give him the vial in return for being left alone.

As I crested the hill and the cabin came into view through the mild snowstorm, I swallowed down the last of my fear about coming here. The vial of the still warm, sticky liquid bashed against my leg with every step, tightly tied to a loop of my belt. That’s the reason I came here; to deliver that bottle to my uncle. It would be worth it, I had to believe that. He’d sworn to me, “Bring me the bottle, and you will never see me again."

I knocked on the door, and the force sent shudders through my freezing fingers. From inside, I heard a clanking of metal and the crackling of logs on a fire before the door was opened, and the cool face of my uncle came into view.

"Teo my dear boy! So you took my offer,” His smile was dark and there was a certain malice in his tone, and I reminded myself again, this is an in-and-out job. After all, Juniper (or one of her lackeys) passed me a note from the mages of the mountain earlier. An avalanche is on its way.

“I have it.” “Sorry, dear boy? Could you speak up? I can’t hear you over the cold.” I grit my teeth and stepped inside the door, and for a moment Konotos seemed to retreat. “I brought the Honey-dendron extract.” His brief surprised expression melted back to its previous malicious happiness. “You should’ve said! Do come in.” I stepped in uncertainly as he pulled the door firmly closed behind me.

The cabin was entirely non-descript, same spruce-ish wood on the floor, walls and door. Simple double bed with a cast iron frame, weaving an ornate pattern that reminded me of the gates outside the Blanche castle. There were a table and three chairs in the corner, a cabinet of what seemed like meaningless knick-knacks and books, a fireplace burning low in the far centre and a small, mostly devoured lunch on a nearby chair, including the greasy remains of something between bread, and a full pitcher of water. The bed was made up, a thin layer of dust blanketed most of the room and apart from the lunch, the cabin looked like it hadn’t been used in at least a week.

“Ignore the mess, you know how I am by now-” “Do I now?” I questioned him as he drifted confidently about the space, moving two of the empty chairs from the corner to put one by the foot of the bed and one about a foot from it. “My, someone’s grown a spine without daddy, hm? Come, take a seat.” I set my mouth in a determined line and held my ground. “I came to deliver, not to chat; there’s an avalanche in a couple hours and I’d very much like to get off this mountain before it comes down on us. I suggest-” My resolve wavered as he strode towards me, but still I tried to stand firm. “-you get off the mountain too. I don’t think your ice powers will protect you if the whole glacier falls on your head.” He smiled somewhat warmly, putting his hands on my shoulders and slowly steering me towards the chairs. “Looks like someone hasn’t lost that loyal streak, eh? Charming. I’ll leave your father to tell you how proud he is when you see him.”

He pushed me into the chair, and I regret that I let him: as little conflict as possible. “So,” He sat down himself, leaning forward on his knees and interlacing his fingers. “To business. You have the extract. How might you have found it before me? Or our… little friend in the trees for that matter.” I didn’t take my eyes off him as I unlooped the vial from my belt - call it a habit - and held it out in front of us. “I- I stole it. Took it from another tribe of Mages, one of the travelling ones.” I didn’t tell him the full truth, mainly because I really wanted to get out of there by now, but that raised a chuckle from him all the same. “Well dear boy, you’ve become the thief they charged you. Never thought you had it in you personally, but I suppose we’ve both been learning a lot about each other recently.”

He held out his hand and I placed the small bottle into it, and I was acutely aware that somehow, it was still radiating heat and in its absence, I longed for it back. It’s definitely got some sort of magical properties, from the way it shimmers and flows, to the heat, to the overwhelming bliss you feel on coming into contact with it. I watched that calm wash over him, smoothing the wrinkles in his brow and straightening his hunched posture. There’s a small sound like someone jarring a chain as he sat up, opening his eyes and smiling. “At least I can count on your honesty. Thank you, my boy.” He stood quickly and danced across the room. As I rose from my seat he placed the vial on a cabinet shelf, and as I started towards the door he moved over to the fireplace and the abandoned lunch. “That almost repays all the trouble you’ve caused me.”

I froze, my heartbeat quickening, as I heard the hissing sound of a fire being put out. I turned just in time to see him slam into me, pinning my body against the wall. I spluttered and cried out, but he clapped a hand over my mouth, probably more for the quiet than anything else, since there’s no one out there but the trees to hear us. “You heard me. Family ties are lovely and all, but I can’t have anyone knowing that I have the only vial of Honey-dendron this far south. So I’m afraid-” He wrenched one of my hands to the side, pressing me into the wall with a knee and forcing a shackle around my wrist. “You will be staying here awhile.”

