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biggsodorcitystories · 6 months ago

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Warrior's Missing Eagle Crest -A TUGS Fanfiction

I haven't written anything in an embarrassing amount of time, so this is probably a big pile of doo-doo, but I'm just so proud that this feels like a release of sorts so I had to share!

Fandom:Tugs

Rating: General

Genre: General, Family.

Characters (active): Hercules, Warrior, Susannah (OC)

Charcters (mentioned): Top Hat, Big Mac, Ten Cents, Sunshine, Captain Starr, Sea Rogue, Lillie, Zebedee, Aurora (OC), Silver Penny (OC), Grandma Starr (OC), Bright Dawn (OC), Andrew (OC)

Pairings: Warrior x Susannah, Hercules x Lillie, Big Mac x Top Hat, Bright Dawn x Sea Rogue.

Warnings: Humanised characters, Headcanon that Warrior is the brother of Hercules and Ten Cents, M/M pairing and references to Mpreg, CanonxOC ships, references to abandonment, depression, and angst.

Summary: Hercules accidentally comes across Warrior and Susannah deep in conversation on an evening walk, and hears Susannah ask why Warrior does not have an eagle crest like his brothers. Warrior's response is not what Hercules expected, forcing him to reflect on how his behaviour could have shaped Warrior's thoughts.

This route to Lowtown brought back a lot of memories as Hercules strolled along the path. It felt like another time – another world, even – when he had trotted along at the heels of his beloved aunt, Bright Dawn Starr, and her beau Patrick Teach – known to most as Sea Rogue. In a way, it had been both. His aunt and Sea Rogue had been in their late teens, barely into adulthood, while he had been little more than a toddler and still figuring out coherent speech. But he could still remember how much he had enjoyed the walks, clutching his auntie's hand and thinking up new ways to stop 'Uncle Patch' from holding the other one. Looking around, very little had changed along the riverbank path itself, but he couldn't remember enough about the area to consider how the environment had changed. It had been around twenty-five years since he'd last taken a walk this way.

He'd been twelve when they'd returned to the city, and Hercules had been far too busy in the past decade with supporting his grandfather to rebuild the Starr fleet and their reputation, and helping his mother to recover with the divorce from his father after he ran off with Auntie Dawn, with her raising his new baby brother, Ten Cents, and with...

“Warrior, can I ask you something?”

Hercules stopped in his tracks at the sound of the voice. He immediately recognised it as Susannah Moran – her Liverpudlian accent so like her father, Zebedee's, that it was fairly unique. To the surprise of many, she and Warrior had entered into a courtship that her father had not opposed. It seemed that he had stumbled across one of their dates.

They were sat by the river's edge, with their backs to him, deep in conversation. Part of him was screaming that he shouldn't be eavesdropping on them in this way, and he was about to make his presence known, when Warrior spoke.

“Course you can, Suse. What is it?”

Susannah seemed to be looking at something in front of her.

“How come yous don't have an eagle crest on your hat like your brothers? Don't yous have one?”

Hercules froze. That question had never been asked of him, nor of his brothers to his knowledge, but he knew that it had been whispered throughout the port ever since Ten Cents had received his crest two years before.

“Why is Warrior the 'odd one out' to his brothers..?”

He had an idea what the answer was, but to his shame realised that he'd never heard it from Warrior himself. Though he felt guilty, almost dirty, he kept quiet and listened for Warrior's response.

Warrior sighed, moving to take what Hercules assumed was his hat from Susannah.

“Oh, sure I got one.” He sighed. “Grandma gave us all one on our fifteenth birthday, like a coming of age thingy. She gave one to Aurora and Sunshine the first Christmas after we found out who they were.”

Susannah nodded with no hint of surprise. Hercules wasn't sure how he felt about that, given that it meant she knew more about their family history than he'd like, but was distracted as Warrior continued.

“I've got mine in the box it came in, on my bedside table.”

“Why don't you wear it?”

There was a pause before Warrior replied.

“I...I daren't, Suse. I don't wanna break it or lose it if I 'ave one of me accidents. It...it means too much to me.”

Hercules pulled a face and fought down an urge to scoff. The eagle crests Grandma Starr had given them were heavy, solid things that practically fused to his and Ten Cents' hats, so he wasn't entirely convinced by his brother's reasoning. Hell, Ten Cents had taken a fuel tanker explosion to the face, and his crest had suffered nothing worse than a bit of soot and smoke staining. Warrior's habit of bumping into and tripping over things was unlikely to cause it much harm, if any.

Susannah seemed to be following a similar line of thought.

“Doesn't it mean as much to Hercules and Ten Cents too?” Warrior looked away as he gave a bitter chuckle.

“I'm not sayin it don't...doesn't mean anythin to them. But...I don't think either of them ever saw it as I did when they got theirs.”

Susannah didn't reply, and she sat quietly until Warrior turned back to look at her.

“Yknow 'ow I told you about being fostered by Big Mac and Top 'At when we first moved back here?”

Susannah gave a nod, which Hercules wasn't entirely shocked by. Strangers to the port would frequently make the assumption that Warrior was the son of Big Mac and Top Hat, which annoyed him almost as much as the looks of surprise when they learned who his real family was. Hercules wished his younger brother wouldn't be so cheerful whenever he corrected someone, and in quiet moments he suspected that Big Mac and Top Hat secretly delighted in the mistake. He couldn't let go of the thought that the couple would like nothing more than to claim Warrior as their own child, as they probably would have done if his mother hadn't claimed Warrior back.

“Oh yeah?” Susannah continued. “Because your Mum needed the break while she was getting back on her feet?”

“Yeah. With my Dad runnin out on us, movin from London, and finding out she were pregnant again. It was a lot to 'andle...an I think I was making it a lot worse with the way I was acting.”

Hercules felt his brows raise at this last remark. He would have sworn that Warrior didn't remember that time.

“My Dad...I don't really remember 'im that well. I were only three when he left, but I do remember 'im lettin me get away with a lot. Then 'e was gone, and suddenly I wasn't allowed to do anythin' any more and kept gettin' into trouble. I do remember not taking it well and I was a little shit to everyone, especially my Mum...”

“You were three years old, Warrior. Three year olds don't behave at the best of times, and your whole world changed overnight.”

“I know, but...I was too much for Mum to 'andle at the time. Hercules tried to help with me, but he was...eleven or twelve? I reckon we both looked and sounded like screaming kids.”

Hercules found himself nodding in agreement as he looked away. No matter how much they wanted to, a pre-teen was no substitute for a parent, even if they weren't hurting from their own trauma as he had been. It was just one of many things he struggled with guilt over, regardless, unable to shake the feeling that he'd failed both his mother and Warrior.

“Mum ended up breaking down. Lucky that Top 'At were with her when she did, an 'e offered to 'ave me for a little while, until she were better. Hercules ended up stayin with our grandparents.”

“Why didn't they take yous too?”

“They offered, more than once. Thing is, Andrew was me best mate even then, an I reckon everyone thought it would do me good if I were close to someone my age instead of with Hercules. Mum kept comin to see me, anyway, tellin me about the new baby an 'ow I was gonna be a big brother an all. At first, it felt like a big sleepover – it was great. Not to mention, Big Mac and Top 'At were doin a lot to undo the behaviours Dad had taught me, though I didn't know at the time. I don't like to think about what I'd have turned out like if they'd not sorted me.

But when the weeks turned into months, and I spent most of Christmas with them instead of my own family...I remember starting to worry. I knew by then that I'd been...naughty while I was at home, and I wondered if I'd been sent away to live with my godparents because of it, like a punishment. I asked them when I was going home again, and they told me it was just until Mum 'ad the new baby.

It were enough for me for a while, even though I knew Hercules was back home, but he was older. I was happy to start – I got to spend every day with Andrew and I loved that. Mum was still coming to visit, and I went to see her and my grandparents, just came back with Big Mac and Top 'At. I reckon it were bothering me, deep down, but I could still treat it like a long sleepover, or an 'oliday and forget about it.”

He paused to give another heavy sigh.

“Then Ten Cents was born. Top 'At took me to see Mum and I got to hold 'im. I remembered being so excited an tellin Mum he could sleep in my room with me, which Mum smiled at and said he was too little to share my room. I went back thinking Mum would come and get me a few days later, but she didn't.

I still went to visit like I 'ad before, but there was no talk of me comin back.”

“Why didn't you ask to come home?”

For a second, Hercules thought that he'd spoken – the question had been echoing through his skull loud enough and he'd been getting more frustrated each time Warrior mentioned wanting to go home. He'd been asking the same questions while Warrior was away – if Warrior had just asked once, maybe their mother would have brought him back where he belonged sooner than she had. He half expected Warrior to hear and turn to see him, which would almost certainly result in another fight between them.

But Warrior's attention remained fixed on Susannah, the one who had actually asked the question. His response was so quiet that Hercules barely made out what he said.

“I was scared to, Suse. I didn't even want to go into my bedroom in case I saw it had been turned into Ten Cents' nursery and all my stuff was gone. I'd been getting' nightmares for weeks about Mum and Hercules tellin me that they didn't love me any more...”

He could hear the tears behind Warrior's voice as he ended the last sentence – as sure as he felt his own stinging his eyes. The frustration of a few seconds ago withered in the face of this new shame. Why was this a revelation to him? Warrior was talking about something that happened seventeen years ago – he should have known long before today that Warrior had felt like this and soothed said fears away.

But Warrior had never told him about them!

He looked up to see Susannah comforting Warrior, her head leaning on his shoulder. He saw his brother wipe his eyes.

“I'm alright.” He said softly, turning his head to kiss the top of her head. “Sorry about dat.”

“It's okay.” She replied. “You got back to your family though, and they didn't send yous away.”

“Yeah...that's a story in itself. When Ten Cents was born and I still didn't get to go home, staying with Big Mac and Top 'At wasn't so fun any more. They'd got me out of the tantrums and bratty stuff, and I knew dat if my real family didn't want me they were all I 'ad left, so I just cried myself to sleep a lot. I wasn't as quiet as I thought, as either they'd hear me or Drew would go down an tell em I was crying and they'd come up and comfort me. They tried their best, but I was sure I was staying with them forever. Then...”

Warrior paused for a second, as if trying to choose his words. Hercules was partly relieved for the respite – every word had felt like an accusing jab to the stomach – but he was fairly confident about where Warrior was going next.

“It turned out that I weren't the only one thinkin' I was stayin' with my foster parents forever. Top 'At an Big Mac have two kids older than Andrew – Joeseph an Heather. I dunno why, an if I'm bein really honest I think I'm best not knowin, but they decided I was stayin with them forever too. Heather decided to start bragging to Hercules about I was her brother now. Hercules got really angry and mouthed off at her. She got upset and Joe stood up for her, which might 'ave gone really badly if he wasn't an ocean-going tug as well.”

Hercules felt his teeth clench in anger, but not at his brother. Since that day, he and Joeseph had been unable to stay in the same room, let alone talk to one another, without it escalating to a fight. Joeseph had only been defending his little sister, but he didn't know why until Heather confessed to her teasing a year later. Her parents had been furious, but the damage had already been done...

“When we managed to break them apart, Mum an Top 'At went away an 'ad a very long talk. I was miserable, an sure dat was it for me. Mum an Hercules would never want me back after the fightin and Mum 'ad fell out with her best friend. But, later dat night Mum came over and said I was comin home the next day. I wanted to be 'appy, but I was frightened dat it was a punishment because of the fight.” He paused to sigh. “My room was still the same with all the stuff I'd left, an Mum helped me put my other things away. She gave me lots of hugs and said she was sorry she adn't brought me back sooner. My grandparents came over an made a fuss of me bein back – especially Grandma – an even Ten Cents seemed to like avin someone to play with. Hercules made a big show of bein glad I was back, but...”

'Made a “big show?!”' I was happy you were back home! Hercules wanted to scream at him, but forced himself to calm down when he heard Warrior speak in response to something Susannah had said.

“Well, it was the way he was with me later...it were like 'e thought I was only actin less spoiled and he was just waitin' for me to drop the act. Every little thing, he'd be there, either fixing what I was already doing or tellin me what to do. To start with, I thought he was tryin to 'elp an I wanted him to see how much better behaved I was now an make 'im proud. But...nothin' I did, nothin I said, were ever good enough for Hercules to stop watchin' me like I was gonna just go back to before. Everyone else seemed so happy with me, but the way Hercules kept treatin me made me worry dat he was the only one who wasn't hidin' the feelins they all 'ad. I felt like they were all waitin for me to make a mistake...so....so they could send me away for good...”

Hercules could barely think as he heard Warrior – his own brother – confess to feeling unwanted because of his behaviour. He wanted to deny it, insist it was just Warrior's imagination that made him believe those things. He even wanted to blame Big Mac and Top Hat, somehow poisoning Warrior's mind against them. It had been their son who Hercules had gotten into the fight with, and their daughter who had caused the fight with her tall tales, so maybe it was revenge against him to create a rift?

But for all his wants, he knew they would be lies. Not the wanting his brother back home, that had been true enough, but what Warrior had said about him watching for a return to form? To his shame, that was completely true.

He had resented his younger brother for automatically getting all his father's attention and favour, to the point that he'd been shocked that he'd not been taken by their father and Auntie Dawn when they left. In the weeks that followed, he'd seen their father's actions in everything Warrior had done, with every tantrum feeling like just another act of mockery from the man. He shouldn't have held his brother, who was barely more than a toddler, accountable, but he'd been twelve years old and full of pain. When Warrior had been sent to Big Mac and Top Hat, a tiny part of him had been relieved to be getting a break and having his grandparents' full attention. Maybe in some darker moments, in those early days of sorting his feelings, he'd entertained some private thoughts about how it might be better for Warrior to stay away. He'd caught them and buried them away, horrified by them. When Warrior had stayed away they had often danced back into his memories like an accusation. Once again, they were trying to resurface...

Because it had been so much easier if he treated Warrior like he needed to be constantly watched, to ignore his guilt by transferring it to his brother. It had been noticed too – his mother, grandparents, O.J, even Ten Cents had tried speaking to him about the way he treated Warrior. They'd never approached him, but Big Mac and Top Hat had often flashed disappointed glances in his direction when Warrior had fled to them after yet another argument. If they really did want to steal Warrior away, Hercules was doing them a huge favour.

“Yeah, I spent a lot of time with Big Mac an' Top At. Dey never made me feel like I 'ad to walk on eggshells, so I went over just for the peace. Even after they adoped Maggie, I was welcome any time. Mum and my grandparents would try an get me to stay 'ome more, an I'd try to, but it just got too much sometimes. Some days, I'd barely get through the door before it started...dat's one of the reasons I did the Fire Tug training, to get away from the fleet an do somethin different. The Fire Chief 'ad nothin but good things to say 'bout me, so Hercules couldn't pick at me about it.”

