#the game gave it to her as soon as they got home from the hospital

[holylulusworld]

Mommy, dearest

Summary: Your marriage is over, and you seek revenge.

Pairing: Unnamed husband x Wife!Reader

Future Pairing: Nick Fowler x fem!Reader

Warnings: angst, awful MIL, false accusations, mentions of cheating, mentions of attempted rape (no description, nothing happens), injured reader, strong reader, I mention incest as an insult (nothing happens), caring Nick

A/N: Did you find the Easter eggs from movies and TV shows? 😏 // You can imagine any character from any show/movie/game for her husband. I left it up to your imagination.

Reverse Trope: Divorce of convenience

A/N: This story is part of my reverse tropes’ collection.

Reverse Tropes Bingo Masterlist

You changed your life once because of a man. You can do it again.

The only difference is that you do it because of a broken heart this time – not out of love.

Your broken ribs hurt like a bitch as you slowly walk down the stairs of the luxurious estate you called your home for the last three years.

You wish you could say every memory you made was a joyous one within these walls, but they are not.

There’s one thing that kept you from getting true happiness with your husband. A thing called Mommy Dearest. The woman hated you the second you dared to take her son’s attention from her.

She didn’t give you a chance to become a part of her family. From the beginning, she was nothing but vile toward you. Everything you did was wrong. She made clear that you are never going to be good enough for her son.

Until now, you endured all of her jabs and snide comments. Today, you reached your breaking point.

After you got attacked at your husband’s house, during one of his infamous parties, things changed completely.

Your mother-in-law dared to tell your husband you cheated on him with the man trying to force himself on you. You made it out alive, but not without three broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, and bruises all over your left side. He didn’t succeed in raping you but got you good.

What hurts the most isn’t your injuries or your mother-in-law’s cruel words. No. You could’ve survived the physical pain and her venomous words.

What hurts the most is that your husband, the man you believed loved you unconditionally, didn’t even let you explain what happened last night.

You didn’t fight for your love this time. The moment he called you a cheater, a whore, and a gold-digger, you decided he was not worthy of being your husband and the sacrifices you made for your love.

A duffle bag and a worn-out backpack are the only things you will take with you. There’s nothing else you’ll need until you get out of the state.

“She’s still here?” You hear your soon-to-be ex-mother-in-law snarl as you walk toward the front door. “Wait, wait!” She gets in your way, blocking your path to freedom and a heartbreak-free life. “Did you not forget something?”

“The rings are on the vanity,” you snap at her and try to walk past the monster ruining your relationship. “If you’d excuse me now, I’d love to go back to the hospital and let them check on my broken ribs.”

“Lying bitch,” she snarls and tries to slap your cheek, but you are quick to catch her hand midair with your right hand, hissing in pain as you forget about your shoulder and your broken ribs for a second. “Give it all back.”

She looks at the necklace around your neck and the bracelet around your right wrist. “My mother gave me the necklace, so fuck off.”

Your husband scoffs as you take the bracelet off and throw it in his mother’s face. “But you can keep that piece of shit.”

She doesn’t seem satisfied and points at the expensive shoes and jacket your husband bought for you. You laugh and shake your head.

“So be it,” you say, stepping out of your shoes and kicking them at her.

Next is the jacket. You throw it at her. You hiss in pain when you strip your blouse and pants off, revealing the bandage around your ribs and the bloody gash that opened again on your leg.

“Here, take it all. Do you want the underwear too?” You smirk when she blanches. “You can have it. Maybe your dearest son finally fucks you when you’re wearing it.”

Your husband inhales sharply, and she fakes a sob, putting her hand on her heart. It’s not the first time that you made a crude comment about his mother’s obsession with him.

“What happened? Was he too rough?” If you hadn’t cried your eyes out last night, you’d do it right now.

“Why don’t you ask your driver, Scott, the one your mother fired after he drove me to the hospital last night? He could tell a different story, but Mommy Dearest stopped him. Maybe, one day, you’ll realize you kicked the best thing ever happening out of your life after one of your business associates tried to rape me.”

“You dare to lie about one of my friends, too? He’s a good person.”

You laugh in his face. “Friends? You call someone following me into our bedroom to rape me a friend. You stand there and call them a good person after everything he did to me?”

“Only because he made the mistake of falling for your trap doesn’t mean he’s a bad person.” He replies, but his eyes are glued to the gash on your leg. “Mother wouldn’t lie to me.” He watches you wince when you pick up your luggage. “Stop acting like you’re hurt.”

You nod slowly. “Oh yeah. I forgot he’s one of Mommy’s friends, and she told you I fucked him, so it must be true. Facts and my injuries don’t speak for themselves.” You turn your head to look at your mother-in-law, smirking. “Go ahead and get your boy. He’ll be lonely without a woman’s touch. Maybe if you drug him too, he’ll get it up for you.”

“Bitch!” She snarls, but you only laugh in her face. You’re beaten black-and-blue, your ribs hurt like a bitch, and the rash on your leg burns like hell, but damn, watching her face twist in anger is the best painkiller.

“Dito,” you coo and walk toward the front door in nothing but your undergarment. “Rot in hell. Both of you.” You don’t look back. Stepping out of the door, you slam it shut and exhale sharply.

You can see the bodyguards look in your direction when you open your duffle bag to throw some clothes on. They’re unsure if they should help you or not. Scott got fired because he helped you.

“It’s alright, guys. I know you know what really happened from Scott, but I don’t want any of you to lose your position. How about you don’t dodge a bullet for that old hag, and we are even?” They chuckle and nod. “Take care.”

Walking away, your head held high, you smirk to yourself. They don’t know hellfire will rain down on them soon…

Standing in front of your secret little hideout you sigh deeply. When you left your old life behind one year ago, you never thought of coming back here.

Still, you kept your backup plan. Maybe it was your past telling you not to get too comfortable, or you always knew that the blooming relationship with your husband was meant to fall apart sooner rather than later.

So, you kept your secret little hideout for the unavoidable fallout.

You hesitate for a second, index finger hovering over the touchpad. You inhale and exhale before pressing your finger to the fingerprint scanner. The first lock unlocks, bringing you one step closer to your past.

The gate opens, and you step toward the next security measure stopping you from entering. “Soylent Green is people.” You recite your password to deactivate the voice recognition door access control system.

Finally, the door unlocks and slides open. You get a flashlight out of your backpack and enter the room.

The moment you step inside, you feel like your past envelops you with confidence and strength. You forgot about the strong and stubborn woman you used to be to match your husband’s image of you.

As you step toward the middle of the room, a voice stops you from overthinking things. “Please enter a password or this unit will destroy itself within sixty seconds.” The countdown starts, and you wait for the first ten seconds just to feel the thrill again.

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."You give the voice recognition security system your password, unlocking another mechanism.

The lights turn on automatically. You look around, checking on every item before grabbing the satellite phone placed right next to a laptop. You close your eyes and take a deep breath.

There’s no other choice than calling for backup. If you want to take revenge on Mommy dearest and your husband, you will need the devil’s help.

You dial the number burned in your memory, taking another deep breath. Waiting. Hoping he will answer.

“I knew you’d come to your senses,” Nick casually says, but you can hear the smirk in his voice. “Are you ready to come home?”

“I need your help.”

“Of course, you need my help.” You bet he leans back and grins as you wait for him to turn you down or agree to help you. “If you want me to help you, I want something in return.”

“We have the same interest for once,” you reply. “You wanted him, you'll get him. I have everything you’ll need to bring him, his mommy, and the whole fucking business down.”

“What did he do?” For a second you believe you heard worry in Nick’s voice. “Y/N? Did he hurt you?”

“Physically…no.” You swallow the lump in your throat. “I want to bring him down, that’s all.”

“One year late, but fine, I’m on my way. Tell me where and when…”

Nick Fowler waltzes into your hideout like the cocky bastard he is. He smirks and is about to scold you for falling for your target.

“Y/N, you shouldn’t have…” Nick stops in his tracks. He looks you up and down, frowning deeply as he recognizes, within a few seconds, that you are sheltering your shoulder.

“Who did this to you?” He’s in front of you faster than you can blink. “Y/N, answer me. Did he do this to you? You said he didn’t hurt you?”

“It was…” You look away, ashamed. “I got weak, I guess.” You sniff because you are angry at yourself for not being more cautious around your mother-in-law. “There was a party at our house. My mother-in-law handed me a drink. I felt…”

“She drugged you.” Nick squares his jaw. “Did she hurt you? Where are you hurt?” He carefully touches your shoulder, making you hiss in pain. “Y/N answer me.”

“I felt dizzy and walked upstairs to lie down. My husband was busy with his mommy once again. I didn’t drink the whole glass. Only nipped at the drink.” You explain while Nick moves his hand under your shirt to examine the damage your attacker did.

“Three broken ribs,” he curses under his breath. “I told you that bastard will get you killed!”

“It wasn’t him but his mother plotting against me. She sent one of her friends, a slimy bastard I despised from the beginning, to fake that I cheated on my husband.” You inhale sharply. “You know…he tried to force me.”

“I’ll kill them all.” Nick angrily replies. “I hope you got that bastard good, darling.”

“He lost a few teeth, and his pride and dick got hurt. If not for the drugs, he’d be dead,” you reply with a smirk. "It’s nothing, really. I had it worse. You should see the other.”

“I’ll get you out of here, and you will let a doctor check on you. On our way, you’ll tell me everything about him, his mother, and their business.” Nick searches your face, eyes boring into your soul. “No tricks.”

“No tricks,” you breathe out. “I want to watch them burn.”

Nick moves his arms around you, nuzzling your neck. He hates himself for pushing you away, right into the arms of another man. Nick let you go once; he won’t make the same mistake twice.

“I will raise hell for you…”

[simswoon]

previous // next // beginning

[irisinluv]

Caleb Love and deep space thoughts- SPOILERS AHEAD

Second update of brain dumping my thoughts as I play through the game… this time entirely Caleb focused

Ok so I’ve been reading Caleb’s anecdotes, dates, every scrap of info that becomes available to me…. And holy shit he’s such a simp!

Man almost fucking died, was lost in space for 2 weeks, and he’s just like “haha hey pipsqueak! Yea secret training mission, sorry, I’m back online!” As he’s in a hospital bed. Like baby boy not letting mc know he almost died???? And then the card/memory/whatever it’s called where he’s sick, and she has to basically beg him all day to let her in? Man wants to be Superman for her. Seriously, he’s out here becoming a pilot cuz it would pay well and help provide for mc, and if anything happened he could just whisk her away.

He literally worships the ground mc walks on. Obsessed with the necklace he gave him, kissing the pendant before each flight, not letting her lift a finger at the house when it comes to chore type things, using his evol to win her plushies at the claw machine… also he’s soooo obviously into the domestic life with mc! His house is bare bones before the reunion. Then MC shows up and there’s the scene where he’s surrounded by boxes, setting things up….. I picture him totally kicking himself for not having everything set up sooner, bc he got a house just so she could move in. I see him just living in an apartment that’s part of the officer barracks. There’s no reason why he has a whole ass house if not for mc. He just didn’t expect her to have infiltrated his ranks as a spy and to pop up so soon…. But hey she’s here now and so he’s totally buying everything and having a hot ikea build sesh in that slutty little tank top of his.

Oh and you know he’s a cheeky idiot about the fact that mc picked his room when deciding where to stay. Like we got that from the gameplay obviously…. But I just want to take moment to appreciate how hard that man must have been grinning on the inside. I also think it’s so cute that mc really is just making his place a second home. She’s got a little garden going at his house! She talks about the little yellow flowers she planted there in one of the text messages, and when he mentioned restocking his snacks on a community post mcs already planning on raiding it.

Also he’s been so obsessed with her since they were kids. Like he’s got some weird amnesia brain trauma shit going on after his deep space incident, and he scored poorly on the mental health portion of his exams (not him answering the “what’s the greatest challenge with flight missions?” Question with “it’s hard to get home on time”), and I’m assuming he was also an experiment by ever like MC is (but I haven’t gotten to the point where I can say that for sure), but like. That isn’t why he’s the way he is. Man was out here protecting her from bullies, the thing where he’d buy two of everything for mc, think he said something like “I wanted to grow up to be the most loyal… well you know, I could be” LOYAL HUSBAND? But from the jump he’s been doing everything for her. It’s so interesting getting this background from all the memories and whatnot. Like he’s made it such a source of pride to take care of mc in every tiny way, and so when she says stuff about not needing him, or uh, I don’t remember what thing it was part of but she fixed some electronic and was like “damn that was easier than I thought, guess I gotta stop bugging you for every tiny little thing, I can just figure it out.” and he PANICS! Like no baby- that’s his comfort thing. No matter what else is going on, at least he can feel needed and wanted when you come playfully whining to him that you can’t find your favorite mug. He’s the walking advertisement for acts of service. Also one last thing.

Yall noticed how he put his hat on mc like right after the reunion? The only thing I could think of is what it means when you put on a guys cowboy hat. Like damn Caleb. She’s still in shock that you’re not dead. But get it ig.

[wososcripts]

Face to Face (III)

Fridolina Rolfö x reader; Alexia Putellas x reader (platonic); Barça x reader (platonic)

Summary: your Barça teammates swoop in to save the day (or at least they do their best)

Word Count: 3.1k

A/N: okay don't kill me but Frido isn't in this much... enjoy some sweet Barça hurt/comfort to make up for it because she'll be back soon. as usual everything is pure fiction and written in good fun! PREVIOUS PART

Warnings ⚠️: medical description, slight angst

"Hola Nena," Alexia said in a hushed voice as she came into your hospital room. Laura and Zećira had left earlier that morning with your mom, assuring you they would be back later in the evening.

Alexia had a stuffed giraffe and a small bouquet of yellow roses in hand, and she looked at you with soft eyes. You smiled at her weakly, the light in the room dim enough that the subtleties in her face were blurred. If you focused too much on them your head began to hurt more intensely.

"¿Cómo estás?"

You gave her a thumbs up, pleased with the smile you got out of her.

It was quickly replaced again with concern as you winced, a sharp pain searing behind your eyes as she set a vase down on the windowsill for the flowers.

"Has anyone else been over to visit?"

You knew it was Alexia's subtle way of asking if Frido had come. As far as you knew Alexia was in the dark as to your relationship (or lack thereof) with the Swede, but you could never be sure with her.

"Laura… Zećira and Magda came right after the game."

Alexia nodded. She took the giraffe and placed it on your chest, shaking it a bit as if you were a child she wanted to entice.

"You know you'll be out of training for a bit, sí?"

"Sí."

You weren't pleased with it, but there was no denying that you needed the rest. You could barely bear to open the blinds for now.

"Jona agrees, you should stay with someone when you get home. A few of the girls have spare rooms, so there's options. Ingrid and Mapí offered, and of course you can stay with me if you want."

You thought for a moment, letting Alexia's fast Spanish sink in. Your brain felt sluggish, as if everything took thirty seconds longer.

"If you don't mind… maybe I can stay with you?"

Alexia put a hand over yours, smiling brightly.

"Of course. I'd be happy to have you."

You chuckled.

"I'm not sure I'll be much fun for the next few weeks."

Alexia shrugged.

"It doesn't matter to me, we all take you how you are."

A comfortable silence fell over the room, and you began drifting off. Alexia promised to stay while you slept, her hand protectively on your calf as she studied up for the next Barça game.

Cómo está la alemana? Alexia saw her phone light up with a text from Mapí. She quickly snapped a photo of you asleep, frowning at your coloring and the wires that monitored your heartbeat. It was just a precaution, but it reminded one of how much worse this could've been.

Sleeping. She replied, attaching the photo.

Her head? Mapí replied immediately.

Not good, but not horrible. No training for a few weeks. Doctor said it was a serious concussion, but not severe.

Alexia watched as the three dots indicating Mapí was texting popped up, then disappeared, repeating a few times. Finally, just the message.

I'm glad she's okay.

Alexia knew there was much more weight behind that text than met the eye. You were vital to Barça—every player was, of course. But you had a kindness in you that helped glue the team together even when things were falling apart. Everyone was fond of you, and those you seemed to have chosen on the team (Mapí included) as your close friends cherished that. It was as if you had shone a light on them just by being around.

Alexia thought just of how much your Spanish had improved in the past few months. You spoke better Spanish than most of the international players—and it wasn't just because you had some kind of propensity for language. Alexia had seen you studying in your free time, listening to podcasts, practicing. She asked you once, why you did that; you replied that you simply wanted to understand them better.

That was how you were, thoughtful and kind and lovable. And it hurt everyone on the team to see you hurt—particularly because there was an added element of complexity with it having been Frido who caused it.

"Alexia?" Your groggy voice called out, "can you hand me my cup of water, please?"

"Of course, Nena."

Alexia watched as you drank slowly, and sat by as a nurse came in to examine you. She checked your pupils again, and didn't look pleased.

"I'm going to ask the doctor to order another round of scans, just to double check that no bleeds have popped up that we didn't see before."

"Why?" Alexia asked, concerned. She didn't feel equipped to deal with this totally on her own, especially with the doctor speaking English so quickly, with seemingly no time to explain or guide her through things.

"They're worried I've got a bleed in my brain because of how I fell, Ale." You explained to her.

"I thought they already checked that?" Alexia replied, trying to keep her Spanish slow enough for you to easily understand.

"Sometimes things can only show up on the scans after a little while, because they start so small. I hurt my head when I was younger in a similar area, so they're being extra careful."

Alexia rubbed her temples, worry increasing massively. She turned to the doctor.

"Will she be able to come home, still?"

"If the scans come out clean, then yes. She can be taken back to Spain." The nurse looked to you and asked in German, "you have a doctor there, yes?"

You nodded.

"She will need to be checked again in a little while, and monitored. Does she live with anyone?"

"She'll be living with me." Alexia assured the nurse.

A little while later, the doctor came in and wheeled you off to the CT scan. Alexia was not allowed to accompany you, so she stayed behind, waiting for you in that empty room. Suddenly it truly hit her how serious things could've been. There hadn't been more than a few bruises on you, so it wasn't as easy to understand how hurt you were. ACL, meniscus, these were things Alexia knew. Head injuries? Those certainly felt more daunting.

"María?" Alexia spoke into the phone.

"Alexia? Is everything okay?"

Alexia bit her lip, wishing she could keep herself in check a little more.

"Alexia?" Mapí repeated.

"Yes, sorry, yes I think so. They took her for more scans and it just… I don't know, it hit me."

Alexia heard Mapí speaking to someone in the background.

"Is someone with you?"

"Sí, Ingrid is here, and Pina and Patri are over for a movie. But I stepped out, so talk."

"The doctors were talking about brain bleeds and surgery, and I just couldn't handle it. She was so calm and I felt like I was freaking out…"

"Brain bleeds?" Mapí exclaimed, fear in her voice. Alexia heard something in the background. "Does she need surgery?"

"They don't know if she has one yet. The first scan was clear but apparently they can take a while to be visible."

"Dios mio… one moment, Ale, Ingrid is demanding I tell her what you're saying."

Alexia listened in to the faint mumblings from the other line, looking at the floor. There were raised voices and then a few more joined in, and Mapí returned.

"You're on speaker now, Ale."

"She has a brain bleed?" Ingrid’s voice appeared, a mix of anger and concern evident.

"No, no, they don't know yet. They're checking."

"Is she talking? Does she seem okay?" Patri interjected.

"Sí, she was talking fine. Her head hurts, of course. She can't handle much light, or focus very well yet." Alexia paused. "I don't know if she seems okay, but she'll recover."

The muttering on the other end picked up again, this time more audible. The girls were worried, of course.

