#sv fanfic

[moonferry]

if it ends while i'm gone, be my only - the epilogue /lyr (fsioy chapter 19)

omg ??? the epilogue??? i cant believe it. theres only one more chapter left :( sadge. anyway, enjoy!

summary: it's been XX years, let's see how the neilson family is doing! watch as their family grows and they eventually move to the mystical "pelican town". they even run into an old friend.

warnings: none (i think??)

word count: 2766

other chapters: chapter masterlist

ao3 link: here!

anyway~ stay tuned for the next (and final) chapter. i have something special planned.

20XX | XX Years in the Future | Epilogue 

Kent, Jodi, and their son Sam continued to live in the city for the next few years. Eventually, when Sam was about four years old, the small family moved into a new apartment - one that was only a few blocks between Misty’s own and Diana’s store. Jodi insisted they should move closer to her mother - as a way to “watch over” her - and Kent agreed. 

Two years after moving into their new apartment, Kent returned to service - staying from the time Sam was six years old and returning when he was about eight. 

Then, when Sam was thirteen years old, Kent returned to service once more. This time, staying for three years and returning when Sam was sixteen. When Kent returned, he and Jodi were blessed with another child. A second son. One who they named “Vincent Daniel” to honor Kent’s friends, though Kent would have preferred to use the name “Lee” but it had begun to slip from his mind. The only reason he chose the name “Vincent” was because of the I.D. tags around his neck. 

At much as Kent hated to admit it, the war was taking a toll on his mental health. Time, and repeated exposure to traumatic events, certainly didn’t help. He was slowly beginning to forget the names and faces of the men who were once the closest things to siblings he ever had. It hurt. Kent didn’t want to forget them.

Kent eventually reached out to a therapist - as there were moments when his thoughts would overtake him. The therapist suggested a change of scenery would be a good place to start. With this in mind, the Neilson family (Kent, Jodi, a sixteen year old Sam, and a few month old Vincent) packed up their belongings and loaded themselves into the hand-me-down vehicle from Misty. 

Kent still remembers the mixture of confusion and hope as he read the giant billboard: “Stardew Valley – 10 miles”. He would’ve continued driving, but something about the valley seemed to compel him. It felt… familiar, in a way. As if he had imagined a life in this very valley all those years ago. Now, in his late 30s, Kent was finally allowing himself to achieve this life. He barely thought about the decision before taking the next exit - bringing them all towards their new, hopefully more peaceful, life. 

Everyone seemed to greet the family warmly - from the local saloon owner, the townsfolk, and even the nearby rancher. However, one man seemed to keep his distance. An older gentleman - one who Kent swore he knew, but he couldn’t quite place. 

He pushed the thought from his mind. He would worry about familiar faces later. For now, they had to meet with the mayor and secure a house big enough for their family of four. 

“Oh, yeah,” The mayor said. Lewis, he said his name was. Kent looked him up and down. He was another older man, though this one wasn’t as familiar as the other. Something kept nagging at the back of Kent’s mind, pulling his attention towards the strange man he had noticed earlier. 

“Mr. Neilson?” Lewis asked, concern filling his voice. He waved a hand in front of Kent’s face and tried to regain Kent’s attention. Lewis spoke once more, “Did you hear what I said?” 

“Huh?” Kent asked, shaking out of his stupor. He tore his eyes away from the spot he was watching - the spot where the man from earlier had been standing. Kent swore the man was eagerly watching him a few seconds ago, but now he was gone. It was as if he had just disappeared. Kent looked at Lewis and gave an apologetic look before adding, “Sorry. What did you say, again?” 

“Well, I mentioned we have the perfect house for your family!” Lewis chirped. He made an excited motion towards a light blue house - one that was placed a few feet from where they were standing. It looked relatively new (and well taken care of) and Kent wondered who had built it. 

“And, Miss Yoder lives next door - on the ranch down the street,” Lewis explained, moving to point towards the ranch-like farm building. Lewis looked back at Kent, squinting as he looked him up and down. Kent almost wondered if the man considered him some sort of “competition”. For what, he wasn’t quite sure. Kent raised an eyebrow. 

After some scrutinizing - and Jodi approaching Kent and wrapping a loving arm around his waist - Lewis nodded. The man looked around and tried to find any more “selling points”. Eventually, his eyes landed on the gentle stream and Lewis spoke once more, “Plus, there is an abundance of water! I’m sure that… a man like you loves to fish, huh?”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Kent asked, raising another eyebrow in Lewis’ direction. Kent enjoyed fishing, as it always helped clear his mind, but he didn’t like the tone Lewis used. It made him feel suspicious - as if this man had an ulterior motive with his “fishing” spiel. 

The older man seemed to ignore the question and continued speaking, “We even have our own local fisherman, if you need some tips.” 

Lewis pointed once more, this time aiming in the direction Kent had been staring previously. Curiosity overtook Kent and he was filled with questions.

“Oh, yeah?” Kent asked, tilting his head to follow the direction of Lewis’ finger. Another question slipped from his lips, “What’s this ‘fisherman’ like?” 

“He runs a shop down on the docks. You should check it out,” Lewis encouraged, a wide, inviting smile spreading across his lips. Kent gave a small hum of consideration but thanked Lewis for the information. 

He helped Jodi and Sam unpack their belongings. However, his curiosity began to slowly overtake him. Kent placed the box he was currently carrying down and turned towards the beach. His family members turned and looked at him, confused, but made no effort to stop him. They all knew that Kent wouldn’t do something like this if he didn’t have a plan. Despite this, Kent didn’t have a plan. Luckily enough, he seemed to be the only one who noticed his lack of plan, which allowed him to slip away unquestioned. 

He hadn’t really thought much about what he was going to do. He was going to the beach and then what? Talk to a stranger in hopes the man is who Kent thinks he is? Try to gain information about a man from twenty years ago? Kent knew it was a shot in the dark, but it was one he had to take. A wave of determination overcame him and he trudged across the small bridge that connected the mainland to the beach. He needed to find out. The lack of closure had always nagged at the back of his mind. And, with how familiar this man felt, Kent couldn’t shake the feeling that this would lead to the closure he’d been waiting for. 

Kent walked towards the shop, though he stopped as he noticed a silhouette of a man propped against the side of the building - two fishing rods in his hands. The man looked up at Kent and extended one rod.

“I knew ye would make it here eventually, son,” The man spoke, a knowing yet prideful look washing over his face. He watched as Kent eyed him, disbelief and distrust clearly evident on Kent’s face, and gave a small nod. It was a good thing Kent had learned to be suspicious. The man remembered how naive Kent had been in his youth. He remembered how it cost Kent. How it took away something dear to him. 

“Look, I’m not gonna hurt ya,” He explained, rolling his eyes slightly. The man took a small breath - debating if he wanted to do this - before speaking once more, “I just want someone t’ go fishin’ with.” 

“You’ll humor an old man,” The man asked, extending the rod once more. He gave Kent a look - one that Kent was sure he had seen before - winking. He laughed, the sound loud and boisterous as ever, and added, “Won’t ya, Kent?” 

 Kent looked at him skeptically. How did this man know his name? He had never introduced himself, had he? Regardless of how he knew his name, Kent was never one for rude behavior - especially towards someone acting so… friendly. He extended his own hand, though he hesitated before it reached the pole. 

“Well?” The man asked, raising an eyebrow. He motioned towards the rod and then the water. He spoke once more, “Ye gonna take it or not, lad?” 

At the last word, recognition washed over Kent. He couldn’t believe his eyes. In front of him stood none other than the William T. Dodgens. A small surprised, yet relieved gasp slipped past his lips and he approached the man, immediately wrapping him in a tight hug. 

“Willy?” Kent exclaimed. He felt tears well up in his eyes as Willy hugged him back - his grip as strong and fatherly as ever. Kent couldn’t believe that - after all these years - Willy was alright and standing directly in front of him. He pulled his head back and glanced over the man’s features - now, upon closer inspection, the man looked exactly as he did the last time Kent saw him, just older and less well-kept. There was also the lack of military uniform. Kent felt a rush of questions swarm his mind, though he settled on one for now, “Is it really you?” 

“Aye,” Willy responded with a small, curt nod. 

“What happened?” Kent asked. He held the man by his shoulders and looked around - taking in the surroundings - before adding, “And how did you end up here?” 

“Heh,” Willy started, a hearty chuckle slipping past his lips. Willy spoke once more, “That’s quite a long story. Here, grab a rod. I’ll tell ya while we’re fishin’.” He extended the rod to Kent once more, watching as the man took it enthusiastically, before walking towards the nearby pier.

“Hey, Willy?” Kent asked as the two positioned themself on the pier, their lines already cast and the bobbers carefully bobbing up and down on the bright, clear water. Kent always enjoyed the water. It seemed to fill him with a calmness that seemed almost alien some days. He was grateful for the rare moments when he could put everything aside - even his uproarious thoughts seemed to silence themselves momentarily. 

“Aye?” 

“Well, you mentioned how you ‘knew I’d come here eventually’,” Kent started. He looked over at the man and tilted his head in confusion. Kent continued, “What did you mean by that, exactly?” 

Willy smiled, his eyes crinkling up at the corners. For a split second, Kent’s vision blurred. Instead of Willy, he saw his father - the same expression plastered across his face. Then, Kent blinked his eyes. The image came back into focus - this time with Willy instead of what he had seen previously. 

“Remember what I told ye all those years ago - the day ye got in yer Mammy’s car?” Willy asked, tilting his head in Kent's direction. The memory was quite fuzzy and faded at the edges, but Kent still remembered that day clearly. It was the last time he had spoken to Willy - of course he would remember it. He had thought about it every day since. 

“Which part?”

“The part about ye knowin’ what I’d mean one day – about havin’ a duty to yer country an’ whatnot,” Willy explained. Kent thought back, trying to find Willy’s exact words. They came to him easily - as that was always the part Kent found himself mulling over most often. He hadn't understood it at the time, but he knew that whatever Willy had meant that day would come into fruition. Kent nodded, signaling he remembered that part. 

“Well, lookin’ at ye now.. I see I was right, wasn’t I?” Willy spoke, a small knowing look crossing his features. A small, dry chuckle slipped past the man’s lips. He sighed, looking at Kent with a remorseful look, before adding, “I was like that - when I was yer age. I felt like.. Yoba an’ their minions had set out a plan for me. I threw myself into service ‘cause I believed that’s what I was s’pposed to do, Kent.” 

“Ye an’ I.. we aren’t so different, lad. I knew ye would be just as stupid, recklessly determined as I was. As yer father was. But, I also knew I couldn’t stop ya. Y’see, Kent, I knew ye would end up here because that’s where I ended up. That’s where they always end up.”

Willy sighed once more, turning and staring off at the vibrant hue of the blueish green water. He smacked his lips together before giving a solemn nod - mulling over his own life choices and how similar they were to Kent’s. He turned back to Kent and spoke once more, “It got to ya, didn’t it?” 

“The war, I mean,” Willy explained, looking at Kent with a distant sadness. He pursed his lips into a thin line, shaking his head disapprovingly. He added, “And ye kept goin’ back - no matter the cost, didn’t ya?” 

“You Neilsons and yer damn pride,” Willy spoke, mumbling to himself sadly. He sniffled, and Kent heard slight anger in his next words, “It’ll get the whole lot of ya killed.” 

Kent moved to defend himself though Willy held up a hand to stop him. 

“I don’t blame ya, Kenty boy,” Willy started, waving his hand to dismiss any growing anger Kent might have. He continued, “I woulda done the same thing. I did do the same thing, in fact. The Dodgenses.. Ah, that’s a stubborn breed, eh? Fishin’ themselves to death.. All ‘cause of some greater purpose – an’ to keep the family legacy alive, of course. But me? I was more stubborn than most. I didn’t want a life of fishin’ - I didn’t want to be like me Pappy. So, I tried to fight against it. I joined the naval forces.. I kept puttin’ myself through all kinds o’ unimaginable hell. All because I believed that I was supposed to.”

“But look at me now,” Willy spoke, motioning towards the shop behind him and the fishing rod in his hands. Willy sighed and shook his head. He looked at Kent, a wide frown spreading across his lips. He added, “I went through all of that and - in the end - it didn’t even matter. Promise me you won’t lose yourself like I did, Kent.” 

Kent gulped, unsure of how to respond. 

“Promise me, lad,” Willy repeated, his voice much firmer than usual. Kent looked at his face - it seemed pained and remorseful, as if Willy was watching his own decisions play out all over again. As if Kent was a repeat of his past choices - good and bad. It made Willy afraid to see how badly it had already affected him. 

“I.. I promise,” Kent spoke, though he felt a deep pit build in his chest. That was the first time he had lied since his talk with Jodi. The lie tainted his mouth. It felt sour and wrong in his throat - as if he had swallowed a lemon whole. Willy had urged Kent not to “lose himself” but what he didn’t realize was that Kent already had begun to. He felt himself slipping into a state he wasn’t sure he could escape from. 

To make matters worse, the war was kicking up once again. Kent was consumed by fear that something awful would happen to his son. He couldn’t let that happen. Kent knew that, when the time came five years later, he would be the first one running into the arms of the Ferngill Republic military. He would do it for his family - to protect his son, who would be twenty one at the time. He couldn’t let Sam experience what he had. He wouldn’t let Sam experience what he had. Kent would do whatever it took to keep Sam from enlistment. Kent wasn’t given a choice then, but he would ensure Sam got one now. Even if it took everything from him. Even if it changed Kent beyond recognition. Even if it caused his family to disdain him - to harbor grudges and build up resentment because they believed he only cared about his job. Even if it caused Kent to lose himself. Kent would lose himself a million times over - as long as it meant his family would be safe. Because that’s what you do for the people you love.

[rebelscumlena]

Space Sailor

Pairing: Marnie x Willy (Stardew Valley)

Word Count: 2.4K

Summary: It’s common knowledge in Pelican Town that there’s something going on between Marnie and Mayor Lewis. But how exactly did Marnie end up with Lewis? Wasn’t she seeing someone prior to him? Could it possibly be the fisherman who’s constantly watching her from across the Saloon? Why aren’t they together anymore?

A/N: Not the way I expected to get back into fanfiction, but I’ll take it. The Dynamic Writing Duo is back at it again! This idea was developed a week ago when @javier-djarin​ and I went down a rabbit hole of SV conspiracies, and the song Space Cowboy by Kacey Musgraves made it complete. Thank you as always to @javier-djarin​ for being my beta on my stories and giving me encouragement to write. Your usual recipe of teeth rotting fluff and soul crushing angst is here! Enjoy! 🐮

The music from the jukebox and the smell of pizza flooded Willy’s senses as he entered the Stardrop Saloon. Another Friday night meant just about everyone had shown up to celebrate the end of another long week. The younger ones were off playing pool in the side room, Robin and Demetrius were tearing up the dance floor, and Clint was waiting at their usual table with a cold pint ready for him. 

“How’s the ocean, Willy?” Clint asked, sliding over the glass of beer as Willy took his seat.

“Same as usual. How’s the forge?”

“Same as usual.”

The two friends chuckled at their little banter before clinking their glasses and taking a swig. They fell into some light conversation about their weeks, occasionally getting up to get another round. Although Willy always made sure that it was Clint’s turn to get drinks when Emily was up at the bar counter. He was a good friend in that way. He understood more than most what it meant to pine after someone. 

Willy finished his pint just as Clint went up for another round.  He focused his gaze on the little droplets of ale running down the side of his glass before pooling at the bottom. He knew what would happen if his eyes wandered across the Saloon. But desire got the best of him. Willy’s eyes swept across the bar, landing on her.

Marnie had always been able to draw his attention in a crowd. At all the festivals and events held over the years, he never failed to miss her. As painful as it was to think about their past, he preferred her attention then compared to now, because every time he took notice of her nowadays, Lewis was always lingering in her shadow.  It was no secret the mayor was interested in Marnie, even though he was adamant there was nothing going on between them. 

Lewis returned to the petite woman with another round of drinks, drawing a huff out of the old mariner. Sure, nothing going on, Willy thought as he drew his attention back to the droplets in his glass. Where was Clint with a new one?

Marnie had seen Willy’s lingering gaze. She always noticed when he was watching her. She could feel his gaze like a gentle caress: warm and comforting. Despite the many years that had passed and the fact that Mayor Lewis had been keeping her attention as of late, she wished Willy would look at her the same way he used to all those years ago. Back then his gaze was tender and loving, now it was always filled with remorse.

It was the summer before Marnie turned 20 when Willy and his Pappy had decided to settle in Pelican Town. She remembered seeing him around town as she grew up, but he always seemed to disappear the next day. Guess that’s what being raised by a mariner meant. But Willy’s Pappy was getting on in years, and so Willy had decided to open the Fish Shop down by the docks. He could make money and still let his Pappy enjoy the salty air.

It started as all young love usually does with a summer romance. She had just gone to buy a fishing pole and some bait for her older brother, and suddenly she was being charmed by Willy. The slightly older young man was tanned from all his time being out on the water and he smelled of mead and the ocean, instead of the piss and vinegar she heard most sailors described with. Willy was mild mannered and humble. That day she left with her brother’s birthday gifts and a promise to meet Willy that evening on the docks. And every night after that…

“Marnie, dear?”

Marnie jolted back to the present, her eyes focused on Lewis who was looking at her in slight annoyance.

“I’m sorry, Lewis. What were you saying?” she asked, taking a sip of her drink.

“I was just saying that Pierre claims I’m going to have to start special ordering truffle oil from now on since it’s too expensive to keep in stock. Isn’t that just ridiculous? And after all the corners I’ve cut for him.” Lewis guffawed in derision before taking a long pull from his drink.

Marnie gave a light chuckle, her mind beginning to wander again when she noticed Clint showing Willy a crystal he pulled from his apron.

Quartz, Marnie mused. He’s always been a sucker for quartz.

She had noticed he was collecting quartz one summer after his Pappy had passed. Not thinking much of it, Marnie ended up bringing him some quartz she had found on a hike up near the mountain. 

“I don’t know why you’re collecting them, but I saw this one and figured you could use it,” she stated, pressing the little crystal into the palm of his hand.

He gave her the warmest smile, his eyes watering a bit before pulling her into a deep embrace. Without a word, he then pulled her up from the dock they had been sitting on and took her inside the Fish Shop. Behind the counter, he pulled out a little wire hanger that had bits of quartz hanging off of various length strings: a sun catcher.

“I was thinking of hanging it up in the windows. Figured it would make this place a little more homey,” Willy said, a blush slowly rising to his cheeks as he rubbed the back of his head, “especially when you come around.” 

Marnie had jumped across the counter to plant a firm kiss on his lips, the largest grin on her face. She’d known how she felt about Willy for a while, but she waited for him to give her some sign that he felt the same: this was her sign.

After that day, it was rare that Marnie wasn’t down at the docks. Her parents were initially against the idea of Marnie spending all her time with the fisherman, but so long as her chores at the Ranch were completed, there wasn’t much they could say. Marnie was happy, and there were worse options than the fisherman.

Meanwhile, Willy was still in slight disbelief that he had managed to catch Marnie’s eye in the first place. She was the prettiest woman in town, and surely had better prospects than a weathered man who would perpetually smell of fish. Yet she had agreed to meet him that evening all those years ago, where he taught her how to bait a fishing pole so she could show her brother. She had come back almost every night since, joining him to watch the sunset and chat about their days. After a few months, they’d shared their first kiss on the docks. They’d exchanged birthday gifts, told each other secrets no one else would know, and even renamed his Pappy’s boat the Manatee. It wasn’t too long after that Willy was presenting Marnie with a bouquet of flowers.

But then he’d received a job offer out in the Fern Islands. It would make good money, but it meant Willy would be out at sea for months. He’d been nervous to tell Marnie about it one evening as they sat on the docks to watch the sunset. But when she told him to take the job, he was stunned. “And when you come home,” she had said, “I’ll be here on this dock waiting for you.”

The disappearing sunlight outlined her face perfectly, and he swore she’d never looked more beautiful than she had in that moment with a daisy from her bouquet nestled in her braid.

A week later, Willy and Marnie shared a passionate kiss on the docks before he set off on the Manatee. The inevitable months seemed to drag, but then a year passed. Willy had finished the job, but had picked up another with the prospect of catching an extremely rare species of fish. But the fish eluded the fisherman, and by then, the Manatee was in desperate need of repairs. More months passed by before the Manatee was ready to set sail again. Having used most of his money for repairs, Willy needed to take on more jobs to make up his losses. Then there were the storms that forced him to try alternate routes back to Pelican Town, which drained more of his supplies and money, and required him to take on more jobs.

Before he knew it, five years had passed by the time he docked back in Pelican Town. The Manatee was in worse shape than when he left, forcing him to retire the ship until he could come up with more money and materials to get her properly fixed. What little money he had managed to earn was barely enough to be called a profit after losing so many years at sea. But worst of all was the knowledge that Marnie wasn’t waiting on the docks for him.