Hercules had been impressed with Warrior's dedication to becoming a certified Fire Tug – he'd been stupidly proud of how much the Fire Chief had praised Warrior.

But like many things, he'd never expressed these feelings out loud...

“When I were seven, Hercules turned fifteen and Grandma came in with this little box. She called 'im away for a minute, an' when they came back, 'e was holding the eagle crest. I remember thinkin it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen, and Ten Cents – 'e was three – was asking Grandma if 'e could have one like it. Grandma said we would both be getting' our own on our fifteenth birthdays, because it were a tradition. She specifically said I'd be getting mine first, because I were older and it was fair, but I became convinced dat she'd only said it to calm Ten Cents down and thought I'd forget. I was so sure as I got older that my fifteenth birthday would come an' dere wouldn't be a crest for me...right up until I opened the box and saw it.”

“What happened? Your gran must have seen you were surprised when she gave it to you.”

“I...burst into tears right in front of her – she was horrified!” Warrior chuckled. “She even looked in the box to make sure it was in dere before she gave me a hug. She's the only one in the family I ever told about 'ow I was feelin because I just blurted everythin out right in front of her. We spent so long away from everyone Mum came lookin for us. I'd calmed down by dat time an we were just getting ready to come back, so Mum didn't see me upset. I think Grandma must have said somethin afterwards, because suddenly Mum was giving me a lot of hugs – I think she might 'ave been hurt I didn't tell her myself. “

“What about Hercules?”

Nobody had said anything to Hercules, but after Warrior's fifteenth birthday, his grandparents had pulled him up about being so hard on Warrior a couple of times. He'd listened to them – or he'd thought he had – but it had never occurred to him to wonder why.

“I mean, things aren't as bad as they were between him an me, but...I still feel like Ten Cents is the only thing keepin us from arguing a lot of the time. I know he gets confused about it all, but I think he's decided it's better not to know. Besides, I reckon he's 'had a bit more to worry about after what nearly 'appened with Sunshine.”

Sunshine, and his twin sister Aurora, had both been given their own crests the previous Christmas. Their sister had fashioned hers into a pendant, and wore it out as a necklace more than as a crest, and Sunshine only wore his on special occsions, claiming the weight gave him a headache after a few hours. That had never bothered Hercules anywhere near as much as Warrrior not wearing his had, and he realised with a sudden shame that he knew how his other three siblings - two of whom he had only known about for little over a year – felt about their crests before now, but not Warrior.

“Warrior...” Hercules took a step back to hide behind a bush as Susannah turned to look at Warrior straight on. The last thing he needed was for her to spot him now, after he had eavesdropped on this conversation.

“I know it's not my place, but I think yous need to tell Hercules these things. I'd be horrified if any of my brothers or my sister felt this way about me, and...I think he would too, if he'd heard us talking.”

Warrior sighed, and hung his head.

“I reckon 'e would too, Suse. Things 'ave gotten a bit better since everything went down last year, cos I think Hercules realised 'e could actually talk to me a bit. We talked a lot about our father, but...I don't know if I can bring the conversation up without starting another argument and goin back to square one...”

Hercules backed away slowly, relieved to see that neither of them were making a move to get up, and turned to leave.

He had a lot to think about...

#biggsodorcitystories #bscs rambling #bscs fanfiction #tugs hercules #tugs warrior #tugs oc #tugs susannah #tugs big mac #tugs top hat #tugs ten cents #tugs captain star #tugs zebedee #this is tugs #tugs fankid #tugs big mac x top hat #tugs fanfiction #a bit of an origin for the Starr Family #tugs headcanon

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rubykgrant · 7 months ago

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can we see your pitbull 🥺🥺🥺

Here he is! (I had to wait for somebody to visit who actually has a phone that takes pictures). His name is Zeya (sounds like "Isiah" without the I). I also call him "My precious, pitiful, pretty-ful pitbull"~ He's about 13 now, but we got him right before he turned 2. He lived with my step-brother's family, but they were moving to a place where they couldn't keep pets, so we took him in, and feel in love with him~ He was raised around a baby and a toddler, so he's very friendly and tolerant with little kids and other small animals. If you play with him, and he accidentally bumps you too hard or something, as soon as he hears "Ow", he stops, and shows you his belly as an apology.

We also found kittens that a stray cat had under the house, and we still have one (she's about 10), and they love each other. Sometimes the kitty steals his bed, and he doesn't do anything about, he just lays on the floor (so I pick her up like a pizza and plop her into her own kitty-bed. she just keeps purring). They both know the word "walk", and will stay with me when I take them outside, or stroll through the woods behind the house. He knows a lot of other words too, including "bath". I tease him sometimes, asking- "Do you want a BATH? What if I give you a BATH?", and he does this wiggle-worm routine to tell me NO... but if I take his collar off, he knows it is real (and he still comes a long for the bath, he's just all slow about it. he LOVES when we're done, because then I towel him off, and he's SO HAPPY). The kitty watches every time, fascinated and uncertain why he gets this strange "water ritual" haha.

He loves having his collar; he treats it like a grand honor. When he get him a new one, he gets all EXCITED, doing his little tap-dance as he waits for it. He have his license on it, and also some old keys (that don't go to anything), so we can hear the jingle noise as he runs around (if I let him out at night to pee, and call for him, I can hear the keys jingle before I even see him, so I know he's listening and is coming back).

He has a very specific little "howling" sound he makes, where he goes- "AWOOO-woo-woo-woo-wooooooo!", which is his way to communicate- "I am very happy! Be happy with me!", and it makes us laugh, so he knows we're happy too. He also does a specific thing when he wants to let people know- "I have bone! Don't try to take it from me!" when he wants you to actually get it and throw it; he brings the bone over in his mouth, and makes this muffled warble noise (I've heard him actually bark like normal with a stick or bone in his mouth, so I know this noise is on purpose). I play "where's your bone?" by asking him to go get one of his chew bones, and after he brings it to me, I hide it somewhere in the house. He remembers the "usual" hiding places and checks those first, but will eventually sniff-out the new hiding spot. Sometimes the kitty will be up on the couch or a chair while he looks, and when he walks by, she baps at him with her paws.

He takes his job as Guard Dog very seriously, so if he thinks something Bad is Outside, he wants to bark and go chase it. In general, we don't really care if there are raccoons or whatever out there, and just tell him to hush (he has no sense of self-preservation if he thinks he is "defending" us, and we would rather he NOT get his face scratched up by some wild critter). While he likes to let everybody know "This is MY property!", once he gets done barking, he loves having visitors and making friends. We doesn't need to walk on a leash at the house, but I've trained him to walk with me at my pace when I take him other places, and he understands usual commands like sit/stay (plus all the tricks like shake/speak/etc), and for vet visits I've taught "Hold still" and "Let me see" so he's very good at being looked-over. People have marveled at how "polite" he is when he gently takes a treat from their hands.

He's such a sweet boy, with so many funny little habits and quirks. He loves attention, and while he usually has a lot of excited energy, he's very cute when he's all calm... a few times, I have let him cuddle with me on the couch, and when he falls asleep, he has dreams that make him twitch and yip (which is VERY funny to feel when the dog is sprawled across your chest and tummy). Oh, he also knows the word "medicine", which applies to anything he either has to take (like a pill), or the whole process of disinfecting a scratch/getting bandaged (he doesn't understand what it all means, but he trusts me to take care of him, and knows I must be trying to help). We're making sure he has a nice long, happy life! We love him so much~

#ask #answer #dogs #my pets #pitbull

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sassyhobbits · 4 years ago

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for one night standards would you write a scene where aelin cant be found in the castle maybe bc shes doing sth ridiculous with her daughter like a mother daughter photoshoot to surprise rowan with later but when rowan can't find her he gets all panicked and out of his mind bc he still has unresolved trauma from when she was kidnapped and its all angsty until he has both back in his arms but also gives rowan a chance to talk and work through his experience with aelin gone? (because lets face it he probably ignores his feelings about that as much as possible in order to not burden aelin further and because it was just too painful)

