#this admittedly got away from me?? I just started doodling and was like. huh. okay

[saintaviator]

vash and wolfwood.... i love seeing them in ur style

TY !!! HERE THEY ARE AGAIN !!!

[shadowling-guistical]

Sit and Bleed.

Roman asks Remus for advice, and Remus delivers. In his own, mildly disturbing way. Somehow, bonding ensues.

Yeah idk either. I shared this to one of my friends and they said, and I quote, "Hey mishi i love you but wtf? Did remus posess you?"

So like, enjoy?

WARNING: Extensive blood talk, period talk, mild injury, mild gore, and generally just canon typical Remus shenanigans.

---

"Do you think that it's true?" Roman had asked him one day, "That writing is easy? That you could just sit at a typewriter and… And bleed?"

It had been dusk, and somehow, Roman had Imaginationed the setting sun to send it's final rays streaking across his room. From where Remus had been lying, splayed out on Roman's carpet like a human sacrifice waiting for a malevolent god, it looked sickeningly beautiful. The gold that bathed the room, the warmth and splendour, he thought it was just saccharinely horrid.

Roman turned his chair to face him. Remus turned his head. A heartbeat turned into two before he scoffed.

"Please," Remus idly picked his nose, rolling the products he found jammed up in his sniffer into a small hard ball and flicked it off to god knows where. He hoped it landed on Roman's pillow. "If writing were that easy, I'd twist my foot off and feed it to Virgil's tarantula,"

"It used to be,"

Remus sighed, swinging his legs up before he leapt onto his feet with a soft oof. Roman went back to his writing, ignoring the sound of Remus' spine popping when he straightened himself. The Duke sauntered to Roman's desk, looking over his shoulder to see…

Nothing.

Well, nothing substantial .

Bits of writing here, a doodle there, scratched out ideas at the corner, angry scribbles at another…Oof.

His twin must have noticed, because Roman’s tone was bitter.

“Not anymore,”

"Yeah well," Remus muttered, thinking of glittering yellow eyes filled with mischief and a sly smirk underneath a shadowy hood, "A lot of other things used to be easy too,"

"Well? What do you think?"

Riiiiight, typewriting and bleeding. Remus scoffed, "Well willya lookit that. You never asked me before, why start now?"

Roman groaned, "... Remus I’m serious here,"

"Hey! It's true," Remus swiped the paper and crumpled it into a ball. Without looking, he threw it over the shoulder. Roman scowled when he sees it bounce onto his bed, "What's up, Prince stink-a-lot? You ask me to come hang out. You didn't kick me out when I wiped boogers onto that skinned angora cat you call a carpet, and now you're asking me questions? What gives?"

"...it's just…"

God, it’s just this and it’s just that , Remus wanted to pull his hair out already. He wished Roman would just spit it out. Just vomit it out and get this over with. Really, getting his stupid twin to just spew whatever was rattling in that noggin if his was worse than pulling teeth out of a gator. And Remus would know, he tried it a lot over the years.

"I just wanted to be like you,"

And there it was, whatever thing that had been sitting in his twin’s gut like a 5 foot long tapeworm.

…

Like him.

Like Remus.

The Duke of Dastardly Deeds.

Mr. Dark and Disgusting himself.

Roman "Pretty Boy" Sanders wanted to be like him?

Remus leaned forward, far more amused than shocked.

"...You're fucking with me,"

"No, I am not," Roman was looking at him with those intense green eyes of his and woah… the guy really was serious, wasn't he?

Huh.

Curiosity reared it's head, familiar and cloying somewhere inside of Remus'  stomach. Then again, it could have been the extra potent shaving cream he had over his deodorant earlier today. Who fucking knows.

"Why?" He finally asked.

"Because… You've always made it look so… easy," Shaking hands ran through unruly curls, "It comes easier for you than it did for me. Always did. Just— How do you do it, Remus?"

The other twin considered it for a moment.

Had it really? Admittedly, Remus didn’t really notice it. He hummed. Sit on a typewriter and let yourself bleed , huh?

Well. He apparently had a crisis to handle.

Remus leaned against Roman's desk. Lightly, he ran rough, clumsy fingers on a splotch of dried ink absorbed into wood.

The tone that his Other Half (Don't make it weird Tumblr, he didn't mean that way. So put those pitchforks down and back away. Thanks.) had used while gesturing to the stack of papers and feather quills on his desk now morphed into disgust, "it feels like I just don't have any flowing in me anymore,"

"Well duh," long, dirty fingernails tapped against polished wood, "It's because bleeding isn't supposed to be easy, you doofus," He sighed, and Roman’s expression caused him to nearly want to groan and drape himself over the table. God, it was so fucking obvious that Roman really had no idea, did he? "You know, If you wanna go all gross metaphor with me, you gotta at least not half ass it,"

"Okay, but half ass it how? That how the saying goes,"

With all the tact and delicacy of a blunt axe, Roman’s words were cut off.

"Then it's a shit saying,"Before Roman could protest, "Look do you want me to help or not? Yeah? Then good. Just shut up for a sec and spill the juicy details," Pause, "Okay, what do you know about periods?"

Roman stiffened, obviously beginning to not like where the conversation was steered to. Because not even Jesus could take the wheel when Remus was behind it. However, Roman reluctantly let his shoulders relax when his twin brushed him off with an eye roll. Cautiously, because Remus still needs to be handled much like a skunk would.

"Remus— “

"Oh just relax. This is going somewhere. Trust me. And I won't do any shit I can't clean up. Just answer the question,"

Roman looked queasy, but swallowed heavily. He supposed he did ask, "I guess, just what Thomas learned in Sex Ed,"

Hm, he could work with that.

"So absolutely shit! Great! I just love the educational system in Florida. Wonderful. Wish the Nerdy Wolverine was here to tell you. But you only got me so it'll have to do— Should've prepared a whole musical number about it too—"

Remus held out his palms, and Roman sees the skin tighten. It strained and stretched before it ripped into a bloody gash.  Roman grimaced, the other unperturbed. In fact, he daresay Remus looked curious. Like he was mulling over what to say.

"Eh, Follow up— Have" Remus let the blood pool into his cupped hands. A tablespoonful turned into a cupful and soon it was overflowing. He tipped his hand so that the blood dribbled down. Drip drip drip, a small stream of blood hit the floor in splatters, "Have you seen it before? Period blood?"

"What?” Oh god, he feels like he could gag, “Gross—! No of course not,"

Remus rolled his eyes.

"Unfeminist much?" The dry tone was met with protest.

"I'm not!—" Roman spluttered, "I don't go around looking for what comes out of people's pants, Remus!"

"Yeah yeah, but did you know they're chunky though?"

"I— What the fuck Remus?"

"Just...humour me for a sec. So they're chunky," Remus sort of flicked his hand, sending smaller droplets flying. A particularly large droplet streaked across Roman’s floor, "Thick goopy, disgusting— Hey, think of that the next time you scoop out some Crofters eh?"

Well, there nearly goes Roman's lunch.

"Oh god.” He pushed down the tickle at the back of his throat, “Please don't— Just, get to the point,"

"Okay okay. Jeez. The point is," two scarred, calloused hands rubbed together, letting the blood smear, "Is that even blood flows differently,"

The hands raised up, tinged red and both of them marred with an angry, red, jagged tear.

"Look at this shit. See? Not everything that comes out is the same. Some places will drip. Others flow and some? They're chunky. That's just how it is. you can't expect chunky blood to flow as easily as fresh blood,"

Without letting Roman mull on the morbid metaphor, he ploughed on.

"Oh yeah— And blood coagulates. It dries up and turns to scab. It won't stay bleeding forever. It's not supposed to. And expecting it to is just stupid, so write that down with your fancy quill,"

Blinking, Roman's mind slowly caught up with him.

Flowing blood and drying and scabbing— He soon deflated.

Oh.

Oh…

He just watched wordlessly as Remus wiped his hand against the fabric of his outfit. Flakes of dried blood sprinkled down joining the droplets on the ground like some sort of morbid snow.

" And just in case you forget, because of course you do. Scabbing is good. Personal experience guaranteed. It heals things. Plus…" the hand with the cut waved again. Exaggeratedly, mockingly, and even Roman couldn't help but to crack a smile, "You gotta make a pretty deep cut if you wanna bleed a lot,"

Maybe Roman was imagining the softer tone that Remus had let bleed into his voice.

"And if you bleed a lot, you gotta let yourself scab,"

A long, slow exhale.

He had to let himself scab.

"And… You've kinda been bleeding a lot, didn’tcha?"