He couldn’t blame her, especially since he had stopped sending letters after the first year. Between all the jobs he had barely found enough time to sleep, let alone write and send a letter. But more than anything, he felt ashamed. After the first job finished he realized how much he had missed the sea. The thrill in his blood when he woke up bobbing to the rhythm of the waves, the rush of excitement as he navigated through both calm and storm, and the sheer joy of just being out on the open water. It was his first love, and it had managed to surpass the love he felt for Marnie and the desire to start a life with her. So he stopped sending letters and instead let the sea take him wherever she deemed fit, hoping that somehow Marnie would understand.

So it was no surprise when he ventured into the Stardrop Saloon on his first night back and found Marnie and Lewis occupying a table together. Admittedly, Willy was surprised it was Lewis at the table with her. Then he remembered how the mayor had always had an eye on the young woman even when they were together. Marnie’s gaze moved to him, and Willy waited with anticipation for what she might say or do. He expected wrath from her, but instead was given a small smile and a nod before she turned her attention back to Lewis who was rambling about the governor coming to visit. Too stunned to do much else, Willy nodded back before heading to the bar. 

Marnie found herself thinking back to the day he left and everything changed. Somehow as she watched the Manatee take him away, she had a sinking feeling that he might not return. She would tell herself every time that wasn’t the case, that he would return after a job or maybe two and they’d turn the Fish Shop into a home and raise cows on the beach. Then the letters stopped coming and suddenly waiting on the docks made her feel silly rather than hopeful. Such is the life of a mariner, she would tell herself. So she forced herself to move on, and over time came to the conclusion that the sea would’ve called to him one way or another. She had noticed he was getting restless, and sometimes found him gazing longingly out into the horizon. Perhaps it was better that it happened before they had actually started a life together.

So when he walked into the Saloon that night, she felt every emotion she had bottled over five years run through her before she landed on contentment. Willy had chosen his path, and she had learned to become okay with that. She gave him a small smile to convey her understanding and a nod to welcome him home. All the while she focused on tampering down her beating heart as she turned her attention back to Lewis. Yet without fail every time he walked into the Saloon after that night, her heart would speed up in a way it never would around Lewis.

Before long, Gus was making the announcement for last call. Most everyone had cleared out aside from the late nighters. Pam was slowly falling asleep into her drink once again, and Elliott was visiting the toilet before his walk home. Lewis had gone to settle the tab with Gus, leaving Marnie to finish her drink and prepare for the walk back to the Ranch. She noticed Clint saying his farewells to Willy, throwing one last gaze at Emily before making his way out into the night. Willy nodded after his friend, puffing away contentedly on his pipe as his gaze moved to Marnie.

When their eyes locked, all the good memories flooded back: Marnie showing Willy how to bake pumpkin pie, Willy teaching Marnie how to rig up a crab pot; summer nights drinking mead on the deck of the Manatee, winter days making out in the hay loft while the cows watched in a mixture of curiosity and boredom. Then for the briefest second, Marnie thought of what life would’ve been like. Waking up to the call of seagulls or bringing the cows in at night? Teaching their kids to fish at the Festival of Ice? Holding hands while watching the Moonlight Jellies? A giddy grin broke out on Marnie’s face that was for Willy’s eyes only, which caused the edges of his lips to move up just a tad.

“Ready to go, Marnie?” Lewis called, walking back over to her.

The grin morphed into a more reserved smile as Marnie turned her attention to Lewis, nodding and getting up to follow him out.

Willy watched as the two departed, Marnie’s gaze every so subtly going back to him before she disappeared into the night with the mayor. The fisherman softly chuckled around his pipe, wondering what she was thinking about before getting up to stretch as Elliott joined him.

“Ready, Willy?” the younger man asked.

“Aye, lad. Let’s get going,” Willy responded, following him out. They made their way south through town and back to their homes. They passed Lewis’s house on the way, and Willy tapped out the ashes from his pipe on the steps of the Manor.

Elliott gave the older man a smirk, shaking his head in amusement. “Must you do that every time we walk by?”

“Gotta give him some actual work to do,” Willy responded, a cheeky smirk on his face as he stowed his pipe in his pants.

The two men continued their walk, and once Elliott parted ways to his home, Willy was left to approach the docks on his own. The wood creaked under each step, and he took a deep inhale of the salty air. For a moment, he was a younger man sitting next to a pretty woman underneath the stars and figuring out how to raise cows on the beach. As he gazed forlornly out into the dark, Willy realized that kind of love ran deeper than the sea. And perhaps one day, the tide would come back in his favor.

[ursulanoodles]

A New Chapter of Affliction is Up

Chapter 61: A Hundred and a Thousand More

This week's chapter is up a little earlier than usual since I have the day off! This one's a little mushy and spicy, and next week's chapter will be full of smut. 😏

[oscolotlxzooxx]

(N)ever- Lasting Farmer

Chapter one

Sebastian’s POV

Summary

Sebastian, excitedly ready to see the love of his life on their four year anniversary, stumbles in on a very shocking sighting as he is gifted with heartbreak and anger.

Characters in this fic:・Sebastian ・Sam・mentions Robin and Demetrius・and an OC Hunter (The Farmer)・ selma(daughter)・Saigon(brother)・

・Angst・

・Negative・

・heart break・

・sensitive topics・

~

↓ divider Credit ↓

Plain black divider

Moon and star divider

~

・OC explained・

This OC is created and played by @cy-mansays-069 , who told me about his gameplay, and so I decided to wip up a fanfic of it because you guys love angst, and I love crushing people's hearts ✍️ hehe.

I didn't know what to believe in that exact moment, to be honest? If it were for the fact that I was excitedly walking home on a sunny morning, thinking that today was going to be a fun day-flowers in hand-ready to greet my lovely husband at his very decorated and well organized farm house that we had put together with our sweat and tears; or if it were the distraught and overall disbelief on my face when I opened that same door that held many cherishable memories of us since day one of us being together, did I see my best friend and my husband holding hands on the couch, that I had bought, watching a film that only him and I would watch on special occasions like today.. Our four year anniversary.

I dropped the flowers that I had delicately picked out, which held only the most favorable ones my husband had liked, now on the floor to add on to the already invisible cracks that were seemingly being led on across the walls of the house my mom had carefully built with all her love and dedication for me and my husband to happily live in, now being shared by no other than my best friend since kindergarten.

If you couldn't already tell by my choice of words, I was in shambles seeing them close together like the world had only revolved around them, nothing more. How painful it was to see two of the people I hold dear, abusing it to get with each other.

“.. Hunter?” I called out to him in shakey volume as I walked in the darkness of what once was bright and calming, now in a negative state of untrustworthy behavior.

I could see my husband look away from the film with a shocked expression, looking at me with an almost apologetic look as he cautiously let go of my best friend's hand. The warmth of his hand could almost be replaceable with mine, yet the craveness in Hunter’s eyes, could I tell that he was more inclined to be in love with the touch by him, than he ever felt with mine.

“I-it’s..it’s not what it looks like, baby..please!” Hunter tried to start with his tone soft and sweet like all those other times where I had breakdowns about my struggles, and he would always reassure me with that damn voice that seemed to make me float on peaceful clouds.. Not his time.. Not again.

“How can you do this to me? To us? Do you know how long we've been together?” making my voice more loud and clear, breaking off the heavens that were once by our side when we first decided to get together. It was like all walls came crashing down. My will to make things work also came crashing down.

“Baby, please! Look, I can explain-” Hunter tried to continue with his excuse, but I didn't falter into his tricks. I kept yelling with reason.. With meaning..

“Don't ever call me that again, you hear? How can you fuck around like that with MY best friend? We have kids, Hunter.. KIDS! how will they react when they start to realize that we're not going to be in the same room under the same goddamn roof, huh? How will they react when they find out that you're a cheating son of a BITCH-” With anger in my voice, I suddenly stop talking to hear an even angrier voice that I hate to remember, piercing at the strings that had held my heart together.

“Don't you DARE finish that sentence, Seb. Don't blame this on Hunter. I made the move, alright?” with fear in my eyes, I see Sam, my best friend, get up to point a dagger-like-finger to my chest to emphasize his feelings.

"So YOU made the move on MY husband, and he just, what? Accepted it? Did you force him, you disgusting piece of SHIT!” I grabbed at his shirt to pull him close just to push him outwards with all the strength I had left. How distrusting these strangers I cared to get close too.

"Sam?! You?- no! I made the move, I don't know what he's saying, but I-.. We?.. I-it WON'T happen again!” Hunter then got up to get in front of me and Sam.. How familiar that looks, huh..?

“Yeah.. You're right. It won't happen again, because you know why? Cause I'm through with you, you hear? We're OVER! I'm getting us the divorce papers in a few weeks.. I'm packing my shit." As if all my anger could grow stronger, something in me didn't hold out too long with a crack to my voice by the end of my tantrum, did Hunter realize, if he even cared for me, how truly hurt I was.

“Sebastian, stop right there-” I heard Sam try to stop me until I heard Hunter stop him with his whole body as I walked to the room that I used to share with my love and only to grab my things.

“Don't stop him, Sam.. Let him do his thing." Hunter said, as quiet as I heard him say it only punched me in my feelings even more. Hearing how accepting he already was to see me leave him.. And this house? My kids? My feelings for Hunter? It's all going to waste. As I pack my things I think of how I'm truly restarting my life when I thought full heartedly that I would stay with someone who I was truly committed with.

As I kneeled down in front of a suitcase I thought I had long forgotten-the same one I used when moving into the farmhouse-I suddenly felt a soft tug from the bottom of my shirt. The same soft tugs I got when Hunter and I had agreed to have another person in our home, I turned my head to look at Selma.. Our daughter..

Weaving away any sad thoughts I had before, I take Selma into my arms and looked at her with a soft smile, and apologetic eyes.

“Selma.. Hi sweetie.." I said, pulling off whatever happiness I had left in me to show my beautiful daughter my love and care for her in my arms.

“Daddy!" Selma said with the most sweetest smile plastered on her face as she tried to grab my nose. The last time I will ever see my smiling daughter, with her silly little antsy movements with her hands as she had always tried grabbing my nose anytime I held her close. Even after getting out of her newborn phase, she always grew a type of urge to grab my face to tell herself that I am really here, and I always will be here by her side.. Oh Selma.. My beautiful sweet girl.. I'm sorry it had to be like this.

“Daddy’s going away for a little bit.. I don't know when I'll be back, sweetie.. You'll take care of your brother Saigon, right princess?” I said empathetically, never wiping off the reassuring smile I put on for my daughter as she looked at me with confused, wandering eyes.

“Yes, daddy! I’ll always take care of brother!" Selma said happily, nonetheless. As I hugged her with all my might I had left, I sat her down to motion her to her brother, and off she went.

I watched her take off to her and her brother’s room, only to be gifted the sight of Sam’s presence resting his upper body against the door frame with his arms crossed as if he was getting a kick out of my pain and sorrow of the situation.

I glance up at him with an angry look, and turned back to my suitcase to put the last few things in its collective spot until zipping up the suitcase and helping myself up off the ground for get ready to pass Sam out of the doorway only to be stopped by a hovering arm blocking my only exit.

“Don't do this Seb.”

“Don't do what? Leave my cheating husband and who was once my best friend? You both are strangers to me.. Strangers!" I said with a crack in my voice as I didn't leave my eyes off the hovering arm that was still blocking my exit.

“Now if you’ll excuse me..I'll be saying goodbye to my children, and I'll be on my way.” I was firm with my voice that time; glaring at the stranger who once had been there for me ever since we got to know each other. The one who had momentarily stopped my addictions. The one who's been there when I've been getting into fights. Even when it was something dumb or fucked up, he'd been there. But now? I don't know where he is now.

I can see the pain in his eyes, however. How telling those blue eyes looked. It pierced a permanent arrow right through my heart., and I know it did for him as well.

I moved his blocking figure with a harsh nudge with my shoulder, and I walked to where both my kids were currently at. I looked at them both with apologetic and sorrowful eyes as they gave me bright, and hopeful ones. Oh how I'm going to miss these two.. I gave them both hugs and kisses, as well as telling them how much I loved them and wished it wouldn't be this way, but I also gave them hope for the future that I will see them as often as I could, if Hunter would let me..

As I walked out of the room, ignoring the adults that played the victim’s, I walked out without batting another glance at them to show how heartbroken I've truly become with the trust that I had lost with them both.. To know that they would go that extra mile to hurting me and this relationship that I was fully committed to having.. Went straight down the drain as I am now back to square one.

Moving back in with Mom would not be easy since I have to relive the guilt and trauma I had with her husband, Demetrius. What would he think now that I'm coming back?

Would he look at me differently, whether the look is more empathetic now than hatred and disappointment? Or would he straight up disown me right as I move back in without getting Moms’ word on it?

Whether the case may be, I'm not looking forward to it.

[azuneekun]

Some Tender Charm - Lady AdoreCanyon

Someone made a fanfic of Shane and my farmer, Peaches..! Please read it...!!! It's so cute! 😭💓

[shiny-kaibernyte]

I immediately gave you a follow since you wrote Drayton content. Toothpaste man!!!

Anyways, I love drama. I like the idea of Drayton pining after the reader while also making Kieran jealous 😭😭 could you write something like that??

Please take care of yourself btw! You write wonderful content!

We love our toothpaste man! And I'm so glad you like my stuff. This is so sweet of you and such an amazing request as well I would love to do this for you! I really do hope you like this 💜💜

Side note: I got a shiny Popplio when I read your request so I named it Cloudy as a little nod to you whenever I play.

Pokémon Scarlett and Violet Indigo Disk DLC Spoilers ahead!

A rivalry between the Dragon Elite four members and the Champion of the BB League turns into much more than just a race for Pokémon battles. When Drayton just wants to take you out on a date, Kieran's jealousy comes out to play, only pushing Drayton's goal to win your heart more.

SPOILER WARNING AHEAD (Indigo Disk Main Story and a little bit of The Teal Mask)

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

A Dragon’s Heart | Drayton x Reader

“Awe, come on~ just one date!” Drayton innocently pleaded, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. His eyes staring down at you whilst you scribbled down notes from your previous shiny hunt. 

You shook your head with a cheeky smile on your face, as you continued to scribble, “And my response will remain the same Drayton, a cafeteria chat is not a date! Maybe I'll say yes when you think of something creative, hm?”

“I’m creative! The cafeteria is just easy, it's not too noisy since everyone eats out in the terrarium! Plus free food!” He joked, attempting to make it sound appealing, even though he knows it's not good. Unfortunately, his brain can’t think of anything good enough, at least for him. Everything he’s thought of, he doesn’t think is good enough for you. And he’s thought of a lot. “I can help you out with your shiny notes, you know~ maybe even join you on a hunt!”

“Drayton, you don’t know the first thing about shiny hunting, let alone actually joining me on one.” You sighed jokingly, looking up at him as you closed your notebook, “If I remember correctly, didn’t you fail a shiny Pokémon?”

His face turned slightly red, embarrassment washing over him for a moment as he grumbled to himself, “Hey I thought the Axew was sick… It’s not my fault I didn't know the Axew was going to run from me!”

“You threw a berry at its head!” You exclaimed, lightly chuckling when you saw his embarrassed face. “And you call yourself the Dragon expert” 

His embarrassment turned into laughter as he thought about how stupid that was, the pair of you laughing together with bright smiles on your faces.

Your laughter didn’t go unnoticed however, from across the room, Kieran's eyes glared into Drayton. The sound of you laughing along with him only fuels Kieran's desire to be the best. But the jealousy was too strong for him to focus with the two of you laughing. “If you two are finished chirping like Starly’s over there, Drayton, you have a battle in five minutes. I suggest you get going.”

“Relax Kieran, I got plenty of time bud! Besides, it's unlikely they will be on time, it takes a while to prepare for a battle against one of us. So my opponent can take as long as he needs to!” Drayton argued with a hint of playfulness in his voice as Kieran gritted his teeth. A small smile crept on your face when you heard Drayton’s response, that was something you always admired about him. His patients was contagious, never rushing anyone into anything, always trying to make someone smile. Sure he has his moments of cockiness but that just adds to his character, every Dragon has a bite after all.

“Spoken like a true Elite, Drayton!” You chimed, standing up from the sofa. Drayton’s face turned a light pink, his heart lightly thumping. Surprised at himself that something so simple made him blush. His dragon heart only making more room for you.

Kieran's heart pounded in rage at your words, annoyed over the fact you were saying those words to Colgate and not him. Eventually, he puts on his no fudges given face and turns towards you both fully. “If you want to remain as the top Elite four members, Drayton, I'd get to your battle. I still have the power to remove you from this club.”

“Alright Alright! I’m going!” Drayton sighs, raising his hands in defeat. Kieran shook his head displeased as Drayton stretched his arms up, a sigh leaving his mouth before turning back to you. “So about that date… How about instead, as a warm-up, you come watch my battle as my special guest? That way, it’s not our official first date and I still get to spend time with you.”

You raise an eyebrow at him, trying to see where he’s going with this and what extra little plan he has going on inside that head of his. Until he raises a hand up for you to take, a genuine smile on his face as he patiently waits for your decision. With a bright smile, you take his hand, “I think that is a fair deal.”

“Have fun moping, Kieran!” Drayton yells as he gently pulls you along with him towards the door. Kieran had steam coming off his body as he watched the pair of you leave, and not just from Drayton’s response. A smirk appeared on Drayton’s face when he saw the jealousy in Kieran’s eyes. 

Soon his focus returned to the matter at hand, and he smiled at you, pushing and holding the door open for you as he guided you through it, “After you sweetheart~”

[scarletwinterxx]

no one's ever had me, not like you - joshua hong imagine

hellooo😊 so uhhhh yea I'm still here HAHAHAh sorry i really can't get this man out of my head and this scenario is so so so so him. hope you enjoyyy🤍

for my other joshua fics, check them here

if you want, u can buy me coffee(totally optional but any donation is very much appreciated!) thank you🥺💛

All works are copyrighted ©scarletwinterxx 2024 . Do not repost, re-write without the permission of author.

(gif not mine, credits to rightful owner)

"Dokyeom just sent a text, beach day this weekend?" Joshua asks as he reads the message on his phone, walking towards the sofa where you're currently sitting

"Are we staying the whole weekend or day trip?" you look up at him

"Day trip, Gyu and Cheol has a thing to do the next day. Dokyeom will text the group chat now" Joshua reads the last text before locking his phone and turning his attention to you

"Are we driving together?" he asks

"Yea sure"

"Really?"

"Yeah, you 'drove' me home last time and you've done it plenty times before" you shrug. Usually you'd catch a ride with your other friends to not raise any suspicion, your boyfriend would also drive you every now and then so it wouldn't look like the two of you are avoiding each other.

"You know I'm not keeping us a secret because I'm ashamed or embarrassed or anything like that right?" you tell him, Joshua shoots you a small smile then takes your hand in his

"I know, I would never think that baby"

"I just want our little bubble to last for as long as we can enjoy, the moment they find out about us we will never hear the end of it" you joke

"They're rooting for us" he gives you a tap on the nose, making you scrunch it. The small action melting Joshua's heart, he's already so smitten over you but there are still times he can't believe you're his.

"Guess we're going to the beach"

The weekend comes, a few of your friends and their partners gather for the mini one day vacation. Usually someone takes the initiative to think of an activity or a location then just inform the rest. It's always fun to hangout with everyone.

"How was your date with Shua" Soonyoung asks you, wiggling his brows at you. Dokyeom, who is sitting beside him while cutting the watermelon, looks over at you when he heard the question

"He finally asked you out?"

"What do you mean finally?" Soonyoung was just about to ask but you said it first, Dokyeom looked like he regret saying it but he already slipped and he knows there's no escaping Soonyoung

"He just mentioned a few times he wanted to ask you out, for like coffee or something. I thought at first he meant as a group but then he said no, as in like out on date" he tells the two of you, you fight the smile forming on your face as you hear the story. Wondering what else your boyfriend tell your friends about you.

"So did he?"

"Yeah we got coffee"

"OH MY GOD SO IT WAS A DATE"

You pull on Soonyoung's shirt, making him seat again "Be so loud about it will you"

"You two totally have heart eyes for each other, I'm calling it. You're gonna get married one day"

You don't say anything, just shaking your head at your overly enthusiastic friends. The conversation flows for a while, then Mingyu comes inviting the other guys to ride jetski's

You follow behind the trio, spotting Joshua by the dock already wearing a life vest and holding another one.

The other boys, some with their girlfriends, go on their own jetski's then rides away.

You're happy to watch on the sidelines, you're not really an outdoor person. Joshua is very aware you don't really like staying under the sun for too long but the weather is so nice, looking around he spots you not to far from where he was.

He walks towards you, you see him and shoot him a smile

"You going out there?" you ask, noting your boyfriend's appearance. It really is getting harder and harder to keep this a secret, especially with how he looks right now. He looks more radiant than the sun.

The glasses pushing his semi-wet hair, the blank tank he's wearing underneath the life jacket, and the cute smile you love so much.

He nods at your question then holds out the other life jacket towards you, "Come with me"

"You know I can't swim" you reply, but Shua just smiles at you. Inching closer and closer until he's only about two steps away from you.

