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gwenbrightly · 2 months ago

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(Re)building the Future Chapter 9

“I wonder if I’m still banned from the daycare,” Gregory muses as he watches Freddy and Vanessa disassemble the pile of furniture and garbage currently blocking the way to Kids Cove.

“You’ve been banned from the where, now?” Chica asks. She doesn’t seem to understand the concept of lifting things and is currently struggling to move a (empty) cardboard box.

“The daycare. You know, where parents drop off their kids when they get sick of dealing with them?” He replies. He lifts a box of his own, “Here, like this.”

“Oh,” Chica says. “Are you some kind of criminal?”

“I wish. Sun just doesn’t like me ‘cause I broke a couple of rules the last time I was in there,” Gregory explains, thinking he’d have a way cooler story to tell if he was a criminal. He tosses his box carelessly to the side and picks up another piece of junk. The path is almost cleared, now (even if Vanessa and Freddy were the ones who did most of the work).

“Oh,” Chica says again. She’s not sure if she should be impressed or concerned by this revelation.

Gregory doesn’t mind; she’ll probably forget this conversation even happened here in a few minutes. They should probably find a way to fix that for her, eventually. Otherwise it’s gonna get annoying real fast.

“I think Sun probably has bigger things to worry about than your shenanigans,” Vanessa comments over her shoulder, “I doubt he’s handling the closure very well.”

“That’s gotta suck,” Gregory admits, even though he low key still has nightmares from the daycare attendant’s behavior.

“Indeed,” Freddy agrees, feeling sorry for his friend. He knows how much Sun and Moon love seeing all the children. “I imagine he will be quite relieved to see us,” he says optimistically. He clomps down the stairs, followed by the others.

“Aw’, dang it,” Gregory mutters when he sees the damage done to Kids Cove. The (apparently not very structurally sound) lighthouse has collapsed against the pirate ship, splitting it down the center. He really liked that ship. It served him well as a hiding place on several occasions.

“There, there, uh… whoever you are. Don’t be sad!” Chica says, patting his head awkwardly.

“Gregory,” he reminds her, not super sure he likes the sensation. It makes him feel a bit babyish, and she clearly doesn’t know her own strength, with the way she’s whacking him. He doesn’t really need the added headache.

“Right. And, um, what are we doing, again?”

“We are going to Superstar Daycare to see if our friends are there,” Freddy answers. He figures a simple explanation is better than trying to rehash the entire story for her. He picks his way around the slightly battered foam play blocks and debris that litter the floor. The way Fazbear Entertainment has left this place is disgraceful. The children would be so disappointed if they could see Kids Cove right now. Freddy digs his fingers under the end of one of the shutters (which still has the word “Banned” spray painted onto it) and tries to lift it. It doesn’t budge.

“Guess you don’t have a high enough security level,” Gregory jokes. He tries to act tough and kicks the shutter (which turns out to be a mistake). “Oww!” He tells, staggering backwards.

Vanessa rolls her eyes at him. “The gears are probably all jacked up from being left to rot,” she comments, examining the shutter more closely.

“In that case, it may take a little work to get it functioning probably,” Freddy notes.

Vanessa (who continues to remind Gregory of Mary Poppins) pulls an oil can out of her backpack and goes to work loosening up the various gears and chains holding the shutter in place. Her efforts help - to an extent. The next time Freddy tries to raise the shutter, it only moves a few feet before getting stuck again.

“I guess this is as good as we’re gonna get it,” Vanessa comments.

“I’d rather have to crawl under this thing than spend more time in the vents,” Gregory says with a shudder. “There probably aren’t any of those stupid Mini Music Man bots on the other side.” He takes the lead, bending over just enough to slip under the shutter. And nearly runs head first into an endoskeleton that looks a lot like the ones that used to roam the hallways by Parts and Service. He freezes, praying it won’t notice his presence and attack. There are others scattered throughout the area that surrounds the walls of the daycare. On second thought, maybe taking the vents would’ve been better. He gives a little squeak and backs away from the one nearest him as quickly as possible. Don’tmovedon’tmovedon’tmove, Gregory silently begs the endo.

“Hey, Gregory, everything okay?” Vanessa asks, crawling under the shutter to join him. “You’re awfully quiet all of a sudden.”

He wordlessly points at the endo apocalypse.

“Oh. Crap,” she says. She’s never liked those things.

“You two are really scared of those guys?” Chica suddenly appears next to them, “they’re harmless.”

“Harmless?” Gregory doesn’t believe her. As far as he’s concerned, the endos are Public Enemy Number 1 (along with practically everything else in this place).

“They only ever do anything if the Blue Bunny tells them to,” she continues.

Blue Bunny? Gregory and Vanessa glance at each other. Is that what she calls MXES?

“Speaking of blue bunnies, is anyone else suddenly craving ice cream? Mmm�� birthday cake ice cream sounds so yummy right about now!” Chica gushes on and on about the merits of birthday cake ice cream for several minutes. Apparently they’re not going to find out more about the endos (or MXES, for that matter) anytime soon.

Meanwhile, Freddy, being the largest and clunkiest member of the group, finally manages to wedge himself under the shutter. He clumsily rolls into the room with a clatter. Gregory and Vanessa shush him and point at the endos, still not convinced that they’re as harmless as Chica claims. Freddy frowns when he sees them. It is an unpleasant sight. A reminder of Fazbear Entertainment’s mass production of animatronics and the lingering question of “What am I, really?”. He really does not have time for another existential crisis today.

“You three are so silly!” Chica tells them, snapping back to reality. She walks over to one of the endos and gives it a hug before anyone can stop her. It doesn’t move. “See? Nothing to worry about!”

“Huh,” is all Vanessa says. Even while half brain dead, Chica can’t help but try to befriend anything that moves (and, sometimes, things that don’t). And yet, this might be the least threatening encounter they’ve had all day. Gotta love that chicken’s luck.

“Still creepy as heck,” Gregory mutters. Just because Chica is some sort of endo whisperer doesn’t mean they’re not nightmare fuel. He can and will steal Vanessa’s taser and use it on them if they so much as look in his direction.

Freddy begins to cautiously weave around the endos and approaches the slightly battered looking door to the daycare. The others follow him. It’s time to see if the Daycare Attendant knows anything about Cassie. And if Gregory is still banned, you know, just for kicks.

—————-

Eclipse hums happily as he wipes down another foam building block and adds it to the slowly growing pile of things he has managed to get to a satisfactory level of cleanliness. The daycare is slowly starting to look like itself again, instead of the set of a zombie apocalypse movie. And to be honest, with Cassie sleeping again and Roxy (blessedly) having taken his advice to take some time for herself and go recharge, there’s not really anything else to occupy his time right now. Hopefully, Cassie stays asleep for a nice long while. His trauma response programming indicates that being awake right now probably wouldn’t help her any. And hopefully, Roxy charges enough that she doesn’t crash on him. He’s already rather worried about her - she is taking everything about this situation so personally, after all! She’s gone and given herself a complex again. Like she always does when she thinks she’s failed someone or something.

At least if he can get this place back to its usual sparkling self, Cassie can wake up to someplace nicer and not so gloomy and scary. Maybe that will cheer her up! Probably not, but it’s worth a try, and if this place stays messy, Eclipse is pretty sure he’s going to lose it. Why Sun and Moon didn’t bother to do any caretaking is beyond him. For some reason, he can’t access any memory data that would explain the mess. Or anything else. Most of the data from the past few months (closer to a year, but he’s not in the right headspace to address that right now) is corrupted. Usually, he would be able to hear Sun and Moon bickering with each other in some back corner of his system, but they’re strangely quiet.

“99 bottles of Fizzy Faz on the wall, 99 bottles of Fizzy Faz,” he hears Helpy singing in the background, “take one down, pass it around, 98 bottles of Fizzy Faz on the wall.”

Okay. He really hopes Helpy doesn’t plan on going through all 98 bottles of Fizzy Faz before he finally loses interest. There are so many better songs to sing than that. He points this out to Helpy.

“But why would I want to sing another song?” Helpy asks Eclipse, “when I can keep annoying you with this one.”

“Don’t you have anything better to do?” Eclipse replies. He likes Helpy a lot more during those rare moments when he is being useful instead of going out of his way to be a nuisance.

“Nah, not really. MXES and I aren’t on speaking terms right now and there’s nobody who actually needs my help,” Helpy answers, getting ready to start another round of the bottles on the wall. He’s down to 54 and a half (don’t ask) when Eclipse shushes him. He glares at the daycare attendant with all the fierceness of a marshmallow. “What is it now?”

“I think there’s somebody at the door,” Eclipse tells him.

“Oh,” Helpy says, frowning, “Well, they’d better not need limb replacement surgery. Reliving my days in first aid training once was enough.”

Eclipse can’t help but agree. That was scary. And messy. And stressful. Oh dear! He’s gone and spiraled again. Where are his manners? Whoever knocked on that door is probably getting tired of waiting. He cracks it open and peers out, an instinct left over from when children roamed the daycare (better for avoiding having little Billy or Susy escape and hide in the bathroom until Security finds them). Officer Vanessa, Freddy, - is that Chica? - , and a small boy who triggers a Rule Breaker! message to flash before his eyes, are waiting anxiously on the other side. Huh. Eclipse wonders what the kid could have done to anger his alter egos enough to warrant this kind of alert.

“Hello friends! I’m afraid the daycare is closed right now,” he says diplomatically, just in case Vanessa is hoping he’ll babysit for her. He has his hands full with Cassy. And Helpy. And Roxy, for that matter…

“We know,” the boy tells him. He tries to peer around Eclipse and see inside the daycare.

“We were actually hoping you might’ve seen Roxy? Or a little girl? Or maybe both?” Vanessa explains.

Eclipse tilts his head curiously. How do they know about Cassie? “Actually, I-”

“Ut-Shay the oor-day!”

“What?” Eclipse has no idea what Helpy just said, or why he’s insisting on speaking gibberish. Maybe his system needs to be rebooted. That usually solves weird glitches.

“Shut. The. Door.” Helpy hisses, this time from inside Eclipse’s head.

Eclipse stares at him, then at the group on the other side of the door. “Er… one moment, please!” He says brightly, shutting the door before anyone can question his behavior (he’ll apologize for his rudeness later if he needs to). He marches away from the door and up to the monitor that Helpy has been spending most of his time hanging out in. “Okay. You need to explain what in the Fizzy Faz is going on. And it had better not be that you just really don’t like that kid. You know Corporate won’t let us deny entry to the daycare just because someone is a pain to deal with!” Eclipse glances anxiously back at the door, “and besides, I don’t think we can afford a second lawsuit in one day. This place is a mess, and I can’t imagine Cassie’s parents or guardians will be very understanding when they find out that their child almost died here today! And they shouldn’t be!”

“Yeah!” Helpy agrees, “And that’s exactly why you can’t let Officer Vanessa and the others in! That kid - Gregory - is the reason Cassie is hurt in the first place!”

#fnaf #fnaf security breach #fnaf au #fnaf fanfic #rebuilding au #myfics #fnaf gregory #fnaf freddy #fnaf vanessa #fnaf eclipse #fnaf Helpy #better late than never I guess

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flambo19 · 5 months ago

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hey! im back! 2.3 story thoughts!

but before that I got e1s1 firefly :3 might go for e2 depending on how i feel

Found Family Stellaron Hunters My Beloved

Jade, Topaz, and Oti: Discussing shares and money or whatever the fuck. Me: *eating popcorn and understanding maybe half of it*

Getting an outside perspective on the Trailblazer's shenanigans was a treat. TB is no longer silent and is a menace

Loved the Firefly sections (what a surprise) and it was nice to see more of her thought process and attitude. She desperately wants to fight against her predetermined end and live the life she wants. She deserves everything including all my jades

Also! The Stellaron Hunters (or most likely Elio with the rest by association) follow the Finality! Pretty sure everyone expected this but. Wild!

The group chat was fantastic. I will never get over Ratio going "k" and then leaving immediately (and of course still helping later)

I got spoiled on the buttons being fireworks so the tension for Firefly's "sacrifice" was not really there but the cutscene? Beautiful. Can't believe SAM princess carrying the Trailblazer is now canon

The new song is really nice as well. Idk how to explain it but the start with the piano reminds me of Beyond the Sky from Xenoblade 1 lol

SILVER WOLF HIRED SPARKLE TO KEEP FIREFLY OUT OF DANGER SHES A FUCKING SAP I LOVE FOUND FAMILY STELLARON HUNTERS

The final goodbyes and toasts got me emotional. All the Astral Express having things to say, March's little speech, and Pom-pom's crying. I love the Nameless so much

Also the final page of the Penacony guidebook reveals that the writer was Razalina. I'm glad she got something since she was the Nameless with the least going on in the story

I apparently missed an interesting scene with Acheron because I pressed the wrong dialogue option... It sounds like it was a HI3 reference so maybe it wouldn't have meant much to me anyway

So Jade broke out Sunday because of a deal with Robin. They drill it into you that Jade has some pretty harsh deals so what did Robin give up then? I've seen the theory that Robin gave up the memories of/connection with her brother and 🥺 terrified of being hit with even more sibling tragedy

One hole in this is that Robin on the Express mentions Sunday. I know that these aren't super canon or anything but it feels like a discrepancy worth noting (note: i am coping)

And Stellaron Hunter Sunday is a pretty popular theory at this point. Wonder how that's all gonna go down and if it will even happen like that in the end. The possibility that he will decide to continue with his ideals and not change despite being beaten in with the power of friendship (and a train)? I'm honestly interested in the idea, it feels like the opposite of what people would expect

Trailblazer: I can fix him. Elio (or Jade?): Well I can make him worse watch this

Overall it really felt like a fitting send off to Penacony that also set up a bunch of stuff that can show up in future quests (which is exactly what I thought would be the case)

#flambo says stuff #honkai star rail #woe! my words be upon ye!

