#stel sides

[stels-sanderssides-au]

fuck it, my sides are canon to the au now

this is Alex, my curiosity. they're a robot

this is Charlie, my audiophilia/love of music. She's a bunny and the pigtails are actually her ears

this is Locke, my anxiety/self-preservation. he's a dunmer/dark elf

this is Freddy, my age regression.

this is Lilith, my lies. They're a naga

this is Cheshire, my therianthropy. he's a fox

this is Bud. she's responsible for my weird thoughts and my munchies when I'm high

[enigma020]

CREATIONS RENEW: PHOTO COLLECTION! (3)

“I’ll always choose you. In every universe,-

-In every reality we exist inside of.”

“Always.”

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[backtodecember-taylorsversion]

I'M SO IN LOVE I MIGHT STOP BREATHING, DREW A MAP ON YOURBEDROOM CIELEING

[theblackestofsuns]

"Three Left Sides"

Stel (1994)

Moebius

Epic Comics / Marvel Comics

[strawberrysainz]

about you. charles leclerc

“ snippets of times your paths cross. and how you begin to intertwine a little. / in which you, after many months, find your way back to him again. ”

charles leclerc x fem!reader

word count: 3.7k

strongly advise listening to ‘about you’ by the 1975 just for extra vibes idk

The first thing you think, as he gestures for you to lean into the window of his car - Andrea is holding up your red iPhone to take this picture you may have dreamed of since forever - is that he smelled very real.

It sounds ridiculous. Of course it does, but there is a significant way in which he smells like almond and vanilla scented something that makes you feel like you’re sixteen in your shower with your mum’s body wash she was gifted that in turn was for your own use (she liked soap bars instead).

And as the man smiles and counts down from three, you try to smile effortlessly- you will be showing this photo for years to come- but instead your grin is real, because he is real now, you will remember the smell, his smile, the soft lilt of his voice that you knew wasn’t his proper one.

“Thank you,” you say for a moment, sincere. The Sunday evening is early and welcome, his race win is fresh on everyone’s minds.

“And congratulations.” You add, as an afterthought, smiling. “I seem to have forgotten that.”

He falters for a moment - your casualness has seemed to startle him - and your friends are already pulling you away from the car, wanting to beat the traffic. Andrea hands your phone back and you lean a bit awkwardly over Charles to get it. Charles is staring at you with some sort of amusement, and as you shout a goodbye and a thank you, he waves with a grin as some boys run up to the car.

You laugh into the night air as you get into the taxi, staring at the photos, some candid, some not, of the two of you.

His smile is as big as yours, clearly ecstatic about his win still.

🍷🍝📷💋

A few months later - it’s summer - and you’re in Italy, hot nights and all the Aperol Spritzes are powering you through the days. You’re bundled up in the front seat of a little Volkswagen Beetle on your way to someone’s villa/winery when you notice two guys standing on the side of the road with a car that’s run out of petrol.

You gesture to your friend, and she sighs, and you pause the song and stick your head out of the yellow car. “Are you guys okay?” You say in that heavy accented English, and with a jolt you realise it’s Charles and Joris.

Your friend has realised too - she was at the Grand Prix with you that night - and Charles is staring at the two of you through those RayBans, a little laughing smirk on his face. “The car’s gone.“

“Are you sorting it out, or…?” You say, giggling a little; Joris looks very uncomfortable in the summer sun.

“Everyone’s closed. We called. It’s a Sunday.”

“Get in,” you say, sharing a glance with your friend, “Come have some lunch. One of our friend’s dad is a mechanic, we’ll see what he can do.”

You watch him debate with Joris silently, and then with a shrug they get in.

“This is Stella,” you say, smiling, and introduce yourself too. Charles’ face kind of squints with recognition. “Do I know you from somewhere?”

“I met you in Monaco the night you won,” you smile, kind of embarrassed, and he slaps his thigh, making a noise of recognition to be nice (but you know he doesn’t remember that interaction at all).

You nod and Stel talks to them for a while, talking about how lovely Italy’s been in August, and the road is winding away until you’re at Luca’s.

🍷🍝📷💋

You friend Luca is very drunk, you note, the flush on his cheeks and the lazy lilt to his voice are very apparent. When he recognises Charles - this friend group is F1 mad - he hugs him and runs away immediately to get him a drink.

You’ve let your friends take on the role of entertainment for the guests, opting to strip down to your bikini and hop in the pool. It’s a scorching hot day, and you lather on sun cream before relaxing with a spicy margherita in your hands.

Your girlfriends pounce, Stella telling the story of picking up the hitchhikers and one of them thinks she can “totally bag Leclerc” before you’re all called inside for the food.

Before you walk in, you slip on the pair of denim shorts you were wearing and some sandals. Charles has a drink in hand and is sitting at the table already, the pasta and homemade bread having been broken into. Stel pulls you in to sit opposite him and Joris, and you lean over to dish some salad while Charles discusses the watch on his wrist with one of your friends (it’s the car chase robbery story that went viral a few months ago). Joris watches on, looking a bit awkward, so you lean in and begin to make some conversation.

He gladly accepts the invitation to talk, and you launch into a conversation about the holiday he is on before getting stuck on the road. You realise Charles is watching you speak now, oddly engaged, and you look down at your food, cheeks hot.

“So you two were in Monaco, right? For the Grand Prix? How was it?” Charles says, smiling sort of amicably, and a rush of embarrassment engulfs you as you smile at him. “So good. We loved it.” You say, and Stella launches into a story about a weird man who sat next to you on the grandstand.

🍷🍝📷💋

You squeeze in to the middle of the backseat, between Charles and Joris: your bare legs brush against them both in a moment that has you scrunching your nose with disbelief, Luca’s dad rattles on in Italian in the passenger seat with a large petrol can in his lap.

Twenty minutes later, you’re back on the hill on the dark and you’re hugging Charles and Joris goodbye, waving them away. You blow a kiss and get back in the backseat, laughing, shaking your heads.

🍷🍝📷💋

Seven months later, the cold February air finds you in Milan as you walk by an open window. You’re here for work, for Fashion Week, and you drift between fashion houses and shows, writing about them, chatting to models and designers and curators and it’s all so elegant, fun and exciting.

Next on your list is Ferrari’s show in the early evening, looking down to your list, and the waitress brings over your drink in the cosy restaurant.

Sitting on a cold hard (concrete?) bench across from the runway, you’re sitting between to an influencer with the most gorgeous pink jacket you’ve ever seen and an old fashionable Italian man with leathery tanned skin (how is he so tan?), and you launch into conversation with him about his experience this week so far, making notes. The show is as good as it could get for the brand, their classic leather, green and red and yellow ensembles with some gems in between that you adore. It’s alright, you think, it’s average, and just as you’re debating leaving someone roars in Italian and holy shit, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are walking down the runway.

You immediately begin to laugh a little under your breath, taking some pictures, and as Charles passes your side the girl next to you tries not to shout.

They look pretty cool, you think - all leather pants and shirts and vests, stuff you think they could use a little more of for their everyday fashion. You cheer along with everyone else as Carlos blows a kiss when they leave, laughing a little.

🍷🍝📷💋

You’re just about to leave when a girl comes up to you and engulfs you in a hug, and you tentatively grip her back before looking back, only then relaxing. She’s from university, she eagerly recounts memories of 1st year linguistics class. She hands you a glass of champagne and invites you back to the after celebration, and with a shrug - it can’t hurt, right? - you follow, being led into a room at the back.

It smells like too much cologne, and you scrunch your nose as you find a stray canapé to munch on when Joris calls your name.

Of course he’s standing there, and you run over to give him a hug.

“My saviour!” He jokes, and you laughed, staying by his side to have a chat. You can’t believe he even remembered you. You’re chatting about your latest projects when you’re interrupted by a hand on your shoulder. It’s Charles and Carlos, and Charles has to stare at you for five seconds to figure out who you are before he says your name, squeezing your shoulder. You stand there, rocking on your high heels for a second before he introduces you to Carlos.

“She saved me and Joris in Italy last summer when our car ran out of petrol, we had lunch at their friend’s house.”

Carlos laughs a little when Joris chips in. You’re staring at someone walking past in a great pair of red leather pants when Joris taps your arm.

“We still have to pay you back for last year. Do you want to go for dinner with us?”

Now Carlos’ girlfriend, Rebecca, has turned up, achingly beautiful, and Carlos introduces you and you kiss cheeks before she nods and says she’s so hungry too.

So you end up in a big black car, and Charles is phoning the restaurant and they don’t have a table for 5pm until he does a subtle name drop and then they magically do. Italy has a big love for him, their il predestinato. When you all pull up, there are a lot of people milling about outside, in sparkly dresses and sweatpants, lots of makeup and bare-faced, and you spot Suki Waterhouse when you walk in.

They give you a spot near the back, the brown wall making the space warm as you and Rebecca slide in to the booth.

They order aperitifs and you all chat about what you’ve been seeing this fashion week, the boys’ experience walking, and then you talk to Rebecca about her life for a while.

Then you all order seafood, and it’s delicious and tastes like it’s been made with joy and love.

“I still feel like we have to repay you,” Charles says, catching your attention, and you laugh and shrug the idea away. “This dinner’s lovely. It’s okay.”

“Can I give you and … -“ Joris murmurs to him, “Stella nice tickets to Monaco? Or Monza? Is that fine?”

“Monaco,” Joris nods, and Charles looks at him then back to you. “Really, it’s the least we can do.”

You are busy turning down the offer when Charles shakes his head. “Sorry. See you in May.”

🍷🍝📷💋

You and Stella giggle gleefully as you hear the little sound of your card authorising your access to the paddock. The two of you intertwine arms, walking down. You walk around, peering at everyone supposedly trying to get on with their business in the Thursday morning.

You send a text to Joris, and you just keep walking around for twenty minutes until he replies and says he’s sent someone to come get you. It’s a woman, and she has a lovely smile and she takes you to the hospitality - it’s upstairs, because the paddock is so small in Monaco, and you two have a glass of champagne before Joris appears, slightly sweaty. He’s just got here, he explains, him and Charles - they were slightly held up by fans.

You and Stella laugh and hug him.

🍷🍝📷💋

You spent the day just talking with Joris and other people in the hospitality about their jobs. It’s genuinely the best experience, and it’s nearing 6pm when everyone starts closing up and you are standing near the entrance/exit of the paddock, Stella in the bathroom when Charles comes up to you.

You’re on your phone when you hear him walk up, and you look up with a smile. You haven’t seen him since that dinner - three months ago - and when he pulls you into a hug you feel a rush of energy (electricity?) flow through you. His smile is big and bright.

“How was your day?” You ask, fiddling with your phone case, and he sighs dramatically. “Busy. Monaco is always crazy.��

You nod.

“How was yours?”

“So great. The people in your team are so wonderful. I had a really lovely day.”

Your dress swishes in the wind and you see him cast a glance down at your exposed legs before meeting your eyes again. “Me and Joris are going to do pasta tonight. Do you want to come over for it?”

“Stella’s still here…” you say awkwardly. “I’m not sure what she wanted to do, she mentioned going out.”

“Oh.” He nods. “Ok.”

Stella comes back from the bathroom and she smiled at Charles. “I never got to say thanks for this trip, it’s been great so far.”

Charles smiles at her. “No problem.”

🍷🍝📷💋

Friday comes and goes, a slightly uneventful day (you don’t see Charles, he’s too busy with the practices and the press) and there you are on a rainy Saturday morning.

Stella insisted on hiring a bicycle to get the ‘authentic experience’ so the two of you are busy cursing the weather in plastic rain jackets as you whiz down the streets on bright green bikes.

Your cheeks flush with embarrassment when you see that Charles and Andrea getting off their bikes as you arrive. He notices you, sodden like a wet rat, your nice jeans probably ruined, and giggles in the pouring rain, coming over to help you off your bike and give you an awfully cold hug. His arms wrap around you and you feel him kiss your cheeks, so you return them, but you’re shivering so much he keeps his arms around you until the same nice lady from Thursday comes with an umbrella and takes you inside. You wave goodbye to Charles as he goes to the garage and you blush, your hair soaked still.

The woman takes you and Stella to a tiny little room with cupboards and points to a drawer that contains a hairdryer and a Dyson airwrap (to your delight) so the two of you end up hair-drying yourselves dry - jeans and all. You also get to touch up your makeup after you dry your bag with the hairdryer too.

Nice and warm, you’re given cappuccinos and you peer out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the track, and see the boats rock in the harbour due to the rain and the wind.

“I don’t think we’ll have qualifying on time at this rate,” another man comments, also a guest of Ferrari, and you and Stella nod, trying to seem up to speed with track condition information.

So an hour later the two of you get to watch the boys film a YouTube video, and part of a vlog they seem to be making.

Afterwards, Charles comes over with Joris, and the four of you chat for twenty minutes before Charles is called away. It’s soft conversation, irritating talk about the weather because of the people around you, so you’re glad to change the topic when he leaves.

“What are your plans for tomorrow evening?” Joris comments. There’s a big party, you’ve heard from the groups of rich and famous people, happening on this gigantic yacht tomorrow, but you haven’t scored an invite so you might just go clubbing. But that sounds embarrassing, so you shrug. “Not sure yet.”

“You have to come to this big party an old friend of Charles is hosting. It’s on this yacht and everyone will be there.”

You and Stella fistbump under the table.

“And what are you guys doing tonight? Charles said you guys were having pasta last night.”

Joris looks a little surprised for a moment then quirks his lips in thought. “Probably not anything. He likes to be alone the night before the race. But last year we did this little dinner at his brother’s house which ended up being really nice.”

You nod.

Qualifying is postponed until five o’clock, and you’re taken to the paddock club by someone to be able to stand at the top and peer down at the track.

The rain has quietened down, yet there’s a lot of tyre warfare, teams mistakenly putting on hards before spinning out so there’s a red flag or two before Q3.

You watch the big screens to see Max score pole, and with a wince Charles is only third.

It’s highly upsetting because of how crucial qualifying is for Monaco. So everyone supporting Ferrari (Carlos is sixth) lets out a heavy sigh before going back to the hospitality.

🍷🍝📷💋

It’s 8 now, the sky dimming, and Stella has plans to see an old school friend so you hang around the hospitality, dreading taking the stupid bike back to the hotel.

There’s an energy in the air tonight, the kind you only get in a different place at night. It’s that kind of powerful feeling. You’re talking to one of the chefs as they all finish their service for the night when Charles comes to pick up food, and you’re surprised to see him when he comes to stand next to you.

“Hi,” you say softly, smiling when the chef you’re talking to launches himself at Charles for a hug, speaking rapid French.

“Where’s Stella?” He asks, and he’s checking how his food looks through a peek at the polystyrene container when you reply. “She has plans with another friend tonight.”

“So what’re you doing?” He looks up at you.

“Avoiding taking the bike back to the hotel, then I’ll probably have dinner there.”

“If you ride that stupid big bicycle 5km back to the hotel now at night and in the rain alone I’m going to kill you.” His expression is one of concern.

You laugh as he laughs too, his cheeks warming.

“I’ll get someone to come pick it up, I know they work at the company. Please let me take you somewhere for some food?”

“Don’t you want to wind down before the race?” You ask, uncertain.

He shakes his head. “You won’t be a bother.” He says quietly, and you blush, looking down at the floor.

So you two leave, and he’s got a car waiting for him, and you sprint from the hospitality because the rain’s started to pour again.

🍷🍝📷💋

You have to stop at his apartment so he can drop off the food that he now probably won’t eat and so he can change out of his garishly red clothing to be a little more discreet.

You two stand alone in the lift, and you look at him in the mirror for a moment before your eyes meet and he looks away.

His apartment is immediately cosy in the way a man just has stuff everywhere. He has a coat of his mom’s you can borrow after he noticed you shiver when you got out of the car, and when he hands it to you the look on his face is so tender you feel a little anxious.

Going back down, you stand a little closer and get back in the car. He smells comforting now, like that cologne you once caught a whiff of one hot Italian summer day.

Scrolling through your feed, your phone lights up the car and he gets a call from his mom, talking softly in French to her.

You lock your phone. The driver tells you to connect to the aux via Bluetooth and you freeze up with anxiety. But when you start with a Fleetwood Mac song Charles is mouthing the words silently as he texts someone so you relax.

Because of traffic, it takes you forty minutes to get to this restaurant tucked away on a quiet street. Charles opens your door for you.

Entering, the maître d’ is an elderly woman and she hugs Charles so tight. You stand there behind him and she comes to hug you too. She seats you two far away from the door after he asks.

“I think you should get pasta. It’s unreal here.” He says, after you’ve both ordered water.

You smile. “What are you eating?”

“Probably just a chicken salad. Have to stay in order for tomorrow,” he says.

You roll your eyes. “I’m not eating pasta if you have to eat a salad. That’s sad.”

You then bicker for ten minutes until the woman - Gilda - comes back. You make him order first - a chicken Parmesan salad - and then order the same and he shoots you a look (he thought he convinced you to order the pasta).

🍷🍝📷💋

After supper you leave in the drizzle, and he takes your arm and loops it through his. His arm is so warm, and you end up leaning your head against the beginning of his shoulder as you stand against the wall, waiting for the driver again.

He turns his head to say something to you, then stares at you for a second. He then leans down to whisper something in your ear and you giggle and then he’s moved to face you properly.

You’re anxiously biting your lip because he’s looking at you like you hang the stars in the sky and you feel terribly awkward and then he leans down and kisses you and he tastes like Parmesan so you laugh in the kiss.

You feel his body shake with laughter beneath your touch and his body is warm even in the drizzle. And when you kiss his lips make your whole body fire up. And his hand is gripping your waist through his mother’s coat and his other hand is running through your slowly dampening hair and he groans and you’re electric.

You pull away when the driver drives up, flushed and awfully happy. His cheeks are pink and his eyes soft.

“Get in the car,” he murmurs softly, and when he opens the door he slides on to the backseat behind you and wraps a hand around your shoulder and everything feels perfect.

back from hibernation. hope you enjoyed!!!!

here’s my masterlist

[cetaitlaverite]

Anything to Anywhere

Masters of the Air - Bucky Egan x OC

sorry for the delay!! we are so back masterlist is here <3

13. Clay Pigeons

‘Stels,

Went on leave in London. I copied out the number of my hotel on the other side of this note. Call if you want to talk.

- John’

Stella had read and reread the note at least a hundred times since finding it beneath an empty mug at the place she sat at breakfast everyday. She wasn’t sure what she was feeling.

After storming out on him she’d spent all night tossing and turning, trying to come up with what she would say when she inevitably saw him the next day. Today. She’d even come up with something she was somewhat satisfied with. She knew she was a difficult person to deal with and resented that she showed some of her most complicated parts to John, so she’d put extra effort into forcing herself to be vulnerable when she explained herself.

But he was gone. Come morning, he had organised leave, packed up his belongings, and fled to London.

It made sense, Stella supposed, that he wasn’t going to stick around, holding his breath waiting for an apology he had no reason to expect was coming. But his absence stung her all the same. She didn’t care that he’d left a number for her to contact him on, she cared that he wasn’t here, that he’d just gone.

Screwing the letter up in one hand, Stella buried it in her pocket and thanked the waiter who delivered her breakfast. Then she went about her business as usual, trying her best to contribute to Alice and Jessop’s conversation even when she felt like storming out.

She flew her chits and mulled over everything she might say to John on the phone. She wouldn’t call him, she knew, but it was almost thrilling to imagine a version of herself who might. If she were braver or bolder or more forgivable she supposed she would. At this point, she’d made herself so utterly undesirable she was sure John had left the number solely out of courtesy and didn’t much want anything more to do with her.

Even still, that night she found herself gnawing on her bottom lip, sitting on her bed with her teddy bear in her lap as she toyed with the idea of calling.

He would be out, she reasoned with herself. He wouldn’t be sitting around in his hotel room, not on his first visit to London.

But then again, if she called and left a message at least he’d know she actually had called. She wouldn’t have to speak to him but he’d know she’d tried.