The shackle sent a flood of panic through me, and I started to fight because I recognised these cuffs. They’re the same cramped half domes that I was forced to wear when I was arrested by the Blanche clan. Magic inhibitors. I started firing as fast as I could from my other hand, cursing him in all three of the languages I can, squirming my legs to escape his grasp. Once he had my left hand fixed he dragged me, still fighting with everything I could, over to the foot of the bed. He kicked the chair aside and threw me to the bed, looping the open side of the cuffs between two of the bars and forcing it around my other hand, leaning his full body weight right on my gut as I groaned and struggled to wrench away.

I struggled not to panic as he left, trying to move my hands and flex my fingers and activate my magic. Nothing but a light glow of heat inside the cuffs. I pulled again on the chain but both the cuffs and the bedpost held fast. “Why?” “I told you why.” I leant back and watched him pick up the now half-empty pitcher of water set on the side of the smouldering fireplace. He took his time swaggering over, looking me in the eyes and grinning. “Dear boy, I know you’ve been stepping on my toes for years, but the incident by the riverside was the last straw.” I gritted my teeth, “That wasn’t my fault!” “It wouldn’t be if you didn’t blow up the supply ship.” He knelt down by my side, taking my hands in his by the outsides of the shackles. “You haven’t been useful to anyone. Not me, nor your father, especially not that ragtag bunch you call friends.” I feel cold on the cuffs and look down to see frost cover their surface. “No one’s cared about you for a very long time.” With nothing to stop him he calmly un-does the clasp of my cloak and throws it aside.

With no cloak and frost creeping up my arms, I started to shiver. “Kono, please…” My begging escapes my mouth shrouded in warm mist in the air, and it dawned on me fully what he intended to do. He took my chin in one hand and touched our foreheads together, and I started to feel lightheaded as something flickered in his eyes. “Oh Teodarn, how cruel fate can be.” And I watched, frozen still, as he upended the pitcher of freezing water over my head.

[trylonandperisphere]

Silent Retreat 2: When The World Breaks Through, Ch. 27

A/N: I realize my update schedule has gotten all cattywomped, again. My apologies. Not for much longer, though. I've actually finally finished writing this fic! So, a long chapter for you here, which should cover some of your questions, and after that, two more chapters left - for those of you who like to know that sort of thing. I am writing other Cophine stuff, though. So, there's that.

Thank you for coming with me on what has personally been a very uneven and trying journey. I hope the last few installments of this fic bring you somewhere close to where you wanted to go with it.

Also on A03 & ff.net.

I just kept breathing.

I just kept reminding myself to be thankful that we were all alive, intact, uninjured. My sisters, my coparents, my lover, my son.

Through the confusion and questioning I told myself to remember that this was not the past, when all was in danger, that things had changed. I reached down with my qi and felt the ground supporting me, my muscles loosening and sinking downward with gravity. When I had a moment I turned my wrists in circles, releasing the clenching of my hands, and pulled my shoulders up tight, high around my ears, then let them drop again.

That's the thing about PTSD. You can have it under control for a long time. You can even think it's gone. But sometimes triggers spark those little switches inside you, making connections long bypassed, and tendrils of panic shoot through you, trying to innervate every part of your body, throwing you into fight or flight mode, or trembling, stuck, in-between.

But I had trained my mind, my body, my spirit, for years. I could acknowledge the fear and not drown in it. I could do this. I could do this.

When the government agents arrived with the medics they secured the scene and examined the fallen. They separated and briefly interviewed us: Sarah with one questioner, covering her nerves with a look of mildly hostile boredom, Helena in a car with another, my boys in a group, and me with Delphine, whom they tried to separate, but let stay when I refused to let go of her hand. Agent Meacham, who seemed important and seemed to be familiar with Delphine, somehow, gave a nod to approve it.

The story unfolded: how I had called Delphine and told her to contact Helena and Sarah (through Mika, though we tried to leave that out,) who were already on their way to protect Sevvy, Teo, Michael and me; how they had then hatched their hasty, new plan; how Delphine had rung up her contacts with the authorities while she was enroute separately from my sisters; how they had parked away from the coordinates and made their way by foot to surround Charlotte and her hired gunmen; how Helena had shot tranquiliser darts and Delphine had shot Charlotte in the shoulder when the younger clone appeared about to squeeze her trigger, Michael slamming into her at almost the exact same time.