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marshmallowsqoosh · 2 years ago

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[Ghost (Band) | Ritual of Summoning: Era 3 (1/5)]

Fandom: Ghost (Band) Title (also AO3 link): Ritual of Summoning: Era 3 Rating: General (May go up) CW: No major warnings apply Lesser Warnings: headcanon, not beta read, Terzo’s the youngest because the canon timeline makes no sense, author chooses to believe that Nihil didn’t hate his kids and they have given names, Ghouls are summoned via magical means, summonings involve deals with devils, author is taking a lot of liberties, Ghouls are Generational not Inherited,

Summary: Summoning era three’s Ghouls over the years... aka Terzo constantly getting in trouble for being a small, ambitious dumbass and continuing to be a small, ambitious dumbass.

A/N: The other ambitious thing to go with Pro Memoria. teeeeeentatively five chapters? Maybe more, we’ll see how many shenanigans these dumbasses want to get up to.

Still don’t have a beta reader so if you spot typos/odd spots, lemme know ♥ (I did edits in AO3, not docs, so I may have missed a few spots skreee)

Extras: Status (and AO3 link!): [ 1 / 5 ] Word Count: ~10.800

[i. ritual]

Terzo nearly trips over his nightgown in his haste and it's only the awareness that he needs to be quiet that keeps him from making any noise when he stumbles.

He manages to stay standing and stays still for a few minutes, just to make sure none of the night Ghouls wander down into the dungeon. A slow, shaky exhale escapes and he's more mindful of his steps as he moves around the… admittedly crude summoning circle. As careful as he tried to be, it's… hard to paint large circles by himself. The straight lines had been easy enough; he just needed to count his steps. He wonders if Primo knows that's why he wanted to see the summoning chamber… and maybe feels a little bad for abusing his older brother's trust.

Primo had been accommodating, despite the worried smile, when Terzo asked to read his old ritual notes. It's never been a secret that Terzo was excited by the prospect of being Papa; Secondo supported it—likely due to his own desire not to ascend in the near future, or at all, if he could avoid it. Primo's done well to uphold the role, even as his health took the beating from his own summoning rituals. His Ghouls are all… stable, despite Primo insisting that he doesn't think they were summoned correctly. He can never explain why it feels wrong… just that he knows it is. Earth's the only one he seems certain of. The only one able to communicate with humans in any capacity. The rest of the band trills and chirps and growls to communicate to each other and Earth. They can replicate… some human words; but it's mechanical, at best.

Terzo remembers trying to teach them his name—constantly being chirped at in what he can only assume is the Ghoulish equivalent of his name—until Secondo had finally picked him up and carried him off, dangling from his hip, while scolding him for being a nuisance. He would have his own Ghouls in due time, he needed to stop harassing Primo's. The only thing they needed to be focused on was the Rituals.

Earth and… the fifth one he still hasn't learned how to say… Earth calls him Quinn. Those two can speak. Earth a bit more eloquently, which really isn't saying much; but, Quinn can speak well enough to communicate when he needs something or to ask people if they're alright—usually Primo. He doesn't seem to like Terzo much. Or… anyone that isn't Primo. Terzo remembers him being the one warning against letting Terzo study the old summoning notes, even when Primo assured him things would be alright.

Maybe he was just worried about the journals being stolen… so, Terzo made a point to only read them in Primo's presence, making his own notes in a separate book, and always making sure to return the journals to Primo's desk before he ran off. Down into the old library beneath the Ministry, where the Archivist Ghoul and their helpers were, largely, kept out of sight.

There's a few… more modern Ghouls—Ghouls summoned from Papa's time and a handful Primo sanctioned, like the one that keeps running messages between Primo and the Archivist that… Primo may have told him to stop distracting from work. Terzo still makes sure to leave him chocolate bars and snacks from the kitchens, whenever he visits, maybe in hopes he can get the Ghoul to help him translate any of the older lot.

The older Ghouls—most formless or barely holding together a humanoid shape; more animalistic masks and far too many limbs—don't speak any language Terzo's ever heard, not even really Ghoulish… but, he thinks it's probably more likely they speak a really old version of Ghoulish, since no one seems to know where they came from or how they survive without summoners or masks. Secondo and even Papa always told him that the Archive Ghouls didn't like humans bothering them… but, Terzo's never had a problem with them. One of them—The Archivist, the large, decrepit Ghoul that was more or less fused to a crumbling stone desk, arms too long and gangling, fingers little more than bone—always knew exactly which book he needed, just based on the notes Terzo gave him and tried to explain.

He's still not positive the Ghoul understood anything he said, but they seemed able to read, at the very least, and always sent the more mobile Ghouls—always the ancient ones, robes barely clinging to their bodie and mostly hiding their forms—to various parts of the library to bring back specific books. Books covered in dust and cobweb, but well cared for by the Ghouls in the archives.

The text was largely illegible, but the large Ghoul always made a point to show him what he can only assume are summoning circles from their time. Summoning circles that… don't quite match up to the Ministry's. Sigils he recognises, but no one really seems to know what they mean, in different parts of the circle. The ingredients, at least, use the shorthand symbols and he's grateful… and confused.

He remembers the confused murmur that spread through the archives when he asked why none of the Rituals he's seen had blood listed as an ingredient. He knows there's a symbol for it. Primo's Rituals had involved blood, so had Papa's, so had those before them and most of the current summoners. When he tried to show the transcribed notes for what Primo had done, the large Ghoul had simply run a very pointed, sharp finger tip, coated in ink, through the blood to cross it out and gently returned the paper.

He wants to tell Primo. Maybe they can reverse whatever the Rituals have done to him if they figure out how summoning should be.

No blood. Everything else had been correct, ingredient-wise, so far as he can tell. The only things wrong were… the blood and the misplaced sigils. For now, he follows what he was given—as best he can with the limited space of the dungeon—and hums to himself as he sets up the last few candles. A few of the words slip out as he's humming, just so he's certain he knows the summoning incantation. When he glances down at his hand, there's a tiny cut on his thumb… he doesn't see any blood and kind of remembers a short burst of pain when he set the sulphur down… and then again when he lit the last candle. It doesn't even look blistered, so he ignores it and carefully makes his way back to the front of the circle, looking over his work one more time before he takes a deep breath and starts the incantation.

He doesn't mean to sing. Or, maybe he does. It makes it easier to remember the words, at least; makes it more fun and easier to ignore the light throbbing starting to build around his left eye.

Easier until, as the last words leave his lips, the candles go out and he instinctively crouches down, covering his head when he hears a rumble spread through the dungeon, far too much like thunder rolling in for a storm. It doesn't occur to him, for probably a solid fifteen or so seconds, that it should be impossible for him to hear thunder in the dungeon and he cautiously lowers his hands to look around. Some of the candles are still list—the ones at the five points, but not the cluster offering fire. It doesn't help him see much. Everything looks darker and, it's only as he's sweeping another glance around the room, that he finally realises it's… like a thick fog. Fog that's gathering, thicker and thicker, in the center of the summoning circle until a large figure is looming there. A thick fog that's large enough Terzo has to tilt his head up just to find a pair of golden eyes following him.

Aren't you a most curious child.

The voice echoes off the walls around him and makes him jump. Tension shoots through his body as he waits for a sign someone's coming down to check on the noise and realises he's in a lot of trouble if it's one of the ranking clergy members. He'd be in trouble if it were a Ghoul, too, but… the sudden realisation it could be his brother or Sister Imperator is… maybe making him reconsider if this is a good idea.

Fret not, little one. I've ensured no one can interrupt us. Now… why have you summoned me?

Later, Terzo might realise he should question the entity a lot more. That he should probably question why he feels the lull of safety around him, even as he's seated on the cold floor of the dungeon, just shy of midnight—or perhaps midnight passed while he was singing, he's not positive. The eyes… almost look Ghoul-like. He's never seen a Ghoul this big though… and that would be unfortunate if it were his friend.

"I… are… you my friend?" The large head tips towards him in a curious gesture and Terzo realises he didn't answer the question. "I want a friend… like Primo's and the ones in the big library—archives. Primo called them archives."

The laugh that leaves the shadow is a booming echo that nearly makes Terzo fall over, even though he's sitting. He manages to stay sitting up, more confused than he was a moment ago. He doesn't even have the mind to be afraid when a large hand—easily bigger than him, bigger than either of his brothers; the smallest digit may roughly be the same size as his brothers—comes down and the tip of a claw taps the corner of his left eye. The dull pain amplifies for a short burst; but, he manages not to squeeze his eye shut, instead continuing to stare up at the shadow curiously.

I am your friend, yes. Not the one you called for, though. I will bring him to you… but I must be certain you understand, little star. Terzo blinks. His family called him that. He's never heard anyone else say it, but it holds his attention. A ghoul is a very powerful weapon in the wrong hands. We grant them to you as companions and protectors… but even as they protect you, they will need your protection, for you are correct. They are not tools. They are companions—friends—first and foremost. You have called forth a very… special… friend. One of many to come, if your ambitions are to be realised. Do you understand?

It's an odd question. One Terzo… perhaps doesn't fully understand. But it seems straight forward enough and more of a reminder. Primo looks after his Ghouls. Secondo may not have liked any of the Ghouls that wandered the halls, but he didn't go out of his way to harass them, either. If anything, he helped them by carrying Terzo off, grumbling as he hoisted the eleven year old onto his hip about being too old to need reminding to let the Ghouls work. That was… some kind of protection. If Terzo has his own friend to look after, he won't need to bother Primo's or any of the staff.

So, he just nods, enthusiastically. "I'll take the best care of him!"

The laugh is a bit more curious this time. Still a rumbling echo in the enclosed room; but, almost… wistful. Ancient. A sound lost as the fog begins to let up.

Magnificent. I have the grandest of expectations for the both of you and those to come.

He wants to ask about those to come—he knows he'll need a full band, eventually, but it sounds like the shadow already knows who they are. Could he have them now—?

Almost immediately, Terzo's focus is past the fog and on the figure that sits up from the center of the summoning circle that's… being devoured by the ground, leaving no evidence of the ritual behind. He only stares at it for a few seconds—finally realises why the giant summoning circle was designed into the floor, why it needed to be painted over before every ritual—before he finally turns his undivided attention to the Ghoul sitting in what was the middle of the circle, ears and tail flickering about curiously as he looks around.

He's more… solid than Terzo was expecting. Less void than he's seen around the Ministry. Maybe because his ingredients were more accurate? He's also smaller—probably as big as Terzo is—but that seems… correct. He remembers Primo having notes about Ghouls "maturing", like humans but faster.

He doesn't question it long. The second the Ghoul finally looks at him—shockingly human-like, green eyes blinking at him, curious and a little dazed—Terzo completely forgets everything else and happily closes the short distance to throw his arms around the Ghoul's neck, hugging tight for a brief moment before he lets go so he can hurry off to the desk he's been storing supplies in over the past couple of weeks. Ingredients and chalk and paint and, most importantly, clothes. He still needs to figure out how to get a mask… but he can worry about that later.

For now, he hurries back over, careful not to trip over himself and holds an extra nightgown out to the Ghoul.

"You must be the special friend! Oh, you're perfect! My name's Valentino—oh—wait, no, I'm supposed to use the Ministry's name… oh! Terzo! I'm Terzo! Do you have a name? Oh—we're going to be best friends, I'm going to take the best care of you, I promise!"

He's perhaps somewhat aware of the fact the Ghoul is… different. His eyes don't match other Ghouls; but, to be fair… Terzo's never seen a Ghoul unmasked. Maybe they did just look more human without the masks. The void is less… shadowy. More ashen, more solid, with splotches that almost look flesh coloured. He still just blinks at Terzo for a moment longer, attention transfixed on Terzo's mouth before he finally tries to speak.

"Spe… cial? Special? … Special." He tries speaking a few more times, simply repeating his name to himself as he looks over the gown he's handed, looking between the gown and the one Terzo's wearing before he finally seems to figure out how to put it on.

Like Terzo's, the sleeves fall past his hands and he frowns down at them for a moment. The green eyes start to shift to gold and orange—more like the Ghouls Terzo sees around the Ministry; more like Fire Ghoul's, specifically, if not a little more gold in the left eye—before Terzo reaches over, gently rolling the sleeves back, the same way Secondo does for him. When he looks again, Special's eyes are green, and human-like, again and he… has to assume he's simply tired and imagining the eyes changed.

"Special? Oh, I guess he was introducing you, then. That was polite of him!" It's only then Terzo really stops to consider that… he has no idea who—or what, really—the giant shadow was. But, the excitement and adrenaline is leaving him and he simply holds Special's hand, tight in his own, and helps lead him towards the stairs. "C'mon. It's really late. … Huh. Do Ghouls sleep?"