But he probably didn’t even want to hear from her. It was courtesy, she reminded herself. He didn’t mean it.

But if he did pick up, she wouldn’t have to have that difficult conversation she’d spent all night thinking up in person, and how much easier would it be to do it over the phone? He wouldn’t get to see her blush or tear up or any number of embarrassing things she might do when she had to apologise. All she would have to do was keep her voice steady.

So, pyjamas on, Stella shoved her feet into her boots and made her way to the ATA hut through the dark, to the only telephone she could use and guarantee no one would overhear her. Usually she’d go to the officers’ club, but at this time of night it would be packed and she didn’t much fancy dodging eavesdroppers while standing in the midst of everyone in her pyjamas.

Her heart was in her throat as she listened to the phone ring and she hadn’t even been put through to the operator yet. Her left foot was tapping vigorously against the ground, her right hand twisting and untwisting the telephone cord. She kept glancing over her shoulder, seeking out silhouettes in the dark corners of the room where the lamplight didn’t reach, kept tugging at the hem of her nightdress as though unwanted eyes were on her.

She felt she could have been sick.

When the operator put her through to John’s hotel the nausea only got worse. Stella considered hanging up a good many times but reasoned with herself that she’d traipsed all the way across base to get here so she was going to make it worth her while.

And then the hotel receptionist came on the phone and put her through to John’s room.

And then, after a hefty bout of ringing, the receptionist came back on the phone again.

“He doesn’t seem to be in, miss,” the receptionist said, the apology heavy in her voice. It was clear that, in spite of how Stella had introduced herself simply as a friend, the receptionist had implied some sort of romantic intimacy in her relationship to John, had implied that she was calling him in the middle of the night because she was suspicious of what he was doing in London.

Stella hated that implication. And she hated what the fact that he really wasn’t in his hotel room at eleven o’clock at night actually did imply.

“Oh,” Stella said, sounding forlorn even though she hadn’t honestly expected John to be in. “Can I - um -” She stopped to clear her throat of its awkward hoarseness. “Can I leave a message? Maybe?”

“Of course, miss,” the receptionist hurried to assure her warmly.

“Thank you,” Stella said, then hesitated. She was left breathing down the phone as she warred with herself about what to say. She couldn’t decide whether or not to deliver her prepared spiel to this random, unfortunate receptionist over the phone, but then the receptionist prompted her to speak and she could ruminate on it no more. Tentatively, she began, “Can you please tell him that Stella Finley called for him. That’s me. Obviously. Um - Sorry -” She shook her head at herself. “Can you just tell him that I said I’m sorry for running away from him. And that he was right. About my brothers. And - and just that I’m really sorry for being so difficult all the time and I don’t deserve to have him as a friend. Okay, that’s everything.”

The other end of the line was quiet. Stella worried, briefly, that the receptionist had hung up on her. But then she said, “I’ve got it all written down, miss. I’ll make sure to pass the message on.” There was something sad in her voice.

Stella let her eyes fall resignedly shut and breathed, “Thank you,” in reply.

She had no idea how long John was supposed to be on leave and, at first, she tried to convince herself not to care. She went to breakfast and flew her chits and wrote up her flight reports and went to dinner and went to the officers’ club and read her books and went about her business the way she always did. But she couldn’t ignore how big of a hole there was in her life; not having John there to talk to whenever she so desired left a bigger gap than she would have realised had he not so suddenly removed himself from it. A chasm, really.

He didn’t call her back the entirety of the following day.

Stella went to see Buck before he went out on his next mission.

“Finley,” he greeted her, glancing up in surprise when DeMarco, beside him, nudged him to get his attention.

“Hi,” Stella greeted in return, squinting into the morning sunshine. “I’m sorry to show up unannounced and I promise I won’t stay long, I just - do you know how long John’s going to be on leave? It’s not really any of my business and I suppose if he’d wanted me to know he would’ve told me but he left me a note and he told me to call him and I did but he didn’t pick up and now he hasn’t tried to call back - or, at least, no one’s told me that he has - so I was just wondering how long -”

“Finley,” Buck interrupted her, chuckling softly to himself under his breath. “He’ll call you back. I’m sure he’s just busy.”

“He probably doesn’t even want to talk to me,” Stella disagreed. She lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the sun, shifting on her feet. “Did he tell you what I did?”

Buck’s eyebrows furrowed. “What’d you do?”

“I ran away from him.”

“Why?”

“Because he was asking me personal questions.” Stella shook her head as though to clear it, lowered her hand from where it had been resting against her forehead and then raised it immediately right back up again when she found the sun just as strong as before. “Anyway -” Buck made to interrupt her but she kept on talking over him like she didn’t notice, “- do you know when he’s coming back? I just feel like I want to be prepared before I say something stupid.”

A short silence fell. There were only the sounds of airmen preparing for a mission, mechanics running around and ensuring each plane was ready. Behind Stella, Ken Lemmons was still fiddling around with the plane Buck was about to fly.

Buck was wearing a tiny, wry smile, silent as he simply stared at Stella in the wake of her babbling.

Stella raised her eyebrows at him, shuffling once more on her feet and resisting the urge to start tugging on her sleeves. She wasn’t sure why she felt so self-conscious - there was nothing in what she’d said that should be making him look at her like this.

“Tuesday,” he confessed at last, still with that same inexplicable smile. “He’s coming back Tuesday night.”

“Tuesday?” Stella asked. “That’s a long time to be on leave.” How long did one man possibly need to be in London by himself?

Buck shrugged. “He needed a break and he’s not needed around here until then.”

“He’s always needed around here,” Stella objected without thinking. When she heard her own words, however, she flushed so suddenly her cheeks were on fire. She clamped her mouth shut. “I mean, in the ops room,” she added hastily once she’d regained some semblance of composure.

Again, Buck chuckled under his breath. “Right,” he agreed. “But he needed a break, Fin. You ever taken one of those?”

“A break?” Now it was Stella’s turn to laugh. “No, never. As long as there are planes to ferry I’m staying here. I’d get antsy if I couldn’t fly - you saw how I was when I was in the infirmary.” She shook her head and batted the thought away. “Anyway, I’ll go now. Sorry for badgering you.”

Buck brushed her aside. “Ain’t no problem at all, Fin, you’re not badgering anyone.”

Stella smiled. Now she really was fiddling with her hands. She wasn’t sure how to tell him that she was grateful to have him as a friend - were they friends? - without coming on too strong, so all she could do was stare at him and smile.

“Have a good flight,” she offered after a beat, when she became conscious she had probably outstayed her welcome. “Come home safe and all that, okay? I’ll be lonely with you and John both gone.”

Buck rolled his eyes jovially and clapped her affectionately on the shoulder. “I’ll see you later, Fin. Take care of yourself when you’re out flying today, alright?”

“Alright,” Stella agreed. “You too, Buck.”

“Alright,” he answered her.

Stella gave him one final smile and a half-hearted, poorly executed salute before turning on her heel and heading back to the ATA hut from whence she’d come.

Tuesday. That was so far from now. She had no idea what she was supposed to spend her time doing until then. Waiting around for a return phone call, probably. How had he still not called? Had the receptionist even passed on the message? But she’d sounded so sincere over the phone. Surely he was just ignoring her. Or maybe he wasn’t even at the hotel - maybe he’d met a lovely, pretty, normal woman and was staying with her. Maybe, maybe, maybe.

Stella was twiddling her thumbs, sitting around on the edge of the airfield, when the B-17s returned from their mission. She wasn’t sure why - John wasn’t with them - but she supposed it might be nice to keep Buck company now that Curt was gone and John was away in London. He was probably even lonelier than she was with his best friend on leave.

Sixteen planes returned of the twenty-four which had been sent out. Three of those had experienced mechanical failures and come back early. Thirteen had completed a successful mission.

Eight planes had gone down somewhere over Germany.

Buck’s plane was among them.

“Fuck,” Stella wept as she sat in one of the returned B-17s that night. “Fuck!” She had no idea why she was crying except that so many people she knew were gone. Curt and Buck among her new friends, basically all of the boys she’d gone to school with, four of her brothers. Four of her brothers. She was supposed to have eight and she had four.

“Fuck!”

Stella slammed her hands into the yoke until they stung and burned, until they hurt too much to bang anymore. Then she gripped it tightly and squeezed until her hands went numb, digging her nails in until they broke and bled.

She tipped her head back until it rested against the seat behind her, shut her eyes tight and let the tears flow freely.

So many men. So many boys. How many more? John was sure to end up going too. He always talked about how good of a pilot Buck was, how he was the best. If even the best could go down then what hope did the rest of them have?

The Battle of Britain was finished and yet airmen were still being shot out of the sky like clay pigeons. The Germans were hunting all of them for sport. An entire generation of young men would be wiped out before the war was out and maybe then Stella would finally get her wish of being sent out into combat. Who else would there be to fight this pitiful, godforsaken war?

Stella’s hands were shaking when she released the yoke and pressed the heels of her palms into her eyes. Her shoulders were heaving with every sob, with every gasping, wheezing breath she drew in. How many more times was she going to have to sit in the dark and cry for a man her age or only just above, taken too soon by some nameless Luftwaffe pilot in the name of patriotism and glory?

It was on weak, shaking legs that she started the trek back to her hut, still weeping, hugging her arms tight around herself less to ward off the chill of the night and more to ward off her demons. Her feet were dragging behind her, her shoulders slumped forward, her head shaking from side to side like she was trying to reprimand the world for doing this to her over and over again.

“Stels,” John said, pushing up off the wall to her hut when she first came into view.

She didn’t hear him, just kept sniffling and sobbing, her bottom lip clasped between her teeth and her eyes full with so many tears it was like she had an endless lake inside of her.

“Stels,” he said again, louder, when she got closer. “Stella.”

She looked up, startled, and hiccuped when her next sob never came.

Through the darkness he was formidable, big and looming, somehow casting a shadow behind him even in the absence of light.

He didn’t try to approach her, just stared back at her from where he was.

There was a long moment of silence. The two of them stared at each other.

Stella’s bottom lip wobbled and she hiccuped once more. When she couldn’t help but sniffle she hastily wiped at her nose with her sleeve and accused, “You never called me back.”

“I only got your message after -” He faltered.

“After you found out about Buck?” Stella deduced.

He didn’t say anything, didn’t even nod, but Stella knew she was correct by the way his gaze hardened.

“Did you meet a woman?” she asked. She got a sick sense of satisfaction from the way he averted his eyes.

So she’d been right. He’d been staying at someone else’s place.

“Was she pretty?”

“Stels -” Again, he faltered.

Stella scoffed a low laugh. “John, it’s fine. I’m not your girlfriend. You can fuck whoever you want.”

“Stels.” No faltering, just that one word, a full sentence. All the disapproval of a father in the hardness of the consonants.

“I’ve never had sex,” she said, sniffling, wiping at her nose. “Is it any good?”

She revelled in the way she’d clearly caught him off guard. John, never unnerved by her, always expecting the unexpected, had not expected that.

“I’m not drunk,” she said, just to fill the empty air. She didn’t know if he was imagining she was but she wanted him to know she wasn’t just in case. Wanted him to know she was behaving like this out of emptiness, not inebriation. “I only had a few beers and a couple of shots. Tipsy, maybe. But not drunk.” She took an ambling step closer to him. “Are you drunk?”

“No.”

“Are you sad?”

Silence.

“I’m so sad,” she said, and laughed at herself. It was a sad laugh, the twinkle of wind chimes in an old, abandoned house, and she hiccuped right after, just so she didn’t forget she’d just been weeping. “All the time. ‘Cause - ‘cause -” The dam broke. The sobs she’d been withholding came spilling right back out of her. She was powerless to stop them, a doorstop trying to keep out a pack of angry wolves.

Wrapping her arms tightly around herself, Stella curled in on herself and started past John, pushed past him when he stepped in front of the door and then headed briskly into her hut. She didn’t feel like talking to him anymore. Didn’t feel like crying in front of him anymore.

She collapsed on her bed, boots and all, and curled up in a ball, with Ralph, her childhood teddy bear, clutched to her chest. She muffled her crying into the top of his head, tried fruitlessly to breathe in the smell of home which had long since faded away.

John sat on the bed beside hers. Alice’s bed. She didn’t turn to look but she could sense his presence. If she wasn’t crying and if she listened hard enough she thought she’d probably be able to hear him breathe.

He didn’t say anything while she cried. He didn’t even try to touch her. Maybe he feared she’d try to flee again if he did. She was so flighty, so delicate, unpredictable and liable to combust at any given moment.

She wouldn’t have fled. If he’d tried to touch her. She might have cried harder but she also might have cried softer. Had anyone ever tried to comfort her when she cried? No one ever seemed to know what to do with her.

“I’m sorry about Buck,” she managed to choke out when her tears started to slow. “I - I went to see him earlier and - and -”

“Shh,” John said simply. Finally, tentatively, he laid a hand on the centre of her back.

He had such big hands. Just one hand was on her and yet she was sure she could feel its warmth in her entire body.

She curled into it, pushed her spine back against it.

He started to rub it slowly up and down.

“My brothers -”

“I know, Stels.”

“Four of them.”

He drew in a deep breath. “‘M sorry.”

“Everyone keeps -”

“I know.”

“I don’t know what to do.”

John didn’t say anything. What was there for him to say? He didn’t know what to do either.

[honey-makes-mogai]

[Image ID: 2 MOGAI flags with ten horizontal stripes. From top to bottom the colors in order are: blue, cyan, yellow, orange, white, black, orange, yellow, cyan, blue. The white and black stripes are thinner than the rest, which are all equally sized. In the middle of the first flag is a symbol resembling a 5 pointed star, the lines making each point turn into a spiral as they reach the next point. The symbol is off white outlined in black with a semi transparent off white circle behind it. In the middle of the second flag is a can of Monster Juice Mango Loco outlined in white. /End ID]

MonsterEnergyMangoLocoJuicestelic / MangoLocostelic -

[PT: MonsterEnergyMangoLocoJuicestelic / MangoLocostelic -]

A constelic term for those who stel Monster Energy Juice Mango Loco!

[Image ID: 2 MOGAI flags with ten horizontal stripes. From top to bottom the colors in order are: yellow, orange, dusty teal, dusty navy blue, white, black, dusty navy blue, dusty teal, orange, yellow. The white and black stripes are thinner than the rest, which are all equally sized. In the middle of the first flag is a symbol resembling a 5 pointed star, the lines making each point turn into a spiral as they reach the next point. The symbol is off white outlined in black with a semi transparent off white circle behind it. In the middle of the second flag is a can of Monster Juice Khaotic outlined in white. /End ID]

MonsterEnergyKhaoticJuicestelic / Khaoticstelic -

[PT: MonsterEnergyKhaoticJuicestelic / Khaoticstelic -]

A constelic term for those who stel Monster Energy Juice Khaotic!

[Image ID: 2 MOGAI flags with ten horizontal stripes. From top to bottom the colors in order are: peach, light peach, yellow, magenta, white, black, blue, yellow, light peach, peach. The white and black stripes are thinner than the rest, which are all equally sized. In the middle of the first flag is a symbol resembling a 5 pointed star, the lines making each point turn into a spiral as they reach the next point. The symbol is off white outlined in black with a semi transparent off white circle behind it. In the middle of the second flag is a can of Monster Juice Papillon / Mariposa outlined in white. /End ID]

MonsterEnergyPapillonJuicestelic / Papillonstelic / MonsterEnergyMariposaJuicestelic / Mariposastelic -

[PT: MonsterEnergyPapillonJuicestelic / Papillonstelic / MonsterEnergyMariposaJuicestelic / Mariposastelic -]

A constelic term for those who stel Monster Energy Juice Papillon / Mariposa!

Tagging: @radiomogai @obscurian @the-mogai-archives @constelicflags

[Banner ID: A pastel yellow banner with a sunflower on either side. In brown text with a white outline, it says "- Please let me know if this has been coined before! -" /End ID.] [DNI transcript: "-DNI- Basic criteria, anti-mogai, proshippers, ableists, aphobes, racists, zoophiles, rpf shippers, fandom discourse, under 13, transid/transx". /End transcript.]

[acourtofinkandpapyrus]

My Little Shadow: Part Five (Azriel X Reader)

Warnings: Mentions of an abusive family, trying not to freeze to death, but otherwise there's some sisterly fluff!

I swear Azriel will be in the next episode! And he's going to be very worried about Y/N.

Part four

Part five

Tag list: @mis-lil-red

By the first hour of the day, the cold had begun to seep in, despite my wedding dress made of many layers and my sister's warm attire.

By nightfall we were freezing.

I had spotted a cave that was well insulated, and hid us deep in the dark caverns.

Stella had said nothing, a faraway look in her dark rimmed eyes.  She hadn’t asked for this, but I knew why mom had sent her with me.  Unlike my other sisters, Stella still had that hope of freedom, she had not yet been weighed down by the ugly reality of that place.  That there was no escape.

But we escaped.  I remind myself, ruffling through the pack my mother had given me.

There was an extra set of warm clothes in there, food, and most importantly, weapons and the tools to make a fire.

I bit my lip.  If I lit a fire in here, not only could we suffocate from the smoke, but the heat could cause a snow in at the entrance.

Feeling out the shadows, I knew that they’d be happy to help, having been alone in this cave for who knows how long.

I looked over at my sister, who was shivering as she looked out towards the light at the entrance.

She had been this way the whole time.  The only time we had been out from underground while we were in Hewn City was during starfall, and sometimes not even then if our father was in a particularly foul mood.

Letting out a breath that fogged in the air, I made up my mind.  “Hey Stella, come over here.”

Her head turned, and by god if her golden hair and blue eyes didn’t shine brighter in the thin beams of light that made it this far into the cave.

I nodded, pulling out a thin blanket that had also been packed.  She scooched over, cuddling up to my side as I draped a blanket over us.

“Hey Stella, do you want to hear a story?”  I ask, hoping to remind her of the nights I would read her stories until her eyes couldn’t stay open anymore, the soft giggles and funny sounds I made to drown out the outside world.

She nodded into my chest, and I wrapped my arms around her, letting the shadows come a bit closer.

“Have you ever heard the name Shadowsinger sister?”  I asked, running a hand through her hair.  Since she currently still had her head buried in my side, I let the shadows form another sheet on top of the blanket, the new warmth immediately noticeable

She shook her head, not looking up, and I chuckled.  “Well, their name isn’t just for show.  They are called that because they can actually talk to shadows, they can understand their little whispers and secrets, the games they play in the dark.”

Stella lifted her head just enough to look up at me, not noticing the shadows that now kept us warm.  Her eyes sparkled with that childhood curiosity of all that’s unknown.  “What do they talk about?”  She asks.

I had no doubt she thought this was a story I was making up, just like all the other stories I told her.

What she didn’t know was that every story I had ever told her had come from the shadows.  Choosing the ones that had happy endings.

“Well, they talk about all sorts of things.  They are fascinated with stories from other lands.  You see, for the most part shadows don’t travel much.  They are old as time, and tend to prefer to sleep.  But some want to roam, to explore.  The ones that stay like to hear the stories of those that have ambition, and after that, they share the stories with those who can, and will listen.”

“Do you have to know how to sing to be a shadowsinger?”  She asked, and I couldn’t help but to laugh.

“No, no they don’t.  But they are very rare.”  I say, taking her chin in my hand and tilting it up towards me, putting on a serious face.  “Stella, if I tell you a secret, can you promise to keep it?”

She nodded, a little grin on her face.

“I’m serious Stell, if I tell you this, you must never tell anyone without asking me first.”  I say, conveying how serious I was.

She thought about it for a moment before nodding.  “I promise.”

I smile, my heart hurting from the love I felt right then.  I had never told anyone what I was, but I knew I trusted Stella, even if she was still so young.

“I’m a shadowsinger.” I whisper, letting one of the shadows crawl up my hand, I hold it up to her so she can see.

She gasped, her blue eyes wide with wondrous delight as she reached out to touch.  I let them drift over onto her hand, and she giggles as they swirl around playfully.