loved this idea!!! i also added the prompt “Because I know when I open my eyes this will all turn out to be a dream and I’ll lose you again“ Thank you to everyone who supported ONS!! i had such a fun time writing it and im always happy to come back to it. enjoy!!

~~~

Rowan Whitethorn was generally a patient man.

He knew how to wait his turn, to take his time. He was always one to raise a brow at those who seemed to be in a harried rush to everything. It seemed stressful, to say the least. He was perfectly content to sit back when needed.

Except for now.

He had made a trip back home to Doranelle to surprise Isolde for her graduation from her masters program. Aelin had wanted to come as well, but with the baby and the responsibilities she had back in Orynth, it just hadn’t worked out. Still, she sent her well-wishes to Isolde through a video chat, letting little Eliora babble into the camera and say hello as well.

Their daughter was just over six months now, already growing far too fast for Rowan’s liking. He treasured every moment he got to spend with his two favorite girls.

And although he was always happy to see his family back in Doranelle, it had been the longest he had been away since Eliora had been born. It made him highly impatient to return home.

His jet touched down in Terrasen in the early afternoon. It was summer, though the day was mild. The sky was a vivid blue, fat white clouds floating lethargically on the breeze. Absolutely beautiful.

Due to the time difference, he hadn’t been able to call Aelin before he had got on the plane. He tried to reach her as he slid into the dark sedan that would drive him from the airport to the palace, but all he got was her voicemail.

Maybe she was in the shower, or changing Eliora’s diaper. Maybe their daughter had a finicky night of sleeping and now the pair were trying to catch up on their slumber. It was fine. Or so Rowan told himself. He still hadn’t been able to stop the small clench of nerves at the pit of his stomach.

He scolded those foolish feelings. Of course his wife and daughter were safe. They were just waiting for him to return.

The drive was quick and easy and he was back at the palace before he knew it. His feet carried him towards the room he shared with Aelin, a small smile curling on his lips as he thought about having his wife and daughter in his arms once more. He missed the feeling of Aelin curled against him as they slept.

“Aelin?” he called, pushing into their room and nudging the door shut behind him. “I’m home.”

He was greeted by nothing but silence. No sound of running water in the bathroom to suggest a shower, so soft snores or shifting sheets meaning a nap. He strode into the bedroom, finding that the bed was already neatly made, not a thread out of place.

He dropped his bags by the dresser, noting that Aelin’s phone had been left there, face up. He picked it up, seeing that she still had the notification of a missed call from him and a few miscellaneous emails that hadn’t been checked.

“Aelin?” he said again, moving towards the nursery. He had gotten used to the sight of Aelin sitting in the rocking chair with Eliora, either when the babe was hungry or she just wanted to hold her daughter. Rowan had countless pictures on his phone of the two of them in that position. The sunlight streamed from the window and hit them just right in the mornings, making them look like a painting.

But the nursery was empty and the window was shut.

Those nerves reared their ugly heads once more. He had no reason to assume the worst, the palace was one of the safest places in the kingdom.

But… Aelin had once been snatched away from him on palace grounds. During their own wedding.

Rowan shook himself. No. That was the past. This was now.

Since his wife didn’t have her phone, he knew it would be fruitless to try and contact her that way. But, Rowan knew Aelin better than he knew himself.

He began a sweep of the palace, checking out her favorite haunts. The library was a bust, so was the gym. He had checked the kitchens to see if she had swooped in for a snack or something sweet, but she wasn’t there either. Rowan luckily ran into Aedion, asking the prince if he knew where Aelin was. But her cousin hadn’t seen her at all that morning.

With each failed attempt at finding them, Rowan’s fears steadily crept up. It wouldn’t be much longer before they had wrapped themselves around his throat and pulled him deep into their depths.

He took a long breath to center himself before striding out into the gardens. His heart started beating faster, not seeing any sign of her at first. Rowan’s fingers curled into tight fists as he stepped over fresh, green grass. Gods, where were they? If something had happened to them…

But before Rowan’s fears could conquer him, he heard a soft voice on the summer breeze. A familiar voice at that. Relief washed through him, heavenly and soothing, as he followed that melodic sound.

It was Aelin. It didn’t take him long to realize that she was reading one of Eliora’s favorite books to her. It was a silly tale, and it was made even more vivid when Aelin told it. She was an excellent story-teller. They didn’t know how much Eliora really understood, whether she just liked the brightly colored pictures or the faces her mother would make when she told it. Regardless, it always made the little princess smile.

Rowan rounded a hedge, a warmth spreading through his chest at the sight before him.

Aelin had spread out a large quilt under the shade of a willow. Some of Eliora’s toys were scattered about, but currently, the toddler sat in her mother’s lap, wide-eyes glued on the book before her.

Rowan couldn’t help but think Aelin looked stunning today. Her golden hair was left loose, swaying on the breeze, the summer sun bringing a healthy flush to her cheeks. She wore a silky, pale blue wrap-dress, bare feet tucked beneath her as she read. Eliora looked mighty charming too in a bright pink dress with a matching bow.

Rowan strolled towards them, Aelin’s eyes jumping towards him as she noticed his presence. A huge smile broke out on her stunning face.

“You’re home!” she greeted, putting the book she had been reading aloud down. Eliora, no longer entertained by her mother’s storytelling, crawled over the quilt to grab one of her brightly colored toys. “I thought you were going to call me when you landed?”

“I did, Fireheart,” Rowan said. He lowered herself behind Aelin on the blanket, his wife situated between his legs, before wrapping his arms tightly around her and tugging her back into his chest securely. “You left your phone in our room.”

Rowan placed a lingering kiss on Aelin's shoulder, breathing in her scent deeply. She was safe, in his arms, Eliora happy as can be, sticking her toys in her mouth. Everything was fine.

Aelin turned in his arms slightly, brows knitted slightly. Rowan knew she could see right through him.

“What is it, Ro?”

“It’s nothing, love.”

Aelin narrowed her eyes at him, as if to say, Don’t you lie to me, Buzzard.

Rowan heaved a sigh, reaching out and brushing some of Aelin’s silky hair behind her ear. “It’s just… you didn’t answer me when I called, and I couldn’t find you and Eliora when I got back. I just couldn’t help but think…” His hand drifted until it rested on Aelin’s abdomen, right over the scar she bore from fighting her way to freedom. He saw understanding on his wife’s face.

“We’re here, Rowan. We’re safe.” She placed a gentle hand on Rowan’s cheek, bringing his gaze towards her.

“I know,” Rowan whispered, jaw clenched. “But sometimes, I just worry that when I open my eyes, this will all turn out to be a dream. And I’ll lose you all over again.”

Aelin took his hand, giving it a firm squeeze. “This is real, Rowan. We both fought for this life, for each other. And nothing, nothing, is going to take it away. Ever.”

Rowan saw the determination blazing in Aelin’s eyes. She was right, of course. This was their life now, they had built their happiness bit by bit, even when so much seemed to want to go wrong. But Aelin and Eliora… they were everything to him. He didn’t know if he would ever be able to banish his fears entirely, but he would treasure every moment he spent with them.

Rowan leaned in, kissing Aelin softly before murmuring against her lips, “I missed you.”

She smiled, kissing him again. “I missed you too, Ro.”

They indulged in a few more slow, sweet kisses before loud babbling sounded, tiny hands twisting into Rowan’s trouser. He looked down, finding Eliora’s wide eyes looking up at him, flashing a gummy smile.

Aelin laughed. “It looks like someone else missed you, too.”

Rowan grinned, reaching out and picking up his daughter. He held her up high, making her release the sweetest little laughs, little legs kicking in delight. He kissed Eliora all over her little face before tucking her in one arm, throwing the other around Aelin. Immense love and devotion flowed through him, holding his two girls close.

No wonder why he had been so impatient to get home.

#rowaelin #my writing #one night standards #its cute :)#love this au #what if i just changed the names and some details and turned it into a book

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dragongirl642 · 4 years ago

Text

Sunstreaker/Sideswipe x human!female!reader (bayverse) part 6

Recap:

"Should we run", said Starwave. "Probably" replied his twin and they slowly backed off hands raised, leaving their older brother to face his partner's fury.

Of course they didn't get off that easy,

The Autobots had noticed the new arrivals.

------------------------------------------Recap end------------------------------

I sat on my bed, back on my farm. The familiar colours and smells calming me. This was the last time I would be in this room for a while. Orders had come from higher up...all the newly-licensed members of NEST were to move into the newly appointed base at Diego Garcia. 'What's with calling it a newly appointed base anyway...I've worked there a couple of times before years ago...it's not new.'

The sounds of birds calling in the trees and the low rumbles of the tractors, again calming my turbulent mind. Every time I left, I worried about this place. Not just about whether all the work would get done, but whether the systems would work. We've had a couple of bad twisters hit here in the past. Nothing serious happens when I've been here to clean up or the early warning protocol kicks in; setting the farm to lockdown and all the machines pack themselves away in the barn. We had a system malfunction once in the past, I had to replace everything. 'Ugh, bad memories...at least William helped me (because he was blackmailed?...no because he wanted to help his cousin...well maybe a little bit) and the rest of the unit generously agreed to help too.' A small chuckle left my lips at the memory, 'ah good times'.

I swung my legs and jump off the bed. Turning to close the window, cutting off the sounds from outside, a sigh escaped me. Grabbing my two duffel bags filled with the last of my clothes, toiletries, electronics, etc; I walked out my bedroom, silently closing the door behind me.

I trudged through the house, closing windows and turning off lights; double checking the kitchen appliances, 'you can never be too careful'. Once at the front door, I threw a last longing look back down the hallway. With a huff I stepped outside and locked the door. The soft thump of its closing barely audible in the carpeted space.

"What took you so long?" The sound of Starwave's impatient voice sounding from his alt-mode parked not two feet from my front door. 'Did he just get snarky with me? Out of character much.' I strolled round his passenger side, his side door already open. I deposited both bags in his back seats then climbed in myself.

The seat belt strapping me in tight as we sped off. The burst of speed pushing me back into Starwave's seat. "Starwave, SLOW DOWN!" My panicked screech falling on deaf ears, 'Or audials should I say'. He swerved, tyres screeching and spun to suddenly slow and smoothly stop just beyond the doors of the barn. "I'm only trying to help darling, we were supposed to be at NEST two days ago. On the plus side you're no longer grumbling and stuck in your funk now, are you?" I couldn't deny his logic was sound.

But the effects weren't great. I practically flopped out of his alt-mode. Head spinning I stumbled towards the barn and leaned against the door; which promptly opened, depositing me neatly on the floor. "Ouch" I rubbed my back as I stood up once more. And slowly walked into the darkness of the barn, trying to ignore Starwave's amused chuckles from outside. "Are you alright (y/n)?" he gasped out between giggles. I hmph'ed and turned on the lights. Marching forward to my workbench I began putting everything in boxes and carrying them over to my trailer. Starwave had graciously volunteered to pull the large trailer all the way to the base so I couldn't really tell him off.

About 20 minutes later I had just finished packing all my stuff, 'or rather...anything smaller than me'. Last but not least I had a large exercise bicycle/pedal reactor to load. Unfortunately it was twice my height. Just as I was considering transforming and using my Gaian strength to lift it a cough came from behind, followed by a voice. "May I help you?" I whipped round as my heart jumped. Hand on heart I glared at the tall form of my partner, Starblaze. My glare soon turned to a look of confusion, "I thought you were already at the Diego Garcia base, how come you're here?"

He merely smiled and walked forward to pick up the reactor placing it on my trailer. He then lifted the folding ramp and so the trailer was now an enclosed box on wheels. I took the keys out of my pocket and locked it. I looked up to see Starblaze smiling at me. "Am I not allowed to visit my partner?" but then he slightly averted my eyes, "And I had to check on Starwave" he admitted.

I chuckled at that. 'No wonder'.

I walked over to the huge doors and began pushing on one, laboriously opening it; as Starwave casually opened the other with one hand, just his helm peeking round the door. Sunlight bouncing off him and temporarily blinding me as I walked outside.

Starblaze followed pulling the trailer in his off hand. I couldn't help but laugh.

"HA HA HA HA HA..."

This Oh-so-majestic being, who's very steps make the ground shake...is pulling my trailer like a toddler with his new toy.

'He effing looks like one as well. He's got the pout, walk and everything. XD'

I collapsed gasping to the floor as two very confused cybertronians just stare at me. Starwave looks from me to Starblaze. Then it clicks, an expression of wonder graces his faceplate before he too collapses in a fit of hysteria. Starwave just watches us nonplussed. He rolls his optics and thinks for a moment. Then he looks at himself. I laugh even harder as optics upwards in concentration he adopts the toddler pose again. He looks at me a grin blossoming on his faceplate and laughs as well. Not a moment later his eyes widen and he clamps a servo over his intake. Me and Starwave freeze and just stare.

(Author note: dear readers, if you have watched Transformers Prime...his laugh is like Ratchets laugh in that one episode. You and Starwave's reactions are the same as the kids.)

Not a second later we both burst out laughing again. "I-i-i-it hu-hurts" He gasps out through his giggles while I just cry with the force of my laughter. Starblaze just looks at us exasperatedly for a moment before smiling and leaning against the wall of the barn; watching us practically die with laughter.

--------------Timeskip to after you calm down and get on the road--------------------

Starwave was pulling my trailer attached to the back of his alt-mode and I was riding in Starblaze. The windows were down and I had my arm hanging out his window as we sped down the road.

I watched the horizon, daydreaming...when I felt a little nudge within my heart/head. "Are you alright?" Starblaze's voice echoed within my head as a wave of calm descended on me.

'I'm really starting to like this bond thing, sooooo calming', chuckles followed, reverberating over the bond. I frowned "Hey Starblaze keep out of my private thoughts please." There were more chuckles followed by an "As you wish (y/n)." Silence descends once more before another voice pipes up over the bond, "Hey I can see you, take a left now!" Its Starocean's voice...'But I thought he was at the Diego Garcia base.'

Starblaze took a sharp left down a dirt track to the gates of a brazenly military airbase. 'How did I not notice that?'

We rolled through the gates that opened before us and rounded a corner to see a huge cargo plane sitting contentedly on the runway.

Starblaze and Starwave; Starblaze lets me out and they both transform. I can vaguely hear Starwave stretching and grumbling about how heavy my trailer was...he soon shut up when Starocean came sprinting out the open back of the cargo plane. I watched with a smile on my face as the twins sprinted for each other. At the last minute they both dodged to their right, linked arms and spun around into a hug. I could faintly feel their joy and chatter over my link to Starblaze...and sequential sibling link to the twins.

I walked next to Starblaze towards the plane. Before we even take two steps though both twins come sprinting back.

"Hey (y/n)! How's packing been?" Joyfully Starocean offers me his hand, I step onto it and he lifts me up to cradle me against his chassis in a hug. "I missed you too ocean." I hug back and then he passed me over to Starblaze. ('Ocean' being my nickname for him; for example Starwave is 'Wave' and Starblaze is just 'Blaze', but together Starwave and Starocean are called the 'star twins')

I sit contently on Starblaze's shoulder, watching the star twins argue over who's going to pull my trailer now.

He walks over to the cargo plane and ascends the ramp. I sway slightly as we enter and grip onto one of his shoulder struts for support. A faint humming sounds all around, not the regular plane hum but almost like...'a sparkbeat!'.

I close my eyes and access my bond with Starblaze. I look around and all I can see is spark energy. 'Starblaze...are we?'

He nods and replies, "Yes we are...(y/n) meet Stratosphere."