"Sleep… rest?" He's still testing his voice and range of vocabulary. It's giving Terzo tiny bursts of energy where he desperately wants to stay up. But, he still puts a finger to his mouth as they get closer to the top of the stairs, hoping Special understands to be quiet, until they're safely back in his room. He doesn't normally lock his door… but, he doesn't want to startle the Ghoul if his brothers wake him up in the morning. Special watches him closely, unblinking and tiny trills emitting from his throat as Terzo moves around his room, pulling extra pillows from his closet to set on his bed before he climbs onto the mattress, patting the large open space next to him.

"I guess it's probably a good thing they haven't gone down from a full yet… it's too big for just me. So you can sleep up here, too!" He barely fights down the excited squeal building in his throat when Special complies to sitting next to him; it doesn't stop him from hugging the Ghoul tight around the neck again. "Even if you don't sleep, rest is good for you! Frate Primo's Ghouls always need rest after they perform… I think they sleep when he does."

Of course… now he's starting to realise he's going to be in a lot of trouble for summoning a Ghoul. Specifically without supervision, never mind leaving him unmasked. But the need for sleep—the excitement gradually starting to aid the exhaustion instead of feeding him more adrenaline—is finally taking over and he yawns, falling down into his pillows without worrying about his blankets. Special pushes up against him, snuggling into his hold once more.

"You're nice and warm… m'so glad you're the friend I got."

He more feels than hears the approving purr. A soft vibration that comes from the Ghoul's chest as he nudges his head up under Terzo's chin and latches on. He's not sure the Ghoul sleeps; but, Terzo gets probably the best night of sleep he's had in months.

[ii. mask]

Terzo's not really sure how he gets away with hiding Special as long as he does.

Copia asks, a few times, if he's alright and Terzo just blinks up at the priest, not really sure how to answer past confusion, every single time.

"Uh… yes? Why wouldn't I be…? I'm going to my room, I'll be back for dinner!"

He hears Secondo telling the man to leave him to his own devices. Normally, he might be a bit more upset—he barely got to spend any time with his brothers and he feels a little bad, because Copia tries to make up for it by spending time with him… it's gotten harder since he officially started his priesthood. Secondo's begun his tertiary schooling around the Ministry. Still no inclination to ascend; but Terzo's seen him working with the human security and staff on… he's not really sure what. His brothers usually did their best to keep him from finding out too much.

When he gets up to his room, he's not too surprised to find it empty and just sweeps a quick look around—and up and down the hall outside his room—before he finally closes and locks his door. He's not surprised, anymore, when he gets knocked to the floor by Special dropping from the ceiling and just laughs, hugging the Ghoul as tight as he can.

"Welcome home?" Special's getting better at talking. He still trips over a few words, but he's picking up on them quickly. Almost faster than Earth did, so far as Terzo can tell. He just hugs tighter.

"Mm-hmm! Thank you. I hope you weren't too bored?"

"Not bored. Practiced. See?" Special hasn't quite mastered walking on two legs yet. Not that Terzo makes too much of an effort to correct him prowling around, but he is kind of starting to realise he should probably be more focused on that. Maybe.

He dusts his uniform down as he stands and follows Special over to the desk, watching around his shoulder as he flips through one of the spare notebooks and finally lays it open, flat, on the desk. Despite wringing his hands and the way his ears slant back a little, his tail is still flickering about, quite proudly. Still a little shaky but a lot better than when he first tried to copy Terzo's handwriting.

"You're getting better at this so quickly… is that a Ghoul ability or is that you?" Terzo finally climbs into his chair so he can start his homework… but, his attention still stays on Special, much more interested in the answer than anything he should be doing.

Special just blinks at him and hums a little. "Uhm... not sure? Might be Ghoul. Probably Ghoul? Ask?"

"I wouldn't know who to ask… you and Earth are the only two that can talk—well. Quinn can. Kind of. I think? Primo doesn't let me talk to him too much. He says it's stressful." Terzo sighs and starts digging his books from his bag. "I guess I get it… his rituals were really rough… according to Frate."

"Frate… Frate? … Francesco." Terzo laughs a little and reaches over to pat Special on the head—is extra pleased it earns a delighted purr and the Ghoul pushing up against his hand insistently.

"That's right, but you're not supposed to use the name mama gave him. We have to call him Secondo around the church."

"Just us, though?" Special looks confused and Terzo looks down at his desk, thinking on it a bit more. Or trying to. It's been a few weeks and, as every day passes, he realises how much he didn't actually think through before he summoned Special. The idea of Sister Imperator finding out about Special, now, is almost solely responsible for Terzo not going to anyone for help with a mask, yet, even when he knows he needs to. Or… he thinks he does. Special's actually been holding up… really well without a mask so far, even though everyone made it sound like their contracts were largely reliant on the masks.

"Just us… … I'm sorry I summoned you alone. I know Ghouls need a friend so they aren't lonely—" A squeak of protest escapes when the Ghoul suddenly hugs him, tight, and stubbornly pushes his face against Terzo's shoulder. "Special—?"

"Not sorry. Not sorry. Not lonely. Have friend. Have Vale. Don't want anyone else."

He's not sure where Special learned the nickname. He doesn't think he's ever said it… and Secondo was generally the only one that shortened his name like that. Primo never used their given names—not that Terzo's ever heard, anyways. He doesn't dwell on it too long, instead hugging back as tight as he can when he's already trapped in a hug himself.

"We'll always be together. I know I can't spend all of my time with you—but when I'm not at school, it'll always be us. Always and forever. Promise."

"Even when there's others?" Special doesn't sound scared or sad. Curious. He's heard Terzo talk about the band and what would eventually happen. That there would be other Ghouls. As interested as he was, he never sounded particularly desperate for the companionship of more Ghouls or jealous, thankfully.

Terzo nods. "Even when the others exist. You'll always be my best friend."

Special makes a small, keening trill in his throat and finally releases Terzo from the hug so he can settle by the desk, head resting against Terzo's leg and breath leveling out to a steady, sleepy rhythm, so Terzo can finish his homework. The sooner he does, the sooner they can play.

Except, as he's finishing up, Special suddenly sits up, his ears alert and attention fixed on the door. He's under the bed before Terzo actually realises what he's doing and jumps when his door handle rattles. He hears the annoyed sigh on the other side and flinches, quickly sliding down from his chair and running to open his door. He does his best not to shrink under the reprimanding stare and offers an apologetic, albeit nervous, smile, "S-sorry, Sister. I forgot I locked it—"

"That's the fourth time this week, Terzo. I won't remind you again that your door is not to be locked, especially if you're going to be deaf to the Ghouls trying to get your attention by knocking."

That… doesn't sound right. Special would have reacted to the knocking. But, he knows he can't just tell her that to prove she's lying, especially when it was only Wednesday and she rarely gave him more than two warnings before involving his father. So he just scuffs his toes against his carpet and nods a little.

"Yes, ma'am…"

"Good. Now, come along or you'll miss supper again."

He waits until the woman walks away to scowl and finally closes his door again so he can change into something that isn't his uniform. He sees Special's tail—just the tip—peeking out from under the bed and smiles a little as he's pulling on a light sweater and pants. He needs to get back into the habit of changing as soon as he gets home… it's getting colder outside and someone is going to notice—if they haven't already—that he isn't changing into warmer clothes immediately, like he normally would in the fall. Not cold enough he needs to bundle up… but cold enough his uniform usually isn't all that warm in the mornings or early in the evenings when people come to gather him for supper.

It's really hard to remember he's cold when Special runs so warm.

Instead of dwelling on the thought for too long, though, Terzo kneels down by his bed, giving the tail tip a gentle poke and giggling when it immediately retracts under the bed and, a moment later, Special pokes his head out with a quiet chirp. "I have to go to supper, so you behave, okay? I'll try to bring you something up… if not, I can get it after everyone goes to bed, okay?"

"Apple?"

Terzo smiles and leans to give his Ghoul a gentle kiss on each horn. He finds it… maybe curious the horns are so small. Small enough to be hidden in his hair, when Terzo kind of always assumed that Ghoul horns were… bigger.

"I'll try. Be back soon!"

He knows he needs to hurry, otherwise Imperator will withhold supper.

Thankfully, he gets down to the table before the woman or his father shows up and even manages to hug Primo, his Ghouls, and Secondo before he hears the pair coming into the room and hastily climbs into his chair, legs swinging idly under the table to make it look like he's been there for a while. He's a little surprised Copia shuffles in behind them, attention fixed to… taking notes, perhaps? Terzo watches him—quietly pleased when Copia sits next to him—and tries to read over his arm until Secondo reaches over to pull on his ear—promptly earning a short, pained yelp, despite Nihil warning both of them to mind themselves—with a strict, side long look. Terzo just rubs his ear, grumbling out an apology to appease his father, because Copia really doesn't look bothered and simply sets the open book close enough that Terzo can read it, as conversation passes around the table between the older lot and more or less completely over Terzo's head.

Not for the first time, he realises that none of Primo's Ghouls stay seated. Most of them move away from the table when Nihil and Imperator enter the room, standing with their arms folded behind them, backs to the wall closest to his oldest brother, attention fixed firmly ahead. Earth stands a little bit closer—still not at the table, but close enough he can lean down to relay translations of the quiet trills that leave his band mates.

Terzo pushes at his food, aimlessly, when he's eaten half of it, attention wandering to watching the Ghouls and trying to figure out how he's going to get Special fitted for a mask without getting himself or Special in trouble.

"Are you full, Terzo?"

He looks up, suddenly aware of everyone's attention on him, and only just stops himself from sinking under the table. "Oh. Uhm… yeah, kinda. … Could I just take it up to my room? I won't spill anything, I promise!"

Nihil looks like he might be considering conceding—or commenting on the fact Terzo's barely touched anything, despite clearing half the plate—but, true to form, Imperator gets the first word in.

"It's bad enough you've taken to locking your door. We'll not be indulging this string of rule breaking you've taken to."

As much as Terzo wants to protest—he starts to, fully intending to just point out that he isn't hungry yet and he'll definitely end up eating it before bed, even if he does just give it to Special—it just starts a new argument and he quickly ducks his head, fingers twisted in the hem of his sweater, tightly, to keep from covering his ears and just waits for it to pass. Secondo's at least taking some consideration to the fact they're seated together and not yelling; but, it doesn't stop him from immediately sassing the woman. Or stop her from getting Papa involved. Prompting Secondo to pull Primo into the "conversation" in an attempt to diffuse it before words get worse.

Terzo jumps when he feels a gentle tap against his arm and Copia spares him a nervous smile. "Go on upstairs. I'm on clean up tonight, I'll set something aside or make you something, okay?"

Terzo nods, quickly, and mouths a quiet thank you before he slides down and escapes from the steadily escalating volume—how he knows his brothers even noticed him leaving the table—and back up to his room before the anxiety gets any worse. He sighs when he's safely in the stillness of his bedroom, leaning back on the closed door and sliding down to the floor so he can hug his knees. He doesn't jump when Special sits next to him and instead just leans into his side, head resting on the Ghoul's shoulder, "Sorry. Sister wouldn't let me bring my plate upstairs."

Special just trills, quietly, and nuzzles gently at Terzo's shoulder, tail winding around his ankle in what he's learning to be an offer of comfort. "Not hungry… Vale ate enough?"

"Yeah… they always fill my plate way too much. Copia said I could go down for something later. Hopefully he lets me bring something back up." He finally raises his head, looking back up towards his door handle. "… I can't keep locking the door. You can hear people coming really good, right?" Special nods, his ears twitching and wiggling to accentuate his confirmation. "… I should probably tell my brothers, at least… maybe if we get you masked, they won't be as mad. I don't want you to get hungry during the day… and you need room to run around."

The Ghoul just stares at him, head tilting to accentuate the blank look in confusion. "Not hungry. No run. Only play and watch."

"Yeah, but if you can run around, we can play in other places. Bigger places. Like outside! The cemetery is really nice."

"Ceme… tery...?" He tries the word a few times until he can say it and promptly prowls over to the desk—Terzo's again reminded they need to work on him walking upright—and climbs up, pointing out the window, towards the crypt, just barely visible at the edge of the property, with the dying lawn lights and lanterns. "Cemetery?"

"Mm-hmm. The building is a crypt, but that whole part of the grounds is the cemetery. Frate Primo says all the past Papas are kept in the crypt, when they pass on to the next life; and then other members are buried in the surrounding plots. … I think. There might be a few are actually kept in the Ministry… there's urns on the ground floor, after all, I just kinda always assumed they were important people." He finally stands and moves to sitting at his desk, staring down blankly at the last few math problems he probably should have—and could have—finished before supper. He doesn't want to, now.

Now he's just stupidly focused on keeping his father or Imperator from taking Special away when they inevitably find out he exists.

"… Maybe… maybe Copia will know what to do." He hears Special give a curious chirp and just smiles, reaching over to skritch around his ear, fondly, before gently ushering his Ghoul off the desk. "You have to promise to be nice to him. Okay?"

"Be nice." He knows the words are simply being parroted back to him; but, he still hopes things go well and hopefully Copia will have an idea of how to broach the subject with at least Primo or the smiths… maybe he'll work up to telling Papa and Imperator after Special has a chance to acclimate to the mask and socialise a bit more with people that aren't Terzo.