“It’s beautiful.”  She murmurs, letting them return to me.

I smile as I slide them back into the shadow blanket.  “Now you know my secret.  If you are ever afraid, or unsure, always remember that there are always friends, even if they like to hide.”

She snuggled up to me, and I kissed her on the head, wrapping my arms around her.  “Go to sleep now.  Tomorrow’s going to be a long day.”

Only when I felt her breathing even out into one of a steady sleep did I let my thoughts wander.

Mom said to run and never come back, run to lands unknown.

And I was fully prepared to do that.

But I had a deal with another shadowsinger, and even if I didn’t I wouldn’t just leave my mother and sisters with someone who was sacrificing females.

My time in Prythian wasn’t done yet.

So tomorrow, I will head to the Winter court, and I will find someone who could contact Azriel.  Somehow I knew that he would keep me and my sister safe.

As I drifted off to sleep, I realized that I trusted him, that somehow I knew that he wouldn’t hurt either of us.

With that thought in mind, I slept more soundly than I had in years.

[dollyyun]

𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬 | 09

SYPNOSIS: wherein Hwang Stella's life is tangled in a predicament involving her clandestine identity as a racer, her seemingly daily life as the official heir to the Hwang Empire, and seven guys with whom she has a complex history with. PAIRING: non!idols enhypen members x fem!oc. GENRE: 18+ (mdni), reverse harem, chaebols, semi-college, racing, eventual adulthood, eventual enha being f1 drivers, multiple povs and written in fic. WARNINGS: expletives, abuse, violence, angst. WORD COUNT: 8k+ FEATURING: ITZY Yeji TAGLIST: @aishigrey @kgneptun

✘ SERIES MASTERLIST ✘

I needed to unwind after getting into another argument with my parents earlier. Hence, I am currently at the arena, cleaning and polishing my dark blue Bugatti Divo. Though I'm focusing on my task at hand, my mind still drifts off to my parents.

I don't know what happened to the kind and compassionate parents I once knew, but I guess they, too, have been blinded by money and power, just like the others. They knew about my feelings for Stella, so they decided to use it as an advantage. Hence, I have to cause a distraction and make her sway from serving her duties as the heir.

The more I think about it, the more resentment I feel towards my parents, towards the Hwangs for gaining themselves enemies, and towards my indecisiveness. I did think about Sunoo's rhetorical question, and it struck me deeply.

Sunoo's right. If it comes to racing or Stella, I would choose racing. But Stella is my first and unforgettable love.

My body trembles with emotions that I have been bottling up as my jaw clenches. I rise from the ground and throw the cloth elsewhere. "Shit!"

Thankfully, my best friends aren't here, or they would wonder about my bizarre behaviour. Speaking of them, I have a hunch that their parents are part of those who plan to bring downfall to the Hwang empire. I will probably ask them when I see them.

"Hey, Riki." I swear, I feel my heart almost jump out of my chest at the moment she greets me kindly.

I turn around and see Stella, decked out in black and blue leather, with her lilac hair pulled back into a ponytail. She appears to be busily wearing her black fingerless gloves, but her eyes meet mine while a small smile appears on her pink lips.

I gulp before composing myself. I hope she doesn't notice that I was shamelessly checking her out. "Hey, Stel." I give her a smile. "I didn't expect to see you here on a Sunday afternoon. You should be using this time to rest since there are classes tomorrow."

Her smile falters before she looks away from my eyes. "I don't really like staying at the mansion."

I carefully sit on the hood of my car as I fold my arms together. "Pray tell why?"

As I observe her body language, she seems to have mistrust and irresolution. Not only that, but she does look torn. The light in her eyes has dimmed, and even her smile is half-genuine. Something must've happened.

"Fine. I won't force you to answer my question." I sigh, my hands falling to my sides as I walk towards her.

Standing in front of her, especially with our height difference and the fact that she has to tilt her head up to look at me, awakens the butterflies in my tummy.

"But I need you to answer me this, honestly." My voice, which is already deep, drops to a lower octave while my eyes soften. I don't hesitate to reach out and brush her soft cheek with my thumb. "Are you really fine?"

Vulnerability glimmers in her eyes, reminding me of stars glinting in the skies at night. This time, she doesn't give me any smiles. "I don't really know, but I know that I have to be fine, especially when I have an important assessment coming up with my tutor."

Right. I must not forget my goal to cause distraction and sway her. But I can't be too obvious with my intent.

I raise my eyebrow. "Then shouldn't you be studying instead of practicing to race?"

She manages to crack a small smile. "You know me, Riki. I've studied in advance, and I've never failed any of my assessments."

I can't resist myself from patting her head, and I do so gently. "As expected from the ace."

"I'm no ace." She gives me an adorable scowl.

"Don't be so humble, Stel. You even ace in racing." A lazy smirk spreads across my lips. "It makes me envious of your skills. So, you want to compete against me?"

"Gladly."

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

I definitely went easy on Stella, as I let her win twice. Maybe I'm denying that my pride is bruised by the fact that she won against me despite my exceptional skills, or maybe I'm just glad to see the genuine smile on her face as soon as I exit my vehicle.

"I went easy on you." I give her a smirk as we walk side-by-side, making our way to the cafeteria to get some refreshments.

"Oh, really?" Stella raises her eyebrow at me. "You went easy on me not once, but twice?"

"Fine." I fake a sigh as I relent. "I suck. All hail Hwang Stella, the Queen of Racing."

She cackles, her eyes forming the shape of crescents. My heart warms at the sight of her. "Don't worry. You'll be living in my castle as well. I'll appoint you as my knight." She jests.

I halt my steps as I grab her wrist, prompting her to face me. With her hand in mine, I raise it up to plant a gentle kiss on her knuckles. My eyes lock with hers. "I'd be honoured to serve and protect you until my last breath, my Queen."

We stare at each other in seriousness, but it isn't long before we break into fits of laughter.

"We looked like idiots." Stella's laughter dies down as she wipes an imaginary tear from her cheek.

"Then we're each other's idiots." I say, still not letting go of her hand. I incline my head in the direction of the cafeteria. "Shall we, my lady?"

She takes me by surprise when she squeezes my hand lightly. "We shall."

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

The tension I've seen with her earlier has dissipated, for which I'm glad. I don't know what is going on in her life, but I need her to know that she can always lean on me.

"Stel?" I call for her as I hug my knees to my chest, sitting on asphalt ground alongside Stella.

I can feel her gaze on the side of my face. "Yeah?"

We've been chatting for so long that we didn't realise we had been basking in this comfortable silence as we sit next to each other closely.

"You know that you can trust me, right?" I turn my head, and my eyes lock with hers. "If things get too hard, you can always lean on me."

Conflict can be seen residing in her gaze. "I don't want to burden you."

"Stella, you can never be a burden to me." My heart begins to ache. "I want to be the one you run straight to first when something happens or someone hurts you."

Stella looks at me with indecipherable emotions. "Riki─"

This time, I don't hold back. "I need you to answer me honestly." The desperation lurks in my tone, but I don't even care. "Do you still see me as a little brother?"

She appears to be taken aback. "No, I don't. But why are you asking me this?"

"Because I'm finally doing what I should've done for a long time." I grab her delicate hand in my rough one, holding it close to my chest while she allows it. I don't break eye contact. "I like you. No, I love you, Stella."

Her eyes widen for a fraction. "Since when?"

"I've always liked you since we were young." I confess, despite how my heart is having palpitations. "You're my first love, Stella, and no one can ever be compared to you."

I'm not stupid enough to realise that she doesn't see me the way I wanted her to, but I can't contain my feelings for her any longer. It doesn't matter that she's breaking my heart, because I'll gladly let her break it over and over.

"You don't have to say anything. I just needed you to hear that." I smile faintly.

Her eyes turn crestfallen. "I'm sorry, Riki."

I shake my head. "Don't be. But can I lean on your shoulder? Just for awhile?"

As Stella nods her head, I scoot to her until the gap between us is nonexistent before leaning my head on her shoulder. I can feel how tensed her shoulder is, but soon she begins to relax and allows me to rest comfortably.

"Give me time, Riki." She says quietly. "I'm in a complicated mess, and I don't even know who my heart wants."

"Don't force yourself to choose me just because you pity me, please." I murmur, fluttering my eyes close, as her scent has me feeling at ease. "I'll make you fall for me, Stel."

I don't hear any response from her, and so we bask in the comfortable silence that wraps around us once more.

Three days have passed since Riki's confession, since I have decided to distance myself from all of them, especially from Sunghoon. What he said to me was engraved in my mind, and even though his words were hurtful, I couldn't deny the truth in them.

Maybe I am a slut. A slut who desires and wants their attention and affection so desperately. A slut who craves some form of validation.

"Miss Stella?" I hear a knock, prompting me to look up to see one of the helpers, whom I'm rather close with, standing by the door.

I break into a small smile as I straighten my back. "I told you to call me Stella whenever it's just the two of us, Mary."

Mary, who has been serving this family for ten years and who is only six years older than me, is someone I trust more than I trust the people with whom I share the same blood in this hellhole. She has always been helpful and gives me information whenever I ask her. She is also the one who tends to my wounds and bruises. I can always trust her to cover my back.

My smile slowly falters as I notice how fearful and anxious she looks, prompting me to make my way towards her. "What's wrong?"

Mary grabs both of my hands in her trembling grasps. "Your father has called for you, and he looked furious, Stella."

My heart begins to feel uneasy, but I remain collected. "Where is he?"

"He's in the room." Mary's voice wavers. "Stella, I'm worried for you."

"It's okay, Mary." I try to soothe her, placing both hands on her shoulders. "Whatever it is, you'll know that I'll always survive through it."

"Please be careful." Mary pleads. "The last time he called in there, you fainted. I was more than scared because I thought you wouldn't wake up."

I embrace Mary in a hug. "Don't worry. He won't be able to break me."

Yet uncertainty lingers in the air.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

The ugly truth about the Hwangs, which no one will ever know, is that we are taught and tamed by sheer violence. I've seen firsthand what happened to my older brother, whereas my older sister didn't receive many hits.

The first time I saw my older brother being hit by our father was when I was only five. My older brother and I were playing in his room when we heard our father's heavy steps approaching the room. My brother forced me to hide underneath his bed and sternly instructed me to stay quiet at all times. I remember flinching and trying to quiet down my crying with tears running down my face as I watched my father beat my older brother relentlessly.

My older brother tried so hard to protect and shield me from our father's violence, but he failed when I first received hits when I was seven. Both of my older siblings were screaming and pleading for my father to show mercy on me just because I failed in my assessments, which angered our father greatly.

Not only did I receive hits, but anytime I rebelled or failed to heed our parents' decree, my father would have me sit in a room and make me watch pure violence as he had his men bring some guy who probably owed my father money or some random people and have them brutally beaten with blood spilled everywhere.

I was nine when I first witnessed it, and it traumatised me for life, especially when one or two had died. Hence, seeing the sight of violence or a pool of blood triggers me.

And so, growing up, it has become the norm for me to receive such punishments, some of which left scars on my skin, though they aren't too obvious unless someone examines them closely.

The only person who hasn't been shown such violence is Rena. Our parents love and treasure her more than us. However, our father seems to loathe me more, and I have no idea why.

"I was told that you needed to see me." My face remains stoic, despite how surprised I am to see Rena and my mother inside as well. I know for a fact that Rena has malicious intent, given how there is a smirk on her lips.

"Yes." There is a cold yet deadly aura Minhyuk emits, but I don't display my fear of him. Rather, I focus on the hatred I have for him.

Minhyuk rises from his seat, his steely eyes meet my vacant ones. In his hand, I spot a small white file. "The tutor informed me of your result for the semi-final assessment. You didn't meet the standard."

My throat goes dry. I thought I had all the questions right.

"Do you have something you'd like to share with your mother and me?" Minhyuk asks, but I sense that he must've already known what he wanted to know.

"Yes, sister. Share with us!" Rena says delightfully.

"There is nothing to share." I assert.

"That's strike two, Hwang Stella." Warning glints in Minhyuk's eyes. "Strike one is for failing the assessment."

"You've been distracted." Jihyun points out with distaste. "You've forgotten that you're the official heir, and you chose to deviate from our mandates. Not only that, but you've also been whoring around with the other heirs who are supposed to be our enemies."

I clench a fist. Rena must've informed them. I mean, it's partially my fault too, since I was always seen with them on campus.

"That's strike three." He adds. "Jihyun, can you bring our sweetie Rena out?" Minhyuk tells Jihyun without tearing his cold gaze from my figure. "It's time for Hwang Stella to learn her lessons."

This time, I don't hold back, despite the fear that flows through my veins. "I've done everything you have asked me to!" My voice is resounding. "You've never appreciated my efforts and hard work! I'm the official heir, yet why am I being treated any less?!"

"Strike four." Minhyuk raises his voice while his hand proceeds to grab a leather whip at the side. "Seize her."

Before I know it, rough hands grab my arms, and I find myself being dragged. "Let go of me!" I struggle in their grasps. My heart pounds harder with each second as they force me to kneel before they tie my hands to the separated poles. I want to shout at one of the men, but he shoves a cloth into my mouth.

"You should've thought about the consequences of affiliating yourself with our enemies." Minhyuk says darkly as he circles around me. The pure hatred in his eyes is so apparent, while I am visibly shaken to the core. "You've allowed yourself to go astray, Hwang Stella."

Alas, Minhyuk whips me twice harder, causing my body to jolt from the impact while tears begin to flow down my cheeks, reeling in pure agony from the affliction. I cry as soon as he lands a second strike, but my cries are muffled by the cloth. My body is trembling in pain and fear. I feel wounds starting to form on my back.

"I've invested so much in you."

Whip!

"Yet, you disappoint me."

Whip!

"I made you the official heir just so he couldn't get to you."

I feel lightheaded by the affliction, and I feel blood seeping through the back of my clothes. My head is hanging low as I accept my punishment voluntarily while I weep helplessly.

I close my eyes painfully when Minhyuk grabs a fist of my hair and tugs it harshly as he pulls my head to the back. "My wife should've aborted you in the first place." His tone sounds venomous as he speaks beside my ear. He roughly releases me before returning to torture me.

Whip!

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

"Bring her back to her room and inform Mary to treat her wounds. After all is done, lock her in her room until tomorrow noon."

I hear Minhyuk order his men as I regain consciousness, but my eyes remain close. I allow myself to be roughly handled by his men. My wrists feel sore from how tight the ropes were. Blood drips from my back before I feel them grab my arms and drag me out of the room.

They keep dragging, even though I manage to see that the floor has been smeared with my blood. I try to keep myself awake, as my eyes are threatening to close again.

"Oh my god, Stella!" I hear Mary's voice above me, but one of the men seems to be speaking to her, informing her of what Minhyuk has ordered.

The two men throw me into my room, leaving me to sprawl across the floor. I'm not even fazed by them since they have done this before.

"Stella!" Mary cries out as she rushes towards me before cradling me in her arms.

"Mary, I need your help." My breath is laboured while I attempt to sit, but my back is in pure anguish. "My father will have me locked in my room until tomorrow. I need to escape."

"And where would you even go?" Mary asks exasperatedly, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Somewhere that isn't here." I wince, finding strength to try and withstand the agony. "You'll help and cover for me, right?"

"Of course. Even if it means risking my life." Mary's declaration and loyalty bring tears to my eyes. "But please let me treat your wounds before you go."

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

The ointment doesn't really help, especially as I find myself wincing now and then from the pain. Earlier, I successfully managed to escape by using my bedroom window with a familiar robe tied to my waist and Mary assisting me until I safely landed on the ground.

I only brought my phone with me. As I look down, scrolling through my contacts, I don't hesitate to press on Riki's, calling him. I limp as I walk on the pavement. My feet are beginning to hurt from making it this far.

"Sorry. The number you have called is unavailable."

My heart aches, but I try calling him once more, only to end up the same.

As I keep my phone inside the pocket of my jacket, I feel raindrops starting to pour down. I heave a sigh before continuing on my journey. But as I begin to scan my current location, recognition sparks in me.

Despite the fact that I am on the verge of losing consciousness, I don't relent as I continue to make my way to his villa. I don't know if he'll welcome me or shun me away, but I have to try.

Finally, I reach, but I almost fall to the ground as my knees are about to give up on me. Standing in front of his door, I press the bell, hoping he will open the door. I haven't even realised how drench I am due to the pouring rain until my body begins to tremble due to the coldness and immense pain in my back.

My breaths become laboured as black dots fill my vision. Before I can lose hope, the door swings open.

"Stella?" His eyes are filled with pure confusion, yet he looks mortified.

"Sunghoon." I utter his name weakly as tears flow freely. "I'm sorry for coming here at this hour. I didn't know where to go." Before I know it, my body begins to shut down as I find myself falling.

"Stella!" The panic in his voice makes my heart ache, but the warmth of his body and his arms around me, which feel like a safety blanket, allows me to succumb to the darkness as I am finally safe.

Shit! Shit! Shit! I try my utmost to remain calm and not lose my fucking mind over the fact that Stella has just fainted in my arms. She is completely drenched from head to toe, and her beautiful face looks paler than usual.

I didn't know what to think when I opened the door, but when I saw the state she was in, I was genuinely shocked, but then came the rage. Even I could tell that she had been hurt, and I intend to find out who.

Her head lolls back with every movement I make as I head to my room. I don't know why, but I feel safer for her to be in my room instead of any guest room.

I use my body to push open the door before entering my room. I carefully set her down on my bed, and the instant I do so, Stella flutters her heavy eyelids as she blinks slowly. "Sunghoon."

"I'm here, princess." I assure her softly, holding her close to me as I cradle her. My heart clenches upon hearing how weak she sounds.

She attempts to tug at my shirt. "It hurts." Tears prickle in her eyes.

"Where does it hurt?" I ask as gently as I can, despite the fact that I am close to losing my mind and finding whoever dared to hurt her.

"My back." She whimpers, dependently leaning into me as though she needs some protection. "It hurt so much."

"Let me take a look. Can you remove your top for me?"

Her eyes are starting to flutter close, but I cradle her face. "I need you to try and stay awake for me, princess." I tell her sternly yet gently.

Although she is half-conscious and losing strength, she still complies and allows me to assist her in removing her top. As her nude back finally faces me, my eyes widen in horror at the sight, but soon fury ignites within me. Her once delicate skin bears wounds that are not for the faint of heart. Wounds that are fresh, with blood slowly trickling down her skin.

I try my best to remain collected, but my fingers are shaking with great anger. "Who did this to you?" I ask calmly, or so I thought, as Stella visibly flinches at my tone.

"My father, Minhyuk." She answers weakly. "Please, Hoon. It hurts so bad."

"Try and stay strong, princess." I kiss her crown. "I'll be right back."

Five minutes later, I come rushing into the room with a bottle of isopropyl and white bandages. I ran out of any ointments, but these will do for the moment.

"Princess?"

"Hmm?" She answers me sleepily, to which my heart soars at how adorable she sounds, as she is lying down on my bed, facing the side.

"Can you sit?" I ask, to which she complies again.

"Hoon?" Her eyes glance down at the bottle in my grasp. "Can I hold you? I'm scared that it'll hurt."

"Of course. Come here." As I pat my thigh, she scoots towards me before her arms interlock around my shoulders. "Just let out the pain if you must. Don't hold back." I inform her as I unscrew the cap before dabbing the liquid into the cotton bud.

I hesitate, afraid that I'll hurt her even more, as I know how painful it is to have my wounds rubbed with isopropyl. Soon, I begin to dap it onto her wound, and Stella holds me tighter with whimpers and sobs leaving her lips.

"Sunghoon." She cries into my shoulder while my heart aches terribly for her.

"I know, princess." I grit my teeth, hating that she is still in anguish. "Just a little more. You can do it."

Soon, her cries quieten, and all that's left are the sounds of her laboured breaths and occasional whimpers. With whatever bandages are left, I wrap them around her body.

"I'm tired." She mumbles, her body slumping in my arms. She moves her head to rest on my shoulder. "Don't leave me."