"I…" Roman swallowed, mouth suddenly dry, "...Yeah...I think so,"

"Been making some huge cut lately to get it flowing?…"

"...Mmmm…" Shaking breaths, fragile and soft. Okay… okay… "Remus?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you… do you think I can… I should—"

Should he stop?

"... Course you could, you stupid bleeding heart…" a hand found itself in Roman's hair, gently carding it. Really, almost petting it, "...But fuck Ro, if that isn't the thing we all love about you, you doof. Of course you can. And you should. In fact, I am telling you to,"

Hesitantly, a pair of arms circled themselves over Roman's shoulder, pulling him close.

Remus didn't mention it when he saw broad shoulders decorated in tassels begin to  shake. He didn't pay attention to the soft sobs that sent a Prince, unwavering and strong, shaking. He didn't care about the way Roman's face had crumpled.

"It's time to let it scab, Roman. And try not to pick at it too much,”

Outside, the figure that had been leaning against the door for the better part of the last 10 minutes smiled.

Heh… Credit where credit's due, he supposed.

He tilted his bowler hat forward and began walking down the hallway. No need to worry.

Who knew that the Duke had it in him.

[takerfoxx]

RD Walpurgis Nights 7: Part 1

It is time, my dudes.

There was something of an odd symmetry in this.

Just how it was when they had first met, Ophelia was the one to find Homulilly after she had run off. It wasn’t as easy this time. For one, the crowded festival grounds were much harder to navigate than the woods had been, and she didn’t have Cheese around this time to use as a homing pigeon.

Still, find her she did. Homulilly was sitting by herself on the edge of a low wall, a bit away from the festivities. Her legs were drawn up, arms wrapped around her shins and face buried in her knees. Her spider-lily had clamped up into a tight bud.

Ophelia watched her for a bit. Then with a sigh she walked over and sat down next to her. Homulilly turned her head just enough to see who it was, grimaced, and hid her face again.

Ophelia raised an eyebrow. Then she reached into her blazer pocket and pulled out a chocolate-covered caramel crunch bar and held it out to the younger girl.

For a bit it didn’t seem that Homulilly had even noticed the gesture. But then, with her face still hidden, she tentatively reached up, took the candy bar, unwrapped it, and brought it into her makeshift shelter. From inside came the sound of munching.

Finally the flower on Homulilly’s head uncurled its petal a bit, and the girl soon followed, straightening up enough to expose her face, though she remained hunched over, her candy bar held tightly with both hands. Her eyes were wet and blotchy, and there were tear streaks running down her pale face.

Ophelia waited until Homulilly had finished the last of it before remarking, “Well. That was…unexpected.”

Homulilly swallowed hard. She sniffed and wiped her nose with her jacket sleeve.

“I’m guessing that things haven’t been okay for you guys lately, and that whole thing’s been building for a while.”

The empty candy bar wrapper crinkled as Homulilly hugged her arms to her chest. “I screwed up,” she said, her voice breaking.

Ophelia nodded. “You wanna talk about it?”

There a long moment of hesitation, then Homulilly nodded.

“Okay,” Ophelia said. “How about you start from the beginning?”

…

Five days ago…

Homulilly had already sort of looked like a zombie already, with her pale complexion and skeletal hands, arms, back, and shoulders. But now, as she gazed into her own reflection in the mirror over the dresser, it struck her just how truly dead she looked. Her eyes were empty, completely devoid of emotion, a perfect representation for how hollow she felt inside.

Then she looked down in dismay at the open book before her, the reason for why she felt so dead. On it was a bewildering collection of numbers, letters, and mathematical symbols, all arranged in a manner that failed to make any sense, no matter how many times she read and reread the instructions.

Math. Why was it always math? Why was she even having to learn math? She was dead! Death ought to have liberated her from math! But noooooo, here she was in the stinking afterlife, and they were still making her learn math. It wasn’t fair!

She again looked over the directions and tried to tackle the first set of problems. But before too long it turned into yet another muddy disaster of a mess that she had to erase before slumping her entire upper body over the desk. Stupid math.

And not just any math either! They were making her learn algebra! Why were there letters?! Letters didn’t belong in math!

Sighing, Homulilly straightened up and consulted her notes. However, most of it was just doodles she had idly sketched while being bored in class: a trio of flying kittens, two skeletons salsa dancing, and a fleet of alien invaders attacking Freehaven. It wasn’t any particular species native to the afterlife, just the standard flying saucer variety. Now that she looked at her scene of war and devastation, she found herself admiring the amount of detail she had put into the burning buildings and the shading on the flying saucers. It was like something out of a comic book!

She had been really bored in class that day.

Not for the first time, Homulilly wished that Gretchen was there. Gretchen honestly wasn’t much better than she was, but working together somehow made it easier to work out the stubborn formulas, as if their linked energy compelled them to find solutions. Unfortunately, Gretchen was now part of the planning committee for the FIB high-school contribution for the upcoming Cultural Exchange Festival, which was keeping her late.

Every night.

For the last week or so.

Go ahead, Gretchen, Homulilly thought bitterly. I’ll be fine! What? No, I won’t join. You know me, I don’t do well with people I don’t know. It’s only for a few days, I’ll be fine!

Well, she wasn’t fine. She hadn’t been fine with it then and she wasn’t fine with it now. But she had thought she could deal. After all, it wasn’t like they were always together. They had separate classes and everything! And she didn’t want to come off as clingy. Gretchen needed to have her own life, and who was Homulilly to tell her no?

Homulilly slumped back in her chair with a sigh. She should have joined too. Sure, she absolutely had no interest in the committee whatsoever, but it meant not being apart from Gretchen, and it was fun to help her girlfriend out with stuff she was interested in, even if Homulilly herself wasn’t interested in it as well. And okay, so it would have meant less time for homework, but it wasn’t like she was making good use of the time she had now!

Oh well, at least Gretchen would be home soon. It was about a quarter past eight, and they usually wrapped things up around nine. Hopefully she wouldn’t be too tired.

And then her phone rang.

Homulilly jerked in surprise, and then stared at it. Who in the world would be calling at this hour? The FIB staff usually just used the direct intercom, or just sent someone to knock on their door.

For the briefest of seconds she thought that maybe it might be Gretchen, but no, it wasn’t her ringtone. Homulilly walked over to where her phone was sitting on the nightstand and picked it up.

Oddly enough, it wasn’t Gretchen’s number, but Charlotte’s, and it was requesting a video call. That was weird. Not that Homulilly was displeased to hear from one of their older friends, but wasn’t it kind of late?

She tapped the accept button. A hexagonal silver screen materialized in the air, displaying the pink-haired witch’s face.

Charlotte seemed very pleased about something, if the big grin was any indication. “Homulilly! Hey, I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”

Homulilly shook her head. “No, just doing homework. Is something wrong?”

“Wrong? Oh no. No, definitely not.” Then Charlotte frowned. “Well, I mean, kind of?”

“Huh?”

“Okay! So, I’ve got good news, great news, and kind of sucky news. Which one do you want to hear first?”

“Um…” Homulilly scratched her head, just under the spider-lily’s roots. “The good news I guess?”

“Okay, you know those strawberry honeycakes Candeloro makes at her bakery?”

Though Homulilly didn’t have much of a sweet tooth, her mouth still started watering at the mere mention of those frosted delights. She had no idea how Candeloro did it, but those things were absolutely heavenly. “Of course I do!”

“Okay. So, guess who won the Freehaven Times Best Baked Treat award?”

Homulilly blinked. “That’s…that’s a thing?”

In response, Charlotte held up a newspaper. Sure enough, there was the award section, there was the winner, and there was a smiling picture of Candeloro at her bakery.

“Oh. Oh! Well, that’s great!”

“It gets better. Because my girl got herself an official invitation to the New Life Alliance Sweet Tooth Symposium in Orya’s Furnace!”

That sounded very important and prestigious, but Homulilly just ended up staring blankly again. She knew that Orya’s Furnace was a big jott city in the Alliance, but the rest…

“It’s a big convention for, you know, bakers, candy makers, chocolateers, that sort of thing,” Charlotte explained. “Getting an invitation means you’re making it to the big leagues, and can get you exposure, sponsors, more awards, a whole bunch!”

“Oh!” Now Homulilly got it. “Well, that’s wonderful! She really deserves it!”

“Darn tootin’! But that’s not the only thing.” Now Charlotte’s grin became more of a smug smirk. “You know that book that I’ve been writing?”

Homulilly actually did. Charlotte had sent her and Gretchen a digital copy, after all. It was very good, though admittedly there were some parts she enjoyed more than others, parts that had made her blush the first time she read them. Gretchen had felt much the same way, and it had led to a very memorable evening afterward.

“Um, of course!”

“Yeah, I see that blush,” Charlotte said wryly. “Well anyway, I’ve been fishing around for an agent, and wouldn’t you know it, I got a bite! Corbit Fausk no less!”