I exited our link and looked around, "uh...hi."

"Nice to meet you (y/n). I must admit I was surprised when I heard any Gaians still existed, let alone one had formed a partnership with a native of this rock...it's cool to meet you."

Starblaze settled himself down further in and the twins came up the ramp with my trailer. I slid off his shoulder and down his outstretched arm to the floor of Stratospheres hull.

I was curious as to whether anyone would be sat in the cockpit or not. I opened the door to the cockpit and a broad beam spread across my face. I launched myself into the arms of the man stood on the other side of the door. "Epps!"

"Woah there" he chuckled and held me up, "Lennox would kill me if his baby cuz killed herself tackling me." I just laughed and punched him in the arm.

"Takes more than that to kill me Sergeant...word on the street is you're expecting a promotion."

"What street, you live in the middle of nowhere dust-girl."

We both laughed and then Starblaze's voice again sounded in my head.

'(y/n) strap in, we are preparing for take-off''.

I passed on the order to Epps as I strapped into one of the pilot seats. He quickly followed.

We watched the dash light up and felt Stratosphere rise into the air.

"Weird when you're not the one driving, isn't it?" Epps joked. I smiled and joked back, "yep it sure is, but that means I can nap right?"

We both laughed before I reclined my seat, giving a small yawn. Epps smiled at me in a brotherly way, "It sure does (y/n), it sure does."

I was out before he finished his sentence.

------------------Timeskip to Diego Garcia-----------------------

I woke up just as we were landing. The bright sun assaulting my eyes the second I dared open them. I flinched, closing my eyes in reflex. Epps chuckling away beside me doing absolutely nothing productive, besides insulting my pride. I cautiously glare though my eyelashes at him as I slowly adjust. He gets up and strolls out once I can open my eyes, I unclip myself and exit the cockpit after him.

The star twins are sharing the job of pulling my trailer, 'How on earth did they fuse their arms together?' Starocean's left arm and Starwave's right arm have fused together to form one large joint arm, as they walk in step with each other pulling my trailer after them. "It's like an absurd three legged race." I mutter to myself.

Starblaze stood sedately to the side glanced at them before saying, "They are split spark twins and they can fuse to form one being, should they so wish." I just nodded, and sent the equivalent of a nod down our bond just for good measure.

We all exited Stratosphere, Epps jogging ahead eager to get inside. I soon realised why, the second we stepped out into the sun I thought I would melt. Just as I was swishing for shade, Starblaze adjusted his pace to block the sun from falling on me. 'Thank God for robot aliens!' Starblaze suddenly broadcasting a bout of hysterical laughter down our bond.

I swear I leapt three feet in the air before falling promptly on my back.

Nearby laughter snaps me out of contemplating, yet again, the wonders of having someone else in my head at times.

I pick myself up and turn my head to see some bots I hadn't seen before.

They were practically identical, except the silver one had swords on his arms just above his servos and the yellow/gold one had guns.

I looked up at them, slightly embarrassed, but hiding it well. "Hello, are you some of the new recruits?" I politely asked.

"I'm Sideswipe" said the silver one, "and this is my brother Sunstreaker."

"And who might you be?" said bot interjected.

Their bright blue optics studied me intently.

"I'm (y/n) (l/n), cousin to William Lennox and Gaian bond partner to Starblaze."

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker both cock their helms at me in surprise, 'quite honestly the fact that they did that at the same time is soo cute!' I made sure that thought was kept out of me and Starblaze's bond.

I was distracted when Sunstreaker spoke up, "So you're the human that saved Jazz...you don't look like much." A self-satisfied grin hovering on his lip-plates as he waited for my reaction. Sideswipe grinned broadly, "Jazz said you faced Megatron...bet you couldn't take on me."

'Oh, these two thought I was just a human and that this would come to nothing huh, I'll show them.'

'(y/n) I would not advise that course of action...unless you would allow me to be your partner in this venture.' I could feel the smirk coming down our bond.

'Oh yes, let's show them.' I exited our conversation and addressed the twins.

"I could definitely take you...both of you in fact." The look of uncertainty suddenly on their faceplates was delicious. "But to make it fair we'll have a doubles sparring match...me and Starblaze versus you two. Just let me unpack and we'll find a suitable arena."

The twins froze momentarily before adopting exaggeratedly casual poses, "Sure, see you soon shortcake" being a final parting jab from Sideswipe before the two transformed and took off for the hangar. Sideswipe being a silver Corvette and Sunstreaker being a gold/yellow Lamborghini.

Starblaze's pedesteps alerting me to the fact that he was turning around.

"(y/n)!" a voice called for behind me. I turned around as well to spot Lennox come jogging up.

We embraced in an awkward hug, considering all the gear he was packing.

"Just back from a mission?"

"Yep...had to come back when I heard you were on your way and...your two days late."

I heard a cacophony of transforming sounds from far behind, Lennox and I watching as Stratosphere transformed into an absolute giant of a bot and limped off. We watched him walk off then turned back to each other.

"So (y/n), I saw you've met some of the new bots? I'd watch out for those twins."

I smiled, "Yep, and I've been challenged to a sparring match, doubles."

Lennox's grin fell. "You're not really going to fight them are you? Sideswipe is the Autobot's fragging combat instructor and his twin is just as skilled. You've fought in your Gaian mode, what, once?!!" But then, after a moments thought, he smirked evilly, "Kick their afts...I'll set the arena, I'm betting on you winning this."

I bumped his shoulder as I walked past, "Don't worry cuz, I'll make you proud."

We casually walked to the hangar, Lennox splitting off to go get the event all set, while Starblaze strolled up to the Star twins to tell them the news.

I walked to the barracks, entering the female dorms, I found my usual bunk down the end, and unpacked. 'Starwave was good enough to have my bags dropped off here, aw...such a sweetie!'

I stretched and left the barracks for the mess hall, 'gotta refuel before a fight.'

Grabbing a banana, I strolled out the door for the hangar. Climbing some stairs to the walkways, I took a bite as I leant against a banister.

"How's it hanging dudette?"

I turned with a smile, to come optic-to-eye with Jazz. "I'm good, how are you Jazz?"

He raised a servo and I gave him a fist pump before he started telling me all about the new recruits. Arcee (She is chimerical in the movie – check for more info), Jolt, brothers Skids and Mudflap, 'who are an ice-cream truck?', Stratosphere and the Arielbots (who are all still in Stasis needing repairs, except Stratosphere but he still needs some repairs) and finally the twins, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker.

"So little lady, heard you gonna spar wi'the twins. Here's a little tip for ya'...Go for Sideswipe's legs an' try ta corner him, he overbalances real easy when he can'move and Sunstreaker's vain, ya'hurt his finish he'll get angry and we all know you gotta keep it cool to fight."

I nodded, "Thanks Jazz, I'll keep that in mind."

'Starblaze you getting this?' the response was almost immediate, I'll keep these tips in mind for our battle'. I looked up to see the Star twins wave at me from behind Starblaze.

I waved back, grinning broadly; Jazz giving me a sidelong look.

"Hey you and those Gaian twins, you lot aren't a thing are ya?"

I spluttered, blushing in response to Jazz's question.

"No! They're like the brothers I never had, they're not romantic prospects or whatever..."

Jazz laughed as Starwave called from across the hangar, "Aww (y/n) you hurt our feelings!" Starocean cracking up beside him.

I glared and huffed, puffing my cheeks out in annoyance.

'Jokes', 'Yeah jokes...hey, does this mean we can call you little sister?' Came the less than apologetic replies from the two over my Gaian bond.

Jazz poked me with a digit, "hey didn't mean to pry girl, no hard feelings."

"Of course not Jazz" was my warm reply.

Jazz got ready to leave, "I'll be betting on ya" and with that final parting call he left.

'Man...I've got a lot of people betting on me...I'd better win this...what a sobering thought.'

'Don't worry you'll win.'

'Starblaze what did I say about going in my private thoughts.'

'That was private? You were practically shouting.'

'Oh shush you!'

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

Author note: So you've met the twins and a little competition be brewing. heh heh heh...hope you enjoyed.

#transformers #transformers jazz #transformers sideswipe #transformers sunstreaker #transformers bayverse #fanfiction #x reader #transformers ocs #not my ocs #william lennox

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elidelochans · 4 years ago

Text

Just Tell Me

Happy Birthday @slightlyrebelliouswriter23! Thank you for be amazing and listening to all my little pow wows. Entering every little thought of mine. Not to mention all the love and support. I am so grateful to have met you. Enjoy domestic ass Nicaryn.

It was an exhausting day for the two of them as they strolled into their home. Nicasia and Taryn both kicked off their shoes, Nicasia disappearing into the kitchen. Taryn’s assumption was to the wine rack. She knew her wife better than herself. Knew that after a birthday celebration, despite it being for their one-year-old niece Lyric, Nicasia would need at least one glass to relax after the festivities.

For Taryn, she remained quiet. Just like she did on the ride home. Her thoughts lingered on a topic they haven't truly discussed before. Until Lyric came into their lives, Taryn at least never considered the prospect of extending their family beyond pets. Since a few months ago, when they babysat and she couldn't help but notice the hidden mask of maternal instincts Nicasia had. It shocked and burned her core to see her wife falling in step with the role. Soothing, feeding, and playing with Lyric. Seeing the babies honeyed eyes glow with excitement whenever Nicasia came around the corner.

Not to say her niece wasn't excited to see Taryn. She was a spitting image of her mother after all. It was only natural the babe wanted her. Taryn had always been the more motherly and empathetic twin. One that showed kindness over cunning. Still, she enjoyed her life with Nicasia and up till they started babysitting never once thought about having a babe. Now, the thought was a precedent in her mind. Churning and churning, she just couldn't figure out how to bring up to her.

Taryn walked across the soft carpet, collapsing into the deep blue sofa. Tucking her feet underneath her legs. Waiting, she reached for the remote turning the tv on with a press of a button. Aimlessly scrolling through the channels. Images after images and it seemed every channel had something to do about babies, toddlers, pregnancy, or parenting in general. Maybe it was a sign to discuss this. Or maybe she was seeing things. Jude was always held on a pedestal compared to. What if she only wanted a child for that sole reason. Because Jude did? Sighing, she tossed the remote back onto the coffee table leaning her head back, blindly staring at the high beams on the ceiling.

"So," Nicasia crooned. Her teal hair whipped up into a messy bun sliding up to Taryn. Offering her wife a glass of Merlot, which Taryn took murmuring a quick thanks. Nicasia's pale blue eyes, ocean waters in the sun, were alight with curiosity, "Are you going to tell me what's bothering you? Or are you going to take a page from your sister's book and stay silent."

Taryn propped her legs over Nicasia, swirling her wine before taking a long sip. Tasting notes of cocoa, and black cherries. Nicasia ran a finger in a circular motion over her wife's knee. Not roughly, simply a feather light touch. Taryn fixed her a look from under her thick lashes. It seemed she wasn't the only one with something on her mind.

"Jude has gotten better. She's fully open with Cardan at least," Taryn clipped.

"True," Nicasia swirled her glass, before taking an equally long sip. Halting her finger, she rested a palm over Taryn's knee. A thumb now continued the mindless ministrations.

"What? You have something you wanna say Nic."

Nicasia smirked, side-eyeing her wife.

"Maybe I do. But you," the last word came out in sing-song tone. Nicasia set her glass on the stained coffee table. Turning her attention to Taryn. Keeping her gaze fixed into whiskey-colored eyes, "my love have been troubled for some time. Today whatever it is, it's truly getting to you," she shrugged, "You know how annoying I can get when I want something."

Taryn placed her glass next to Nicasia's. Sitting up a little straighter. Damn her. She was right and Taryn knew it.

"Okay," running her fingers through her auburn tresses, "Okay. On the count of three. We say what's on our mind."

"Deal," a knowing smile tugged on her pink lips. Almost as if Nicasia already knew Taryn’s secret thoughts.

"One. Two. Three. Go."

"I want a baby," they both said at the same time.

"Oh thank the gods. I thought you'd say no," Taryn commented as relief washed over her, "I mean we still have things to discuss. If one of us want to carry or adopt or.."

Nicasia's mouth was on hers. Taryn tasted the cherries and chocolate of the Merlot on her soft lips, wrapping arms around her neck. She could feel her smiling into the kiss before pulling away.

"You think too much Duarte. We will figure it out. Right now," she gripped the hem of shirt tugging it off, "I think we should celebrate that we both want this."

************************************************************************* Taglist: @slightlyrebelliouswriter23 @hizqueen4life @clockworkgraystairs @b00kworm @negativenesta @sjm-things @whataboutmyfries @justgiu12 @illyrian-bookworm @thesirenwashere @ireallyshouldsleeprn @forbiddencorvidae @vanessa172003 @thewickedkings @sleeping-and-books @thefolkofthefic @yafandomsdotnet @aknymph @alittledribbledrabble @iminsanenotobsessed @figuredihadanodustollensofalife @df3ndyr @awkward-avocado-s @maastrash @knifewifejude @st00pid231 @elide-lochan-salvaterre

want to be on my taglist? let me know!

#Taryn duarte #nicasia #taryn x Nicasia #nicaryn fic #happy birthday em #tfota #tfota fic #jurdan #tcp #twk #qon #I'm becoming fond of this ship #very fond #domestic af #Fluffy nonsense #slightlyrebelliouswriter23 #usernite #becca writes #sweetlyvillainous

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notalwaysthevillian · 5 years ago

Text

Parent Trapped

Warnings: Money worries, kissing

Pairings: Romantic Remile, platonic LAMP

Word Count: ~1.9k

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Masterlist

Chapter 11: A Real Date

“So, you’ve come to us.”

Remy was sitting on the couch, resisting the urge to roll his eyes as Roman paced in front of him. Logan merely sat on the side, a notebook in his hand.

“Roman, I just asked for ideas of where to go.” Remy shook his head. “Maybe I should just ask Em where he wants to go.”

Practically vaulting over the coffee table, Roman snatched Remy’s phone out of his hand. “No! Please, let us help. I’ve been dying here. You never give us any details!”

“Because there aren’t any to give.” Logan said before either of them could speak again. “This will be their first date, remember?”

There was a huff from Roman. “Fine. But I want to hear details after, okay? Emile clearly makes you happy, and that’s what we want for you.”

“I will give you details.” Remy held up a hand as though he was being sworn in. “Now can I please have my phone back?”

“Not until we think of a place.”

“What kinds of things does he like?” Logan asked, pen at the ready.

Remy thought back to all the times he and Emile had spoken. “Well, he really seemed to like Roman’s play. He loves talking about his job and how well his patients are doing, even though he can’t name names. Oh, when we were talking about Finding Nemo - Dory specifically - he mentioned that he hadn’t been to an aquarium in a really long time. Something about Patton being scared of the sharks and Virgil not liking the tunnel.”

“That’s perfect!” The high-pitched shriek from Roman had Remy and Logan covering their ears. “Sorry. But imagine it! He can check out all the fish while you check him out.”

Logan nodded, putting his pen down. “Not how I would’ve put it, but Roman is correct. An aquarium date seems like it would work well. And if everything is favorable, you could buy him a cute stuffed animal from the gift shop. From what I’ve seen from Virgil and Patton, their family seems the type to appreciate those types of gestures.”

“Can I have my phone back to let him know then?”

Plopping Remy’s phone in his hand, Roman picked up his own and began typing furiously. He and Logan left the room, likely talking to Patton and Virgil in their group chat.

Babe: How does an aquarium date sound?

Honey <3: That sounds lovely! I know a restaurant nearby, we can have dinner and then go to the aquarium if you want.

Babe: Sounds perfect. I’ll pick you up at 6?

Honey <3: Sounds good to me!

The second Roman walked in the door after school on Wednesday, he dropped his backpack and went to find Remy. “What are you wearing tonight?”

“Roman, I’m working.”

“You have a date to get ready for!”

Setting down his tablet pen, Remy spun in his chair. “It’s only three. I’m picking him up at six. Can I get an hour of work done before you insult my closet?”

“Fine.”

Whirling around, Remy continued working on his design. It was a tattoo that one of his regulars had requested, and he was hoping to finish the overall design by the weekend. It covered a lot of skin and would rake in some much needed cash for the parlor.