"I won't." I hold her close, as though I'm afraid that she would disappear. I plant a soft kiss on her forehead. "I won't let anyone hurt you again." I whisper, but my eyes darken at the thought of Hwang Minhyuk.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

I stayed by Stella's side throughout the whole night, seated on the floor with my hand holding hers. She was in a deep slumber, but whimpers left her lips, including her pleas of 'no more' and calling out for me. I couldn't even allow myself to fall asleep after witnessing such gruesome wounds on her delicate skin.

"We came as fast as we could." Ni-ki announces his arrival, jogging through the front door with Jungwon by his side.

"We bought the ointments you asked for." Jungwon shows me the plastic bag, which I snatch before quickly heading back to my room.

"What happened? You just texted me to buy specific ointments without telling me why you needed them." Ni-Ki says exasperatedly as they follow me from behind.

I don't answer them, and instead, I decide to show them as I open the door, revealing a conscious Stella with her bare back full of fresh scars to us. Earlier, when she woke up, she told me that she wanted to shower, and so I assisted her and waited outside the bathroom in case she needed me.

"Oh my god, Stella!" Jungwon is the first to run towards her while she slowly raises her body at the sound of his voice.

"What the hell happened?" Ni-Ki asks me, and anger and confusion swirl in his eyes.

"Hwang Minhyuk happened." I answer curtly.

Ni-Ki's eyes seem to widen in realisation. "Shit! That's why she called me twice last night, but my phone went dead!"

I ignore Ni-Ki as I head towards the two figures, who are in each other's embrace. I don't even feel an ounce of jealousy at the fact that she is in another man's arms.

Jungwon looks at me before his eyes glance down at Stella with a softening gaze. "Bubs, Sunghoon needs to apply ointment to your scars."

Stella remains unmoving in Jungwon's arms, to which I sigh. "Just hold her while I do it." I tell Jungwon before proceeding.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Jungwon and Ni-Ki offered to buy some food earlier, leaving me to look after Stella. I even texted the other guys about Stella's condition, and since the others have remaining classes, they will come over afterwards. I have classes too, but I have forsaken them as I would rather be here with Stella.

"Sunghoon?" I pause from brushing her hair down with my fingers and glance down at her as she lies on the bed with me. She looks up at me. "I'm hungry."

"I know, princess. Jungwon and Ni-Ki are buying us food." I reply softly, in a tone I have never used on anyone else, not even the girls I brought to my room. "Why did you come here instead of going to others?"

I've been curious about this throughout the night. Given the last time we met and how harsh I was to her, I didn't expect her to come looking for me. In fact, we're supposed to be nemeses, yet she has shown her full vulnerability to me.

"I don't know." I detect honesty in her tone. "I was just mindlessly walking, wanting to be away from that hellhole, and I found my feet had brought me to the street that was heading to your villa."

Guilt returns, as I recall. "I'm sorry for what happened last time." I caress her cheek with affection as we gaze deeply into each other's eyes. "I didn't mean any of that. I was a fool."

Stella offers me a faint smile, but enough to make my heart flutter. "No, you were right. There were some truths in what you said."

I sigh. "Stella─"

But she places her finger on my lips, silencing me. "At first, I didn't know why, but now I do. I do enjoy the attention they give me, and I crave any form of affection, even the scraps of it."

"Do you crave that from me?" I ask, my voice dropping to a whisper as I hold her cold hand to my chest.

"I don't know, but deep down, maybe I do," She says softly. "Even when you hate me."

"I don't hate you," I affirm, and my heart warms. "At least not anymore."

She looks a tad surprised before a faint smile returns to her lips. "I don't hate you too, Sunghoon."

This feels like a damn confession, but nevertheless, I feel relieved to hear that.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

I am still reeling from guilt. I could've been the one to get to her first and tend to her wounds, but my phone died on me. I can't even imagine what she has gone through. She hasn't told us what really happened to her. All we know is that she got those scars from her own father.

It is truly beyond me that her own father did this to her. I thought a father was supposed to be a protector, but instead, hers has been harming her. I have a feeling that he has been harming Stella for years.

Currently, Stella is sound asleep in Sunghoon's room after Jungwon and I took turns feeding her. I am deep in my thoughts, failing to realise that the other guys have arrived.

"Where is she?" Heeseung asks, and the concern in his eyes is visible.

"In Sunghoon's room, still asleep." Jungwon replies as he comes out of the kitchen.

"Let her sleep more." Sunghoon says sternly. "We don't want to overwhelm her with our presence."

"I don't get it. Who could've hurt her?" Jay asks, looking pissed off, as do the rest.

Sunghoon lets out a hot breath. "Hwang Minhyuk."

"Her father?" Jake's eyes widen in disbelief. "What the fuck? Why?"

"She hasn't informed any of us of the details about what really happened." I rub my tired face. "But I have a hunch that the truth is sickening."

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Despite Sunghoon's stern order that Stella not be disturbed, I manage to sneak away and make my way into Sunghoon's room. I can't stop worrying about her, even though she is already safe with us.

"Riki?" Stella mumbles sleepily as she awakens, probably feeling the dip when I sit next to her.

"It's okay. Just lie down, Stel." I assure her softly, just before she can rise. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore and still exhausted." She replies, her eyes seem to be examining my face. "Don't feel guilty, Riki. Sunghoon told me that your phone went dead."

"Still, I made a promise that I'd always be there for you if something happened."

"Sometimes, there are things that are beyond our control." She tells me with a kind smile that makes me fall in love again. "I don't blame you, not one bit."

"I blame me."

"Riki." She sighs, her hand reaching out to grab mine. "I understand, but I need you to never blame yourself for whatever happens to me."

"But─"

She shakes her head and takes me by surprise when she kisses my knuckles. "You're too good for me, Riki. I don't deserve you."

"You're wrong." I squeeze her hand lightly. "You deserve the best, Stel. More than you know."

Uncertainty resides in her gaze. "I don't know, Riki."

"I know so." I bend down to press a kiss on her forehead, longer than I intended. "Go back to sleep. You deserve more rest. You won't have to worry about getting hurt again. We're all here." I tell her as I cradle her face and caress her cheek with such affection.

"Thank you." She whispers, her gaze softening as she places her hand on top of mine.

"Always, Stel."

I'm done hogging in Sunghoon's room for almost the whole day, and the time now strikes 11 p.m. Though I still feel the remnants of sleep that have yet to leave my system, I know I need to get out of bed, as I've slept long enough.

I stare into the vanity mirror, seeing how I look as though life has been sucked out of me. Sunghoon's oversized white tee hangs loosely around my figure as it reaches above my knees, with the shorts that I'm wearing hiding beneath the tee. My eyes glance down at my wrists, where they had been tied tightly by the ropes. The redness is faint but noticeable.

With these scars on my skin, insecurity begins to dawn on me as I hug myself. I'm tired of crying, but the tears manage to find their way to prickle my eyes. Whoever sees them will probably feel disgusted by me. No one likes girls having ugly scars on their skin.

"Stella." My ears perk up at the sound of Jungwon's voice. "The others want to see you. They want to know what exactly happened to you."

A whimper leaves my lips as I shake my head, hugging myself tighter. "I don't want them to see me."

Jungwon frowns, stepping closer to me. "But they're worried about you."

Before I can take another step back, Jungwon stops me, placing both hands firmly on my shoulders. "Jungwon, please." My voice cracks a little. "I don't want you to see me like this."

"I don't understand, Stella. What's wrong with the way you look now?"

My lips quiver as I look away from his eyes. "When you saw my scars earlier, do you see me differently now? Do you hate how I look with them?"

"Bubs, look at me." Jungwon tilts my chin firmly as our eyes meet again. His eyes soften. "I still see you the same. With or without those scars, I'll always love you the same."

My vision is blurring by the second, while my heart feels touched by his words. "Do you really?"

Jungwon cradles my face as he gets closer. "Let me prove it to you." He whispers softly, and the next thing I know, his lips are on mine, but the way he is kissing me feels like he's afraid I'll break at any moment.

My heart stops beating momentarily while my eyes go wide, genuinely shocked by the fact that my childhood best friend is kissing me. Deep down, I should've known that he saw me more than just a childhood best friend with the way I caught him staring and looking at me like the other guys do and how his display of affection feels different.

But I know that I can never be in any serious relationship with him or any of them, especially when my heart yearns for more than one. It just feels wrong. As much as I want it badly, all of them deserve someone who isn't complicated and isn't a Hwang.

As a Hwang, we have too many foes who pretend to be our comrades. I don't want them to get hurt, or worse, if they are tied to me. But right now, I'm selfish, and I want to relish whatever I have with them now.

So it doesn't matter that I can never be together with any of them. It doesn't matter that my heart yearns for something that will last forever. So be it that I'm labelled as a slut or even a hoomie hopper.

And so, I reciprocate the kiss while tears have fallen from my eyes. 

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

"Stella!" Aera engulfs me in a hug as soon as I enter the living room, to which I wince when her arms make contact with my back. "Sorry!" She releases me and looks at me with glistening eyes. "My sweet girl. You don't deserve what happened to you." She sniffles while my eyes soften at how sincere she is.

Aera and Jungwon assist me to sit on the couch, even though I am capable of doing so myself. I have yet to make eye contact with the rest, especially when nervousness is shaking through my system. Are they looking at me differently?

"Hey, baby." Jay greets me softly as he sits next to me, though he appears cautious. My heart melts at the familiar endearment. His hand reaches up to tuck my hair behind my ear, prompting me to look into his eyes.

I guess today is officially Stella's full vulnerability day. "Jay." I whisper, smiling sadly at him.

Jay's arms carefully wrap around my shoulder as he brings me into his arms, to which I gladly snuggle into him with my head resting on his chest. His familiar scent calms my nerves.

"Can you tell us what happened?" Sunghoon asks, standing across from where we're sitting.

"Give her time, Hoon." I feel Jay's hand rubbing my arm with affection before I feel him kissing my crown and murmuring, "Take your time to answer him."

I let out a shaky breath, and finally, my eyes flicker up to scan their faces. "My father was the one who gave me these scars." I start off, though feebly. "He wanted to lock me inside my room until noon, but I managed to escape with the help of one of the helpers whom I trust."

"But why would he do that to you?" Heeseung asks, his jaw clenching while his eyes harden. "He's your father, and a father would never do that to his daughter."

"With how he treated you and was cruel to you, I'd say he's not your father." Sunoo adds that the tone of his voice sounds exactly like what Sunghoon sounded like last night.

I swallow down the painful lump in my throat. "Because I've failed in my semi-final assessment, and he knew that I was distracted due to how often I affiliate myself with all of you." I answer quietly.

I can't help but notice the guilt in some of their eyes, though I'm uncertain why. Even Jay feels tensed against my body.

"But what he did to you is overboard." Sunghoon scowls. "I don't want you to go back to that mansion."

"I don't want to either," I say, turning crestfallen. "But I must return. I don't want to get Mary, my trusted helper, into deep trouble or, worse, risk her life for me. You have no idea what the people in that hellhole are capable of."

"Can we see your scars?" Jake asks gently after a moment of hesitation.

Giving in, I reluctantly comply as I lean away from Jay's comfortable embrace. Turning my back on them, Aera, who has been sitting next to me, assists me in pulling up the back of my top. I hear Aera gasp in shock, while I can't seem to make out the reactions of the rest.

I don't even want to imagine what my scars look like. Given how my back is still hurting with every move I make, they probably look gruesome. I turn around and avoid their gazes.

"I'm going to fucking kill that bastard." Jake snarls, making me flinch at the rage in his voice.

"Don't." I warn him, including the rest of them. "I don't want any of you to do anything that puts your status or even your life at risk because of me."

"But what if he hurts you again?" Sunoo looks at me with such exasperation.

"Sunoo's right." Jungwon sighs, his fingers skimming through his hair. "What if we can't save you the next time?"

In return, I give them a faint smile. "This isn't something new to me. But trust me when I say I'll survive through, just as I always did."

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Sunghoon gave me a ride back to the mansion after winning a game of rock, paper, scissors against the other guys, to which I recall how amusing the sight itself was. But it did feel weird when each of them displayed affection towards me in front of each other, as though it's normal for them.

"Are you sure that you don't want me to come inside with you?" Sunghoon asks as soon as he opens the passenger door for me. "I know a thing or two about knocking people out."

I chuckle lightly. "It's fine. Plus, they should probably be asleep since it's way past two in the morning. Mary even confirmed for me that I am safe to enter."

As I am about to walk away, I feel his hand grab mine, tugging me back to him. "What is it?"

"I─" Sunghoon pauses, his eyes glimmer with a certain emotion. "Fuck it." He sighs lowly before pulling me close with his other hand, cradling the side of my face.

My breath catches in my throat just as he leans in, but he stops when our lips are about to touch. "Please forgive me for this." He whispers, and finally, he kisses me like he has been waiting for a long time.

I don't even have the time to reciprocate before he pulls away. His gaze softens as he looks at me, and his lips upturn with a weak smile. "Good night, princess."

"Sunghoon." His name is uttered in a broken whisper as I watch him leave.

As his car speeds off, I touch my lips, the feeling of his lips on mine still lingers. Two kisses in one night.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

As soon as I enter, Mary greets me with a hug, to which I reciprocate and lean into her body for support. "Thank you, Mary." I feel gratitude towards her after she had texted me earlier that my parents didn't suspect anything out of ordinary.

Mary proceeds to assist me as we head for the stairs. "Your parents and Rena left few hours ago."

"Where did they go?"

I see relief in Mary's eyes. "From what I heard, they have flown to Miami for vacation and your parents also have to attend business conference."

Thank God. "So when will they be back?"

"Next month." Their blatant favouritism towards Rena is disgustingly apparent, because how is she allowed to skip school so easily? But whatever. The good thing is I don't have to be on guard every time I step into this mansion.

"Oh, and there's another thing you should know." Mary adds, though I can detect how nervous she sounds.

I raise my eyebrow at her as we reach the second level. "What is it?"

Before Mary can respond, a familiar voice interjects, prompting me to look to the side with my eyes slightly widened. Though she is in her silky pyjamas, she still looks as beautiful as the last time I saw her. 

Despite how I feel a little resentful towards her for leaving me behind to pursue her dream, I can't deny how much I've missed her. Tears prickle in my eyes.

"Stella." She greets me, and her eyes soften upon seeing my face.

"What are you doing here?" I ask breathlessly. The last time she paid a visit was two years ago.

Hwang Yeji, though she is twenty-seven, she still looks youthful. I have always admired her with how she was always kind to me, encouraged me to do things I was hesitant of, and always braided my hair, making me feel pretty like her. I looked up to her as though she was my mother figure instead.

"I came here to visit you, of course." Yeji smiles sadly. "I've missed you, Stel."

I find myself running towards her before she wholeheartedly welcomes me in her arms. I can't help but weep, feeling relieved that my older sister is finally here.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Instead of sleeping in my own room, I followed Yeji to hers, wanting to sleep next to her since it has been so long since we ever got to sleep together. As my back is facing her while she is examining my scars, I stay quiet, unsure what she is feeling.

I hear her sigh before pulling down my top. "Minhyuk is getting worse." Yeji doesn't call Minhyuk 'Dad' or 'Father' as she loathes him the same as I do.

"I can't believe they even had the audacity to go for a vacation after torturing you!" Yeji exclaims, displaying her frustration. "And Rena, doesn't she still have school?"

Yeji and Rena didn't get along well due to how competitive and jealous Rena was of Yeji. Even when Yeji had shown kindness towards her, Rena chose to be insufferable.

I turn around and face Yeji. "At least we won't have to see their faces for a month. So, when will you go back to New York?"

Many years ago, after Yeji graduated from high school, she decided to move abroad to New York to pursue her dream of becoming a model. Our parents disapproved of her dream, but Yeji dared to rebel against them and earned some resources that enabled her to successfully move out of this hellhole.

"Do you want me to go back?" She asks, eyeing me softly.

I shake my head and latch my limb around her figure. "I want you to stay here with me."

"As much as I want to, I can't, sweetie." She brushes the hair off my hair. "But I'll stay here for as long as I can and for as long as you need me. I'm sorry you've had to go through this all alone. Your brother and I should've been here with you and protected you."

My chest starts to hurt while tears fill the brim of my eyes. "I miss Oppa."

Yeji plants a kiss on my forehead. "I miss him too."

PREV CHAP | NEXT CHAP

[mortelum]

Mushroom Constelic

[ pt: Mushroom Constelic /end pt ]

[ id: a rectangular flag with eight horizontal stripes in the following colors, from top to bottom: dark orange red, medium orange-red, light orange, very light yellow--orange, very light green, light greenish-gray, medium greenish-gray, and dark greenish-gray. There is a thin off-white band going through the middle of the flag horizontally. In the center of the flag there is the constelic symbol; a symbol resembling a 5 pointed star, the lines making each point turn into a spiral as they reach the next point. Behind the symbol is a circle overlay. On the bottom right corner there are four mushrooms in various sizes. /end id ]

[ id: a thin divider in a dark blue-purple, red, to orange gradient. In the middle of the divider there is text with that same gradient overlayed onto it. The text reads: 'villains'. On either side of the text there are devil horns. Everything is outlined in white. /end id ]

Mushroom Constelic: A constelic (link) term for when one stels mushrooms. Can be used as an umbrella term or a term by itself. Coinfight 2024 attack on @crowdsourcedgender as revenge (5 + 2 for non-gender term + 1 for revenge)

@constelicflags / @radiomogai / @coinfight

[zoeyslament]

After Nightmares

visions of alternate timelines full of destruction and chaos are a lot for an already overworked young woman to handle. estelle gets a chance to be vulnerable again and zoey learns how to take care of her. its a win win.

this is my first time writing any kind of agere so PLEASE be nice/send feedback about it or just the story in general. to the anon from earlier i’m sorry if this characterization doesn’t fit your standards :)

Dealing with visions was already tiring. Visions lead to fainting, they lead to slurred speech and difficulty breathing and chanting of that word: “eyes”

So many eyes, everywhere. The world turned purple, with swirls of black and yellow and white, her head pounded, her brain throbbing in her skull like a drummer in a hard rock band. 

And then she would pass out.

There was no alerting anyone: nobody could sense it, not her friends, not her family, not the cats. She coped well, for someone afflicted with a generations-long curse. 

On most days, the eyes weren’t even the worst part.

She was more vulnerable while she was asleep. That was a good rule of thumb: the less awake she was, the easier she was to throw for a loop. The nightmares came fast and frequent. After particularly bad ones, she would wake up crying.

And that was exactly what had happened that night.

“Estelle?” Zoey sat bolt upright, rapidly blinking sleep from her eyes as she watched her girlfriend writhe in pain. She put a firm hand on her shoulder, grabbing her and shaking her. 

“Nnnnnn…” Estelle let out a sharp little whine, kicking her feet. “Don’t wanna- don’t wanna see anymore…” Zoey squeezed harder. She didn’t want to cause any pain, but her instinct to wake the girl up far overtook that desire.

“I know, I know-” Zoey sounded panicked, which was uncommon. Her usually snarky demeanor had been replaced by worry. “Yeah, I know.”

By the time Estelle was awake and back in full consciousness, it was clear something was very, very wrong. She hugged her knees to her chest, tears running down her cheeks like raindrops down car windows. Whatever she’d seen had shaken her to her core.

“Hey…baby…” Zoey reached out tentatively. The words stung her lips when she said them; she was still learning how to be more genuine and baby may have been pushing it. “Is something wrong?”

Estelle looked up at her, and Zoey was immediately transported back to her time as a kid, scared and alone at the foot of her mother’s bed, watery eyes and clenched fists after a bad dream. Estelle was just a child again. 

“Do you need anything?” She kept her voice to a whisper. “I can go get you a glass of water? Extra blanket?”

“Don’t wanna get up…” Estelle managed to say through whimpers. “He’s out there.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Zoey urged. “Sometimes it’s less scary if you talk about it.”