“Um…”

“She’s a jott literary agent. A really important one too. I honestly didn’t think I had a chance when I sent her the manuscript, but I figured, hey, why not give it a shot, right? But as it turns out, she loved it and she wants to meet with me!”

“Oh! Well, congratulations! I knew you could do it!” Then a thought occurred to her. “Oh, and that’s perfect! She’s a jott, right? So you can meet with her when you go to Orya’s Furnace for that…convention thing!”

At this, Charlotte’s face fell. “Oh, er, yeah. About that. See, that’s the bad news.”

Homulilly’s brow furrowed in puzzlement. “What happened?”

“See, if either of these things happened at any other time, it would be perfect. Both of our things would be in the same place, so we could go on a nice vacation.” Charlotte sighed. “Unfortunately, the universe is a salty jerk. Because as it so happens, Corbit Fausk isn’t going to be in Orya’s Furnace during the convention. She’s coming here, to Freehaven, for the Cultural Exchange Festival. And based on what I know about her, she isn’t one to reschedule. Either I meet with her while she’s here, or she takes it personally.”

Now Homulilly understood. “Oh.”

“Yeah, as it turns out, sometimes the whole together forever thing has an interruption here and there,” Charlotte sighed. “I mean, there’s no way we’d let either of these opportunities pass us by, and it’s only for a weekend, but…”

And that would be enough. Like Homulilly and Gretchen, Charlotte and Candeloro had been together since the day they had arrived, and on a whole Walpurgisnachts did not like being apart.

“Are you okay?” Homulilly asked.

“Sure. I mean, she hasn’t left yet, so it’s not like it’s happening now. But let’s just say I’m looking forward to next Monday.” Then Charlotte frowned and looked around, her holographic image searching what would be for her a holographic representation of Homulilly and Gretchen’s room. “Though speaking of which, where’s Gretch?”

Homulilly sighed. “Well, about that…”

She explained her current dilemma, with Gretchen’s new extracurricular activities and Homulilly being dumb enough not go along with them. Charlotte listened sympathetically.

“Ouch,” she said when Homulilly was done. “So you got kind of the same problem that I have.”

“Sort of,” Homulilly said. “I mean, it’s not like she’s gone gone, but…”

“You’re not used to it. I gotcha. Well, hang in there, kiddo. She’s be back before you know it.”

Homulilly looked at the clock, and her heart fell. It was only eight-thirty. “It feels like forever.”

“Yeah, it does. But hey, that just makes the time together feel so much sweeter. Anyways, I’m going to let you go. I mean, Candy’s leaving soon, so I want to make the most of the time we have left.”

“Oh, wait!” Homulilly said. “Before you go, I, uh, got this thing that I, er, really, really need help with…”

“Huh?”

Homulilly took a deep breath. Then she held up her textbook to the screen. “I really need help with my homework. I keep reading the instructions over and over again, but it never makes sense.” Then, after a beat, she added a pleading, “Please?”

Charlotte stared. Then she laughed. “Oh God, that takes me back, and not in a good way. Um, I don’t know how to tell you this, but I kind of suck at algebra. Always was more into biology and studying other cultures and-” Then she brightened. “Oh wait! Ophelia can help! I mean, she’s a freaking engineer, after all.” She turned and called to somewhere else in the house. “Hey, Ophelia! Come over here for a second, Homulilly needs your-” Then her eyes bulged in shock. “What the-What the hell are you wearing? You’re doing what? Well…Save it for later, okay? And Jesus, don’t just parade around the house like that. Christ.”

Homulilly stared mystified as Ophelia shouted something incomprehensible from somewhere off camera. A few minutes passed, and she appeared, dressed in a black tank-top and a pair of workout shorts. There was something…odd tucked under her arm.

“Oh, hey Homuhomie,” Ophelia said. “What’s up?”

Homulilly would have answered, but her attention was taken up by the object in question. It appeared to be an outfit, albeit not a very covering one. But what it lacked in material it made up for in an abundance of feathers and sparkly rhinestones.

“Um…”

“What? Oh, this? I promised Oktavia I’d use my duplicate trick to give her a full burlesque show. Gotta dress the part.”

“Jesus Christ,” Charlotte muttered from just off-screen.

“Hey, watch your language. If I can’t swear in front of the kids, then you can’t either. So, what’s up?”

Homulilly had no idea what a “burlesque” whatever was, but she could put together enough clues to know that she didn’t want to ask. So instead she hefted her textbook up. “Um…help?”

Ophelia’s scarlet eyebrows rose. Then she burst out laughing. “Aw jeez. Homework. You poor unfortunate soul. Yeah, okay, I can help with that. Let’s do this.”

It took some trial and error, but Ophelia was better at explaining things than Homulilly’s textbook, and finally Homulilly understood enough to work her way through the set of problems.

“Thank you,” she said in relief. “So much.”

“No sweat. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a fish in dire need of some TLC and TnA. Bye!”

Once again Homulilly didn’t know what any of that meant, but she knew enough not to ask questions. Sighing, she carefully put away her homework and books into her schoolbags.

Then her phone started playing Magic, the song she and Gretchen had had their first dance to.

Homulilly leapt for the phone. “Yes!” she said, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically.

“Hi, Lilly!” Gretchen said, as chipper as ever. “Sorry I’m late. The meeting went long, and I lost track of the time.”

Lost track of the time? How did that even happen? Every moment Homulilly was apart from Gretchen had her glancing at the clock every few seconds. “O-Oh, it’s fine,” Homulilly said. “I was just catching up on homework.”

“I didn’t make you worry, did I?”

“No!” Then realizing that her agitated tone was less than convincing, Homulilly took a deep breath and mentally dialed things down. “Er, of course not! I mean, you’re still in the FIB building, right? That’s like the safest place in the world!”

“Sorry about that. I should’ve sent you a message at least.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine! Um…how was the meeting?”

“Oh, it went great! The other girls are just so creative! Remember how last year we had that flamenco dance party?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Well, watching all that happen is just so interesting! Some of them have ideas that they’ve been working on for years and couldn’t use before, and everyone is just so supportive and encouraging. It’s great!”

“Oh, that’s…really nice! So, are you on your way back?

“Oh yeah, that’s why I’m calling now!”

Homulilly, who knew the tones in Gretchen’s voice well, felt her heart drop. “What is it?”

“We’re actually going out for hot chocolate first. Mitty has all these cool ideas for the dance, and I guess they do their best brainstorming at the coffee shop. So…I wanted to see if you wanted to come! You know, meet the girls, see how the whole thing work. I know you don’t really like strangers, but I think you’d enjoy it!”

Homulilly froze.

“Homulilly?”

Grimacing, Homulilly forced cheer into her voice. “Oh. Um. N-No, that’s fine! I’m good.”

There was a pause, and then Gretchen said, “Homulilly, are you all right?”

Oh, drat, drat, drat. Now she was making Gretchen worry. “Me? I’m fine! Really! Go and have fun. I’ll just see you when you get back.”

“Are you sure? Because I can come home now if you want.”

“No!” Homulilly said hastily. The last thing she wanted was for Gretchen not to do something she wanted to do just to make her feel better. “I’m fine! Promise.”

“Well…if you’re sure. I’ll bring you back a pastry!”

Homulilly’s fingers were agitatedly squeezing the flower on top of her head. “Sure! That sounds great!”

“Okay then! See you in a few! I love you.”

Homulilly sighed. “I love you too.” Which, to be honest, was the sincerest thing she had said that entire conversation.

Gretchen hung up. Homulilly stared at the blank face of the phone for several seconds.

Then she threw herself facefirst onto the bed and seized her head, her bony fingers crinkling her flower’s petals.

Oh, stupid, stupid, stupid. Could she have botched that any further? Now Gretchen was going to feel bad for not going back. She had been looking forward to a fun time, and Homulilly had spoiled it.

But what did Gretchen expect to happen by just dropping that on her? She knew that Homulilly didn’t like surprises or strangers! She should’ve known that Homulilly would’ve been uncomfortable with either choice! Maybe if Gretchen had just given her more of a head’s up then she would’ve been better prepared instead of just springing it on her at the last second!

But it wasn’t like it was really Gretchen’s fault. That sort of thing wasn’t really a big deal, and Homulilly knew that she was overreacting. She could deal with another evening by herself, that was fine. People did it all the time! And she really did need to learn to stop being so clingy and make everything about her!

But it wasn’t like she was asking for much. Just a little courtesy, that was all! Sure, she had weird issues with anxieties and all, but she was trying to deal with them. All she wanted was for people to take that into account. Gretchen of all people ought to know that!