He still waits a few hours—just for good measure—before he chances leaving his room. Special wriggles off to hide under his bed, twice, when his brothers come to check on him. Secondo ruffles his hair, muttering a quiet apology before he kisses his forehead and says good night. Primo checks on him not long after and, for a moment, Terzo wonders if he knows about Special, as his attention keeps drifting, curiously, towards Terzo's bed. He doesn't say anything about a Ghoul, just reminds him that he can ask the kitchen staff for smaller portions if he's not going to eat much during meals. Earth helps him back to his own room; but, even he casts a curious look towards the bed.

That probably would have been a good time to ask what to do… instead, Terzo's wandering down to the kitchens around nine—mostly to get a bottle of water for each of them… and try to figure out how to cut an apple with a knife, without getting caught, so he doesn't get in more trouble if Sister Imperator or his father comes down to the kitchen again.

He's so focused on that he completely forgets why he even waited so long… until a voice behind him actually makes him jump and, in the process, drop both of the water bottles he was holding.

"Terzo, what o—oh! Sorry—sorry, I thought you knew I was here!"

He flusters, just a little, as he turns, hands fisted tightly inside his sweater sleeves, even as he lets out a slow, breath of relief. "Oh… it's just you—I mean—just you and not my brothers, not—I… I wasn't trying to be rude…"

Copia waves him off, confused as he picks up the water bottles and hands them back. "I was beginning to wonder if you were coming down for more food. What would you like?"

He... maybe forgot Copia even offered to make him a second meal. "Oh, I'm not… too terribly hungry… but if you're down here you can cut apples for me! … I'm not allowed to use the knives. … Or the apple cutter."

He gets why but it's still annoying when he just wants a snack and has to find a Ghoul or clergy member to help him so he doesn't get in trouble for being… maybe a little clumsy.

"... I suppose that makes sense. Pick an apple—why on earth do you need two?" The man's brow furrows. "Terzo, if you're that hungry, I can make you something more filling."

"Only one's for me." He probably should have thought about how to bridge this a bit more thoroughly. "… If I show you something, will you promise not to tell my brothers or Papa? Or Sister Imperator?"

Copia just blinks at him, sighing as he moves to grab the apple slicer and the two apples from Terzo. "Just admit you want two apples."

"But… I don't. I mean, I do, but I'm only going to eat one." At least he cuts both of them. He holds the plate out of Terzo's reach before he can grab it.

"Is this for Chalk? The Archivist? Didn't Papa Emeritus tell you to stop bothering them?"

"I don't bother them!" He doesn't think he does, anyways. He still flusters, his cheeks heating up a little in embarrassment for his own outburst. "I… I don't bother them. And it's not for them. … He's in my room."

"... Very well. I will carry the plate, just show me who you're trying to give this to."

Terzo wants to protest one of the apples is supposed to be his… but, he also remembers Special hasn't eaten since breakfast, so… he'd probably benefit from two apples. He keeps one hand fisted, tightly, in Copia's cassock as he pulls him along. There isn't any further conversation until they get up to Terzo's room—Terzo looking up and down the hallway for good measure, before he pushes Copia in and closes his door. He starts to lock it, only to pause and sigh.

If he does, Sister Imperator is almost definitely going to show up… she's probably going to show up just because he convinced Copia to break the rules.

A shrill swear breaks his thoughts and he quickly turns around, putting a finger to his lips and shushing the priest insistently.

"Shhh! You're gonna get both of us in trouble!" He sighs and goes to stand next to Special, passing him one of the water bottles before he hugs his arm, tightly. "This is Special! Special, this is Priest Copia… I told you to be nice to him, remember?"

Special blinks a few times, looking between both humans before he trills and parrots the words again. "Be nice. … Has apple."

When Copia doesn't immediately hand the plate over, Special just stares at him, unblinking for a short stretch before deciding he doesn't want to wait. He takes the plate himself, his tail swishing happily behind him as he totters off to the desk.

"Don't eat the plate!" One of the kitchen staff is going to start noticing the missing dishes if he keeps this up; but, Terzo just turns a nervous smile up at Copia, who simply… watches after the Ghoul. "You're… you're not going to tell anyone, right? Not yet, at least! I just… I want to get him a mask before I tell Papa… cuz… cuz then maybe they won't take him away…? … I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

"Trou—how long has he been here!?" Copia's struggling to keep his voice down and Terzo feels an unsteady twist in his gut and something cold in his chest. Foreign. He winces and rubs, gingerly at the spot, breathing a little bit heavier; even when Copia's attention immediately turns to that, Terzo's struggling to figure out where the awful feeling came from.

"Are you alright—?"

It takes Terzo a moment to figure out what happens—Copia pulls his hand away, sharply, and quickly backs up, as Special more or less materialises between them, crouched down with his fangs bared. Terzo moves before he even thinks about what he's doing, the second he realises Special is growling at the priest. There's a brief moment of pain, but he just holds Special tighter and squeezes his eyes shut against the pain. The awful feeling in his chest is getting worse and his arm hurts, but he still hugs as tight as he can.His arm hurts so bad—

"It's okay… it's okay, he's not mean, Special… you have to be nice to him." Special's writhing and whimpering in distressed high pitches. It almost sounds like he's saying help in his attempts to get away. When Terzo finally manages to open his eyes, he realises his arm is bleeding and he's feeling… dizzy. He stumbles, a little, when he releases Special, struggling to process what happened.

Special has both hands over his mouth—he looks terrified. Copia catches his shoulders before he falls. He thinks he's telling Special to go find Water—or a Water Ghoul. He's not even sure Special knows which Ghouls are which—never mind how to navigate the Ministry. He tries to say as much but the dizziness is getting worse… and worse… and worse until he finally blacks out.

When he wakes back up, he's on his bed. His brothers and father are next to him. His ears feel stuffy… but he hears muffled shrieking and his chest hurts again. Hurts enough to pull a quiet, painful groan out of him as he tries to squirm away from whoever is holding his arm. Papa brushes his hair back, shushing him gently.

"Do not try to move, stellino. Let Water finish treating your arm."

The trill sounds far away, even as he confirms the Ghoul is sitting on his free side, holding his arm and pulling… what looks suspiciously like a thick stream of void from his arm.

"Wh… what ha—" Special. He sits up, ignores that Water makes a short, surprised screech as he's knocked off the bed, and immediately curls over his arm, breathing heavier and gripping his arm as tightly to his body as he can to try subduing the sudden rush of pain. "Special—where's Special, I want Special—"

He refuses to be laid back into pillows until Secondo finally comes over to help, kneeling and muttering close to his ear to let them treat his arm, first.

"Special—I assume your unmasked friend… is fine. You can have him as soon as Water finishes your arm. But you have to lie down and let him treat you, alright?"

His chest still hurts. But he nods a little and lets his brother lower him back into the pillows. Breathing hurts. He whimpers when Water jostles the bed as he sits on it, when he moves his arm again… and the pain simply dissipates as he begins running… very liquid-like hands over his arm and pulling the void again. His arm doesn't hurt anymore. His chest still feels tight, his throat threatening to close, even as he manages a meek apology for knocking the Ghoul off his bed a moment earlier.

His attention wanders around the room, as he waits… until it finally finds Quinn and Earth a few feet away, trying to hold a smaller Ghoul still as they thrash and screech—

Secondo catches him—a heavy hand in the center of his chest—before he can sit up again. Water tenses, tail lashing back and forth nervously and his attention broken as he waits to see if he's going to be pushed again; but Terzo merely grinds his teeth together, unable to sit up against his brother and once again hit like a freight train by the pain in his arm. He lets out a shaky breath when the pain disappears again and he's certain the Ghoul is working again.

"Wh-what are they doing to Special, are they hurting him, why is he being held down—?"

"He's been thrashing since we put the mask on him. How you managed to keep him unmasked for however long… he's not taking well to it." Secondo watches the scene before he sighs and looks back down at Terzo; he promptly, pointedly, looks away so he doesn't have to meet the disappointed look. "What were you thinking? You know Ghouls aren't toys and Rituals are dangerous."

Terzo doesn't answer. Instead he starts squirming on the bed—as best he can with Water still holding his arm and Secondo keeping him lying down.

"There's no need to scold him right now—"

"Leniency is why he even thought to try this!" He doesn't want them to argue—well. He doesn't really care if they do. Papa always seemed alright—proud, even—with Secondo getting snappy. Terzo hates it. His chest feels tighter and he just squeezes his eyes shut as tight as he can, quietly hoping Water finishes quickly.

He doesn't understand how Ghoul treatments work, too well… but the fact Water gives a concerned noise a moment later is… maybe a little scary. He hears the Ghoul trilling something, back towards Quinn and Earth.

"He—ow—says the void is thicker—child, will you kindly stop thrashing—!"

He's never heard Earth so annoyed. When he opens his eyes, sure enough, Special's writhing even more than he was before, trying to pull himself free of the older Ghouls. He isn't scrabbling at the mask… he's trying to get purchase to get away.

"I want Special—" He stops fighting, for the short stretch of Terzo talking; he struggles more when the words stop and Terzo tries again. "I want Special."

"Vale, for the last time—"

"No." Primo interrupts this time. Terzo hears him mutter an aside to their father, but can't make anything out past a quiet please. "Earth. Quinn. Will you bring the little one to the bed, please? Terzo, can you tell him to calm down, so they can?"

He's not sure it'll work, but, Special seems to be reacting to his voice at least. "Special?" He goes still again and Quinn takes the chance to pick him up, in those few seconds. "It's okay… Earth and Quinn are really nice, they're just tryna help, so's Water—you promised to be nice, remember, don't give them trouble—" He isn't positive what he says—anything that comes to mind, anything that keeps him talking—but, sure enough, it keeps Special calm, long enough for Quinn to deposit him at the end of the bed without any injury.

For a few seconds, Special stays perched on the tips of his toes and fingers, arched and hunched in on himself, tightly, like an agitated cat, like he's waiting for Water to try restraining him next. But, the moment passes and he slowly crawls forward, careful not to disrupt the other Ghoul and he flattens himself to the bed, once he's close enough to wrap both arms around Terzo as tight as he can.

"Sorry—didn't mean to, wasn't trying to hurt—"

His voice echoes and he sees Water's ears twitch and flicker, his grip on Terzo's arm tightening for a brief moment like he's in pain, before he relaxes again. He doesn't feel the cool stream of water trying to wash the void away anymore; but, his arm doesn't hurt this time. Instead, Terzo just lets out a slow breath and relaxes as best he can with the awkward position his right arm is caught in—stretched out so Water can try to treat him, but trapped under Special's weight so he can cling and Terzo can get his free arm around him.

"I know you didn't. You wouldn't hurt me. But you can't hurt other people, either." He's still not sure what triggered the growling. He's still not sure about the awful feeling in his chest but that's slowly leaving, too. It feels… more like guilt…?

"Scared." Muffled. He almost doesn't hear the word; but, he still hums and hugs his Ghoul tighter, as best he can. "Vale scared. Protect. Supposed to protect, not hurt, didn't mean to hurt—"

He wants to say he's not scared anymore. He wasn't scared before—at least, he doesn't think he was. But, he's still tired. He hopes they wait to let him explain.

[iii. Special]

There's a short burst of tension when Terzo falls asleep before the collective breath of relief fills the room. Secondo rubs at his face, irritably, throwing an angry scowl towards their father.

"This is exactly why I've said he shouldn't have had anything to do with the Rituals or Ghouls when he was younger. He should have been learning the dangers, not being left with them as babysitters!"

If any of the present Ghouls are offended, they don't let onto it. Earth moves over to Primo's shoulder, while Quinn warily stays at Water's, keeping an eye on the pair and offering what little support he can with proximity.

"Ghouls are only so dangerous as their Rituals and… Terzo's clearly figured something out that we didn't." Primo hopes he's speaking loud enough. He exchanges a look with their father, taking in the exaggerated aging the Rituals abused his body with and knowing his body is suffering just as direly. Terzo… doesn't look any worse for wear, save the sleeve of void on his arm that Water hasn't been able to clean off entirely, despite the stretch of time. "… Secondo, if you aren't going to be calm about this, then I will be asking you to leave the room. If you've energy to burn through, I strongly suggest going to tell the Arch-Bishops and Cardinal that Priest Copia had nothing to do with this. Interrogating him is not going to solve anything."

Secondo glowers for a short moment before he finally bites out a curse under his breath and storms out, with only a passing look of worry back towards the bed. Some of the tension in the room finally lets up; Water relaxes and returns his focus to trying to wash the void from Terzo's arm with tiny, frustrated trills. Primo settles, heavily, in the arm chair. He's further from the bed, but it's the only other place to sit without crowding the bed further. He can still see, at least; but, he knows that their father should be closest and is occupying the only other chair—pulled over from Terzo's desk—so he can be close and stroke Terzo's hair back, occasionally touching the back of his hand to the boy's forehead, with a furrowed look.

He doesn't look to be in pain. A bit paler than normal and remarkably warm for his normal body temperature… perhaps the void is infecting him—?

"Help." Everyone's attention turns back to the bed. The little Ghoul—Special? An odd name, but… not terribly surprising, given Terzo's involvement—is trying to squirm free of Terzo's grip. He doesn't sound or look distressed, soon giving up entirely and simply trying to wriggle to where he can see over Terzo's shoulder. The mask looks to be settled, finally, and a pair of bright orange eyes blinks at the rest of them. "Wanted to help priest. … Vale did. … Wasn't trying to bite him. Or the priest. Warning."