Estelle shook her head and moved closer to Zoey. “I don’t wanna…”

“Well, then, let’s try to go back to sleep.”

“No! He’ll get me…don’t let him get me…” She pressed her face into Zoey’s chest, her ginger hair falling around her damp face. Zoey wrapped both arms around her, clutching her securely. God, Zoey, don’t fuck it up. She’s a mess. Don’t make it worse.

“Okay…do you want to just sit here, then?” She stroked her girlfriend’s soft curls, shifting slightly side to side.

Estelle rested her chin on one of her breasts, amber owl eyes staring at Zoey, unblinking. “Can we turn the lights on? I don’t like the darkness…There’s eyes n’ there…”

Zoey obliged, flipping on the lightswitch beside their bed. The girls were illuminated by the soft glow of the lamps on their nightstands. “Better?”

“Better.”

“Will you sleep if I leave the lights on?” Zoey carefully moved her lover’s hair out of her face with no more than a gentle brush of her fingertips. 

“I don’t know…” Estelle sounded genuinely unsure. She closed her eyes, breathing in Zoey’s scent. It seemed to comfort her in a way. 

“Stel, honey, are you feeling okay? Do you feel sick or anything?”

“Not sick. Uhm…like…small. And the world is big.”

“Yeah, I see that. Well…I know I’m not good at comforting you, and I can be kind of…harsh and intimidating and I’m probably not the greatest girlfriend…”

Estelle clapped a hand over her mouth. “Shush! You’re warm. Like a teddy bear.”

“If that’s what you need, I’ll gladly be your teddy bear.”

[marmolady]

Grandchildren: Aurora

Summary: Endless Ending timeline. Middle-aged Taylor and Estela are entering a new phase of their life together, welcoming their grandchildren into the family. In four parts; this is PART FOUR.

Word Count: 4421

Tagging: @saivilo, @edgydepressedchoicesthot, @sceptilemasterr, ​@mauvecatfic @rhemenway888

Thanks for reading!

________________________________________

2061

Rosa smoothed out the gown with a hand. Her Mama Estela’s beautiful wedding gown, a gift from an old friend, Seraxa. Georgie’s wife, Taamina, had made the necessary alterations to accommodate seven months’ worth of baby bump-- something that Estela had insisted they try out rather than have Rosa write off her dream dress. Guilt remained over doing anything to change it at all when there were such precious memories attached….

“You look nervous. Are you nervous?” Luz, Rosa’s other best friend, had been by her side since early that morning.

Most of the Catalyst kids had gotten permission to bring their significant others in on the secrets of La Huerta… but Rosa hadn’t the need, Vaanti fiance and all. With her looking to spend as much time on the island as possible, Varyyn had suggested he consult with the elders to gain approval for her to share her world with Luz, who’d been close to both Rosa and Georgiana since their early school days. This was the result; Niala’rei was here, and Rosa would be wed with her two closest friends by her side.

“...I….” Of course, Rosa was nervous. The dress was, admittedly, a factor. A part of her felt it was too beautiful, the kind of gown a goddess would show up to a wedding in. Did she really have the confidence to pull off a dress like that? Her Mama ‘Stel had, twice. But that made Rosa feel like a mouse stepping into a warrior costume.

Somehow, though, Rosa didn’t look like the mouse she saw herself as; she looked proud and confident. Perhaps she held herself differently just with the knowledge that this was her heritage, that she belonged. Perhaps she held herself differently because of the baby… she’d always been more courageous for Leo’s presence, maybe this little one had helped her grow further.

This dress was both Vaanti and Montoya. There was no way she’d wear anything else as she made her vows to Homori.

She had to be the warrior queen. And her fight was with herself, because the greatest fear that lingered, the shadow that loomed menacingly over her, was her inability to speak the words she so needed to speak.

“Wo--oa--oah! I’m having some serious deja-vu right now-- talk about a blast from the past, doodlejumps!”

The appearance of Raj, all wide arms coming in for a bear hug made the skittish Rosa jump, but she recovered enough to take the embrace.

Rosa had hit it off with her larger-than-life Catalyst ‘uncle’ pretty much from the get-go-- even timid and fragile as she’d been back then. He had this magic quality… you couldn’t help but be at ease around him, and the young Rosa had gotten so much comfort from that warm and jovial presence. He’d made sure he had time in his busy schedule for her wedding, saying he wouldn’t miss it for the world.

She smiled shyly. “I had hoped it could fit,” she admitted. “After Livi wore Mama Taylor’s, I thought it would be nice to…. It’s like a family tradition now, isn’t it?”  

“Seems like it,” Raj said. “Gotta pull out the old Niala’rei gowns for a Montoya wedding. You know, when your moms made it official in San Trobida-- you know I basically ran that whole gig, right?-- Estela was pregnant too. We didn’t know it, though, early days. But still, maybe that’s a tradition too!”

“It might be now.”

“Well, it suits you.”

He joined the crowd bustling into the throne room, and Rosa was left alone with Luz. All those people who’d be watching… there was surely no way she could do this….

“You can do this,” Luz said warmly, supportive as ever. “Just… talk to Mori. Look at him, look at the big smile on his dorky face, and speak to him.”

Rosa had never not been able to talk to Homori. Her body trusted him, never felt the need to freeze up. Her childhood challenges with selective mutism had been more or less overcome, but every now and then, usually when she least wanted it to happen, all her words would get… stuck. She preferred writing. Her hand never failed her like her voice did.

She couldn’t screw up her wedding vows, though. There was much that needed to be said; how much it meant to her that she could pour her heart and soul out to Homori and know she was being heard, how he made her laugh more in just a day by his side than she would in weeks without him. How he was exactly the parent to Leo that she, growing up in care, would have longed for as a young child-- sweet, and tender, and encouraging, and loving without bounds. Rosa had to promise him a lifetime of love, given honestly and openly. She’d promise that she’d have his back as they took on the challenges of parenthood, of finding personal fulfilment side-by-side, and navigating the divide between their cultures. She’d share his dreams, cheer his successes as her own, knowing that her joys would be his in the very same way. She had to say all that, aloud, get the words in the right order, and… and….

Luz squeezed Rosa’s hand. “It sounds like they’re ready for you, babe.”

Placing a hand on her belly, Rosa took a deep breath. Breathing techniques had gotten her through some real panics in her time…. She could feel the movement of the baby, and it weirdly made her feel more capable. Yes, she was definitely holding herself stronger and prouder since this little kid came along. For her baby, and for Leo, and for her lovely Homori, she could do this. She could damn well say what she needed to say.

The hall was full. Couples getting married, friends and family there in love and support. Rosa had attended Niala’rei before; when Georgie had taken Faiyara’s hand. She’d imagined it then… having the guts to choose a life far removed from the one she’d grown up with. Stepping into that hall, she was proud. Her and Homori, they were going to make it.

Her breath rattling with nervous excitement, Rosa saw through the crowd that was her family, and her eyes met with Homori’s. Oh, Mori…. His eyes welled immediately, and his face was in his hands.

Rosa giggled as she reached him, and wrapped her fingers around his. They laughed together, tearfully jubilant to be there hand in hand, so close to ever after.

Maybe they’d both have trouble getting the words out after all. It didn’t even matter. They had one another, and they could take all the time they needed.

_________________________________

The front door was ajar, so Liv pushed it open and tentatively stuck her head in. “Hello, Rosa?”

“Auntie Liv!” came the bellow of the small child who charged smack into her legs. Leonel barely even blinked, but wrapped his arm around Liv’s-- probably soon to be bruised-- thighs.

“Oh, hey Leo,” Liv said, recovering quickly. She was used to being almost being bowled over by small children by this point. “I take it your mommy’s in?”

“I’m here!” Rosa said, bustling over. “Thanks for grabbing him-- Mo just went out to the workshop to grab the crib, and I’ve been trying to convince Leo to wait here with me.”

“No worries.” Liv placed down her bags, and scooped her nephew up in her arms. He was a cuddly kid, and she was enough of a novelty that her attention would distract him from getting under his dad’s feet. “I just wanted to drop by the few things I said about. I’ll send more as Bea grows out of things, obviously, but just little little clothes and sleep bags for now.”

She sat her younger sister down and brought her a cold refreshment-- and Leonel a pineapple juice in a sippy cup.

“You really didn’t have to,” Rosa said as she sipped gratefully. The heat was admittedly hard to handle this late in pregnancy, even with all the fans going.

“Yeah, well, I didn’t want to go back home to San Trobida without being totally sure you’re all right,” Liv admitted. “I know first-hand how hard it can be with a newborn, and you’re fresh off the back of a massive life change. I want… I want you to know that I’m here for you. Me and Jeimy. I know we’re swamped with our own kids, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have your back as well.”

Rosa nodded quietly, looking down into her glass. She didn’t want to put anyone out, she’d always struggled with that. Her early life she’d gotten through by making as few demands as possible, well, until she simply cracked. Asking for help was still something she had only found herself able to do with Homori, her moms, and very rarely, Luz or Georgie.

“Rosita, I want to be there for you,” Liv urged.

Rosa exhaled shakily, her breath making the surface of her colourful drink tremble. She placed it down, and looked to the side shyly.

“I am scared,” she said finally. “Not of being a mom again, because I love being a mom, it… feels like it’s what I’m meant to be doing. I’m scared of labour and the birth… you know my pain tolerance is laughable. I’m not… I’m not like you. I’m not tough.”

Liv scooched closer and took her sister’s hand. “I’d think you were batshit crazy if you weren’t crazy. Labour is off-the-charts intense. You’ll cry, and scream, and swear, and probably crap yourself. And it’ll be worth it.” She paused. “They do… have everything on hand to give you an epidural if you need one, right?”

Rosa nodded, wiping her eyes. It was a relief to share her fears with someone other than Homori. What had Mama Taylor always told her?-- ‘you’re allowed to take up space’. The space she took up with her anxiety did not need to be apologised for. Or so she knew in theory.

“Y-yeah. I wanted to try without, it’s not really a thing women here use much.”

“Well, good on you. Just… don’t let other people’s expectations sway you one way or another. You know your body and what you need, and you don’t have to prove anything to anyone.”

Rosa could feel herself blushing.

“Mommy!” Leonel said, “Can I show Auntie Liv my room? I have dinosaurs on my bed, she’ll pro’lly like the dinosaurs.”

“Sure, I like dinosaurs,” Liv said. “Shall we go for this tour?”

Grateful to have the glare of attention off herself, Rosa happily let Leo do his thing. He had his auntie by the hand, and enthusiastically showed her round. So, Rosa took the opportunity to put her head through the door and check in on Homori with the new crib.

“There!” he said, “we’re ready as we’ll ever be!”

Rosa could’ve danced at the sight of that crib, the ornamental fox designs at the head hand-carved by the daddy-to-be. It was just gorgeous, and its placement by the bed signalled that it would not be long until the new family member would be there with them. God, the wait was feeling like an eternity. Naturally, she ran to Homori and kissed him.

A little while later, Rosa and Liv were back in the bedroom, sorting tiny baby clothes into neat piles.

 “I’m so glad you’ve got Georgie with you on this when the time comes,” Liv was saying. “She knows her stuff.”

“She really does,” Rosa said, and she smiled. How lucky was she that her best friend happened to be a midwife? She couldn’t be in safer hands. “Sometimes I think she’s almost as excited about baby coming as we are.

Liv had to laugh. “It’s a good thing she’s going to have her own to keep her busy soon enough, or I reckon you’d have to prise her off the baby with a winch or something.”

Rosa chuckled, but then turned away. She had the best people in her corner, a far cry from what she’d come from. She couldn’t forget that feeling though, the aloneness, and it made letting go difficult. Liv would understand.

“I….”

The words caught.

“No rush, Rosi. You can take your time.”

“I have… Georgie. Helping. But she’ll have… she’ll have her own baby. I have Homori, and he’s everything.”

“Mo is an absolute freaking superstar,” Liv concurred. “Tio Diego would do anything for you as well, you know that, right? Varyyn too.”

Rosa looked at her hands, at the teeny, tiny babygro in them. Teeny and tiny, and representative of oh-so-much. “I… know that. Asking for help is… hard.” She laughed bitterly. “When I need help the most, I can hardly even string a sentence together.”

Liv frowned. “Maybe you could have a codeword to text or something? They want to be there for you-- they love you.”

It was hard to accept, even if logic told her it was true. Old insecurities were not Rosa’s friends.

“And I… I miss Moms.”

“Yeah. It’s a big change.”

“I know they’d drop everything if I needed help, but it still… scares me. I shouldn’t be scared of not living with my moms at twenty-six but I definitely am.” Rosa swallowed hard. “They said… they can stay on La Huerta as long as I need, but….”

“You’re not a burden, Rosita. Not at all.” Liv put an arm around her younger sister and hugged her close. “Worst case scenario? Moms get a month or two longer hanging out on paradise island. Mama Taylor will hang out with Tio Diego watching old episodes of Cinema Therapy and go on their little emotional journeys together. Mama Estela will teach Leony how to put the other kids in a headlock.”

Rosa snorted. “I guess they wouldn’t mind. Worst case scenario.”

“And you probably won’t even need that. You got this.”

_______________________________

There was a slight breeze. A welcome slight breeze, for it had been a muggy day even by La Huerta standards. Estela let her foot dangle.

Try and relax. It’s gonna be a long one.

She and Taylor sat on their porch swing-- it had been built and embellished with carvings by Homori who’d gifted it to them a year prior-- taking in the night, and resigning themselves to the anxious wait.

Rosa had been very afraid. Fair enough, Estela had thought, for childbirth was almost unimaginably painful. Rosi had never had a high pain tolerance. Estela did, and she’d found herself going to pieces in the agony that had preceded Liv’s entrance to the world. Her own instinct was to want to be near to Rosa, to help, but a plenty capable support team was doing that job. In all honesty, Estela had anticipated that Rosa would want her mothers there; she’d always needed their reassurance far more than Liv ever had, even into adulthood. Maybe it was a good thing that Rosa had other supports in place… her independence had certainly grown since Leo came along. Hell, she’d freaking blossomed.

Estela glanced down as her phone screen lit up.

‘6cm, looks like going into active labor. Starting to get a bit scary!’

“Oh, sweetheart…,” Taylor breathed. “That’s good. Good progress. Quicker than I was expecting, to be honest.” She sucked her cheek as she let Estela tap out an encouraging reply. “I’m selfish, but I miss her needing me so much.”

“You’re not selfish,” Estela said with a shrug. “You’d be selfish if you barged in, demanding she hold your hand. You can’t help your feelings, but you’re aware of them, so….”

“...so I guess I’m not making them anyone’s problem but my own. True. Well, apart from you.”

Estela looked her wife in the eyes and smiled gently. “It’s always comforting to know I’m not the only one having an internal freak-out.”

Taylor grinned. “We do our freak-outs as a team like the loved-up wives we are.”

She looked lovely out there in the moonlight, Estela thought. All full of hope and excitement, of tenderness for the frightened little girl who now existed only as a memory-- for Rosa had found her wings and soared.  Taylor was what she’d always been, a carer and protector, an inspirer and a confidant. She’d still be all of those things, but her role would change now as their children brought forth another generation. Time to be ‘grandma’.

Estela kissed her softly, heartbeat quickening at the tender caress of Taylor’s lips upon her own.

“You are never gonna not be needed,” she said in a hushed laugh. “Hermosa idiota.”

That made Taylor giggle. “I guess not.”

___________________________

Leonel jumped up and down on the springy old couch, punctuating his bounces with chanting. “We’ve… got… a… baby! We’ve… got… a… baby!”

In Homori’s arms, a golden-haired infant slumbered, oblivious to the excitement.

“Mind you don’t wake your sister.”

With an extra big bounce, Leo landed on his bottom, and grinned from ear to ear. “My baby sister! I can’t believe she’s gonna live with us now!”

“I know,” Rosa said, and she groaned as she sat down. “No more jumping, okay, sweetheart? I can barely believe she’s out in the world either.”

“She’ll get a name, right?” Leo asked. “We can’t call her ‘baby’ when she gets bigger….”

“I’m sure we’ll think of something, mijo.”

It was even slower than usual to get Leo into his pyjamas, and clean his teeth, and brush his hair. A new baby sister was a significant distraction. The baby joined the three of them in Leo’s room, sleeping through the two requisite bedtime stories, and still not stirring when her big brother gave her a very gentle kiss on the top of her head.

Eventually, though, Leo was settled, and his parents could spend some quiet time with the newest member of their happy unit.

“I guess the next challenge,” Rosa said sleepily, “what’s her name? I think it would be really nice to have ‘Luz’ as the middle after all she’s helped me out… but I’m pretty stumped on a first name. D’you think you can come up with a short-list?”

Homori’s eyes were shining with love for the small infant snuggled against his bare chest. “She should have a human name-- English or Spanish-- like her brother. It’ll be easier for her to keep her secrets if her name does not attract attention.”

Rosa frowned. He was right, but it didn’t sit well. Their little girl was to be raised by a Vaanti father, she had a right to the cultural heritage that came with that. They could maybe even get away with some Vaanti names-- it wasn’t as if humans didn’t get creative when naming their kids, no one would necessarily suspect anything….

“Or,” Homori said, picking up the vibe his wife was giving off, “she could have a Vaanti name and a human name. Maybe we could give Leo a Vaanti name too. Even if they don’t always use them, it would be kinda nice for them to have.”

“Maybe,” Rosa said, thoughtful, “you could come up with some Vaanti names, and we’ll look up human names with an equivalent meaning.”

They sat together on the bed, poring over baby name websites, and a book of names they’d gotten out from the library in The New Celestial weeks ago. Rosa and Homori were on a mission; their baby girl was going to have a name before the night was out.

“Something bright and optimistic,” Homori pondered. “I quite like ‘Tahiyya’, which represents a hopeful future. ‘Hiyya’ is ‘future’, and ‘Tah’or ‘Taa’ is something you add on the front of a word or name… like a positive thing.”

“What does Taamina’s name mean?”

Taamina was the child of a close friend, who frequently played with Leo.

“‘Mina’ is like… ‘to dance’. So, I guess like a dance of happiness.”

“That’s cute! Pity that one’s taken by a close friend.”

Homori chuckled. “We’ll find her name.”

Rosa clicked her tongue. “Okay, names meaning ‘future’….”

She searched for five minutes, then ten. “Nothing really jumping out, to be honest.”

“‘Laniira’ is the name of the first Elyyshar, who brought our people together from across the island at a time of trouble. I’m not sure of the full meaning, but ‘niir’ is ‘sunrise’ and the ‘a’ sound is feminine. Something beautiful beginning… that’s pretty nice as meanings go.”

That was pretty nice. “Like ‘dawn’ or something….” Rosa pondered. Or how about…. “What about ‘Aurora’? Our new day. Her Vaanti name could be Niira.”

Homori beamed. “That’s it! That’s her name!”

The baby began to stir and whine, woken by his excited cry.

“Oops-- I’m gonna… I’m gonna have to get the hang of being enthusiastic quietly….”

Rosa couldn’t help but laugh. “And this is the kid who slept through ‘Hurricane Leo’.”

“Hurricane Leo is no match for over-excited Daddy Mo!”

Having picked up the freshly named Aurora and begun gently bouncing her upon her arm, Rosa looked up at Homori and grinned from ear to ear. To think she once couldn’t see herself ever so much as having a family… now her family, and the love they shared, just kept growing.

Somewhere along the line, she’d gotten so lucky. And Aurora, and her whirlwind Leony, would never know fears like the ones she’d had.

_____________________________

2062

“Abuela, Abuela!” Sol cried as he ran, feet pounding on the sand.

Taylor grinned, looking up from her drink to meet her wife’s eye. “You’re wanted.”

Estela got to her feet and began limbering up. “Ready to lose, mijo?”

“’Stel! He’s only six! You’re gonna go easy, right?”

“And I’m sixty-five. Pretty damn fair if you ask me.”

Sol grasped his grandmother’s hand and led her to the firmer sand. He pointed up the beach. “To that banana tree that’s sticking out down there-- you see it?”