But it wasn’t like her problems were anyone else’s problems but her own! It wasn’t like people had to always know how she was feeling and how she would react. Her issues were hers alone, and it wasn’t fair to demand everyone build their schedules around what did and did not make her uncomfortable.

She should have just gone to the stupid coffee shop. It wasn’t like she had to talk to the others! She could’ve just sat with Gretchen and talked to just her! It might have been fun! Instead, she was pouting alone in the apartment, beating herself up and thinking bad thoughts about the person she loved the most in the world.

But…but…

Homulilly decided to just go to bed.

Sometime later the door opened to their darkened apartment. Homulilly, who had been dozing with her back to the door, tensed up, but didn’t move.

There was a long pause, then she heard Gretchen sigh and the door closed. From there came the familiar tapping of Gretchen’s wire legs as she moved about the apartment. The bathroom door opened and closed. A moment later the shower turned on.

Homulilly buried her face in her hands.

The shower turned off, and soon Homulilly heard Gretchen exit the bathroom. The bony-armed girl remained as still as she could. Maybe if Gretchen thought that she was asleep they wouldn’t have to talk about it.

But of course Gretchen wasn’t fooled. She slid into bed right next to Homulilly, slipped her arms around her girlfriend’s waist, and whispered, “I’m sorry I freaked you out. I wasn’t thinking.”

Oh no. “Don’t be!” Homulilly said hastily as she turned around in Gretchen’s embrace. “It’s just, you know, I’m bad with surprises, so I panicked a little. Overreacted. It’s seriously fine!”

Gretchen’s dark pink eyes glowed faintly in the dark, letting Homulilly see her smile. “I’ll make it up to you tomorrow. It’s the field trip to the museum, so we’ll have lots of time to spend together.”

[dbzebra]

Home

Authors Note: This was originally just a tiny doodle of the twins I did in work cause if I dont zone out Ill go insane. And it quickly spiraled out of control lol. I know almost nobody cares about this besides me but oh well. This is some super cute shit and I dont ccare lolol

Pairing: Goten x Marron

Time Period: ~12 years after the end of Z. Goten and Marron are married. The twins are five years old here

It was a normal spring afternoon on Mt. Paozu. Four o' clock. Just about the time when Goten came home from work at the dojo. He had surprised Marron with an all-expenses paid day off at the spa. Being a stay-at-home mother taking care of two half Saiyan girls was more than a handful to say the least. Sure, she had help, but she needed a day off.

Goku had more than happily offered to be the one spend the entire day with his two little granddaughters to give Marron her free time. Admittedly, he missed the times when Pan was small and he got to do things with her all the time. Now she was a teenager and couldn't be bothered most of the time. He was happy that he had that chance again with Keiko and Akina. And boy did they adore their Grandpa Goku. In some ways, they thought, he was almost as cool as their dad. Almost. Nobody was as cool as their daddy, Akina had exclaimed. Goku only laughed.

In the morning he took them fishing. Then they went into the city for some toy shopping. He played with them all afternoon, and even taught them a new little trick. Goku had the girls so entertained all day that when Marron returned from her spa day it was hard to pull them away from that. Goku just had that way with people, especially kids.

The twins were playing in the grass next to Goku. They had their hair into short pigtails and wore their favorite dresses. Keiko wore blue while Akina wore yellow. Marron tried to tell them not to get their dresses dirty, but telling a five year old not to get dirty was like telling Goku or Goten they had to slow down when eating. Went in one ear and out the other.

Goku sat with them on the grass, cross-legged. He was doing silly voices while playing with their toys to make them laugh when his senses picked up on the approaching energy signal. Goku immediately recognized it as his youngest son. He still couldn't believe Goten was now a grown man with a family of his own. And he couldn't be more proud.

"Someone's comin' to see you." Goku hinted, hiding a grin.

"Is it a dragon?" Keiko asked with a blink, getting a giggle from her sister. She was dead serious, going by the look on the excited blonde's face.

Akina noticed her dad approaching from the sky first. Her blue eyes lit up when she saw her hero, the coolest, strongest, bravest guy ever. "Look it's Daddy!" Her little hand pointed out to him with a wide grin.

Keiko's gaze shot from her new toy she was playing with up into the air. The little blonde smiled and waved both hands high in the air at him. "Hi Daddy!" She shouted out to him.

Goten grinned when he saw how happy his two bundles of joy were to see him. This happened almost every day, and it never got old. He loved his job, but seeing his three girls waiting out for him made it all worth it.

He touched down in front of the house and not a moment sooner, was tackled by two small figures who melted into giggles. He let out an amused 'oof' but stands his ground as they climbed on him

"Welcome home Daddy!"

"I missed you!"

"Me too!"

Marron came outside when she heard the commotion. She smiled at her husband as he hugged the girls. Goten caught her tender gaze and lingered there for a moment, neither saying anything except smiling gently.

Goten kissed both his daughters on the cheek. "How are my girls today? Were you good for grandpa?" Both girls eagerly nodded their responses. "What did you do?"

"I caught a fishy!" Keiko happily said. He was thiiiiiis big!" She held her hands out wide to show the size.

"Me too!" Akina added. "His name is Mr. Fish! He's my friend now!"

Goten laughed. "Well we gotta go visit Mr. Fish then soon, huh? I bet he's lonely out there in that pond."

"Yaaay!" Akina cheered and Keiko clapped.

"What else? I'm sure Grandpa had lots of fun stuff to do!"

Almost on cue, the twins leaped off of Goten and scurried over to where their grandfather was still sitting in the grass a few feet away. They each picked up a small toy and scurried back to Goten.

"Look what Grandpa bought us!" Keiko showed her toy to her father. It was a figure of the Great Saiyaman, helmet and all.

For a children's action figure, it was surprisingly high quality. Gohan would be proud.

"And I got Great Saiyaman 2!" Akina chimed in with equal happy enthusiasm. "She's so pretty!" Again, the figure depicted Videl in hero outfit in remarkable quality. He could even make out her face beneath the helmet's visor. He wasn't even sure if the twins knew their favorite superheros lived two doors down or not but they were so excited he didn't want to risk it.

"They're amazing! Ya know your dad has some pretty cool figures too. Do you remember Mighty Mask? Your mom bought me a figure of him for my birthday when I was a teenager."

Marron blushed. He still remembered that? Of course he did. This was her Goten after all. The same guy who kept their fake marriage proposal from when they were eight. The blonde woman smiled. He still found little ways to make her heart pound like when they were teenagers.

"He's stinky." Keiko's little face scrunched up.

"Yeah. Great Saiyaman is better." Akina added with a pout.

Marron and Goten both broke into laughter at the jab the girl just unsuspectingly took at their father.

Goten patted their heads, still grinning widely before glancing to his dad. "How did you get these?"

Goku shrugged, playing dumb. "I know a guy. Let's just say the hero who saved us all from Cell helped me out. Got the last in stock." He grinned, the teasing tone in his voice when he described Mr. Satan.

Goten smiled. "Thanks, Dad." He then knelt down to his daughters. "Did you tell Grandpa thank you for your present?"

"Mhmm!"

"Yeah!"

The girls eagerly said with little smiles, still clutching their new toys tight.

Goten let the girls play for a minute while he went over to his wife.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself."

He gently touched her cheek and pushed a strand of blonde hair away. "How do you feel?"

"So much better. I really needed that. Thank you so much... I hope it didn't cost you too much."

Goten shook his head. "Anything for you, Mare."

He could just tell just by looking at his wife she looked refreshed. The way her beautiful blue eyes sparkled up at him made the young father smile. Her long blonde hair was tied into a ponytail behind her and she wore a pretty blue sundress. She looked gorgeous.

He brought Marron into a tender hug. She rested her head against his chest and sighed, feeling perfectly content in the soft embrace. It felt so comforting, so welcoming. When Goten kissed the top of her head, Marron's heart did flips like she was sixteen all over again. They leaned in closer for a much-needed welcome home kiss when he felt a little tug on his pant leg. Marron giggled as Goten sighed with a grin.

They both looked down to see little Keiko staring up at her dad with a wide happy grin. Akina was beside her with a similar look.

"Daddy! I almost forgot! Grandpa showed us somethin'!" The little blonde said.

"It's really cool, Daddy! You gotta see!" Akina added, pulling him away from their mother.

Goten raised an eyebrow, grinning as he turned to his father before back down at his daughters. "Oh did he?"

"Yeah! Watch it's cool! I'll show ya!" Keiko exclaimed.

"I wanna show Daddy!" Akina fired back.

"No I wanna!"

"Me!"

"Nuh uh!"