"Why the hell did Frido hit her so hard!" Patri exclaimed, then it sounded as if someone had lightly smacked her. But nobody seemed to have a good answer.

Alexia explained what more she could from what the doctors and Laura had told her about your condition, and promised to update them again later. Ingrid promised to keep the other girls in the loop so they wouldn’t bother Alexia, which she appreciated. Everything felt overwhelming enough as it was.

Eventually Alexia hung up once she heard your voice from outside of the door.

“Brain bleed free, Ale!” you smiled as the nurse wheeled you back into the room. You had the stuffed giraffe she gave you clenched in your hand, and you waved it at her as you spoke for emphasis.

“Yep, the scans look perfectly normal.” The nurse affirmed. “Now let’s not try our luck for a third time.”

You saluted her as she left the room, falling quiet soon after. Alexia could see that you were still low on energy.

“Why don’t you rest a little more? I’ll deal with the paperwork in the meantime. Then we can get you home.”

-

Olga had made up your room already when you arrived back in Barcelona. She greeted you and Alexia at the door, pressing a kiss to her girlfriend's lips and pulling you in for a soft hug.

"¿Cómo estás, linda?"

"Okay," you gave her a small smile.

"You're my baby for the week," Olga said, taking your arm out of Alexia's hold and instructing her to take your bags into the guest room.

You chuckled as Alexia rolled her eyes playfully and followed orders.

"Does it hurt a lot?"

You nodded, feeling like you could be honest with Olga.

“My ears won't stop ringing… it's driving me nuts.”

"Why don't you go and lay down on the couch for a bit? I'll make dinner in a little while."

After changing into a borrowed shirt and sweats you settled with your head in Alexia's lap. She was stroking your hair very gently, trying to do what she could to make you feel better. Once you were asleep she looked to Olga.

"How are you, mi amor?"

Alexia rubbed her eyes.

"Tired."

"You've had a few very difficult days… she'll be okay."

Olga looked at your sleeping form.

"I'm not sure how to approach it at practice next week." Alexia fell quiet, "I can't help but feel upset at Frido, because I don't understand. If she had looked worried, gone to visit, something, then it wouldn't seem so bad. But she just got up and ran away, didn't seem to care at all. It's so unlike her."

"You let her know that behavior isn't acceptable, yes?" Alexia nodded, "then that's all you can do. And keep an eye on her."

-

You walked out onto the training pitch carefully, a pair of sunglasses covering half of your face and a cap on your head. Alexia held your elbow, keeping you close. You were already shorter than much of the team but you somehow looked even smaller tucked into yourself like that. Hardly anyone had seen you since you got home because of Alexia's insistence that you rest; only Patri had managed to convince Alexia to let her come over, and that was because she was one of your best friends on the team and you were dying of boredom.

Frido hadn't seen you, or heard from you since the friendly. She hadn't been allowed in your hospital room when they kept you overnight for observation, nor had she tried to visit you as you stayed with Alexia. Part of her had been too afraid to ask her capitan if she could come over. And you weren't allowed any screens, so texting was a no-go.

Ingrid, Mapí, and Pina all came rushing towards you, slowing once they were near your pitiful form.

"How are you feeling, bebita?" Mapí asked softly, putting a hand on your shoulder.

"Like shit," you mumbled, giving her a grin.

"With the way your head bounced, it's a miracle it's still attached!" Pina joked in a whispered tone, prompting a smack on the arm from Alexia.

You chuckled, clearly not bothered.

Ingrid, who had been quiet until now, wrapped you in a soft hug. She was careful with your entire upper half though she didn't need to be. You returned her embrace, looping your arms over her shoulders.

"Are you sure you're alright?" She mumbled to you.

You nodded, patting her cheek as she pulled away.

After that Alexia declared that you were going to sit in the shade and were not to be bothered, a glance thrown specifically at Patri and Pina. The rest of the team nodded, giving you quick smiles and thumbs up. Frido continued to stand awkwardly on the side, not sure what the best thing to do was. Would you even want to talk to her? Probably not.

Alexia walked you over to the bench and gave you water and some ear plugs to quiet the noise of the field. Unfortunately you couldn't really do much, no reading or phones allowed. All you could really do was sleep, which you did not long after, lulled by the warm air and low sounds of your teammates playing.

You didn't wake up until about an hour later. You were hot in your light jacket, so you shucked it off and gently sat up. Your sunglasses made it so your head didn't hurt too badly. Caro noticed you were awake and waved at you. You waved back, sending her a smile.

Alexia had mentioned that everyone sent messages of well wishes, not only your Barça teammates but your German teammates, and even a few from the Swedish team. You couldn't use your phone to see them, but Alexia had read them to you one by one. It was a little overwhelming, the support. Even players you had only interacted with a few times had reached out to check in.

"Hola cari" Patri said, flopping herself down next to you. It was a water break, and you could see the team dispersing to grab their bottles from their bags.

"Hola, Patri."

"Here," Patri shifted so she was sitting up, and patted her lap for you to put your head in. "How do you feel? Is it okay if I talk in Spanish or is English better for your head?"

"How about German?" You joked, prompting a large smile from Patri.

"Hallo?" She said, her Spanish accent laughably thick. You patted her leg fondly.

"Spanish is okay. It doesn't hurt my head anymore than a different language."

Patri began to stroke your hair as the two of you caught up. You learned that she had fought hard to get you to stay with her even though she only had one bed (the couch was a perfectly fine alternative for her, she had tried to tell Alexia), and that she was going to the coast during the next break with her family. You told her about seeing your family in Germany before the match, and how big your niece had gotten. Before long, another presence joined you.

"Hi," Caro's soft voice called.

She crouched down in front of you two, giving a faint smile.

"Do you need anything? Did you bring anything to eat?"

You shook your head, and Caro disappeared for a moment. When she returned, there was a bag of crackers in her hand, and a banana.

"I also found this at the supermarket."

She pulled out a packet of cookies, a German brand that you loved as a kid.

"I remembered seeing them when I was playing at Wolfsburg all the time…I figured since you're from around there maybe you knew them?"

You took them from her and held her hand, squeezing it in thanks. It brought tears to your eyes.

"I loved these when I was little… thank you Caro."

Caro smiled at you, taking a seat on the grass across from you and eating quietly. The Norwegian wasn't much of a talker, but she showed her affection just by hanging around.

"Here," she offered some of her water, realizing you had run out.

You took the bottle hesitantly, but Caro was firm.

"Drink, it will help your head."

Soon it was time for everyone to get back on the pitch, and you were left alone again. You put on a podcast through your headphones, passing the time as best you could.

The podcast served mainly as background as you watched your teammates train. It was hot today, and you could see everyone having to work a little harder to keep up. Your eyes fell to Frido naturally, even though you wished it weren't the case. She was partnered with Aitana doing passing drills. Her form was near perfect, you were jealous of her impeccable footwork. She looked beautiful: her hair was done up in a bun, her legs were glowing in the sun, and the muscles in her arm rippled as she picked up her water bottle to get a quick drink. It was disappointing that you still wanted her, even after all of this. Maybe something was wrong with you.

Later, as you waited for Alexia to finish with some promo stuff, Ingrid wandered over to keep you company. Mapí must have been getting a little extra physio time since she had only just been cleared after her injury.

"Can I sit?" She asked you, gesturing to the spot where you sat on the field.

You nodded and smiled, pulling your headphones out.

"How are you feeling?"

You shrugged.

"It's not so bad now, just like a regular headache. They gave me some medication but I'd rather not…"

Ingrid rubbed your shoulder, pulling you a little closer to her.

"You gave us quite the scare."

"Don't tell me you watched the video." You shifted to look her in the eye. "I know it freaks you out, makes you paranoid."

Ingrid smoothed the crease between your eyebrows with her thumb.

"Don't worry about me. Now is the time for us all to fret over you."

You huffed and rolled your eyes, wincing as it hurt your head.

After chatting for a little while Ingrid began braiding your hair into the intricate patterns she had learned to do as a kid. She took care not to pull at your scalp too much, and the gentle motion of her fingers felt lovely on your head. You were more relaxed than you had been in months.

"Has Frido said anything to you?" Ingrid finally asked after a stretch of silence.

You raised your eyebrows, surprised at the question.

"No, we haven't spoken since before we went on international break."

Ingrid paused, but didn't press. You felt her desire to do so, however. You wondered if Frido had spoken to her at all.

[americaswritings]

When we stole the night

Warnings: violence, mentions of killing, Coriolanus being himself, his thoughts, mix of book/film elements

Summary: When Coriolanus is send into the arena to get Sejanus he doesn't make it out and has to hide in the tunnels. That is where he finds you, his tribute.

Words: 3.2k

Pairing: Young Coriolanus Snow x reader

Masterlist | Hunger Games Masterlist | Add yourself to my taglist!

Coriolanus was running.

He was surrounded by darkness, the light in front of him where the peacekeepers secured the gate the only source of light apart from the dim moonshine.

Hundreds of thoughts were running through his head, at the top of them images of killing the boy, but he pushed them away.

Buried the anger and resentment he felt towards Sejanus, who had roped him into this situation just because he felt guilty for Marcus’s death and couldn’t move on from his life at the district.

Fear and the panic of suddenly becoming prey clouded his mind and he could barely think straight as he ran for his life. Something sizzled through the air next to him, so close to his ear that he stumbled in shock and lost his footing for a moment.

But he didn’t dare to look who had thrown the weapon, could only hope that it had been their only one as he tried to find his pace again.

His leg was burning, a pain he tried to ignore but slowed him down drastically as he attempted to catch up with Sejanus, who was at the gate now.

Despite the immediate medical attention Coriolanus had received when he had gotten injured during the bombing attack from the rebels, there had been too little time for the wound to heal and with every step he took he was slowing down.

It was only a matter of time until they got to him.

The adrenaline was pulsing through his veins as he heard Sejanus yell his name. Breaking out of his narrow focus for the gate he looked up just in time to see Coral launch an attack at him. He ducked, stumbling as his bad leg gave in and he almost fell.

Turning, he saw that Sejanus was already halfway through the gate. The boy hesitated and for a moment it looked as if he would come back for him and Coriolanus felt relief flooding his body, but one of the peacekeepers grabbed him by the upper arm and dragged him behind the gate before he could.

Then the gate closed. Locking him in the arena with the tributes.

Coriolanus had no time to wrap his head around what had just happened, because he had to dodge another one of the girl‘s attacks. Soon the other two of her little murder gang would have reached him and he would stand no chance again them.

They would kill him.

He would die. In the arena. By the hands of tributes.

Alone.

The Capitol would spin a pretty story about his death like they had done when Clemensia had been in the hospital after the snake bite and no one would ever know the truth about what had happened to him.

Except Sejanus.

But his father would use their money to propitiate the Capitol and effectively silence his son and Tigris and the Grandma'am would never find out why he had never made it home.

He couldn‘t imagine a more undignified death.

So he ran. Not towards the gate, but in the opposite direction, away from his chance at freedom and into the shadows.

Coral and the others had not expected his move and it gave him a head start to make it into the tunnels and disappear.

He knew they would follow him, so he kept running, sliding down rubble, rounding a corner and hiding in a niche. Then he held his breath and waited.

If he was lucky and they didn‘t find him here, he could wait until he was certain they were away far enough and try to make it to the gate.

But Coral and her gang weren‘t the only ones he needed to worry about and he pressed himself farther against the wall when he heard a pair of footsteps approach.

It was Reaper.

Coriolanus waited for him to pass. He wouldn’t try to engage another tribute, not if he could prevent it. Better if less of them knew he was here.

Although it wasn’t like their knowledge would pose any danger to him once he was out. Only one of them would get out of here alive, the rest would take his secret to their graves and he would damn well make sure it was you.

You.

Coriolanus blinked and took a breath. You were here, somewhere.

No, he couldn‘t get to you. It was stupid to try and find you. He needed to get out of here as fast as possible, not waste precious chances to do…what?

See you? Make sure you were okay? There was nothing he could do to help you here and now and his presence only drew more attention towards you.

He thought back to the promise he had given you just last night, to do everything to keep you safe and get you out alive.

It was still true, but although he had felt helpless in his seat watching you fight and run for your life on the screen, he now missed that front row seat. He couldn‘t do anything here for you without risking his own life as well and that had never been on the table before.

And what if the day in the arena had changed you?

What if you would turn on him just like the others had? Tribute rather than friend, lover, whatever this connection between you was.

Just minutes - or had it been an hour already? - had turned him into a killer. He had killed a boy. Bobbin, he remembered his name was.

Had the arena done that to him or had that always been inside of him and it was true that the arena only awoke what was trapped inside everyone?

Shaking his head Coriolanus pushed the thoughts away. He couldn‘t allow himself to go mad. With each minute passing his chances to leave the arena alive and unharmed lowered and he could visibly imagine Dr. Gaul writing him off as she fed her snakes.

No.

He would get out of here, alive. Whatever it took.

Getting up from his crouched position Coriolanus stretched his aching limbs before crawling out of his hiding space. He didn‘t know if it was safe yet, but he couldn‘t wait longer.

He would take the leap of faith.

Every step he took echoed twice as loud through the tunnels and he had to force himself to take even breaths. He hadn‘t realised how far he had run into the tunnels and he felt his hopelessness grow when there was no sight of an exit.

When he rounded another corner he suddenly heard a noise. It was right behind him and as he spun around he could only think of what a waste his death was. What a tragedy.

“Coriolanus?!“

Your voice echoed loudly, even though you had barely more than whispered. He was frozen, his eyes locked on yours as shock faded into relief.

He wouldn‘t die. At least not now.

“What are you doing here?“ your voice rose and you took a step closer, your eyes squinted in the darkness as they searched his face.

His raked over yours and then your body as well. Your clothes were dirt stained and your face was a little bruised but apart from it you seemed unscathed.

He had believed so, but seeing it with his own eyes brought him a different kind of reassurance.

“I uhm“, he stumbled over his words, struggling to retain composure. You looked at him expectantly, your eyes wide and curious.

But Coriolanus hesitated. Could he tell you the truth? Could he still trust you?

When he swallowed and furrowed his brows you grabbed his arm. “Tell me later. We need to find a better hiding spot. I heard you a mile away and if I did, I am sure others did too.“

He nodded, glad that he didn‘t have to explain himself just yet and earn a few more minutes to think of what he could tell you.

Your hand was still wrapped around his arm as you turned and guided him through the dark and it slid downwards, reaching his hand and locking your fingers. Coriolanus wouldn‘t admit it, but the touch relieved his unease a little. It felt good to know you were here and guiding him, that he wasn’t alone anymore.

He didn‘t know if he could still trust you, but he wanted to and despite a warning voice in the back of his head a part of him did.

Only yesterday he had cupped your face and whispered promises in your ear and he refused to believe you weren‘t that girl anymore until you showed him otherwise.

You led him around a few corners until you stopped, climbing through a little opening between the rubble. He watched you disappear in the hole, crouching down to inspect it.

It was small and he was much taller than you, but then your face appeared at the other side and you waved at him with a confident smile. What good of a mentor was he if he hesitated now?

It was a struggle to get inside and he painfully hit his knees, shoulders and head a few times, but at least it would keep larger opponents outside.

And if anyone wanted to get in you would hear them and kill them before they even got the chance to raise their own weapon. It was the perfect hiding spot.

Maybe he could just wait this out, he thought. The other tributes could kill each other while he sat here with you until the rescue team would show up and get you out.

But that was too good a fantasy.

He knew that the Capitol didn‘t have any cameras in the tunnels, so no one would know he was here with you, but his absence wouldn‘t go unnoticed and he doubted they would crown you the victor, if he stayed with you.

None of the other mentors were in the position he was currently in and although Coriolanus couldn‘t find any benefit of his miserable situation he could easily imagine the capitol and his classmates arguing that it was an unfair advantage.

As if he had volunteered to be sent into an arena full of tributes that were out to kill each other, but probably unite over the idea of killing him, someone from the capitol.

And what about you then? Would you stick to his side or abandon him for your own sake?

Or worse, what if you betrayed him?

It would earn you the sympathy of the other tributes for certain, something that could be the defining factor of your survival. But would you be so calculating, so cruel and betray your own mentor?

He watched you slide down next to a wall and you hugged your knees in, probably to keep yourself warm. He wasn’t feeling cold, but he hadn‘t been in here for as long.

Looking up at him standing there you patted the space next to you, letting out a mixture between an amused and bitter laugh as you saw his hesitation. “Come one, I won‘t bite and I swear I don‘t have rabies.“

He grimaced slightly as he thought of Jessup‘s death and how he had hunted you through the arena. It hadn‘t been so long ago and yet it felt like ages considering how much had happened since then.

Deciding it wasn‘t likely that you had waited this long and brought him here only for you to try and kill him now Coriolanus closed the distance and took a seat next to you.

He stretched out his long legs, glad to finally keep the weight off of his bad leg.

“So“, you began and he noticed your gaze on him from the periphery of his vision, “you never told me why you‘re here. I‘m mean, not that I am complaining. It‘s nice to have some company, especially such lovely one, but it‘s a little…unexpected.“

He noted your hint of flirtation with a smile. It made him feel more in control and fuelled his hope that the girl he had said goodbye too wasn’t gone. “For me too“, he stated, turning his head so he could look at you.

He didn‘t know if he could trust you, but here in the arena you were his best chance of survival. And as your mentor he could help you more from the outside, so you had an interest on keeping him alive and get him out of here too.

Besides, he wanted to trust you. And he hoped you had more than your own motifs in mind when it came to his survival.

“Dr. Gaul sent me here.“ He decided to tell you the truth. “Sejanus bribed the peacekeepers to let him in here. He wanted to scatter breadcrumbs or something for Marcus. It‘s a ritual they have in his district.“

He tried to keep his voice neutral, but you knew him well enough by now to hear the hint of dismay in it.

“I think that‘s brave of him“, you said after a moment of silence and when he furrowed his brows he realised you had been testing how you would react to his words.

“But also stupid“, you continued, “I doubt the capitol is going to let anyone see it.“

He sighed. “They don’t. They froze the frame and his father will make sure he won‘t say a word about it.“

“So he got out?“ Coriolanus nodded, the image of the gate closing behind Sejanus back in his head. “He did.“

“But you didn’t.“ He closed his eyes for a moment, leaning his head against the wall. “How come they sent you? Why not just their thugs?“

“They figured he would just make a run for it, if he saw them. And then they would have a much harder job at containing him and keeping the public from knowing.“

He pressed his lips into a thin line. “And because apparently everyone thinks Sejanus and I are best friends I was the lucky one to get the job.“

When he opened his eyes yours were focused on his face and he realised how close you were sitting. “You‘re not? Friends, I mean.“

He pushed out a breath and pinched the space between his brows. “He lived here for years now, but he still acts and thinks like district.“

He practically spit out the word and you shuffled away from him a little. “I am district, Coriolanus“, you reminded him, trying to hide your hurt but failing. “You think you‘re too good to be friends with us?“

He bit his lip, frustrated at himself for his mistake. This slip-up. He hadn‘t meant it that way. You were different…

You had just been born at the wrong place.

Yeah, the more he thought about it, the more he could see it, you as a part of the capitol. With less mud and stains of course. And a class on etiquette to get the district out of your system. Tigris would make the most enchanting dresses for you and every man and woman would bow their heads when the two of you emerged. A Snow and a victor.

“I didn’t mean it-”, he began, but you shook your head, cutting him off.

“I think I know exactly what you meant.“

Silence settled between you and it felt uncomfortable and heavy.

“You think you‘re better than us. Just because you were born here and not there and you’re wearing that uniform doesn‘t mean your life‘s worth more than ours“, you stated after a while and he swallowed.