Special goes quiet, struggling with the words just as much as he's struggling to get free again. Quinn finally, cautiously, reaches around Water so he can pry gently at Terzo's arm. Just enough to get him to loosen his grip around the Ghoul and Special immediately pulls himself free, shaking off for barely a split second. It's only a split second before Terzo rolls back onto his back, a distressed whine building in his throat as he struggles to wake up again; but, Special quickly settles on his torso, tucking himself into a tight ball, like a cat, and stilling the distress once more.

Another short stretch of silence and he looks up again, watching Nihil warily for a stretch before his attention finally drifts to Primo. "I wasn't trying to bite the priest… he scared Vale. … Thought it was threat… it wasn't…. want to learn— …I want to learn. … I want to help. … Can—wait. No. … May I help?"

"Help…? With wh—you believe you can help Terzo?" Special nods, carefully sitting up. His tail flickers around behind him—small, anxious flickers—as he waits for permission. "Please. If you can assist—Water, will you let the little one help you?"

The answer is an anxious, rumbling noise deep in the Ghoul's chest—not quite a growl, but enough of one that Special starts to recoil a little. In his distraction, though, Water stops focusing on Terzo and the whine this time is one of pain.

Before Primo can warn him to stop being aggressive or Water can turn his focus back to diluting the pain on his own, Special reaches out and puts his hand over Terzo's arm, just above where the thick void stops. His eyes give off a gentle glow and the void slowly moves up Terzo's arm into Special's, leaving a black stain in its wake and exposing the bite marks. He settles back to his curled up position, head resting close to Terzo's so he can nudge and nuzzle him in comfort. With the wound exposed, Water finally manages to make progress in getting the area cleaned and Earth quickly joins him to look at the bites. Despite how deep the bite looks it… doesn't look infected. Water trills up at him, confused; Earth slowly turns his attention to Special, brows furrowed. "You… used your own void to try cleaning it?"

"... Dinnit know what else to do." Special's ears go flat, fear taking over his expression. "Did I make it worse…?"

"N… no, I—? Would you excuse us a moment? Papa, could I speak to both of you, please?" His attention goes to Quinn, briefly. "If you would, I have a first aid kit in my desk. It should be restocked, once Water manages to wash his arm of the stain, please ensure it gets wrapped properly."

Quinn tips his head a little, to show he understands, before he steps back into the shadows and vanishes. Special sits up, ears alert and tail flickering as his attention zeroes in on where the other Ghoul vanished. Water makes a warning rumble at him, again, until he finally settles again. As much as Earth… doesn't want to leave them alone he still helps Nihil and Primo stand and closes the door behind them once all three are in the hallway.

"You seem flustered, Ghoul." Nihil sounds displeased. Probably because he's left his youngest's side; but, Earth just does his best not to recoil under the pointed look.

"My apologies, I didn't want to upset the little one." He still struggles for a moment before deciding a straight forward explanation is probably his best option. "I do not know what Terzo did, but he's summoned something truly extraordinary. Ghouls… our era of Ghoul… we cannot make ourselves so malleable. Water Ghouls can get close, but to actually use his void as a temporary bandage—one thick enough a more or less feral Water Ghoul cannot break it down. And he's a Fire Ghoul? Water shouldn't have had any problem treating Terzo whatsoever."

"That sounds to be more of a flaw of your Ghoul than something Terzo's accomplished." Nihil's expression hasn't changed. Primo's falls for a brief moment and Earth feels a bristle of anger course through him; but, his summoner simply puts a gentle hand on his wrist.

"He did not mean that in malice, Earth. … That said, father. I think he may be onto something. Terzo's behaviour changed weeks ago… more than long enough for any detrimental physical effects to begin manifesting." He doesn't elaborate past a simple gesture between himself and his father. Neither of them should look so withered and weary. Secondo was right to be furious and properly terrified for Terzo's health. "This could be the start of an entirely new generation of summoning Rituals. Safer Rituals. … Copia's summoning trial is soon. Terzo needs to recover, but… Special needs a Ghoul in his own maturity, to socialise and learn and grow. Let Terzo help Copia. If he succeeds we can finally look into fixing… this."

Maybe it can't be reversed. Maybe it's too late for them but they could prepare future generations and try to make the Rituals more publicly accessible so there weren't any further trust issues endangering members of the church.

"I am inclined to agree with Secondo, on this matter. I cannot change that he has summoned the Ghoul; but, I most certainly cannot allow him to keep it."

Primo frowns. He sees Earth's eye give a small twitch and gives his wrist a gentle squeeze. "Father, you saw his reaction from simply being separated from the little Ghoul. He doesn't have anyone in his own age group to be friends with, here or at school. He went to these lengths just to have someone to spend time with. You cannot truly be suggesting banishing him."

After a stretch of silence—long enough that he can hear Quinn telling Special to mind Terzo's arm and to come find them if he's still in pain later; long enough it sounds like they're waiting for Primo to dismiss them—Nihil heaves a slow, heavy breath, as he rubs at his eyes. "I will speak to Terzo when he wakes and the Priest once I've an answer from Terzo. If this trial succeeds… he may keep the Ghoul. If it fails… I will have both of them sent back. By force if necessary."

[iv. Mountain]

Another week passes before the next summoning.

It's a closed ordeal, one Terzo can barely stay awake for. He's still recovering and working through the reprimand from his brothers and father and Sister Imperator; but, he needs to be close by for Special's sake, even if he can't focus as well as he wants to. He wants to see a Ritual done properly with what he's learned… but he's so tired.

Next to him, Special chirps quietly and nudges him, gently, with his own head to offer some form of comfort. Terzo reaches up to give his ear a gentle pet before he turns as much of his attention out to the large summoning chamber. The upper clergy is watching from above—a select handful, but enough to be worried—while Secondo and Terzo are sitting just behind Copia.

For once, Imperator's voice echoing around the chamber isn't enough to jolt Terzo to an awake state; he simply leans heavier on his brother, arm still wound tightly with Special's and their hands locked in a death grip.

"The next step of your priesthood is to prove you understand the rituals of our labours. Normally, we would allow you to choose your first Ghoul… however," The woman's voice is cold; but, it doesn't scare Terzo as much as normal. He does, at least, make an effort to sit up straight again so he doesn't invite more of the woman's ire. "Due to extenuating circumstances brought about by the youngest of the Emeritus line… your Ritual has been predetermined. To pass, you must summon an Earth Ghoul, following the steps provided by the child. We are attempting to replicate his results in a more structured environment and hopefully have a measure against the Ghoul he has summoned. If you understand, you may begin the Ritual when you are ready."

Copia doesn't look nervous, but there's still a small warble to his voice that might make Terzo a little nervous. He knows Earth wasn't supposed to tell him that he might lose Special today… he really hopes he explained well enough.

A moment of warmth washes over him as Copia nears the end of the summoning incantation and he sits up a little straighter. He feels Special go tense, next to him, his ears flickering about in radar mode as he pointedly refuses to take his eyes off the summoning circle. Before Terzo can ask him what's wrong or try to distract him, the warmth disappears like a snap—cold replaces it for the briefest moment… but the moment passes and the next thing Terzo's aware of is… a void sitting in the center of the summoning circle. Clearly dazed and a little confused; but, not hostile and far more interested in their surroundings… and, specifically, the smith that approaches with a mask. Copia takes the mask, kneeling down with the Ghoul and extending the mask as an offering.

"Welcome, little one… do you have a name?"

Green eyes blink up at him and, just like Special, his lips move like he's trying to mimic the speaking but hasn't quite figured out how yet—

Terzo feels his arm tugged a moment before he realises Special's gotten loose and quickly slides down from his seat to run after him, "Special, don't—"

But, he doesn't attack. He shakes his head, sharply, and stops in his tracks, for the briefest moment. But, all it does is get the new Ghoul's attention as the two stare each other down. Special drops down to his prowling crouch, chirping and trilling in short, rapid bursts of curiosity.

"Wait until he's masked, little one." Terzo jumps when Earth's voice sounds above him; but, the Ghoul simply puts a gentle hand on his head. When he looks up, he swears the Ghoul is smiling. "You've done well, Priest Copia. Give him a moment to adjust. The mask will make the process quicker."

"Of course. This will only take a moment." Copia's gentle as he holds the mask out. Terzo's never seen a Ghoul being masked and actually jumps, hastily hiding himself behind Earth when the mask appears to leave Copia's hand on its own, when it's barely centimeters from the Ghoul's face, and a soft green glow emits from the lining, moving down the neck and body like veins and making the eyes glow that much brighter before a small, quiet chirp finally comes from the Ghoul's throat.

Terzo blinks and stares; as much as he wants to look away he swears he saw a design on the Ghoul's throat—

"Mou….ntain. Mountain? … Mountain."

His voice is quiet, but he sounds pleased with himself. His head tilts as he watches Copia stand and, with wobbly legs, slowly tries to mimic, only to nearly fall over. Special catches him, still crouched down in his prowl, against his shoulder and gently pushes the other Ghoul back to his feet. Instead of trying to stand like Copia, Mountain simply settles on the tips of his fingers and toes, mimicking Special instead and watching him closely as the two begin to circle each other curiously. Now that he's… kind of upright, it's a little odd to realise he looks to be a little bit bigger than Special, despite Special having grown over the past few weeks… but, Terzo hopes that just means Mountain is just… generally going to be a bigger Ghoul.

He's also rather genuinely worries they might not like each other—he's never seen a Fire and Earth Ghoul interact, what if they were ill-compatible—

Of course, the second he considers it, Special pounces, easily knocking Mountain over. Before he can go pull Special off—and he sees Copia startle as well—Mountain's hand goes flat to the ground and a few cracks start to form in the floor, causing Special to back off and the two immediately start chasing each other. They don't display any other powers, at least, but it's still concerning watching them tumbling around until Earth gives a small laugh to dispel the tension.

"This is how Ghouls socialise, don't worry. This is perfectly normal and healthy behaviour. I will see them outside, if you like, they'll need more room to run about. With your leave, Papa?"

Terzo looks up, still more or less glued to his brother's Ghoul. He sees the upper clergy muttering amongst themselves, but can't make out tone or word. Primo gives a gentle tap with his staff to signal their dismissal.

"Please do. Priest Copia, we ask you stay for a moment. Secondo, Terzo, please go with Earth. Copia will be along shortly to gather his Ghoul."

Secondo takes the out, immediately, and beelines for the chamber doors with only a passing scowl at the Ghouls. Earth sweeps a courteous bow and turns his attention to the pair still tumbling about. "Hmmm… I hadn't considered how to gather them… Terzo, do you think you can get Special's attention?"

Terzo blinks up at him, then looks back at the pair and, after a short hesitation, tries to speak.

"Special?"

Special immediately stops and his attention goes to Terzo, even as Mountain trips over himself in his efforts to cease chase. Earth takes the opportunity to gather the new Ghoul up in his arms and makes a beckoning gesture for Special and Terzo to follow. Terzo obediently falls into step behind him and Special, in turn, finally rights himself—a bit unsteady—to walking upright and comes up on Terzo's left, hugging the arm that isn't bandaged and purring deeply as he rubs his cheek against Terzo's shoulder. Terzo offers him a weak, rather unsteady smile, already bracing himself for the inevitability that… Special's attentions are going to shift.

"This is good, isn't it? Now you have a friend you can play with—"

"—Play with Vale." Special doesn't miss a beat and just hugs his arm tighter. "New friend won't ever replace Vale. Best friends. Always and forever."

The relief feels silly. He doesn't have a reason to be jealous and he knows Ghouls socialise better together than with humans—at least so far as he's seen… but the absolute confidence is so convincing and he hugs back as best he can without using his right arm.

"Best friends. Always and forever."

Even if he and Mountain do eventually become best friends, Terzo feels better in those few minutes where it's just them.

#sqooshy writes #ghost band #special ghoul #terzo #papa emeritus iii #rating: general #ao3 link #fic: ritual of summoning #fic series: meliora #ghost fanfiction

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ohmyitsfaith · 1 year ago

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Happiness Actually, written by ohmyitsfaith and @ttheweirdguypp

Inspired by Love Actually, Happiness Actually follows the lives of six high school couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely interrelated tales all set during a frantic year of high school, in China.

Table of contents

Chapter 1: Prologue

Start of something new

Chapter 2: Reaching out to you

Beginnings are always beautiful. Well, most of the time. Golden pair are in a beautiful relationship, Jingwu learns something he never thought was possible, Song Ci gets a gift from a mysterious person, alpha pair suffer from a decision that could end very badly, perfect pair are in a secret relationship, rival pair learn something about each other and Xinglong notices something he hasn't before.

Chapter 3: I am here for you

Some things are easier than others. And sometimes all we need is someone standing beside us and telling us "it'll be okay". Golden pair face some issues, Song Ci receives more mysterious gifts, alpha pair cook together, Zhuo Zhi starts to doubt Siyang's words, rival pair are still rival pair and A-Yan gets surprised by a late night visitor.

Chapter 4: No rest for the wicked

Things are sometimes easy, sometimes harder. It really just depends on who you're watching. Golden pair are happy together, Jingwu has some new thoughts that he doesn't understand, alpha pair go to a club, perfect pair enjoy a nice date together, but things go south for rival pair and Xinglong makes a new discovery.