He quickly fell back into the zone, working on the clean lines. It wasn’t until he felt Roman physically tapping his shoulder that he realized it had already been an hour.

“You’re done!” Roman said, pulling the chair back from the desk. “Time’s up!”

“Okay, okay. Let me save.”

Roman waved a hand toward the tablet before tapping his foot on the ground. When Remy had finished saving, he found himself being dragged into his bedroom. Logan was already in his closet, sorting through the clothes.

“I’ve found some suitable pieces for a semi-formal restaurant, as well as one that would require a more formal dress.” He said as he laid out some clothing Remy hadn’t worn in forever. “Do you know which type of place you’re going to?”

“Let me ask.”

Babe: Sweetheart, what should I be wearing to this lovely date?

Honey <3: Wear something semi-formal! Though I wouldn’t mind seeing you in a suit <3

Babe: A birthday suit?

Honey <3: I wouldn’t be opposed *kissy face emoji*

Feeling his face heat slightly, Remy pocketed his phone before Roman could steal it and attempt to read the messages.

“Em says semi-formal.”

Logan put a few pieces back into the closet, before nodding to Roman. “You’re up.”

Roman dug through the pieces, holding up a shirt here and there. He shook his head on a few pieces, tossing those at Logan. Grumbling, Logan hung them back up and put them back in the closet as Roman continued.

After nearly fifteen minutes, Roman had a full outfit. He pressed it into Remy’s arms, pushing him toward the bathroom. “Go! Put it on!”

In the bathroom, Remy finally got a good look at the outfit. He couldn’t help but smile. Clearly Roman had gotten his sense of style.

He pulled on the gray pants. The black and white striped shirt was next, though he did fumble with the buttons for a second. It was a simple look, but it fit him extremely well. Emile wasn’t going to know what hit him.

Stepping back into the bedroom, Remy did a twirl. “Hmm?”

Logan tilted his head, taking it in. “I believe it would be best to show off your arms. Many people are attracted to tattoos.”

“I’ve definitely seen Emile checking out your arms.” Roman teased, coming over and perfectly rolling up Remy’s sleeves. “Lo?”

“It is as close to perfection as it can get, given that perfection is unattainable.”

With a smile, Remy held his arms out, wrapping them around his boys when they jumped into them. “Thank you for the help.”

“I have one final question.” Roman said, looking up. “What’s for dinner?”

“I don’t think we’ve seen Gerald in a while.”

“YAY!”

After ordering the pizza, Remy headed back into his office to get some work done. He quickly found that he couldn’t concentrate. A certain pair of green eyes continued to float through his mind.

Before he knew it, he realized that he’d completely started a new design. A brain, with the definition lines showing off a question mark in the white space.

“That wasn’t the one you were working on before.” Came a sing-song voice from Remy’s side.

Checking the clock, Remy swore. It was only a few minutes to six.

“I’ll be home late. There’s ice cream in the freezer, do your homework, don’t kill your brother!” He called out as he grabbed his wallet, jacket, and keys before darting out the door.

He pulled up to the Picani’s just as the clock rolled over to six. Calming his breathing as he strode up to the door, he knocked.

Only for the door to open and have Emile knock the breath from his lungs anyway. The pink dress shirt hugged Emile’s small muscles in a delicious way. Not to mention the pants that were showing off his curves.

“You look amazing.” He said, sure that there were stars in his eyes.

Blood rushed to Emile’s cheeks immediately. “Why thank you. You look great as well.”

“Just go already!” Two voices called in unison.

Laughing, Emile shut the front door, following Remy into his car. He slid a hand over the leather seats. “I don’t think I’ve ridden in your car before. It’s nice.”

“A lot nicer than a minivan.” Remy teased, earning a playful glare from Emile. “I kid, I kid. The van is way easier for when we all go somewhere. Now, where is this restaurant?”

“It’s near the aquarium, so we can park in their lot and walk.”

Emile refused to tell Remy anything else about the restaurant. Instead, they chatted about how their kids were doing in school.

“Patton has been doing so much better, thanks to Roman.” Emile was saying as they pulled into the lot. “I’m glad he found someone who thinks like he does.”

Pulling the keys out of the ignition, Remy said, “Same with Logan and Virgil.”

The two got out of the car, Remy immediately offering his arm. Emile took it, feeling another blush creep up his neck. “It’s just over here.”

“Wait, we’re going to Lottie’s Boulangerie?”

Upon hearing the concern in Remy’s voice, Emile stopped. “Did you not want to -”

“No, I - I do want to.” Remy glanced back toward the restaurant, taking in the shining lights that were going to make Emile look positively radiant. “I just...it’s a little on the expensive side and -”

“Rem, I’m paying for dinner.” Emile’s tone of voice told him there would be no argument. “You can pay for the aquarium tickets.”

“But -”

Tugging on Remy to spin him around, Emile slid his arm up to wrap around his neck. When he heard the sharp intake of breath from the other man, he bit back a smile. “I’m paying for dinner.”

“O-okay.”

Emile immediately let go and started walking, trying not to laugh when he heard Remy scrambling to catch up.

Dinner went swimmingly. The two of them loved their dishes, and their waiter was as polite as can be. Emile snagged the check before Remy could see it, leaving behind a generous tip.

Before long, the two of them were entering the aquarium.

“Wow.” Emile breathed as they entered.

Remy felt his heart swell as he watched Emile look around. He’d purposely picked a day of Aquarium After Dark, so that they could be a little more alone. It was an adult only night, ensuring that they wouldn’t be bothered by any screeching toddlers or crying babies.

“What do you think?”

“It’s so much prettier lit up at night.”

Remy paid for their tickets, noting that they weren’t nearly as expensive as their dinner was. But Emile had insisted on paying, and he wasn’t exactly rolling in funds, so he pushed it to the back of his mind.

The two of them strolled through the different areas, taking everything in at their own pace. Emile had squealed when they found the ‘Finding Nemo’ tank, filled with all the fish that could feasibly live together.

“Look, it’s Dory!” He whisper-shouted, despite the two of them being the only ones in the room.

Remy pointed to a clownfish. “And Nemo and Marlin.”

By the time they reached the tunnel, one of the last areas of the aquarium, the two of them were holding hands. Emile let go to get up close to the glass, watching the sea turtle swim by.

Taking a deep breath, Remy walked up behind him, wrapping his arms around Emile and nuzzling his hair. “How was this for a first date?”

Emile gently turned in his arms, a soft smile on his face. “I’d say it’s one of the best ones I’ve been on.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Their noses brushed.

Remy leaned in.

Their lips connected.

Emile’s hand moved to thread through the hair at the nape of Remy’s neck. Remy curled his arm around Emile’s waist, dragging him ever closer.

When they parted, they were both red faced and breathing heavier.

“Definitely the best first date.” Emile whispered before leaning in once more.

#romantic remile #platonic moxiety #platonic logince #platonic lamp #sanders sides #sanders sides fic #virgil sanders #patton sanders #roman sanders #logan sanders #emile picani #ts sleep #remy sanders

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syntheticpoetry · 4 years ago

Text

Teenage Satellites

Summary: This is a flashback sequence that describes Blaine’s night at the Sadie Hawkins dance with his friend (who I have named Skylar) and the assault at the end of the night.

There is definitely some friendship fluff to start, but this does include the description of a violent crime at the end with homophobic slurs, so please do not read if you find that triggering or upsetting.

This scene is an accompanying oneshot fic that goes along with a conversation between Kurt and Blaine in my And the World Spins Madly On universe. You can read that here (which has links included for FFN and AO3 in the post as well).

AO3 Link for Teenage Satellites

“You don’t think it looks tacky?” Blaine adjusted the white rose boutonniere on his date’s lapel. “I didn’t want something that would stand out so much, but I saw it and fell in love with it and—”

“It’s fine, stop fidgeting with it!” Skylar laughed and slapped at Blaine’s hand blithely. “You’re going to laugh when you see the one I’ve gotten for you…” Blaine raised an eyebrow, took a step back from him, and watched as Skylar strode over to the fridge.

“Oh, it’s the same one,” Blaine grinned and shook his head in disbelief upon seeing the clear plastic container housing the delicate perennial. “Of course, I should have guessed as much.”

“Come here so I can fix it on,” Skylar motioned him over and set the container on the counter. Blaine traipsed the short distance between them and closed the gap. Though the general atmosphere of the evening was meant to be romantic for most couples, these two had no reservations about spending their time together as two very good friends. The idea to go as a pair had been Blaine’s. It took a little convincing on Skylar’s part, but he usually (always) eventually caved in to Blaine’s schemes and requests— their friendship had blossomed so intensely over the course of a few short months that they assumed the role of each other’s “best friend.” Really, they were each other’s only friend at all.

“Dashing as ever,” Skylar smiled as he fastened the boutonniere to Blaine’s lapel with steady hands. Blaine looked down at those perfectly stilled hands— always in control, always so precise— and brushed his thumb over a small scratch. “Jasmine was pretty playful this morning,” Skylar laughed in response to the gesture.

Blaine shook his head and smiled, mostly to himself, before calling out to Skylar’s feline companion, “Jasmine? Come here and give us a kiss goodbye, honey!”

Jasmine, perched atop the kitchen windowsill, poked her head between two panels of off-white venetian blinds upon hearing her name. She was an odd cat, in the sense that she chirped and trilled more like a bird rather than meowed, and Blaine adored her that much more for it. On cue, she chirped and kicked off of the window, springing through the blinds, and sent them clattering against the glass loudly. Blaine guffawed while Skylar scolded her, but she paid no mind to her owner and chose to prance over to Blaine’s leg and rub herself against it.

“She’s going to get fur all over you!” Skylar screeched in alarm.

“Oh, she just wants a little attention,” Blaine spoke as though he was addressing a toddler, “Isn’t that right, baby girl?” He crouched down and scooped her up in his arms; to his left, Skylar let out a dramatic sigh.

“You’re incorrigible,” Skylar shook his head, but Blaine noticed the corners of his mouth twitch up into a smile. Jasmine chirped loudly in his arms and he returned his attention back to her, rubbing her belly until her purring was the only sound to fill the room. Blaine glimpsed at the clock on Skylar’s stove before setting Jasmine on the counter and brushing fur off of his jacket.

“Is your dad still driving—” he coughed and spit stray cat hair out of his mouth, sending Skylar into a fit of hysterics.

“I warned you!” he doubled over, clutching his stomach as if he just witnessed the single funniest sight in all his life.

Blaine rolled his eyes in response and spit away more cat hair that had plastered itself to his lips. After a few moments of regaining his composure, Skylar carelessly wiped away a few tears and spoke in a voice that clearly meant he was still trying to force his laughter down, “He should be, let me go ask him.”

Blaine nodded and Skylar disappeared into the living room. He could hear their muffled conversation, but wasn’t able to make out any actual words that hinted towards what type of answer Skylar’s father was providing. Jasmine rubbed up against Blaine’s leg again, trilling her affections and demanding to be picked up again. “Shhh, not now, baby girl. When we get back—Skylar will throw a fit if I look like a furry mess because of you.” She merely tilted her head in response and stared up at him with expectant, jade eyes.

“Okay, he said he’ll take us now if we’re ready to go,” Skylar strolled back into the room and Blaine didn’t miss the subtle hint of defeat adorning his features through the well placed smug smirk he’d adapted suddenly at the sight of Jasmine pining for Blaine’s continued attention. “Should just take her with us, I’m sure she’d love for you to show her some of your moves.”

Blaine smiled gently and wondered about pressing him for details on his half-hidden glum mood, but decided against it for now. “She’d be a hit, don’t you think?” Jasmine answered with a loud mew before rubbing her head against Blaine’s pant leg and collapsing onto his shoe. The two of them did nothing to suppress their laughter until Skylar’s father appeared in the doorway with a stoic expression.

“You boys ready?” he asked gruffly.

“Indeed, we are, Mr. Young,” Blaine offered a placid smile and, out of the corner of his eye, took note of Skylar’s unease. He was now even more overcome with the intense desire to know what exactly had taken place during their living room conversation to lead to Skylar’s distress. Mr. Young plucked his keys from the key rack by the back door and left them in the kitchen. Blaine took the opportunity to approach Skylar before they were meant to follow his father out to the car. “Everything okay? You seem… tense,” he placed a light hand on Skylar’s shoulder.

“Yeah, no I’m alright. Let’s go, we don’t want to be late,” Skylar brushed past the question with a feigned smile that betrayed the obvious turmoil in his eyes. But Blaine knew better than to push him— if Skylar wanted to talk he would initiate the conversation— so he nodded politely and dropped his hand. Skylar gave Blaine’s bicep a few gentle pats, a reassuring gesture they often offered each other, and lead the way out to his father’s SUV. Blaine slid into the backseat while Skylar took the front passenger seat and immediately proceeded to fiddle with the radio.

“Oh, wait go back! I love that song!” Blaine exclaimed while Skylar tapped the station seek button rapidly, very much like a certain character from a film about toys they both shared a guilty pleasure for.

Skylar grinned and Blaine knew what the line was going to be before he even started, “Too late, I’m in the 40’s, gotta go around the horn!”

Blaine leaned forward and mock punched his arm playfully, paying no mind to the stiff posture Mr. Young had adapted ever since Blaine had gotten into the car. “Come on, seriously. Please go back?” he offered his best puppy dog eyes. Skylar rolled his eyes in response and hit the number three preset button. “Thank you,” Blaine replied in a singsong voice before joining in on the song.

“So get back, back, back to the disaster. My heart’s beating faster, holding on to feel the same,” Blaine turned his attention to the window, drumming along on his thighs absently with his hands. The tension in the car remained the same for the duration of the ride to school and stayed well above Blaine’s head, as always. No matter how amiable he was to Mr. Young, the older man still had never warmed up to Blaine. Being the good-natured, naïve, boy that he was though, Blaine never took notice of his misgivings— his only sole concern was Skylar, impressing and befriending his father had never been part of his agenda. By the time they had finally pulled into the parking lot behind the school and gotten out of the car Skylar’s face looked ashy and he emitted tidal waves of anxiety.

“So you’ll pick us up at 11, dad?” Blaine watched cautiously and resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow when he heard Skylar’s voice tremble.

“Yeah,” his father replied flatly before driving away without sparing them so much as a second glance.

“…okay, seriously, what did I miss?” Blaine blurted out dumbly and Skylar shook his head.

“I just want to have a good time, let’s forget about it until later, okay?” Skylar adjusted his boutonniere, fumbling with it until it was really more crooked than straight.

“Forget about what?” Blaine smiled politely, despite the crumbling brick wall imprisoning his burning questions, and straightened it for him.

“Thank you,” Skylar whispered and Blaine couldn’t be sure if he meant for adjusting the accessory, dropping the subject, or both. He nodded, nonetheless, and hooked his arm through Skylar’s to escort him through the doors. Without even entering the building the pair had six sets of eyes staring them down. Blaine kept his head high, apprehension already steadily building, and his attention on two things only: where he was walking and Skylar. His companion adapted the same contrived confidence as they made their way to the gymnasium.

“Okay so far?” Blaine muttered out of the side of his mouth. When he hadn’t received an answer he turned his head slightly to find that Skylar appeared to be completely enamoured by the decorations. Blaine stifled a laugh, “You were on the decorating committee, bit egotistical to admire your work to the point of ignoring me, don’t you think?”

“Shut up! They didn’t look this good during the day,” Skylar pouted, “I have a right to feel proud. You know how hard I worked on this.”

“Yes, yes, I know. I haven’t forgotten how you ignored my presence for days so you could paint stars and mythical creatures,” Blaine feigned exasperation and Skylar continued to pout at him. “Alright, alright! How about I get us something to drink while you bask in your own greatness?”

“Pink lemonade if they have it, I—”

“Hate fruit punch, yes I know,” Blaine grinned and unhooked his arm from Skylar’s. “Will you be here or are you going to walk around?”