You look around for your friends, "They're all busy, look there's Gyu and his girl. It's totally fine. I'm not gonna let you fall in the ocean, baby"

You look at him, he's trying to woo you with his looks. You know he knows just how to make you say yes. He tilts his head sideways cutely, and show you a loopsided smile.

You roll your eyes then take the life jacket from him, "If I fall there, I'm taking you with me"

"Trust me, I will be jumping right behind you"

You walk towards where the jet ski is waiting, Joshua jumps down first then holds his hand out for you to guide you. You settle behind him, holding on his waist tightly. You can feel him laugh, "You're enjoying this aren't you?"

"I enjoy the most when you're with me, my love. Now, hold on real tight"

Then you're off.

And he's right, it is fun. At the beginning you were still to scared to let go, holding on to Shua as tight as you can. Then after a while he can hear you laughing whenever he takes a turn. For a while you just go around and around on the open water.

When you finally go back to the dock, the rest of your friend group are also there. It's past lunch time and you haven't eaten yet. You can hear Dokyeom and Soonyoung talking about food already.

You and Joshua were the last ones to get off, he goes first then waits for you. But unlike when he helped you on, he didn't take your hand this time. Instead you were surprised when you feel his arm go around your waist to hold you and lift you up slightly until you're standing beside him.

You look up at him, blinking like a deer caught in the headlight. The headlight being your two male friends who were watching the whole scene, surprised like you are.

"Uh thanks" you breath out, showing him a tight lipped smile before walking ahead. Meanwhile Joshua doesn't fight the big smile, his eyes disappearing. He watches you catch up with Mingyu and his girlfriend while Soonyoung and Dokyeom looks back and forth between you and him

"Oh my god, look who finally grew the balls to finally make a move"

Joshua shakes his head, then starts to walk.

"I heard you finally asked her out on a date"

"She told you?" He asks back

"Yea, but really? a coffee date? not even a fancy dinner?" Soonyoung prods

"We'll get there, I just want her to be comfortable. And we had fun" Joshua smile unconsciously just thinking about it. Technically the two of you did go out for coffee, then you stayed over at his for movie night. They didn't need to know the rest of the details but you and him didn't really do much watching, you don't even remember what the title of the film was.

When the rest of the boys finally catch up, you all decided on a cute restaurant near the beach. Soonyoung of course shoots you a look when Joshua sits beside you.

The food was good, made even better with the company. All of you were just chatting about life, sharing stories from your past hangouts and everyday lives. Dokyeom and Mingyu were telling a particularly funny story, all of you on the table were laughing so hard you didn't even notice you leaned sideways until your head was resting on Joshua's shoulder.

He didn't notice it either because to him it's a normal thing. He even sat straight and threw his arm behind your chair so you would be more comfortable. You didn't think twice about tucking yourself on his side and smiling up at him, your boyfriend mirroring the action.

You only notice the table going quiet, making you look over and sure enough everyone was looking at the two of you.

"I uh I was just, I had something in my eye. I was asking him to look"

"Yea she had something... in.. her... eye"

Some looked confused while the others looked at you suspiciously. Especially Soonyoung. You just know he's about to bombard you with questions.

When it's time to say goodbye, you all go back to your respective rides. Joshua is talking to Mingyu, walking right ahead of you.

"So.. that little cute moment"

"I did it... unconciously. I was laughing"

"Mhm"

"I was!"

Soonyoung laughs, "It was cute, you two look good together and Joshua's a great guy"

"I know" you pout

"You didn't hear from me, but he likes you. If that's what you're worried about" he tells you, he really is a good friend. He's one of your bestfriend, next to Shua. You've known him for years now and he truly always means well, you trust Soonyoung to always know what is good.

"It wouldn't be awkward if I date our friend?"

"No, why would it be? It'll be cool. Bound to happen anyways, statistically speaking someone from our friend group is bound to end up together. Who knows, we'll plan to go to your wedding next"

You laugh at that, it wasn't impossible technically. It's somewhere in the future. You hope. You wish. You really do pray he's the one you end up with.

"You're smiling" Soonyoung teases you

"Okay okay, gosh. Do more of that and I won't invite you"

"Invite him to what?" the two of you didn't notice Joshua stopped walking with Mingyu to wait for you

"Nothing" you answer

"Your wedding" Soonyoung says at the same time, making you hit him on the side.

Joshua just laughs, but on the inside he's cheering. Just thinking about one day marrying you is enough to put a smile on his face for days. You really are the one for him.

He had to stop himself from pulling you in a hug, so he watches you with a fond smile on his face. The sun setting on the background casting a beautiful shadow on your face and he thinks he can just get down on one knee right here right now.

"Oh god, look at you. You know what, I'm leaving. You two solve this by yourselves" Soonyoung says when he sees Joshua just watching you.

You wave bye to your friend before turning to look back at the man standing beside you

"What?" you ask him,

He shakes his head and just continues on smiling at you.

You narrow your eyes at him, not satisfied with his answer but you let it go. He looked to cute to be mad at anyways.

"Let's go home, shall we. One more second without a kiss and I'll collapse" Joshua says, mentioning for you to walk ahead while he follows

"I can just imagine their reactions when they hear you" you tell him

"They'll get used to it"

"Mhm, they'll finally see you being a simp" you tease him

"Baby, for you I'd be anything. Call me baby, honey, love, boyfie even hubby I don't mind" he teases back

"You are... you know let's just go home"

[dirtysvthoughts]

under the neon lights

tags/warnings: smut, pwp, boyfriend! jihoon, switch! jihoon & reader, at the universe factory (cause why not), dick sucking, some dirty talk, pet names (honey, baby, etc.), some fluff at the beginning, based off that one welive (as seen in the photos cause he looked to fucking good 😩)

word count: 1.4k

notes: happy birthday to the man who has been constantly and consistently wrecking my bias list for almost 5 years 🤍 words can’t express how much i love jihoon, he works so hard and deserves so much - i hope he gets to relax a little and receives so much love and the best head on his special day 🥹 but in all seriousness, i really do love and admire him - happy birthday jihoon!! without further ado, enjoy besties! thank you to @wongyuseokie for helping me come up with the title!

11:40 p.m.

in 20 minutes it would be the 22nd, and you would get to celebrate the love of your life’s birthday. you were very excited, but you were hoping jihoon would for once - decide to take a night out of his studio and relax for a bit. but knowing him, he would be at the universe factory if he got the chance, and it would be hard to persuade him otherwise.

so that’s where you are currently, sitting in your boyfriend’s lap while he sits in his chair, scrolling and clicking through different audio files on his desktop, compiling items together. your hands softly stroke the ends of his hair, not sure if the humming coming out of his mouth was from your movements or if he was thinking to himself. your eyes momentarily flit to the digital clock on lower right side of the screen, the time getting close to 11:45 pm. you tap jihoon’s shoulder twice to get his attention.

“hmmm?” he responds, still looking at his desktop.

“hoon, why don’t you shut everything down for right now? there’s only a few minutes left until your birthday, and i had a few ideas in mind..” you begin to trail off as you wrap your hand around his bicep, legs tightening together as you feel how strong he is.

jihoon sighs. he appreciates that you were trying to make more out of his birthday, but he always saw it as just another day. of course he appreciated all the love he received, but he didn’t want things to become such a big fuss. “babe, you know you don’t have to make any extra effort.. just this is enough - me, you, my music, and this ambiance,” he gestures to the turquoise colored lights filling the dark studio.

“i know, i know, but i just wanna make sure i celebrate you in the best way i can. that’s how much you mean to me baby,” you kiss jihoon’s cheek and he can’t help the blush that makes its way on his face. he intertwines your hands with his as he kisses it, your body moving closer toward his touch.

“you’re the best, you know that don’t you?” he asks, looking into your eyes. you nod your head as you shrink into his body, loving the way he envelops around you. there are a few moments of silence but after, jihoon’s mind quickly remembers what you said earlier.

“what did you mean by ideas?”

“hm? what ideas?” you question a little confused.

“remember, you said there were only a few minutes left until my birthday and you said you had a few ideas in mind. those ideas.”

you quickly bite your lip, getting excited at what you had practically daydreamed even before you got to the universe factory. for the longest, you wanted to give your boyfriend the messiest head in his workplace, especially attracted to the thought that no one would walk in. it would just be you two giving him the pleasure he so rightfully deserved.

“well, one idea involves both of us on the couch,” you hinted, pointing in the direction of the soft large leather piece. you avoid eye contact with jihoon as you play with the hem of his black shirt. “we could see what happens from there, but that’s the first step.”

jihoon still couldn’t tell what you were planning, but he couldn’t deny the sudden urge in his body to get up and move. he pats your thigh, motioning with his hand for you to stand up. after you stand, he walks over to the couch and you follow behind him - but when jihoon takes a seat, you promptly kneel on the floor, making sure your body was front and center in relation to your boyfriend.

the second your knees hit the floor, that’s when things finally click for jihoon. “that’s what she meant..” he thinks to himself, but his face doesn’t do a good job of hiding his discovery, in which you quickly take notice.

“guess you figured it out now, huh?” you tease, slowly rubbing your hands across his thighs. “i’ve been thinking about this for a while now.. going down on you in your workplace,” you lean your head against his thigh, innocent eyes staring into his intrigued gaze.

jihoon inhales sharply as your fingers delicately dance across the lower half of his body, dangerously approaching his crotch. you start to palm him through his pants, his breathing becoming shuddered as he grows harder with every touch and graze.

your hands finally reach the waistline of his pants, wanting to finally get what you’ve been waiting for. “can i take these off, honey?” you muse sweetly, your still innocent eyes making jihoon crave for more. he nods in response, “go ahead,” a breathless whisper leaving his lips.

with his help, you pull jihoon’s pants and boxers down to his ankles, revealing his growing, slightly leaning dick, with a perfect red tip to match. “mmm, so big and all for me to taste,” you lick your lips as you inhale his scent, moaning even more at how attractive your lover is.

your lips finally make their way down to his tip, giving jihoon a little kitten lick. a smile makes its way on your face as he groans out, his hands flying to reach the nape of your neck. you give him some more kitten licks, each one causing more beads of cum to spill out, jihoon’s breathing speeding up a bit.

“shit..” he breathes out, his eyes closed for a second and his head tilts back. using the opportunity, you take more of jihoon in your mouth, his full tip and then some now at the mercy of your tongue. the muscle begins to roam across his dick, your head starting to bob at the new intensity you were getting him off to.

you brace your hand on his thigh yet again, this time hollowing your cheeks out to take even more of him in. your nose pushes in closer as you can feel his tip finally near the back of your throat. jihoon doesn’t even try to lower how loud his moans were now, too engulfed in your presence to care about anyone or anything else.

“you naughty baby girl.. getting me off like the needy little thing you are,” his chuckle turns into another groan as you start to gag slightly on his dick. “taking me all the way to back of your throat.. mmm, such a good girl..”

if you weren’t wearing panties, you’re pretty sure you would’ve been dripping onto the floor by now. this was probably the best head you’ve given him and he had the dirty talk to match the experience.

then, jihoon starts to guide your pacing, causing you to go faster and to moan around him consistently. the hand still on the nape of your neck slightly grips at your skin, not hard but not soft either.

jihoon taps at your cheek a few moments later, bringing your attention to him as he begins to gasp for air, climax inching towards becoming reality.

“i’m- i’m gonna c-cum, baby.. think you can swallow it all for me?” you nod back, now intensely taking him in and out of your mouth, jihoon’s dick covered in your essence, your throat feeling the tiniest hint of sore - but did you really care? at this point you just wanted to give him the messiest head you possibly could.

it’s then that jihoon releases a high pitched moan and seconds later, cum is spilling into your throat, and you don’t hesitate to swallow every last drop. when he finishes emptying his load, your lick your lips teasingly and jihoon watches as your tongue roams the top half of your lips, lingering on thought of what i would be like to intertwine your tongues together so he could taste him on your mouth.

“my jihoonie tastes so good,” you giggle as you begin to stand up, reading his mind as you insert a legs in between his, kissing him square on his lips. jihoon holds your jaw as he deepens the kiss, both of you melting into each other. when you separate, you take a look again at the clock.

12:05 a.m.

“happy birthday, my love,” you whisper as you pull him in for another kiss, jihoon gently pushing you down onto the couch as he undoes your shorts.

“thank you baby, and i guess my gifts are just gonna keep coming over and over tonight,” he smirks. “can’t wait for you to come inside me.”

[moonferry]

EVERYONE STAY CALM, STAY F**KING CALM!!1 fsioy chapter 20 is HERE.

hoooly shit. i finally finished it after. *checks watch* three months.. thank you guys so much for sticking with me bc . this one is the LONGEST chapter ive ever written. its a DOOZY. nothing i say can prepare you for it.. so i'll simply say what i have told my two closest friends (aka my little lab rats / snippet readers ) chapter 20 is going to make everything WORSE. this one is a bit confusing at parts, but whenever its surrounded by "..." its a flash forward to the 'current day' (aka ch 19). this covers things in chapters 11-15. get ready for plot twist galore. please don't throw rocks at my head. im sensitive.

warnings: i think it would be a better question to ask what ISNT a warning.. anyway, they include: death, mentions of previous death, black mail, manipulation, physical violence, the commander himself, swearing. umm i think that's all ? idk ill update this later if i find any more.

word count: 19,141

other chapters: chapter masterlist

ao3 link: here

Kent looked at Willy, a small guilty look crossing his features. His expression soured as the lies burned his throat. He desperately needed a distraction, so he thought back to their earlier conversation. 

“You know,” He started, turning to face Willy as his line once again bobbed against the pristine water. Kent pursed his lips together and took a deep breath. He took a moment to gather his thoughts (all while trying to swallow his guilt) and then added, “You said you were going to explain what happened.” 

“Ah,” Willy spoke, nodding his head solemnly. He looked at Kent, his expression unreadable. A small sigh slipped past his lips. Willy debated with himself: would Kent be able to handle the truth of Willy’s departure? The older man wasn’t quite sure. Though, a small voice in the back of his mind urged him to tell it. He spoke once more, almost reluctant, “Do ya really want to hear that story? I’m sure it’s not that excitin’.. I mean, it happened fifteen years ago, lad.” 

“Willy, I have thought about that day more times than I care to admit,” Kent replied, giving a small nod to signal he did want to hear the story. He looked at the man, his expression forming into one of slight anger. Kent continued, “You practically disappeared off the face of the Earth. I was worried about you. I reached out so, so many times and.. Nothing. Not even a letter.” 

“Eh?” Willy asked, confusion washing over his face. He added, “Ye sent me letters?” 

Kent scoffed and crossed his arms, his eyebrows knitting together in frustration. He spoke once more, “You left when I needed you most, Willy.” Kent paused briefly, watching the older man as he gave an acknowledging nod. He continued, “I think I deserve to know why.” 

“Well, I guess yer right about that..” Willy admitted, though he was still reeling with confusion.  As far as he knew, no attempt had been made to contact him. He just assumed Kent was angry at him for leaving. But, hearing Kent mention it, and noting the frustration in his voice, it made Willy reconsider. 

“Alright,” He started, nodding in Kent’s direction. He spoke once again, “Let me tell ya the story. It all began the day yer friend died.” 

“My friend..?” Kent asked. His brows knit together as he tried to determine who Willy was talking about. His face contorted in concentration as he tried to remember - a name, a face, something, anything. However, in the crevices of his mind, all he found was a faint, blurry blob of memories that all seemed to mesh together. 

“Aye, the first one.” 

“Right..”

“..Daniel? Sawyer? Ring any bells to ye?” 

“Um,” Kent started, though his face contorted once again. It seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it. Though, his mind remained foggy and indecipherable. That name was important to him - it had to be - but he couldn’t remember who he was or what he looked like. It caused a small, uncertain pang in Kent’s chest. Eventually, he replied “Sure.” 

Willy looked at him, and raised a small eyebrow - worried that Kent seemed unsure of himself. He shook his head, momentarily brushing it off and continuing his story. 

JULY 19XX | XX YEARS AGO | THE DAY OF DANNY’S DEATH

After Willy had comforted Kent, he was called into a nearby meeting room. Apparently, the commander had a special job for him. He entered the room tentatively and approached the desk. 

Inside the room, he saw a sleek wooden desk - a deep, rich mahogany coloring. On it lay several papers - all scattered and disorganized from the early morning preparations. Willy had attended that meeting, too. There, he learned that the Gotoro soldiers seemed to be getting bolder - some even going far enough to take over a nearby town. Willy knew that, whatever this meeting held, it wouldn’t be good news. 

He continued looking around the room - allowing himself a moment to gather his thoughts as he looked around the interior. It was quite nice and contrasted drastically to the rest of the camp. It made Willy wonder where the commander got the funds for his office and why the commander was so obsessed with making it look neat. Willy was sure that there wasn’t a single spec of dust that would dream of settling on anything in this pristine room. It made him feel uneasy. 

He picked up one of the papers from the desk. His curiosity had gotten the better of him and he needed to understand why this room felt so.. Different. While Willy was inspecting the room, the sound of footsteps seemed to grow louder. Willy gulped, his posture instantly going rigid. His grip tightened on the paper and he slipped it behind his back. He looked up and gave an acknowledging nod to whoever entered. 

Luckily, it wasn’t the commander himself - just an assistant who came to notify Willy that the commander would be with him in a moment, as he was currently in a meeting, which was taking place down the hall. A small sigh of relief slipped past Willy’s lips and he felt himself relax after the petite woman turned and exited the room.

He retrieved the paper from behind his back and brought it close to him. Willy’s eyes scanned the page and he felt his heart sink. His mouth laid agape as he realized what he was reading. 

It was an early draft of a partially coded letter - written in the commander's neat scrawl. As Willy read the small excerpt, he couldn’t believe his eyes. It read “Early phases of Plan A are in motion. The three boys selected will prove useful, though it appears a small hiccup has interrupted our progress. Namely, one of the boys has been reported dead. Apparently, he startled one of our surveymen, who had gotten too close to the camp and alerted one of the other soldiers. Proceed to the next phase, though exercise caution-” The letter stops there. A horrified gasp left Willy’s lips and the paper slipped from his hands. 

As this happened, a shadow approached before looming over him. It was followed by a snarky, monotone voice that sent a chill down Willy’s spine. 

“Well, what do we have here?” The shadow spoke, disdain filling his voice. The commander approached Willy, his lips forming into a small, disapproving line. He stopped once he reached Willy’s right side and shook his head. The man - the commander, Willy knew who he was - spoke once more, “I expected better, William.” 

“You know how I feel about snooping,” He purred, his voice gravelly and harsh. A faint snarl slipped past his lips. The commander looked Willy up at down, his eyes appearing bored - as if he expected this. Disappointment filled the man’s voice as he spoke once more. “Though, I suppose I should’ve expected this from your kind.”

“Eh?” Willy asked, taken aback by the commander’s comment. His eyebrows furrowed and he spoke once more, “What do ya mean by ‘yer kind’?” 

“Oh, you know,” The commander began. He propped himself against the desk, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked down at Willy, his expression almost a perfect sneer. “A bumpkin from the valley who wants nothing more than to prove himself. I’ve seen it all before.” 

“What are ye implyin’?” Willy protested, anger rising in his voice. 

“Don’t you understand, Colonel?,” The commander spoke. He looked at Willy as if he were some insect - as if he couldn’t possibly fathom what he was trying to say. He slowed his speech as he continued, intending to insult Willy further, “Those who feel the need to prove themselves die the fastest.”

The commander watched as Willy’s jaw tightened. He saw the briefest flash of rage light up behind Willy’s eyes and continued, “Well, not the fastest, I suppose. That goes to the ones with the biggest hearts. The ones plagued by mercy and a need to save everyone.” 

“Like that Neilson idiot. It sickened me how caring he was. He wanted to save everyone and got far too close to a certain… truth, let’s say.” The commander spoke, intently watching Willy’s reaction - as if the things he was saying were intended to push his buttons. To see how far he’d let himself be dragged before he retaliated. 

“What..?” Willy spoke, clenching his jaw tighter. 

“You know, William, about that friend you had? He was too stupid to realize what he was uncovering. He didn’t know the importance of what he had witnessed.” He paused briefly, turning to look at Willy as a small, wicked smirk formed on his lips. The commander continued, “Christopher Neilson had to be stopped - for the safety of everyone and everything I’ve worked for.  I’m sure you understand.”

“What in the blue blazes are ye talkin’ about?” Willy asked, nearly erupting with anger. His fist clenched at his side and he felt his nails digging crescents into his palm. 

Willy’s eyes narrowed as he listened to the commander’s words. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Had Chris’ death - which had been ruled as an unfortunate accident - been less of an accident and more…premeditated? No.. the commander wouldn’t do somethin’ like that. Willy thought to himself. He looked up at the man beside him, suspicion washing over him at the man’s nonchalance. Would he? 

Willy gulped and decided to press further, “What.. what did you mean ‘had to be stopped’?” He watched the commander intently, his stomach souring as the man simply replied with a small, almost giddy smirk. Seeing that expression, Willy felt something inside him stir: an emotion. One he hadn’t allowed himself to feel in a long time. Willy felt anger. He lunged forward, gripping the commander’s collar in his hands and lifting him off the ground. Willy gritted his teeth, a mixture of disbelief and fear coating his features. He spoke, “What did ye do? What the hell did ya do?!” 