The twins started arguing over who got to show Goten first. Keiko was pouting with her little fists balled up, while Akina was frowning and little tear drops were beginning in her blue eyes. It was admittedly adorable. "Girls, don't fight. You both can show me, okay?"

"Okay!" They chimed in together and then hugged each other as an apology. Like that it was solved.

Keiko scurried a few yards away. "Me first!"

"Be careful, sweetheart!" Marron called.

"I will!" Keiko replied.

"I was talking to your father." Marron said with a laugh, winking at her husband.

Goten grinned widely at his daughter. "Alright, angel. Go ahead. Daddy's ready!"

Keiko looked at her petite hands as if she had to remember what to do. Then it came to her as she smiled. She cupped her hands together.

"Kommy Mommy ha!" Keiko shouted happily when a small blue blast shot from the five year old's hands.

Goten's eyes widened just to see the small Kamehameha hit him right in the face. Marron gasped and covered her mouth to stiffen a laugh. He flewbackward and fell onto his back, pretending to be unconscious.

Little Keiko burst into a fit of giggles and fell over onto the ground.

"Uh oh! Daddy got hit!" Akina's mouth was in a little 'o' shape. She trotted over to her dad and stared at his face. His tongue was out and his limbs spread out in all directions. "Daddy? Are you asleep?" She poked his cheek. "Wake up, Daddy!" She called out again.

Goten poked an eye open and grinned. Akina gasped and tried to get away but it was too late. He captured her. She was screaming with joy as he held her under his arm, unable to escape. "I got your sister. Now it's your turn!"

"Heeelllp! Daddy's got me!" Akina cried out between her giggles. She tried to squirm away but Goten held her tight while continuing to tickle her.

Goten turned to his other daughter. Keiko let out a joyous scream and tried to run away from 'the monster.'

"Oh no you don't little missy. You're next!" He chased the little blonde around until he scooped her up and tickled them both until they finally managed to surrender.

"Now get Mommy!" Akina said, who was currently standing on Goten's shoulders.

"Yeah it's Mommy's turn!" Keiko added from his arms.

Goten smirked and gently put the girls down on the ground. They instantly scurried over to their grandpa and climbed into his lap.

He locked eyes with his wife who gasped. The next thing she knew he was gone. He disappeared without a trace.

Marron blinked and he was behind her. "H-Huh?"

He scooped her up in his arms spun her around and he stole the kiss the girls interrupted earlier.

"Stop it, not in front of the girls~" Marron cooed, playfully pushing him away.

Keiko was giggling into her hands and Akina snickered while pointing at them. "Kissy kissy!"

Chi-Chi came out of the house next door. "Goku, dinner is- oh! What a surprise!" The woman's face lit up at seeing her darling granddaughters happily playing. As soon as they saw Chi-Chi the two ran over to her. "I thought I heard my little girls out here." She hugged them both tight for a bit as the girls laughed.

Goku got up and went over to his wife and the twins. He ruffled their hair and put an arm around Chi-Chi's waist. "Smells great, hun!"

"Mommy does Grandpa have to leave?" Akina frowned.

"Yeah I wanna play with him and Grandma!" Keiko added.

Well Chi-Chi just about melted. She hugged them both tighter as the girls giggled. "Of course not honey, you can stay for dinner as long as you'd like. I made plenty of food!"

"Can we stay Mommy?"

"Please Daddy?"

Marron looked to Goten. "I don't mind."

"Me either. Guess that settles it then. Sure. We'd love to join you."

"YAAAY! I gets to sit near grandma!" Keiko waved her little arms in the air.

"Then I sit near grandpa!" Akina looked to Goku next to her who grinned and gave the little girl a fist bump.

"Let's get you two little squirts cleaned up before dinner, kay?" Goku said. Grinning, he took them both from Chi-Chi and carried them inside as they laughed to themselves.

"Goten honey, if you two ever want a date night, please let us know. I'll be more than happy to take my darling granddaughters for the night."

"Thanks, Mom. We both appreciate that." Goten said and Marron nodded.

Chi-Chi smiled at the young couple before heading back inside, leaving the door open.

Goten took Marron's hand in his and they exchanged a loving look before they followed in for a nice meal with their loved ones.

They were still figuring out being parents, but were on the ride together for the long haul. And they couldn’t be happier with the little life they created together. The four of them.

[mistralrunner]

Running Reads Oathbringer: Part II.III

Spoilers for pages 410-480 below. Also some Mistborn spoilers cause of a couple Cosmere thoughts.

"No good can come of two Shards settling in one location."

*looks at Ruin and Preservation*

Okay it was a bit dire there for a while but they really fit together.

And what about worlds with three Shards?

Does this mean this Shard isn't Cultivation then?

Maybe Autonomy? 

I'm glad Jasnah has some healthy paranoia

Good Jasnah, ensuring Shallan is actually involved in the meeting

Ah yes now we get into discussions of the Parshmen

Yay Kaladin for defending them.

War only fuels Odium after all

"Maybe that should make you reconsider those other wars, rather than using them to justify this one."

Ooooh

You go Kaladin

I am worried though, cause the Voidspren definitely have experience with manipulating negotiations and I think even one of the Listener songs referred to it

The Parshmen do not deserve this

There has to be another way

Kholinar being a dark spot is really concerning. Like how does that happen magically?

Heh a strike squad infiltrating a possibly occupied city

This is going to be fun

I wonder who the three men in Kaladin's strike squad will be

(or maybe we could bring in Lyn so it's not all dudes in a strike squad just saying)

(I know she actually has to learn to Invest first but I can dream)

Jasnah has a point about the long term

The danger of different orders is the conflict. The value is that they can focus on different aspects of the war

BAHAHAHAHA I love Jasnah's plan just for the sheer audacity of it

But I agree with Dalinar, locating's good, killing less certain

I'm kind of sad that the only interaction between my faves has been antagonistic

Jasnah you are admittedly overlooking the point that war fuels Odium. Killing Parshmen will make them more your enemy and only lead to more war.

I'm definitely not opposed to Windrunner scouts though

Jasnah had better cuddle some skyeels

I can’t believe this is a sentence I wrote. What is this book.

Ugh no please no love triangle Shallan stop doodling Kaladin also seriously you had one job

I'm with Jasnah on this. Shallan has accomplished a lot but she's settling on her laurels when she needs to grow in a lot of ways.

Shallan you are Veil

Shallan the secrets will blow up in your face and likely hurt others

Aww Jasnah's including Renarin

Well Shallan I'm glad you delegated investigating Shadesmar in this room to Jasnah, your judgement isn't entirely horrible

I do relate to some degree to that uncertain adulthood thing, but Shallan really is not on a great path right now

Helaran was of the Skybreakers ooo

But didn't have a real Shardblade?

Uli Da? Ooo who is she.

Oh hey exposition on the factions

It is kind of cool how there secretly have been Radiants of one order this whole time

Oh, that's why Shallan's mother...she was close to a Skybreakers acolytes

Someone else in Amaram's army bonded a spren and was eliminated?

If it was Tien...

Heh this letter deserves further investigation cause Pattern is right, this is half truths

This Veil thing is getting seriously concerning. I mean I understand the value of having an escape and sides to yourself that others don't know and secrets that are nice to keep to oneself but this is getting a bit deep.

Also I feel like encouraging disparaging yourself among your employees isn't a good idea

Heh it's the opposite of that undercover boss skit

"I heard that Shallan has a six pack"

I mean it is good to learn from them but I don't think that is Shallan's intent

What happened to the scholar?

Well Gaz, that's a light way of putting, I tried to kill Kaladin on his very first day and was awful to all of them

Shallan do listen to them. Be a leader and give your soldiers purpose.

Also what happened to those slaves you took Shallan. Did you just leave them behind. Seriously you should have freed them from the start.

Oh dear this Ghostbloods fangirl is going to be a problem

Heh if someone asks Shallan to start investigating Veil the Ghostblood’s spy as Adolin is investigating Sadeas's murder that would be hilarious

Okay this is an interesting turn of events. Learning how to spy by testing someone's spying abilities by having them train you a spy network of soldiers. I'm curious to see how this goes...Shallan.

This Shard concerns me. Also is super arrogant. "If Rayse becomes an issue, he will be dealt with. And so will you."

Teft!

Now will we finally learn what you are up to?

Oh no is it drugs?

What happened to you in such a short span? You were the reliable one helping train all the other Bridge crews.

Firemoss? That's the only drug we've heard of right?

Yep, firemoss.

Ugh Sadeas's soldiers can't stop being awful can they

Oh no addicted and suicidal Teft no

Oh no seeing things. People or spren?