“I’ll wait for you here. Be prepared to have me drag you around all night and show off everything else in the room that I worked on that you haven’t seen yet,” a sly smirk flashed across his features and Blaine was relieved to see that he was already starting to loosen up and enjoy himself.

“Okay,” he replied with an overdramatic sigh tethered to the word. In truth he was pleasantly willing to let Skylar parade around the room and show off— nothing made Blaine happier than seeing the vehement fervor behind his friend’s words as he discussed his interests and hobbies. The passion in his eyes whenever the topic of painting and art came up was infectious and Blaine soaked up every second of it as often as possible. The decorations looked amazing and he knew Skylar should be, and was, rightly satisfied with the results. Blaine waltzed over to the refreshment table and contemplated the meager options presented: pretzels, Lay’s plain potato chips, fruit punch, (Skylar’s) pink lemonade, and bottles of water— not exactly a wide spread. He filled up two small, clear plastic cups with pink lemonade and quickly turned to rejoin Skylar. Unfortunately, in his haste, he walked straight into one of his, rather large, classmates and spilled both drinks.

Blaine tried to brush beads of lemonade off of his jacket sleeves, but he was completely soaked. “God, I’m so sorry, I didn’t even see you— ”

“Watch where you’re fucking going next—” Blaine averted his attention from his sleeves to the stranger who narrowed his eyes and stared down at Blaine with unmistakable disdain, “Oh. It’s you.” He chose to go a different route than Blaine and Skylar had, regarding outfit choice. While the two of them were dressed to the nines, an unkempt, hideous red plaid button down shirt, half tucked into his faded blue jeans, hung loosely on his boxy frame. He had a good twelve inches on Blaine, and at least sixty pounds. His mousy brown hair was slicked back with too little gel, leaving static strands jutting out in every direction.

“Me…?” Blaine tore his eyes away and started to kneel down to retrieve the empty cups, “I don’t think we’ve met befo—”

“What the hell are you doing? Stay away from my—” the boy immediately proceeded to cover his crotch with both of his hands and jumped back, placing a few feet between them. Blaine suddenly understood.

“Seriously? Honey, why would you think I’d want any part of that at all?” Blaine straightened up, placed a hand on his hip and stared at his classmate incredulously.

“Don’t fucking look at me like that either,” he reached both hands out and shoved Blaine forcefully. He tried to stay balanced but staggered backwards, right into the refreshment table. The glass bowls containing fruit punch and lemonade lurched violently, sloshing vibrant liquid onto the white, vinyl tablecloth. Blaine slammed his palms onto the table to steady himself, leaving himself completely open to another potential attack.

“I wasn’t looking at you like that,” he leaned back against the table, trying to put some more distance between himself and the other boy, but he might as well have been trying to reason with an angry bull. With the flared nostrils and red in this boy’s eyes, the comparison didn’t feel too far off. They had the attention of a few nearby students, but none of the teachers were anywhere in sight. Blaine had just enough time to duck under the table to avoid a full-body charge. The blood pounding in his ears made the cheers and jeers from the other students sound smothered— he had no idea which of them they were even rooting for or against.

“Mr. Walker! What do you think you’re doing?” he heard a stern voice approaching and maintained his position under the table.

“I was—”

“About to destroy school property! I think your night is over. Come with me, we’re going to call your parents to pick you up,” Blaine listened carefully and watched two pairs of legs retreat before crawling out of his safe haven. His knees shook as he stood up, his hands sticky with spilt lemonade, but he didn’t hesitate in striding over to where he’d left Skylar.

“About time, I thought you got lost on the way back. Hey, where are the— Blaine, you’re shaking…”

Blaine turned his attention down to his trembling hands before quickly offering, “I sort of tripped and spilled them all over myself. I’m going to get cleaned up, okay?”

“Klutz,” Skylar shook his head as he spoke. “Okay, I’m going to head over to the bleachers, so meet me there?”

Blaine nodded curtly and sprinted out of the gym towards the bathroom across from the darkened cafeteria. He knew he should have said something to Skylar about the incident, but he couldn’t bring himself to ruin his friend’s night when he was finally starting to have a little fun.

‘Besides, that kid is gone anyways. Just try to enjoy the rest of your night. Keep Skylar happy, it’ll be okay,’ Blaine tried to rationalize with himself as he washed his hands, repeating the last line in his head as though it was a mantra. As clean as he could get his hands, there was nothing he could do about the tremors; the entire incident not only left him upset, but infuriated. It wasn’t fair; wasn’t he entitled to a stress-free, night of bliss as well? He clenched his hands, eyes shut tight, but his nerves continued to send earthquakes throughout his entire body. ‘I should have pushed him back, why the hell did I hide? Why the hell do I keep hiding?’ The creak of the bathroom door to his left startled him and his eyes fluttered open to face the newcomer. He recognized the student, a classmate from third period English, and was greeted with a nod of acknowledgment before the boy disappeared into a stall. Blaine twisted the faucet shut and tore a rather large piece of paper towel away from the dispenser. His hands were finally starting to steady out, but the remnants of an adrenaline rush reminded him of his anger while his body resumed normal functions. He shook his head as he— literally— threw the dampened wad of paper with such force that it plastered itself to the wall with a wet smack! before sliding down into the waste bin. Even his anger began to fade away while he walked back to the gymnasium— reduced to a low ebbing— so that by the time he reached Skylar again his smile was genuine and he felt hopeful about the remainder of their evening.

“I got us some lemonade!” Skylar held out a cup to him with a broad grin and he took it with a grateful smile. “And I put a song request in.”

“What song might that be?” Blaine took a slow sip, pursing his lips when the much-too-sweet beverage overwhelmed his taste buds.

“It’s a surprise, you’ll know it when you hear it though,” and with that Skylar offered no other hints, leaving Blaine curious and, he couldn’t deny it, a little excited. Their taste in music was pretty similar, a pleasant discovery made during their early days of friendship, and they were always sharing new artists with each other. They’d also developed a knack for comforting each other through song choices, filling in the unspoken gaps of tense conversations with interludes of musical reassurances. As if saying to the other, “I’m here, I know you don’t really want to talk about it, but here’s something I think will help you feel better.” Lately they had been on a Keane kick and chose every opportunity they could to serenade each other to “Somewhere Only We Know.” Aloud, they agreed on their appreciation for such a beautifully composed song and left it at that; internally though, the underlying promise of a place, of a life, so much better than the one they currently lived in— that was their real reason for clinging to the words and constantly offering them to each other. It voiced all of the desires they were too afraid to admit out loud, even to each other. Desires that they feared would be compromised— made unlucky— if they ever spoke about how much they yearned for a change. While Blaine figured it wasn’t much of a lively song for a school dance, he wouldn’t put it past Skylar to put in the request. After all, there were bound to be some slow songs, right?

‘Oh god, what if he wants to slow dance with me?’ Blaine took another tentative sip— despite the nausea the sugary drink was causing him— to hide the tenseness in his jaw. He’d wanted to make a statement, show that if he wanted to come here with a boy, as an actual romantic date, that he should be able to— but dancing with one, actually shoving it in everyone’s faces… that felt like a step too far. Suddenly it wasn’t just the lemonade causing his stomach to rot; his anxiety was going to tear him apart from the inside out. Skylar hummed along to the current song, oblivious to Blaine’s rampant afflictions, and bobbed his head rhythmically. The song came to an end and Blaine bit the rim of his cup to keep himself from vomiting words and the contents of his stomach. For a few seconds the only thing that Blaine could hear was the chattering of students throughout the room, reverberating against the high windowpanes, but Skylar beamed, recognizing the song, his song choice, instantly by the lack of immediate guitar rhythms. At the first guitar downbeat Blaine returned the cup to his hand, his paranoia, his unease evaporating when Blink 182’s “Not Now” started up.

‘Of course, I should have seen that one coming. That’s all he’s been singing for days,’ he felt silly for panicking at all, especially over something as silly as a potential song choice. He let out a breathy laugh, exuding the rest of his nerves, and set his very-much-still-full cup on one of the bleachers.

“Time to dance now, let’s go!” Skylar exclaimed before brushing past him to the dance floor. He turned, already rocking his hips in a slightly more experienced but still very teenage-esque fashion, and Blaine sashayed over to join him. They kept their hands to themselves, dissolved into a world of their own— one which they dominated— and worked on showing off to each other, as they’d done countless times in Skylar’s bedroom. Blaine felt at ease finally. This dance was something they could conquer and live to tell the tale, again and again, come Monday morning. The reality of such a thought left Blaine dizzy, drunk off of the knowledge that they showed up together at a dance (at school), were actually dancing at said dance (at school), within close proximity to each other, and actually having a fairly decent time (at school.) The little encounter at the refreshment table felt like a distant memory and the endorphins coursing through Blaine’s bloodstream offered him a moment of bravery. He reached out and took Skylar’s hands in his own, the twinkle in his friend’s eyes let Blaine know he was ready for the next move—the move they practiced a thousand different times to a thousand different songs on sunny days, rainy days, I-don’t-want-to-talk-so-let’s-just-dance-until-I-feel-better-days— and he wouldn’t let his fears stop him now.

He pulled Skylar into the “sweetheart position,” twisting one of his companion’s arms, spinning him around and holding him close to his body before lifting his arm over Skylar’s head and pulling him around with his right hand. They spun together, untwisting their arms but still clasping each other’s hands tightly; Blaine released his right hand and spun Skylar around once, twice, three times more before the other boy collapsed into Blaine’s side, giggling wildly. While it wasn’t an appropriate song to put their swing dancing skills to the test, neither of them seemed to mind.

They were on top of the world, their world, without a single care— nothing, and no one, could possibly hurt them now.

_________________________________________________________

Come here, please hold my hand for now

Help me, I’m scared

Please show me how to fight this

God has a master plan

And I guess

I am in his demand

The music had ended ten minutes ago and the gymnasium was now considerably much emptier than it had been four hours ago, but that didn’t stop the two of them from humming and dancing to their own melody. Blaine held Skylar’s hand in his own, above their heads, and spun him once as they exited the back doors to the parking lot. The smile plastered to Blaine’s face spoke volumes about the events of the night and Skylar’s mirrored his.

“I’m really glad you convinced me to go,” Skylar unclasped his hand from Blaine’s and unbuttoned his blazer. The October wind wasn’t enough for them— they were both overheated, sweat glistening on their foreheads in the pale moonlight. “That’s the best time I’ve had in weeks.”

“Me too,” Blaine grazed the white rose on his lapel, miraculously still perfectly in place, with his thumb. “Hmm… were we supposed to go out to the front instead to be picked up? There’s no one here at all.”

Skylar gave the vacant parking lot a quick glance and frowned, “Huh, I guess we were. I figured they would have had everyone’s parents come back to the same spot they dropped us all off.” He shrugged, “Might as well just walk around the side now, it’s too stuffy inside.”

Blaine laughed in agreement, nodding his head. “After you, my dear,” he half bowed and extended his arms in an extravagant gesture. Skylar slapped Blaine’s bicep playfully and shook his head. “Such a gentleman you are, Blaine Anderson,” Skylar giggled as he passed by him.

“Well, you know me. I aim to please—”

“Where do you think you’re going, faggot?”

Blaine had been in very few fights growing up. They had mainly been schoolyard scraps in elementary school, but even ten year olds had the potential to be vicious. One fight in particular came to mind though. He couldn’t even remember how it had started— one minute he’d been waiting his turn in line for double dutch and the next he’d discovered all the air had left his lungs and a classmate’s fist buried deep into his stomach. He couldn’t remember ever feeling so dizzy and winded before… until now. This Walker kid’s words left him lightheaded and breathless, much like that punch he’d taken so many years ago.

“Skylar, run!” he managed to gasp out once the rest of his senses caught up to him. Skylar gave Blaine a look that said all that he couldn’t: Like hell I’m going to leave you here alone.

Please save me, this time I cannot run

And I’ll see you when this is done

And now I have come to realize

That you are the one who’s left behind

“Nobody’s going anywhere,” Walker snapped his fingers and two of his friends came to join him from the shadows beside the school. “You didn’t really think I was going to let you get away with screwing up my night, did you? You got me kicked out— why the fuck should you have been allowed to stay?”

“Blaine, what’s he talking about?” Skylar reached behind himself and gently closed his hand around Blaine’s wrist. It was a harmless gesture, more of a fearful reaction on Skylar’s part, but it seemed to brew thunderstorms in Walker’s eyes.

“He— there was an accident inside— I didn’t mean it, I walked into him and—” Blaine stammered pathetically, keeping his eyes fixed on the three boys before them.

“Oh, was this your date? They let you disgusting things in together?” he spat angrily, his companions’ brows furrowing in equal disdain.

“So both of them then, Logan?” the boy to Walker’s— well, Logan’s— right asked, brandishing a tire iron from thin air.

‘Where the hell did that come from?’ Blaine stared at the heavy object and his heart thumped a little harder against his ribcage. He knew they should run, knew that there was no good possible outcome from staying, but he was paralyzed. Skylar’s hand felt like an anchor on his wrist— neither of them knew what to do.

“Wait, wait, Logan wait. Think about this— you don’t want to— you could get expelled, things will just end up worse from here. You can walk away and—” Blaine knew it was useless trying to reason with him, with any of them. He could see the hatred rising off of them like smoke, blinding them from any sort of logical approach. There was only one way this was going to end.

“Both of them,” Logan growled menacingly and this seemed to do the trick in forcing Blaine into flight mode. He twisted his wrist until he was able to grasp Skylar’s and tugged on it, signaling him to run with him. They had barely been able to take two steps before the third attacker was there in front of him. Before Blaine knew what was happening he found himself on the ground, his hand trying to grasp at asphalt while the absence of Skylar’s wrist slowly sank in.

“No! Stop! S-Stop!”

Upon hearing Skylar’s screams, Blaine writhed on the pavement, trying to angle his head to find him. For the second time within the time span of five minutes, he found himself completely winded. But whatever had hit him felt nothing like human flesh—oh, no— they were putting that tire iron to good use. He curled into himself, trying to hug away the sharp pain in his stomach. He was aware of the sound of his own wheezy, rattling breath, taking in what felt like far too little oxygen, but couldn’t even begin to force himself to focus on anything else. His fetal position left everything else exposed though and he heard Logan’s—or someone’s— grunting, muddled with Skylar’s cries, before the tire iron made itself a new home and nestled itself into Blaine’s back.

Please stay until I’m gone

I’m here hold on to me

I’m right here

Waiting

He yelped loudly and had no real time to recover— whoever was hitting him grew more and more brutal by the second, giving him less and less time to catch his breath between beatings. He began to lose count of how many times he’d been hit; the only thing he knew for sure was that he had never been in so much agony before. His skin felt both numb and prickly. He couldn’t tell what was broken; he simply knew that at least one of his bones had to be. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted his white rose boutonniere— inches away— covered in flecks of red.

‘Is that my blood?’

All of his pain melded together, making it impossible to pinpoint where he was specifically injured. After seeing the rose though, he could actually feel the blood leaving his body in steady streams. His back was sticky; something dripped down his forehead and into his eyes; his fists were clenched, nails biting crescent moons into his palms; everything just hurt. He couldn’t hear Skylar anymore. The world around him was beginning to sound like a muffled cocktail of vicious grunts, breaking bones, and his own ragged breath.