Chapter 5: Cruel fate

There isn't a rainbow without a storm. And by now, everyone can attest to that. Golden pair face the facts, Song Ci and Ji Jingwu get into a misunderstanding, alpha pair deal with the results of their situation, Mu Siyang screws things up even more, Zhang Baiyang lies to his boyfriend, and A-Yan figures something out that turns his world upside down.

Chapter 6: Even the darkest stars shine bright

Even when it looks grim for your future, do not lose hope. Jiale seeks out Zhuo Zhi, who shares his sadness, Dayong gets help from his grandmother, Jingwu overhears the rumors, alpha pair say goodbye, Siyang packs up his suitcase, rival pair wallow in sadness and anger, and Xinglong and A-Yan get compared to a husband and wife.

Chapter 7: Of all the things

Of all the things, this had to happen? Well, when you're in a relationship, things tend to go a way you don't expect them. Golden pair seem to try to make amends while adorable pair fall deeper into the hole they dug themselves, alpha pair experience the meaning of weights falling off their chest, perfect pair continue their shenanigans, rival pair make up in their own way and Xinglong does something he didn't think he'd do.

Chapter 8: For you

The letter Siyang wrote for Zhuo Zhi

Chapter 9: True to myself

Staying true to your feelings and to yourself can sometimes be challenging. But sometimes all you need is a little push to get there. Golden pair kiss and make up, adorable pair talk things out, Shiting is recovering with his boyfriend there to support him, Zhuo Zhi races to catch Siyang before he leaves, Qiao Chen makes Baiyang explain what the hell happened and A-Yan finally reacts to Xinglong's confession.

Chapter 10: Everything to me

Everything is looking up for the moment, but something big is coming. Golden pair are happily together, adorable pair is enjoying their new relationship, Bai Shiting is overwhelmed by his boyfriend's worry, Zhuo Zhi tries to have a call with Mu Siyang, rival pair enjoy their lunch date and narrator pair navigate their new relationship

Chapter 11: News

Newspaper article announcing the meteor shower (that A-Yan read).

Chapter 12: Now you see me

Finally seeing things the way they are. And seeing people the way they are. Jiale goes on a shopping spree dragging Zhuo Zhi with him, adorable pair go on a date and pick up Zhuo Zhi from the mall, alpha pair spend some quality time together, Siyang is back from Germany, rival pair have a sleepover and our narrators talk things out.

Chapter 13: I love you

Love is one of the best feelings in the world. But maybe happiness is actually more important. Jiale goes through with his plan, adorable pair's plans get destroyed, Shiting learns something that's life changing, perfect pair finally reunite, rival pair are... rival pair and A-Yan surprises Xinglong.

Chapter 14: See you later

Every story must come to an end. But this isn't goodbye. It's see you later.

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airsignss · 2 years ago

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HBO War fluffy holiday prompts day 6

Title: Christmas Wrapping

Prompt: sneaky christmas market shenanigans (paraphrasing)

Pairing: Who else but Bab-*i am shot dead with a crossbow before i can finish that sentence but its Them*

Words: 1170

Author’s note: few things- im calling it that bc its almost midnight and that song has been stuck in my head all day. Deal w/it. Again, same au but a different point in the timeline. And if its riddled with mistakes, no it isnt 💙 (ill fix them l8r bc its… midnight) other than that, have fun be good and enjoy [prompt from @almost-a-class-act ]

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Throngs of people milled about the plaza, the low roar of voices melding with the medley of Christmas songs being played from nearly every vendor stall. The evening sky was covered in clouds, the light purple hue that indicated snow would start falling at any moment.

Babe and Gene were arm in arm as they strolled around the market, taking in the sensory experience. They stopped at nearly every booth perusing the handmade items and treats, looking for gifts for friends and family… and themselves. Which is what led them to the small jewelry stall.

“Ooh I bet I can find something for Katie here…” Babe mused, as he tugged Gene with him. Glass cases lined the small space, and a couple of other customers were already browsing the offerings. One case in particular gave them both pause.

Under the glass, in a small section off to one side, was a selection of gold and silver rings that were very clearly designed to be more masculine. They both silently scanned the options. The hand on Babe’s waist Gene had laid there as a guide tightened, but neither said anything before they moved onto the rest of the stall. Babe was in a trance after that, he ended up buying a pair of earrings for his sister but as they exited the little shop, he could still see that ring case. So could Gene.

They had talked about it, but it was always in the future. It was always “One day” “In a few years” “Of course… some day”. It didn’t bother Babe, he believed Gene. They were in a busy part of their lives and would have plenty of time. His life wasn’t going to magically end in four years at 30… but it also wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to ask, to lock in that promise of forever. Everyone already considered them married, why not make it official?

Gene silently offered his arm back to Babe as they continued on their way. They didn’t talk much, except to confirm that they wanted to find something to eat. Babe sought out the cart selling pretzels as big as his head, making them both giggle like children. After snapping a picture of the size comparison, Gene excused himself stating he needed to find a restroom that wasn't a port-a-potty. Babe agreed, and told him where he planned to be.

Once out of Babe’s view, Gene made a quick left back in the direction of the jewelry seller they visited. Thankfully the stall was nearly empty. The young raven haired woman greeted him, recognition in her eyes that let Gene know she remembered him from earlier.

“What can I do for you?” she asked, a warm smile lighting her face. Gene smiled back politely, his hands jiggling in his pockets. His mouth opened for a few seconds but no words came out, and the vendor’s face colored with concern slightly.

“Uh… I was hoping to buy one of your rings actually.” He said after a pause, gesturing towards the case they had seen earlier. The woman nodded and motioned Gene over to look with her.

“Which one were you thinking?” She asked after letting him look for a few moments. After a few more beats of silence, he made his choice.

“That one, with the stones.” He said pointing to a delicate gold band with an art deco design and small diamonds. Not too over the top but perfectly Babe. She nodded, crouching below the table to where her inventory was.

“What size?” She asked.

“Eight.” Gene said automatically, knowing the measurement by heart. She popped up a few seconds later with the box in her hand, opening it to show Gene his selection. He could feel his heartbeat in his throat, he was really doing it.

They walked over to where her register was, and she asked Gene if he wanted a bag for it to which he declined. He opted to just slip the small velvet box into his coat pocket.

“Alrighty, and are you paying with cash or card?” She asked. Gene pulled his wallet out of his pocket, slipping his card across the makeshift counter.

After making one of the most important purchases of his life, Gene exited the stall and took a deep breath. He merged into the crowd, the small box weighing heavy in his pocket. He found Babe about sitting on a bench by the large christmas tree, happily watching people go by. His face lit up when Gene came into his field of vision, and he happily waved him over. Gene sat down and Babe wasted no time pressing a kiss to his lips.

“You were gone a while, did you fall in?” He asked, bumping his shoulder to Gene’s who laughed and shook his head.

“No there was a line, other people had the same idea as me.” He explained. He detested lying, especially to Babe and he felt like he was shitty at it to boot. Babe seemed to believe him though, nodding thoughtfully.

“Where was that restroom at?” Babe asked, causing Gene to sputter for a moment.

“Uh over by City Hall.” He said, trying to remember vaguely where he had seen one on the map. Babe gave a thumbs up.

“10-4, I’m gonna go find it. No clue why I didn’t just go with you before.” He remarked with a shrug. “Oh well, I’ll be back. I’ll find us kettle corn too” He informed Gene, starting in the direction Gene had come from. “Love you!” He called over his shoulder, and Gene laughed.

Babe strode confidently down the lane, his eyes on the prize. He wondered if Gene actually went to the bathroom, or if they both had the same idea and he simply beat Babe to it. In any case, while he was waiting he made up his mind to find that stall and solidify their future.

Stepping inside, the same clerk as before greeted him.

“I’d like to see your men’s rings please.” He requested. The vendor had a knowing smile, and motioned Babe over to the case.

Armed with his newest purchase and a bag of kettle corn, Babe found Gene in the same area as before. He was pursuing a table full of handmade leather goods, listening to whatever the seller was telling him about the products. Babe caught his eye and he politely excused himself.

“Long line?” Gene asked, motioning for Babe to hand him the bag of popcorn. Babe nodded, sighing dramatically.

“The longest.” He confirmed, and gave one last glance around. “Are you ready?” He asked and Gene nodded before wrapping his arm around Babe’s waist.

“Did you get everything you wanted then?” Gene asked and Babe smiled to himself.

“Yeah, did you get anything?” Babe asked and Gene nodded. “Ooh, anything good?” he pressed and Gene smiled softly.

“I think so.” He confirmed, winking at Babe. The rest of the walk was quiet, neither needing words just each other.

#HBO War Barely Coherent Christmas #baberoe #gn sweet princes #my wrtitng

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50c14lly4nx10u5 · 2 years ago

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sometime a bit ago i decided to watch the back to the future cartoon for a *reason* and it was bad bad bad bad

so for one, right off the bat, marty is fuckinf HORRIBLW. he forgot to deink his respect women juice. like. one episode he got upset at jennifer for talking to another guy about tutoring and yells at her, cuz apparently she's not allowed to talk to any other guys??? and then he goes and flirts with a girl in pretty much every time he ends up in. jennifer you deserve better break up with him for good please stop forgiving him T^T

i already. fuckinf. shake in rage over the fact that characters ancestors are doppelgängers in this universe. it was bad enough in the main trilogy. first and second movie it was excusable. third movie was... questionable. the cartoon??? guys i think... uh... these families don't do a lot of mixing of the gene-pool. fucking royalty levels of incest or something, how many blood conditions do you think these guys have??? the tannen's are the worst of it because in every episode they make it a point to be like "ugh, not another tannen" and they always. look. the same. i'm actually half convinced people in this universe are able to reproduce asexually and since the tannens are horrible and therefore must get no bitches, they results to asexual means to continue the tannen bloodline in every generation, and therefore every generation there's a tannen clone

as a cartoon made in the... *checks internet* 90s, it is bound to not age well. especially dealing with time travel to before america was colonized. and uh. it didn't. there's one episode in particular i felt like ngggh. at least the colonialists were depicted as the bad guys? somewhat? not really... idk... it's not good...

it felt like the time travel rules changed on an episode to episode basis. and look nearly all media that deals with time travel ends up having this problem and it annoys the hell out of me but what can you do. any. one episode doc's youngest son, un, fern? i think? i searched it up it's verne. anyway he got lost in time. and they tracked him through time by watching,,, the newspaper change,,, every time he did something 😐. my guy that shouldn't work if it already happened in the past, the final result of the newspaper should have been stagnant, even before the guy went back in time. this itches at my very soul

the things i liked about this cartoon? ahhh errrm ehhmmmm... bill nye was at the end of every episode doing a demonstration of a science experiment you can do at home with a voice over explaining everything from doc??? yes i do want to make invisible ink with lemons, thank you bill nye and doc emmet brown you guys make science so cool 😔. also einstein the dog got cartoonified, meaning he now has human level intelligence and apparently has a time travel train conductor licence. or maybe he's doing it illegally because i don't think the doc's kids are... so be dog do crime ig. there is one episode centred around einstein defending the delorean from someone breaking in and trying to steal it, and does so all before doc comes back out from whatever errand he was doing idk

anyway 0/10 wanted more wacky time travel shenanigans with avoiding past selves boo (there was one episode where they could've had something SO GOOD, like 'marty wtf are you doing here and how tf do you know this child wAIT marty are you from the future!,!?!!?!?!!? you know how bad messing with the space time continuum can be!!!!' because marty and verne went to the day verne was born right, so he knew marty at that point in time and it would've been so interesting for doc to see marty then but they never ended up interacting. missed opportunity 🙄)

#50c14l speaks

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erigold13261 · 1 year ago

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Been thinking of Failed Revolution AU a few years into the future where 1010 is no longer working for NSR and are living in the UK trying to overcome their trauma and basically start life over.

The idea that each one has their own baggage to deal with but slowly gets better is something I love to think about, but it also made me realize just how much Green had suffered.

Like yes, all of 1010 suffered, but they all had someone else to help them out or at least hang out with. Green had no one. Like technically he had Yinu, but she wasn't always able to visit because of Mama's hatred for 1010. Not to mention Yinu would just use Green as a person to vent to and so wasn't really someone Green could rely on.

Red and Yellow had each other. Blue and White had Neon J. Green could kinda rely on Blue, but both Yellow and White would constantly harass Green. Red was a total flake and even helped Yellow in this harassment (mainly because he was scared to be in Green's situation so he went along with Yellow's asshole-ery).

I just love the idea that 1010 try to move past the pain they had, but Green is the only one not healing. He doesn't have the energy or care to try and move on, even if things are objectively better for him now than they ever were working under NSR.

Yellow and White (not Sun and Silver) do their best to make it up to Green (not Fern), but it's just not working. Fern just stays in the rooftop garden or cleaning the shop/machines in their little family run candy shop.

Unlike the rest of 1010 who are trying to get educations, better jobs, make friends, Fern is just isolating himself and going throught the motions of life. Not caring to even try and heal (honestly if anything, he is still holding a lot of anger and pain towards the rest of 1010 for everything that happened, even if he isn't showing it).

Like Green didn't even have Neon J to fall back on. J was too busy wrangling Yellow in, scolding White, calming down Red, and putting more and more responsibilities and teaching moments onto Blue, that he just never even had time for Green (who for the most part seemed the most self sufficient and well behaved of all of 1010 in Neon J's eyes).