“I’m racing too!” Andi hollered, dropping her arepa con queso in her hurry to be included. She rarely beat her brother in a running race, but she didn’t tire of trying. Then, tagging along behind her was Leonel-- just another one of the ‘big kids’ as far as he was concerned.

“On my signal….” Raj announced, and he picked up a napkin to hold in the air. “Aaaand… let her rip!”

He dropped his arm, and the four were off… with Estela perhaps going a little easy on her grandkids.

Taylor watched with a smile on her face and in her heart. A more perfect way to spend a day she couldn’t think of; Aurora’s first birthday, and a lively picnic surrounded by loved ones. Joining the Montoya clan, Raj had flown in; he’d taken up the role of ‘cool great-uncle’ with Leo and Aurora as if he was born for no other purpose, though he had Diego as stiff competition. Michael and Conor had joined him; Michael never missed a birthday of one of his donor kids. Rosa’s close friends Georgiana and Faiyara had joined the celebration with children Niraea and Rauan in tow, and Homori’s father had trekked down from Colonnade Cove to be there to commemorate the birth of his granddaughter.

Diego, naturally, was right by Taylor’s side.

“How’s it even been a year?” he asked incredulously. “Look at her-- she’s walking. Walking, Taylor!”

“That’s all of them,” Taylor laughed. “All of the grandkids walking, all walking straight into mischief.”

“You reckon Rosa’s done?”

“Yeah, she seemed pretty certain.”

“I’m not surprised,” Diego commented. “She and Mori seem really content. Rosi always talks about all these things she’s excited to do... easier once all the baby-having’s out the way.”

“You’re not wrong. She’s happy, and she’s just growing into herself more and more.”

“Five grandkids… not a bad effort.”

“Not bad at all.”

Having sat herself in the middle of the largest picnic blanket, Aurora seemed to know she was the centre of attention. All these people around, all the hubbub that came with a party, and she took it all in her diminutive stride.

“She looks like you,” Diego noted with a laugh. “Everyone else revolving around her.”

“Hey! I know I’m not the centre of the universe!”

How could Taylor not smile? So much of the people she loved in those five children, and each of the five was something unique and precious all on their own. Little pieces of stardust, brightening their family’s world.

Sol had joined Aurora on the blanket, and was cuddling Beatriz in his lap-- even as the toddler made a bid for freedom and for the oh-so-tempting cupcakes set out on the camp table. Still out on the sand, Andi was giving Leonel ‘whizzies’, holding him under his armpits and swinging him wildly around in circles until she collapsed dizzily. And Aurora was just taking it all in; chewing on her teething ring, and watching the antics of her friends and family with quiet curiosity. Every now and then, someone-- her mom and dad, of course, had a particular knack for this-- would catch her eye and smile or pull a face, and she’d come alight with a giggle.

“You know what you’ve gotta do?” Diego prodded. “Grannies and grandkids selfie!”

It wasn’t always going to happen that they’d all be together, Liv’s and Rosa’s lives being in different places. Yeah… they should take a picture.

Estela needed little convincing, and she swiftly herded up Leo-- who rushed over to snuggle with Grandma Tay-- and Andi --who was grabbled and dangled upside down as she laughed hysterically.

“You,” Taylor gushed as she squeezed her little Leo, cuddled up on her lap. “Are. So. Huggy!”

“Hugs are good!” he declared.

Hugs are good, Taylor concurred, as birthday girl Aurora came over with wide arms to join in.

Liv held up her phone to take a picture. “Mom, you’ve got Andi-Pants the wrong way up! Didn’t they ever tell you how to correctly assemble a kid?”

The giggling, squirming Andi was eventually tamed, leaning up on one side of Estela’s lap, while Sol took the other. Perched between them, of course, was baby Bea-- a little bewildered by the bustling around, but taking it in her stride.

Over the top of Aurora’s head, Taylor caught Estela’s eye and they shared a smile. Sometimes, it was necessary to take a moment and really marvel in the beautiful thing they’d made together. The odds faced, the fight for their lives… somehow it was a million miles away now. And ‘happy ever after’ just seemed to keep on coming.

[officiallyossy-haywooddent]

CASE FILE - OSSY HAYWOOD-DENT

Asks - (here) (here) (here)

Plot - (here) or #dcrphighschoolau

Angst - (here) (here) or #ossy angst

Important OOC stuff - (here)

Open if you dare..

DC/PJO crossover OC

Name - Ossy Rhys Haywood-Dent

Age - 15 (don’t be a creep)

Birthday - 4/13

Gender + pronouns - they/them + genderfluid :)

Family - Child of Juno Haywood and Dionysus, legacy of Thanatos and Mnemosyne, ward of @two-sided-stories, @dr-harleyquinn and @poisoned-ivy are my aunts(?), sibling of (this guy), (this gal), (this kiddo), probably some other folks too

Work/School Status - graduated & taking a gap year in Gotham, intern at the Gotham Reports, working part time at Maroni’s Deli

Nationality - Canadian/Italian

Powers - wouldn’t you like to know

Siblings - Pollox, Castor (👻), Spideyboy, Presas, Stel’ (👻), Cyrus, probably some other folks

Relationship status - single (it’s complicated)

The voices in my head are annoying. This city has made them wayyyy worse tbh

OOC.

Both this OC and the account owner are minors, so no NSFW stuff please

Flirting is chill as long as it doesn’t get like overtly sexual

Sending asks and spamming is always welcome, I need stuff to starve off the boredom lol

[dragonfly0808]

The Nymph and the Warlock

Short story out now on AO3!!!

And here:

TRIGGER WARNINGS: The aftermath of a miscarriage is talked about, please skip Tabitha’s POV that starts in bed if you need to

Valtor and Daphne ran down the hall, towards the war room after leaving Millie in the care of Daphne’s old governess.

“It’s a mistake!” Valtor told her, trying to calm her down and trying to convince himself, “It has to be. I mean… there’s no way. There’s just no way.”

Daphne shook her head, panic threatening to choke her as her heels clicked down the hall, long skirt flying behind her, “The guard seemed pretty convinced.”

They burst through the doors of the war room, her parents standing at the head of the table, around them the Company of Light along with King Erendor, King Radius and Queen Luna.

“What’s going on?” She demanded, looking around at all the people in the room, “Is it… is it true?”

King Erendor sighed heavily, looking down, “It’s true Daphne. A witch broke into the Solarian Royal Library and… she stole the Dwr needed to awaken the Ancestral Witches.”

***

Daphne paced the floor back and forth, doing her best to not nibble on her own nails as Valtor inspected the shelves in the Solaris Royal Library.

There was black mis covering some of the wood, the only remnants that the thief had left behind.

“This is complex magic,” Valtor said, “But… I don’t detect any magic that was used to break protection seals or spells.”

“Meaning?”

Valtor sighed heavily, leaning to the side to check that there was no one listening in on them, “It means that, somehow the Dwr wasn’t very protected. It was easy to steal Daph.”

Daphne stayed quiet, she wasn’t sure what to make of that. She knew her mom hadn’t loved the idea of the Dwrs being in the Solarian library without any extra precautions, but she knew for a fact that her uncle Radius had comforted her saying they were well protected.

Before she could ask Val to look for traces of any curse that had been taken, a small figure appeared in between the shelves.

“Dafne!” Stella, who, at a whole two years olds had apparently become a bit of a menace, wobbled her way towards Daphne, who quickly picked her up before she could walk over the mist.

“Hi sweetheart. How’d you get past the guards huh?”

Stella didn’t answer, too captivated by Daphne’s necklace, going to play with it, giving it a slightly-too-hard tug, which made Valtor laugh and stand up to help her before Stella could do the same with her hair.

Valtor took her, bouncing her to make her laugh, “Don’t go scalping my fiancé Stel.”

Fiance. It’d been two months since Valtor had proposed and she still wasn’t used to him calling her that.

Two young guards stumbled into the hall, Stella’s personal guards, Sua and Lola if Daphne recalled correctly, gasping for breath, clearly having been running.

“Oh, there she is!” Sua seemed relieved to see Stella, eyeing Daphne nervously, “I am so sorry Your Highness-”

“Don’t worry about it. We’ve babysat Stella, we know how mischievous she can be.” Daphne assured her as Valtor gently handed a giggling Stella to Lola.

Daphne didn’t miss the way Valtor’s eyes softened as he watched Stella be carried away. It nearly made her want to cry to think that maybe one day they’d be dealing with their own silly kid. 

She shook her head gently, she had to focus, this wasn’t the time to daydream about blonde babies with icy blue eyes.

“Where do you think this witch will go next?” Valtor asked.

Daphne had journals. Nearly a dozen of them, most of them about the Dragon Flame and all she’d been able to dig up about the Ancestral Witches and past Guardians of the Flame.

“They’ll be headed for Jyran. It’s the only planet where the Dragon was ever hurt when it was still alive. That’s where they’ll feel most powerful, I think they’ll go there to do… something horrific to be sure. But I don’t know what.”

She sat down on the floor, not caring about her dress and burying her face in her hands.

Valtor sat down next to her, pulling her into his arms, gently tracing lines against her back, “Hey, we’ll figure this out my heart. We… we’ll figure something out.”

“Val… it’s the Ancestral Witches. I don’t know what we can do against them if they manage to regain even a half of their power.”

Valtor took her hands, “This is… a lot. I know that. But… we have the entire Company of Light with us. King Erendor and King Radius have already pledged support and you’re one of the best Nymphs there’s ever been, which means we’ve also got the Nymphs on our side. I’m not saying it will be easy but… I wouldn’t bet against us.”

Daphne went to lean her forehead against his shoulder, “I know what you’re saying is true but… I don’t know. I’ve got a bad feeling.”

“You’ve got a bad feeling or the Dragon has a bad feeling?”

“I don’t know. Sometimes it’s hard to tell.”

He pulled her into his arms, kissing the top of her head, “We’ll figure something out. We always do.”

But they’d never been up against such a huge threat.

***

“Daph? Daphne? Babe?” Tabitha bonked Daphne over the head lightly with a book, “Have you even been listening to a word I’m saying?”

“Sorry uh… the Thelock is easier to read.” 

Tabitha starred, “I asked you if you’ve chosen what flowers you’ll be using for the wedding.”

“What? Tabi…” Daphne glanced down at the piles of books she’d been half-drowning in, “I don’t have time to-”

“What you’re doing is important yes, but you’re not the only one who’s investigating. Besides, I know you, you can’t let this completely take over your life. I’m not saying organizing the wedding should be your top priority but… you shouldn’t completely stop planning it either. Just saying.”

Daphne sighed heavily, leaning back in her chair, “I just… I want to actually enjoy planning the wedding, and I know I won’t truly enjoy it until all of this is over.”

Tabitha put down the book she’d been half-paying attention to and went to sit next to Daphne, “I’m sorry. I can only imagine how stressed you are but I just… I don’t want you to get too lost in this. I know how you are. But if you’re going to help stop the Witches… you have to be well rested and-”

Tabitha was rudely interrupted by both their watches, which connected them to her parents, Valtor, Avalon and the Company of Light beeped, an alarm popping up.

Daphne cursed as she stumbled to her feet, transforming as Tabitha summoned her staff for a teleportation spell.

It seemed like the Witches had made their first move.

***

Daphne and Avalon appeared in Jetyl, one of the cities on the south side of Domino, where the Witches had seemingly attacked, blood red runes slowly forming, making their way towards them like some kind of twisted spider-web.

This was the fifth attack in three months. And they still weren’t sure what exactly they were after.

She couldn’t see any of the witches that had given up their bodies to be possessed by the Ancestral Witches.

Politea appeared as well, the golden haze of her transformation spell just starting to fade as Daphne started giving orders.

“Help evacuate the people! We still don’t know what the runes do so stay on your guard!” Politea nodded tightly once before flying away.

Daphne turned to Avalon, who’d already transformed, “What do you need?” She asked him.

“I need you to give me time. If I can actually finish mapping out the runes, we’ll know what other places they plan to strike.”

Daphne took a deep breath before flying up, seeing guards and Specialists making their way to the city.

She flew close to the ground, sending the Dragon spirit to protect as many citizens as she could from the falling debris as the ground began to shake violently, trusting that the Specialists could reach the others. She sent her aura out, searching for the power of the Witches.

…There.

She reached the top of one of the buildings, coming face to face with the small coven that had awakened the Ancestral Witches, not hesitating to cover the roof in fire.

One of the witches quickly put out the fire and Daphne avoided an attack before landing on the roof, summoning her power over the earth and making the bricks of the roof shift, making the entire roof move in varying circles, trying to keep in constant motion to confuse the Witches.

Daphne was suddenly hit by a blast of power, nearly falling off the roof.

She could hear Specialists and fairies and Nymphs far below her, taking care of whatever the runes were trying to do.

She pushed herself up from the gravel in time to see three figures behind the possessed witches.

It was the Company of Light.

Before Daphne could even begin to feel relieved, something sticky hit her shoulder and her skin felt like it was freezing.

She looked down to see a dark rune stuck to her skin, starting to sink in.

It wasn’t until her power failed her that she realized it was a rune meant to debilitate the Flame.

More runes left the witches hands, flying quickly towards Daphne.

She tried to raise a shield but the witches were stronger than she was. So she let them corner her to the edge of the roof, a few more of the runes hitting her and starting to sink into her skin, only stopped by her burning one or two off through gritted teeth, once she made it to the edge of the roof, she could feel the power of the Witches trying to pull her to them.

They were trying to take the Dragon Flame.

Daphne stepped of the roof and let herself fall. She heard a hoarse scream and was caught feet above the ground, she could’ve recognized the strong arms clutching her tightly anywhere.

Valtor.

***

When Daphne awoke, it was to find herself in a hospital bed, Valtor was at her side, holding her hand.

She groaned as she saw bandaged over the spots where the runes had started sinking into her skin.

When she tried to sit up, Valtor quickly placed his hands on her shoulders, gently holding her down, “Don’t try to get up love, the runes are still being removed.”

Daphne let her head fall against the pillow, “Status?”

“No.”

Daphne starred at Valtor, “What?”

Valtor sighed heavily, “You need to rest Daphne. You-” he cut himself off, rising to his full height before turning away, covering his face with his hands.

He was angry. No… frustrated.

And she knew why.

“Why would you go after the Witches on your own? Just- just why?”

Daphne looked down, “I knew it’d take a while for the Company of Light to get there and-”

“So you thought you’d just face them on your own?!”

“Valtor-”

“They could have killed you Daphne!”

“They didn’t.”

Valtor said nothing, the glance he gave at her bandages more than enough.

Daphne looked away, “What happened after I passed out?”

“No.”

“Valtor-”

“You need to rest-”

“I need to know what’s going on with my people!”

“Do you have any idea how terrifying it was to see you fall from that roof?”

That silenced Daphne. Valtor had been the one that had caught her. He’d seen her step off that roof.

“Val… I knew I was going to pass out and… I couldn’t risk them getting the Dragon Flame.”

“I know that Daph. Believe me I know but- why did you go alone in the first place? You know you can’t fight them on your own.”

“Because it’s been three months Val! I am sick and tired of not being able to do anything! My people are suffering and I- what good is it to be a Nymph and always getting called the greatest Guardian of the Flame in centuries and all that shit if I can’t protect my people?! Protect you?! I- I don’t know what to do anymore-”

Daphne broke off, tears starting to stream down her face, clutching the sheets beneath her in frustration at herself.

Valtor was at her side in an instant, sitting at her side and gently pulling her into his arms. She clutched him, burying her face against his neck, not caring about how painful even those tiny movements were.

She just wanted to be in his arms.

“I’m scared.” She confessed in a broken whisper.

Admitting it felt like defeat. She was the Princess of Domino. A Nymph. The Guardian of the Dragon Flame. She was supposed to be put together. To be strong. To know what to do.

But she didn’t. 

Valtor rocked her gently back and forth, “Daph… my heart… it’s not all on you. I have seen you work yourself to the bone trying to find a solution, a way to stop the Witches. I don’t know what will happen now, I don’t know if the Company of Light will be able to find a solution but… I- I need you to be more careful Daph. We can do this. But not if you are so tired you can’t even think straight. You have to take care of yourself.”

“I’m sorry I scared you.”

“Hey,” he pulled away, gently pushing her hair back, laying down next to her properly, holding her against him, “I’m sorry I yelled I just… I know how much you care Daphne. And this is scary… it’s terrifying, and we are all searching for anything that we can do, you’re not by yourself. We will figure something out eventually but… I need you to take care of yourself.”

Daphne sighed, nuzzling against his neck, her tears starting to slow down. 

Valtor had a way of grounding her.

“You know I’m not the best at taking care of myself when I’m stressed.” She whispered against his neck.

She felt him smirk, pressing a kiss against her forehead, “I’m always here to help.”

“You’ll take care of me?”

“Always.”

***

Valtor was running, faster than ever before.

The Witches were nowhere to be seen, but they’d sent something… someone to the castle.

He reached the gates, where the guards were screaming, keeping back a creature that had nearly taken the King’s life.

It was some kind of shapeshifter, and, guessing by the markings along its back and arms, Valtor knew the shapeshifter had a master.

He knew who its master was when he saw monsters emerging from the cracks between the stones in the streets of Domino to attack citizens.

Darkar. A warlock that was loyal to the Witches and had been attacking Domino for a month now.

A warlock that was on par with Valtor in terms of power.

He cursed as he flew straight up, searching for Darkar’s trace of magic. Darkar always let his monsters do the dirty work while he tried to sneak into their defenses. Valtor had to find him before he could do any real damage.

And… oh… he was already inside the castle.

Valtor flew up to one of the windows, breaking it to get in, scaring a few of the maids and guards, “Darkar is somewhere in here!” He told them, trying not to panic as he ran, trusting his instincts to guide him to wherever Darkar was hiding.

He touched his comms, “Avalon? Where are you?”

“Outside the castle! We couldn’t contain the shapeshifter but it’s gone, it’s no longer attacking anyone!”

“Daphne?”

“Helping Tabitha and the Company with evacuation. There’s no sign of the Witches we don’t know what they want from this attack.”

Valtor realized exactly what Darkar and the witches were after as he realized he recognized the path that Darkar’s magic trace was leading him down.

He had headed straight towards Millie’s nursery.

Valtor ran faster, his legs burning and lungs screaming in pain but he could not slow down, using his magic to increase his speed as much as he could.

He reached the hall of the nursery, Daphne’s room at the end of the hallway.

The doors to the nursery were open.

Valtor nearly crashed into the wall with the hurry that he entered the nursery.

Darkar was leaning over the crib, with a hand inside, Millie was screaming. He had a horrific smile on his face.

Valtor channeled almost all his power to blast Darkar back, Darkar flew to the wall, getting tangled on the baby mobile, Millie crying even harder in response to the noise.

Baby Millie, just ten months old, she’d barely been three months old when this whole thing had started.

So what could Darkar possibly want with her?

He didn’t care. He just knew that he was seeing red due to the anger that overtook him. Then he literally saw red as he got closer and spotted blood staining Millie’s baby blanket.

Valtor went to grab Darkar, lifting him up forcefully and shoving him against the wall, dark black webbing emerging from Valtor’s palms to pin Darkar against the wall, creating a cocoon over him, covering him from head to tow before the dark warlock could react.

Valtor quickly picked Millie up, checking her for any serious injuries, seeing there was only a long scratch along her little forearm.

He set off running down the hall as he confirmed what Darkar had wanted with Millie.

He’d been checking whether or not Millie had magic. Whether or not she could be a possible vessel for the Dragon Flame.

But why?

It didn’t matter, he just had to get Millie to safety and kick Darkar’s ass into the next dimension.

He saw Politea and Daphne running towards him, Daphne’s eyes widened when she saw him carrying Millie, “What happened? Is that blood?!”

“Darkar was testing her.”

“What?!” Avalon and Tabitha arrived as well, eyes wide as they spotted the blood.