“I know.“

Did he?

“Do you?“

“I killed someone today.“

You inhaled and he saw you were staring at his face with undivided attention, but he couldn’t bring himself to look at you. Staring at the wall in front of him he continued. “He was just a boy. Bobbin, I think his name was?“

He dared a glance towards you for confirmation and you nodded. Your face was a carefully composed mask of guardedness and he quickly looked away again.

“I didn‘t want to hurt him, but he attacked me. I didn’t have a choice. I had to kill him.“

Coriolanus wondered how he looked to you now; his red university uniform creased and filthy, hiding in a cave and fighting the tears as he confessed his sins.

“Hey“, you reached out and gently touched his chin to turn his head to you. “You did what you had to do.“

His eyes found yours and he seeked your reassurance, clinging to it like a lifeline.

“It was horrible. But-”, he cleared his throat, preparing himself for his next revelation, “it also made me feel powerful.“

You took a sharp breath, fear and uncertainty dancing across your eyes until you won back your composure.

“We all do things in here that we‘re not proud of.“

He had feared your judgement. Had feared that you would turn your back on him now that he had exposed this dark part of him, but instead there was understanding in your eyes.

And he knew you would never betray him. You could have left but you were still here. Still with him.

“So what‘s your plan now?“

You studied his face, but you looked tired and even though his own exhaustion was wearing him down he thought about offering to stay awake and keep an eye out so you could rest.

“I need to get out of here“, he said simply, because it was the only thing he was sure of. You nodded, but he caught the hint of disappointment on your face.

He should leave now, use the last hours of the night and get out of this hellhole and back to his own, safe walls.

But he couldn‘t bring himself to get up and risk his life again. Not when he finally had a moment to relax after the last hours had been nothing but stressful and not when this could be the last time he saw you.

The last time and the first time you two had for yourselves, without cameras watching you or anyone questioning your connection.

“Yeah, that makes sense“, you agreed, but he heard the strain in your voice. You were exhausted and worn down from the constant fear, the terror and the need to keep one eye open at all times.

“But…that can wait a little.“

You furrowed your brows. “Are you sure? Aren‘t they going to be suspicious, if you don‘t get back soon?“

He shrugged. “I am just going to tell them the truth. That I got attacked and had to hide.“

“And you won‘t get in trouble?“

He was almost touched by your concern, but decided to conceal it with amusement. When you noticed his look you rolled your eyes. “I was just checking, because I need my mentor to get me out of here alive. I can‘t have him rot in chains somewhere.“

“Right”, he nodded with a smile, but quickly grew serious again. “They are the ones who got me here in the first place so I doubt they get to have a say in how or when I make it out.“

“Thank you.“ Your voice was barely above a whisper and he drew you close, his hand gently moving up and down your arm.

Coriolanus couldn‘t do much for you. But he could stay now, pull your body close to his to provide you with warmth and stop your shivers and let you rest.

Even if it was just for a night, he would be there for you.

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[narcjsistx]

Can you do headcanons or oneshot about Reader and Sano siblings? Like Emma and Reader are twins but got separated and Reader was staying with Karen Kurokawa and her family, tho she was heavily abxsed there and Shinichiro took her to Sano household to live there. I just wonder what kind of reaction would Shinichiro, Mikey and Emma would have when they would realise that tough time their little/twin sister had to go through. It's okey if you won't do this since it's very angsty idea!😭😭(I crave angst lol)

HI! thanks for the request, hope you have a good day 💚 and thx for the support! honestly, I love angst stuff, so it was a pleasure to write this os

— Hidden scars

You don't remember the exact day Emma was left in front of that house. Your mother told you to say goodbye and you hugged your twin, then walked away with your mother: hand in hand, you returned home. It felt strange to you to no longer spend your days with Emma, ​​while you played outside your dilapidated house. You once also played with Izana, your older brother, but for some strange reason he too was gone. You don't remember when Emma left, but you remember everything that happened after. You remember the slaps, the screams when you didn't put the games away. Do you remember all the times your mother shouted that she regretted leaving Emma in that house, since she would surely have been more useful than you

The thing you remember with absolute precision, however, is the look of hatred you saw on your mother's face before she locked you in the closet at home. The only source of light was from a small window too high to reach and a few bottles of water that you hadn't put in the fridge when the fresh one ran out. You had been immobile for 2 days, and only on the third day you start screaming for help, hoping that someone would hear you from the window. You were 7 years old and Emma had been gone for a year now. You had spent a week in the closet, surviving with the water and some slices of expired bread that you had found in a box. A postman had heard your screams and two hours later you were in the hospital, having been kicked out of your little prison by some cops. The house was empty when the police arrived, a sign that your mother had left the same day she locked you in there. She left knowing she was killing you

A photo of you ended up on a television program and, by pure chance, the Sano family was watching that program. Emma had started screaming and crying when she saw your photo, begging Shinichiro to call the adoption number because the little girl in the photo was her twin sister. And so, a month later, you had finally hugged your sister again. Shinichiro had come to the hospital the same day that Emma had seen your photo, and for the whole month you had made his acquaintance, reassuring you that you would soon be loved in a normal family. You didn't believe it, but when you saw Emma again, and she was so beautiful and healthy, you realized that maybe you too would have become like her if you had trusted this Shinichiro

And that was how you became part of the Sano family, changing your last name from Kurokawa to Sano. You shared your room with Emma, ​​you played video games with Mikey, Shinichiro's only biological brother, you spent hours with your grandfather in his dojo. Never more than before, had you been so happy. Six months had passed since you joined the family. You were in your room and you were getting ready to go out with Shinichiro, to spend the afternoon at his store

You were taking off your school uniform when, in front of the mirror, you noticed the beginnings of one of the many scars on your body. You had gotten used to it, yet this time it made a little sense to see them. You take off your shirt and, in front of the bedroom mirror, your little girl's body looks so wrong. You have at least ten or twenty scars that Karen gave you, and some are hidden by your tank top. You stare and wonder why your mother had to go to that length. You were her daughter, why did she make you like this?

"Hey, Shinichiro is waiting for you downstairs-" Mikey says as he enters the room without knocking. You instinctively turn around in embarrassment and notice how Manjiro is so surprised to see all those marks on your body. In fact, no one, not even Emma, ​​knew about the scars “…Since when do you have those…things?” he asks embarrassed, perhaps even perplexed. You can't speak, gripped by anxiety, and the result is only Manjiro running up the stairs calling out for Shinichiro. In a panic you jump onto your bed, hiding under the covers. You cover your ears and, after a long time, you feel like you're reliving the scene of Karen looking for you around the house screaming. You tremble and try to regulate your breathing, failing. If Shinichiro finds out about these scars, he will send you home, and you don't know if your mother has returned or not. You have to be perfect if you want to maintain your happiness and peace of mind, you have to hide the mistakes and by doing so Mikey has only ruined your plan

"What's going on, Manjiro?" Shinichiro asks, and by the way there's movement in the room you can tell he's tugging at it from his sleeve "Where's our sister?" asks another voice, Emma. You cover your mouth and pray not to be discovered, but Shinichiro gently lifts the edge of the blanket "What's going on, honey?” he asks gently, but with the light finally in his favor the scars reach his eyes. He look at you for a moment confused, and Emma adds with a very worried look. Violently you begin to cry, praying in your mind that Shinichiro will have mercy on you

"I don't want to go home please, I promise they fade away with time..." you whisper between sobs, even though you know they will never leave your body. They have marked you and will do so until your last breath, whether you want it or not. Shinichiro seems confused by your words for a moment, but immediately afterward he seems to understand. He passes a hand through your hair and lowers himself to your height "I want you to stay here, this is your home. Do you want a biscuit?" he asks sweetly. You look up and his gentle smile seems to reassure you. You look at Emma, ​​who seems to have understood despite her innocence what you mean. Mikey looks at the two brothers with a confused look, understanding absolutely nothing "Preferences are not between brothers, Shinichiro!" Manjiro says annoyingly, making you giggle even though your face is still full of tears. You grab Shinichiro's hand and with all your brothers go downstairs. Your older brother looks at you affectionately: he probably understood more than you showed. This is why you don't want to go home, because you know that no one could love you like your brothers do

[adore-laur]

CALIFORNIA DUSK

— birth of baby #2 in the dadrry universe 🌊

——

6:24 AM

California dawn brings serenity to the house. The sun is leisurely rising, painting the sky with wispy pink brushstrokes across an endless canvas of powder blue. Seagulls croon as they fly parallel to the hazy horizon, gracefully dipping their claws down in the water to catch their first meal of the day. Waves crash against the vacant ocean shore with persistence, as if to announce that morning has arrived once again.

Soon, golden rays will seep through the flowing curtains and cast shapes on the hardwood floors. The trees will start to sway from the coastal breeze, sending earthy scents of pine and cedar into the kitchen. Toys scattered in the living room from the night before will be left alone to wallow until their owner sleepily waddles from her bedroom with a yawn and an empty stomach.

A spoon clinks against the edge of a mug, echoing throughout the tranquil kitchen as chickadees sing their song near the window. Yet the current calmness of your surroundings doesn't quite match how you feel inside.

Being awake for the past two hours—hunched over the kitchen island and rocking side to side while breathing through painful cramping—isn't how you would've liked to commence your morning. Harry is brewing homemade coffee for himself since there's a high chance it will be a long, tiresome day ahead. He's been up with you since you started having contractions, and you tried to convince him to keep sleeping, but there was no way to persuade him since he's naturally an early bird. And you know he would never let you handle the discomfort alone.

Your daughter is still fast asleep in her room down the hall, oblivious to how soon she'll be a big sister. You're not looking to traumatize her at a young age, so Harry's mother is on her way to pick her up in case you give birth.

You've decided on a natural water birth this time. Being in the hospital for your first childbirth experience was tolerable, but the atmosphere gave you tremendous anxiety. The nurses hovering over you, the constant beeping of the machines, and the stale room all felt suffocating. You're confident you'll feel more at ease in the comfort of your own home, with only Harry and the midwife witnessing you in your most vulnerable state.

As the pain temporarily alleviates in your abdomen, you slowly straighten your posture and walk some laps around the living room. There's nothing you can do except hang tight and see if anything progresses. The contractions haven't gotten to the point of being unbearable, but they still beg the question of whether you'll be having a baby today. It's a waiting game.

Harry is surprisingly relaxed, and you suppose it's because this isn't his first rodeo. Seeing the difference in his composure compared to the first time you went into labor is humorous. He had clammy hands, was a stuttering mess, and also forgot to bring his driver's license when he drove you to the hospital.

Now, it's like he has never been more prepared for anything in his entire life. He could be hiding his nerves well, but otherwise, he's extremely put together as he whistles the "We Just Got a Letter" jingle from Blue's Clues that always gets stuck in his head because your daughter watches the show every morning. He's already dressed for the birth that might not even happen today—swim shorts for when he gets in the birthing pool with you and a faded graphic tee that looks like it has seen better days. His favorite blue baseball cap is snug on his head, covering his messy hair that curls upwards underneath. He looks casually gorgeous in the morning light.

After your tenth lap, you wander back to the kitchen and stand beside Harry as he drops two slices of bread into the toaster. He looks down at you and smiles.

"Hi," he says, leaning his hip against the counter. "Contraction over with?"

"For now," you reply dully. "I'm sure there'll be plenty more."

He jerks his chin toward the sink. "I want you to drink some water."

"I'm not thirsty."

"Please just drink one glass for me, baby," he says, opening the refrigerator and grabbing a jar of grape jam. "Let's not have a repeat of last time."

You roll your eyes and steal a cup from the drying rack. He clearly remembers when you vomited at the hospital just hours before giving birth. Yes, you were dehydrated, but that was the last thing on your mind.

As you sip cloudy tap water, you watch Harry silently spread jam onto his perfectly browned toast. He's been too quiet this morning—entirely cool, calm, and collected. You miss his delirious morning humor.

"You're scaring me."

Harry freezes with the butter knife in his grasp. "I didn't know your husband making breakfast was a fear of yours."

There it is!

"No, not that." You wipe off a glob of jam on his thumb. "You're just really relaxed right now."

Setting his toast on a plate, he turns to you with a crease between his eyebrows. "Should I be freaking out?"

"Well, I might give birth soon," you say, your heart rate increasing at the mere thought. "Doesn't that, I don't know, make you nervous?"

"Of course, I'm nervous," he replies, gently squeezing your shoulders. "I'm sure I'll be a hot mess once you're in full-on labor. I'm just enjoying the morning with you while you're still pregnant. You know... soaking it all in."

You release a shaky exhale, your mind spiraling as everything becomes more real the longer you talk about how you'll be a family of four very soon. "Okay," you whisper unconvincingly. "That makes sense."

Harry obviously doesn't buy it because he stares at you briefly before trapping your fidgeting hands with his own. "What's going on?"

"I'm freaking out," you admit weakly. Your voice wavers, and the lump in your throat is hard to swallow.

His face softens with sympathy as your eyes gloss over with tears. "Let's walk down to the shore," he suggests, kissing your forehead. "Just you and me before it gets crazy in here."

Sniffling, you ask, "What if I can't make it back to the house?"

"Then I'll carry you."

"Good luck with that," you mutter before grabbing your phone from the kitchen table. "Let's go while I have a break from contractions."

He nods, taking his plate and the baby monitor from the countertop, and then leads the way out the patio door.

During the short journey there, your heart blooms with fondness when you catch Harry smiling to himself as he walks, his tattooed arms swinging. It's too endearing not to keep as a permanent memory, so you open the camera on your phone and press record. The fresh air has rapidly lifted your mood, and you're thankful for it.

"What are you grinning about over there?"

Harry looks up and gives the camera a big, open-mouthed smile, pure excitement exuding from him. He's been waiting so patiently for another baby, and now it's slowly but surely becoming reality.

"What's got you so happy?" You laugh and stop recording.

He shrugs, still smiling contagiously. "I can't believe it's happening. It just hit me right now."

Both of you reach the sand and sit away from the lapping waves in case you have to head back to the house promptly. Harry places himself behind you, a position that's supposed to help when a contraction comes. You can hold onto his legs for leverage and support, and he can massage wherever you're hurting.

"I can't believe it either," you reply with a pensive shake of your head.

"Talk to me. How are you feeling?" Harry asks, taking a crunchy bite of toast. "Emotionally, I mean."

Talk to me. It's a three-word sentence he's been saying to you for years. He always wants to know how you're feeling whenever you bottle up your thoughts—anger, sorrow, or happiness. It has never changed, and it never fails to help immensely.

"I'm not as nervous as last time," you answer, closing your eyes when he starts playing with your hair. "I feel more prepared since I know what to expect, but it's terrifying that I'm doing it naturally this time."

He hums in acknowledgment. "That's completely valid. No one expects you to be one hundred percent confident when pushing a baby out, no matter how many times you've done it before. Just know that I'm eternally grateful that you've grown two beautiful babies for us. You're a superstar."

"Thanks. I just feel like—" You gasp suddenly, your hand quickly shooting to your side as another contraction hits.

"Okay," Harry says soothingly, grabbing your hand so you can squeeze his own. He quickly unlocks his phone to set a timer. "It's okay. Breathe with me."

You inhale and exhale through the internal pain, the tight cramping making you lean back against his chest. "Harry, it hurts," you cry as your other hand grips his knee. "Ow, ow, ow."

"I've got you. Just breathe through it." He lifts the hem of your oversized shirt and spreads his hand on your stomach. It's stretched beyond belief and has dropped significantly throughout the past week. "Focus on my breathing, all right? And relax your shoulders. They're too tense."

You breathe with him as he massages your lower back. Your face is getting hot and your throat is dry, but the only thing you can fully pinpoint is the penetrating pain.

"Tell me something. Please distract me."

Harry kisses your temple. "You look really pretty."

"Shut up," you mumble with a laugh that quickly turns into a groan of discomfort.

"I'm serious. I love how you look in the morning when the sun hits your face, like right now. It makes you glow even more than usual. And the way it brightens your eyes reminds me so much of our daughter." He turns your face so you're looking at him. "I see you in her all the time."

You smile weakly and rest your head on the dip between his neck and shoulder. "Yeah, but she has your bunny teeth."

His deep, comforting laugh vibrates against your back. "Mm, you'd be the one to notice that."

You just tiredly nod as the contraction subsides. You make a good guess that you're not close to labor yet because of how far apart and mild they've been so far. The midwife is only five minutes away, so there's no dire need for her to come and check on you.

"I think that one's done." You carefully sit up and release his hand. "How long was it?"

Harry checks his phone. "Forty-seven seconds."

"Short," you think aloud. "They've been irregular, so I think they might be Braxton Hicks."

He dramatically falls back onto the sand and spreads his arms out. "Does that mean no baby today?"

You snort and cuddle up next to him. "Soon. You have to be patient."

He's silent for a minute before asking, "Isn't sex supposed to induce labor?"

You scoff and swat at his chest. "I swear you asked me that last time."

"Oh, I definitely did. You rejected me and then literally didn't go into labor until a week later, remember? You should've listened to me."

"I don't think it would be enjoyable for either of us if we tried. I couldn't even walk down here without feeling like passing out."

Harry draws patterns on your belly with his finger, causing a response of fluttery kicks from the baby. "I know, I'm only joking. We don't have to be anywhere or do anything right now. Let's stay out here for a little bit, yeah?"

"Sounds like a plan," you mumble into his shoulder. The world around you drowns out like the shells under the waves as you focus on his heartbeat. The rhythmic thumping of your favorite part of him lulls you to sleep, his hand gently stroking your hair as time passes with each movement of the sun.

Your nerves wash away with each ocean tide, and you know everything will be all right.

——

7:03 PM 

The tub is ready.

You are not.

A shirtless Harry is already sitting in the circular birthing pool, looking like he's ready to deliver the baby himself. You've changed into your swimsuit and are now vaguely listening to what the midwife is telling you as you lean against the wall and suffer through another contraction—a particularly strong one that indicates you're going to start pushing soon.

Your water has already broken, and you're not quite sure why you're waiting until the very last second to get into the tub, but nothing in your mind is making sense due to the overwhelming pain. The bedroom is too small, the lights are too bright, the way Harry's dotingly looking at you is too much, and your body feels too weak even though it's about to perform the most vigorous exercise imaginable.

"We need you in the tub so I can check your dilation," says the midwife, snapping you out of your overthinking spiral.

"I-I can't," you reply helplessly. "I don't think I can do this. I don't want to do this."

You regret not just sucking it up and going to the hospital so they can inject you with an epidural.

"I am going to do everything I can to give you a safe and smooth delivery process," she assures you. "Your husband is waiting for you. He's going to be your support system the entire time, okay? Do you trust him to do that?"

You frantically nod your head—you've never trusted anyone more. "The water will help with the pain," she adds with a kind smile. "It will relax your muscles and make you feel very nice. Can you get in the tub for me? Harry will help you."

You look at him, seeing his slightly shaky hands beckon you closer. You swallow and take a deep breath before slowly approaching him. Equipment scatters the floor and the bed beside you—clean blankets, a tarp for the mess, towels, medical supplies, and a cup of ice.

Harry carefully helps you into the birthing tub, positioning you so your back is against his bare chest. Once you're situated in the lukewarm water, you focus on his heartbeat pounding double-time.

"I can't do this," you repeat as you slide your swimsuit bottoms off.

"Yes, you can," Harry says, kneading your shoulders. "It'll be so worth it. We'll have a baby boy or girl to hold tonight."

"I'm scared. What if something goes wrong? What if I can't handle the pain? What if I—"

"Hey," he scolds softly. "Please don't think like that. Remember last time? What did I tell you to do to distract yourself?"