“Only what I had to, Colonel,” The commander replied, the same smirk still plastered across his face. He glanced down at Willy’s hands and scoffed. “Now, now, William. No need for violence. We can discuss this civilly, I’m sure.” 

“Yeah, like how ya talked with Chris?” Willy responded, his grip tightening and his knuckles turning white from the force of his grip. His upper lip contorted in a small snarl, his mustache following suit. He looked at the commander and shook his head before adding, “I don’t want yer brand of ‘civility’. ‘Cause - next thing I know - I’ll end up at the bottom of a lake.” 

“Oh no,” The commander reassured. He looked at Willy, his face stoic and unreadable as ever, before speaking once more, “You’re far too valuable -  at this point, anyway. I need you for this to work properly. I didn’t need him. Sergeant Neilson was expendable - replaceable, even. You are not. The boys.. They trust you.”

Willy spoke once more, his voice rising, “Leave Chrissy’s name out of yer damn mouth. Ye didn’t know a single thing about him.” His eyes shone and it was almost as if small fires had ignited behind his pupils. His face turned red-hot and Willy clenched his fists around the rough fabric of the commander’s collar. He wanted nothing more to let his anger take over him - to get some miserable form of justice, to repay the harm done to him, but Willy knew he wouldn’t do that. He wasn’t that type of man, after all. Not to mention it wouldn’t “fix” anything - Chris would still be gone. Against his better judgment, Willy felt his grip loosen and he dropped the commander back onto his heels. 

“See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” The commander chirped, reaching a hand up to smooth out his now crumbled uniform. He returned to his previous position - casually leaning himself against the edge of his desk. He clasped his hands over his lap and looked at Willy expectantly. He spoke once more, “I’m glad you’re starting to see this my way.” 

“Ah..” Willy spoke, intending to protest. However, something the commander said had piqued his curiosity. The commander had mentioned “the boys” - while that was quite mysterious, Willy couldn’t shake a feeling about it’s importance. He could use this to pry for more information. Maybe he’d even get a deeper insight into the letter fragment he’d found earlier. 

Willy pursed his lips together, swallowing his pride, and continued, “Right. Of course I see it your way, Commander. Say.. ye mentioned that ye ‘need me’ but never mentioned for what.. I want to help ya. Anything for the Commander, right?” 

The lies and flattery felt vile on Willy’s lips, but he needed to do this. He needed to find out what was happening. The commander moved to respond - momentarily closing his eyes in thought. While he did this, Willy extended his hand and grabbed a small tape recorder that was placed precariously on the edge of the commander’s desk. He pressed the record button - letting out an expectant cough to cover the small “click”. Once it was clear it was recording, Willy placed the recorder behind his back. 

“Right,” The commander replied with a small sigh. He opened his eyes and looked at Willy - though if he suspected something was amiss, the commander didn’t let on. He continued, “I suppose I should tell you. At least what your part will be, in any case..” 

Willy remained silent, though he gave a confirmatory node towards the commander. He didn’t want his voice tainting the recording. It was risky enough as it was, but any mention of him or the sound of his voice would only incriminate himself. 

“So, initially, a group of three boys were selected for.. Ah.. a larger project. I won’t say much about that right now, but you appear to be the closest person to these boys. I have been monitoring them and their progress for months now - ever since the third boy arrived, you see.” 

“Initially, I had planned for all three of them to be moved to the next phase, but it seems I forgot to account for incompetence. Needless to say, one of them went and got himself killed mere hours ago. While it would’ve worked better with all three, I have decided to press on regardless. Your task, however, is to bring the remaining two to the next stage.” The commander explained, his voice sounding quite bored - as if he had discussed this many times over. 

He spoke once more, “You will be responsible for the transportation of these two boys: Kent Neilson and Vincent Leegland. They’re in your unit, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble.” Willy’s eyes widened at the names, though he continued to remain silent. He raised an eyebrow. The commander responded with a small, dismissive wave and continued, “Don’t concern yourself with why. Your task is simply this: bring these two boys into active combat - tomorrow. I have… something quite special planned, I will admit.” 

 Willy gulped, a small wave of panic and disbelief crashing over him. He fought to keep himself composed - smoothing over his expression to prevent the commander from seeing his distrust. What on Yoba’s green Earth is he thinkin’? Willy wondered to himself. Those boys.. They aren’t ready for that - especially not after what happened today. He turned back towards the commander and gave an obedient nod. 

“Oh, and before I forget,” The commander started once more, turning to Willy and his expression full of disgust - as if whatever he was about to say next caused him displeasure. He continued, “Make sure they stay separated. I can’t stand all this.. ‘comradery’. But, if they ask for a reason - you will tell them it’s because their emotions may cause them to be…unstable. Is that understood?” 

Ye have got to be kiddin’ me, Willy thought to himself. Separate them? Oh Sweet Yoba, he’s askin’ fer trouble. Willy gritted his teeth - though his outward expression still remained relatively calm. Against his better judgment, he nodded once more.

The commander pushed himself into a standing position. He then approached the door and began exiting. However, he turned around midway and called out to Willy. 

“One more thing,” He began. The commander pointed towards a map on the wall. He continued, “Take that with you when you leave. You’ll need it to get where you’re headed. That area.. It’s Gotoro central. Wouldn’t want anyone to get lost over there, hm? I know that… neither of those boys have the best sense of direction - especially not my son.” 

Willy watched as the commander then turned and left his office. After ensuring he was actually gone, Willy carefully slipped the tape recorder from his back and hit the “stop” button. He then slipped it into his pocket. Just in time, too, as his emotions seemed to catch up with him. He felt faint. Willy propped himself against the desk and allowed his practiced poise to drop completely. 

He didn’t know much about the commander - especially not his personal life - but learning that, apparently, he had a son was quite jarring. Willy didn’t even know the man’s full name (he had been told to refer to him as only “the commander”) but now he knew that the man had a son, whom he was willingly sending into an area infested with Gotoro soldiers? Willy couldn’t believe it. It was vile - cruel, even. Just who was this guy? And why was he so casual about all of this? Willy wasn’t sure. He was sure of one thing, however: he intended to find out. 

Willy took a small breath - debating with himself. Was he really about to snoop through the commander's belongings again? Yes. Yes he was. He mumbled a small apology - mostly to ease his own conscience - and began rifling through the various papers (mostly letters and notes) sprawled out on the desk. Finding nothing of importance, he then began opening each drawer and carefully peering inside each one. Eventually, Willy stumbled upon a locked drawer. That struck him as particularly weird - as none of the other drawers had been locked (it didn’t even look like any attempt was made to do so, anyway). The locked drawer likely contained something crucial. Willy needed to find out. He looked around for some sort of key. There had to be one somewhere, right? Willy just needed to find it.

 He scanned around the room, his eyes eventually landing on a giant oil painted portrait of the commander. He slowly approached it. As he got closer, Willy noticed that something about the painting seemed off. He couldn’t quite place what it was until he was a few inches away from the painting. It appeared as if the painting was placed onto hinges - likely to conceal a hidden compartment. It was also slightly ajar (as if whoever had closed it last did so very hastily and hadn’t ensured it was fully closed). Willy’s hand hovered over the corner of the painting. He slowly inched it closer - carefully touching it. It instantly swung open and revealed a small, hollowed cupboard. It was mostly barren - save for a few cobwebs - but Willy noticed a small object that had been hastily plopped on the front of the shelf. It was a key. Willy could guess what it went to, so he carefully scooped it into his palm. 

Returning back to the locked drawer, key safely tucked in his hand, Willy was filled with a curious determination. He took a deep breath. He wasn’t sure what he’d find - or if it would even be useful - and he had likely just committed several crimes in search of this information. He simply hoped it would be worth it (and that he wouldn’t get caught). Willy composed himself and carefully inserted the key into the lock. He turned it towards the left - listening as the pins of the lock clicked into place before unlocking with a faint pop. Willy extended a shaky hand and slowly opened the drawer. 

Inside it was a small, upside down name placard - along with a piece of paper with a photograph paperclipped to the front. Willy carefully picked up both items. He first inspected the piece of paper. It appeared to be the standard sign up form given to new recruits, however it was filled out in a large and blocky scrawl - as if the person writing it had been left handed. Not too unusual, Willy supposed. Plenty of the recruits were left handed. He took a closer look, examining the name and photograph attached. 

Upon seeing who it was, Willy nearly jumped in surprise. It appeared the form belonged to none other than Lee. Willy was extremely confused. Why would the commander have this? Willy thought to himself, An’ why would he lock it away? What’s so important about that lad that he doesn’t want anyone else knowin’? 

Willy pushed the thought to the side momentarily. He still had more to inspect. He carefully turned the nameplate in his hands and read its inscription. It belonged to the commander - that much was evident, given the large “Commander” written in bold, fierce letters. However, that wasn’t all that was written. Underneath it, in much smaller text, was a name.

Willy squinted, trying his best to decipher the cursive lettering. Eventually he was able to read the name. It read Vincent Leegland. Willy gasped, dropping the nameplate in surprise. It tumbled onto the floor with a loud clatter. He silently swore to himself - hoping no one was around to hear the clamor.

“Yer jokin’,” Willy mumbled to himself, disbelief and panic coating his words. He felt dizzy - the wave of information seemed to make his head spin. He looked back at the paper. Willy’s face drained of all color. How hadn’t he noticed the connection before? The boy looked quite similar to the commander - save for the gingerness of Lee’s hair and the faint vitiligo that littered his features - and even shared his name. Of course he would be the commander’s son. Willy felt like a fool, despite the fact that there was no way he could’ve known. 

 His mind finally began clicking the pieces together: the commander’s coldness, his apathy towards the loss of innocent lives, the disdain in his voice whenever the commander spoke of those who wanted to be “helpful”, the influx of Gotoro soldiers as of late, and the apparent Gotoro grunt who had “gotten too close” to the campsite. Willy couldn’t believe it: the commander was a double agent. And he was now after Kent and Lee. Willy couldn’t let anything happen to those boys - they had slowly become the closest thing he would consider to his own children. 

“I have ta warn those lads,” Willy gasped, fear covering his face.He gripped his chest tightly, trying his best to calm his now rapid breathing. It would do him no good to panic and shut down, not when he had to protect Kent and Lee. He gulped and carefully placed the paper and name placard back into the drawer and locked it. He scurried around the room and attempted to set everything back to its original state - desperately trying to make it seem as if nothing had changed since the commander had left. Willy had debated taking some of the information he found, but decided against it. He didn’t want to risk taking anything (except for the tape recorder). It was better if the commander began to trust him, he decided. That way he could slowly squeeze more information out of him. It would all prove useful later - or at least he hoped it would. 

Willy began exiting the room - stopping to grab the map as the commander had suggested - and headed off to find the boys. While he did find them, it was - unfortunately - at Danny’s funeral. Not an ideal place to warn someone. Willy grimaced and stuck to the side - watching the crowd and trying to find the right moment to intervene and pull Kent and Lee aside. Fortunately, it seemed Lee had decided on that moment for him. Willy watched as the boy approached the podium - yelling about how the announcer didn’t know Danny at all. Willy understood his sentiments, as the announcer was droning on and on about someone he didn’t recognize. He hadn’t even realized it was supposed to be about Danny - that’s how awful it was. Willy watched as the announcer began arguing with Lee - causing the boy to erupt in an outburst. 

“My name is not Vincent,” Lee spoke, angry tears streaming down his face, “It’s Lee.” 

Willy decided that this was probably a good time to step in. He approached the general and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. After a short exchange - and a few choice words - the general scampered away, looking like a dog with his tail between his legs. 

He approached Kent and Lee, who were now surrounding the microphone - yelling any positive thing about Danny they could think of. It caused a small pang to appear in Willy’s chest. To think that, none of this would’ve happened if Willy had figured out the Commander’s plan earlier. To think that all three of the boys would be safe - that they’d be alright.

Willy wasn’t sure how to fix the damage that had already been done, but he was sure of this: Danny’s death would be the last. He couldn’t let either of the remaining boys get hurt. He couldn’t lose another cadet. No, he wouldn’t lose another cadet. 

He placed a caring hand on each of their shoulders and gave a small, though mostly humorless chuckle, “Well, that was certainly a ceremony, eh, lads?”

…

“Anyway, ya know how the rest of that day went, so I’ll spare ya by not repeating it, eh?” Willy explained, turning to look at a clearly baffled Kent.

“What?” Kent started, his mouth agape. What he had just heard filled his mind with thoughts as he desperately tried to make connections. He looked at Willy, his eyes wide, and spoke once more, “What happened next?” 

“I’m gettin’ to that part, son,” Willy replied, rolling his eyes. He pointed to a nearby bucket of bait, motioning for Kent to grab it. He added, “Hand me those worms, lad. Darn fishes took me last piece of bait like it was nothin’!” 

“I have so many questions,” Kent spoke, though he handed the bucket of slimy, wriggling worms towards Willy. He watched as the older man went silent, intently baiting his hook.

“Yeah, yeah, I know ya do,” Willy replied with a small grumble. He pointed towards Kent’s own rod and narrowed his eyes before adding, “Ye can fish an’ talk at the same time, Kent.” 

Kent’s brows furrowed together in frustration, though he grabbed his own rod and baited the hook. He decided he’d humor Willy - and, besides, Willy had said he would only tell Kent the story if he fished. A small sigh slipped past his lips, though he watched the bobbers of his and Willy’s rods once again land with a small splash.

“So, as I was sayin’, Vincent Sr.. He had this convoluted plan-” Willy began, eager to continue his story

“Wait, do you think he-” Kent interrupted

“Kent, I am gettin’ to that part, son,” Willy replied, shaking his head.

“Anyway, he has this plan-” Willy tried again. 

“It just doesn’t make any sense,” Kent interrupted once more. He turned to Willy, his face contorting in deep thought. 

An exasperated sigh slipped past Willy’s lips. He reached a hand up and pinched the bridge of his nose. He turned back to Kent and asked, “Do ya want to hear the story or not?” 

Kent nodded. He desperately needed to understand why Willy hadn’t reached out over the past fifteen or so years. 

“Then quit interruptin’ me, lad!” Willy scolded, though there was no malice in his voice - just slight frustration. Kent pursed his lips together and nodded, mumbling out a small “sorry”. 

Willy waved his hand dismissively and continued speaking, “Anyway, as I was tryin’ to say….” 

…

After Willy delivered the unfortunate news that Kent and Lee would be moving to active combat, he then - with guidance and constant checking from the Commander - drove the boys towards the new location. A desolate, remote camp in the middle of nowhere. 

Great, Willy grumbled to himself, This is just great. Take ‘em to a place where they won’t be missed if somethin’ happens to them.. It made him sick - the Commander’s plan, the fact he had to go along with it, the fact that he had to lie to both Kent and Lee in hopes it would keep them safe. All of it made him sick. 

It didn’t help that, in the back of the transportation vehicle, Kent and Lee were audibly distraught. Willy briefly glanced up at the rear-view mirror, pulled from his thoughts by a rather raucous racket from the boys. They appeared to be arguing. Willy understood - they had just lost a close friend (though Willy knew one boy thought of Danny as more than a “close friend”. He’d witnessed it too many times before to ignore Lee’s behavior. He also knew first hand the heartbreak that came with it - the heartbreak of losing someone who you could imagine a life with.)  Unfortunately, knowing how he felt and being able to comfort him were two different things. Willy sighed and tore his eyes away from the mirror. He hated that the boys were arguing, but there wasn’t much he could do about that. He knew that they’d resolve their little spat eventually - he just had to trust they would do the right thing. He just had to trust he was doing the right thing. 

The weight on Willy’s chest seemed to grow as the vehicle approached the entrance to the new camp. It didn’t help that he knew what was coming next: he would be forced to separate the boys, all by the commander’s orders. He pursed his lips together and went to gather Kent and Lee - both of whom were now complaining about some sort of “head injury”. 

Willy playfully rolled his eyes and spoke, “Ah, quit yer whinin’, lads.” He slowly approached the back of the vehicle before motioning for them to follow him. Willy added, “Looks like we’re here. Let’s go get ya settled in. Quickly.” 

The three of them walked towards the nearby housing units as Willy checked his map, along with the notes he was given from the commander. These boys were to be separated - no exceptions. They would not be allowed to speak to each other, much less look. Willy hated that command so, so much. It made his stomach churn. His discontent only seemed to grow as they approached Lee’s dwelling. Willy glanced back at the boys - both looking quite solemn and hardly talking. He desperately missed the lively chatter that usually resounded from the walls of Cabin Five. 

Willy hated seeing them like this. He hated how Kent and Lee seemed to have lost their usual boisterous energy. He had never seen Lee look so upset - hell, he hadn’t even seen the boy do anything but smile. But now? An uncomfortably neutral expression remained plastered across Lee’s features. Willy mentally tsked. It didn’t suit him. Unfortunately, Willy was about to make the situation worse.

They finally reached the building where Lee would be staying. Willy gulped, a wave of discomfort wrapping around him like a thick, uncomfortable blanket. He took a deep breath before motioning for Lee to enter the building. That was the easy part. The difficult part, however, remained. As if in tune with Willy’s thoughts, Kent attempted to follow Lee into the building. 

Willy placed a firm hand on his shoulder, shaking his head before speaking, “Not you, lad.” A sigh slipped past his lips and a look of regret washed over his face as the next words left his lips, “Just Private Leegland.” 

Kent looked at him, confused, and Willy felt his chest tighten once more. He hated that expression. He hated that he had to be the bearer of this news, too. He knew what was coming next, of course, but that didn’t make it any easier to hear. 

“What?” Kent asked, a mixture of confusion and disbelief crossing his features, “Why?” 

Willy grimaced, an uncomfortable expression forming on his lips. He felt as if he had just swallowed a frog - his throat felt slick and slimy. It felt wrong. He hated to do this, but it was the commander’s orders, after all. He sucked air between his teeth before gritting them, debating how to best break the news. 

Willy hesitated before speaking, “The.. er.. The Commander decided it would be best if you two were separated. At least for a while.” 

“What?” Kent asked, his voice rising in disbelief. He protested, his brows furrowing together in discontent, “That’s not fair!” 

Willy’s thoughts exactly. This was absolutely not fair and was most definitely not a good idea, but Willy found himself in a situation without much of a choice. He felt defeated - caught between his own morality and the need for information. Going along with the commander’s plan was probably the worst decision he had ever made, but Willy was in too deep to turn back now. 

He sighed and pursed his lips, trying his best to hide his own discontent - the same discontent that lined his eyes and splattered across the wrinkles and scars. He had seen far too much in his thirty something years of life - it starts to wear down on you, eventually. Willy simply hoped he’d get out before it reached that point. He turned to Kent, his lips forming a straight line, and replied, “This is war, son. Nothing is fair.” 

Willy then explained (or attempted to) explain how it wasn’t his decision and that it was nothing against them. He sincerely hoped the boys would understand and wouldn’t portray him as the bad guy. 

 Willy glanced between the two and frowned before letting out a defeated sigh. He tried to explain even further, “Look, lads, I'm not heartless. If I could do anythin’, I would, but it's out of me control.” 

They looked at him with a hurt expression. Willy responded with a simple shake of his head, dismissing any protests they might have made. It truly broke his heart to do this, but he could only hope it was for the best. He had to hope that, going along with the commander’s plan, everything would turn out fine. He had to hope that they’d be alright. He had to hope. He had to. For their sake.  

It made Willy angry just thinking about the cold, uncaring look on the commander's face as he issued the order. How could someone be so cruel? Those boys just lost someone close to them and this is what they get? Willy thought to himself. It didn't sit right with him. Not one single bit. If anything, he believed they should stick together - for emotional support. Regardless of what he thought, it wasn’t Willy’s decision to make. He had to go along with the commander’s plan or none of them stood a chance at making it out of there. He wanted to keep them safe. No, he needed to keep them safe. 

He watched as Lee and Kent said their goodbyes and felt sadness on their behalf. Willy wished he could make them explain - he wished he could spill the commander’s plan and convince them both to run - but he couldn’t. He was just as much of a pawn as they were, only he didn’t realize it yet. He pushed his thoughts from his mind and guided Kent towards his own dwelling. 

“Ah, this is yer place, Kent,” Willy explained, motioning towards the door. He watched as Kent scrutinized the building. As he was waiting on Kent to enter, his communication device that he had received from the Commander beeped and vibrated. Willy would have to meet up and discuss the journey over, he knew that, but it didn’t make him enjoy the idea any more. He sighed and pulled it out from his pocket - reading a small encrypted message. It was written in the standard code - just as a safety precaution - but Willy was able to easily decipher it. 

He squinted at the small screen, and mentally translated the message. It read: “Leave the boy. Come to my tent. We will discuss further upon your arrival.” Willy sighed before pocketing the device once more. He turned to Kent, who was still debating entering his new dwelling.

“Well, lad,” Willy started, nodding in Kent’s direction. He looked around - trying to determine if anyone nearby was watching. He saw a faint shadow around the corner and pursed his lips. So the Commander had sent people to watch him. Willy suspected as much, but it was still jarring to receive confirmation. He placed a hand on Kent’s shoulder before speaking once more, “I have some.. Ah.. Errands, let’s say. I’ll see ya later. Try to get yerself settled in, eh?” 