My heros.

The helicopter, which had moved higher and been circling for a while, descended again, and the fallen, via bullet and sedative, began to be raised with a cable and a gurney. Agent Meacham leaned closer to us so she could be heard.

"Alright, we're going to take you in for some more questioning now, Ms. Niehaus. Dr. Cormier—"

"Please don't separate us," I blurted, covering our joined hands with my other, free one. "I, I promise we don't even have to say anything to each other on the ride over. It's just…" I swallowed and looked at my love, taking in her kind, concerned gaze as her sweet hazel eyes looked down at me. "I know I've been off-grid for a while, but it was just to stay safe, and now I know my sisters and Delphine have been known to you all this time… I'm okay with this. I just nearly lost my son, though… I need some support."

Agent Meacham took us both in for a moment, and I saw a look pass between her and Delphine. The agent nodded.

"Okay, Ms. Niehaus. Agent Cobb will be in the car with you. Once we get to the facility we'll need to ask you some questions alone, though." Delphine squeezed my hand.

"Okay," I said.

It took several hours.

After the quiet ride in the car to a nondescript office building, Delphine followed Agent Meacham down a hallway, while I was asked basic questions and I agreed to let them take my fingerprints. Then the wait began.

Michael, Teo and I were together in a small waiting room guarded by an alert agent for part of it, Sevvy mostly dozing on Michael's lap, until they were called in to talk to the agents, and Sevvy was passed to me. The tea I'd been given by a guy from the front desk was going cold, but I sipped it anyway. I had been sitting there for who knows how long, at least a forty-five minutes, alternately sorting the phylogenetic tree and trying to envision happy, safe scenes, when Sevvy mumbled into my shoulder.

"Mommy?"

"What, buddy?" I asked.

"I'll see you at home," he answered.

"Huh?"

Teo and Michael entered the room.

"They're letting us go," Teo told me, reaching down to take Sevvy from my arms. "We can take him home, now." I blinked. This knowing thing Sevvy had was still going to take some getting used to.

"How are you holding up?" Michael asked me, his expression weary, and I was so grateful again that he hadn't shut me out.

"Holding," I shrugged. "I don't suppose you can tell me anything about what they asked you?"

"Uh-uh," he answered, as Teo murmured Spanish endearments to Sevvy, who had rested his head on his Papa's shoulder. "But… it wasn't too bad." Both of us let our eyes travel to the agent at the door, who continued to watch us impassively.

"Okay," Teo said, nodding at us. "Cos," I met his gaze, "it will be alright."

"Right," I said, releasing a held breath, and they shuffled out, Michael patting my shoulder as he passed.

I looked at the agent. He looked at me. I think I made a face.

"Cosima?"

I started as Delphine swung around the doorframe, eyebrows raised at me, reaching out a hand. I was on my feet and grasping her fingers with mine before I knew it.

"Agent Meacham wants to talk with you. I'll be with you for the beginning, okay?"

"Okay," I nodded, relieved.

We entered a small office, where agent Meacham was seated at a desk, and took the chairs facing her.

"Ms. Niehaus," she acknowledged, and looked me directly in the eyes. I fought the urge to squirm a little. After a moment, she settled back slightly in her chair.

"You and I both find ourselves in an interesting situation," she began. "Your life, of course, has been unusual to begin with, due to your origins and your dealings with DYAD. You also have managed to be one of two of all of your… sisters who have remained almost completely outside of our recent records." She paused, and I realised I appreciated her avoidance of the term "clones," at least.

"Let me be clear," she continued, "when I say our government has records on your unusual family, that's not the same thing as monitoring you as DYAD and other factions have done in the past. A number of government and international agencies have been involved with this case over the years, and I can't speak for the rest, but this agency, under the current administration, takes the view that you are full human beings and citizens, not just assets or study subjects, and as such deserve to be treated with respect. Of course, we must protect the interests of our country, our international allies and the general populace, but we do our best to operate within your and your sisters' interests, allowing you, as much as possible, informed consent."

My eyebrows were probably halfway up my forehead by the end of her statement. I noticed I had joined hands with Delphine at some point, and she squeezed mine.

"'As much as possible? What does that mean?" I asked, and my skepticism came through in my tone. Agent Meacham linked her fingers together on her desk and seemed to measure her response for a moment.