"Count your tattoos."

"That's right. I've gotten quite a few more since then, so get to counting. Distract your mind from the pain. I'm not going anywhere."

You begin counting, starting with your name tattooed on his right thigh. You then grab his left arm and count all the small ones near his hand. The chrysanthemum on the inside of his wrist represents your daughter's birth flower, along with her date of birth written in cursive underneath. There's also the outline of a wave representing his home with you in California, where you built your life together. They all mean something near and dear to his heart.

The midwife brings you out of your trance when she leans over the pool and checks your dilation as Harry places comforting kisses on the back of your head. "You're about eight centimeters," she tells you after a few seconds of uncomfortable inspection.

"I feel like I need to push," you say timidly. "I feel the baby really low."

"We need to wait until you're ten centimeters," she replies. "If you can just hold out a little longer, it'll be much easier to push, okay?"

You nod and let out a long groan when the contraction moves from your lower back to your pelvis.

"Do you want your ice?" Harry asks.

"Yes, please."

He reaches behind him and grabs the cup filled with chipped ice. You begin chewing on a piece to cool your body temperature and force your brain to focus on something else.

Several minutes pass, with Harry whispering loving encouragements as the midwife talks you through what's about to happen. She allows you to exert tiny pushes while applying pressure to your abdomen. Everything goes in one ear and out the other, but you know the moment is almost here. There's no stopping now.

"Do you still feel like you need to push, honey?" the midwife asks, checking your dilation again.

"Yeah. Am I ten centimeters yet?"

"Just about. I'm going to have you push now."

You turn your head and stare at Harry with wide eyes. He messily captures your lips with his, then moves them near your ear. "I'm right behind you. Whatever you need, just let me know. If you need me to get out or scream at me—anything at all."

You look forward when the midwife parts your legs and encourages you to push using all of your strength.

The first push is the most agonizing. Your head throws itself back on Harry's shoulder as you grit your teeth and contract what feels like every muscle in your body. The midwife counts to ten, the seconds dragging on like minutes. Your face is scrunched up tight, and your legs are tense in the water. Harry softly counts in your ear, taking your left hand in his.

Breathe out for three. 

The second push feels like you're on fire, but not in a good way. The aching, cramping, and stinging pain shooting all over your body is borderline unbearable. It's felt externally, internally, and everywhere in between. You let a cry escape your mouth as the pain strikes your lower abdomen in full force. Harry kisses your ring finger and sets your hand on his heart.

Breathe out for three. 

The third push gets you the farthest. Your ringing ears distantly hear something along the lines of I can see the head, and you feel a sharp breath from Harry hitting your neck and a kiss behind your ear. When the midwife gets to number two, she pulls the head out. The burning sensation remains, but the most challenging part is out of the way.

Breathe out for three. 

The final push is when you give every ounce of energy you have left, squeezing both of Harry's hands so tightly that you're afraid you might break his bones. You're told to give your strongest and longest push, making your entire body rigid as you stop your breathing to make this the last one. Harry chants motivational words from behind you: They're almost here; you're doing so good; I love you. 

Then, all at once, there's release.

Relief.

Remission.

You quickly pull your baby up from under the water and cradle them against your heaving chest. You're shivering from the adrenaline, and your body feels bizarrely empty.

"It's a girl!" announces the midwife as she wipes and rubs her down with a towel.

The tears immediately fall. You hear Harry let out a quiet sob as he buries his face in your neck with trembling lips. With his forehead pressed to your skin, he sniffles while the sound of your baby girl's cries fills the room.

"Would Dad like to cut the cord?"

Harry nods and palms his tear-filled eyes. She passes tiny surgical scissors over to him and stretches the umbilical cord, showing him where to snip. He carefully moves out from behind you and releases an emotional breath as he opens the scissors, but he drops them in the tub because of his shaky hands.

"Sorry," he says with a choked laugh. He picks them up and tries again, successfully cutting the cord. The midwife cheers and begins setting things up for the after-birth process.

You cradle the back of your baby's head and cry with unspeakable happiness. "Hold her," you tell Harry now that she's detached.

He reaches his hands out, and you carefully pass her squirming body over to him. He seems almost lost in a trance for a second, but when her cries die down instantly once her skin meets his, he looks at you with the most breathtaking smile.

She clings to him like a lifeline, her cheek squished against his chest and her tiny hands spread on his collarbones. "Look," he whispers to you with watery eyes. "Look at her."

"I know. She loves you already."

His gaze is now focused on you, with an expression conveying so many emotions. You think he's never looked more beautiful.

"Thank you," he says.

Those two simple words are spoken with a heavy amount of sincerity. You know what they mean: Thank you for letting me be a father. Thank you for pushing through all the mental and physical changes again. Thank you for her. 

You smile and blink back more tears. "All in a day's work."

Harry shakes his head as his eyes dance over your face. "You're the strongest person I know. I've never seen anything more incredible than what you just did."

"Thank you for helping me through it."

"I always will," he says while stroking your baby girl's back with his large hand. It almost engulfs her entire body.

"Are you insinuating we're going to have more babies?"

"You know I'd have a million with you. You're fuckin' perfect."

You slap his arm lazily. "Don't swear."

He leans in until his forehead touches yours. "Give me a kiss."

"Your lips are dry."

He licks his lips, and you meet his mouth. He hums and grins into the kiss, pulling away from you with a glint in his eyes. "I love you so much," he murmurs before glancing at his daughter. "Both of you. My heart beats for my girls."

"I love you."

A tiny hand suddenly hits Harry's mouth. He sputters a laugh and grabs it, kissing it repeatedly until she lets out a gurgle. He laughs in disbelief and hikes her up to smell her head, the baby scent being one of his favorite parts about having a newborn.

"Already a daddy's girl," you slur tiredly, exhaustion finally catching up to you.

He puckers endless kisses onto her head. "Think I'll keep you forever, angel," he tells her. "Is that okay? Hmm? Gonna be my snuggle bug when I need it the most?"

Her eyes remain closed, and her lips smack as she lets out a silent cry. You look at Harry, and you find him absolutely mesmerized by her. Every small movement she makes, every change in facial expression, every noise that comes from her—he's watching it all with proud eyes and a permanent smile.

No other man would you want as your husband. No other man would you want to be the father of your babies.

——

8:40 PM

It's been a little over an hour since you gave birth, and since then, you've been moved to the bed after being cleaned up. You've just finished breastfeeding and now lie with her in your arms as you try to fall asleep next to Harry. He's still making calls to his loved ones to tell them the news, and each time he does, he gets emotional all over again when the person on the other line gasps or screams with joy.

He's wearing a hoodie and sweatpants, and part of his hair is held back with one of your daughter's pink butterfly clips. You're both running on empty but have never been more blissfully content as she sleeps, her body wrapped in a white swaddle and a baby beanie snug on her head.

The windows are open, letting the ocean breeze waft in and cool your body's dull ache. The midwife had been kind enough to bring you snacks, leaving ice water, a plate of crackers, and a bowl of strawberry yogurt for you on the nightstand. There was an instance when Harry asked for a spoonful of your yogurt, and when you fed it to him, some dropped onto your baby's cheek. You both broke into silent laughter until she got fussy from your movements. Or maybe it was from the cold dollop of yogurt on her sensitive skin. Either way, it was entertaining.

Now, you drift off beside him and feel the soft breaths of your baby girl on your breast as the linen curtains blow in time with the swelling waves meeting the shore.

"Are you awake?" Harry asks quietly after he ends another call.

"Barely," you whisper into his sleeve. It smells like heaven.

He kisses your temple and inhales deeply. "I just got off the phone with my boss. He says congratulations and to name her after him."

You release a laugh laced with drowsiness. "I don't think she'd appreciate being named after an ornery old man."

"True. That was the last call I needed to make, by the way." He scoots down the bed and gently nuzzles his head into your side. "Get some rest. I'll be quiet now."

"I don't want to miss anything," you say, even though your eyes have been involuntarily closing for the past ten minutes.

He lightly scratches up and down your arm. "She's sleeping, my love."

"I know, but what if she does something cute?"

"Then I'll wake you up."

"Promise?" Your eyes droop once again with overpowering fatigue.

"I promise." He seals it with a tender kiss on your shoulder. "You need—"

A knock on the bedroom door interrupts him and makes your head turn toward the sound. The knob jiggles for a few seconds before the door slowly opens with a creak to reveal your daughter standing there. She's holding her favorite blanket, her thumb tucked in her mouth. You assume Harry's mother must have just arrived and is letting her have some alone time with the both of you.

"Hi, lovebug," Harry says softly. "Come here. We've got a surprise for you."

She cautiously shuffles over to the edge of the bed and inspects the sleeping bundle in your arms. "Did you have fun with Grandma today?" you ask her.

She nods distractedly, her eyes still glued to the baby. Harry smiles and picks her up, setting her on his lap. "That's your baby sister," he explains. "You're officially a big sister now."

She looks at him. "Where?"

He lets out a breathy chuckle and shifts her closer to the baby. "Right here, sweetheart. She's sleeping, so you have to be quiet."

"Oh," she whispers. You and Harry exchange smiles.

"Isn't she pretty?" you ask.

"Yeah." Her voice is still a whisper as she pokes the baby's fists. "So little."

"She is," Harry says with a sniffle. "You were once that little. You have no idea how perfectly you fit in my arms."

You kiss her cherubic cheek. "Do you want to hold her?"

She glances at Harry as if to ask for permission, and he nods his head in encouragement. He positions her between the two of you, and then you maneuver the baby into her arms while ensuring the head is supported.

The sight is something out of a dream. How attentive she is to her new baby sister, admiring her like a delicate flower, examining her closely like a beautiful specimen, gently touching her nose and puckered lips. She keeps looking at you and Harry when the baby wiggles or makes a noise, a look of pure innocence and curiosity that brings more heartfelt tears to your eyes.

You eventually peel your gaze away from her and find Harry staring at you. A tear falls from his bottom eyelashes, his nostrils flaring from residual emotions hitting him. Reaching over, you thumb away the teardrop and focus on the bay window. The sun has dived below the darkening horizon, allowing stars to faintly dot the sky. Cicadas buzz in nearby bushes, and the night tides of the ocean collide with the sand that will soon be illuminated by the moon.

It's quiet in the bedroom, with nothing but the sound of soft breathing and the occasional coo from the baby. Your family of three is now four, and you've never felt more full of love. The world around you is serene, just like it was during the sunrise before she came into the world.

California dusk has brought you an angel.

——

[studentinpursuitofclouds]

Since ive been playing Stardew again, mainly thanks to Stardew Expanded, and have been on a Stardew kick in general:

How would the different villagers (base game, no mod villagers, with maybe the inclusion of Marlon, Gunther, Krobus and the dwarf maybe?) react to a cottagecore (actual) witch (wizard, spellcaster, whatever you wanna call this version of the farmer) who, while making artisan goods like jellies and mead, also makes potions and enchanted knick knacks that help people too?

Hewwo :D

As you can see, dear anon, I got rather... carried away with the question, so I apologize for the long reply. I hope you enjoy it, and thanks again for the ask! 💕

SDV townies react to the cottagecore wizard/witch!Farmer who, in addition to artisan goods, makes potions and enchants trinkets:

_________________________________________

Shane doesn't mind the home-brewed beer and hot peppers from the garden that the Farmer regularly treats him to, but doesn't need to be told about the trinkets and stinky herbal concoctions and other weird stuff. The chicken lover doesn't believe in that (even though he's facing a real wizard/witch), and he has pills for his hangover.

No matter how hard Marlon tried to talk the Farmer out of it and explain that they didn't owe him anything for his help (a.k.a. "how once again Marlon had delivered the unconscious Farmer home"), but the new member of the Adventurers' Guild was stubborn and left on Marlon's table a dozen life elixirs that they had brewed themselves, as well as a whole basket of fresh apples. Well, it was rude to refuse, but the old adventurer still wanted the Farmer to be careful in the Mines next time.

A good luck bracelet? Ha! Thanks, Farmer, but Alex doesn't need one. He's a real sports star (not yet recognized, but soon!), and he relies solely on his talents and muscles. Although, if an athlete knows Farmer very well, he won't turn down a bracelet. Although he's not superstitious, a gift from a friend as a token of attention really touched him. Not that he'll admit it out loud, of course.

"Will I be able to fly?! Or talk to animals? Will I be able to talk to trees too? Will I turn into a dinosaur? Or invisible? I'd like to become an invisible dinosaur!" Yeah, I guess it wasn't such a good idea for the Farmer to announce to Vincent that they were brewing potions in addition to farming. Who knew the boy would be so intrigued by the Farmer's activities, after all, where else would you see a Farmer who could not only make cheese, but also do magic things?

Jas is a pretty smart girl, and quickly guessed about Farmer's unusual talents. She promised to keep it a secret.... If the Farmer promised to show her those unusual black chickens. Given that the farm is not far from her aunt's ranch, Jas often comes to visit the hospitable Farmer, just to watch them conjure or make cheese. And for black chickens. So cute!

To be honest, Marnie is a little... confused. She doesn't really believe in magic and all, but one event has made her reconsider. The Farmer recently gave her an totem that they say protects her lovely chickens from forest predators (poor Marnie is still grieving over hen Matilda, who was stolen by a fox). Now foxes approaching the coop howl, as if wounded, when they see the totem and run away. A coincidence, or does the totem really work?

"Ah, fellow craftsman! Glad to see that the practice of the arts of alchemy and enchantment is still not extinct." Wizard knew from the beginning that Farmer was connected with the magical world, but even for him it was a surprise that the young talent could cast complex spells and brew potions. And most importantly, help the locals (well, or at least not harm anyone). Hm, he was just looking for an apprentice, and Farmer would be perfect candidate...

Leah isn't much into elixirs and talismans, but when the red-haired girl fell ill, the Farmers were the first to help and gave her some funny-smelling potions that made her feel better instantly. They also treated Leah to some homemade goat cheese and fruits. Witch or not, Leah was glad to have such a caring friend and promised herself to do something for the Farmer in return.

Even though Demetrius had no desire to offend or insult the Farmer in any way, the scientist will look very sceptical at the amulet the Farmer offers him for protection against evil spirits. And for all the spells that the Farmer shows, desperately trying to prove to Demetrius that they are real spellcasters, he will wave his hand, saying that it is all scientifically explainable. Farmer is levitating, the hell you mean scientifically explainable?!

Clint wanted to ask something about a love potion, but quickly silenced himself before the Farmer could hear anything. It would hardly be true love if you put that magic stuff in there.... What?! No, he didn't mean anyone in particular, they heard nothing! In general, the blacksmith doesn't care if the Farmer grows strawberries, enchants bracelets or practises fortune-telling.

Abigail has become a very frequent visitor to the farm. The violet-haired girl sometimes likes to sit in the Farmer's kitchen, helping or watching them make blueberry jam or pickled tomatoes. But most of all she is interested in watching them brew potions or just the way the spoons stir themselves thanks to magic. Abigail will also ask them to make her a elixirs taster ("Pretty please!").

Perhaps Lewis would have just politely ignored the Farmer's statement that they were a wizard and that they would be happy to help him and the people of the Valley with potions, but still the Pelican Town Mayor decided to try his luck and ask the Farmer one specific question. Hmm? Why did Lewis need a stamina potion? Erm, well, Lewis wanted to start doing, er... exercise, and- Never mind, forget what he just said, Farmer.

You know that look on some parents' faces when their little child hands them a craft made of dirt or leaves, and the adults try to squeeze out a smile and say what an interesting thing their kid made? That's what was on Jodi's face when Farmer gave her the gift with a proud smile. Thank you so much for the fresh vegetables, Farmer, and, umm.... What's with the skull pendant with the glowing eyes? "Luck pendant? Ahahaha, how nice, thank you!" (Jodi dies inside).

A small woven basket, containing some fruit or goodies, and a small vial of purple liquid.... Almost everyone in the Valley had received a gift from the unusual Farmer, and Robin was no exception. The carpenter doesn't know what's up with the "potion to cure diseases", but she's just glad that the Farmer has fit into their little community so quickly and takes care of everyone like family. Robin smiles genuinely and is already on her way home with peaches given by the Farmer to treat her husband and her children.

One day Haley is sure to drop by the Farmer's to visit and ask them to let her have a photo session of their farm. Because this place is sure to be a winner in Zuzu City's "All About the Country life" photo contest! Plus, the blonde-haired girl discovered the delights of rural life, and the Farmer themself turned out to be a very interesting person. But Haley can't stand the smell of the cauldron. Why would the Farmer have a cauldron in his kitchen?

For about an hour now, poor Maru has been racking her brains and searching medical books and scientific articles for any information about the ingredients that the Farmers, as they themselves claim, put in the "potion". It's phenomenal - a liquid that instantly cured Maru's burn on her arm! (the result of a failed experiment). Poor Farmer only wanted to bring the young inventor the cure and fresh strawberries, but ended up being showered with a mountain of questions from a exited Maru. "Magic? Witches and wizards? Nonsense!"

Kent had been standing by the front door of the farmhouse for some more than ten minutes now, keeping his eyes fixed on the broom that was brushing the porch steps by itself. Either his nightmares had made him crazy, or those pickled mushrooms the Farmer had treated the military man with (and given several jars of mushrooms as a treat to his family) were laced with some sort of hallucinogen. Farmer stepped out onto the porch. "Ah, I can use magic to make a broom sweep!" Apparently it was the mushrooms after all, Kent thought.

Did someone say pendants with stones that have magical properties? Or dreamcatchers? Then Emily's on her way! Nothing brings the blue-haired girl more joy than discussions about amethyst, that ability to enhance the wearer's intuition, or the positive emotion-filled bracelets she's made for her friends. Granted Emily has a slightly different field (and Farmer's pendants are enchanted for real), but she would be the one closest to Farmer's interest in making trinkets of all sorts to help others.

Oh, Gus knows well that if he needs the best quality produce for his meals, the owner of the Saloon can ask the hard-working and kind Farmer for help. Admittedly, at times he is a bit taken aback when the Farmer still offers him unfamiliar herbs and products that they have made themselves. "Moon salt", what is that? Seems edible, even delicious! Definitely going into his escargot.

"That's the ugliest thing I've ever seen in my life." Whoa, Pam, you don't have to be that blunt with the person you're getting a gift from. Yes, the bracelet may not have the most adorable look, but the Farmer is a spellcaster with experience, and this trinket will help bring Pam happiness, wealth, and- "Thanks for the mead and the parsnips, kiddo, but I'm not taking this creepy bracelet." Pam, don't be rude to the Farmer, where's your manners and gratitude?

Yoba, Harvey tries to be polite and patient, but he can't stay away when he sees Farmer offering other residents elixirs that, they say, will "instantly cure illnesses"??? He is a doctor, and has devoted years at university to curing people, while Farmer is engaging in, pardon his harsh words, quackery?! However, when the doctor is convinced that Farmer is a real wizard/witch, he quickly apologizes and goes into a crisis. Someone give this man a glass of wine or Harvey is about to freak out.

Oh, no, no, no, no! Pierre had already made a mistake once in his youth when he bought a "talisman that brings wealth and good luck" from a stranger who claimed to be a sorceress, but it turned out to be just a cheap glass craft. So he had to create wealth with his bare hands. The shopkeeper would refuse all the amulets offered by the Farmer, and the strange elixirs too. But to buy their homemade strawberry wine of iridium quality is always welcome!

When the Farmer had just arrived in Stardew Valley, Willy had once told them that he had an amulet against all sorts of misfortunes, which he had had to sell because the money was almost gone. The old sailor had already had time to regret it, but you can't bring back the past. Farmer remembered this moment, and out of kindness made a real sea amulet for Willy. And unlike the old one, this will definitely protect him from treacherous sirens or huge deep-sea monsters while fishing.