There's also the fact that if Neon J did have time to spend with Green, he was instead spending it either drinking or with Nova. To Neon J, there was no need to spend quality time with any of 1010 as he wasn't supposed to actually care for them (he did, but didn't want to admit that). And since Green was well behaved and not lashing out physically or emotionally, then Neon J didn't need to actually spend time with him (he did, but it was very rare and mostly cut short by the jealousy of the other 1010 members).

Anyway, I'm just rambling at this point. But I love the idea of exploring how each member of FRAU 1010 tries to heal from their time at NSR. I also like the idea of how White/Silver and Blue/Sky end up becoming friends with Ex-Jay and B2J in the future.

It is nothing like how the OG versions are, but it is something that helps them all get to a better place. Like closure (something that Green will definitely need at some point).

So yea. Just wanted to type this out. Been thinking about it for a few days (honestly probably a week now). I have 2 versions of this whole thought process.

One where there was a multiverse merge, where almost all my AUs combine into one like pocket of time universe. There my AUs meet and they see the different versions of themselves and learn how to be better people from seeing their flaws either reflected or called out. (and years down the line from this event it happens again just so the AUs can meet and see the progression everyone made lol)

The other is just where FRAU naturally continues without any silly multiverse shenanigans. Less self reflecting and a bit more serious, but still a bunch of good ideas.

Okay. Rambling basically over. Just really wanted to talk about Green and how his neglect and abuse will be something he doesn't get over for years, much longer than the rest of 1010 took to seemingly "get over" what happened to them.

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primamchorus · 1 year ago

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SKG Shorts :: Unstained

Written during a transition for one of our FC RPs to help me set the stage for one of the arcs we were ending to push forward with a new one.

After having gathered the information she needed, Jaydin has a chat with one of her Knights' allies. Does she live in denial? Does she know who she is? Perhaps not, but at least she is willing to ask herself those questions. Even if the answer she may come to teases that feeling of fear.

Word Count: 1,981

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Stress and the gravity of what had transpired there at the Frozen Star tavern hung around Jaydin’s neck like a stone that weighed a tonze, threatening to asphyxiate her. Her hands shook as she washed and scrubbed them of the blood that stained them. An elezen man with a stern expression on his face watched, his arms folded over his chest as he leaned against the entryway to the bar’s kitchen.

“One might be inclined to believe ye enjoy what ye’ve been doing, wot with the frequencies o’ the lad’s screams o’ pain,” the elezen said, reaching down into his apron and pulling out a steel cigar case and retrieving one of the cigars inside. The sound of a match being struck sounded, and then the scent of an earthy citrus smoke wafted within the limited space.

“I implore you not to get the wrong idea, Gregoire,” Jaydin replied, her voice holding some semblance of indignance. “I do what I feel I must if it means protecting my Knights and people. I derive no pleasure in causing pain and suffering unto others.”

“Could ‘ave fooled me,” Gregoire said, offering a small shrug as he took a drag from his cigar. He exhaled slowly, the scent of the smoke becoming more pungent in the air, and continued: “It gets hard ‘aving to cover for ye when the lad is disturbin’ me patrons. Can’t bring the lad to a proper chirurgeon in time, so we ‘ave one of our own that employs more traditional methods… shite like that gets ‘ard to maintain.”

“If it pleases you, I suppose we can use the Dzemael Darkhold for our future business?” Jaydin asked, wiping her hands with a washcloth. Blood stained even the cloth -- the bits Jaydin could not entirely remove from her hands without scrubbing her hands deeper. “I’m sure the voidsent that plague its labyrinthian corridors will be happier to deal with any trouble that we may come across. Or perhaps the threat of gold lung from Aurum Vale?”

“What’s it matter?”

“It doesn’t. Both places would see the quarry dead for their actions levied against mine and my own. I would rather draw out answers as best as I can.” Jaydin put the cloth down at the side of the washbasin that she had been using. “I didn’t want to have to do what I did to get any answers I wanted.”

“Ye’d use the Dzemael property fer yer own needs?” Gregoire ignored parts of the conversation and seemed almost amused by the idea as a small chuckle blew past his lips. “Yer either a whit on the reckless an' daft side, or ye really ‘ave friends in high places that don’t mind turnin’ a blind eye to yers and yer comrades’ shenanigans.”

Jaydin could really only give a shrug at the comment. There were plenty of things she was willing to do so long as it meant she had a place to do it away from prying eyes, or it could shake any noses off hers or other Knights’ tails. Myrddin’s wealth and status could really only pull so many strings without it coming off as odd or suspicious after some time. After all, Ul’dah’s wealthy had a way of not exactly being the most discreet of people at the end of everything.

Turning away from Gregoire and placing both of her hands at either side of the basin, the rogue stayed silent. Her mind raced a malm a minute with a lot of her considerations. She hated discussions similar to this. Each time felt like a trick, or just a test of moral integrity that she started to doubt herself on as time went on.

“Stained red, stained red…” Jaydin spoke, her voice quiet. “If it’s me or them, let them be dead.”

“What’s that?” Gregoire asked, squinting at the Hyuran woman a moment. He let out another exhale of smoke, tapping the ash off to the side of him.

“A creed, I guess you could call it. A selfish one, mind…” Jaydin explained as she looked off to the side. Her eyes scanned over labels of bottles that were stored away on the shelves in the small room that she stood in as she contemplated how to continue with her thoughts. “Ul’dah was never a friendly place to street rats -- if you’re not born wealthy, or with something that makes you valuable to someone, you’re left to rot. So… there was this group I used to be with. ‘Stained red, stained red’, they would start -- the words meaning the blood either on our hands or someone else’s. ‘If it’s me or them, let them be dead.’”

Jaydin’s shoulders heaved with another shrug as she recollected the phrase.

“Survival of one’s self and their own was important. Perhaps I had run with the wrong people at the time,” Jaydin said. “But after some time… losing people close to me, I decided that… ‘stained red, stained red… if it’s me or them, I’d rather be dead’ had a tone to it that I’d rather have taken on.”

Silence lingered, only the sound of the embers eating away at Gregoire’s cigar became audible when he took another long drag of it. He tapped it again, shaking loose the ash before exhaling and looking at Jaydin with a steeled gaze. After a couple seconds, he finally said: “but ye’ve killed the lad. Doesn’t quite sound like you live by your words.”

“A threat to those I consider my family is a threat I don’t take lightly.” The automatic response was made almost as if it were a simple matter in that respect. Even if the look in Jaydin’s eyes told a different story on that matter. “I didn’t like what I had to do. My hands have been long stained red, this I am aware of. If it’s my family or him, I’d rather him dead.”

Was it a reassurance to Gregoire, or herself? Jaydin was not quite sure any longer. Perhaps it was both at that moment.

All the rogue really knew was that she would do anything to keep her family -- her Knights -- alive. Sure, there was maybe some expectation that everyone knew what they were getting into when they accepted the invitation to become a Knight, but that mattered little to how Jaydin ultimately felt about each and every one of them after some time. Even if she did not express it well.

“Regardless, someone supplied the Hound with the device containing this ‘Black Rose’ substance. I’ll need eyes and ears that can find any leads on a ‘Master White’ -- someone that apparently has some ties to the Syndicate. Let me know if you find anything of interest, Gregoire. I’ll be contacting some old friends in Ul’dah to see if they can keep an eye on any of the associates to the Syndicate, or just the Syndicate itself.” Jaydin’s brow furrowed as she considered what she knew of the Syndicate when she lived in Ul’dah as well.

“It’s hard to believe that we’d ‘ave issues with ‘em,” Gregoire sounded mildly surprised. “What with the death of Teledji Adeledji. Though, I suppose there’s always concerns regarding Lord Lolorito Nanarito.”

“Yes, I agree…” Jaydin murmured in response. “Regardless, though, I’m not sure why the Syndicate would be interested in the production and use of Black Rose in any way. Unless they intend to incite civil war among Eorzea.”

Jaydin paused, her face betraying any hint of resolve in her words. Frowning, she continued, “I wouldn’t believe that to be the case. That would be foolish in the wake of our united efforts against the Garlean threat. There’s no benefit to anyone within the Syndicate unless there was a member that held a seat that was also a Garlean operative, but the seats are for Ul’dah’s wealthiest with the exception of General Aldynn, who got in within his own merit. Though I suppose his seat is free now, given his return to Ala Mhigo.”

Another bout of silence hung in the air before Gregoire suggested: “... lest the lad was havin’ one last gaff at ye. Insultin’ yer intelligence till the last. Given yer knowledge on the state of affairs in Ul’dah, ‘owever… I s’pose ye ‘ave yer own thoughts and pursuits that dictated that information enough.”

“It’s possible that he believed what he told me. If he has no knowledge of the Syndicate and how it operates, he could have been led astray. Given his nature, though, you may be onto something. Regardless, we do have a name, and we’ll have to look into it to see if it yields any significant results whilst staying vigilant in our efforts.” The subtle doubt in Jaydin’s voice was audible to her, much as it pained her to even admit in some small portion.

Jaydin’s chest and shoulders heaved with a sigh. There was still the matter of what Iwa reported she had seen as well the night that they had started interrogations on the Hound. Pursing her lips and weighing her options, she looked back to Gregoire and said to him, “make sure that you keep your eyes open around the area for anything suspicious. There’s no telling what that person was up to -- the one that one of my Knights reported seeing when we came to question the captive.”

“Aye… me lads an’ lasses around the area ain’t no strangers to keepin’ our wits about us. My people up within the Haillenarte and Fortemps guard ‘ave been notified to keep their eyes peeled. Though since the incident wit’ the heretics some while back before the end o’ the war, they’ve certainly been more on their toes when it comes to passing merchants an’ traders.”

Nodding in acknowledgement to what Gregoire said to her, Jaydin took in a breath -- woody, citrusy cigar smoke scents and all -- and then exhaled slowly. She had least had things to look into, and that was more than she would have gotten had she allowed the Hound to take his own life like he had twice before already. That she had been able to prevent this was a mercy in and of itself when it came to getting any information that they required.

The search continued, and would for as long as it needed.

“Well, if ye got no more business bein’ back ‘ere…” Gregoire said, breaking the silence as he took another couple puffs of his cigar. “Why don’t we get on back into the bar itself. I’ll get ye a drink. If yer really true to yer word on what ye said, ye probably need it, aye?”

“... A drink would be great, actually…” Jaydin replied, feeling a momentary wave of relief.

The bar was pretty much empty save for a single knight dressed in the colors for House Haillenarte who nursed a flagon of whatever was left of their ale. When Jaydin sat down at the bar counter, she pinched the bridge of her nose before moving her fingers to rub her eyes. As she kept her eyes closed even afterward, she could hear Gregoire pulling a glass out and putting it on the countertop before hearing him take a couple bottles to get the glass filled.

Finally looking at the glass as Gregoire was done getting it put together, she offered a small ‘thanks’ before taking it and inspecting it before drinking it. It was a creamy blend -- sweetened with honey, though packing a hard punch and burn to stave off the Coerthan cold at the end of its delight.

“Mm…” Jaydin gave a small sound of approval. “What do you call this, Gregoire?”

“Doesn’t ‘ave a name,” Gregoire said with a slight grunt. “But if ye want one, I dare say I’d call it an Unstained Hand.”

A moment after processing this, Jaydin gave an amused scoff behind an annoyed facade before continuing to drink the beverage.

#ffxiv #ffxiv writing #my writing #fc rp plot stuff #fc: the starry knights #ffxiv oc #oc: jaydin byrd #oc: gregoire rugant #implied torture

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tigerlover16-uk-2 · 8 months ago

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You know the more I think about it the more I think this does highlight an issue with the manga in how there's precious little down time and we barely see Goku doing anything besides training when there's not a situation to deal with.

In the Super anime there's a lot of breathing room between most of the sagas and plenty of moments or whole episodes where Goku's just home doing things with his friends and family.

Going into town and getting roped into shenanigans briefly with Mr Satan, doing his farming job and trying to find ways to turn that into a convenient training session with Gohan and then going on a training trip with Krillin and Master Roshi when that doesn't work out, going to the movies, baseball matches with his friends and the U6 gang, babysitting Pan for an episode. And a bunch of other things.

There's frequent acknowledgements of how Goku cares about his family and supports his kids, and that even with his constant training trips it's largely for the benefit of fighting the next bad guy that shows up to cause trouble, which Goten and Gohan approve of and understand and even Chichi reluctantly accepts despite protesting when he's around and she thinks she can reign him in for a bit.

And we just... don't get stuff like that in the manga for the most part.

Even besides the obviously anime original plots between arcs, Toei generally adds interactions into the actual Toriyama plots. There's no bit in the manga where Goku agrees to sneak off and take Goten training with him on Beerus's planet and hanging out with him in town for a while, and then only not doing that when Goten decides to hang out and train with Trunks instead. He doesn't even have an actual talk with Gohan that entire arc, compared to the multiple interactions they have in the anime.

He doesn't interact with Goten and Chichi at all in the Future Trunks arc, or even the champa saga as far as I can recall. Instead of him getting furious at Goku Black for murdering Chichi and Goten in an alternate timeline, we just get a joke from him about how "Guess I'll have to avenge... myself"

It's just not there. Just like most of the supporting cast just aren't there most of the time, especially earlier on. It's only occasionally that we get manga original downtime moments where the cast just hang out and do stuff together that doesn't move the current plot along, like that one scene in the Future Trunks arc where everyone takes a break to play some video games.