Please don't let Kaladin know his absence contributed to this he already suffers enough

Yep a spren

Teft you're so close yet so far you're actually talking to a spren but like so many Radiants really need some help to move forward

YES BRIDGE FOUR INTERVENTION

BEING THERE FOR EACH OTHER

Hopefully Kaladin's medical knowledge will help here

Teft why why Sanderson must Bridge Four members suffer but at least they're there for each other

"Cephandrius, bearer of the First Gem"

Hmm is that "the element" mentioned in the first letter

Also this Shard is arrogant. I don't care if they're a god.

Dalinar why are you putting Gawx through this the child does not deserve this

Huh so Jasnah found something interesting indeed during that vision

Hehe Jez has dark eyes excellent make those lighteyes uncomfortable

Oh hey a dead or partially dead Aimian

Gawx does have a point, Dalinar could just be crafting whatever visions strengthen his argument

Heh of course the Azish would see the Alethi with a code of law barely 30 years old as barbaric

I'm so proud of Gawx. Admittedly he knew a lot even before taking on this intense role as emperor. Just the knowledge and eloquence.

Also the Sunmaker is horrible.

Ten percent?

Oh god.

And then the Alethi honor his example. Yeah the Azish really have good reason not to trust the Alethi. This long break between Desolations really did allow people to do awful things and engender distrust.

I still am amused by how Sadees is one step away from Sadeas

YES LIFT IS HERE YES YES YES YES YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

LIFT I MISSED YOU SO

heh she's still bitter about the pancakes

Also she can enter this even though she's not presently with Gawx? Connection I guess

Heh she's baffling even the Stormfather

Half in the Cognitive Realm does lead to some fun things

Pale white eyes? I didn’t realize she had those? Unless it’s just the Wyndleblade/Shardfork effect?

LIFT

I'M DYING HERE

"He's got too nice a butt"

Lift I love you

I mean in classic Lift fashion her argument actually does have logic behind it, as unconventional as it is

Wait why does that uniform look weird oh god the patch is gone Moaaash

"You have spoken to one who cannot respond. We, instead, will take your communication to us-though we know not how you located us upon this world." kind of lost you there

Anyways back to crying about Moash and how he lost Bridge Four and Horneater stew

He still has his coat?

Nooo not the Bridge Four patch

But Moash, Kaladin couldn't bear to tell Bridge Four

Good move starting this chapter in a twisted reflection of the nights of stew and comradely of Bridge Four

Graves is dead?

That is not a turn I expected I thought Moash would be solidly with the Diagram

Well Moash's concerns about not being in Shardplate proved true

I'm having feelings about Kaladin saving Moash even now via the training

Oh no Fused with Surges

Friction and Gravitation seen so far

Do they all have two or one

Don't let them get the Plate

Yeah spears over swords!

Kaladin's training, saving lives when he can’t be there personally

Does she have Friction and Gravitation at once? Different combinations of Surges?

Ah they can't heal though

But where do they get the dark light

Szeth said something about them supposedly being able to hold it perfectly so they don't need recharging as much, but then are also more limited?

Oh noooo

Don't give them the Shards

Oh noooo

This is probably worse than being with the Diagram

This is so much worse

Angst is coming

But woah

Are those

Oh my god are those skyships? We're getting fabrials skyships?

That go above the storms with sails pointing down toward them?

Eeee

Vaguely crustacean vaguely sci-fi skyships!

"We are indeed intrigued, for we thought it well hidden. Insignificant among our many realms." Wait are there Shards with more than one world? I am so confused.

Ooh spies freelance or working for highprinces

The idea of being watched everywhere always makes me a tad uncomfortable even as the concept of observing is intriguing. Really this whole spying versus scouting thing is something I really should be delving into with my own story but that’s a tangent

Heh the mind museum trick I know that one not that I ever used it

I am really getting concerned about the multiple personalities

Oh hey by the way I'm still worried about Moash. Just thought I should mention that.

It's scary to think of how much Shallan has changed. She used to be excited about learning, about being part of things. She's splintered now.

I want to be in the room where it happens the room where it happens seriously that room has so many interesting conversations going on

Shallan barely read those books Adolin gave her?

She had the promise to become one of the greatest scholars of her time. It’s making me really sad.

Ooh yes they're talking about the ships yesss

Ugh this cuts a bit too familiar

Surrounded by brilliant smart people, but not taking advantage of it, feeling left behind, overwhelmed, not living up to your potential of scholarship...

Going from being excited to missing appointments

Changing, losing pieces of oneself

Well at least my identity  issues aren't as bad

Cause oh god Shallan just thinking of taking in different masks and forgetting who she is

Forgetting this partially started with her wanting to be a scholar

Shallan's really being left behind

Not growing, just escaping

But hey Navani is hosting a meeting of smart people that is awesome

Yes for Jasnah supporting Renarin thank you

Is that Evi's chain he's fidgeting with?

I want to be at this meeting

Ever since Amaram I'm suspicious of every stormwarden. I don't know it they're all with the Sons of Honor or not but still.

Elthebar is a jerk interrupting women and insulting them at a science meeting

I'd like to punch all the people insulting and laughing at Renarin please and thank you

(Also I guess it's development for Shallan to go from wanting Renarin muffled to being angry at the Alethi court's treatment of him...or is it just jealousy)

Oh dear Shallan that isn't even some of your quality banter

Shallan is lacking in female friends and it is sad

Aww Jasnah feeling she's been a bad mentor to Shallan

Oh hey Renarin and Shallan getting along that's much better and Shallan agreeing with Renarin's assessment also good

Also the city being one giant fabrial is pretty cool

Heh I love the sentiment of we could stand up to Jasnah but she's usually right about things

Oh please don't go on that mission to Kholinar I know I wanted a woman in the party but I do not want any love triangle nonsense

Aww Dalinar being there for Renarin

If Moash meets the Parshmen Kaladin trained that would be hilarious

You were also trained and protected by Kaladin Stormblessed? Wow we're everywhere.

(The idea that there are more of them around now because some actually do live)

"As the waves of the sea must continue to surge, so must our will continue resolute. Alone." I am so confused but so concerned

Pfft I wanted a pov in Revolar even though I knew Kaladin had to leave and now we've got one

It's comforting to know that the Voidbringers don't seem to have the same mastery of Surges as the Radiants. At least for now.

Huh eaves culture I've also been considering that for my own worldbuilding

Wonder if he'll hear of Kaladin's wind stunt

Oh no don't do that. I knew it would happen because the Fused are in charge but don't counteract slavery with slavery

The irony that Moash is a slave now after being one of the Bridge Four members that technically wasn't a slave

I really did not see this turn coming and I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes

Hehe I wonder what will happen when Kaladin sees Moash's Shardblade on the battlefield

Huh Moash's backstory in the caravans comes into play nothing is wasted

Oh no the awful lighteyes is in charge of them, there's hierarchy and why they're all slaves and yet

Well Moash, you're right on the brokenness of humanity, wrong on Kaladin not being broken

Kaladin just fought to be something beyond broken and brought others up with him

This is messed up

But hey, Moash is heading toward the battle eventually that way

Alright definitely a Shard that isn't Cultivation since they don't care about Roshar, my guess is Autonomy

Skar!

"When the dream dies" is a concerning chapter title

Good news, most of Bridge Four can draw in Stormlight. Bad news, Skar, Dabbid, and Rlain can't.

Wonder how the scout ladies are doing?

Under six minutes for over a mile with a pack hm wish we had exact measurements is Roshar mile even a mile is a minute even a minute I'm curious about pacing and how fast you can run with Stormlight

Huh lashing plus Stormlight to improve running speed

I would not want to feel like I was running downhill forever it's hard on the knees and I instinctively pull back lest i fall

Teft I worry about you

Chouta returns!

Bridge Four having issues but still supporting one another yes

I'm so proud of how far they've come but ouch Skar the feeling of falling behind especially cause he was one of the naturals with a spear

Kaladin why are you late but Teft how dare you say that about Kaladin.

He's trying. He has to be there for Bridge Four and also be the one advocating for not mass murder as a solution to things

Ah things are not all well

"Finally deigned to arrive" that wording bothers me I'm protective of Kaladin

They still haven't realized that those talented people probably won't stand a chance of becoming a squire unless they fix their Connection problem

Which they'd better cause I want female Windrunners

Oh hey Koen from the old cobalt guard joined Bridge Four

That's clever swapping two groups for the same amount of Stormlight as one

Aww they found the room of Listener art

Plateau runs still happen? That's bizarre if reasonable.

I have feels about that bridge

Aww Rock's kids setting up a water station

I'm curious about this Elhokar mission cause there's so much of the book left so it can't be the climax

Kaladin. Team bonding. Not drills. That is the secret.

They're flying I'm so proud

No Skar you are part of Bridge Four glow or not

Okay good Lyn and Skar get solidarity that helps with Connection right?