"So enchanting objects for each other is normal for humans?" Krobus had thought that only the Wizard had knowledge of the forgotten arts, but it seemed he had missed some details when he had studied the lives of the local people of Pelican Town. People usually don't do that? Oh, alright..

The amulet that Sebastian received as a gift from the Farmer looks so cool and creepy that Sebby has started wearing it with his everyday clothes. True, the young man was a little distrustful of the Farmer's words about the "enchantment" of this trinket. He was interested in all sorts of occult things, but was not sure about the magic. Farmer, in order to prove their words, gave him another "frog magnet" talisman. The next day, by Sebastian's surprised face and a dozen frogs jumping after him, it was clear that the local emo definitely believed now.

An enchanted pendant that allows you to see artifacts hidden from human eyes... That explains how the Farmers were able to find and provide Gunther with such rare specimens of forgotten civilizations. Did they make such an amulet themselves? Amazing! What? An amulet for him? Thank you very much, Farmer. Now together, the two of them can not only restore the local museum to its former glory, but also make it even better!

Penny doesn't know what the little bottle of liquid the Farmer gave her, but her flu is gone in just an hour after she empties the contents of the bottle. Thank you so much, Farmer, for helping the young teacher by giving her this medicine. "My pleasure, the elixir of healing diseases isn't that hard to make, the main thing is not to overdo it with the wolfsbane." "W- what?...." Penny didn't have time to ask again, as the Farmer handed her a basket of oranges and wished her good health, running off on their own.

Linus had time to show the young mage (yes, it's no secret to him that they have a magical gift) all the secret places to pick unusual berries and mushrooms. Because he knows that the Farmer will definitely use it in brewing elixirs to help people, and that can't help but please the good-hearted wild man. Plus, he has to say thank you somehow for that wonderful blueberry pie.

From the Farmer's window there is almost always the smell of delicious baked goods or the pleasant scent of flowers, and Sam, without noticing it himself, has begun to walk past the farm often. The young guitarist doesn't need to be told twice when he's invited for pie or maple donuts. Farmer is always happy to have guests, especially if the guests decide to brighten up their mornings with a beautiful music. "What's brewing in the pot?" "Elixir of immortality." "Cool. Wait, what...?"

"These leaves give the tea a rather unusual flavor. And I think I'm beginning to see... flowers in my eyes. Dear Farmer, are you sure you've worked the tea leaves properly?" Caroline, your tea made the Farmer's eyes see a white little man dancing on the edge of your mug. So don't go blabbing about the Farmer's homemade tea. They certainly know the basics of herbology and alchemy, and know how to brew the most complex elixirs. So don't even-

Given Dwarf's suspiciousness, they didn't take any medallions or elixirs from the Farmer at first, because it could have turned out to be a devious plan by the shadow people. What if there's poison in the bottle? Or the medallion reveals their location to the enemy? It takes a long time before they can trust the Farmer, and later they have something of a bartering relationship with potions (the Farmer gives Dwarf elixirs out of the goodness of his heart, but Dwarf insists that the Farmer needs to get something of equal value in return).

Hmm! Why would George want this useless trinket, even if it was free? So they could sit on a shelf and gather dust? Farmer, he doesn't believe in all that focus-pocus, so he doesn't need those strange and ugly bracelets and amulets that also smell weird. A spellcaster? Don't be absurd.

Farmers were so kind to come and visit, and they also brought some goodies: ripe berries, homemade cottage cheese... And they even brought George some ointment for his bad knees, how nice of them! And though it's not clear if Evelyn believes the ointment is magical, and if she knows that Farmers can cast spells and communicate with animals. The granny is just glad that such a kind and caring young person came to their house, and without cookies, which just had time to cool down, Evelyn will not let them go.

A lonely, city-weary man who had been hiding their magical talent was finally able to escape the suffocating clutches of a mega corporation to drop everything and move to the middle of nowhere where they could find their happiness and calling... Yes, Elliott is definitely sure that this would be the perfect story for his new novella. The writer was so taken by his own muse that he wasn't even surprised by the fact that the Farmers, in addition to caring for crops and livestock, can do magic and brew elixirs. Novella now, questions later!

Morris has absolutely no time for nonsense, why did the Farmer give him some strange liquid in a bottle? A cure for back pain? Very funny, but he wasn't born yesterday to believe that nonsense. Except that Farmer's curiosity and puppy eyes made Joja's manager take a sip.... And no more back pain! Hmm, interesting... Farmer, how about a contract to sell this miracle liquid?

_________________________________________

Note: I hope I didn't deviate from the main question because I couldn't decide if the people of Stardew Valley believe the farmer is a wizard/sorcerer/witch by default, or if some know and some don't? And how are talismans and potions even viewed from their perspective (Shane, at least, doesn't believe in magic, judging by the canon quotes). I'm open to feedback! 😃

[sturniololoco]

Game Day (Hurt)

Sturniolo little sister (SLS) x The Sturniolo Triplets 

Warnings: broken bones, pain, etc.

Summary: SLS has a lacrosse game, but gets hurt and her brothers take care of her.

UNEDITED

SLS’s POV

Getting checked on the wrist with a lacrosse stick defiantly does not feel good. Thats why I’m sitting the backseat of the car next to Nick, while Matt drives us to the hospital. Chris is here too.

My right wrist bent lol the way down and set crooked to the right. Silent tears were running down my face as I lean into Nick, but I wasn’t crying because of my wrist.

“You know what I would have done to that bitch if coach Haden’s subbed me out? I woulda wacked that girls head off with my stick like it was a fuckin’ baseball. I would have-“

“SLS/N, why don’t you stop worrying about your revenge plot and start worrying about what color cast your gunna get, because your wrist is snapped in two. Hmm? How does that sound?” Chris said sarcastically.

This only upset me more.

I groaned and hurried my head into my brother’s chest, Nick rubbed my back soothingly and he gave Chris a quick death stare.

The tears were no longer silent, as I started to notice the pain in my arm, wrist, and fingers.

-

we pulled into the hospital parking lot ad parked in the first spot we found, then rushed inside.

Matt, Chris, and I sat on a couch in the waiting room, while Nick checked me in at the front desk. Chris rubbed my leg comfortingly, wile I leaned into Matt, tears still trickling down my face, but they were back to being silent.

A few minuets later, Nick came back and kneeled in front of me, saying,

“The wait time is only about 15 minuets, okay? You’ll be okay baby, just hang in there for a little bit longer.”

I nodded, giving him the best smile I could muster in my current state. He gave a sympathetic smile in return then stood next to Matt.

-

“SLS/N STURNIOLO?” A lady came into the room and called my name. We stood up and followed her to the back.

She weighed me, checked my height, and took my blood pressure, before laving and telling us the doctor will be in soon.

I was sitting on the medical table, while Matt and Chris sat in the chairs. Nick stood next to me.

The Doctor came in and told me to follow him to the x-ray room.

-The x-rays came back, showing that I had a broken wrist and pinky finger on my right arm.

“Alright Ms Sturniolo, which color would you like?” The doctor asked me, holding out a box of colored canvas like material. “I’m, can I have that one please?” I say, pointing the the light orange in the center of the box.

Chris let’s put a soft yes and sticks his tongue out at Matt and Nick. I giggle at my brother while the doctor started making my cast.

-

The doctor prescribed me pain medicine and we picked it up on the way home. However, I did not feel it working.

Laying in my bed, I could not fall asleep, feeling the constant prickling pain in your arm. The only thing that was distracting me from my pain was how freezing cold my room was.

I get up to grab a sweatshirt from my closet. I even got the whole thing over my head with one arm, only to find out that the sleeve was too small to fit over my cast. Getting frustrated I slump down on my bed.

but then I get an idea.

I head up the stairs, all the way to the top floor to Nick’s room. I hear soft voices talking, meaning that all three of my brothers must be in there.

I push open the door to see Nick sitting cris cross on the floor with his computer, probably editing, and Chris was laying next to him. Matt was scrolling on his phone, laying on Nick’s bed.

without even asking, I walk over to Nick’s closet and grab a black sweatshirt that had the pastel Sturniolo logo on it, and put it on.

I walk over to the bed and crawl up next to Matt, snuggling into his side.

“Hey baby, you okay?” He says, rubbing my back lightly. I was in an odd position due to my cast, which was sticking straight up in the air.

I hum in response. To be honest I didn’t feel that great. The pain just didn’t seem to go away, even with the medicine. I feel the tears from earlier stabbing at the back of my eyes and throat.

Matt must of noticed, because he pulled me closer to him and kissed the top of my head, carful to avoid hitting my right arm.

Then Chris jumped up.

“oh my gosh imma genius. Wait here, I’ll be right back!” He ran over, gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, then bolted out of the room and down the stairs. Matt and I giggled, while Nick shook his head.

-

Chris came back with four bowls, four spoons, and the tub of ice cream from the downstairs freezer.

“I’m baaaaaack!” He sing-songed as he walked back in. He put ice cream into my bowl and brought it over to me.

“For you, my lady.” Chris said in a fake posh accent, bowing and kissing my hand. I laughed and said.

“why thank you, kind sir.” Using the same accent he did.

We all ate our ice cream and joked and laughed. At one point, Chris and Nick started reenacting the dance sene from beauty and the beast.

-

Not long after, we realized it had gotten pretty late.

“I’m going to head to bed.” Matt said grabbing my bowl and his. “You coming Chris?”

Chris stood up and grabbed his bowl and Nicks, but not before coming over and giving me a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“you gunna say here, bud?” He said, covering me up in Nick’s blanket.

“umm, can I Nick?” I asked, craning my neck to look at my brother, who was now closing up his computer and turning off his lights.

“of course sweetheart.” He says climbing into bed. Chris and Matt finish their goodnights and head to Matt’s room, closing the door behind him.

I snuggle into Nick, and drift off to sleep. My pain had finally gone away from my mind, having a fun night with my brothers, after a kind crappy day.

sorry this was kinda bad yall. I wrote this in and hour 😭😂❤️

[plusdanshii]

obligatory bad ending 2 elaboration post. kicking my feet and giggling as i typed this. care gets nonconed. kindaaaa went crazy super long and a full fledged fic. cw for eden.

while i like the idea of care being punished by bailey and being tied up in the forest, its not very true to her character? care is extremely diligent when it comes to her payments and wouldn’t slip up for anything. so for bad ending 2 eden doesnt pay for her, but meet through an unfortunate turn of events. care has the a* history stat so she knows how to get through the forest swiftly, so it must be a really REALLY unfortunate turn of events for care. maybe she went looking in the forest for landry’s box, and got caught in edens snare trap instead

eden captures, kidnaps, and collars her. after mouthraping her of course. care is obviously frantic and wants to get away from them asap. under normal circumstances she defiant towards her assailant(s) but eden is anything but normal and she figures its more safe to play submissive and docile with them. loosens the leash around the day. but at night shes too scared she’ll wake them up, so she sleeps by herself in the corner of the cabin. slowly but surely the leash weakens and it breaks sometime soon. waits until the early morning to make her escape and she really does almost make it. she could see the spa on danube street. she was so close. but eden (who was trailing her the moment she left the cabin) snatches her before she gets too close.

eden doesnt say a word to her. and they dont have too. the scowl they give her is enough for her to shrink into herself and be paralyzed in dread. pick and sling her over their shoulders as if snatching back something that was stolen from them, and like she didnt weigh anything at all. if they if they notice her tremors, they dont say anything. eden so graciously gave her a towel to cover herself after stripping her of her nun’s outfit and habit. now, predictably, they wont allow her to wear anything. and she’s no longer allowed to walk around with them leash in hand. shes put into a cage with a leash only long enough to reach for whatever scraps of food they gave her in the morning.

this isnt nearlyy enough for her to contract stockholm syndrome though. since shes playing docile and submissive to gain their trust the moment they let her out is cue for another failed escape attempt. and for this scenario, care’s chasity belt is scratched and in dire need of replacing. tried sneaking out at nighttime. unfortunately for her, a moonless night. midnight this time, not a very smart decision considering she couldn’t see very well but she was so hysterical and was near drowning with clawing desperation to get the fuck away from this place already. eden isn’t in the mood the games though, and almost immediately she learns that theyre chasing after her and the adrenaline fully takes over.

again. she really almost made it out of the forest this. this time she could see the hospital— it was so close— she was right there. but eden was faster than her by a couple of points. snatches her up again and even though she can’t see their face clearly she just knows that this time will be so much worse than everything else they’ve put her through. this time eden doesnt sling her over their shoulders. just tugs and drags her back home with a brusing grip on her wrist. their entire hand thats atleast 3 times the size of her boney wrist, she thought for sure they were going to break it while being dragged back.

she was sobbing the entire way back which was something that pissed off eden greatly. said something about how ungrateful she is, about how their protecting her and that theres nothing in that place for her. while hearing all of that made her scared of course, what they said next made her heart jump into her throat. “i think i know what i should do to you, to really make you understand.” that literally only means one thing. again with that paralyzing dread, she couldn’t move at all while eden grabbed by the hair and threw her onto the more middle part of the cabin floor. it really didnt take much more for her chasity belt to fully break off. it had already been through so much, and had done its job for as long as it could.

the pain of her hymen being torn and ripped open wasn’t the most painful part of it, it was the excruciating intrusion inside of her walls, and the slow dragging back and forth inside them. like her insides were being slowly pulled out, and pushed back in, and slowly pulled out and pushed back in again and again and again. the torture and agony of being split open. repeatedly. if anyone, animal or person, or hell, even an apparition came near the cabin that night they would all know exactly whats happening inside. with the nosies she makes, it sounds like someone’s being slaughtered being she is, in a way.

eden made it all the more painful that it already could’ve been by lifting her legs and putting them on her shoulders. even though she was practically writhing in her anguish the words still managed to pierce her ears, “something to remember me by.” by the time eden pulled out and came all over her chest and abdomen she was already half the person she was by the time they caught her trying to escape not even an hour ago. could only lie there, tremulously, face soaked wet, and voice entirely gone. the most traumatizing of the night was still ongoing though. what followed her next was the awful, awful dreadful realization that she will never be able to go back home.

[wastefulreverie]

how disarming you can be

word count: 3921

see end of post for content warnings

Danny woke up to a familiar tingle in his throat.

Then came the beeping.

Something was in his wrist and oh—fuck. Something was on his face. He was strapped down and this was it. The GIW had finally caught him. It was game over.

When he opened his eyes he caught sight of a thin white sheet wrapped around his body and wires and tubes and speckled gray ceiling tiles. When he moved his arm, the IV tube moved with it and before he knew it there were warm hands on his arm and Danny flinched.

Danny tried making out the words spoken to him, but everything sounded like he was underwater.

“—up his drugs a bit more. He’s coming to soon.”

In his peripheral vision, two white-clad agents in shades stood by the door with matching grins.

And the world went dark.

*

The next time he woke, there was a woman in front of him wearing scrubs. He couldn’t make out the words but there was a badge clipped to her chest with her face on it and the logo for West Amity Hospital—he remembered that much from after the accident at least. In the photo, her eyes were kind. They were a deep chestnut color and if Danny focused enough they could almost make the incessant tug on his wrist and nose disappear.

“—said, can you hear me, Danny?”

Oh, right. Danny was his name.

He nodded.

“Good. Now, can you tell me what year it is, Danny?”

Why wouldn’t she know?

But she seemed so sincere that Danny couldn’t not help her, so he told her the answer.

“And the current president?”

He told her the president.

She reached somewhere to her left and grabbed a clipboard. And jotted something down. Because this was a hospital, or it seemed from the looks of it. What happened to him that left him in the hospital—?

Oh God. He was a ghost. He couldn’t be here.

They’d know from his vitals alone that there was something wrong with him and then they’d call the government on him—and worse they’d tell his parents he was a ghost and so then he wouldn’t even be able to go home or back to his life and—

“Danny. Danny, are you with me? Your heart rate just went up by a lot.”

The world seemed to swing from a pendulum, and Danny had to pat the bed to make sure that he actually hadn’t floated off of it. He dug his nails into the thin, hospital bed and scrunched his eyes shut so that the world would stop moving but it didn’t help because he could still feel the swaying movement, tying knots in his stomach, and oh God why wouldn’t it stop.

“—having what looks like a panic attack. Danny, I need you to focus on the sound of my voice. Can you do that for me?”

“Stay—stay away from me!”

He couldn’t have them find out. If they didn’t already know. He was fucked. He needed to find a way to leave, to turn into Phantom. But he couldn’t have them find out about his ghost powers, so as long as he was monitored he was screwed. Where were Sam and Tucker and Jazz? They’d planned contingencies to make sure Danny never ended up in a hospital. How had he even gotten here in the first place?

The last thing he remembered was—

Ember.

She’d been at the mall, releasing her new demo. It’d been a quick fight all things considered, maybe she was still weak from the last time they’d clashed or maybe he’d just gotten the jump on her, but it took under fifteen minutes for him to wrap up the fight. All in all, not a personal best for Ember but close to it. He’d just gotten the cap on the thermos secured when the GIW arrived guns blazing.

Danny made a run for it. They chased him to the outskirts of town and Danny was so close to just jumping into a ditch, turning human, and hoping for the best. He couldn’t let them catch him, no matter what. And then they got a lucky hit. There was a glowing green spear jutting out of his shoulder and he had just enough time to register that fact before his flight gave out and he plummeted to the ground. Hard. It’s been a while since he’s hit the pavement that hard, but usually he’s able to bounce back given enough time to recuperate.

They were waiting for him on the ground. White boots surrounded him.

The last thing he remembered was the mechanic whir of a thermos and then squeezing tight darkness.

It just didn’t make sense how he ended up here.

The woman was still talking. Trying to assure him to calm his breathing, doing some kind of counting exercise that sounded like one of those meditation things Jazz liked to rattle off. Danny couldn’t afford to be off his guard.

“How did—how did I get here?” he ground out.

The woman paused.

“How much do you remember?”

“Answer my question first.”

“A lot has happened while you’ve been out, Danny. I’m not sure which parts you are aware of or not.”            

“Fine. I remember being at school. Then I can’t remember anything after that.”

“School?” She paused, as if deciding how to phrase something. She gave a nod. “You were found injured on the shoulder of the road near the edge of town. You’ve been unconscious for several days.”

“That’s not right.”

Because the GIW had him. They’d put him in a thermos. Then they just let him go?

“You were found by a truck driver passing through the area. When we contacted your friends, they said they weren’t sure why you were out there.”

“You’ve talked to Sam and Tucker?”

She smiled. “Yes. Sam and Tucker. And your family, too.”

“Where are they?”

“Well, I imagine they’re at home. You’ve been out for several days, but they’ll be here eventually. Though, there is the matter of…”

“Matter of what?” he asked.

“I think it’s best that the doctor tells you,” she explained. “Now, is there anything I can get for you, Danny? Anything at all?”

“You could start by discharging me?”

She chuckled. “Not till you have a clean bill of health. Now, I have to go for a bit but I promise I’ll be back.” She tapped the remote built into his hospital bed. “Feel free to watch whatever you want in the meantime.”

In a matter of seconds, she strutted out. Left alone with the soft hum of the machines.

If he was going to escape anytime, it would be now.

He leaned forward, but as he moved there was a sharp pang of pain in his upper left shoulder. He pulled down his hospital gown and found that his shoulder had been bandaged thoroughly. As he shifted his weight, there was also a sharpness at the back of his neck that made black spots dance at the edge of his vision. Nausea pooled in his stomach and Danny slumped back against his hospital bed.