And with that, Willy left Kent’s side and headed in what he hoped was the right direction. The Commander had been especially vague regarding the location of his tent, which made things more difficult. It didn’t help that Willy had to force himself not to stare towards his left - he didn’t want the spy to figure out he was aware of their presence. 

After a few moments of trudging through the woods, Willy came across a secluded tent - one that he assumed belonged to the Commander, with how secretive the man was Willy wouldn’t be surprised. He looked around, ensuring he hadn’t been followed (well, followed more than he was already) and pulled open the flap before quickly entering. 

It took his eyes a moment to adjust to the dimly lit interior, but once it did, he saw the man himself standing in the corner of the room. He was wearing a neatly pressed uniform, adorned with various sashes and medals, the sign of a commanding officer. The sign of power. It made Willy irrevocably angry. The Commander had his hands clasped behind his back and was facing away from Willy. Despite this, he was acutely aware of his arrival. 

“Good,” He called over his shoulder, his voice seeming less than enthusiastic, as if it was permanently monotone. Willy wasn’t sure he had ever heard an emotion in the man’s voice - or that he had seen one other than boredom on his face, for that matter. The Commander spoke once again, “You’re finally here. It took you long enough.” 

“Sorry ‘bout that-” Willy began, though he was quickly interrupted. 

The Commander held up his hand, halting Willy’s speech. He spoke instead, “Cease your blabbering, William. I neither care nor have the time to hear it.” 

Willy was taken aback, his mouth slightly agape at the sudden bored, almost passive-aggressive hostility in the Commander’s words. He moved to protest, but he didn’t want to risk upsetting the Commander further. He remained silent.

“Well?” The Commander urged, finally turning to face Willy. His expression looked bored as always - as if he had much better things to be doing than talking to Willy. The Commander spoke again, “Are you going to debrief me or not, Colonel? Unlike you, I have important things to do.” Ouch. 

“Ah.. right,” Willy replied, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. He cleared his throat before beginning his debrief, “Well, I did as ya said. I packed up the lads and brought them here. I showed Lee-” 

“Who?” The commander interrupted, looking at Willy suspiciously. He hadn’t authorized anyone named “Lee” to handle any of this information.

“Um.. Private Vincent Leegland, sir,” Willy explained, his voice slightly quiet. Of course he wouldn’t know that nickname. As far as Willy was concerned, he didn’t know a single thing about Lee - despite the fact that the boy was his son. He continued, “It’s just.. Err.. a nickname, I suppose.” Though, as he mentioned Lee’s full name, he carefully watched the commander - searching his face for the smallest hint. It was brief, but Willy swore he was the Commander’s eye twitch. 

“We don’t do nicknames here, Colonel,” The Commander scolded. His lip curled into a faint sneer and he added, “We do not even do names. Names make people weak. It humanizes them. From here on, you will refer to them as “A” and “B”, is that understood?” 

“Ah. well, Commander..”

“Is that understood, Colonel?” He repeated, narrowing his eyes at Willy.

Willy gulped, though he nodded and spoke, “Understood, sir. No names.” 

The Commander barely acknowledged Willy’s words. Instead, he motioned for him to continue his debrief.

“Well, as I was sayin’, I brought them here - like ya asked. I made sure they were separated, like ye asked.” Willy summarized, leaving out several parts. The Commander didn’t need to know everything, did he? 

“Right,” The Commander replied with a small nod. Willy waited, raising a small eyebrow. The Commander looked at him, his bored expression returning. He spoke once more, “I suppose you’re expecting praise? Well, congratulations, you didn’t fail me. Yet.” 

Willy’s eyes widened. What did he mean by that? Had the commander expected him to fail? Willy wasn’t sure what to think about that comment. Before he could think deeper about it, the Commander began speaking once again. 

“In any case, now that you’re here, it’s time to complete the move to the next phase. Since you have proven yourself… adequate, I will explain in more detail.” 

“My…ah, let’s say, my colleagues, are searching for something in particular. Well, someone, I should say. A woman. Her name is Misha Grieves,” The Commander began. He perched himself on the edge of his makeshift desk. He turned to Willy, checking to see if he was listening, before continuing, “There have been reports that she is staying in the remains of the nearby town. I don’t know all the specifics - not that I’d tell you if I did, anyway - but I know that she is important..”

“You, along with A and B and whatever other troops you need to use, will be tasked with searching for her. We must find her first. I have it on good authority that she has information.. Information that would give me a certain.. Leverage, let’s say.” 

Willy raised an eyebrow skeptically. What information could the Commander possibly be after? And…why was he willing to use troops to get it? Whatever it was, Willy wasn’t sure he wanted to find out.. He gulped, though he remained silent. He anxiously waited for the Commander to continue. 

“The information she has is not important to you, Colonel,” The Commander warned, his eyes darting towards Willy in a way that said “don’t even ask.” Willy nodded and felt himself shrink as the Commander’s eyes bore into him. Upon hearing that, Willy decided that it, in fact, was important to him. He just hoped he encountered this woman before either of the boys - Willy needed to talk to her, to discover what the Commander was hiding. 

The Commander ignored Willy’s silence and continued explaining the next phase, “When - yes, when, there will be no ‘if’ - you find her, you will notify me immediately. Do not stop before you reach me - I will not accept any excuses. You will be when the clock hits twenty-two hundred hours, exactly.. Do not get distracted, Colonel.” He briefly paused, allowing Willy to nod once more, before continuing, “Tomorrow, take them into whatever remains of that dump and find her. You have approximately 36 hours. Do not fail me.” 

After the Commander finished his spiel, Willy left the tent - shaken and head bursting with more questions than answers. Could the Commander really expect him to do this? And, to make things worse, what would happen if Willy failed? He wasn’t sure he wanted to find out. However, it would seem that the universe, with its sick and twisted sense of humor, didn’t care what Willy wanted. It didn’t care what anyone wanted, for that matter, or none of this would’ve happened, Willy decided. He decided something else, too. No matter what happened, he was going to teach the boys to protect themselves. Willy worried that, somehow, he wouldn’t be there to protect them. 

…

The next day, Willy set off. His palms were coated in a thick, grimey sweat.He had spent the last night worrying intently about the request, the boys’ safety, and what would happen when he had to confront the Commander. He wasn’t sure if he had slept (or, if he did, the quality of it), but there was no time to worry about that. He had to prepare Kent and Lee. And he knew just the way. 

Some time later, he managed to arrange a set of four or five targets near a small weapon shed (if you could call it a shed, that was. It was more of a…dilapidated wooden box, stocked haphazardly with training-grade weapons, which Willy found…concerning). He took a step back and surveyed his work, a hand resting on his chin in contemplation. The whole thing looked rather shoddy and hastily put together, but it would have to do. Willy had no other choice - a jarring, yet recurring concept that seemed to haunt everything he did these days. With the construction done, all he needed was Kent and Lee. He set off to find them, along with other troops to avoid suspicion. 

“Eh.. this shouldn’t be t’ hard,” Willy mused to himself, pursing his lips together as he surveyed the grounds. The boys should be training right now, he reasoned. The first person he found was Lee, who appeared to be sitting silently by himself - a few feet away from where his fellow cadets were doing an obstacle course. 

He carefully approached Lee before resting a caring hand on his shoulder. Lee looked up, surprised by the sudden touch, and immediately morphed his solemn expression into a grim, somewhat pained smile. Willy’s lips formed a thin line.

“Ya don’t have to pretend around me, lad,” Willy spoke, kneeling down so that he was eye level with Lee. He gave Lee a firm pat before speaking again, “I know how ya feel, son. Don’t tire yerself out tryin’ to put on a brave face for everyone. It’s not worth it.” 

Lee opened his mouth to protest, but simply sighed instead. He didn’t have the energy to argue or to explain that he was fine. The last few days had been taking a toll on him. He looked at Willy and let his cheerful expression fall. Lee knit his brows together and asked, “How do you always do that?”

“Eh?” Willy asked, confused, “Do what, lad?”

“Know what I’m thinking,” Lee explained, his jaw tightening as a flash of frustration covered his features, “It.. it’s weird, man. I mean.. The only people who could do that so easily were my Oma and Dan-” Lee quickly cut himself off. Saying his name, thinking about him.. It all hurt too much to bear. 

“Ah.. I see,” Willy nodded, his own sigh slipping past his lips. He looked at Lee, his expression concerned and understanding. He spoke once more, “Ya miss him, don’t you?” 

Lee went silent. “Missing him” felt like such an understatement.

Lee felt as if, when Danny died, a large, gaping hole appeared in his chest. It ached with an intense yearning - one that could never be satisfied. Not anymore, anyway. He felt that Danny didn’t die alone that day. Lee felt like the loss of Danny had tore away at his soul - at his very core. In truth, he didn’t know who he was without Danny. After all, Danny had made Lee well…Lee. He felt completely and utterly lost, but he wouldn’t say this outloud. He didn’t know how Willy would respond. 

Instead, Lee simply sighed and brought his knees to his chest. He replied, though his voice was barely a whisper, “Yeah. Yeah.. I do..” 

“I know how that is, lad,” Willy replied, nodding once again. He looked off in the distance, surveying the horizon and catching the faintest glimpse of the city’s tallest building. Willy felt a familiar emotion bubble in his chest, one he thought was long buried. One he thought had died with Chris. One he had tried too hard to kill, to silence, to ignore. Looking at Lee, seeing him in this state, it reminded him of himself all those years ago. For once, Willy didn’t suppress the emotion. He let it bubble beneath the surface, slowly rising and threatening to overtake his lungs. He let himself think about events he had long tried to forget. He let himself think about Chris. 

“I know yer probably wonderin’, ‘what is this man yappin’ about’, but just trust me, son,” Willy began, turning to look at Lee,  his expression filling with the utmost empathy. He continued, “I have been in yer place before. I know what it’s like to lose someone who ya love.” 

Lee closed his eyes. He listened intently to Willy’s words, letting them wash over him. Something about the tone he used made Lee believe that, if anyone would understand, it would be Willy. 

He opened his eyes and gave a small nod. He paused for a moment before saying, “I just.. What I felt for Danny - what I still feel for him..  It isn't like anything I’ve ever experienced before, Willy.” Lee paused, trying his best to gather his thoughts. He glanced down at the necklace around his neck, the one containing Danny’s dog tag. Lee frowned and wrapped his hand around it. He let his thumb trail over the letters. He continued, “I don’t fully understand it, but I think I’m in love with him. I.. I just wish I could’ve told him to his face. Not.. you know… to his corpse.” 

“Well, at least ya told ‘em, eh, lad?” Willy asked, trying to cheer him up. Seeing that it wasn’t working, Willy added, “The same can’t be said fer me, son. I didn’t tell.. Ehh.. this friend o’ mine how I felt, even after he died. I couldn’t bring meself to, I suppose. I regret that - every single day.” 

“I guess,” Lee began. His expression dropped slightly and he gripped the tag tighter, feeling the cool metal press firmly against the grooves on his palm. He opened his mouth to speak once more and a small, barely contained sob bubbled in his throat. Lee pushed it back down and added, “I keep thinking about what Kent said to me - how.. How he told me it was my fault. In a way, I guess it was. Every night, I lay awake and I think to myself - would things be different if I hadn’t reacted that way? If I hadn’t run away like a coward? If I realized what I felt sooner? If he didn’t have to chase after me.. If he didn’t have to worry about me at all..”

“Lee..” 

“No matter how I look at it, I can’t seem to figure out why he went after me that day,” Lee continued, his voice now brimming with emotion as he rambled. “I’m not something to chase after, Willy. I feel like, no matter what I do or wherever I go, a cloud of bad luck follows me and hurts the people I care about. I don’t want to hurt people..” His voice broke as he said this last line, a small tear welling up in the corner of his eye. Lee sniffled. 

“Son, yer not gonna hurt people, ye hear me?” Willy reassured, giving Lee’s shoulder a gentle, yet firm (almost fatherly) squeeze. He looked at Lee, and thought about how the boy before him looked almost like a scared animal, huddling in on himself and shivering while trying to be brave. It was a much different visual from his father - a cold blooded, hungry wolf waiting to gobble up any prey that crosses his path. Willy couldn’t fathom how on earth they could ever be related - that was something that confused him to no end. He spoke once more, “Ye aren’t like that, I know it. You aren’t like him..” Willy’s voice trailed off as he said this last part, leaving the last word barely audible. 

“Huh?” Lee asked, tilting his head in confusion, “Like who?”

“Ah,” Willy replied, pursing his lips into a thin line. Of course Lee would pick up on that. Willy mentally scolded himself. He shook his head, waving a dismissive hand and added, “No one. Don’t worry about it, lad.” 

“Oh-kaay..” Lee responded, his voice laced with skepticism. However, it was clear he wouldn’t get any more information on the subject, so he dropped it. 

“Anyway.. I.. ah..” Willy started, exhaling a rather large breath. He clasped his hands together - a look of reluctance crossing his features. He spoke again, “I hate to say this, son.. But I need you to do something difficult, okay?”

“What’s that..?” 

“Self defense training,” He spoke, emotion void from his voice. He watched as Lee’s features paled and a look of worry crept over the boy’s features. Willy continued, “With a weapon.” 

“Willy-” Lee began, his eyes wide with fear. He tried to protest. 

“I know, son,” Willy replied with a small sigh, “I know.” 

“Then why-” 

“Because I have to. Because, if I don’t, something will happen - I have a strange feelin’. Because we all have to do difficult things, son. Because we have a mission later an’ I want ya to be prepared.. Because I care about ya. Lots of reasons, Lee.” 

“An’ before ya waste yer breath protestin’, I think ye will thank me - in the long run,” Willy explained, watching Lee’s jaw clamp shut. Willy sighed once more before adding, “Besides, Kent is comin’, too, so.. Ya won’t be alone, alright?” 

After speaking these words, Willy watched as Lee went silent in consideration. 

“Just.. think about it, lad,” Willy spoke once more, pushing himself into a standing position. He took a deep breath and glanced back towards the makeshift arena. He spoke over his shoulder, yet he didn’t turn back in Lee’s direction, “I have t’ go find Kent. Head over there, would ya?” 

Willy did not wait for Lee’s answer. He simply pointed towards the targets and walked away. 

…

“Anyway, ya pretty much know what happens the rest of that day,” Willy explained, motioning to the still present - yet slightly faded - scars across Kent’s features. 

It appeared that he had gotten more over the years - plus the addition of some hearing aids (likely to help his ears after repeated exposure to loud gunfire and explosives). Willy gave a wry chuckle, “Ye even still have the scars to prove it, lad.” 

Kent gave Willy a look that read “very funny”, though he let the man continue. 

“But what ya don’t know..” Willy started. He paused, a small sigh slipping past his lips, “Is what happened after Lee brought you to the infirmary tent..” 

“Aye.. there were some pretty heavy repercussions on my end..” 

…

After Kent was brought to the infirmary, Lee had gone to find Willy and inform him about what happened. 

“Ye.. ye what?” Willy replied, his face draining of all color as Lee finished retelling the events. Willy’s expression dropped the moment he heard Lee mention “a woman”. 

“I told you, Willy,” Lee groaned, clearly frustrated he had to tell this story for what seemed to be the umpteenth time. It didn’t help that Lee appeared more shaken every time he thought about it. 

“Kent was attacked, I.. I didn’t.. I didn’t know what else to do,” Lee explained, seeming to shrink in on himself with every word. The events of the earlier afternoon - seeing Misha attack Kent, having to be the one who saved him.. It all weighed on Lee quite heavily. 

Willy sighed. He had only himself to blame, he supposed. He had told Lee to use the weapon in self defense - but he never imagined they would actually need to. He hadn’t anticipated that they would actually find Misha, especially so soon after their search had started. Willy replayed the commander’s words in his mind and his stomach churned. 

“Look, lad, this isn’t your fault-” Willy started, attempting to calm Lee down.

“No,” Lee interrupted, crossing his arms over his chest. He spoke once more, in a matter-of-fact tone, “It’s your’s.” 

“Now, hold on a second, son..” 

“If you hadn’t made me grab this-” Lee motioned to the rifle still firmly placed in his shaking palms, emotion rising in his voice, “Maybe that poor woman would still be alive..” 

Willy sighed again, pinching the bridge of his nose to avoid letting his frustration get the better of him. He knew Lee was upset. Arguing with him would only do more harm than good. He wished he could explain everything - to tell Lee why they went out there, to tell Lee why he was here in the first place - but he couldn’t. 

“I don’t - no, I won’t touch one of these things again. Never, “ Lee argued, motioning angrily with his free arm. His voice seemed very heated - quite unlike Lee’s usual demeanor, “I am not ever, and I mean ever, am I going to touch one of these things again.” 

“Aw, come on, lad, it’s not that bad,” Willy pleaded. He was mostly trying to convince himself at this point. Willy knew the repercussion for his failure would be grave.. Hs just didn't know how grave. Yet. 

“You weren't there. You don't know-” Lee spoke again, his face contorting in anger. 

“I assure ya, I do.”

“No, you don't, Willy,” Lee replied, shaking his head in disbelief. He shoved the weapon in Willy’s direction before reaching for the small locket around his neck. He unclasped it - revealing a small picture. It appeared to be a much younger Lee, standing between two figures - both of whom had their faces ripped from the photo, one with their hand firmly gripping his shoulder. Almost militantly. Next to him was a third figure - a much older woman, with kindness shining in her eyes. Her face remained in tact. She was Lee’s Oma. 

On the other side of the locket lay the part thaf had been ripped from the other side - as if whoever had given it to Lee originally did not want them in the picture. The face of one of the figures was jarringly familiar to Willy. Although he looked much younger, Willy could tell it was the commander. Not surprising, Willy thought to himself, he knew the commander was Lee’s father, after all. The other figure he did not know - a woman, with long, sleek black hair and brown eyes similar to Lee’s own. His mother, Willy reasoned. 

“Why are ya showing me this, lad?” Willy asked, confused. 

“Ever since that moment, I haven't been able to stop thinking about that woman.. There was something about her I couldn't quite place.. Something familiar,” Lee explained. He looked at the locket and a small sigh slipped past his lips, “Then, I remembered something..” 

“I found this photo after Oma died - the ripped half, that is..” Lee started, gulping slightly, “I didn't really know the people in it so I didn't think much about it at the time.. But.. seeing that woman's face.. feeling how familiar it was..”

“I opened the locket again.. And I compared what I saw with the woman I.. I.. um.. you know..”

“Anyway.. the years didn't change her that much, I suppose..”

“What are you gettin' at, lad?” Willy asked, raising an eyebrow. He hadn't known what Misha looked like - the Commander hadn't provided a description.

“That woman..” Lee started, taking a deep breath as a small sob built up in his chest, “was my mother.”. 

“And.. and I had to..” Lee tried to explain further, closing his eyes tightly to avoid crying. 

Willy’s eyes widened, and he reached a hand out to carefully touch Lee’s shoulder. He spoke gently, “I'm sorry, lad..” 

Lee shook his head, brushing the contact away. His anger returned. 

Lee clenched his fist at his side, his jaw tightening. He spoke once more, an angry determination filling his voice, “I'm not ever going to touch one of these stupid things again. I don't want to hurt people, self defense or not.” 

And with that, Lee stormed off. Leaving Willy alone to process what he had just learned. 

All the information swirled around his mind - crowding it and causing a large wave of guilt to crash down on him.

He couldn’t believe what he had just heard. He couldn’t believe what Lee had done, either. And he definitely couldn’t believe - or even fathom - the kind of things Lee was feeling at that moment. Willy felt awful, his stomach lurched. This was yet another reason why the Commander had to be stopped. However, Willy couldn’t help thinking about what would happen if Lee ended up in another situation like this. He was worried that Lee might endanger not only himself, but everyone else, too. So, he crept into the medical tent and decided to talk to Kent about it. 

After chatting with Kent, and assuring him he should rest, Willy took a deep breath. He then checked his watch. Nearly 22:00 - the time the Commander had expected him back. He pursed his lips together with a faint smack, taking a moment to hope the commander wouldn’t be too upset about this. But that’s all he could do: hope. Realistically, he knew this wouldn’t end well. 

Willy reluctantly headed towards the Commander’s tent. The man himself was already inside, his hands crossed over his chest. The Commander looked at Willy expectantly. 

“Well, where is she?” The man spoke, raising an eyebrow as he gazed lazily in Willy’s direction. 

“Ah..” Willy started, pursing his lips into a thin line, “About that..” 

The commander looked at him, his eyes shooting a warning glance. He spoke again, “Where is she, Colonel?” 

“She ain’t here, Commander,” Willy admitted. He glanced down at the floor, a sense of foreboding washing over him. He continued, “Not anymore, anyway.” 

“What do you mean by that?” The Commander asked, leaning closer to Willy. His voice remained even, though Willy could hear the small undertones of anger. He spoke again, “Where. Is. She?” 