"It's a balance," she finally said. "We—most of us—recognize the difficulty of your situation, having been bred and born by design as experiments. Personally, I wouldn't wish that on anyone, and I make sure the agents in my team are trained to understand what that might mean for a person. However, along with our goals to protect you, we do have duties to ensure that the science that made you possible, as well as the other studies DYAD conducted and continuing science that results, are used only in the best interests of our people and, of course, the greater good."

"Okaaay," I acknowledged, cocking my head, "but any chance you can, maybe, be a little less vague, here?" Delphine squeezed my hand again. When I glanced at her, she was giving me one of her wide-eyed, can-you-tone-down-the-attitude looks, but I couldn't help it. To my surprise, Meacham let out a little chuckle.

"I wish that I could, but let's just say this: You're a smart woman, Ms. Niehaus. You know already how DYAD could have taken advantage of genetic engineering advances, from patenting disease treatments and anti-aging therapies to 'designer babies,' to providing governments and other factions with means to alter reproduction for thousands of people or produce biological weapons. We'd like to look out for you, but those issues are our concern, too."

I had to admit to myself that she'd laid that all out abut as clearly as I could expect… for something probably top-secret, anyway.

"That's… fair," I said, and swallowed. "But what does it mean for me and my family?"

"Well, that depends on you," she answered, spreading her hands. "I've been assigned to this case for a long time, so I can tell you that there are some people who aren't happy that you and your other sister, Veera Suominen, have continued to refuse contact. In her case, her hacker skills make her a wild card and a potential liability. She certainly does things that are illegal, and while previous administrations may have wanted to prosecute her for that or control her, we'd prefer to work toward getting her cooperation." She cocked her head back at me, and I was impressed by her direct but seemingly unhostile demeanor.

"Now, I know you can't control her decisions on that, but I hope you can be an influence, as your other sisters might be. As you know, Sarah, Alison, Krystal, even Helena and others have formed agreements with us. I think they can tell you that we don't interfere too much, and that things have evolved for the better. But let's get back you, specifically."

Almost as if on cue, the door opened, startling me a little, and the guy from the front desk came in with a tray of mugs, a box and an insulated pitcher.

"Ah," Meacham said, as the tray was placed on her desk. "You like tea, right? Want any? We've got black, green, chamomile or rooibos. Or Jared can get you coffee."

I sat there for a moment, thinking. Obviously, this was a gesture to win me over, right? This wasn't just being nice. But… ultimately, how much did that matter?

"Chamomile," I finally said, hoping it would calm me. "Have you got any honey?"

"Yeah," she answered, and the guy flipped open the box, showing rows of tea bags, sugar and sweetener packets, stirrers and honey in plastic packets. He slipped back out of the room and Delphine leaned forward to make a mug of my requested brew for me. I watched her do it, recognising it as yet another one of the ways she both took care of me and acted as a quiet, protective mediator. The lines below her eyes showed how tired she was, yet she still acted with such determined grace for my benefit.

Meacheam put together a cup of plain green tea for herself and settled back again, waiting until I was settled and blowing on mine.

"Here's our offer," she started, and I quickly focused back on her. "We want your assistance. You managed to formulate a cure, track down your sisters and administer it to them, all the while staying enough steps ahead of my predecessors that they never found you. It's very impressive, Ms. Niehaus, and few people have insights like you do. We could use someone like you to help us make sure the science is developed in a way that's beneficial to the world. We'd like you to work with us. Of course, we'd also like information on how you managed to stay under the radar for so long, but that's secondary, and I imagine you'll want some time for us to earn your trust."

The old me would have scoffed, but I settled for staring right back at her, breathing evenly.

"And what do you mean by 'work with?' Or do you mean 'work for?'" I probed.

"Well, you will be compensated for your work, although the amount of hours and the schedule will have to be determined. We'll also probably ask for your help in working with others who were a part of DYAD and related studies, like researchers and more of your genetic identicals. Trust me when I say we want you to be comfortable, so you won't lack for funding. There will most likely be times we need your immediate and concentrated assistance, but you will be allowed to live where you want, with your family, as long as you maintain contact." She reached to the side of her desk and picked up a folder, placing it in front of me. "We would support you resuming your studies and completing your degree. We'd actually prefer it if you do, but that's up to you. We would at least like you to catch up somewhat on the latest studies. Whether or not you participate in lab research yourself is negotiable, but we want you on our team, at least as an advisor. After all, you have a vested interest."