He wasn’t going anywhere.

Shit.

*

Danny didn’t know why his ghost powers weren’t kicking in to heal him, but since the doctors obviously hadn’t caught on, he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. His vitals were also less fucked-up-looking than he expected. He’d checked his vitals in human form with Sam and Tucker several times, all of which were within impossible ranges for human beings (a resting heart rate of thirty beats per minute and normally hypothermic) but none of that was directly reflected in Danny’s vitals.

From what he could figure, the weapon that the GIW had hit him with must’ve done something to his core which explained why he wasn’t healing like he normally would. It rendered him visibly human. As long as it didn’t tip off the doctors, Danny didn’t really care about what it did. Though, there was the eventual issue of potentially permanent damage to his core, but he’d deal with that once he wasn’t being monitored by nosy doctors twenty-four-seven.

Now that he was awake, the doctors informed him that for some reason or another, some long string of word soup that Danny’s drugged brain couldn’t follow, they thought it best that neither his family nor friends would be allowed to visit him because of something with the stress levels of his injuries yada yada yada. Danny told them that sounded illegal. They asked him what law said that, and reminded him that he was still a minor. So, Danny shut up.

At least it spared him from Jazz’s flavor of overbearingness.

Though, admittedly he did miss his friends. He could only watch so much cable TV. The hospital’s channels sucked ass, hard. It was all shitty reality TV shows, movies from the ‘80s, and Cheers reruns. They didn’t even get the local news stations, so Danny couldn’t really keep up with the town at all. Unfortunately, the hospital said his phone had been smashed whenever he was found (made since, from the height of that fall—not his first broken phone nor his last) so his only way of knowing what was going on in the world was through his TV and the hospital staff and the hospital staff wasn’t budging.

The only person on staff that Danny liked was Carmen, the nurse from when he first woke up. The doctors kind of just brushed him off as a stupid mouthy kid, but she actually took the time to have a conversation with him.

“You know, your parents are good people,” she told him. “Must be cool with all their ghost-hunting gadgets and stuff. Or I bet you get tired of it after a while. Loses its charm when you’re around their stuff all the time.”

“Yeah, I mean their job has always been cool but it’s also a lot to deal with. Their stuff… is a little aggressive sometimes.”

“Aggressive? You don’t mean it ever targets you or anything?”

“Uh, I mean. It’s not supposed to,” he assured. “But Mom and Dad are still working out the kinks. It’s just part of their process. Stuff is a little sensitive around me, I think.”

“Just you? Why’s that?”

“Oh, you know. I’ve just been exposed to a lot more ecto-radiation than most people. Growing up in a house like that, it uh, you run into experiments eventually.”

“Your medical record shows that the last time you were with us, you were admitted for an electrical shock from one of your parents’ inventions.”

“Hehe, yeah. Um. The Fenton Ghost Portal. Don’t recommend getting too close to that during its power-on. Just a little shock, nothing too bad. I mean, Sam and Tucker made it sound worse than it was and so of course Mom freaked out and I didn’t even need to be admitted because nothing happened.”

“You were electrocuted by the portal?” Carmen’s eyes widened. “Did it hurt?”

Did it hurt…

Lightning wracking his body, pain touching every single nerve. The pain ended where Danny began and both bled into each other until they were one and the same. His body seized up, unmoving, except he could feel himself twitching as he was caught in the portal’s start-up, and he knew in that moment that he wasn’t going to survive. Screams ripped through his throat but he couldn’t hear them, didn’t even register their echoes because he was too far gone. Danny was dead. He wasn’t coming back.

And then he did.

“It was a pretty nasty shock, I guess.”

Her brow furrowed. “So, could that have made you sensitive to your parents’ inventions? You said something about—what was it?—ecton-radiation?”

“Ecto-radiation,” he corrected. “And yeah, that was probably it. I mean, their inventions started malfunctioning around me after the accident, but I don’t think it means that much.”

She hummed. “Probably.”

*

Danny needed surgery on his shoulder. He wasn’t sure what they could do exactly, but he was starting to panic because if they had him under the knife, then surely they’d see that his insides are a little too ghostly to be human. And even if they fail to notice that he bleeds a little green, what if by fixing the injury to his shoulder his core starts healing and they notice that his vitals aren’t right and then they never let him go home because he’s a freak of nature?

Danny’s fucked.

“I’m sorry, Danny, but your parents have consented to your surgery.” Carmen smiled. “They also told me to tell you that they love you and know you’re strong enough to get through this.”

Carmen squeezed his hand and Danny tried to believe her, even though he knew it was futile. They were going to find out he’s part-ghost and there’s nothing he can do about it.

“Now, let’s get you ready for surgery.”

*

When Danny came to after surgery, there were no government agents lurking at the edge of his bed. There were no baffled stares from the doctors. There were no ghost cuffs around his wrists.

There was one of the surgeons, Dr. Nguyen, and Carmen, standing to his left.

“Danny,” Dr. Nguyen greeted, “glad to see you’re awake. The surgery was a success and you’ll be able to regain use of your shoulder in the next few days or so, so no worries about that.”

He waited for it.

The ‘but.’

“But—” he held his breath “—when we were doing examinations after the surgery, we noticed something weird.”

Oh God. Here it is.

‘We  found out that you’re actually some sort of weird human-ghost hybrid and we’re going to have to release you to the care of the Ghost Investigation Ward. Sorry about that!’

Dr. Nguyen shuffled through some papers. “Your appendix is pretty inflamed, enough that we’re worried it might be cause for concern. Do you know what appendicitis is?”

What.

*

They had to be the least observant doctors in the world or something really, really weird was going on here.

Danny was a freak of nature. There was no way they couldn’t put two and two together and not come up with ghost physiology.

Now, the doctors were preparing him for a second surgery and none of them seemed concerned about the fact that Danny’s blood was a lot thinner than it should be and was also, you know, somewhat green. Maybe whatever damaged his core had affected his blood-ectoplasm proportion or something?

He was at a loss.

He was almost tempted to ask, but the last thing he wanted to do was give them something to look for if they hadn’t noticed on their own. So he kept his mouth shut and ate his stupid, sugar-free hospital jello and watched the stupid hospital cable. He was getting sick of Cheers, but it was somewhat favorable to the Real Housewives of Whatever Fresh Hell they’ve descended on now.

(Note to self: Real Housewives parody set in actual Hell. Sam would like that.)

*

“Any word from my family?”

Danny had been in the hospital for almost two weeks now, and he was about to go in for his appendectomy. Carmen had been at his side almost the whole time and it seemed like she was the only one who cared enough to relay messages from Danny’s family to him.

“Jazz says she knows this surgery will be a breeze for you and your parents know you’ll be out in no time,” Carmen said. “Is there anything you want me to tell them back?”

“Tell them I’ll see them soon.”

Danny would be out before long. He didn’t care if the doctors didn’t think he could handle seeing his friends and family, he was getting sick of being trapped in this stupid hospital room and he was going to make them discharge him. He had a life to get back to, after all.

“Will do,” Carmen said.

*

Danny was knocked out before arriving in the Operating Theater. He expected to wake up in his bed like he had during the previous surgery. He hadn’t been expecting to wake up on a cold, metal surface with a light shining in his face, white barren walls framing his vision, and a gloved hand streaked with red and green ooze digging into his torso.

Oh God.

There was a fucking HAND in his chest—!

“—subject’s heart rate spiked, I think he’s awake.”

“Knock him back out. Now!”

“—working—on it—!”

Danny wanted to cling to the vestiges of his consciousness because something was deeply wrong here. His blood had been green and there was no mistaking it.

But the world sank into nothingness all around him.

White walls.

Fading.

To black.

*

He awoke with a gasp. Carmen sat on a stool across from his bed. Expectantly with those oh-so-kind eyes he’d grown to know.

He wasn’t sure if he trusted them anymore.

“You know,” he exhaled.

They all knew he was a ghost hybrid. They’d been lying to him. And for—for what!

“I’m not sure what you mean, Danny,” she said softly.

“I woke up.”

“The doctors told me. That’s a traumatic thing to happen. The drugs don’t often wear off, but it’s a frightening thing when they do and—”

“No. I saw my blood. I know that you know about the ectoplasm, and for some reason you haven’t—why haven’t you—”

“Oh, Danny. We have been meaning to tell you everything, it’s just with your powers, the doctors and your friends were afraid that you would react the wrong way if we told you the truth.”

“My friends?”

“Your friends, Sam and Tucker.” Carmen stood from the stool and hovered beside his bedside. “The truth is, the night that you were found, you were captured by the GIW in a thermos. But then—we’re not sure what happened—they lost you somehow. You were brought here, bleeding out. Your vitals were off the charts, all of which your friends told us was normal. The GIW tried to get you back—”

“They what?”

“They did. But because you’re part-human, they can’t touch you here. You’re safe. As long as you’re in our care, they can’t harm you. Though, the drawback is that you’re also an ecto-entity and you can’t receive any visitors, which is why your family and friends haven’t visited. We thought it best that you have no knowledge of this because you might try to escape and put yourself in danger’s path before you receive medical treatment.” Her eyes were pleading. “Do you understand why we hid this from you, Danny? To keep you safe.”

So the doctors weren’t stupid.

He was.

“So that—so my vitals here. They’ve been fake?”

“Yes. We have access to your real vitals.”

He took this in.

Then there was nothing wrong with his core. Except.

“Then—then why didn’t—?" He touched his shoulder. “Why was I not healing?”

There were holes in her story. He wasn’t sure what they all were yet, but things still weren’t adding up.

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

When he’d woken up the first time, he’d thought it had been a trick of the mind, but he’d sworn he’d seen…

And when he woke up during surgery, all the walls were…

He looked beneath his hospital gown and etched onto his chest was…

No.

“Carmen,” he said tentatively, “did I ever escape from the Guys in White?”

She looked at him with wide, doe-like eyes. “Danny, are you sure you’re feeling okay?”

There were no windows in his room. She was standing between him and the door, so he’d have to make a run for it and fast. If there really was a real hospital outside of this room, then no harm no foul—Carmen would just chalk this up to extreme paranoia.

The other alternative was that there was no such thing as Nurse Carmen.

Danny didn’t waste time ripping out his IV. Instead, he just phased his arm out of it. After not using his powers for so long, his arm felt tingly and numb when he pulled on his core (and not in the familiar way). He leaped to the side, and his chest BURNED and he was suddenly aware of the stitches up and down his torso but he didn’t have time to think about that now because Carmen had just snapped out of her stupor and realized he was making a break for it.

Danny made a mad dash for the door and outside there was a dimly lit vacant corridor. There were no other medical personnel in sight. Danny pulled on his core and let his full transformation sweep over him. He wasn’t sure what he was doing yet, but he didn’t have time to think about it. He tapped into intangibility and flew upwards. He hit the ceiling with a resounding SMACK and careened down toward the floor.

Ghost shield.

“Danny,” Carmen shouted somewhere behind him, “Danny, you’re going to hurt yourself!”

If he couldn’t go up, he would have to follow the corridor until he found a way out. Danny shot down the corridor and noticed as he passed that there were plates for each room number, but none of the doors were open. All were shut. Lights off inside.

Because Danny was the only patient here.

He finally reached the end of the corridor. Where there should be a turn or a door, there was nothing. He tried phasing, but just as he’d tried phasing through the ceiling he hit a ghost shield.

Shit.

Carmen, frizzy hair in a high ponytail and donning teal scrubs, caught up to him.

“Danny, come to your senses. If you leave, the GIW will capture you. You need to recover. Let us buy you some more time.”

“I’m not falling for your tricks again!”

If the ghost shield was inside the wall, he couldn’t do anything as Phantom. However, if the wall wasn’t there… Fenton could step through.

Danny fired up an ectoblast.

Just as he did, there was a pinch at the back of his neck.

No.

Not a pinch.

Waves of white-hot pain—!

Electricity. He was being electrocuted.

He knew the feeling like nothing else. You never forgot how you died.

He crumpled to the floor like a rag doll and Carmen stood over him, a slender white button in her hand.

“A shame,” she frowned, and her voice was sapped of all the warmth he’d come to expect. “I’d hoped our game could go on for a little bit longer.”

Footfalls. More people were coming, from somewhere. Somehow.

Everything hurt.

Everything was on fire.

Carmen crouched down and lolled his head so that he looked her in the eye. “I want you to know that when I agreed to do this job, I was afraid I’d find something human in you. A scared kid. A sympathetic hero. Something.”

His nerves were BURNING—!

Carmen smiled, but not her kind smile. A twisted facsimile of what it once was. “And when I got to know you, I didn’t find it.” She let his head drop to the floor. “Ghost.”

He just wanted it to be OVER oh God oh God oh God—

“What now, Agent C?”

“Put him in the cell with the others. He’s had enough luxury treatment. We got the intel we needed from him.”

Her voice echoed. Quieter.

“Now, the real fun begins.”         

*

content warnings: brief description of vivisection, gaslighting, dehumanization

[cazzyf1]

Peter Collins Lore ✨️

Thought Peter's dad ran a garage that allowed Peter access into motorsports, and supported him with him, Peter would not get along with his dad often. Peter's dad was known to be quite rude and did not approve of Peter's marriage to Louise Collins.

Peter and Louise met once at a gathering but didn't think much of it. A few years later Stirling Moss invited Peter to a party where Louise Collins was going to be and when they saw each other it was love at first sight. A week later they were married.

Louise felt like she had to be at every one of Peter's races because she worried if she was not at one he could get hurt.

Peter loved the sea and swimming, and him and Louise brought a boat called "Mipooka" which they would travel to different GP's on, other drivers like Mike Hawthorn would join them on their travels.

Peter Collins became very close to Enzo Ferrari's dying son, Dino Ferrari, and he works often visit Dino in hospital. Dino woule get Peter to go to the cinema and watch films so he could come back and recount the film to Dino.

When Dino passed away, the next race in France Peter wore a black arm band in honour of Dino. He won that race.

After Dino's death Enzo Ferrari saw Peter Collins like a son, because he appreciated Peter's friendship with Dino. He insisted Peter move into an apartment near Enzo's house and Peter would wake up at times to find Enzo in the apartment folding his clothes and making him breakfast.

It's believed that Enzo did not like it when Peter married Louise as he felt that Louise was a distraction and that Peter spent more time away from the apartment. Louise insisted this was never the case though and Enzo and his wife were always very nice.

One time Enzo got very mad at Peter when during a race he felt that Peter purposely crashed a car to not race and get home early with Mike Hawthorn. So next race Enzo took away his f1 seat and demoted him to f2. Mike Hawthorn said he would not drive if Peter couldn't drive and when Peter did extremely well in f2 to prove a point he was given his seat back again.

In 1956 Peters teammate was Fangio. Peter was in the running to become world champion that year, Brittan's first, however when he came into the pit and found that Fangio's car was broken he jumped out and gave his car to Fangio, insisting that he had more years to win the championship and it was only right for Fangio to have the car.

In 1957 when Fangio left Ferrari, Peter Collins would have been #1 driver for the team but instead he went and told Mike Hawthorn who needed a drive to contact Ferrari as there was going to be a free seat, and because Mike was more experienced he became #1 driver (though Enzo always said that there was never rankings)

In the Ferrari film, Peter Collins is featured a lot and they even recreate a famous photo of Enzo and Peter within the film.

Peter loved solving puzzles and Mike wrote in his book the day he died Peter was really happy to have solved a metal puzzle he was working on.

A woman claimed that Peter had promised to marry her when he suddenly married Louise Collins but he insisted that was not the case.

He lived in France for a while to avoid the conscription for the British army. Though Mike Hawthorn was critisied heavily for not doing it (though he had a valid reason) people seemed to forget about Peter Collins.

Peter knew about Mike Hawthorn's kidney issue and knew that Mike would not be able to race another season in F1 as he was becoming too ill, so he was likely determined to try and help Mike win the world championship even though he could have won in 1958 as well.

Peter and Louise brought a house right before he passed away, it was likely he was thinking of retiring from F1 soon.

While racing Mike and Peter would have fun constantly letting the other one pass, it was like a game to them.

He was the governor of a local school and very involved with it. Even though he didn't like school himself he felt it important to encourage children to do well.

Enzo Ferrari said he would go with Louise to the next GP race, breaking his rule of never going to the actual races. However while she went, he never turned up.

Post on lore about Mike Hawthorn and Peter Collins friendship coming soon

[haecien]

What about me?

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

H.VC

Vernon x Reader

Synopsis - You have been hopelessly in love with your best friend but you decided to do the waiting game since you weren't exactly ready, but someone had beat you to his heart.

Genre: Angst, happy ending(i'm not that cruel), friends to lovers, non-idol au, SMAU (you're jeonghan's sibling but he isn't really mentioned much so i'm just going to add this here )

Warning for cursing and attempts at suicide. This is not for the faint hearted!

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

Also please note I will have text narrations along with the pictures also this is my first time doing angst;)

What was the point of being here? This world has done nothing but give me disappointment,

....

I've always thought I would have been alone, seems I was incorrect. I have the two most amazing best friends in the world, I cherish them with all my heart. Even if it means I'd have to do endless sacrifices for them that would make me shatter my own heart.

Ouchh... That's rough. But, I can't just POSSIBLY tell her that I like him too, Haesul is special to me. Plus Vernon seems interested in her too. I have no chance whatsoever.

This hurts too much, I'm not suppose to feel like this.

Why i'm I crying? This was just simply not meant to be, and I know it.

Oh.

Now, you didn't expect for this to happen. Haha you knew it, you didn't have a chance.

Liar, Why did you do this to me? I don't feel so good. Suddenly tears filled my eyes, I couldn't contain it anymore. Why can I never have anything good? I don't miss you anymore.

This hurts too much, I want to free myself from this pain... There isn't any other way except... NO I won't do it.

But, I don't think I can continue this anymore. What about them? I don't want them to hurt because of me, that's selfish of me.

Even after all this convincing, it won't stop me.

The feeling of the rough rope wrapping around my neck felt painful, but soon this will all end. Please, please don't forget me but, don't feel sorry for me. Don't be disheartened by me.

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

A month later:

... I'm, still here? No, why i'm I still here. This wasn't supposed to end like this. I looked around and observed the room, how? How I'm I at the hospital. You touched your neck to feel it has been scraped by the rope, but surprisingly no scars. The markings are still there though.

You heard a worried voice call out of you, to your surprise.

" Hansol? " he heard you call out to him which made him burst out into tears as he ran towards your bed to embrace you tightly, " I thought I lost you. Please never do that again, Why did you do that? "

You couldn't muster up any words to respond to his question, instead you just hugged him back. Your eyes teared up " I'm sorry, that was foolish of me to do. " he let go of you as he sat down beside you.

He tried to convince you to open up, eventually you did. " Have you ever loved me? " those words, his eyes widened at the question. Oh, how he wasn't expecting that. " You don't have to answer, I know you and Haesul are together. There was nothing between us anyways. "

" There is something between us. " hearing those words made your heart beat fast, Did I miss understood everything?

" I know what you're going to say, Me and Hae didn't work out. We both decided to split up, but we're still friends. Luckily, Jeonghan walked into your house just in time. I was worried sick you know? I've missed you every day."

" Oh hansol, I'm very sorry for everything. I really mean it, can we leave this behind us? I, I still like you a lot. "

you'd expect him to go and reject you but.

he wiped away your tears and gave you a soft smile, his smiles always made you feel at home and safe. " Deal, I can't wait to build our future together . "

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

Surprisingly everything went smoothly after that, you got discharged from the hospital with your now boyfriend.

the months that were ahead were so happy, majority it's because you're spending it with your boyfriend... scratch boyfriend, It's fiance now.