Willy went silent for a moment, unsure of how much of the events he should reveal. He didn’t want to endanger the boys, but he knew he couldn’t keep this a secret. Eventually, he cleared his throat and mumbled out a faint, “She’s dead.” 

The Commander pinched the bridge of his nose, his face contorting in a barely contained anger. The corners of his mouth morphed into a sort of smile and he released a sound similar to a dry, humorless chuckle. 

“Hilarious, Colonel. If you ever get tired of this gig, you should become a comedian,” The Commander spoke, obviously deluding himself into believing Willy was merely joking. His expression soon returned to its serious state and he looked Willy dead in the eyes. The Commander spoke once more, “Now, tell me where she is.” 

“I have been tryin’ to tell ya,” Willy replied, exasperation filling his voice. “She’s dead, Commander. Happened on the scout mission.. One of the boys.. Ah.. he was attacked, another acted in self defense.” 

The Commander closed his eyes, listening intently to the words Willy was speaking. When he opened his eyes, an all too familiar rage filled them.

“Tell me their names and badge numbers,” The Commander instructed, slamming his tight fist against the desk and causing the documents to jostle. 

“I.. Er..Ya don’t really need those, right? I.. I mean, it was just an accident-” Willy pleaded, his face paling.

“Their names and badge numbers,” The Commander repeated firmly, “Right now.” 

“I don’t think that’s necessary-” 

“I don’t recall asking your opinion, Colonel,” He stated matter-of-factly, his face contorting into an expression of cool, calculated anger. 

“Besides, you owe me,” The Commander reminded, “You failed me, now you will pay the price for your failures.” 

“Commander..” Willy started, a wave of worry forming across his face. His brows knit together. 

“You seem to be rather fond of them, Colonel,” He spoke, the emotion now completely void from his words. He added, “It would be quite a shame for them to pay for your failures, wouldn’t it?” 

“Ye wouldn’t..” Willy replied, his jaw clenching. 

“Oh. no, I wouldn’t…” The Commander replied. Willy mentally wiped some sweat from his brow, relieved. “But as for my colleagues..? Hm.. They will be quite disappointed upon learning they will never receive the information they seek.”

The Commander turned and sat down at his desk, leaning over it and propping up on his elbows. He clasped his hands together, a wry smile forming across his lips, “Tell me their names and badge numbers, and I’ll ensure their safety.” 

Willy sighed. He couldn’t possibly trust the Commander - not after everything he learned - but it seemed that, once again, he didn’t have a choice. He didn’t want to endanger Kent or Lee any more than he already had. He thought to himself, deeply considering the Commander’s offer. He felt utterly helpless. 

Willy looked at the Commander once more, then to a small photo he kept in his breast pocket - a photo of Chris and an infant Kent visiting Willy on his boat. I hope this is the right thing to do, Chrissy.. Willy pleaded silently to himself.

He told the Commander their names. 

The Commander smiled in Willy’s direction. A sick, sadistic smile. He stared at Willy as he reached for a nearby walkie-talkie. He brought it towards his lips, never breaking eye contact with Willy as he did this. 

He pressed the push-to-talk button and repeated the information he was given. However, at the end of it, he said something quite unexpected.”I have a special request for these two soldiers.” The Commander spoke, though he intently watched Willy’s expression as the next words left his lips.

“Kill them.”

Willy had never regretted a decision faster. His face drained of all color and his mouth remained agape. 

Before he realized it, Willy launched himself forward. He reached over the desk and gripped the Commander by the collar of his uniform. 

“How could ya?” He spat, anger filling his voice as his grip tightened around the fabric, “Ye said they’d be safe. Ye said ya would ‘ensure their safety’.” 

“Hm..” The Commander started, “I don’t recall that.” 

Willy felt his teeth clench, his fist gripping the fabric of the Commander’s outfit tight enough to make his knuckles appear white. 

“Ye are one sick, twisted ba-.” Willy spoke, though he was quickly cut off. 

The Commander raised a hand, cutting off any further words from Willy’s mouth. He spoke, his voice coated in a calm, almost playful tone, “Colonel, I would watch your tone. Be thankful I have warned you of what is to come.” 

The Commander went silent for a moment, thinking. Eventually, his lips morphed into a twisted smile, “Besides, you know them better than anyone. You may be able to save them.” 

“If you hurry.” 

And with that, Willy instantly dropped the Commander’s collar and turned a prompt 180 degrees. He rushed out of the tent. Scrambling to think about what the boys would do, panic slowly washed over Willy’s usual calm, collected disposition. 

He couldn’t believe he had been so foolish. He had been trying so hard to protect them that he endangered them in the process. Willy shoved the rushing thoughts down, harshly swallowing as he tried to compose himself. He could fix this. He could still save them. He had to. They were his responsibility now. 

Willy practically sprinted to the medical tent. However, he was taken aback at what he found - or rather, the lack of what he was looking for. It appeared that, while the nurses weren’t looking, Kent had managed to slip out unnoticed. Willy gulped harshly. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose - trying to stifle the mixture of panic and frustration rising in him. 

Of course Kent had gone against his advice. Willy exhaled an exasperated sigh. Why had he thought any different? This was Chris Neilson’s boy - of course he would search for his friend while injured. Luckily, this meant Willy knew exactly where to look. He silently crept towards the dwellings - making sure to stick to the shadows in case anyone was watching. 

As he approached, he managed to catch the middle of a muffled conversation. He overheard Lee lamenting, remorse layered heavily in his voice as he talked to who Willy assumed could only be Kent. The man silently peered around the corner, watching intently as Kent and Lee huddled together - clearly distressed after the day’s events. Willy strained his ears, trying to determine what they were planning. He knew that they tended to act irrationally when emotions ran high, so he was rightfully concerned. Willy heard another snippet of their conversation:

“Kent, I can't stop thinking about her. I feel awful thinking about how we just.. left her there, you know?”.

 “It doesn't sit right with me. I.. I think we need to go back. Just to give her a proper burial.” 

“Would that help ease your mind?” 

“I think so.” 

Willy raised an eyebrow, clearly taken aback by their decision. However, the most surprising part came next: 

“I know.. you don't really like them or like using them, but it would make me feel safer. And.. since I can't exactly use my arms right now - especially with something like that, you.. might have to be the one to carry it.” 

“Kent, I.. I can't.”

“Okay. If it makes you feel better, we won't bring one.” 

The older man mentally face palmed, a wave of distraught disbelief coating his features. He absolutely couldn’t believe what he just heard. Didn’t they know how dangerous it could be at night? Especially since it appeared they intended to go back to a place where Kent was injured merely hours ago. Willy felt like it was all a twisted joke - one with him as the punchline. He knew that, with the Commander’s conspiracy with the Gotoran soldiers, going back into the town was the last thing any of them should do. Yet, he watched as Kent and Lee slowly trekked down the path - carrying only a dimly lit lantern and their foolish emotions: bravery, determination, and Lee’s guilt. 

Willy shook his head, another sigh slipping past his lips. He gripped the cool metal of the weapon - something he had picked up on his way over, expecting the worst, as always. 

“Those boys,” Willy muttered to himself. He pinched the bridge of his nose before squinting out and seeing how far they had traveled.. “I guess I better follow ‘em, just to make sure that nothin’ bad happens..” He added with a small grumble. 

Willy silently followed them, glancing around to ensure there wasn’t any foreseeable danger. He watched as the boys came to a halt and quickly ducked behind a nearby street pole. It wasn’t much cover, but it would have to do. It looked like Kent and Lee were confused, but Willy wasn’t close enough to hear what they were saying. He took a deep breath and decided he would risk it. He moved from behind the pole and slowly inched towards the boys. However, just as he was about to reach them, they moved once more - approaching a nearby building and peering inside. 

Good, Willy thought to himself, at least they’re bein’ careful. However, Willy’s thoughts were soon interrupted as the boys returned from the doorway - shaking their heads. He watched, confused, as they continued to inspect a row of buildings. He followed behind them, keeping a safe distance to avoid being spotted. Eventually, the boys seemed to find the “correct building” - as evident by their reactions (which Willy saw were ones of intense gagging, as if they stumbled upon something dead). 

He grimaced and moved even closer. From the open doorway, the stench wafted in Willy’s direction - potent enough to make any normal person’s eyes water. However, Willy had experienced enough gruesome scenes in his lifetime to remain mostly unphased. He shook his head and brought the edge of his uniform up to cover his nose. Willy peered through a nearby window, squinting because of the low light, and tried to determine what the boys were doing. 

What in the world are those boys up to? Willy thought to himself. He watched as Kent and Lee attempted to move the woman. Willy sighed. 

He barely had time to react before Kent and Lee emerged from the building once more. This time, dragging a piece of holey fabric behind them. Willy simply shook his head. He couldn’t help but feel partially responsible, but that didn’t mean he thought this was a good idea. Willy only hoped that Lee’s selfless deed didn’t end badly. 

There was that word again: hope. The more Willy needed it, the more he used it, the less it seemed to mean. He hoped he could save them, he hoped nothing bad would happen, he hoped this was all a sick, twisted joke.. Yet, it seemed that even the word itself was turning on him. 

Willy cautiously followed them, sticking to the edge of the path and keeping a respectable distance. He watched intently as the boys - well, mainly Lee - began digging a deep hole. Willy didn’t see this as too unusual and glanced away - only for a moment. However, that moment almost cost him everything. When he looked up, he noticed the silhouettes of some figures - about twenty or so. His eyes went wide, fear coursing through him. 

However, it looked like Kent and Lee were still oblivious. Willy looked around - trying to find something he could use to warn them. He found a small pebble and gripped it tensely in his palm. I hope this works. He thought to himself. Willy took a deep breath and threw the rock as far as he could - watching as it landed on a pile of dirt near Kent’s feet. Luckily, Kent looked up, confused. Willy watched as Kent seemed to notice the figures.

 Please, boys, Willy silently mumbled to himself, gritting his teeth in anticipation, Ye have to run. He waited, watching with each agonizingly slow second as Kent and Lee remained motionless. Willy held his breath, hoping that they would hear his silent pleas. A few seconds later, as if by some miracle, Kent begins to run, hastily dragging Lee out of the hole and frantically pointing in the direction they came from. Willy wiped the beading sweat from his brow, however it seemed the worry wasn’t quite over yet. The large mass of figures had begun following the two boys. Willy watched, his beating heart loudly resounding in his ears. He trailed behind the mass, desperately trying to keep the boys in his line of sight. 

Willy carefully trekked behind them, making sure to stay near the shadows to avoid getting spotted by either the group of enemies or Kent and Lee. Everything was going perfectly - the boys were running away, they were even nearing a building that could be used for shelter. Everything was going perfect. 

Willy watched, his expression contorting in horror as Lee stumbled over a jagged rock. The limp in Lee’s walk that followed a second after didn’t leave much to Willy’s imagination. He knew what had just happened. He also knew that the crowd was only getting closer. He had to do something -  anything. Willy took a deep breath and veered in the direction of the crowd, and, without a second thought, he stood in the middle of the path, the firearm clutched tightly in his steady hands.

“I can’t let ya get any closer,” Willy called out, his voice filled with a calmness that felt almost alien.  He had yet to raise the firearm - hoping it would only be a last resort. 

“We don’t answer to you, old man,” One figure responded, stepping forward. Willy quickly assessed the boldness - this one must be the “leader”, he reasoned. 

“No?” Willy asked, raising an eyebrow. He swallowed - barely noticeable. Let’s hope this works, Willy thought to himself. “Ya answer to my boss though, eh? Would be quite a shame - if he knew yer were tryin’ to disobey his new orders.”

The man went silent for a moment, thinking. Willy could almost see the gears turning. Eventually, he looked Willy up and down - noting the high rank and the Ferngill Republic uniform. His jaw clenched and he spoke through gritted teeth, “New orders?”

“Aye, straight from the man himself,” Willy started.He thought a silent prayer - hoping his luck hadn’t quite run out. He needed them to believe he wasn’t lying or making this up on the spot.

“Enlighten me, then,” The man replied, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“He wants ye to abandon this effort. It was all one big misunderstandin’, you see,” Willy continued. He smoothed any worry from his expression - attempting to make everything he said completely believable. 

“What if we don’t believe you, eh?” 

“Ah.. I’d rather it not have to come t’ that, lad,” Willy answered, truthfully this time. He did not want this situation to escalate, but it appeared the universe did not care what he wanted. He watched as the opposing leader weighed the options - follow the original orders and risk missing new ones, or follow the new orders and get chastised if they proved to be false. 

“I’m sure ya can be reasonable, an’ even make the correct decision,” Willy tried again - attempting to keep the man on his side. 

It wasn’t working.

“Nah,” The man responded, shaking his head, “I don’t think so, Gramps.”

The man turned to several colleagues and motioned towards Kent and Lee before adding, “Go after them. We have a job to do and I don’t have time to listen to this man’s blabbering.” 

Willy sighed. It seems his luck was running thin. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes and muttering a barely audible apology. 

Willy spoke once more, his voice once again steady and even, “Then ya leave me no choice.” He then opened his eyes and raised the firearm. 

The next few moments were nothing more than an adrenaline infused blur - the sounds of gunshots cut through the silence and whizzed around. Willy hoped he managed to buy the boys enough time to flee. He hoped they would manage to find safety. To find something, anything. Somewhere they could hide until he could find them again. 

But, that wasn’t the case. As Willy dodged, he heard a loud, resounding snap. He frantically scanned around the area - his eyes searching for the source of the noise. Much to his dismay, his eyes landed on two figures: one sprawled out on the ground, his arm at an awkward angle, and the other crouching over him warily. As he got closer, he soon realized he was looking at Kent and Lee. 

That ain’t good, he thought to himself, sweat beading on his forehead. It seems he hadn’t given them quite enough time - nor did he account that they, too, would have to dodge the incoming gunfire. He watched as Kent managed to drag Lee inside - and not a second too soon, either. As soon as the door closed, a large circle of soldiers swarmed around the building. Not long after, he heard a voice calling out - something about getting revenge for Misha, followed by the sound of rapid gunfire. Willy’s face paled as he watched bullets ricochet off the side of the building that the boys had just entered. 

As the gunfire died down, Willy silently crept closer - carefully peering around the edge of the tree. He scanned the area - looking for any remaining soldiers. It appeared they had all dispersed. All except for one. 

He watched intently, though his expression soon fell as he noticed Lee hobbling into the open. Willy kept his eyes trained forward - darting between Lee’s location and the distant soldier. The soldier made a motion - reading his weapon - and Willy acted without thinking. He rushed towards Lee. And then it happened. 

It was as if time stopped - his movement became suddenly sluggish, his limbs felt like lead as he attempted to lift them. Willy heard the sound a second later: a sharp, resounding bang followed by the distant whizzing as the bullet traveled through the air. He watched in horror, desperately willing his legs to move. He even tried to call out a cry of warning, but any words that formed found themselves caught in his throat. It was too late. 

The bullet collided with Lee’s side in one swift motion, lodging itself in between flesh and the slick crimson ooze beneath. Willy could do nothing but watch - his limbs still refusing to cooperate. He felt his chest tighten as Lee slumped over, crashing to the ground in a pained heap. 

Still immobilized by shock, Willy watched as a horrified Kent approached the door and struggled, attempting to pull Lee back inside - before firmly closing the door behind him. The sound of distant rustling caused him to shake out of his stupor. His shock was replaced with anger and he marched in the direction of the distant soldier. 

When he reached them, Willy immediately kicked the weapon from the man’s hand. Afterwards, he gripped the man’s collar, roughly dragging them upwards. 

“Ye are twisted,” Willy spat, the anger clearly vivid in his voice. His grip tightened on the man’s shirt, his knuckles turning white as a result. Willy continued, “That boy had a life ahead of him - a future.” 

The man scoffed, baring his teeth as he looked up at Willy. He spoke, “So did my Misha. I guess he should’ve thought about that before he took her from me.” 

“Again with this ‘Misha’ lass,” Willy grumbled, his brows furrowing together. He continued, “What’s so damn special about her, anyway? Whatever information she had couldn’t be worth that lad’s life.” 

“And here I thought you knew everything,” The soldier replied, his expression forming one of pity. 

“Eh?” Willy asked, raising an eyebrow. “Lad, if ye know somethin’, you need to tell me - right now.” 

“And why should I do that?” The soldier replied, his expression darkening. “There isn’t anything left for me here, Gramps. My beloved Misha is gone - my future with her. No reward or punishment will be worth this damned existence.”

“It doesn’t have to be this way, son,” Willy tried to explain, his voice firm. “You can still change your future. You don’t have to listen to the corrupt, two-faced leaders.” 

The soldier smiled - one of defeat, one of pity. He let out a small, wry chuckle and shook his head in disbelief. He spoke once more, “You really don’t get it, do you?”

Willy looked a bit confused, not understanding what the soldier was hinting at.

“We aren’t in control here, Gramps,” the soldier explained, his expression turning solemn, “Never were. Never will be.” 

“What are ya blabberin’ about, lad?” 

“He’s using you,” The man answered. “He’s using all of us. Pawns in the world’s worst game of fuckin’ chess, that’s all we are - just a meaningless sacrifice, expected to die silently, leavin’ all the damn glory to the kings.” 

“I don’t understand.” 

“You aren’t clever, Gramps,” the soldier spoke once more - pity layered in his words. “He’s using your own game against you and you can’t even see it.” 

Wily raised an eyebrow. Was his plan that obvious? Had he not been as careful as he thought? He wasn’t sure. 

“You only got this close because he let you,” The man added, looking lazily in Willy’s direction. He continued, “but, you’re simply another piece on the board. He knows that a pawn will never challenge his own king - he has rigged the game called it fairness. Called it a kindness. Called it mercy.”

“He never wanted information,” the soldier explained, “He wanted elimination. Wanted all his little… ‘problems’ to disappear. And you delivered on a silver fuckin’ platter.” 

“What-?” Willy asked, his eyes widened in surprise. He dropped the man’s collar. If what the man was saying had an ounce of truth to it, Willy wasn’t sure he could believe it. 

While Willy was thinking, the man scrambled and grabbed his previously discarded weapon. 

“But it doesn’t matter,” The man spoke, raising the weapon. “I still have a part to play. I have to finish this.. For Misha.”

“Ah.. I can’t let ya do that,” Willy replied, his face paling as he thought about the meaning of the man’s words. Lee was already injured, he knew that meant Kent must be next. He couldn’t let that happen. He couldn’t lose another son. 

The man ignored Willy’s words. He bolted, a fierce determination in his eyes. Willy sighed and raised his own weapon. 

“I’m sorry,” Willy called out, peering through the small scope attached to the rifle. He spoke once more, “But you left me no choice.” 

And with that, a final, sharp bang resounded through the quiet of the night. Willy did not look at the man - he did not need to. His aim was always true - a curse of this lifestyle, one he picked up as a means of survival. He listened as the figure thudded against the packed Earth beneath his feet, but only for a moment. 

With the new information in mind, he approached the building where Kent and Lee had hidden themselves. He knocked on the door - a frantic, almost terrified knock. He hoped he wasn’t too late. He hoped he could still save Lee. He hoped and hoped and hoped. 

But it wasn’t enough. It was never enough. 

“Open the door,” Willy called out, pounding on the outside of the door once again before attempting to jostle the handle and speaking again, “It’s me, lads. I’m here to help ye.” 

“Willy?” Kent called out, skeptically. 

“Yes, lad!” Willy spoke, his frustration growing the longer the door remained closed. “Let me in an’ I’ll explain everythin’.” 

… 

“Ya don’t need me to retell what happened next, do ya?” Willy asked, turning to Kent - who had faint, shimmery streaks running down his cheeks, as if he had been crying.

 It appears Willy’s story was uncovering some long-forgotten memories; memories Kent hadn’t wanted to forget but lost anyway. Memories of his friends, of their time together, of the reason he was still alive today, of the namesake of his youngest son. 

“Ah..” Kent spoke, reaching a hand up to brush away the faint tear streaks, “No. I remember - bits and pieces, but I think it’s better that way.”

Willy gave a firm nod and glanced into the water - his own mood had soured as he retold the events of years ago. He hadn’t forgotten them - he wouldn’t let himself forget them. Every night, Willy thought about what happened. He still held himself accountable, despite knowing he was part of a larger scheme. 

“Just.. tell me what happened next,” Kent responded, a small sigh slipping past his lips, “Tell me why you helped me escape. Tell me what happened to you afterwards.” 

“Ah.. I was ‘fraid ye would ask about that part.” 

“I deserve to know.” 

“That you do, Kent,” Willy replied reluctantly, nodding once again. He repeated the phrase, “That you do.” 

Willy pursed his lips together, debating how to best approach it. Eventually, he resumed his story. 

…

After dropping Lee off at the medical tent, and explaining to the nurses what happened, Willy angrilly marched towards the commander’s tent. He needed to confront him. He wasn’t going to be a pawn to his game any longer, no matter what the commander thought. 

“You’re still standing, I see,” The Commander spoke, barely even glancing up as Willy entered the area. He pursed his lips together, noting the hostility in Willy’s eyes. He spoke again,  “I suppose that means you have some grievances.” 

“Grievances? Grievances?” Willy spoke, anger rising in his voice. “I have more than grievances, Commander. A boy is dead - because of your order. One of your own soldiers, nonetheless.” 