“Avalon, you get Millie out of here.” Daphne quickly told him, Valtor, handing the baby over, “And make sure-”

A wall of fleshy material slammed against Daphne and Politea, sending them flying back, Valtor cursed as he and Tabitha quickly moved in front of Avalon, wordlessly agreeing to a Convergence.

Darkar was stalking down the hallway, eyes turning red as he summoned some kind of power, runes the color of old blood floating around him.

“Get Daphne out of here. Now!” 

Daphne tried to argue as Politea pulled her to her feet and she and Avalon set off running to get reinforcements.

Tabitha cracked her fingers, “You and me?”

“You and me.”

They went to attack at the same time, curses on their hands as they rushed forwards, reaching Darkar at the same time and impaling him with the curses.

Darkar screamed, stumbling back, going to grab Tabitha’s wrists, black smoke rising from her skin as she was shoved back.

Valtor got a hold of Darkar’s forearm, twisting his arm and trying to get him into a headlock, keeping a protective spell around his arms.

Then a sudden pain, claws sinking into his back as something attacked him, metal spikes penetrating his skin.

Valtor held on to Darkar, slamming his back against the wall in an attempt to get rid of whatever was attacking him, it seemed to be some kind of metal bird.

Perhaps the shapeshifter.

Tabitha stabbed Darkar in the gut, a black blade with some kind of curse, that somehow seemed to do nothing but enfuriate Darkar even more.

Valtor saw monsters arriving down the hall as he threw Darkar to the side, going to grab Tabitha’s arm.

“Come on!” The two ran.

***

Valtor sunk his head further against the pillows, shaking his head, the only comfort being Millie safely sleeping in his arms, “Alright so… the castle is safe again?”

“So it would seem.” Daphne said, leaning heavily against him, “But with Darkar’s shapeshifter still around… we can’t be sure of anything anymore.”

“What did the Company of Light say?”

“They don’t know how to keep Darkar away. Or how to identify the shapeshifter if he tries to infiltrate us again. They don’t know anything.” She bitterly said.

“And what about you? You’ve been reading almost all day.”

Daphne hid her forehead against his neck, “I have a… vague plan. It’s not even a plan really just the beginning of one. And it’s not even a good one but-”

“Daph. Tell me.”

She left the bed for a moment, returning with a thick totem and a map, “Okay so, I might be able to figure out where the Witches are if I enter a deep trance. Like… could-end-in-a-coma kind of deep.”

“…how?”

“Because the Flame and the Witches are connected in a way. The only other thing that has been around for that long is the Leviathan. And the witches are always after the Flame. That creates a kind of connection. A connection that maybe, just maybe, I could use to find out where they’re operating from. And if we know where they’re operating from-”

“We could ambush them.” Valtor finished, “Where would we have to go for such a trance?”

“Ohm. It could take days. We can’t take many people, we cannot under any circumstances risk the Witches figuring out what we intend to do.”

“Alright… when do we leave?”

“In two days? We should give them time to think they’ve gotten one over us… again.”

Daphne shut the totem, shaking her head gently.

Valtor reached to take her hand, “Hey, are you okay?”

“No. I’m not sure how I could really be okay. Are you okay?” She reached to check his back, where the metal bird had left him with a nasty wound.

He covered her hand with his own, “Nothing that won’t heal.”

Daphne opened her mouth, hesitating before gently taking Millie from him when a knock came at the door and her mother entered the room, Daphne handed Millie over before returning yet again to the bed.

“What is it?” Valtor asked as he wrapped an arm around her.

“I just… I’m starting to lose hope Val… what else can we try? I feel like I’m going around in circles and-” her voice broke, “And you’re hurt and-”

“Whoa hey, hey,” he sat straighter, gently prying her hands away from her face to cup her cheeks, wiping away her tears, “It’s not on you that I got hurt. I chose to fight Darkar-”

“Because you didn’t want me getting close in case he tried to take the Flame-”

“Exactly. I may have done it to protect you but it was still my choice. Don’t take that away from me Daph.”

“I can’t… I just- I can’t lose you Val… this past year I’ve learned a lot. These Witches… they’ve shown me the things that I can’t lose. My mom, my dad, Millie, Tabi and Avalon… you. Most of all you.”

Valtor pulled her into his arms, “You’re not going to lose me Daphne. Not without one hell of a fight. You and I… it’s us two.”

“I don’t know if that will be up to us. I don’t know if we can win this.”

Daphne had had her doubts since the beginning. And he couldn’t blame her. It was one thing to fight criminals and petty politicians, an entirely different one to fight against beings like the Ancestral Witches, that had survived despite centuries of warriors trying to kill them.

But for the first time… Daphne was truly starting to sound hopeless.

He pulled back to look at her face properly, “Hey… this is not how we go down love. We- we’re gonna get to get married. You’ll be crowned Queen and we will get Millie to say something funny for her first word and she could be our flower girl and- and we’re gonna get to have kids of our own. The Witches don’t get to take that from us. We just have to keep fighting. To hold on. Just a little longer Daphne. I’m sure we will figure out a way to stop them.”

Daphne shook her head, tears falling down her cheeks, “And if we don’t?”

He kissed her, wrapping his arms around her waist, trying to memorize the taste of her lips, the shape of her body, the way she clung to him.

“Then… then we go down together.”

***

Three days into their stay at Ohm, Valtor was starting to get concerned. 

Daphne floated feet above the ground, still in a trance, the monks had assured him time and time again that nothing had gone wrong, that it was just taking longer than they’d suspected for Daphne to track down the Witches through the connection they had to the Flame.

Of course that didn’t really bring him much comfort, especially since the Witches and Darkar had all been silent, which only worked to have him more on edge.

Valtor sighed heavily as he left the Temple, going to sit on the steps, looking down at his phone.

No news from Avalon or Tabitha. Not even Politea.

He wasn’t sure what to make of that.

Then the doors slammed open and Daphne was tripping down the steps and he barely had time to catch her.

“What? What happened?” Valtor asked, looking back into the empty temple.

“They- they’re heading for Eraklyon- but I was also able to sense Darkar and he- he-”

Another blast of power sent them both spiraling down the steps, Valtor pulled Daphne against him, doing his best to protect her with his own body as they fell.

He looked up to see Darkar emerging from the ground itself, right in front of the Temple.

Valtor scrambled to his feet, pulling Daphne up when he saw it.

A clot of dark magic stuck to her back where Darkar’s spell had hit them.

A web-like substance attaching itself to her skin.

Then, as if the pain was just starting to hit her, she screamed.

His mind went completely empty as he turned to Darkar, seeing him smirk, seemingly satisfied with his work.

He knew what the web sticking to Daphne was, it was meant to suck out her life force.

He reached into his coat, tossing black marbles that fell at Darkar’s feet, shinning a dark purple and flying to try to pin him down, every time they hit him would cause a broken bone.

But Darkar was somehow able to stop them before they could do mayor damage.

The web over Daphne expanded and she screamed even higher than before, trying to claw at her back.

Valtor reached into his pockets again. He had to do something. Anything. Darkar seemed to have studied the curses Valtor frequented, already knowing how to counter them.

His fingers brushed against a smooth glass bottle.

He’d spent two months preparing that particular concoction, secretly hoping he would never have to use it. It was something cruel, inhumane. 

Something he’d in fact prepared for the Witches, not Darkar.

But if he didn’t do something soon Daphne would either die or have the Dragon Flame taken from her.

A curse breaker always walked a thin line, a tightrope really. They had to find a balance between knowing and understanding how to cast even the most complex curses, often creating those curses that would keep anyone decent awake just thinking about making just to understand how to break them. They had to keep themselves in check. To make sure they would never go too far with the curses they created and studied.

Valtor knew he’d crossed a line creating the curse in the bottle. But he had a chance to not fully crossing it if he never used it.

Daphne screamed again. Valtor shut his eyes and threw the bottle, shattering it against Darkar’s feet.

Valtor watched in silence and abject horror as the curse took action. A dark red substance going to climb Darkar’s leg, not that different from the web on Daphne’s back.

Only… it was incredibly different, because the substance went to cover Darkar’s tan skin entirely, his whole body slowly being pulled down to be enveloped into a cocoon. Darkar screamed as his skin and muscles burned, the substance molding itself to cover his very bones, burning and melting anything else.

He couldn’t move, could do nothing but watch as Darkar fell, nasty crunches letting him know that Darkar’s bones were collapsing in on themselves.

He turned around to see Daphne slowly standing up, her eyes on what used to be Darkar, the web on her back had vanished once Darkar had been distracted.

Valtor’s hands were shaking. He felt like a monster.

Daphne went to hug him and he couldn’t help but collapse against her in relief, dragging them both down.

Daphne stroke his hair, gently whispering that he’d done what he had to. That he’d saved her. That he wasn’t a monster.

But he’d see the way her eyes had expanded when she’d seen the charred, blood red skeleton that had once been Darkar.

Valtor knew.

He’d crossed a line. 

***

He was still numb when they got to the castle. Hands shaky as Daphne gently led him to sit down on her bed. She kneeled in front of him, pushing back his hair.

“Val? Val please look at me.”

Valtor couldn’t bring himself to.

Daphne went to straddle his waist, pulling him against her chest.

He clung to her, sobbing as he hid his face against the soft skin of her collarbone

“I got you.” She whispered, her own tears wetting his hair, “I got you love.”

“I’m sorry- I- what I did-”

“Hey,” she pulled back, cupping his face, “You didn’t have a choice-”

“We always have a choice Daphne. I- I crossed a line. You know I did. I- I don’t know how you can even look at me- you saw- you saw what I did-”

“I don’t care.” She leaned their foreheads together, “I know you Val. I know your heart. Nothing could ever make me stop loving you. And what you did… we’re in the middle of a war Val. A war against the most corrupted creatures in the dimension. Sometimes… sometimes we ourselves have to stoop down-”

“Don’t try to make me feel better Daph. Please. Don’t.” He could barely breath. Could barely focus. 

Every time he closed his eyes he just saw the skin and muscles melting off of Darkar.

Daphne gently caressed his cheekbones, “What do you need? What can I do?”

He pulled her down, kissing her harshly, a hand sinking into her hair.

He just needed her.

To feel her love. To make his heart believe what his mind already knew due to Daphne having said it more than once. 

That she was by his side. No matter what.

He also needed to remind himself of why he had done what he’d done.

Why it was worth it to cross the line and perhaps stain his soul forever.

Because he’d done it for Daphne.

To keep her safe.

And the worst part of it all was… he knew he’d do it again for her. He’d do even worst for her.

She could ask him to carve his own heart out and he’d do it all with a smile on his face.

He traced figures against her back and her thighs, making her gasp when he moved up against her.

He wrapped an arm around her back, quickly lifting her up just to lay her on her back over the plush bed.

She arched her back to press her chest against his, quickly searching for the zipper of her dress, helping him take it off.

Oh how he loved her.

He would not let the Witches take her from him. 

Cursing Darkar had broken a piece of him, shattered something he hadn’t even known was there. But he knew that losing Daphne would destroy him in a way he would never be able to recover from.

So he would commit any atrocity necessary, his soul be dammed. 

Because he could live without his soul. 

But not without his heart.

***

Daphne and Valtor stood at the shoreline of Andros. The waves gently lapping at their feet.

It’d been almost two months since Ohm.

Two months of constant research, desperately searching for anything that they could do.

And, against all odds, they’d found something, created a plan so batshit crazy Valtor was slightly concerned they might’ve been going a little bit off the rails.

But if there was a shot at it working, they needed Andros.

Daphne’s parents were in Eraklyon, speaking with King Erendor and Radius, trying to figure out their next move and how to help Domino.

So this would be up to them.

Daphne was clutching the sketches and plans so harshly, Valtor gently took her hand to keep her from accidentally tearing them apart.

“It’s a good plan.” He half-lied, gently leaning his forehead against hers, “We know our plans can work to open the portal. We just need her to agree.”

“Val… if this doesn’t go our way-”

“Princess Daphne.” Queen Lena called out from the beach, surrounded by guards and with her daughter, Princess Niobe who would soon be crowned Queen, “To what do I owe the honor?”

“Queen Lena, thank you for seeing us on such short notice.” Daphne effortlessly slipped into her royal role, bowing for a moment before taking a deep breath, “I’m afraid I am here to ask a favor of you… of Andros. We believe that with your help we might be able to trap the Witches away.”

Daphne explained the plan with Valtor occasionally jumping in to add a detail or to explain anything Daphne had forgotten.

There was a place in Andros that had once been a portal to a planet called Omega. A planet that, they believed could function as a prison since it was more a cavern dimension than a planet.

They’d created blueprints for a possible device that could safely reopen the portal. If they could lure the Witches to Andros and trick them into crossing the portal… then they could successfully trap them away… maybe for good.

But Valtor saw the way Queen Lena grew more guarded with every word they spoke, her eyes only returning to the blueprints they’d brought with them.

The Queen sighed heavily, “I’m sorry princess Diaspro. But I cannot risk the safety of Andros for plans and blueprints that might not even work-”

“We’ve consulted with every portal expert we could find and-”

“My answer is no. I’m sorry.”

Princess Niobe nervously took a step forwards, “Mother… perhaps we should-”

“My answer is final.”

Niobe hesitating, glancing down at the blueprints in her hands, “But mother these seem to be-”

“Niobe. You are not Queen yet.”

Niobe shrunk into herself, glancing back at a man holding a baby that Valtor assumed to be baby Aisha. Just a few months older than Millie.

Queen Lena took the blueprints from her daughter, “We cannot help you. I’m sorry Princess Daphne. I hope Domino will find another solution to your… problem.”

With that, the Queen turned around and left.

Princess Niobe seemed conflicted, but said nothing, turning around and following her mother, who still had the blueprints in hand.

Valtor cursed under his breath, freezing when he turned to Daphne.

She was breathing heavily, not so much breathing as hyperventilating, a ring of flames starting to grow around her as she went to grab her hair, harshly pulling at it.

“Daph-”

“It’s over- I- I failed.”

“No Daphne-”

“It’s over Valtor!” She screamed, stumbling back and into the waves, the water quickly becoming steam, Valtor followed, not caring if the water was getting dangerously close to scalding as Daphne kept hyperventilating, “What are we supposed to do? That was it! That was our last idea!”

“Daphne, love I need you to breath. It’s not over yet-”

“Yes it is!” 

“NO IT’S NOT! WE-” he cut himself off, it would do no good to yell, “We don’t stop fighting Daphne. We just don’t.”

Daphne shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks, “I don’t know what else we can do Val. We’ve poured over every volume there is. Every trinket we could find and… there’s nothing left.”

Valtor clenched his jaw, shaking his head again, “No. There- there has to be something that we haven’t thought of or-”

“There’s not! We’ve run out of options and-”

“The Company of Light! There has to be something in the Golden Hall we missed or-”

“I’m- I’m-” She stared at him for a moment, tears shining in her eyes before she turned away, “I don’t know what to do anymore.”

Valtor frowned. She was hiding something.

“Daph-”

She launched herself into his arms, weeping. He held her tightly, not caring about her nearly burning skin.

“I’ll figure something out Daph I…”

He hated that he couldn’t truly promise that.

***

A week later they stood together, holding hands on an Owl that Codatorta was piloting.

Politea, Avalon and Tabitha were with them, they kept arguing back and forth about what to do next.

Daphne had sensed that the Witches would be on a planet called Isis. It was a smaller planet, they weren’t sure exactly why they were there, but it could be their shot at attacking them when they had their guard down. Finally.

Valtor turned to Daphne, “Love… you-”

“I’m not letting you go without me.”

“You can’t go. We can’t risk the Dragon Flame.” And selfishly, he couldn’t risk Daphne herself getting hurt, “And I’m the best shot at actually doing some harm.”

“But-”

“I’ll go with him.” Politea said, stepping forwards.

Daphne and Valtor traded a glance.

Politea’s fiancé had died two weeks prior. They’d been hesitant enough to let her board the Owl, actually letting her go on the mission…

“I’m the only other Nymph here. After you two, I’m the most powerful one here. Let me come. Let’s put an end to this, once and for all.”

Daphne hesitated. She didn’t want Politea to go on the mission, Valtor could see that.

He squeezed her hand, “It’ll be alright love.” 

Daphne hesitated for a moment, then she grabbed the lapels of his coat and pulled him down, kissing him deeply, way too intensely considering their best friends were right there.

Not that he would ever complain.

She cupped his cheek, taking a shaky breath, “Be careful.”

***

Valtor and Politea walked into the small cave that Daphne had guided them into. Far above, the others were ready to provide backup.

“Look.” Valtor followed Politea’s lead, she pushed a seemingly random stone on the wall, the wall suddenly falling to reveal a hidden chamber.

Valtor frowned, turning to Politea, “How did you know that was there?”

Politea took a moment to answer, “Nymph experience. I’m good at finding secrets you know?”

Valtor nodded along. It sounded about right.

He lead, heading into the dark chamber, he spotted runes carved into the walls. The light of the sphere of light in his hand too dim to properly be able to see them.

He stepped closer to the runes, inspecting them, “These… these are runes for a ritual. I think… I think they’re meant for a ritual of control. Taking over autonomy… but why would they set something like this up here? They would need a-”

Pain imploded on his back and he screamed as a dagger sunk into his lower back.

He crumpled to the ground, trying to look back at where the Witches had gotten the jump on him.

Only… the Witches weren’t there. Politea was the one holding the bloody knife.

She’d quite literally stabbed him in the back.

“Wha- Politea-” he couldn’t breath. The wound burned, this wasn’t a normal kind of pain, the blade had been coated in something. 

Much to his horror, Valtor found that, with every passing second, it was getting harder and harder to move. 

Whatever was on the blade was paralyzing him.

“I’m sorry Valtor.” Politea started, her face numb and devoid of emotion, “But I made a deal. You’re the price I’m paying.”

Shadows descended from the ceiling, slowly taking the shape of the three Ancestral Witches.

Valtor glanced back at the runes as it all fit into place.

Daphne hadn’t been able to track the Witches by luck. They’d only let her think that. They’d set this whole place as a trap.

A trap for him.

Politea touched her comms, “Hey guys, I’m so far so good, we’ll explore a bit deeper down, comms might get testy but I’m starting to think the Witches might not be here.”

Valtor tried to scream, but he couldn’t.

One of the Witches smirked as they stood over him, “You and your little Daphne have been quite the thorn on our sides. What better way to kill two birds with one stone… than to have you kill her?”

Valtor was thrashing in his mind, screaming at himself to move. To get out of there, to find Daphne and keep her safe.

But he could do nothing.

He’d let his guard down.

He’d trusted Politea.

And now… now the Witches were starting to chant.

***

Tabitha had refused to leave Daphne alone for the night.

It was the first time they’d shared a bed in a while, since more recently there hadn’t exactly been time for sleepovers.

But after Valtor seemingly betraying them… Daphne was a mess.

They all knew that something had happened in that cave. The Valtor they all knew would never have tried to attack them, to attack Domino. 

He hadn’t actually landed any hit. And that gave Tabitha hope. Maybe, he wasn’t fully under whatever trance the Witches had clearly put him under.

But that didn’t seem to comfort Daphne.

She’d screamed until her voice had broken when they’d had to leave Valtor behind. Had passed out after hyperventilating and- after waking up, she hadn’t been able to stop sobbing, her entire body shaking.

Tabitha had put her foot down, refusing to let Daphne spend the night alone.

Daphne hadn’t so much fallen asleep as she had just passed out from exhaustion and pain and emotional turmoil.

Tabitha woke up at some point in the night when she heard Daphne whimpering and crying.

She shot up when she couldn’t feel Daphne on the other side of the bed. A quick search of the room let her know Daphne was in the bathroom, crying.

Tabitha quickly kicked the covers off and reached the bathroom, pushing the door open without a second thought. She and Daphne had been best friends for nearly ten years, they’d seen shit.

But nothing could have prepared her for what situation she found Daphne in.

Daphne sat on the toilet, underwear around her ankles… stained in blood.

“Daphne?”