‘Help. God, someone, please help us.’

“Hey, what are you guys doing over there!”

And then suddenly, it all stopped. All of the muffled yelling and metal colliding with skin.

‘Who are you?’

Metal clanged against pavement, just beside his head. The sound sent shockwaves through his brain, his poor throbbing brain.

‘Is Skylar okay?’

Footsteps retreated.

‘Make sure Skylar’s okay.’

And more footsteps approached.

‘Goddamnit, fucking check on Skylar! Move! Move…’

“Jesus… Can you hear me? Hey, kid, it’s going to be okay,”

‘When did I close my eyes?’

“Kid, can you hear me?”

He tried to speak, he really did. Tried to ask about Skylar, tried to ask who was there, but all that he could manage was a soft whine. It seemed to be all the affirmation that this stranger needed though.

“Yeah, he’s alive! What about the one by you, Jesse?”

Blaine descended into darkness before he could hear the answer.

I see a light, it feels good

And I’ll come back soon just like you would

It’s useless, my name has made the list

And I wish

I gave you one last kiss

#blaine anderson #sadie hawkins #syntheticpoetry writes #and the world spins madly on #flashback #assault #violence #hate crime #please don't read if you find this upsetting #some friendship fluff #but angsty ending #blangst

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bbrandy2002 · 5 years ago

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Wacky Drabble #18: The Turkey Drop

This is part of @emceesynonymroll weekly wacky drabbles.

Prompt: What if I dont see it

Im a day late on this one, wasn't sure if I even wanted to post it, but, here we are.

A/N: I can't take credit for the idea of this as it comes from an old show and I'm just recreating one of the Thanksgiving episodes from it, sort of.

Summary: The gang gathers together in Ramsford to celebrate Thanksgiving with the Beaumonts. Let's just say, all hell is gonna break loose.

Warning: Turkeys may be harmed but I'm choosing to defy reality and believe they are all okay. If you don't feel you can, this is the heads up not to read 🦃

I put a "read more" in every story, sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. Crossing my fingers.

**********

Riley has always respected the customs and traditions that have been carried down throughout Cordonian history. Being the American- born, Queen of Cordonia, she opted to celebrate this holiday during her first year of marriage, in private- just she, Liam, and their close friends. She didn't want the Cordonian people to ever feel that she was trying to "Americanize" their great country. Liam, however, loved the idea of having one day out of the year for reflection and giving thanks, as this was something even Cordonian's would appreciate.

It was during their second year of marital bliss, the King presented this idea to the Royal Council, where it was passed almost unanimously. Madeleine was the only dissenting vote, having nothing to be thankful for.

It was decided the third Thursday of every November would be designated, Thanksgiving, in Cordonia.

What you are about to read is the real and true account of how the Duchy of Ramsford chose to kick off thier first official Thanksgiving.

**********

The weather was chillier than normal that day for the typically warmer climate of the Mediterranean country. Ramsford citizens bundled in light coats, braving the elements, in anticipation of the first Thanksgiving festival hosted by their Duke and Duchess. As festival goers wafted through the rows of vendors who were preparing enticing delicacies synonymous of their homeland, purchasing turkey related memorabilia, and partaking in games often seen at these event, they eagerly awaited the appearance of their very popular royals.

Maxwell had insisted he be the one in charge of putting this shindig together, planning every single detail, even down to the location of each port a potty. Bertrand was all too happy to oblige, having no free time with a toddler and a brand new baby. The only request made- absolutely, under no circumstances, were those 'blasted, overly feathered, menaces' of his, to be in attendance. Well, of course not, Maxwell had another kind of bird in mind, ones that were more in the spirit of Thanksgiving, and he would make sure each family in Ramsford had one of their own.

Drake walked morosely behind Liam and Riley, who were busy greeting their adoring citizens with Bertrand and Savannah. He wasn't in a festive mood since being dumped a few days ago. It wasn't that he was in a serious relationship yet with the sexually oppressed American from Illinois, but, who she left him for....Neville.

"Ohhh Walker!"

Drake cringed at the unbearable voice calling out to him and he had no use for entertaining her today. He clutched the whiskey flask, a former fiancee had given him, preparing to drown out the incessant mockery that was sure to follow.

"So...", Olivia eyed him with a devilish grin and her signature raised brow "...enjoying the single life again?", she taunted.

He huffed, "at least I had an "again", what's your excuse?"

She cackled, "Touche". Her eyes roamed the surroundings as they continued to stroll along, her mood shifting with curiousity "where the hell is Maxwell, he's usually at every one of these goddamn things making a fool of himself".

Bertrand turned to the Duchess, having finished with the receiving line of guests, clearing his throat, "My brother is off preparing a surprise that will be the delight of all of Ramsford today".

Savannah looked at Bertrand adoringly, "That's right Bertie, we are giving away a free turkey to enjoy with their families this holiday season".

"That's very generous and kind of you both, I'm sure your people will be very grateful, especially those less fortunate", Liam nodded, clasping Bertrand approvingly on the shoulder.

Drake shook his head, "I still can't believe Maxwell put this whole thing on himself, I don't trust it", sipping the last remnants of his drink.

"Drake, don't be a hater. Besides, Maxwell has proved himself to be more than responsible and mature of late", Savannah defended.

"What if I don't see it?"

The group continued to enjoy the festivities and fanfare as the sun finally broke through the thickened clouds, shining a ray of warmth below. A group text message from Maxwell came through as each of them checked their phones simultaneously, telling them to look up.

Bertrand, Savannah, Liam, Riley, Drake and Olivia, each shielded their eyes from the bright sun as they looked toward the sky eagerly. The faint sound of a helicopter getting louder as it approached closer to their location. A crowd began to gather around them as Bertrand smiled on proudly.

Riley pointed up excitedly, "Look! It has a banner on the back of the helicopter".

"Happy...Thanksgiving...from the Beaumonts", Liam read aloud as the banner became clearer. Savannah and Bertrand acknowledged the ohh's and aww's of the crowd, who were enchanted by the extravagant display taking place 2000 feet above them.

"What the hell just came out it?", Drake squinted to get a better look, as a small object appeared to have fallen from the large chopper.

"I don't know, maybe its a skydiver...", Riley answered as she looked on in anticipation.

Olivia furrowed her brows, "I don't see a parachute yet... wait!...there's another one and a third".

"Those can't be skydivers...I just can't quite make out what they are though", a bewildered Liam replied before his eyes widened with realization,"OH MY GOD...THEY'RE TURKEYS!!"

The crowd began to scatter in panic as live turkeys came crashing down around them, most of them landing on the soft tarps vendors had set up. Brown and white feathers intermingling through the air as stunned turkeys flapped wildly in anger. Patrons pushing and shoving one another in desperate search for safety, running for their lives.

A stunned Bertrand, scrambled to calm the masses to no avail. Savannah cried out loudly, "Oh my god, the humanity!", after ducking under a table, pulling Bertrand down with her.

Bastien made every attempt to shield Liam and Riley, who clung protectively to one another, while dodging and weaving through crowds of fearful people, stray feathers and irate falling turkey's. They stopped only briefly as they passed a padre, recieved their last rites and hauled ass to a picnic shelter. As the helicopter circled the grounds to launch a second wave of birds, Liam hurridly scrambled to reach Maxwell to cease the unintended assault.

Drake took off running with Olivia hot on his heels. He banged relentlessly on the door of the nearest porta-a-potty where an older gentleman allowed a frantic Drake and Olivia to hide. Due to being unable to hold three grown people, Drake stood in the doorway, having just enough room to shield his head. Olivia peeked over his broad shoulders as the last of the fowl fell on a tent across from them. They stood in astonishment momentarily, unsure if it was safe to exit while screams and the jumbling shrill of turkeys reverberate off their metal enclosure.

The older gentleman with them, finally spoke out when something strange caught his eye, "what are they doing?", gesturing at the 15 or so gathered birds in front of them.

Drake scratched his head in thought, "I think the little bastards are...organizing"

"I've seen this before", Olivia replied surely, "they're strategizing... its basic battle tactics...they're planning a counter attack".

Drake motioned to the formation of incoming turkeys, questioningly, "You've seen this before?"

Olivia patted her clothing down and began pulling knifes from various hidden holsters underneath, a determined look sketched across her face. "People...birds...whats the difference, they're both full of shit. I'm a Nevrakis, damn it...I will not be turkied to death by these...disgusting chicken wanna be's...you with me or not, Walker?". She holds up a knife that barely misses his face as he stumbles backwards off the edge to avoid it.

Drake swipes the blade from her steady hand, his dark brown eyes filled with savagery, "Let's end these fuckers!".

2 hours later...Ramsford Memorial Hospital

"Drake, can you hear me?", a concerned Liam stood at the bedside of his lifelong friend, when Drake's eyes began to flutter open.

"Liam...wh...where am I?"

"You're in the hospital buddy, you've got a nasty concussion and a broken nose, but, the doctors had a head CT ordered and it didn't show any serious trauma or permanent damage...you will, however, have to stay here overnight for observation".

Drake glanced around the room, grimacing at the shooting pain from his throbbing, bandaged nose and the seering pressure behind his eyes. The overhead lights making his already blurry vision so much worse. He attempted to speak, but, his voice was hoarse and dry. Liam reached for a cup of water that sat on his bed tray and assisted him in drinking.

Drake licked his lips, "what happened? The last thing I remember was grabbing the knife from her", he nodded at Olivia, who was standing in amusement at the end of his bed, "why the hell am I'm so jacked up?".

Liam looked to Olivia, he, himself not entirely sure of the exact circumstamces for Drake's injuries, hoping she could shed light on the situation.

Olivia moved around the bed to stand next to Liam, an uncontained smiled slipping across her pale face, "It was a giant Turkey...smashed right into your face", she clapped her hands together loudly, "Smack!". A light chuckle escaped her as both men glared back with astonished expressions.

Several seconds of silence commenced as that information began to process.

"What?", Drake snapped.

Olivia explained that Maxwell must have had one turkey left because another one came barrelling out of no where, dropping like a stealth bomber, and crashing right into his face. Never one to mince words, she took the opportunity to let him know that his face looks better now that most of it is covered in bandages.

Liam took in a deep breath, "I'm going to take my leave now that I can see you are well. I told Bertrand I would attend the press conference with him...apparently, Maxwell thought turkey's could fly".

Drake rolled his eyes, mumbling to himself, "Responsible and mature, huh?", he looked back to Liam with a grateful smirk, "thanks Liam for being here".

Liam clapped Drake's arm, "No problem", he turned to Olivia as he made his way for the door, "you coming?".

"Yeah", Olivia grabbed her coat and clutch that were laying across one of the hospital chairs and followed Liam to the door. She hesitated before fully exiting, turning sharply on her stiletto heels. "You did...well out there today soldier".

"I got clobbered in the face by a fucking bird, Liv!", he shouted back, grabbing his nose in pain as his head jostled from his over-exaggerated retort.

"Even so...", she trailed, as a long pause followed, the silence nearly becoming awkward. A small hint of compassion crept through her strong features and Drake instantly recognized the change in her demeanor.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Walker".

"Happy Thanksgiving...Liv".

#the royal romance #wacky drabbles #liam x riley #drake walker #maxwell beaumont #thanksgiving #long post #wkrp in cincinnati #bbrandy2002

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neganandblake · 5 years ago

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I think I liked you better when you didn’t have a knife in your hands, Peaches... Chapter 207 - Worry

When Blake finds herself sold out to the Saviours by her abusive fiancé, she realises that she’s certainly not on her own anymore and finds an unlikely friend in Negan. And Negan does NOT like men who beat their girlfriends, one tiny bit….

Chapter 207 - Worry

[With a broken generator, Blake, Negan and the Saviours know they have a hard winter ahead.]

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

Blake paled, clutching Mia tighter to her hip, as she stood up straight, moving quickly over to where Negan stood.

Their generator was broken and by the looks of it, the rest of their winter was going to be hard. Without power, heat or hot water the survival of the Sanctuary residents was going to be difficult, Blake knew that.

Since Eugene's stark announcement a murmur of voices was already steadily growing around them as lieutenants all shuffled about exchanging anxious look with one another.

She knew that once this got out to the other Saviours, the workers, the families, there was going to be nothing that could stop the ugly rumours and the worrying.

Blake knew she needed to help. Her position of power here at the Sanctuary had to mean something.

"We'll be fine," she said suddenly, in a loud voice, gazing around, not at Negan, but at everyone else standing in the bleak room. "It's gonna be hard, but we'll make it all work."

Everyone fell silent, looking to Blake now, Negan included, staring at her like she was the most precious thing to him, before giving a hard sniff and leaning back on his long legs, addressing the crowd too.

"Peaches here is right," he barked. "This shit is gonna be hard, but we are the Saviours. And we need to keep doin' what we've always done. We man the fuck up, we deal, and we come out the strong motherfuckers we always come out as."

Blake was almost certain she'd heard this speech before, but it of course was enough to sate the murmurs of the crowd all around them

"So, Eugene," Negan uttered again, taking a looming step into the portly man who was still stood before them in his long black coat. "You up for sharing exactly what it is we're lookin' for out there with Simon, Arat an' the boys?"

"I am," replied Eugene with a prompt nod.

"Alright then," said Negan gruffly. "The rest of you I want out there fetchin' supplies, blankets, coats, all of that shit. Oh an' some of you need to start boardin' up soma' those broken windows. Get this place sealed up."

The crowd all shuffled, nodding again at the dark-haired man.

"Well then alright, lets get the fuck to it before we all start freezin' our balls off in here," he commanded, gesturing with his hand for them to go.

And go they did, the rest of the room clearing away before their eyes

Blake remained by Negan's side, peering up at him as the last couple of people filtered out of the room.

"People are gonna get sick," Blake said in a worried voice.

Negan gave a sigh, dragging a hand down his tired-looking face. "I know, Darlin'."

He didn't say anything further and neither did Blake, for right now both adults knew just how all this was going to go down. Winter was harsh and even with Carson here, the likelihood of sickness was bound to rise. And with the Saviours living in such close proximity to one another, something like that was bound to spread quickly.

Mia in Blake's arms gave a whine, as the blonde shushed her gently again, pressing her lips to the tops of the toddler's dusty hair.

"I cowld," the baby girl murmured, turning her face towards Negan and chewing on her little fist.

Negan gave another huff at this, reaching over and smoothing his large hand over Mia's soft hair.

"You an' her need to get somewhere warm, Peaches," he said seriously. "It's gonna be dark before we know it an' I don' wan' the pair of you traipsin' up an' down those stairs after sundown."

"I need to go see the workers first. They're going to be panicking-" began Blake, but Negan cut her off sternly.

"No, Peaches. An' I mean it this time," said Negan standing up straight and glaring down at her, his dark eyes burning with love and concern for her. "You can go see them an' settle their damn nerves tomorrow, but tonight I need you to go back to our room an' stay warm. We clear?"

Blake knew that she would normally have scoffed at Negan's commands, but right now, maybe it was to do with the small life she had growing inside her, but she didn't really feel like arguing.

So much to Negan's obvious surprise, Blake closed her mouth, giving a nod in return and replying.

"Ok. Just for tonight."

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

By the time Negan strolled in through the door to his and Blake's room a few hours later, looking harassed, the temperature had dropped at least four or five degrees.