The Commander merely shrugged, looking unamused. He spoke, his tone bored, “People die everyday, Colonel.” 

“Maybe you didn’t hear me,” Willy repeated, leaning across the desk and inching closer to the commander, “A boy is dead because of your orders. He shouldn’t be.” 

“A pity, truly,” The Commander replied with a small hum. He glanced up at Willy, his lips forming a thin line. He spoke once more, “However, I have no idea what you’re talking about, Colonel. I haven’t given any orders.” 

“Ye lyin’, connivin’-”

“Ah-ah,” the Commander interrupted, “I would watch your tone.” He pulled out a small document - one with a signature beneath it. It appeared to be an order, one showing that Lee and Kent would have to go on a solo mission in the dangerous part of the town, at night. One with Willy’s signature. One he did not write. 

“It would be quite a shame if someone found your orders, wouldn’t it?” He spoke, a sly, twisted grin forming on his lips. He continued, “The ones responsible for this poor boy’s death, hm?” 

“Eh? I didn’t-” Willy protested, his eyes widening as he glanced at the letter. It looked official - and they even have the messy pen strokes from his heavy hand. It was incredibly convincing, but Willy knew he would never sign something like that. 

“Listen, Colonel,” The Commander spoke, using a pen to push Willy further from his face. He clasped his hands on top of each other and spoke calmly, “I control the narrative. What you ‘did’ or ‘did not’ do is merely whatever I say. No hard feelings, of course. I simply do not need you any more. I have everything I wanted -  all thanks to you.” 

Willy’s mind was racing - he couldn’t believe he was going to be framed for the commander’s crimes. He had to do something. 

As he was thinking up a plan, the commander spoke once more, something barely audible, yet Willy assumed it was another twisted scheme. 

“Pardon?” 

“Oh, I suppose there isn’t a reason to hide it anymore, hm?” The Commander asked, his voice playful, teasing even, as if this was simply a game. He added, “Your next orders will be carried out soon enough.”

“What are ya talkin’ about?” Willy asked, both confused and wary. He eyed the Commander suspiciously. 

“Kent Neilson is scheduled to be tried for treason. Both as your accomplice and as the murderer of his fellow brother in arms.”

Willy’s eyes widened, Treason? Kent was only eighteen - hardly capable of treason. He gulped harshly, desperately trying to remain calm. He needed more information. Panicking would ruin his chances at receiving that.

“When?” He asked, harshly gripping the edge of the Commander’s desk. 

“Tomorrow afternoon,” The Commander replied, his tone once again returning bored. He continued, “Such a shame, too.. I was really looking forward to his potential.” 

With that, Willy had made up his mind: he had to get Kent out before tomorrow afternoon. And he knew just how to do it. 

The following morning, Willy rushed towards Kent’s sleeping quarters - however, he was met with a large wave of confusion. Kent was nowhere to be seen. He asked several of the cabinmates and no one knew anything - no one except Ray, that is. 

After receiving a tip from Ray, Willy nodded and left the room. He went to the garage and entered the nearest vehicle. Judging by what Ray had told him, Kent had left about an hour ago - which meant he hadn’t gotten too far, much to Willy’s luck. 

Sure enough, he found Kent attempting to leave - on foot, nonetheless. Willy had to stifle a laugh as he noticed Kent was walking in the wrong direction. 

“Kent!” Willy called out as he trailed behind Kent, having to barely press the gas on the vehicle to keep pace with him. “What are you doin’, lad?” 

“Leaving!” Kent called back. He tried to walk slightly faster, but his legs were close to giving up. Willy watched Kent - noting the boy appeared tired. His legs must be exhausted, Willy mused to himself, He’s been walkin’ for hours - it seems. 

“And where do ya think you’re goin’?” Willy asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically. Of course, he knew exactly where Kent was going. He even intended to take him there. 

“Home,” Kent answered simply. He looked ahead, determined, before adding, “I’m going home.” 

“Not that way, ya aren’t,” Willy spoke, a hearty chuckle bellowing in his chest. He reached a hand out the window and pointed in a different direction than Kent was walking before adding, “City is that way, son.” 

…

“But ya know that part, right?” Willy spoke, cutting off his story once again. He turned to Kent, who was nodding silently. Willy continued, a chuckle slipping past his lips, “Aye.. we were trapped in that storm. A real rager, it was. Then yer Mammy came an’ took ya home, didn’t she?” 

Kent nodded once more. The details were fuzzy, but he remembered it clearly: praying to Yoba, using Willy’s lucky coin on the off chance the payphone worked, being surprised when it actually did, his mother taking him home, and getting to see Jodi after so long. He remembers the way his heart swelled when he saw her, drenched in the rain and wearing only her nightgown. Kent had never been more in love with her than that moment. Though, the love he felt then still rings true today. 

“So, tell me,” Kent began, smacking his lips together as he decided if he really wanted to know what happened next. After deciding he did, he continued, “What happened afterwards? How did you get back?” 

“Well, I drove back, son,” Willy answered, shrugging his shoulders. 

“Wait,” Kent tilted his head in confusion. That doesn’t make sense. He thought the vehicle had gotten stuck - which would leave Willy trapped for hours (or until someone noticed). He continued, “I thought the car was stuck..?” 

“Eh, it was,” Willy gave a small chuckle. He reached over and gave Kent and firm smack on his back. He sent a wry smile in his direction, his eyes crinkling up at the edges. “For about five seconds.” 

“What?” 

“All terrain vehicle, lad,” Willy explained, giving a small nod, “Made to withstand even the deepest mud.” 

“But you-?” Kent asked, utterly confused. 

Willy waved a hand dismissively. He spoke once more, “I just wanted to make sure ya got home safely. There were people breathin’ down my neck, watchin’ my every move.. I couldn’t go into the city if I wanted to.” 

Willy pursed his lips together, shaking his head. He continued, “Nah, I didn’t want to risk yer safety any more than I already had. Better you be safe an’ sound in yer Mammy’s car.” 

“Anyway, that part isn’t important,” Willy dismissed. He made a small “hrm” noise as his line came up empty yet again. He reached for another piece of bait, applying it to the hook as he spoke once more, “What is important, though, is what happened when I got back.” 

…

As soon as Willy arrived back at camp, he knew this would take a turn for the worst. He took a moment to mentally prepare himself, taking a long, deep breath, and then opened the driver’s door. He stepped out. The second his boots touched the earth beneath him, his arms were quickly seized - two sets of hands roughly dragged him towards the commander’s quarters. 

“Imagine my surprise when, upon going to fetch a certain cadet for his trial, I am informed that he is no longer there,” The Commander spoke, a barely contained anger lining his features. An exasperated sigh slipped past his lips, “Care to explain, Colonel?” 

“I don’t have to explain anythin’ to ya,” Willy replied. 

“Perhaps you didn’t hear me, Colonel,” The Commander started, narrowing his eyes. He leaned over, his face inches away from Willy’s own. He repeated, “Care to explain? Where is Kent Neilson?” 

“Gone,” Willy answered. He glared at the Commander and added, “Long gone. Ye ain’t gonna find him even if ya tried.”

“Wrong answer,” The Commander replied, his anger no longer hidden. He motioned to someone standing nearby. Ray’s face was illuminated as he stepped closer to the Commander. 

“Private Raegan Schmidt has kindly filled in the details,” The Commander explained, resting a hand almost proudly on Ray’s shoulder. He continued, “I know exactly where Kent Neilson is, Colonel. I also know that this makes him a deserter and you, an accomplice - a crime punishable by death.”

“Now, I’ll give you another chance,” He said. “I’m feeling quite.. Merciful.” 

“I don’t want yer brand o’ mercy,” Willy replied. The Commander responded with a small “hmph”, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Colonel, someone needs to teach you to watch your tone,” He stated. The Commander then nodded towards the back wall and another figure approached. Willy felt the pain before he even noticed the movement: a sharp, abrupt pain spread throughout his face. A harsh object - similar to a human fist - collided with his nose. He grimaced, though he only glared in the commander’s direction. 

“I am truly sorry it has to be this way, William,” The Commander spoke, watching as another punch collided with Willy’s nose - causing a small stream of blood to trickle out his left nostril. He continued, “You would’ve made such a great ally. We could’ve even been… acquaintances.” 

Willy scoffed, shaking his head. He looked at the Commander - his eyes filling with hate.   Another punch, more blood, yet Willy no longer cried out in pain. He was done bowing down to this man. He had to confront him, and he had to do it now. He spoke, “Yeah, an’ I would’ve ended up like all yer ‘acquaintances’ - dyin’ because I was in yer way. Just another thing for ya to get rid of.”

“Whatever do you mean-?” 

“You know exactly what I mean,” Willy replied, narrowing his eyes, “Don’t you, Vincent?” 

“How did you-?” The Commander - Vincent - replied, his face paling as the name slipped past Willy’s lips. 

“I have my ways,” Willy responded, his determination creeping back in. It was clear that he hadn’t expected Willy to know his name. “Ya didn’t want anyone findin’ out, did you? Didn’t want anyone makin’ connections. Didn’t want anyone threatenin’ yer power.”

“So.. ya got rid of them. Both of ‘em. Didn’t you, Vincent?” Willy stated, shaking his head in anger. “Had yer own son killed - just to save yer damn reputation. You make me sick.” 

“Stop with these.. Wild accusations,” Vincent replied, defensive. However, it was clear Willy had gotten under his skin. He smoothed his expression and added, “Besides, even if these were true, you have no proof.” 

“Eh?” Willy asked, raising an eyebrow. His lip quirked up in the corner, forming a small smirk. He spoke again, “Don’t I, though?” 

Vincent eyed Willy warily. Willy swore he saw the smallest bead of sweat form on the Commander’s brow. 

Willy chuckled, fighting against the arms that restrained him. He shook his head, looking at Vincent before speaking once more, “What’s wrong, Commander? Ye ain’t… afraid, are ya? After all, if what I’m sayin’ is…’wild accusations,’ ya have nothing to be worried about, eh?”

“I am not afraid,” Vincent replied, clenching his jaw. A vein protruded in his forehead. He spoke again, through gritted teeth, “You have nothing. You are nothing. No one will believe a word you say.” 

“Oh, but it ain’t just words, Commander,” Willy replied.He managed to free one of his arms and reached into his back pocket. He pulled out the tape recorder - one that held every order and conversation he had with the commander for the last two weeks. He also had the small nameplate - something he made a copy of before locking the safe all those days ago. 

“This nifty device contains all the ‘proof’ they’ll need,” He spoke with a nod. Several murmurs filled the room and everyone glanced around warily. Willy added, “And, the cherry on top? It’s all in yer own words.” 

“You-.. you’re lying,” Vincent replied, though the calm demeanor was slowly melting. HIs face paled - stricken with panic. 

“I don’t make a habit o’ lyin’, Commander,” Willy retorted, his face contorting once again, “though, I’m sure ye wouldn’t know anythin’ about that.” 

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Colonel,” Vincent replied, clenching his fist. 

“Don’t I?” As the words left Willy’s mouth, the commander seemed to snap. He lunged forward, gripping Willy by the collar and hoisting him off the ground. 

“No,” Vincent answered, “You don’t.” 

“Then ya don’t mind me telling them about yer son, do ya?”

Vincent glared, though he attempted to remain calm. He spoke once more, trying to convince them, “I don’t even have a son.” 

“Ah..” Willy piped up, a short chuckle slipping past his lips, “Then I suppose tellin’ yer full name won’t matter, huh?” 

“You-”

“Admit it,” Willy urged, “Admit ya have a son. Admit ya killed him.” 

“I did no such thing. I have no son.” Vincent spoke, his voice full of hot anger. He glanced around, noting the crowd’s response to his behavior. He set Willy down and cleared his throat before speaking again, more calm this time. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Colonel.” 

Willy sighed, shaking his head. “Ya always choose the hard way, don’t ye?” 

Willy fished around in his pocket, taking out a small crumpled piece of paper - a copy of Lee’s enlistment form. 

“In my hands, I have the enlistment form of former Private Vincent Leegland - whom you all know was reported dead just yesterday,” Willy started, holding up the form and earning a chorus of “oohs” and “huhs”from the crowd. He brought out the nameplate and continued, “and in my other hand, I hold the nameplate of yer esteemed Commander.” 

Willy took a deep breath, letting a wave of courage overtake him once more. He carefully turned over the nameplate and held it towards the crowd. He read it off, “It reads ‘Commander Vincent Leegland.’ What I didn’t mention was that, on Private Leegland’s form, his name is listed as ‘Vincent Leegland Jr.’.” 

A chorus of gasps filled the room and Vincent visibly tensed. 

“It doesn’t matter,” Vincent spoke, trying to veer the situation back under his control. He pointed an accusatory finger in Willy’s direction and spoke, “What matters is he is an accomplice to a desertion. He helped a soldier escape his trial.” 

“I only helped him escape,” Willy started, grimacing as he just admitted to aiding a desertion. He kept speaking nonetheless, “Because ye were going to convict him of a crime - a crime he didn’t commit. A crime you committed.” 

The crowd stirred once again, clearly getting antsy from the tension in the room. Vincent was losing. He knew it, too. He couldn’t stand it. 

“I should bring you to trial,” Vincent spat, his calm persona vanishing once again, “I should tell the others of your deeds.” 

“An’ I should tell ‘em of your treason,” Willy retorted, shaking his head. 

As the words left Willy’s mouth, anger bubbled in Vincent’s chest one more. He reached over, lunging for Willy’s shirt once more. He gripped it tightly, pulling the man close to his face.

“You don’t know what you’re doing, Colonel,” Vincent growled, his voice barely audibly - yet seething with raw hatred. 

Murmurs filled the crowd. Treason? What treason? The Commander committed treason? But he is so great - practically a saint! 

Vincent glanced around, noted the nervous energy of everyone in the room. He was supposed to be their calm, composed Commander - the one who had control, the one who had power, the one who was admired, the one who was feared. Yet, upon watching Willy speak to the commander this way, the onlookers seemed uncertain. This was their commander, yet he appeared weak, cowardly. Vincent was losing them. He couldn’t let that happen. He sighed, reigning in his emotions and a wave of false composure washed over him once more. 

“Look, Colonel,” Vincent started, his voice layered with flattery. “We can work this out civilly. I can be merciful, I can be kind, you’ll see.” 

Willy scoffed. He pursed his lips and spat - a wad of slick, sticky crimson mixed with a tooth launched from his mouth and onto the commander’s face. He spoke calmly, “I said I don’t want yer mercy - or yer kindness.” 

Vincent grimaced, gritting his teeth harshly enough Willy could almost hear them grinding in restraint. He let one hand go, briefly loosening his grip on Willy’s shirt, and wiping the gunk off his face. In this moment, Willy reared his head back before bringing it up harshly - abruptly headbutting Vincent in the nose. He stumbled back - gripping his nose with a groan, causing Willy’s shirt to drop from his hands entirely. As the commander was distracted, Willy once again reached into his back pocket and pulled out the recorder. 

“Ye want to see how great yer commander is?” Willy asked, though he didn’t expect an answer. He stood on a nearby crate and raised the recorder of his head, “I’ll show ya just how great he is.” 

He paused, waiting for someone to try and stop him. No attempt was made. Willy pressed the small play button and the commander’s own words began playing - revealing his plan, his treachery, and even how he ordered the death of his own son and how he tried to frame Willy and Kent for it, all to save his reputation.

After he recovered from his daze, Vincent was furious. He approached Willy, anger swirling around him. However, he was stopped by two sets of hands - the same hands that restrained Willy earlier.

“What are you doing?” Vincent growled, his voice almost condescending. “Move.” 

“We don’t listen to traitors,” one figure explained, crossing their arms firmly over their muscly chest. 

“Or murderers,” the other piped up, disgust clear across their face, “Especially not those who turn on their own flesh and blood.” 

“Men.. There is no need to be hasty,” The commander attempted to reason, his calm, commanding persona trying to creep back in. 

“I just want to talk to Colonel Dodgens. I’m sure we can reach a..” He grimaced, gritting his teeth, “Civil conclusion.” 

“You hearin’ this, Willy?” One of the figures called over their shoulder. “What do you think?” 

Willy thought for a moment. He had the power in this situation: he could absolutely ruin the commander, he could send this recorder to the hirer ups, he could even become the commander. But, looking at the commander, seeing how the power corrupted him - made him a cowering, weak man who would hurt anyone to keep a sliver of control. Willy hated that sight. He didn’t want to become like Vincent. No, he had a better idea. 

“I’ll hear ‘em out, lads,” Willy said, motioning for them to part and let Vincent through, “But I’ll be makin’ the demands.” 

“Fine,” Vincent replied, a sigh slipping past his lips. He approached Willy, though he was stopped before he could get too close. “Name your price. Anything you want - it’s yours.” 

Willy thought for a moment, pursing his lips together. Eventually, he spoke, “I want ya to forget about Private Neilson’s desertion. Expunge it from his records - burn ‘em if you have to, but no one will find out Kent Neilson deserted.” 

“Done.” Vincent replied reluctantly, crossing his arms.

“One more thing,” Willy started.

“Which is..?” The commander replied, bored. 

“Give me an honorable discharge. Let me go home an’ put this nonsense behind me. I promise that I’ll be outta yer hair. I won’t even think about comin’ back. Sailor’s honor.” 

Vincent thought for a moment, his lips forming a thin line as he debated the options before him: attempt to have Kent and Willy jailed, only to have his own crimes brought forward, or let them go - forget the entire thing ever happened. It wouldn’t fix the damage, but it would prevent any more. Vincent looked at Willy, raising an eyebrow as he asked, “If I grant these requests.. You’ll give me any proof you have?”

“If it guarantees Kent’s safety.” Willy responded, nodding. “That lad.. He ain’t a criminal. He ain’t a monster. He’s got a good heart. He’s got a future. I won’t let ya take away the future of another boy - not after Danny, not after Lee.” 

“Consider it done,” Vincent replied finally, giving a curt nod. “Pack your bags, William Dodgens, you’re going home.” 

Willy stepped off the crate and approached the commander. He stuck his hand out, sealing the deal with a firm handshake. 

“Now.. the recorder?” The commander demanded, holding out his hand expectantly. 

“Heh,” Willy chuckled, shaking his head, “I ain’t that gullible, Vincent.”

“Urg-”

“Don’t worry, ye will get yer little recorder,” Willy reassured, waving his hand dismissively, “After you hold up yer end of the bargain. I’m not lettin’ ya weasel your way out of this - not again.” 

…

“All that really happened, Willy?” Kent asked, his face contorting in a mixture of shock and disbelief. 

“Aye, ye better believe it, lad,” Willy confirmed. He chuckled and pointed to his nose, which was now crooked, “Even have one hell of a scar to prove it. Me poor sniffer hasn’t been straight in..oh… fifteen or so years.” 

“Anyway, after makin’ sure Vincent held up his end of the bargain, I gave him the recorder,” Willy explained, turning his attention back to Kent. 

“Why?” Kent asked, shaking his head, “Weren’t you worried he’d destroy it?” 

“Ah.. I knew he’d destroy it - even watched ‘im chuck the damn thing into the flames, along with yer desertion records.. But I did it to make sure ya would be safe, Kent. Haven’t you ever wondered why no one ever came after ya, despite you committing a serious crime?” 

“Hmm,” Kent mused, pursing his lips together in thought, “Now that you mention it..” 

“Ah, it doesn’t matter,” Willy replied, once again dismissing the train of thought. “After I watched the papers turn to ash, I packed my bags.” 

“That’s where I found that picture of ye and yer friends, you know. Must’ve taken that thing the day you arrived, kept it on me bedside for the longest time. Realized it was only right for ya to have it, I did. So, I sent it to ya.”

“I remember that!” Kent replied, nodding enthusiastically, “I still have it. I hope it didn’t get damaged in the move..”

“Hey, Willy?” Kent asked, thinking deeply about the photo. He remembered receiving it, but no other communication from Willy. “Why didn’t you respond to my letters?” 

“Eh?” Willy asked, raising a brow, “I didn’t receive any letters, lad.”

“What?”

“Ah.. ye probably sent ‘em to the camp, didn’t ya?” Willy asked, nodding solemnly. “Aye, I was already long gone. Moved back to the comfort of this town. Though… knowin’ Vincent, he probably used anythin’ with my name on it as kindlin’ fer his fireplace. Sorry, lad.” 

“Ah, I see,” Kent replied, giving a glum nod in Willy’s direction. He went silent for a moment. He glanced down at the water, watching the colors swirl and shift into familiar yet distant faces. He muttered softly, “Would you have replied..? If you received them, I mean..”

“To every single one.” 

The two stood in silence for a moment - sharing an understanding look. Eventually, Willy glanced towards the town - he looked at the blue house in the distance, watching the hustle and bustle of movers as the small family tried to get settled. He watched as a lanky teen - one who resembled a much younger Kent - placed an anchor over the door. 

“Say, Kenty boy,” Willy asked, turning his attention back to the man across from him. He continued, “Who replaced me, anyway?” 

Kent raised a brow, “What do you mean?” 