Yes a world where rank and eye color don't matter would be nice. It's not so simple and it's certainly not automatic but at least there's hope for change

Huh Skar was aware of what Kaladin did with the arrows that early on

Oh right Skar is a teacher this is helpful for him

YES LYN YES

Heh and Skar only learns to glow when he feels content with just helping others

This is a feel good chapter

I'm so happy

YES JASNAH CHAPTER AT LAST

Oh god some of them admire Rayse's "initiative"? Who would have been the correct one?

I am more concerned about the Shards than ever before, and about Sazed on the battlefield with the old crowd who know so much more

Yes I want more Ivory content

Jasnah's so cautious

Also I appreciate how she had a backup of her notes

Huh we never got a scene of Shallan returning the notes she retrieved from Jasnah's trunk. Where are they. Also the drawing.

Oh okay so she probably got the notes back

I'm glad Jasnah has a spren friend to talk to. She's not entirely alone.

Also of course her spren is also logical.

Ah she's worried about Shallan

I want to give Jasnah a hug

What happened to her?

"A childhood illness nobody else seemed to remember...it had taught her that people she loved could still hurt her."

Oh god she fears madness. Losing the intellect she relies upon, not being able to trust fact. What was that one time she couldn't rely on her mind.

Of course the scholar gets inkspren

The idea that culture was almost entirely lost among many spren due to the Recreance and is barely starting to recover yikes

Cryptics really do have a reputation.

Inkspren war with Honorspren?

Huh Ivory is a fitting defiant name

So Honorspren seek rule over Shadesmar? It doesn't feel like Honor.

Huh there's some poetry to the Skybreakers not ending in death but living in it instead

Oh.

Jasnah knows.

Wit knew and now Jasnah knows.

And she's tough enough to withstand it.

And she's working on Oathbringer.

I love how it makes so much sense she's on the cover. It's Dalinar's flashback book but Jasnah is the one writing the book and holding the deep secret

I still want the Jasnah and Wit road trip

[setaripendragon]

Learning To Share - Roy - Part 5

Winry :: Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 Roy :: Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 Wow, okay, so, I actually managed to finish this part. The second bit of this scene was a moment I’ve had in my head since I started this fic, so I’m so glad I finally managed to write it. I think there’s going to be another two parts to Roy’s section, and then I’m going to torture Maes -insert evil cackle here-

The apartment above the Central branch of Rockbell Automail was surprisingly cosy. The shop took up the entirety of the first floor, but the two above it in the tall, square townhouse were fitted out for living in, with a kitchen, a living room, and a library on the bottom floor, and three bedrooms and a study on the second. The main bedroom, which appeared to primarily be Al’s, was, of course, out of bounds to Roy, but Edward had no compunctions with dragging him into the second bedroom, which held scattered evidence of everyone’s presence, after their fifth date, and just about tearing Roy’s clothes off.

It soon became more the norm than not, which Roy was not complaining about in the least. Sometimes they wound up in Roy’s bed, but Ed often complained that Roy’s house felt cold, even with the fire in the living room lit, and Roy found he couldn’t exactly argue, after having spent several long afternoons and evenings and nights in Edward’s apartment. It wasn’t the temperature Ed was complaining about. And Roy was perfectly happy to spend his nights with Edward tangled up together in the second bedroom of the apartment, surrounded by reminders of family, even if sometimes they did have to pause half way through to put Xiao Mei or one of Al’s growing collection of cats outside.

Afterwards, when Roy was lazily trying to pull the shattered pieces of his brain back together, Edward sprawled atop him, he found his lover eyeing him with that intense curiosity that was unique to him. Like he was trying to dissect Roy with his gaze alone. “You haven’t told anyone about us.” He stated, but despite the lack of inflection, it was very clearly a question.

Roy shrugged lazily, sluggishly wondering if it bothered Edward. “The people I’m socially obligated to inform will know whether I tell them or not, so I don’t particularly feel the need to advertise.”

Edward snorted in amusement. “Okay, I hadn’t actually noticed that I wasn’t getting concerned or critical looks from Hughes.” He announced, then shook his head. Roy frowned a little, brushed Edward’s bangs out of his face so that Roy had a better view of his expression. It was less telling than Roy had hoped for. “Havoc’s tried to warn me about your girlfriend stealing ways, or rather, partner stealing ways. With multiple judgemental looks like he actually thinks I’d cheat on Winry. Asshole. While Hawkeye’s been… hovering over you like a mother eagle defending her chick.”

Roy winced. “Please don’t compare Riza to my mother.”

Edward’s eyes sparked and flared with intrigue. “Ah-hah! So you do have a thing for her! Winry owes me a hundred cenz.” He declared, all cat-like smugness. Roy wouldn’t have been surprised if he started purring any second.

Clearing his throat, Roy opened his mouth to deflect, because that’s what he always did. His relationship with Riza was so complicated, so mired in history and mistakes and promises that it often seemed no one really had a hope of understanding, so why bother letting them see anything more than a loyal commander and subordinate.

Then he caught sight of Edward’s raised eyebrows, and the words halted in his throat. Tension he hadn’t realised was there drained out of him, and he sighed through a smile, and reached up to card his fingers through Edward’s mussed bangs, putting them back into order. “I don’t do anything by halves, Edward. An affliction I think you might have some passing familiarity with.”

“Anything worth doing, etcetera.” Edward interjected as a lazy acknowledgement.

Roy hummed an agreement. “Quite. When I love someone, when they’re important to me on a personal level, and I want them in my life always… I don’t know how to stop at ‘best friends’. Attraction, both sexual and sensual, comes on its heels.” He paused, then shrugged. “Not to say I’m pining for her, or anything quite that ridiculous. That attraction is such a small part of what she means to me that I hardly long for it, but… it’s there.”

“Hughes too, huh?” Edward mused knowingly. Roy didn’t feel the need to answer, and it didn’t seem as if Edward needed the confirmation. He stretched up to nuzzle his face into Roy’s neck, squirming his arms more securely around Roy’s middle. Roy was not ashamed to admit that he was a tactile lover – Edward called him a cuddleslut, but Roy thought that term was undignified – and he took great pleasure in the physical comfort. “Anyone else you’re secretly pining over?”

“I’m not pining.” Roy protested, well aware he sounded childish, but unable to quite help himself. Edward grinned up at him, all sharp teeth and wicked eyes. Roy’s offence melted away like it had never been there. “Just you, Edward.”

Edward went pink, dropping his gaze, and kicked Roy lightly with the flesh and blood leg. “It’s not pining when you’ve already got me, idiot.” He protested.

“Exactly.” Roy agreed.

Edward kicked him again. Quiet stretched between them, comfortable and peaceful. Edward took to doodling alchemical formulas and arrays on Roy’s shoulder, because he could never sit still, not even for post-coital cuddles, while Roy just watched him and let his thoughts drift. “So how come you and Hawkeye aren’t a thing?”

“Hm?” Roy blinked, realising he’d been almost asleep when Edward spoke again.

“You and Hawkeye, how come you aren’t a thing? Is it just the whole military fraternisation thing, or is it complicated emotional bullshit?”

“Ah, well, the one and only time I tried to seduce her, she quite literally shot me down and told me in no uncertain terms that she would rather have sexual relations with a slug.” Roy admitted, mostly just to see Edward snort with mirth. Then he paused. “Admittedly, I was seventeen and my technique was crass and unrefined, but then she followed me to Ishval, and, as you said, things got complicated.”

“Huh.” Edward mused. “And does Hughes know?”

“Mm… He certainly knows I find him attractive, but no, I don’t think he knows I’m in love with him.” Roy considered for a long moment, then shrugged. “I suppose he could have figured it out and decided to ignore it for everyone’s sake, but given that my mother hadn’t figured it out, and she knows everything-”

“Wait, your mother?” Edward asked, abruptly lifting himself up onto his elbows to stare down at Roy with intent.

Roy blinked at him, startled by the vehement reaction. “Ah, yes?” He said slowly, and then remembered he had a message to pass on, and grimaced.

“You have a mother?!” Edward yelped.

Roy couldn’t help but laugh. “Everyone has a mother, Edward.” He pointed out, and Edward scowled at him, lifting one hand – the flesh and blood one, thankfully – threateningly. Roy raised his hands in a sign of surrender, even though he was still laughing. “But in this case, that’s perhaps a misleading thing to say. Biologically, she’s my aunt, but she raised me after my parents died.” Roy sighed, still smiling faintly, and shifted his hands to Edward’s lower back. Ed dropped his own to Roy’s chest again.