Normally, Blake suspected that she wouldn't have noticed the slight drop in temperature as darkness fell. But now, she could feel the icy wind that seemed to blast out from beneath the doors, creeping into the bones of, likely, every person in the Sanctuary.

Mia was already tucked up in their king size bed asleep, with an extra fleecy blanket thrown over the covers just in case.

Blake knew that she was lucky. Being with Negan meant that they had an abundance of everything up here. A gas lamp, extra blankets, winter clothes in her and Mia's closet…

Blake knew that she and the toddler would be safe and looked after no matter what, but it was the others at the Sanctuary she was concerned about. Those who worked for points. Those who toiled hard to earn just a small portion of what she had had given to her.

The blonde woman, who was sat on one of Negan's large leather couches, legs tucked up beneath her staring out at the darkened sky though the window, turned to look at the dark-haired man as he entered their room.

"How is everyone?" she asked in a quiet voice, as Negan tossed Lucille down onto the sideboard and glanced over at Mia sleeping soundly in their bed.

"Cold….and pretty goddamn nervous," he sighed, running hand down his exhausted-looking features.

Blake chewed on her lip as Negan moved over and slumped down into the seat beside her on the couch.

"It's only gonna get worse," Blake mused in a quiet tone as Negan looked her way.

He was silent for a long moment, sighing again.

"C'mere," he finally murmured placing an arm around Blake's shoulders and tugging her body close to his.

The blonde cuddled herself into him, tucking her face into Negan's tanned neck.

She didn't want to think about what would happen if a part for the generator wasn't found. Could they survive the winter? Longer even than that?

What would happen if the place eventually became uninhabitable?

There were now hundreds of Saviours. Where would they find a place with heat and power big enough to house them all?

But that wasn't the only thing worrying Blake and she knew it had likely crossed Negan's mind too.

What if the other camps- Alexandria, the Hilltop and the Kingdom, found out about this? It would certainly mean that the Sanctuary's defences would be down and it could be seen as an easy target.

All Blake knew now, was that they all needed to stick together.

They all needed to survive, to stay strong, just like Negan had said.

For if they didn't, Blake knew that this could be the end to the Sanctuary as they knew it.

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

Sorry this was short. Been busy with my new job so struggling to find time to write/upload. Hope you are all still enjoying it.

If you’d like to be tagged or untagged let me know.

#negan #negan the walking dead #twd #The Walking Dead #JDM #Jeffrey Dean Morgan #negan twd #negan oc #negan and blake #negan fic #negan fanfic #negan otp

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bigskydreaming · 5 years ago

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The Ric Grayson AND Talon storylines both end at the same time, and in the same way:

Great Grandpa Creeper Cobb successfully manipulates Ric into position to be brainwashed and become the Talon that Willie the Weenie has always wanted him to be.....this happens for like, two issues.

Then Grandpa Get Ye To A Graveyard Already fucks up....he accidentally brings Talon Ric within sighting distance of the Court’s latest crop of prospective Talon recruits, including a wee baby ten year old orphan being trained to be a future Talon.

And the essential corn kernel of Dick Grayson’s essence, deep down in his psyche, just fucking POPS like its Orville Redenbacher and someone just nuked it in the microwave.

And the real Dick Grayson comes SHRIEKING to the forefront of Talon!Ric’s brain, nothing subtle about it, and the next thing his Rancid Relative knows, he’s being fucking impaled by his great grandson’s blades as said great grandson, who is SUPPOSED to be docilely brainwashed, wtf, is already halfway across the room, diving into the mass of other Talons like they’re a collection of bowling pins and he’s a wrecking ball straight out of a Miley Cyrus music video, but instead of the caterwauling lyrics “I never hit so haaaaaaaard in love,” Dick’s accompanied by a soundtrack of him screaming:

“I WILL PROTECT YOU SMOL CHILD!!!”

As said smol child is just standing there, staring, like....dude, wut?

And then Dick finishes absolutely DESTROYING everything undead and nefarious in sight like he’s the Tasmanian Devil on meth, and he turns to said smol child and begins the process of Smothering, as his hands flutter all up and down checking for injuries but not touching, like:

“Did they hurt you are you alright you’re safe now cough once for I’m all good or punch me in the no-no’s if I’m making you feel unsafe, I will make sure you are totally safe from here on out, you are my baby now, I have decided, but like, only if you want to be.”

And smol child is decidedly overwhelmed but Man-Who-Speaks-Like-He-Has-Pixie-Sticks-In-Place-Of-Blood-Vessels seems harmless, if weird, and is definitely preferable to the weird Bird Men who kidnapped him off the streets and tried to teach him how to kill people and make death threats out of nursery rhymes. And he doesn’t have a lot of experience in OTHER subterranean lairs to compare this one too, but he’s decidedly not a fan, so when Dick asks if he would like him to take him to see Batman and Batgirl and Robin and other superheroes who can also reassure him there will be no more homework on How To Torture People Good, he’s like....”yeah I guess. If you want.”

And so Dick scoops him up with glee and takes off through the tunnels, yelling back over his shoulder: “Bye Greatly-Gross-Grandpa, hate you lots, don’t call, don’t write, you’re officially off my Christmas card list, hasta la neeeeeeeeeever.”

Thereupon swiftly grappling across the Bludhaven rooftops, yelling PARKOUR! just because he can and its fun, and its weirdly relaxing for his wee passenger, because look, this dude may be weird as fuck, but he’s clearly got the moves to protect him from the Undead Legions of Ornithologists and he seems too....fun to be evil, like not in the Joker kinda way like he’s seen on TV in previous foster homes where its like, jeez dude, try hard much, but more like an adult who just quit a soul-crushing cubicle-dwelling corporate-craphole job and has suddenly been reminded that the sky is blue, flowers smell good, and there IS a Santa Claus, Virginia.

Thus by the time they arrive at Wayne Manor, with no attempt made to hide where they’re going from his wee passenger’s eyes - Dick has already decided he’s keeping the kid, pending said kid’s approval but look, kids like him and he’s determined to bring his A game to the pitch meeting, so he likes his chances - said wee passenger disembarks in the Batcave but stays close by, clinging to Dick’s side in an ever so slight way that allows for plausible deniability later, once he gets his bearings and also his bravado back.

“Dick?!” Comes the chorus of voices from the rest of the family, who are all there already, by great coincidence and in great defiance of the crapfests in their own individual titles, but also who the fuck cares. And Dick puffs out his chest, cuz he’s putting on a good show for his new kiddo, first impressions are important...

“Tis I, fam! The one true Dick Grayson has returned! Huzzah!”

Look, being completely oblivious to his Greatest Dork Energy coinciding with his Times He Most Attempts To Be Impressive, is like, Peak Dick Grayson characterization, you can trust me, I’m a doctor.

And Tim’s like, “Why are you dressed like a Talon?”

And Dick’s like, “Isn’t the better question why AREN’T you dressed like a Talon?”

Which makes no sense but shhh, I’m running out of steam here, don’t question the atmosphere, just let it be.

And Bruce is like, “Who’s your friend?”

With like...designs and agendas already in mind, because said wee Talon-to-be is cute and adorable and bravely trying to act like he is not at all intimidated by his surroundings and is in total control of what’s going on like, he meant to be here, this is all according to plan, yes, excellent, everything is progressing nicely....

Which as everyone knows, are the three key essential traits Bruce looks for in prospective adoptees....

So Dick snarls and later blames it on residual Talon-ness, they’re very territorial bird...assassin....people....anyway, the adrenaline is still high and also he has swiftly become attached because whether kiddo knows it or not, Dick 100% credits him with the brainwash-breaking and thus when factored in with the cuteness quotient, what we have here is an instant recipe for Protectiveness slash Possessiveness that would be creepy and inappropriate if this wasn’t pure crack.

But crack it is, and thus Dick curls a protective arm around the kiddo like the lap-bar on a particularly turbulent roller coaster and applies G-Force sufficient to keep even Superman from prying him out of his hands - but in a gentle, non- ’crushing kinda way that might hurt the kiddo,’ even though physics doesn’t work like that, except look, these are CRACK PHYSICS, they can and they do work like that.

And he’s all, “I already adopted him, so back off, Bruce, I’ll cut you. But also hi dad, I missed you. In spirit I mean, like I had amnesia and then I was brainwashed so technically its probably a reach to say I missed anyone but just roll with it. Also I can haz hugs now, please?”

And then Damian apparates in front of Dick amid a cloud of Disapproval that’s really just a cover for OMG-I-Was-Without-You-And-It-Was-Terrible-And-I’m-So-Glad-You’re-Back-But-Also-Who-Is-This-Interloper-And-Why-Is-He-Stealing-My-Hug.

“Tt. Grayson. Your absence was...less than desirable. See to it that this doesn’t happen again. Also what is that and why is it here.”

“Aww, Dami, I’m sorry. I promise to install a “please have the nearest available psychic reboot my brain in case of future brain damage slash amnesia” clause in my living will, and soon as I get a free second, I’ll break the fourth wall and blackmail the DC editorial staff into declaring me off-limits for all death, brainwashing and/or kidnapping plots for at least the next four major crossover events. I have naughty pictures. They’ll cave.”

“Hmph,” Dami says. He resumes staring pointedly at the kiddo, who juts his chin defiantly and stares back while clinging more tightly to Dick, because he may have very little clue what’s going on, but he’s a quick one and has at least picked up on the fact that Dick wants him and this other kid wants Dick. Which combined with the rescuing and the kicking of bad guy ass means Dick is probably Quality and In Demand and Of Value, and thus he might as well stake a claim now and worry about whether or not to act on that or skedaddle later, once he’s got more intel. He’s a natural Bat, this one, but then, that’s probably why he was in Toddler Talon Boot Camp, he scored high on whatever weird aptitude tests they used to scope out talent, and by talent we mean murder-skills.

“Dami,” Dick admonishes then, “This isn’t an it, he’s a person, and he was recently traumatized so promise me you’ll be on your best behavior or at least your ‘engaging in shenanigans with Jon’ behavior. And he’s not competition, you’re my Dames and my little bro, and he’s potentially your nephew, which is a whole separate category and no threat to you and your baby bro status at all, so retract the claws. If anything, the real danger is Pops adopting him and thus supplanting you as the official Baby Bird of our generation, so make like an ally and help me get that dangerous “I’m gonna adopt this kid so hard” gleam out of Bruce’s eye before it gets any gleamier. We’re still only halfway through my tearful reunion and having to cut Dad before we even get to cake would be a major mood-killer, but I’ll do it, I swear. Also, get your Baby Bird behind over here and hug me already, I have two arms.”

Damian rolled his eyes but obediently disappeared and reappeared nestled against Dick’s other side in the blink of an eye. The proper application of ninja skills has always been the pursuance of hugs and cuddles. Thus sayeth the crack.

“Hey, I do get cake, right?” Dick asked suddenly, looking around dangerously. “I was amnesiac and also brainwashed, I deserve cake, TELL me there’s gonna be cake.”

“Well that answers whether or not we should be worried about this being an attempted infiltration or not,” Jason says, strolling over casually. “No impostor or brainwashing script-writer could ever duplicate the Essence de Dick so perfectly. Hey squirt. Welcome to the madhouse. I’m Jason, what’s your name?”

“Oh right,” Dick realized, cocking his head. “Hey, what is your name?”

“Really, Dick?” Tim sighed, fondly exasperated. “I realize you like to jump from A straight to Z whenever possible, but steps B through Y aren’t usually just mere suggestions.”

“It hadn’t come up yet,” Dick defended himself.

“Yes, why would it have,” Duke mused from where he was leaning over and snapping his fingers in front of Bruce’s eyes, in a futile attempt at tearing his gaze away from the viable adoption candidate within 20 meters from him. It was probably best that they get this adoption thing inked out and signed off on as soon as possible - it was the only thing that was definitively going to get that “Argh, I’ve spotted treasure ahoy” look out of Bruce’s eyes. And Alfred had been very clear :Bruce was forbidden to adopt any more kids himself until he got a better handle on juggling the six he already had. Which. The past year had...probably not met Alfred’s standards on, so it didn’t seem likely he’d be waiving that requirement any time soon.

(And nobody wanted to get in between the Unstoppable Force that was Bruce’s ‘must adopt all the orphans’ and the Immovable Object that was Alfred’s ‘must maintain at least a reasonable fascimile of order in this household, even if it is a total sham, appearances matter.’)

“Hey!” Dick protested. “I’ve been busy, okay? There was fighting and then there was parkouring and now we’re reunifying, and it wasn’t like I was just calling him ‘that kid’ in my head, I was calling him ‘my kiddo’ which is a perfectly reasonable identifier and thus more specific detail just....hadn’t been relevant yet!”

“So uh, bee tee dubs, what is your name, buddy?” Dick asked, looking down. His kiddo looked back up at him for a long, measuring moment, and then he shrugged.

“I’ll tell you in exchange for some cake. You said something about there being cake, but I don’t see any.”

Dick got misty-eyed at that. “See? He already prioritizes like me. This was destiny! Also, you heard my kiddo, do we not deserve cake? It has been a very long day, there was murder and mayhem and more. Also, my creeper great grandpa was there being icksome, and you know how much that weirds me out.”

“Come along, Master Dick,” Alfred said then, appearing out of nowhere thanks to his Bat-Butler Magic. “And your young charge as well. I already have your favorite baking in the oven and it should be done shortly. Lemon meringue with raspberry layers.”

“That’s disgusting and I will not participate in any ceremony that treats that as part of a celebration instead of just a weird kind of laxative,” Jason said loftily, though it escaped no one’s notice that he was the first to the stairs.

“Shut your facehole, its delicious and amazing and you will like it or I will kick your ass,” Dick said, equally loftily.

“Boys,” Bruce said with a long-suffering sigh, as the threat of brotherly bloodshed was enough to finally shake him out of his orphan-induced stupor.

“At MARIO KART. I will kick his ass at MARIO KART, ugh, jeez, B, why do you always assume the worst of us?”

“Precedent,” Tim said dryly.

“Who the hell asked the Oompa Loompa Brigade to weigh in with all ninety of his pounds?” Jason called back from the top of the stairs.

Cass came up on Dick’s left, where the kiddo was one half of the sandwich made by him and Damian on Dick’s other side. She smiled down at him when he directed his still very wide-eyed gaze at her, landing on her after his latest sweep of the cavern and all its contained chaos, as if trying to take it all in - most likely in the hopes that if he could manage that, somehow the last 72 hours of his life might suddenly make sense. He really was adorable.

“Don’t worry,” she beamed at him, reaching out to pat him comfortingly on his shoulder, right above where Dick’s arm was still curled around it like a warm blanket - albeit one with the tensile hold of a python. “They’re all crazy, but only in the good ways.”

Duke scoffed as he slipped ahead of them and started taking the stairs two at a time. “It’s funny how you say that like you’re some kind of exception to the rule.”

“Bold words, little brother,” Cass called after him. He only shouted back from the top in a booming voice, his words echoing down the narrow stone stairway dramatically.

“Am I not Batclan?”

“Oooh, is that a new thing we’re doing?” Dick asked excitedly. “Somebody catch me up, I demand context. I smell a story there.”

“It was Jason’s fault,” Tim said automatically. Dick nodded.

“Sure, that tracks. Continue.”

Bruce trailed after his brood of batlings and birdlets, sidling over to where Barbara was waiting for the elevator. The latter having hung back to watch the commotion with the air of one taking notes for repurposing in the form of future blackmail material. Her ever extending network of spies and informants made so much more sense, suddenly.

He cleared his throat while they listened to the hum of the elevator’s machinery as it descended to their level.

“I wasn’t really thinking of adopting the boy,” he said. Not at all sullenly, nor with a trace of defensiveness to be found.

“Of course you weren’t, Bruce,” Barbara said. She patted his arm fondly, with all the conviction of a kindergarten teacher whose student was attempting to claim innocence on the matter of a paint disaster perfectly matching the paint stains on his hands.

“I wasn’t,” Bruce muttered as she preceded him into the elevator.

Why did nobody ever believe him?

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