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

Cien rambles

I HOPE THIS IS GOOD. god this made me almost cry HEL

yeah you guys got married😊you guys have 2 babies now(cats) and its canon caus I said so

[sunny-with-a-knife]

PERCY JACKSON OC LORE

+ FRIENDS

Let me all show you my oc! Their name is Aundrea (Angie for short) as Well as my friends ocs!

I'll upload more or her art soon but I just got too lazy so have them from an art challenge I did w/ some friends^_^

Tw: death in all backstories (litteraly none of them have a mortal parent who's alive)

(It's great /j) all text colored in parentheses are my own comment! The white ones are from my friends

ONTO THE LOREEE (click read more if interested)

AUNDREA (Angie)

Their father, Terrance Maheswaran, had planned to tell Angie her "amazing" heritage and terrifying adventures that would’ve laid ahead of her when she was 13, packing up her gift and a letter explaining everything for when she arrived at chb,

but in a sick cruel, twist of events, their Father died in a large explosion when she was working on an invention (a kid from the village had jacked with the oil rig, causing the generator to explode, Setting off The highly explosive fireworks and chemicals inside)

That had left her with a dead father, bad Eye, half her face burned and neglected trauma she refuses to Talk about, and would much rather throw herself into her inventions when someone Tries to make her talk.

But now she's dealing with a busted home, a hospital bill, a present, and a letter telling Her she's the daughter of greek goddess athena? Obviously she steals car parts and pieces from a local news station, making a warrant out for her arrest, (what half-blood hasn't?) as Well as an epic police chase scene while she blasted barbie girl and crashing Through the chb woods into A tree as well as a girls wine bottle (All jokes aside she was practically dashing to half blood all the way from the empty land if El Paso, Texas)

All of this has taken place somewhere after the pjo books (I thinkkk???? Me and my friends have yet to decide a timeline, so for now we ball ig)

REFERENCE:D

Written by my friend Kiwi!

NADIA

daughter of Dionysus!

One of her first trips to the casino when she was 8 caused the trigger of her madness. Nadia got invested watching a poker game that when it was time to leave and someone interrupted her trance, she suddenly got angry and started clawing at the attendants face. Her mother was banned from the casino. This news spread about a demon child attacking anyone that touched her with glowing purple eyes. This also didn’t help Layla’s and Nadia’s money situation as that casino was quite common for clients. The rumours spread to Layla calling her a “temptress” and “demon mother” since she was the only one to calm Nadia and she “slept around” so she could have “easily slept with a demon and gave birth to a monster”. Many conspiracists found out and religious freaks plotted to kill them both. A ritual for the child and murder for the mother.

She is the daughter to Layla Mansour when Layla had a one night stand with a disguised Dionysus (idfk how it works don’t come at me). Layla was a prostitute that used her body to get in the pants of high ranking officials that cheat on their wives but when Nadia was born, she had a new purpose. Living. Nadia was Layla’s break from disgusting men and she tried to protect Nadia as long as she could. Money was tight and Layla took more jobs. By the time Nadia had just turned 8, she was taken on her mother’s “trips” to nice hotels and casinos etc.

(Shit goes from 0-1000 real quick in Vegas ig /j)

During the night on a full moon on the 30th of October at 3 am. A 10 year old Nadia found her mother killed with a shot to the head.(she only saw the body im not that mean to nadia) (yea right 🙄) The religious freaks mysteriously went mad (I wonder could it be Nadia whhhaaaattt). Nadia ran away blah blah blah she’s 11 and at camp half blood woo. (My friend is so funny when talking abt Nadia lmfao)

Her first year there she was sceptical and hoarded shit, she was claimed when she first gambled with Dionysus and woo new brothers. They introduced her to drinking (bad brothers >:() and the fact she isn’t affected like normal people by alcohol if she wants and skaboosh wine gal emerged. Her need for money couldn’t be solved with taking stray drachmas from the floor (don’t ask me just accept what I say as fact and just take it) so she started a gambling activity of sorts. Second year is when she started gaining reputation and it went pretty normal until the start of her third year this random ass kid crashed their weirdoes car causing Nadia to drop her drinking making it undrinkable. (How she met Angie!)

FRIENDS REFERENCE SHEET BELOW vvvv

DEX

Written by my friend Rohan!

DEAR GOD MY FRIEND DIDNT HOLD BACK ON THE ANGST SO BE PREPARED FOR

•C@NABLISM

•DEATH

AND OTHER TRIGGERING STUFF

Dex was born in China before moving to the US when they were 2. They had a rough life, being forced into anything that had extra credit or talent labeled on it, since they’re mom wanted them to be able to be a dutiful citizen of the US.

Dex’s mom; Beihe was on a vacation in the US when she had gotten pregnant with a one night stand with the disguised Hades. Beihe was ostracized from her family when she came home pregnant, and when she gave birth she moved to the US.

Soon Dex was forced to learn anything and everything from a young age, it didn’t matter what it was; Their mom wanted them to be a prodigy in everything, the most prominent things being Violin, piano and kung fu. Dex had come out to their mom, and soon it became something to use against them.

Dex and their mom were in constant arguments daily, but by evening their mom was parading them through downtown before they went to eat dinner and go to bed. But by the age of 9 an accident had occurred, and right in front of Dex’s eyes their mom was turned into a puddle of flesh, organs, blood, and other bodily fluids. (It was not finger licking good ☹️ /j)

It had left Dex with scars along their body and trauma to deal with. When they were found they were placed into their fathers custody, and that's when they gained an accepting parent.

And soon they transitioned and changed their name with their fathers permission, and was trained and taught languages and fighting styles and mainly how to fight with a spear. Dex has powers but doesn’t know about them, since they are constantly helping their father and only have enough time to sleep and eat whilst doing so.

They were sent to the camp as a spy when their father had come up with the idea, and sent them a monthly allowance for it. They have books and journals in different languages, and can contact their father through a mirror that they have hidden.

Dex when Nadia and Angie find out their a spy almost murders them in a fit of fear, before they leave them kinda beat up and make them swear they won’t tell anyone. And grow kinda distant for a while from them, and become scared to touch them after watching them recover slowly from a distance. They don’t report this to their dad.

REFERENCE SHEET BELOW vvv

Together they go on a journey??? TO THE WEST! nah jk- but so far we haven't really written a concrete story yet, it's mostly just dealing with Dexs betrayl rn but I'll update when any changes occur!<3

[sirwow]

Hello once again RD tumblr. I recently went on an extreme discord ramble about Cocole in my au and its so long i feel it be a waste not to put it here! usual me warning of yeah its reallly long under the cut. anyways have fuuun

(PS im not editing this from the discord messages cus im eepy so might be a bit messy!)

So to start before rhythm doctor even starts some background on CC Cole and Nicole. Cole first:

Cole was a single child that grew up a VERY privileged life style. Rich neighborhood and spoiled rotten at the expectation that he would be like his parents. (be a CEO or high ranking individual like his dad n have a stay at home wife like his mother) Cole however ended up with a music obsession ever since he was 12 and started playing the piano. At first his parents encouraged this, giving him lessons and everything but when they realized music was the only thing he did care about, they were more hesitant on supporting him n tried moving him on a different path. This does work well on a rebellious spoiled teen so Cole just ended up becoming more obsessed out of spite. Spending all of his allowance on his electric guitar, synth and microphone. Cole was still being a freeloader off of his parents money by 22, never having actually gotten a job and just barely finishing highschool. His parents kicked him out when he refused to get a job n this lead him eventually to Middlesea after many long train rides across the countryside. Got admitted to the hospital basically as soon as he got to Middlesea due to a lack of sleep and an extreme amount of caffeine drinking. Doesn’t mind too much because it gives him company and he wanted to stay in Middlesea anyways since it was told to him by a chance encounter with miner that it was the capital of music.

Now Nicole:

Much less privileged growing up in comparison to Cole. Moved to Middlesea when she was just 1 from Norway since her dad got a job offer. Unfortunately said offer fell through and now they were stuck in North America just trying to make do. Nicole grew up with all brothers- 1 older, 2 younger. Picked up the guitar after begging for a full year for her parents to get her one for her 14th birthday. (which they did) Nicole grew up with dreams of grandeur- being a famous enough player to help her family and be know more then the awkward lanky gameboy girl in class. Her dreams of that were half crushed though when she entered a high school talent show that she was planning on playing at but when she was actually on stage she completely froze up and had a panic attack. Got bullied pretty relentlessly for it and the nail in the coffin was seeing how poor her family was in comparison to others and how she was just putting more stress on it trying to be a musician. Gave up on music at 20, moved out into a small apartment, got her barista job, and started getting check ups by 22 due to her sudden smoking habit from stress. Met Cole when he stumbled into the Cafe the same morning he was admitted n they started up their daily routine of chatting with each other

SO! Everything is basically identical to what happens in game till after act 5. When Lucia proposes the idea of a talent show, Cole reeaaally wants to get Nicole to play with him and Samurai. Nicole is pushing him off due to her past trauma of the last talent show she tried to preform at. Using the excuses that she got rid of her guitar and she can’t even play anymore anyways. Meanwhile only a few weeks before this, Nicole had started teaching Logan how to play the guitar to confess his love to Hailey with music. Nicole had been spending the whole day dealing with Cole coming in every 30 minutes to try and convince her but Nicole repeatedly shut him down. Cole was making a final plea to her at the end of her shift n just as she was gonna tell him one last time she didn’t have a guitar anymore- Hailey and Logan suddenly barged in. Turns out Logan had confessed to Hailey not more then 10 minutes ago and when she found out who taught him how to play guitar, Hailey wanted to return the relationship favor to Nicole. Handing her back the guitar right infront of Cole n thanking her for teaching Logan before running off dragging a very apologetic Logan behind her. Cole and Nicole were silent as she held her guitar before Cole asked if she could now that she had her guitar. Nicole put it away and told him to get out so she can close shop. Cole tried staying but got pushed out and locked out by a very flustered Nicole

Nicole was. Kinda mixed in her feelings. Angry that even happened, guilty that she was called out for her lie and wondering if she should take Cole’s offer. She was still thinking it through for the next 2 days n her completely ignoring Cole asking about it was enough to make him give up n just start planning with Samurai. Samurai came into the cafe when Cole admitted defeat to him n very roughly questioned Nicole if she still enjoyed music or not. When she said she did and had actually been playing more before this because of Cole, Samurai told her she should show him that. Nicole didn’t really respond but that night while Cole and Samurai were song writing- Nicole showed up with her guitar after work, ready to join them. Cole jumped up to quickly hug her excited before catching her up on what they were doing. She never had her heart jump so suddenly

So the trio started practicing for the talent show, writing a song together and practicing together. As the day of the show started approaching, Nicole’s nerves started getting the better of her and smoked more as a result. Smoking more made her SVT worse so now during practice she was even more fidgety and nervous then before. Cole eventually took notice when she kept getting pissed at missing her cords n turned a practice night into a gaming night with the three of them to calm her nerves. Over games, Nicole admitted to Cole and Samurai why she was so damn nervous about this and how stupid her first attempt at a talent show went. Cole offered to shove her if she froze up n though she laughed and pushed him calling him a dick, Cole meant it in a caring sense. They would be by her side in this dumb idea so if she felt embarrassed she could blame them for it. Nicole still laughed at the idea but felt some calmness in the idea. Regardless- the day of the show was there and Nicole still had a shift to finish so they were going last. It was a quiet day in the Cafe n so her thoughts were racing while watching the clock occasionally. She began drifting off into nervousness again by the end of her shift and only snapped out of it when an exhausted Lucia broke into the cafe sweating and huffing. She was surprised to still see Nicole there as she pointed to the clock showing it was only about 5 minutes before she played. Nicole FREAKED out n asked Lucia if she could close for her in a panic n as soon as Lucia said yes, Nicole handed her the keys and apron thanking her, before dashing down to the parking lot the show was being held at. When Nicole got there, she froze before the backstage seeing how many people where there to watch but quickly ran again when she saw Cole and Samurai signaling her over. Cole reassured her one last time it be okay before they went up there n to just keep her eyes on him. No other time was left for anything else to be said but Nicole gave a nod

Cole Nicole and Samurai all went up to the stage but right before they were going to play, got cut off by Richard waltzing in trying to use this massive crowd as a publicity stunt. Some shenanigans later and Insomniac running at Richard with his sword to scare him off, the three got to play their hearts out. Nicole and Cole sing together. N as she kept her eyes on Cole as he suggested, she realized he was looking right back at her just as they did in practice when it was just the two of them. Playing like no one was watching. The trio finished and ended up winning 1st place in the show with much cheering. Everyone afterwards headed back to the cafe for an after party n Nicole got to properly close up n got Lucia comfortable with a blanket. Cole sat back with Nicole behind the bar counter as the little party chatted about. Suddenly through a light whisper, Cole thanked her. Nicole was confused but Cole just showed her his still shaking hand. He was just as if not more scared of going up there but her looking at him gave him the strength to push on. Nicole didn’t say much in response but ruffled his hair calling him a doofus.

Now then it’s only gonna get rough from here!

Cole and Nicole return to their usual routine and banter after the talent show but something seems very off with Cole one day. He came in for the usual morning chat but in the afternoon he was far more nervous n off and tried to ask for some caffeine. Nicole declined of course, asking if he wanted to get himself back into an addiction n he obviously agreed he didn’t but seemed to be unsure of his own answer. Nicole did her best to try and burry the thought thinking Cole was just having an off day but then the same thing repeated the next 3 days. Him getting more and more pushy about getting some caffeine and Nicole getting progressively more frustrated with him. Nicole was planning on confronting him completely on the 4th day but he didn’t even show up that day at the Cafe. Nicole wondered if he was just going to a different Cafe to get caffeine but was much more shocked with the actual answer. Cole’s parents walked into the cafe that evening n spoke to Nicole if she had seen Cole. They told her that they had found out he was admitted here only a few days ago from a recording of the talent show n were coming to her after seeing her with him in the show. Nicole found out she hadn’t seen him today because he was hiding from his parents and refusing to see them even after they paid off all of his medical bills for his discharge. Nicole was flabbergasted by this. 1. That he was refusing to see what seemed like wonderful parents if they were just willing to pay off that debt and 2. This is how she found out he was attempting to get caffeine to avoid his discharge. Nicole couldn’t help his parents anymore and they had to get home for work so the conversation fell off quickly. Nicole however was PISSED

Cole meanwhile all this had locked himself up in his hospital room, petting Loafy to destress from the situation. He refused to be dragged back home by his parents and lose all the genuine friends he had gotten there. Besides he was so close to realizing his music dreams n giving in now would be ridiculous. Those friends he had made though were all now trying to talk to him since all of them had met n talked to his parents before they left n believed he was just being crazy and rash again. He didn’t let any of them inside either.

Night came n Nicole got off work. As soon as everything was closed up, she made a beeline for Cole’s room. Cole didn’t wanna let her in at first but didn’t miss a beat to when he realized that it was Nicole n gladly let her inside before locking it again. Cole immediately acted like everything was normal and fine to avoid the inevitable conversation but that just sent Nicole off. She called him for what he did to his parents n how she would of done anything to have something like that just covered instantly. Cole’s demeanor changed again into defensive annoyance with her. Cole still hasn’t told anyone his past at this point and he sure wasn’t now. Just called his parents out for trying to control what he was doing with his life and didn’t care what they tried, he wasn’t going back to them. This hit Nicole right in the heart with rage- she had given up her dreams to help her struggling family who never could help her much but he was just willing to throw that all away out of spite of not wanting to work. She knew he didn’t have a job n was broke but this was insane behavior. Nicole exploded at Cole, yelling that he was one hell of a selfish freeloader if he was willing to hurt himself just to get what he wanted. Cole backed off out of surprise but bit back yelling that she had no idea what he went through. They continued yelling at eachother for a minute-loafy hiding under the couch and a few other patients passing in the hall listening in

Cole snapped suddenly when Nicole refused to hear him out, telling her that at least he wasn’t a pathetic miserable minimal wage worker who gave up on his dreams because of other people dragging him down. Nicole stood still staring agasp at what he said and processing it. Cole seeing her expression immediately tried to back track his words but Nicole just told him to fuck off while stifling tears n left for the hospital balcony to cry and smoke. Nicole stayed up there for almost a full hour comprehending everything that just went down untill she got a grip on herself n lost her anger and just wanted answers from Cole. He might be an idiot but she knows he had to have some reasons. He always did.

Nicole headed down from the balcony after another 20 minutes of thinking through her words and finishing her second cigarette but found the janitor cleaning Cole’s room instead of Cole. Nicole, confused, asked where Cole had gone if he was cleaning out his room and Janitor told her Cole had taken his discharge early immediately after their fight. The one thing Janitor could point to where Cole had gone was seeing him searching up train times as he was packing. Nicole looked at the clock. 20 minutes till 11 pm. Nicole wordlessly walked out of the room and looked down the hallway. She broke into a sprint.

Cole’s feet dragged across the ground to the major train station platform. Hood up and hat spun back forwards, he was going through his contacts and deleting all of the ones he had. He hesitated with Nicole’s contact but ultimately ended up deleting it when he started getting notifications from her. Just shut himself down and pulled out his ear buds being sick of music. Wondering if his parent were right for a moment before shoving down the thought and just focusing on the train signs to look up what town he’d end up at next. He looked down the open track and spotted the lights of a train only a few minutes off so gathered his things in preparation to leave. A loud thumping and trip against stone caught his attention from the tracks though and saw Nicole standing there at the end of the stairs.

Nicole was horribly winded but regained her strength as she stumbled over to Cole and pulling him into a hug before he could say a word. Cole stumbled over trying to apologize to Nicole while she held him but Nicole just told him to shut it before falling into a ramble. She confessed everything openly to Cole, how he had gotten her into music again, how she had honesty been smoking less because of him, how brighter her days were with him around, ect. She told him she wasn’t angry anymore but was instead begging for him to stay- not just for her but for himself too. She was scared what might happen to him alone out there- and openly admitted her love for him and everything about him even if it was a mess sometimes. The train to leave rushed by while Nicole still held onto him and it left him to make the next decision.

Cole struggled to muster his words through tears but clutched Nicole back, swearing to her he’d stay. Telling her that he loved her too in much more plain words as his tears choked him out. They kept holding onto each other crying till the train was gone and they separated from their griphold. Nicole took Cole back to her apartment and both collapsed. They were too tired to talk that night and Nicole had another shift that morning so they agreed to talk about this the next night before Cole crashed on the couch and Nicole crashed in her bed.

SO! Cole stays at the apartment for the day while Nicole goes to work for the morning. Nicole wasn’t expecting much that day but it turns out most everyone Cole was close to have been thrown into a panic since they can’t get in contact with them and didn’t say goodbye to anyone. Hailey and Samurai especially aren’t doing so well after Cole disappeared. Nicole finds all this out through a distressed Samurai getting a caffeine drink with a shot or two in it. Nicole tells him that Cole is alright and at her apartment so Samurai immediately goes to tell everyone else. Hailey is pissed as hell that Cole was willing to scare them that badly n shows up to the cafe to tell Nicole that. Samurai is just sad, worrying that Cole didn’t actually care about him that much. Nicole swore that she’d bring Cole back tomorrow to sort things through n left after her shift with more questions for Cole.