I blinked for a couple seconds. My jaw must have been hanging open.

"That's it?" I asked. "What's the catch?"

Meacham put down her mug, her shoulders moving in an almost imperceptible sigh.

"That's it. The catch is you sign a contract to work for us, to remain in contact, to not disclose sensitive information to other parties. The other catch is that you're in again. You have information other people may want, though not all of it. You have to think about the implications of genetic engineering and face how different parties want to use it, which isn't always pretty. You get a quiet life, mostly, but what you do in this project will have larger ramifications." She leaned forward, more emphatic.

"You have a chance to make a difference, Ms. Niehaus, not just to your sisters, but to the world. Your sisters started it by exposing DYAD. Now you have a chance to carry this beyond that, to helping ensure something unethical like DYAD's projects doesn't keep happening again and again."

It was a lot to take in. I faltered. Meacham glanced at Delphine, who tugged on my hand. I turned to her.

"Cosima, you know how it was for me before. I was forced to work for the military. But Sarah and I, and the others, we've been talking with the agency, and… it seems different, now. What they're offering us, on paper… we can have our lives as we've wanted to live them. You can have your life, whether you want to study full time or stick with teaching yoga, or… whatever you want to do, you can be close to your family." Her look was sincere, if strained. The old part of me wanted to ask what they had promised her, but I knew how that would come out. I looked back at Meacham.

"And if I refuse?" I felt Delphine sag a little next to me. Meacham blinked. "I'm not saying I'm going to," I added quickly. "I just want to know my options. And I don't want to be pushed around."

Meacham leaned back in her seat once more. She sucked on her teeth, then nodded.

"Of course," she said. "I'm going to be honest with you. Personally, I would recommend in my report to let you go and live your life, and that probably would happen. But you'll still have the knowledge that you have, and there are still people who will want it, both within our government and outside of it. There are also people who aren't happy that you disappeared and did things like cross borders illegally and evaded taxes. They could try to prosecute or punish you, one way or another. And, let's not forget, it wouldn't reflect well on your sisters' agreements with us that they aided you, not to mention Dr. Cormier's neglecting to inform us you two were in contact. The bottom line is, it could be alright, or it could lead to trouble for you and your family, and I certainly can't guarantee that you wouldn't receive harsher treatment from future administrations. All I can do is tell you that if you work with us now, my team will do our best to help you set up the life you want to live and protect you." She looked me directly in the eye, again. She reminded me a little of Art, with her straightforward manner. "I promise you that in good faith," she intoned.

I wasn't sure what to say. How do you trust someone completely in that situation? But I liked something about her. She didn't seem evasive, even if she clearly could only say so much, and she didn't sugar coat it. I also knew I could ask Sarah and the others about her. Things seemed to have been fine for them for a while, until this nightmare with Charlotte. There was more to learn, but… maybe this could be a good thing.

I looked at Delphine. She said things were different, now, that it had been better. She was able to have her professorship and lead a normal life…

I know I must have looked tired and overwhelmed, because she read my expression and said to Agent Meacham:

"It's a lot. Maybe Cosima could see her family and sleep on it?"

Meacham looked back and forth between us and nodded.

"Take the paperwork, look at it, talk to your family, get some rest," she told me. "We'll contact you tomorrow." She picked up the handset from the phone on her desk and pressed a button. "Jordan, please come and show Ms. Niehaus and Dr. Cormier out." She rose.

I stood up slowly, a little baffled, Delphine's hand still in mine.

"I can go home now? Is someone going to tell me what happened with Charlotte? Is someone going to be watching me?"

A small smile, or perhaps smirk, tugged at the corners of the agent's mouth.

"Yes, you can go home, now. I'm sure Dr. Cormier can fill you in on more. And yes, there will be someone keeping tabs, outside your house, partly for your own protection. I hope it reassures you to see I'm telling the truth."

All I could do was give a small nod at that. Before I knew it, Delphine had taken my arm and walked with me behind Jordan to find her car pulled up for us outside the nondescript door. We both took a breath.

"Would you—would you like me to drive you to Teo and Michael's?" she asked, a bit tentative. I turned to her and saw the worry in her eyes, so I slipped my arms around her, and pulled her to me in a hug.

"Yes," I answered. "Take me home, and please tell me what the hell you know about all this on the way." She gave me a squeeze, which I returned and let myself revel in for a brief moment, then murmured in her ear, "and after that, don't let go of me tonight, okay?"