“As the leader of the naval forces,” Willy clarified.

Kent went silent for a moment. Eventually, he turned and revealed the small nameplate and badge on his uniform jacket, “That would be me.”

“So.. what do they call ya.?”

“Colonel Kent Neilson - commander of the naval forces.” 

“Atta boy,” Willy replied, reaching over and placing a firm hand on Kent’s shoulder. “I always knew ya could do it.” 

“So.. what about you, Willy?” Kent asked, glancing around at the small shop behind him, “How is life treating you?”

“Eh, I can’t complain,” Willy replied, giving a curt nod. He motioned towards the shop, “I’m runnin’ me Pappy’s old shop. I think the life of a fisherman is much more my style.”

Kent nodded. He could infer that much. He was about to switch the topic when Willy piped up once again, “That’s not all, though.”

“Oh?” He asked, looking at Willy with intrigue.

Willy chuckled, a small smile forming across his lips, “Even got meself a nice lad. Name’s Marlon - he’s a real fighter. Probably seen as much combat as I have. He reminds me of an old friend.” Willy nodded to himself, pursing his lips together, “Got the same fightin’ spirit as yer Pappy, he does. Same heart, too.” 

“Well,” Kent replied, sharing Willy’s smile, “I’m happy for you, Willy. I’m glad you found someone.” 

“Ye as well, Kent,” Willy replied. He nodded towards the small family a few feet away. “Ya got yerself a real nice family, son. I’m proud of ya - yer Pappy would be, too.”

“Yeah,” Kent said, a small smile forming on his lips. He looked towards his family - his gaze full of love and adoration, “I don’t know how I got so lucky.” 

“Heh,” Willy chuckled, shaking his head, “Luck ain’t got nothing to do with it, lad.”

“Huh?”

“Yer blessed, Kent.” 

Kent went silent, thinking. He thought about his family - about how much they meant to him. He thought about Jodi - about how he thought he was the luckiest man in the world, about how happy he was to call himself her husband. He would give Jodi the entire world - all she had to do was ask for it. He would do anything for each and every one of them. He will do anything for each and every one of them. Because that is what you do for the people you love. 

“Yes,” Kent nodded, turning back to Willy with a wide grin, “Yes I am.”

[c0stiffen]

⌛️ Paradise AU - Arven

THANK YOU FOR THE 600 FOLLOWERS!! I hadn't realized, oh god, really thank you very much for the support everyone!!!

Arven, 20 years old. Raised mostly in the depths of Area Zero. He is completely aware of AI Sada (who was initially a babysitter of sorts). He is currently working with Nemona. He is not the kindest person at the beginning, he absorbed the personality of a Sada frustrated by her partner's abandonment after her birth. He is egocentric and basically a walking red flag at the beginning. (He heals after this, but I think it is necessary to comment on this. He didn’t live a normal childhood so he is not necessarily the best person).

Working on a Fanfic about this AU! You can read the prologue here.

[ursulanoodles]

I post every Friday night :)

[neko-sama0w0]

Kieran headcanons with a cold face reader

some people think that you don't love Kieran. but that would be wrong

even though you give short answers to whatever he says and never really show that you love him that all changes when you guys are alone

you love to cuddle up with Kieran after school, and he loves it too

Kieran loves how you like to keep him close and protect him.

you know all about Kieran what he likes, what he doesn't like all that stuff, and you always talk about him

"hey Y/N," said Lacey. " can I ask you a question". "sure". " do you actually love Kieran cause it doesn't show". she said. " I'm a little hurt that you would say that I do love Kieran I may not show it but I know all about him. I love him in my own way". " HEEEEY Y/N" yelled kieran. " See you later Lacey".

Y/N may not show it but they do love Kieran <3

thank you for reading my request are still open so suggest any pokemon or genshin character or if you want a poly headcanons ✍(◔◡◔)-

[yeehawbvby]

Hello! While I was doing the classes and Salvatore (the language teacher) gives you words in other languages and asks what they mean. He did this with 'I love you' and that gave an idea. What if reader and Arven are both in that class and Salvatore notices Arven's crush on reader (I feel like Arven's the type to stare at his crush and then get caught and get all shy about it) and tries to encourage him to confess. Sry this was a bit long. Hope you have a wonderful day/night!

WAIT STOP this is so frickin’ cute wtf 😭😭😭 Don’t be sorry at all for the long prompt!! The more details regarding what you’re looking for, the better :D

I hope you don’t mind that I went with a gendered reader – it just kinda naturally flowed out of me this way ;;w;; Enjoy! x

Love Languages | Arven x F!Reader

Rating: Teen+ | WC: 1,744

I have a crush on my best bud. I can’t help it. It happens, it’s not a big deal, and she definitely doesn’t need to know. But, I’m unfortunately far from subtle in my affections.

She’s just… so damn pretty. The way her hair shines no matter the lighting, the glimmer in her eyes when she’s excited, the blush on her little cheeks when she’s praised. With her brains, strength, and kindness on top of all that, it’s hard not to be totally enamored. 

Enamored enough to, y’know… check her out, every once in a while. I guess.

One time, Salvatore caught me in the act. She was answering a question of his during one of his lectures, and my eyes remained on her just barely too long. When he finished addressing her, our teacher looked at me, and his eyes widened. He glimpsed at her again, then back at me, and he winked. 

Now, I know Salvatore’s a good guy. He’s friendly, he often has his students’ and Pokémons’ best interests in mind, and he’s lackadaisical when it comes to grading and due dates… But I’d be lying if I said he wasn’t a little shit.

Whether I’m peeking at my buddy in class or grabbing lunch with her in the cafeteria, if Salvatore sees it, he gives me a look. Like, one of those “I see, I see…” sort of looks. It’s terrible. I could only ever hope to Arceus that her steel trap brain is oblivious to it.

Today, little buddy and I talked a bit before class – easy enough, with her sitting diagonally in front of me – and eventually Salvatore mosied on in, with his typical greeting. “My dear friends!” and so on. My bud turned around towards her desk, I got out my notebook and stuff, and everything went how it usually does, at least at first.

“Now, mes amis – my friends, that is! I’ve decided to change up our typical lesson format a bit.” 

Oh? 

“In le cours d’ajourd’hui – today’s class – we will learn about a very special phrase that you can put to use when the time is juuust right!” 

Salvatore smiles and scans the room as usual, searching for a reaction. But this time, before continuing, his eyes linger on me. 

“Ai shiteiru! Je t’aime! Te amo! Ich liebe dich! Does anyone know what these phrases mean?”

After a few quiet moments, little buddy raises her hand, and I notice what seems like a small blush on the side of her cheek. Salvatore calls on her to answer, and it comes out… timid?

“T-they mean, um… ‘I love you.’”

Hearing those words from her mouth makes my heart pound in my chest. 

“Très bien!” My eyes feel like they’re gonna pop right out of my skull as Salvatore turns to me. “It’s so very important to express your feelings about things to others, you know!” 

…He’s scheming.

Salvatore slowly walks across the class, inspecting us all. “So, mes merveilleux élèves – my wonderful students – I’m going to be setting you up into pairs.”

No.

When he reaches my row, he stops. He’s watching me. “I want you to practice amongst each other!” 

Nope!

“I’ll supply you with worksheets, made by yours truly,” he saunters over to the podium and grabs a stack of papers, “so that you all have prompts to work with! That way none of you will find yourselves ​​à une perte pour les mots – at a loss for words, that is!”

No thank you!

Whispers erupt amongst my peers. “Is he serious?” “This is so humiliating…” “What if I get paired with… you know?!” My eyes wide, I look around, studying everyone’s expressions and eavesdropping on their reactions to today’s lesson. At least I’m not the only one who’s worried. 

My gaze lands on my buddy, and she’s staring down at her desk. The same flush that coated her cheeks when she answered his question is still there – if anything, it looks a bit darker now.

“Oh my!” Salvatore laughs, interrupting the chatter. “Have I embarrassed you all, my friends?” 

No shit, man.

My brain turns to oatmeal as I zone out on my notebook. Salvatore continues instructing, and he’s probably trying to give me some kind of “wink wink, nudge nudge” of sorts, but it’s falling on blind eyes and deaf ears.  

He wouldn’t pair me up with her… would he? It would make the most sense for him to just pair us as we’re paired in our desks, right? Right?!

Two by two, the other students begin to shuffle around. And eventually, Salvatore calls my buddy’s name… followed by mine.

“Come get your assignments, you two!”

I hate him. 

I pack up my things, as does little buddy, and we both make our slow trek up to the front of the class. 

As Salvatore gives us our work for the day, he says, “Bonne chance – good luck!”

Fuck off.

Sighing, I stare down at the paper in my hand while we make our way to one of the last sets of empty desks available. My bud’s uncharacteristically quiet as we settle in, grabbing our pens and reading over the worksheets in front of us.

“So…” I prompt, wanting to get this over with. I can’t even look at her right now. “Y-you ready?”

When I don’t hear a verbal response, I look to my side, and she nods. Her face is still rosy, and she won’t look at me, either. Nerves getting the best of me, I do the only thing I really know how to do in a situation like this: I ramble. 

“Er, the first part here is to just match up the phrases with what languages they are. Easy enough…” 

“Mhm,” my friend hums quietly. 

“Alright, number one…” I can’t even bring myself to say the words out loud. Why is this so embarrassing?! At the end of it all, this is nothing more than an assignment, right? “...is Johtoan.” I peer up, and while writing down her answer, my bud nods. 

This continues until we complete the first section of our work. Maybe this won’t be so bad… as long as we don’t talk much, we’ll avoid any embarrassment, right?

“How are we doing, vous petits tourtereaux?” Salvatore asks. I don’t know what that last part meant, but little buddy seems to. Her eyes widen and she tenses up, her cheeks flushing. 

I squint at him. A look that says “You suck, and this feels like betrayal.” While doing so though, I verbally answer, “N-nous c’est bien…?” 

“Nous sommes bons, but I appreciate the attempt, Master Arven!” Salvatore winks, before suggesting, “You know, practice makes perfect.” Yeah, and? “Why don’t you two discuss the lesson amongst yourselves?” No. “You won’t improve without expérience de vie réelle – real life experience – after all!” 

“Er, we’re alri–”

“O-okay.” 

My head whips towards my buddy. When I look back up at Salvatore, he has a menacing grin on his face. He mutters something in Kalosian before moving onto another pair of students. I turn to my left again, and watch as my friend places down her pen, before shyly peering up at me to her right.

Are her pupils always so big? 

It’s probably just the lighting. Or I’m just seeing shit. Whatever.

“So…” she mutters. She looks down at her paper and fidgets with the corner. “We can just… go down the list here, I guess?”

“Yeah, sounds good.” That accidentally came out as a whisper, but she heard it well enough to begin. 

My buddy clears her throat, then mutters, “Um…” she pauses briefly, shifting herself to sit facing towards me. I do the same. “J-je t’aime.” 

Her eyes almost look hopeful as they flicker up to mine, then back down at her worksheet. Oh Arceus this is gonna be harder than I thought. 

“...Wǒ ài nǐ.”

More silence. Swallowing a lump in her throat, my buddy furrows her brows, then looks me in the eye. It’s like she’s hyping herself up… so cute. “Te amo…!”

Oh.

T-that had more of an effect than I expected. 

My eyes widen, and hers follow suit. She looks down promptly, while my cheeks redden to match hers. I quietly keep the flow going. “Ai shiteiru.”

“T-ti amo.”

“Didn’t you just say that one?” I softly tease. I’m relieved to see her shoulders relax a little, and her beautiful lips curve into one of her beautiful smiles, as I make light of what’s going on. 

She shakes her head. “Different languages.” 

Mirroring her grin, I keep up the antics. “Bullshit.” 

“It’s true! Ask Salvatore.” 

I glimpse over at him, and having heard his name, he’s already looking at us. I shake my head at him and turn my attention back to my friend. “N-no, it’s alright.”

We fall into another silence, so I go again. “Salanghaeyo.” 

Gnawing the cap of her pen, little buddy meets my eye again. “I-ich liebe dich.” 

Fuck. 

In a trance, we both seem to not want to pull our irises away from one another… so we keep going, just rambling based off of the word banks in our brains.

“Mahal kita.”

“Ya tebe lyublyu.”

“Se agapó.”

“Volim te.”

“I love you.”

Both sets of eyes widen. 

I… wasn’t supposed to use our own language. 

See, I could easily pass this off as an easy mistake now, but something is stopping me. I take in a deep breath, my eyes scanning my friend’s face. Somehow, her eyes focus even harder on me. Like she’s having some sort of revelation. Like… like she wants me to say more. 

I wonder if…?

“...I love you,” I repeat, adding her name to the end. Trying to look more serious, in spontaneous hopes that she knows I’m serious.

Taken aback, she squeaks. Her mouth opens and shuts a few times. “I…” she pauses, looks down, then looks at me again. “I love you… Arven…”

…!

“You…? Wait, a-actually?”

Fidgeting with her pen in her hands – focusing hard on the way she’s twirling it between her fingers – she nods. She grins to herself, too shy to meet my eyes.

“I… oh my god, I love you!”

I look towards Salvatore. My mouth’s agape. I silently mouth the words, “IT WORKED,” in his direction. He beams, and a broad smile forms across his features.

…Salvatore, you sly motherfucker. 

You actually did it.

[audacious-herbaceous]

I am SO pleased with how this turned out!! I commissioned @jmars-art to bring my vision to life of a personal headcanon of the professor being an avid journaler - and will be a future fic scene! JMars was professional and responsive as well as added great insight and recommendations to enhance my idea further - there's something really special when you can fine-tune ideas with other passionate artists and let creativity lead the way. The quality speaks for itself, and is truly stunning.

This will be a future scene for my current multi-ch fic, Cognitive Dissonance, which takes place post-canon during Arven's final year at Uva and is my story of writing Arven's journey towards closure that feels raw and real to me, while he navigates a new relationship that is jeopardized after the press finds out about the professor's fate.

After what feels like hitting rock-bottom and being forced into isolation in his dorm room, Clavell stops by and hands over to Arven all Turo's journals he was able to discreetly retrieve from Area Zero. Arven is quick to realize that many of the journals are not all research-focused and are personal diaries spanning years, even from before he was born. He gets a first-hand look at the inner thoughts of his father and insight and clarity over what happened to him over the years and the relationship with his absent mother.

-

This is part of an ongoing project I am doing by commissioning artists in the community/fandom to draw a scene from a select chapter. I am an advocate and supporter of the arts as a creative myself and wanted to try something that involves and supports other artists 😊 and also to keep myself motivated to keep writing 😅

[writer-by-the-sea]

Can I ask for a gender neutral drabble request about farmer feeling insecure and asking Elliott if he thinks they’re sexy and he admits to thinking about them when he touches himself? 🥺

“Have you ever just felt so unattractive that you don’t even think a turtle would be interested in you?”

Elliot startled beside me, I forgot that we hadn’t spoken in a few minutes… Or was it more than an hour now? I wasn’t sure. We would often hang out at the beach together after Elliott finished his yoga for the day. I’ve even joined him a few times, but honestly I stretch enough getting eggs out from under the chickens little bums that I couldn’t bare to do one more damn ‘triangle downward pose’ even if I wanted to.

“In your defense,” Elliot began. “I don’t believe turtles can be sexually attracted to humans.”

I snorted. Of course he would reply with the facts. And it was a silly question to begin with, the man looked like a bronze god sitting next to me. Shirtless and wearing those god damn red shorts that have me drooling in my sleep. “Never mind,” I replied with a laugh. “It was a dumb question—“

“No, it wasn’t.” Elliott’s voice was firm as he stared at me, his frown actually making me feel bad for even asking. “And, for the record, you’re very good looking.”

Um.

What?

I said nothing and just stared back at him, his eyes soft and caring as he gazed back at me. He had a single elbow propped on his knee, smiling now as he watched me— waiting for me to say something, anything in reply.

“I think about you,” Elliot said before I could manage to mumble out literally anything. “As in, when I’m in bed, or in the shower…” He paused, pressing his lips together as he thought to himself. “In the bathroom at the pub once, it was the day you walked in after being at the mines and the monsters tore half your clothes off...”

Hang on.

WHAT.

I held my hand up, stopping him from continuing and shook my head as I tried to process what the hell he was saying. He thought of me? In the shower? In bed? At the pub? What the hell did that even mean—

“I cum so easily when I think of you.”

Well there’s my answer.

Elliott was so relaxed as he spoke, shrugging after he just dropped a bomb on me as if it was nothing at all. “You’re very good looking, I never saw myself fantasying about the only farmer in town. However, it’s become a daily event now.”

“Elliott,” I paused. How does one even reply to this? Sure, the question I asked may have been a been asinine— but! To reply, and to reply so causally. “Ar you— are you saying to jerk off to me?”

“Everyday, yes.”

I dropped myself into the sand, uncaring anymore about the hot sand as it burned the back of my neck and arms, my hair was going to be a real bitch to wash later but I couldn’t even think about that right now. Elliott, the hottest guy in town, who writes poems and short stories with ease, who does yoga on the beach, who laughs with me at Gus’ pub, who is actually a dork that’s obsessed with Star Wars—

Jerks off to me.

Every. Single. Day.

Elliott laid down beside me on his side, worry painted all over his gorgeous face. “Farmer? Do you want me to stop?”

I laughed, just amazed at the entire situation. “No, you don’t… no.”

“Thank goodness,” Elliot said with a sigh and rolled to his back. “I don’t think I would have been able to stop. Especially after today.”

“Elliott,” I said and sat up, looking down at him with narrowed eyes. “What on earth would have happened today that would make it any harder to stop?”

“Well—“

I gestured down to myself. “I stink like chickens, my jeans were so beat up I cut them into shorts, I’m wearing an old hole filled white tank top— none of this,” I took a beat to gesture to myself one again. “Would give you the material needed to jerk off to.”

“Your shirt is absolutely soaked from the swim you took earlier, I can see your nipples.”

….

I looked down and groaned. “Elliot!”

“They’re very sexy nipples.”

And I could die.

[shiny-kaibernyte]

Can i get romance hcs for Kieran?

Ask and you shall receive! I have so many requests but I couldn't resist doing this one! Do hope I fit the bill for this one as Kieran is an, interesting character to write for 💜

Pokémon Headcannons | Kieran (Romance)

Pokémon Scarlett and Violet DLC Spoilers ahead!

Warnings: Possessive behaviour; obsession

SPOILER WARNING For Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk

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(Was gonna use one of his Teal mask mission photos but i love this one to much not to use it. Straight up mood.)

When you step into his life, it is you and you alone who rules his heart. 

Kieran’s drive for things is strong, very strong. And when he sets his mind on something; he will never stop until he’s achieved whatever it is he’s after. So when he set eyes on you, his goal was to give his all to you. And hope you will give your all to him.

Your Agias and Kieran are like siblings, he's the quiet one, Agias is the give me your food or else one

He will never force you to do anything you don’t want to. After the Ogerpon situation, Kieran spiralled into a state where he no longer felt danger. He would dive into every challenge head first, fight every trainer, every Pokémon and climb the most dangerous of mountains if it meant he could be the best. But when he’s with you, he’ll dial it back. Always staying within your comfort zone, the last thing he wants is to push the most precious thing in his life away from him.

Gets jealous incredibly easily. ESPECIALLY if it's Drayton. The Rivalry between these two is uncanny, it would be no surprise if Kieran felt true hatred towards him for a time. Though it's gone now. The jealousy of even seeing Drayton standing close to you is overbearing.

You and Carmine are practically best friends. You're the glue that keeps the pair bonded together.. When you are around Carmine doesn’t feel afraid of Kieran as you bring out her little brother, the brother she thought was lost to obsession.

If you are a member of the BB League, he will be a lot sweeter for you. He may get frazzled when the rest of the group is around and everyone is slacking off. But he will always apologise to you if you tell him he’s gone too far. Never to the others however. Even if you force him to, he’ll never mean it.

Is not an outdoor person, even with the yelling and the confidence, deep down he is still the same shy, excitable boy who just needs a hug. So his ideal time with you is sitting together and watching movies, or reading books. 

He is a listener. He will listen to you for however long you need him to. Every word you say he will listen.

He isn’t good with words, even after everything that happened with Ogerpon and Terapagos. So he tends to be a lot more handsy, always trying to hold your hand, your arm, or just you in general. 

Speaking of that, when out in public together, he practically is stuck to you, he eyes glaring towards anyone who shows you any form of interest, hand on his Hydrapple’s Pokeball just in case they don’t take his death stare to literal.

He’s a cheek kisser, deep down he is still extremely shy and closeted, so kissing you on the lips can fluster him even when he's the champion, so he uses cheek kisses as his way of saying he loves you.

Hug him please. He will melt. This poor boy needs a break from everything. 

If he was a ship, you are his lighthouse. If you were a tree, he is your roots. You both complete each other.

When Kieran begins his ‘redemption arc’ he tries to redeem his actions slowly though he doesn’t exactly know the best way around it. So he asks for your opinions on basically everything he does. Carmine attempts to give input but as sibling rivalries go, it falls upon deaf ears.

His Hydrapple loves you, almost as much as Kieran does. Almost.