Once Nicole does get home, she finds Cole actually cleaned the entire apartment while she was gone n was just sitting at the dinning table waiting for her and doom scrolling socials. He stopped as soon as Nicole came in n once she got herself comfortable they basically immediately started having the talk they said they would. Nicole demanded some fuckin context for all his actions at this point and Cole relented. Told Nicole how he didn’t want to be near his parents since all they wanted from him was to drop his dreams of being a musician and instead get a big business job like his dad. Nicole could understand that but then asked why he removed all the contacts of his friends because they were all distraught because of it n Cole just kinda sat back processing that. Cole admitted quietly he didn’t think he’d be missed that much before going quiet again thinking. Nicole stared at him with sympathy but sighed that was a can of worms they needed to sort another time- but for now there was something more pressing.

Nicole told Cole pretty plainly that if he was gonna live with her, he had to start paying rent too and that meant getting a job. Cole was still adverse to the idea, mumbling that he thought music was a job but Nicole pretty bluntly asked how much he was making. Cole said 30$ a month. Nicole stared at him unimpressed. Cole conceded and agreed he needed a job but frankly had no idea where to start. Didn’t exactly have connections or a great resume to use n him getting along with someone is a 50/50 coin flip of them getting along or them hating him. Nicole agreed that it was rough n buried her head in her hands in thought trying to come up with something. Both sat silently thinking till Cole sprung back forward from the wooden chair almost falling over with him in it. Cole warned it might be insane but maybe he could start working at the cafe too? Nicole could use another hand, he was already used to the layout of everything and it be alot easier for him to get in. Nicole called him crazy but when taking a moment to think about it she agreed it was kinda the best bet they had. A few calls later- Nicole was able to convince her mostly absentee manager to interview Cole in a few days much to his excitement and extreme anxiety of getting an actual job.

Nicole ruffled his hair assuring he’d probably be fine there n to worry about it when it’s actually time to. Cole agreed and both were suddenly left wondering what to actually do for the rest of the night. They still never properly had really thought of themselves in a relationship yet but the thought was now pressing on them. Nicole just excused herself to make them dinner and just told Cole to turn something on the TV. She eventually joined him on the couch n one attempted cuddle later, things felt a lot more natural now that they were past the overwhelming fluster of knowing they were in a relationship. They ended up passing out in bed together cuddling

Now then- next day Nicole dragged Cole’s ass back to the hospital to apologize to everyone. Hailey smacked him with a nearby magazine before hugging him, telling him with a bit of a shakey voice to never do that again. Cole swore not to and hugged back. Samurai on the other hand was more nervous to talk to Cole then Cole was to him. He was scared Cole didn’t actually enjoy his company but Cole spent the next 30 minutes swearing that no, he did really care and promising to play drums and base with him again to reassure him. Also got hugged by Samurai but Samurai wasn’t really paying attention to his strength and nearly crushed the boy. The rest was pretty much the same, angry at Cole in the moment but happy to have him back. Things move relatively quickly and in the background after this point for them- Cole got the job and learning how to work hyjinxs insue but things in the story for them settle for a little while after this.

The two mostly play a supporting role for the next month or so. Nicole also dropped smoking when they started dating. Cole understanding the plights of Ada Ian Nicole and Janitor now that he works himself and it acts as a major ego check for his usual antics. Cleans up after himself, thanking and uplifting Ian n Ada when he gets the chance (especially to Ada after feeling guilty for literally throwing hands in 2-2 when she was just helping) n having a general more respectful attitude to everyone. Only playing with samurai on free days and never at night, n being less of a genuine shithead. He’s got a good heart just not the greatest lessons learned from being spoiled rotten by entitled parents.

Nicole during this whole break though ended up in contact with Cole’s mom behind his back. She reached out to try and check in on Cole more but slowly got more and more info out of Nicole about his life- including them being in a relationship. Nicole was still kinda hesitant of believing Cole’s words completely after how much he lied before and his mother really did seem to just want the best for him so she continued contact. Eventually his mother asked Nicole if she could bring Cole back home just for the holidays to talk to him. Nicole was incredibly hesitant trying to figure out what to do about it. She eventually decided through her own values that it would be a good idea for Cole to make amends with his family. Nicole agreed to it before telling Cole n well. Cole was angry to say the least. He told Nicole that his parents were nothing but bad news but she defended herself that she spoke to his mother for a month and she saw no red flags in the slightest. Cole was even more elated at that admission but Nicole begged him to please just give them one more chance. Cole’s new mellowing out lead him to agree with Nicole just to keep the peace in their relationship as much as he hated it and quietly hoped maybe she was right.

So! Cole and Nicole get their holiday break n head out on the long train ride to his hometown. Cole was brooding most the ride but Nicole kept holding onto his hand as reassurance. After the 6 hour ride there they arrived and Nicole was a bit shocked. It was fancier then anything she had ever even seen let alone stepped foot in. Not exactly a neighborhood for a minimum wage worker to belong. Regardless they were able to be taxied to the house after Cole gave his Id for passage into the gated neighborhood and arrived at the house. A grand moderately sized home kitted out with everything you could imagine, Cole’s mother, Holly, came outside first to greet them. Cole accepted her hug hesitantly n Holly went ahead and hugged Nicole too making her just as awkward feeling. Shortly after Holly was his dad, Cresso (are these both coffee puns? Yes). Cole just backed up without interacting outside of a strained hi but Nicole shook his hand when Cresso offered it. Both were welcomed inside and told to just go ahead and make themselves comfortable for the night since it was pretty late. Cresso didn’t say anything exact but lead Nicole to the guest room while telling Cole he could stay in his own room for the night. Nicole didn’t wanna piss off his parents so just relented to sleep in the guest room without Cole even when Cole tried to push it. Cresso seemed satisfied with Nicole shutting down Cole’s rebelling n though that left a pit in Nicole’s chest she just blamed it on train exhaustion n went ahead to clonk out without another word.

Now I’ll be frank im still rewriting the details here but the important stuff: -Nicole obviously finds out how privileged Cole was -Cole when he gets the chance to speak to Nicole alone tells her he hates it here- not the comfort of money, but the social sense. He’d rather live on the streets then be stuck here -dinner the next day. Ohboy dinner the next day. Over dinner there’s essentially a blow up when they find out Cole is still doing music and Nicole is too along with encouraging him. It starts light but eventually devolves into Cresso calling Nicole a lowlife service worker n that Cole could do better then this. Holly tried to damage control but it was too far now and Nicole n Cole packed their things to leave immediately.

The late night train ride was tense to say the least. Nicole tried to apologize to Cole after a long silence but he just told her he didn’t want to do this right now but he was angry. Cole just cuddled up to Nicole’s side and fell asleep for the rest of the ride. Guilt ate her up on the way back n handled Holly texting her after the whole thing. Basically telling her off, Holly understanding n agreeing to not speak again. Nicole stayed up the whole ride just watching the stars and snow n they still didn’t talk once they got back home at 4 am other then Cole choosing to sleep on the couch that night. Nicole wanted to give him the bed but chose not to stress him more with a pointless argument.

Things do not go swell once they’re back. Cole and Nicole aren’t talking n everyone can tell so eventually someone (Ada) asks Cole what’s up n he vents the whole situation out bluntly. Ada asks Nicole if this is seriously what happened n Nicole didn’t even try to defend herself anymore n said yes. Ada was shocked and appalled what Nicole did all because she didn’t believe Cole. Ada told Ian, Ian told Cinny- and eventually the whole story got spread around the whole hospital. No one was happy with Nicole and frankly all became hesitant to confide in Nicole after that leading to silent shifts and nothing to break up the monotony of it all. The added social stress brought Nicole to start smoking again. Cole stopped being as cold with Nicole just wanting to move past now but the damage had been done to her by herself. Nicole wasn’t okay with just being forgiven quietly like this or forgiven at all.

A week into this when Cole finally said it outloud that he forgave her and just wanted to move on, Nicole refused it. Cole tried to get through to her more forcefully with yelling but Nicole just ended up misinterpreting it as her fucking up again- the combination of meltdown and smoking sent her into a really bad SVT attack making her faint. Cole rushed her to MSH for care and stayed by her side till she had to be taken back for urgent care. Nicole woke up the next day sore and breathless n a note left by her bedside. Cole was taking over her shifts alone but wanted her to know it was okay and to please just rest for his sake. Nicole didn’t have much choice in the matter anyways being bed bound but took his word to heart. Cole visited every break he got from the rush n though he looked exhausted n a mess he still told her it was okay. Nicole while he was gone started writing a song for him as some sort of apology. However when she did play it for him a week later n got to the line that she didn’t deserve him, Cole shushed her up.

Cole was already a bit teary from her being so thoughtful to write a song for him but told Nicole he was the one who didn’t deserve her. They went back and forth with sad laughs that they didn’t deserve each other but Cole eventually stopped it n made Nicole a deal. If he stopped saying it then she had to stop saying it too. Nicole thought he was still joking but when he wasn’t she gave an exhausted sigh n smiled before agreeing. Cole thanked her n hugged her tightly. Nicole joked that she’s glad he didn’t hear the rest of the song cause she wants to rewrite it to be perfect for him. Cole didn’t quite care if it was perfect but as long as it was her it was alright. Nicole called him a goof for that one n he just giggled saying he was being honest. They ended up cuddling n passing out again even if it fucked up Coles sleep schedule

After this mess part 3, they get back to their normal groove again n do their usual routine n chilling in the bg. Unfortunately this peace after the winter holidays would move into a blooming disaster in the start spring. The two were off work but over at the hospital after doing their morning baseball workout with everyone else. Cole n Nicole were just hanging out with loafy n after throwing a bone for him outside n watching him struggling to find it in a bone, the lights suddenly shut off, old metal gates shut on the outside door n emergency lights were the only thing lighting up the halls. Nicole and Cole ran down to the main hall hearing something going on n joining a group of other patients they saw CT dropping Edega and turning to them. Lucky yelled at them all to run so they followed without another word. Once they were able to get a safe distance away they all listened in on Logan’s phone to Ian explaining the situation. Frankly Nicole n Cole didn’t understand half of it other then they were all in danger and to protect Hailey n Logan the most. The call cut off as the phone’s screen shut off from Connectifia before Ian could help them get out. Lucky took command of the situation n told Cole and Nicole to get Logan and Hailey as far away from CT as possible. They didn’t hesitate, nodded, and took the kids by the hand to get away from this horrible situation.

Nicole and Cole course couldn’t go as far as they wish they could but honestly they were trying to not freak out from the distance screaming n keep Hailey and Logan calm. While Cole was trying to calm Hailey from a meltdown, CT began stomping towards them n they all froze. Cole watched CT with baited breath before telling Nicole to hide them without turning around. Nicole barely got out a whispered “what?” Before Cole asked her if she trusted him. Nicole looked at him, still turned, and back up at the slowly approaching CT and said yes. Cole told her to go then and started running down the hallway to distract CT. Nicole hesitated to go and stop him but turned away n ran to take Hailey n Logan somewhere safe much to their chagrin. Cole grabbed a left behind baseball bat and though he was no hitter, just used it get get CT’s focus on him before dodging for his life. He couldn’t run forever though in a place like this and inevitably got trapped in a room and tripped over equipment before CT got a grip on his chest and sent him straight into a paralyzing SVT attack with its electrocution. Cole was left on the floor of that room once CT left to find the last 3.

Nicole knew that scream. But it was twisted and mutilated from the fun moments she had heard it before. Logan n Hailey were clutching to her hand still but knowing what was coming, Nicole took both of them and put them inside a empty cabinet to hide before running out herself. What more did she have to lose anyways? She followed the same steps as Cole with CT to get them away but her running into a room was stopped by all the fallen over equipment making her hesitant to go in. The moment of hesitation gave CT enough time to pin Nicole against the wall by her back and zapped her without a second to react.

Nicole sat delirious, the repeating blaring of the alarm slowly deafening in her mind and was slipping away till she moved in the slightest and all the pain hit her again. A voice cut through the monotony of it all. Cole had crawled out on his hands from the room he got trapped in and was using what little voice he had left to call out to Nicole. They couldn’t see each other much at all in the darkness and slipping conciseness but kept each other company with their presence. Talking hurt too much so they just sat listening to each other’s quivering breath till they passed out entirely.

If utter darkness was the one thing Cole had seen before the soft florescent light he woke up to might as well of been a flashbang. It was definitely still MSH but everything seemed tidyer then when just Ian and Ada handled things. Cole sat up slowly feeling his breath still burning but looking around realized Nicole was right by him with her eyes still closed and laying on her chest. It took a bit of willpower to do but enough bugging her sleep by saying her name managed to wake up Nicole as well. Neither could really do anything once they were awake but seeing each other still there was enough reassurance.

They recovered relatively well after the incident other then being self conscious about their new scars but uplifting each other about them. Talked the most to the 3 kids when they couldn’t sleep n just wanted to make sure everyone was okay and were the first ones to start walking around on their own again. Mostly stuck together when they were recovering after that whole ordeal. Generally avoiding talking about all the heavy implications and thoughts that traumatic event caused n seemingly getting through it the easiest. (when in reality they’re keeping all that fear in the back pocket for later when it’s gotten worse )

and well. Honestly that’s kinda where they end off for the main plot of CC before they start going on their own life story together.

If you managed to read this far, thank <3 i hope you enjoyed the straights simplifed

[homosexuality-and-morphine]

I'm gonna expand on my previous post about how chreon is a 17 year long slow burn in my au (aka a timeline of events related to it) and heads up this might actually be one of my longest posts... Idk I don't remember the lengths of my other ones

To start off the actual real reason it's a giant slow burn is because of the fact I usually have to let ships marinate in my head before I can actually ship it and the way it usually happens is that I start accidentally making the characters closer and closer until they kiss (resulting in me making other characters joke about how close the ones in the ship are) I have no control over these idiots half the time they're just doing their own shit... But also bc of this I usually end up changing their dynamics throughout the past events of the au to actually give them chemistry instead of it being extremely sudden, anyway time for the in universe timeline of their relationship developing

Soon after raccoon city but before leon was semi forced to work for the DSO and Sherry getting taken by the government leon discovers Claire is a lesbian (which was brought on by leon being desperate to cuddle someone platonicly due to his infection and Claire misunderstanding it as romantic) and then remarks that he's bi causing Claire to joke that she can set him up with her brother with the final remark for this interaction was leon saying "well with all of this (infection) I think my chances of a date are shot"

Later Claire introduces leon and Chris to each other through email (due to them all being busy and their schedules not aligning most of the time)

Re4r happens and leon comes home to find Chris sitting on the couch along with claire, Chris becomes suspicious of the Colmillos leon brings home but is happy to meet leon for the first time in person. Eventually during this event Chris questions leon about the mask and gear due to leon wearing it despite there not being any threats he would need to wear it for and leon replies with "that's classified"... He has to say that a lot that day

After the events of re5 Chris starts to have a more open schedule and starts hanging out with Claire and leon more often resulting in them playing board games and bonding a lot (also this is when both Chris and leon start to develop feelings for each other without realizing it, leon not thinking about it bc of his insecurities about being infected and Chris not really knowing how to get to know leon better due to him being cryptic as fuck)

During the tall oaks part of Leon's campaign he was incredibly worried about Chris due to the fact of Chris going missing from the hospital months earlier, he didn't exactly know fully about the amnesia bc everything was so hectic that no one actually informed him, later when they meet up in China he was extremely relived to see Chris safe while Chris had just unlocked multiple memories that weren't traumatic that time and it motivated him to keep going (and listen to Leon's words that he says before Chris and piers run off... I forget what he exactly said but you get the idea)

After the events of re6 leon ends up following Chris around whenever they were in the same area, leon didn't exactly know why he started doing it but figured he was just worrying about Chris due to how everything happened in China and the whole amnesia thing

During vendetta leon was actually at a bar designed for him to be able to have a drink in peace (which is why there was no one around other than the waitress who had to sign an nda about Leon's infection) and when Chris showed up leon was actually slightly excited to see him. The reason why Chris got upset with leon was because it reminded him of how he was post edonia and he also genuinely thought leon was so drunk that he was gonna pour alcohol onto his mask due to how leon had the mask on the entire time (the mask opens but Chris and Rebecca didn't exactly know that) and all those gayass looks they gave each other were them not knowing they have feelings for each other

In death island when they were sitting at the cells leon figured his mind might be fine in the end due to him already being infected and chose to sit there closer to Chris because if his mind didn't hold up at least he would deal with it with his best friend (unaware of his actual feelings) although he did sit closer to Claire's cell in my au bc he couldn't just let his roommate/bestie that he's had since raccoon city suffer alone either... He still chose to be slightly closer to chris. After they get cured of that virus leon tended to stay with Chris while they both attacked for similar reasons of "hey if I gotta do this I'm doing it with my best friend"

Now here's when the timeline gets fucked around with, soon before the events of re7 leon gets fired from the DSO and put into bsaa custody (due to a president change that particular president wanted nothing to do with leon) and in there Chris was Leon's only connection to the outside world (they wouldn't let most other people see him due to "security risks") and leon would often cuddle up to him seeking the comfort he had been getting from Claire most of the time (due to Claire being one of the only people that knew he was infected and one of the only people leon was comfortable enough to be vulnerable around) and once re7 happens Chris starts to become critical of the bsaa and starts trying to track down Miranda. Then at one point the bsaa finds a type of glass that makes bio weapons more hostile and reckless and test it on leon and Chris was the only one that he didn't immediately try to attack (because the gas wasn't making bio weapons more aggressive it was actually just bringing out their deepest instincts and leon deep down absolutely hated everyone in the bsaa other than like Jill, Chris, and Rebecca) but once Chris got leon to his cell a scientist came in to take vitals and leon accidentally slices chris's neck up (resulting in the neck scar on my Chris design) and he has to get a bunch of cures since they don't know how many viruses leon is infected with. Eventually soon before re8 Chris breaks leon out of the bsaa (this specific site had an ocean nearby for plot convenience) and once out and on a boat getting the fuck away from there they have a small fight because leon still sees the bsaa as good (despite the way they treated him but also he believed he deserved it from being infected plus the incident) but after Chris convinces leon to be the co captain for the wolf hound squad (that sounded a lot like a marriage proposal) they set off to defeat Miranda and the connections (with leon going to a warmer place while Chris did the whole Romania stuff)

After the events of re8 and getting Ethan back Chris and leon start to relax and establish the wolf hound squad as the official international anti bioterrorism organization due to the bsaa making bio weapons and their horrible treatment of leon (and Finn but they didn't even know Finn was alive at this point) and has help from the American president (which is a new one cause another election happened and now they have a female president who has actually done good things... Yes this is to escape from the hell that is real life) and they officially replace the bsaa (who cling onto small bases and give the wolf hound squad trouble) and after piers is revealed to be alive Chris and leon start getting closer... And closer... Until they both realize "oh shit I've had feelings for YEARS" and have an awkward conversation and get together... Time skip a little and Chris proposes to Leon's shock (and he responds extremely confused but obviously accepts) and they eventually get married

Their honeymoon was gonna be a perfect vacation but it gets "ruined" by a bioterrorism attack and they team up with another couple that were on their honeymoon that they met earlier and basically stroll through everything hand in hand killing things and occasionally remarking how romantic it all is (to the other couple's absolute horror) and then after the rest of the wolf hound squad gets everything under control they just continue the honeymoon

Later leon Claire and Chris are on a mission and leon finds a little kid (who has the ability to turn any two people into her bio parents technically) who he protects... By falling down 50 stories and surviving which bc he's bleeding the kid takes a bit of his blood and drags him to safety and then Chris and Claire find leon and the kid and they rush off to get him back with the kid following them, eventually once leon is better they find out the kid's ability and the fact she took a bit of Leon's blood so they have her take some of Chris's blood and she becomes her daughter (her name is alexandrine)

That's about the full timeline of their relationship... Although actually a bit shortened to exclude smaller details that I didn't feel like writing down cause I started to get lazy...