Like this whole stupid joke about Goku forgetting Pan is something no one would even think to suggest writing into a script for the anime, because even though we don't get much direct interaction between Goku and Pan outside of episode 43 sadly, he's still in several scenes where she's also present throughout the show. He's still shown coming back home from training often and generally having a life with his friends and family outside of said training. So there's no way anyone would think it'd make sense he'd forget about her in that continuity.

But we never actually see Goku directly interact with Pan in the manga until now, so in Toyotaro's mind I guess that's believable.

Because here, training and dealing with whatever current event is going on really does seem to be the entire focus of his life, and if his family aren't currently involved in that, the manga just doesn't show them or what they're doing.

And I think that's always been why I just couldn't get into the manga even before Toyotaro really started going all in on the stupid moments and character derailments like this. Because Dragon Ball needs those down to earth moments and added character interaction to remind us why the big epic fights and the struggles to save the world matter, and that as much as fighting matter to them Goku and Vegeta and the others all have lives outside of it.

That’s it I’m fighting toyotaro

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h0tchner · 4 years ago

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go team hotchner!

pairing: dad!aaron hotchner x fem!reader

summary: aaron is coaching jack’s soccer game & reader is in the crowd! aaron & reader are happily married, but another woman’s mean comments and blatant flirting makes the reader jealous. fluffy shenanigans ensue!

word count: 2.5k

includes: FLUFF, jack hotchner is the sweetest, you & aaron are married, jealous!reader, kissing, family planning, & AARON IN A GREY T-SHIRT

rating: 18+ (for VERY brief mentions of sex and a little smidge of cursing)

a/n: i wrote this for @ssahotchswife’s soft hotch saturday! this is my first published fic, so i hope y’all enjoy. PLS (!!!!!!!!!!!) interact if you liked this, rb, comment, like and/or send me a request if you have ideas for future fics! i love y’all! - rivka💞

“Atta boy, Jack!” Aaron yells from the side of the field, clapping his hands as his son scores another goal.

Beaming, you holler from the benches along with the crowd. You watch as your husband jogs up and down the sidelines with ease, keeping up with Jack’s soccer team. It’s a stunning Saturday morning and you are thrilled to spend every moment of it with the Hotchner boys. Your Hotchner boys.

When they asked Aaron to coach the team, how could he say no? After losing Hayley, he promised himself that he would do everything in his power to be there for Jack. When you first started dating, Aaron was hesitant to introduce you to his son. It wasn’t because he didn’t want you in Jack’s life, but rather he didn’t want to scare you away. You were a 26-year-old NCIS agent and he was a 40-something FBI agent. You knew he had a son, you knew he was a widow, and you knew he was older than you: but you didn’t care. You loved him. It took a little coaxing to get Aaron to open up to you about his fears, but once he did, you assured him then and there that you weren’t going anywhere. He introduced you to Jack the very same day. Four years later, you and Aaron are stronger than ever.

The ref blows the whistle, calling a break. Aaron motions for the kids to huddle in. He squats on the floor to get on their level, enthusiastically whispering, walking them through the next play. Your heart swells watching him talk to the group of children. Aaron Hotchner, always the hero, the role-model, the leader. Gentle yet powerful: he was intoxicating.

Your eyes dart over his crouched figure; the soft, heather grey of his t-shirt clings to his broad shoulders. You draw in a breath, a memory of last night flooding your senses, remembering how you held on to those shoulders for dear life as he pounded you into the bed. You feel your cheeks blush red, and you look up to the sky, shutting your eyes to collect yourself. Damn. Even just the thought of touching him gets your blood up.

You open your eyes, letting your gaze travel back to Aaron’s body, admiring how good his butt looks in those black Adidas track pants. You bite your lip a bit, feeling overwhelmed with joy, knowing that beautiful man, inside and out, was all yours. God, what you wanted to do to...

“Damn he is HOT. Way hotter than the old coach. I think his son is on the team?” A woman’s voice rings out from behind you.

“Yeah, I think so. Did you hear what happened to his first wife? So sad, lost her when his son was little. Apparently he’s shacked up with some 20-something-year-old now.” A second woman’s voice chimes in.

“No way. Him? Married to that? He needs a real woman, not some child. A man that experienced should be with someone his own age. I’m gonna talk to him after the game, see what his deal is.” The first woman replies, voice dripping with venom.

“I think you should!” Agrees the second.

“Oh, I will. I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse.” Snickers the first.

They both laugh as you sit frozen in your seat, blinded by a wave of anger and sadness.

Some child? Someone his own age? Their hurtful words pierce right through your heart as you furiously blink back tears.

The ref blows the whistle, and the team scatters back onto the field. The ladies cheer behind you as the game starts back up. It takes all your strength not to break down under the crushing weight of their conversation. You take in some deep breaths, mulling over their comments. You weren’t “some child!” You were a grown-ass woman! You had a job! You were a federal agent! You loved Aaron and Jack: they were your whole world!

As you continue to give yourself a mental pep-talk, the hurt begins to dissipate as you realize how stupid those woman sounded. They didn’t even know you, or Aaron, or anything about your relationship. In that moment, you tell yourself that instead of wallowing in self-doubt, you would stand up to them and make it known that you were the only one for Aaron.

Just like that: you begin to feel a bit better. You focus all your attention on Aaron and Jack, letting the game fly by. You ignore the ladies gossiping behind you, and, by the time the kids are lining up to give the other team high-fives, you had pulled yourself together and come up with a plan to put these ladies right back in their place. You just had to wait for the right time to make your move.

“Wish me luck!” squeals the first woman. You can feel her getting up from the bleachers behind you.

“Go get him, girl!” sasses the second.

You watch as the woman walks down the aisle, her straight blonde ponytail swishing as she goes. She’s wearing blue-jean shorts and a white lace top: an outfit you’ve seen before on a hundred women who looked just like her. In any other circumstance you’d applaud her efforts (girls supporting girls, right?) but this was your man she had her sights on. No way. Not a chance. She wasn’t going to lay a single pink manicured finger on him.

Aaron is talking to the ref and the other team’s coach when she taps him on the shoulder.

Oh HELL no. You think, frowning.

He turns around and gives her a small, polite smile. You can’t hear the exchange, but after a few moments, she sticks out her hand to shake his, laughing. Aaron curtly returns the shake and turns back to finish up his prior conversation; but, this time, the blonde woman puts a hand on his arm again, lightly pulling him away. Your blood begins to boil. She gestures to the pack of kids, now getting drinks and snacks from the fold-up table next to the bleachers. Aaron nods, pointing over to where Jack is standing, sipping on some lemonade. She puts her hand on his arm again and tilts her head.

You decide it has been long enough. It’s go time.

You walk down the bleachers, picking up the hem of your baby blue floral sundress so you wouldn’t step on it as you descended.

The woman is still all over Aaron, clearly flirting. Aaron’s arms are crossed over his chest, lips in a terse smile. It didn’t take a profiler to know that his behaviour screamed “get me out of here.”

You fluff your hair a bit, letting it fall loosely around your face. With confidence, your feet hit the soft grass and you head towards your husband.

“Aaron!” you call out, waving and smiling as you near him, shooting daggers at the blonde woman by his side.

The moment he sees you approaching, you watch his entire demeanour change.

“Y/N!” he grins, excusing himself from the woman.

She whips around to face you with a vengeance as Aaron scoops you up, tanned arms firm around your middle. He spins you around as you laugh, surprised, looking down at him with pure elation.

He sets you down and, before you have a chance to say anything else, grabs your face in his hands, crashing his mouth into yours. You throw your arms around his neck and card your fingers in his hair, kissing him with the same fervour.

You can practically feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins. It’s hot and dominating: something about winning a game makes Aaron primal and giddy. You certainly aren’t complaining.

He breaks the kiss and lets his hands fall to your waist, squeezing lightly.

“Congrats on the win, Coach Hotchner.” You smile as you brush a lock of sweaty black hair off his forehead.

“Couldn’t have done it without my favourite cheerleader, Mrs. Hotchner.” He winks, pressing a light kiss to your forehead.

“Oh yeah?” You prod, cocking your head, looking into his gorgeous hazel eyes. “Who would that be?”

“Hm.” He pauses, looking up pensively.

He wraps his arms even tighter around your middle and dips his head down, whispering one word in your ear: “You.”

You laugh, swaying with him for a moment, capturing his lips in another kiss. As you pull apart, out of the corner of your eye you watch as the blonde woman stands frozen to the same spot, mouth agape. You smirk, feeling satisfied and self-assured knowing your little scheme was a success.

Then, like a rocket, you see Jack running towards you with a mile-wide grin on his flushed face.

“Y/N! Did you see? Did you see me make two goals?” Jack exclaims.

“Yeah buddy, I saw the whole thing!” You capture him in a bear hug, kissing the top of his head. You ruffle his hair and kneel down, looking into his soft brown eyes.

“I’m so proud of you. Did you have fun?”

“Yeah! I love soccer!” Jack nods.

“You did a great job Jack.” Aaron says, helping you stand. He wraps an arm around your waist and looks lovingly down at his son.

“You’re our soccer superstar.” You add, glancing between Jack and Aaron with unbridled joy. “Now go! Go back to your friends!” You laugh, shooing him away, back to the group of sweaty 8-year-olds and their snacks.

You stand there with Aaron, snaking your arm around his back to match his around yours. You both watch as Jack bounds off. A quick glance to the side shows that the blonde woman is long gone, probably stomping back up to her friend to whine and call you more names.

“Is she gone?” Aaron murmurs into your hair, pressing a gentle kiss to the side of your head.

You stutter, “How... how did you?” You trail off in disbelief.

“Oh please,” he smirks, “I had to stop you from practically biting her head off when you walked over.”

“Aaron!” you yelp, mocking upset. “You should’ve let me at her.”

He chuckles, lips twitching into a smile as he quirks one eyebrow up. “I couldn’t have my wife fighting with the aunt of one of my players. It’d reflect poorly on me.”

“She called me a child. Said that you should be with someone your own age. I think that warrants a free pass.”

His joking manner stops abruptly at your declaration. “That’s ridiculous and you know it,” he furrows his brow, shaking his head lightly.

You reach up and run your fingers over his scrunched forehead, soothing the lines into something softer.

“I know,” you nod.

Aaron pulls you into his side, wordless. Fingers tracing lightly over your hip. You knew he was thinking the same thing: no matter what they said, you knew in your heart that you and Aaron were meant to be. Age be damned. He was yours and you were his: forever. Simple as that.

“Mmm,” you sigh, taking in the beauty of the moment. You smile at the clear sky, the fresh air, and the feeling of the man you loved, right by your side. You two watch Jack as he talks and laughs with the other kids. He looks so happy to be surrounded by them: a natural conversationalist. You can’t help but start to think about how he would be the best big brother in the whole world. It makes your breath hitch in your throat a bit.

“What is it?” Aaron gives your side a squeeze.

Of course he could sense when your thoughts began to wander. Aaron was a man of many talents.

“Oh, it’s nothing.” You look up at him with a reassuring glance, returning the squeeze.

“Y/N...” Aaron trails off, hazel-brown eyes searing into yours.

Damn your gaze, Hotchner.

You look away, letting your arm drop from his waist and move to step away a bit: he grabs for your hand instinctively, keeping you next to him. His big hands engulf your small ones, fingers entwined.

You know he is still staring at you, but you can’t bring yourself to look at him yet. Your eyes refocus on Jack.

“I was... I was thinking,” you begin. “I love you. I love you so much, no matter what anybody else says. And I love Jack like he’s my own.”

You breathed in, prepping yourself mentally for what you were about to say next.

“Jack is so good with other kids.” You continue, “He loves being social, being a teammate.”

You gather the strength to meet your husband’s famous glare.

“And watching you coach these kids? You’re so good with them, Aaron. You make every one of them feel special. You give 110% of your heart, and I am so lucky to be your co-coach in life.” You tell him in earnest.

“Aaron,” you carry on, emboldened, “I think it’s time we added a new member to the Hotchner team” you finish, searching every inch of Aaron’s face for recognition.

You watch as he takes in the information. After a few beats, it clicks.

“Y/N,” his expression softens, “Do you want to have a baby?”

You bite your lip and nod, eyes wide and hopeful.

Aaron nearly explodes with happiness; his eyes crinkle as he smiles down at you, unable to speak. And then, his warm body envelopes yours, solid but soft: unmistakably Aaron.

You let out a shaky laugh and bury your head in his neck, breathing in the smell of cologne and light sweat.

He pulls back a little, one hand tilting your chin up to look at him.

“Oh my god, Y/N,” he shakes his head in disbelief.

“Does that mean yes?” you ask, in a small voice.

Aaron laughs again, letting out a sigh. He tucks a strand of hair behind your ear, letting his hand linger on your cheek. You lean into his touch.

“Yes,” he says, giddy. “Let’s have a baby.”

The sound of children laughing fills your ears as you grab the back of his head and pull Aaron into a soft kiss. The kiss is full of promise: a gentle pact, sealing the deal. You and Aaron were going to have a baby. Jack was going to have a little brother or sister.

You pull away, arms still around his neck.

“I love you, Aaron.” You breathe out.

“I love you, Y/N.” He whispers back.

Nobody on this planet could shake the bond you and Aaron had. Suburban soccer moms be damned.

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