“Right.” Edward huffed. “I just didn’t realise you had anyone… still around.” He explained, pulling a face that was a bizarre mixture of childish frustration and world-weary age. “Kinda tragic, huh? That ‘orphan’ seems more likely than anything else.” Roy ran through what he knew of Edward’s social circle, and realised that, yes, most of them were, actually, orphans. He winced. After all, he was partially responsible for that state of affairs.

Roy shook the thought off, because wallowing in his guilt didn’t help anything. He searched about for another topic, and wasn’t exactly thrilled with the one he came up with, but it was better than moping. Moping would probably earn him an automail fist to the ribs. “Speaking of my mother…” He began, and Ed hummed to show he was listening. “She’s informed me that she’d like to meet you.”

Edward blinked at him. “Your mum. Wants to meet me.” He repeated.

Roy nodded. “Of course, there’s no rush.” He was quick to add, because he still wasn’t sure he liked the idea of exposing this new relationship to his mother’s scrutiny. “This is still new. But she’s realised I’m quite serious, and, well, Chris Mustang is not one to put off ‘til tomorrow what she can do right this second.” He explained, a little rueful.

“Okay.” Edward said, still a bit wide-eyed. Roy frowned at him. “I’ve just… never done the meet-the-parents thing before?” He offered, and suddenly his pole-axed look of sheer nerves made a bit more sense. “In Xing, it’s a big deal, introducing a partner to your family and your clan. It’s… the first step in their really complicated marriage rituals, actually. And me and Al both knew we weren’t staying, so it never… became an issue?” He explained.

“I won’t lie to you and tell you my mother isn’t scary, because she really, really is, but would it make you feel any better if I said I’m fairly certain she’ll like you?” Roy offered. It was a scary thought, because if she and Edward did get on, which he suspected they would, Roy was doomed.

“No.” Edward retorted. “…maybe.” He amended a moment later.

Roy smiled and tugged Edward in for a light kiss. “It can wait for a while.” He reminded him.

Edward rolled off him to flop face-first onto the mattress beside him with a muffled groan. Roy turned onto his side to watch with faintly baffled amusement. Finally, Edward turned his head to look at Roy with a sigh. “No, better get it over with.” He huffed. “Just lemme know when.”

“Alright.” Roy agreed.

“Okay, I’m going to sleep now before you can drop anything else on me.” Edward announced, squirming around until he was comfortably tucked against Roy’s chest, clutching one of Roy’s arms around himself, both feet tucked between Roy’s shins.

Roy blinked at the top of a golden head, and bit his lip, hard. He shouldn’t say it, he knew he shouldn’t, they’d been having such a lovely conversation, after all, but… he just couldn’t resist. “I had no idea you liked being the little sp-oof!” An automail elbow to the ribs was never fun, but in this instance, it was absolutely worth it. Roy fell asleep with a smile on his face.

He woke up with a scream trapped in his throat.

For several, long, disorienting seconds, he had no idea where he was. Then Edward mumbled something about chemical recombinations in his sleep and Roy was dragged back to the present. Not a tent in the middle of the desert, but Edward’s bed above the automail shop in Central. Or one of Edward’s beds. With the release of tension came the shakes, the belated panic, the irrepressible upswell of guilt so cloying and thick he could barely breathe.

Carefully, he disentangled himself from Edward. At one point, the younger man slitted open golden eyes, and peered up at Roy with a questioning sound. Roy didn’t dare speak, but he ran a soothing hand over Edward’s hair, and he made a contented noise and closed his eyes again, so Roy counted it as a win. It wasn’t like Edward could do anything to help, and Roy would feel better knowing that at least someone was managing a decent night’s sleep.

He tiptoed his way downstairs and into the kitchen for a glass of water, but realised his hands were shaking too badly to hold the glass steady. So he slumped down at the kitchen table and tried to get himself back under control.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, before footsteps on the stairs made him lift his head. He watched the doorway as a figure appeared in it, and for a moment he was convinced he was still asleep and trapped in a nightmare. Then the phantoms resolved themselves into Winry Rockbell as she padded across the room and pawed at the kettle in the dark.

Roy stayed silent and frozen, uncertain what to do, or say, or if he should at all. Then Winry turned, and spotted him. She froze, staring. “What are you doing down here?” She asked abruptly. Even though she was talking quietly, her voice seemed loud in the gloom of the kitchen.

“Couldn’t sleep.” Roy confessed, shrugging.

Winry hummed an acknowledging sound, and fumbled about for a moment, before the lights over the stove came on. For how bright they were, they only offered dim illumination to the rest of the kitchen, and Roy found himself appreciating the consideration for eyes that were currently so used to the dark. And for his psyche, which wasn’t ready to handle sudden flares of bright light in conjunction with Winry Rockbell’s face.

She stared at him for a long moment, then seemed to come to a decision. “Tea?” She offered, waving a vague hand at the kettle.

Roy had to clear his throat before he could speak. “Thank you.”

Winry nodded, and fetched down two very large mugs. Roy felt helpless, hopeless, useles, as she bustled around getting the tea ready. He chose to look down at his hands and study them, rather than watch her, but that was just a different kind of punishment.

A mug of steaming tea appeared in front of him, thumping down onto the table, and he startled in time with the sound. He glanced up, found Winry frowning at him, and looked away before he did something awful, like burst into tears. “Thank you.” He said again, and wrapped his hands around the mug, even though it was almost too hot to touch.

Winry didn’t react, just claimed the chair at the end of the table, and idly swirled a spoon through her own tea. Then she lifted it out, shook off the excess tea, and put it down resolutely. “What did you dream about?” She asked, voice caught somewhere between practical and sympathetic.

Roy stared at her, breath caught in his lungs, and eyes suddenly stinging. For a long moment, he wondered if she had already figured it out, and was trying to punish him. He’d deserve it, of course, but he honestly hadn’t pegged her as quite that viciously cruel. Then her eyes widened, and a small “Oh” of understanding escaped her, and she stared right back, just as caught as he was.

The moment hung there between them, stifling and all-consuming. Roy could feel something building in his chest in response to the tension, but he wasn’t sure what it was until he opened his mouth and what came out was “I’m sorry.” Then it was like a dam had broken, and he felt the tears spill over against his will. “I’m so sorry,” tumbled out of his mouth without his consent, and he abandoned his mug of tea to cover his face with his hands, trying to hide or trying to keep himself from spilling his guilt all over the kitchen, he wasn’t sure.

A small eternity passed while he tried and failed to get a hold of himself. It wasn’t right, it wasn’t fair, to put this on Winry. His guilt was his to bear, and it wasn’t her job to absolve him, or forgive him, or care about his regret. It was pathetic to act like this, as though her parents’ death had hurt him more than it hurt her. But he couldn’t stop himself, too tired and too overwrought, and the self-loathing just extenuated the problem.

A hand landed on his shoulder, and he flinched before he could stop himself. It retreated for a heartbeat, then returned, sliding over his back until Winry’s arm was wrapped around his shoulders. She tugged gently, and Roy couldn’t muster up the presence of mind to resist as he tipped over to lean against her side. “I know.” She told him quietly.

Roy shuddered, whispered yet another apology, and promptly froze when he felt Winry’s head knock lightly against his. He could feel the way her breath shook, like she was crying too, and found he had no idea what to do with himself, or the situation, or anything. It was a deeply alien feeling, and left him vaguely frightened.

“It was so much easier to hate you when you were a monster.” Winry muttered on a wry laugh. “I don’t know how to hate you when you’re like this. Like… like you get how much it hurt me. And you’re down here alone because you didn’t want to wake Ed. When you still have nightmares about it when I haven’t in… fuck, years.”

“I don’t mean to-” Roy began.

Winry snorted. “If you meant to, I’d have brained you with a wrench and dumped your body in the river already, Mustang.” She interrupted, and it was almost enough to make Roy smile. He managed to pull himself together some, and straightened a little. Winry only half let go of him. When he caught her eye, he saw that, despite her words, she looked… very lost and uncertain. “I just… Stop, alright?” She asked, and it sounded strangely vulnerable. “I don’t- You don’t need to keep doing this, you know? It’s not okay, and I’m never going to be over it, and I’ll always hate you a little bit, but you’re here, and you’re trying, and you love Ed, and you make him happy, and you’re good, so… so can’t it be… okay? Can’t we be okay?”

Roy swallowed hard, and found a smile with surprisingly little effort. “I can try.” He offered.

Winry hiccuped on a laugh that was half a sob, and nodded. “Good. Okay.”

“Okay.” Roy echoed, feeling more blessed than he had any right to, and aching with it. This time, he was the one who pulled Winry in against his side, and she was the one who cried into his shoulder. If he maybe shed a few tears into her hair, well, he was pretty sure she’d done the same to him earlier, so it was okay. It might actually, really, be okay.