Daphne heaved, horrible sobs shaking her entire body.

Tabitha snapped herself out of her shock, quickly kneeling in front of Daphne and trying to inspect her for injuries, “Daph what… what… Daphne?”

Daphne shook her head, “I… I-” she looked away, hugging herself, like she might fall apart at any moment, “I found out three weeks ago. I tried to- to tell Val but- I couldn’t figure out how to… and now- oh god- oh…” she covered her face with her hands, sobbing and screaming into her palms.

Tabitha pulled her into a hug, Daphne collapsed against her, muffling her screams of despair against Tabitha’s shoulder.

Tabitha rubbed circles against her back.

She could only imagine it had all been too much. Too much stress, and losing Valtor… that had just been the thing that had pushed her over the edge both emotionally and physically.

Tabitha found her sight blurry as she herself started crying.

All Daphne had ever wanted… and it had ended before it had even had a chance to begin.

It took a long time to get herself together. Even longer to gently guide Daphne off the bathroom floor. To get her to change and to inspect her to make sure that nothing was wrong that… that the miscarriage hadn’t hurt her seriously.

To get her into bed and to drink water and to breath. Just breath.

When Tabitha was going to get a Healer in case her own inspection hadn’t been good enough, Daphne held on to her wrist with an iron grip.

“Tabi?”

“Yeah Daph?”

“No one can know.”

“What?”

Daphne looked void and numb and empty, silent tears staining her pillow as she stared at nothingness, “I don’t- I can’t deal with anyone knowing. Not my parents. Not my guards. Not Avalon or the Nymphs… not even Valtor when he comes back to us. You can’t tell a soul. Ever.”

Tabitha hesitated, “Daphne-”

“This is my pain. I don’t need other people knowing about it. Especially not now. Please Tabitha. Promise me. Promise me you will never tell. Ever.”

Tabitha took a deep breath before kissing her forehead and nodding, “Okay. I promise. I will take this to my grave.”

***

Valtor was a puppet. His strings the will of the Witches.

He’d attacked his friends and Domino. He could do nothing… until now.

It had taken him two months of slowly trying to figure out the bounds of his strings and testing them.

He’d managed to unveil Politea’s betrayal whilst attacking Avalon.

The Witches had beaten him within an inch of his life, saying that Politea’s betrayal had caused Daphne to move the Golden Kingdom and the Water Stars from place, to keep Politea from using them.

The Witches were furious.

He was glad.

His plan was a risky one. But Domino was running out of time.

In fact, the following day… could be the last day of Domino’s history. So Valtor would have to act.

He would have to burn his entire body. In a similar if less deforming way than he’d done to Darkar. 

Cuts all over his body, he would wind up covered in blood.

He might die.

But he didn’t care. He had to risk it. 

For Daphne.

***

Daphne was alone.

Valtor had broken his curse. She’d been able to give him one last kiss. To give him the Dragon Blessing. To be in his arms one last time.

But then he’d gone to hold off the Witches.

Her parents had stayed behind as well to give her time to escape.

She knew in her gut that they were gone.

King Erendor, her godfather had left her to die.

And she herself had just put Millie through a portal. 

She’d gotten Millie to safety.

But now she was alone.

She didn’t want to die alone.

But she would. Because it wasn’t up to her.

Daphne slowly allowed her eyes to drift over the bookshelf on the wall, spotting a dark totem. A book her mom had told her held curses too dark, too powerful.

Daphne stepped forwards, her form flickering as she pulled it down, slowly opening the book.

Valtor had crossed the line for her. Had dived head first into something that went against everything he believed in.

Now it was her turn.

She would make the Witches pay for what they’d done to Domino, to her parents, to Millie.

But most of all, to her, to Valtor. And their unborn child.

The curse she would use wouldn’t kill the Witches. She just couldn’t kill them. But she could seal them into the core of a dead planet.

They wanted Domino to be a dead planet? Fine. They’d all but die with it.

She would disintegrate the hosts the Witches used to debilitate them, and then, she would keep them locked away.

Give the galaxy time to find a way to stop them for good.

She would die. But she would not do it without a fight.

Without avenging Valtor.

***

In the end. They didn’t win.

Valtor had slowed the Witches enough to give his love the chance to escape. But the Sirenix curse had still gotten to her.

Daphne had cast her own curse to avenge her beloved. But that didn’t change the fact that he’d been the victim of yet another curse.

In the end, they both didn’t quite die, but didn’t quite live either.

They slept in a restless, cursed way.

Her, under the water of a crystal lake.

Him, frozen in a planet of pain.

In the end, they had no future.

Just a past that would be whispered about for years as a tragic love story.

And oh, what a tragic tale it was, that of the Nymph and her Warlock.

[walker-extended-universe]

Sammy Reborn, Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Relationship(s): August Walker & Dean Winchester, August Walker & Cordell Walker, Cassie Perez & Cordell Walker

Tags/Warnings: Kidnapping, Drugging, Investigations, Delusions, Obsession

Written for @medwhumpmay Day 4- Sedated

Summary: In which August tries to make a move and Walker tries to keep his wits about him.

Taglist: @theladywyn, @ihavepointysticks, @klaatu51, @itsjessiegirl1, @neptunium134

------

Cordell stumbled into the ranch house at around 4am, got a couple hours of sleep, then made his way to the family breakfast table to break the news to his family. 

He and Cassie had spent hours looking through traffic cam footage the night before and hadn’t had much luck. They did manage to identify the car most likely used by the kidnapper but the license plate they pulled from the footage was fake and tracking the car had proved to be almost impossible since the driver mostly used side streets away from the cameras. All they knew was that they were looking for a black 1967 Chevy Impala (which they put the APB out for before leaving) and that whoever did was long gone.

Not exactly great news.

He hesitated before the doorway and took a deep breath. He couldn’t put this off any longer.

“Mornin’ everyone….” He tried to smile but he wasn’t sure it was convincing. “I…I have something to tell you. Something important.” He didn’t wait for his mama’s concerned questions before barreling through it. “Last night, August was kidnapped while taking out the trash at the Side Step. We don’t know who took him or why. All we have right now is the vehicle the kidnapper was driving and we’ve got a state-wide ABP out on it right now-”

“Wait, what? Last night?” Stella turned in her stool, breakfast forgotten. “Why didn’t you tell us as soon as you found out?”

“Why don’t you ask your boyfriend?” Cordell muttered. “Colton’s the one that called it in. And after that….. I needed to know what we could find out. I wish I had better news but at this point there’s not much we can do. We’ll have to wait for someone to report the car and that’s honestly the best we can hope for. Until then, all we can do is investigate things here, try and find out if anything suspicious has been happening around August lately. I’m not dragging all of you in for interrogation but we’ll need to have a talk about what he’s told you -if he has- and we’ll need to track down some of his school friends too.”

He watched as his family slowly absorbed the news. There was a long silence before anyone said anything.

“He didn’t mention anything strange to me,” Liam said slowly. “Stel?”

She shook her head. “No, but I know some of his school friends; I can talk to them and see if they know anything.”

“Do you know if he kept a journal?” Bonham asked. “He may have put something in there.”

He shook his head. “Not one that I knew of but it couldn’t hurt to look. But I’ve got to get to work, see if there have been any updates.”

“Cordi, honey, it’s been one night. You can at least get some breakfast before you go,” Abby insisted.

“But-”

“If there’s a big update, they’ll call you. And you won’t do August any good collapsing on the job. Eat.”

Sighing, Cordell sat down and started eating. He knew better than to argue with that tone.

—-------

August woke up with a groan. His head hurt and the loud music wasn’t helping. Why was Stella blasting Led Zepplin anyway?

“Oh, sorry. Did I wake you Sammy? Here, let me turn that down.”

The lowered volume did help August’s head but that voice didn’t help his nerves. It was the same voice from the alleyway. The guy that jumped him and knocked him out.

“You wanna stop at the next exit and get something to eat? I’m a little hungry myself. I bet you are too. You gotta get something besides a salad this time though. I know you’re on a health kick and all that but you’re too skinny.”

August made himself sit up and open his eyes. He wasn’t sure what this guy wanted or why but he figured it’d probably be smart to play along for now. Just until he could find a way to contact his family. “Where are we?”

“We’re just coming up on Texarkana. I’m good on gas for a bit but I think we need fuel for us before we go much further. I know I’m starving.” The guy took the next exit but he was going too fast for August to see where it was.

August was feeling hungry too, but he didn’t think he could trust anything this guy would give him. But maybe he could use this to get some more information. “I’m not that hungry, actually. Thanks though, Mr….?”

His captor laughed. “Sammy, I know you’re hungry. And don’t call me that. I know I’m older than you, but come on, I’m just your brother.”

August had so many arguments he could make but none of them seemed like a good idea in a moving car. “Fine. Where are we going?”

“Just a little diner I know. You’ll love it.”

August very much doubted that but, again, he didn’t think it was a good idea to get into it.

It was another half an hour of his captor singing off-tune before they pulled into the diner parking lot. It was a grungy place that looked like it had been open a few decades too long- then again Gramps swore up and down those places made the best food (besides Mawline’s, of course). And August actually was a bit hungry, not that he felt like admitting it.

“Yeah, I know it doesn’t look like much,” the man said, unlocking the doors. “But I’m sure they have some kind of salad for you. But I am gonna order you a burger; you’re too damn skinny, Sammy.”

August wouldn’t mind a burger. It would give him the energy to run away if nothing else.

And being here gave him some options. He didn’t have his phone anymore, but there were people here. If he could get away from this guy for just a second, he could get someone to call his dad. That would have to be good enough until he could find another way to talk to his family.

“Well, howdy Dean!” The waitress standing behind the counter greeted them with a blinding smile. “Been a while since I’ve seen you. A few months at least. And who’s this fella?”

The man, Dean, returned her smile and pulled August into a one-armed hug. “This is my little brother, Sammy. We’ll have my usual, Debbie.”

They were given a table near the front window while they waited for whatever Dean’s usual was. August spent his time looking around the diner. There was a decent crowd, not so busy that he wouldn’t be able to get a waitress’ attention for a few seconds but busy enough that he could do it without drawing Dean’s attention. Hopefully.

“Alright, here ya are!” Debbie plunked two plates in front of them. Dean’s “usual” was a heart attack on a plate- a greasy bacon burger with an overwhelming side of fries.

Normally, August would dig in with glee. He was a growing boy and while the Walkers weren’t exactly health nuts, something as greasy as this was definitely a rarity. 

But, normally August hadn’t been kidnapped by some weirdo. So that killed his appetite a bit.

“Come on, Sammy, eat up,” Dean said around a mouthful of food. “We gotta hit the road if we wanna be home by sundown.”

August ate some fries and looked around the diner, waiting for the right opportunity. If he could just get a waittress’ attention….

He saw one of the young ladies in a uniform going into the restroom area. Bingo.

“Hey, uh, I gotta hit the head. I’ll be back in a sec.”

“Sure thing, Sammy,” Dean muttered, entranced by his burger.

August quickly dashed to the back of the restaurant. There was a “No Entry- Cleaning” sign on the door but he opened it anyway. This was more important.

“Didn’t you see the sign?” said a very annoyed voice.

“I- Yes, but this is important.”

“I don’t care which burrito you ate, I’m cleaning.” A very annoyed woman poked her head out of one of the stalls. “You can wait five minutes.”

“I really can’t. It’s- I don’t actually have to use the bathroom but….” How was he supposed to explain this?

The woman’s face softened a bit. “Are you okay? If you ate the Dynomite blaster-”

“It’s not that. It’s- You know that guy I came in with.”

She nodded. “Yeah, Debbie said he’s your older brother.”

“He isn’t. He’s not my brother at all. I don’t even know him.”

Her eyes widened with understanding. “Do you need to sneak out the back?”

He shook his head. “No. I don’t think that would work. That guy is…. Scary. And I don’t even have my phone on me. But my dad’s a cop and I know the tip line for where I live. If you could just call and tell them I was here, that would help a lot.” He could just play nice with Dean until his dad rescued him.

Right?

“Uh, well… I don’t-”

“I’ll be okay, I promise. Just- Let me give you the number.”

She handed him her order pad and he quickly scrawled the number for the Ranger tip line and his name. Hopefully he wouldn’t be stuck with Dean much longer.

He thanked her and quickly went back to his table. Feeling slightly better now that he had a plan in place, he went straight for the burger. He didn’t know if it was actually a good burger or if he was just hungry, but it tasted like the best thing he’d eaten in months.

“Woah, slow your roll, Sammy. I don’t need you getting sick in the car.”

August rolled his eyes. “I haven’t eaten in hours, I’m starving.”

“Suit yourself.”

As soon as they finished eating, Dean threw some cash down on the table and motioned for August to get up. He did and immediately felt queasy. Maybe he shouldn’t have eaten that burger in less than a minute after all….

—-----

It took longer than Dean thought for the drugs to knock Sammy out. He’d made the dose smaller so it wouldn’t hurt Sam by accident. He’d have to adjust it for next time, but it did the job for now.

Sam fell asleep about 30 minutes into the car ride and Dean turned the music down for him. “Sweet dreams, kiddo,” he murmured, stroking his hair. “We’ll be home soon.” It was a 10 hour drive, but with Dean at the wheel they’d make it in 5.

He hated to drug Sam for the ride. He wanted to sing along to the radio with his brother rolling his eyes at him the whole way. But Sammy was still confused and Dean didn’t want to risk losing him again. He just needed some alone time with Sam and then things could start getting back to normal.

It wouldn’t be an easy transition for Sammy- kid always was stubborn. But, just like when Dean got him back from Stanford all those years ago, he would eventually come around. He’d stop having all those big dreams about leaving Dean behind and living a “normal” life, whatever that meant. 

And it would be better this time. There would be no Dad to drive him away, no Jessica to keep him away, no Ruby to poison his mind, no Lucifer to claim him, not even Castiel to ruin him. Sammy would be all his this time. Just like he should be.

And if his other “family” tried to come after him, to take what isn’t theirs anymore, Dean would take care of it. Just like he always did.

—---------

Cassie rewound the traffic cam footage again, just in case she missed something. Even a taillight would be something more than what she had. And she had to give something to Walker. She had to.

She glanced over at the conference room where he was staring blankly at their- equally as blank- caseboard. She would bet anything he was currently running through the stats on survival of a missing person versus how long it took to find them. She certainly was.

Her desk phone ringing jarred her out of her thoughts. “Texas Rangers,” she answered.

“Uh, is this the anonymous tip line?”

She sat up straighter. “Yes. What do you have to report?”

“Uh…. God, this is gonna sound weird….”

“Nothing too weird for the tip line, believe me. What did you see?”

The woman sighed. “God, this is dumb. I shouldn’t’ve let him go. I shoulda told him to sneak out the back and just called the cops right then. What was I thinking?”

“Ma’am, I can’t help you or him unless you tell me what’s happened.”

“Right, right. Uh, well, these two guys came into the diner earlier. The older one called the younger one his brother and he ordered from Debbie. But then the younger one came and found me while I was cleaning the bathroom and told me they weren’t actually brothers and told me to call this number.”

“Right.” Cassie grabbed one of the report slips and started scribbling down information. “Can you tell me anything else.”

“Well, the older one is a regular. Debbie knows him well. His name is Dean I think. He called the younger one “Sammy” but then the kid told me his name is actually August Walker. Said his dad was a cop and that’s why I had to call this number.”

“Thank you. Is there anything else you can tell me about the man August was with?”

“Uh, well he’s older. I’d say in his forties maybe? He’s white, he’s got green eyes, and I’d say he’s about six feet tall. He always pays in cash, he drives one of those classic cars- a black one- and I think he’s from somewhere in Kansas? I think that’s what Debbie said.”

“That’s great. And can you tell me the address of this diner?”

“Oh, right! I forgot.” She gave up the address and Cassie did her best to keep all the details straight. “They were here about half an hour ago. I couldn’t call sooner because we were busy; this was my first chance to take a break.”

“That’s still helpful. Thank you.” She hung up and picked up her report slip. She smiled as she read over everything again. This was good. This was a lead. This was a chance. They could bring August home.

“Hey, Walker,” she said, rushing toward the conference room. “We just got a tip on August. A waitress in Texarkana called in about him. Whoever took him stopped for lunch and August was able to get away long enough to get help.”

His head snapped toward her and he zeroed in on the slip in her hand. “Really?” he said. “Texarkana? They must’ve been driving all night…” He snatched it from her and read over it. “This is good. We can work with this. We should probably get in touch with the PD there and see if we can get camera footage from the diner and the surrounding streets. Also put an APB on this description.” He was moving around the conference room frantically now, adding to the still sparse case board.

“I’ll let James know,” Cassie said, backing out of the room to let Walker do what he needed to do. His son was missing; he could sweat out as much nervous energy as he needed to.

[kanerallels]

Re: homeschooling. There is ALOT of stigma, but I’ve heard the stigma is much higher in the USA than elsewhere, and this is an American site so all polls results are skewed to an American world view. So there’s that, what fears exist there that influence the vote? I’ll try to summarize. I’d be interested in a poll from everyone else. Also the points I’m gonna cover are just what I’ve heard over the years, and over the border as a Canadian myself, who only homeschooled for a few of my years, so it’s not iron clad or anything. Just some possibilities.

The stigmas come from the idea that it’s bad because there are, unfortunately, a lot of people who don’t do it right, or for the right reasons. The main objections are these kids are completely isolated socially, underprepared to function in the real world, and that they won’t get a proper education - either from ignorance or malice, or both. There may also be unconscious bias that the state (not the American sense of the word, but the institutional sense) knows best and how can parents know what to teach? Which probably feeds back into factors I don’t really have the qualifications to talk about but basically boil down to “if you educated them better they won’t be mindless minions for the capitalist/military/prison grind” - the state does not want that, so they purport the idea that it’s bad (yes that borders on conspiracy theory, not saying it’s true, saying I’ve heard this said). Never mind public education is a fairly new concept, historically speaking (and it is a good thing in many ways! Mandatory, free, basic education has eliminated illiteracy in many places for example. The concept started out with worthy goals, etc - have they strayed from them and why? Lack of care or just resources?)

Obviously, all of that is going to vary by who is doing it and why and if they have the time and resources and desire to do it properly.

Socially, you can absolutely create community elsewhere - when my mom was doing it with us, we went to the library every single week and met up with a bunch of other kids and planned social stuff and educational group trips to places like the science centre and the art and history museums. We mixed our book learning with practical skills - one person knew a sewing teacher, one person negotiated a discount for swim lessons, the library offered French lessons among its many other programs. And of course to supplement grade standard education lesson books, like math, spelling, etc, we were ALWAYS taking out books from the library, both fiction and non fiction. So there are absolutely ways to get a rounded education and a social life. I would say even more so now than when the concept was new for me 15-20 years ago.

But on the other hand, there are the horror stories, and success stories don’t circulate half so well. The people who isolate their kids to abuse them, don’t teach them anything, make them do chores all day beyond age appropriate responsibility or physical ability, etc. also the deliberate obfuscation of certain information or topics because of personal ideology, usually religious, because you know. Somehow education equates belief (sarcasm. Example: I learned people used to think the world was flat. Guess what? I don’t believe that).

These are just some random thoughts, feel free say it doesn’t make sense lol. I do believe if that’s what you want to do, and you have the love and time and ability and patience etc, and financial freedom for at least one parent to do it (someone’s gotta work unfortunately), then go for it. But do it right, and find as many resources as you can. Unfortunately there are people who go into it without preparation and for the wrong reasons and I can see why people believe kids need access to third parties somewhere in their lives, and school might as well be it. Like there’s very much merit and drawbacks on both sides. I think there’s kids who could come out from both systems with abysmal skills, and from both with stellar skills, (I’ve met both types), it’s just really gonna boil down to individual circumstances.

This is all really really interesting, thank you for the ask!! I knew some of this stuff but not all of it. And I don't think I knew you were homeschooled at one point, that's so cool!! (Oh and you're never gonna hear judgement about conspiracy theory sounding stuff from me lol)