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p-artsypants · 3 years ago

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The Ghost of Smokey Joe (5)

Nightmare

No lyrics in this chapter, because the song in the title has no words. But it really embodies everything I wanted to say with the chapter.

Also, ALL ABOARD THE ANGST TRAIN CHOO CHOOOOOO

Ao3 | FF.net

—

“Do you have those drafts ready for the meeting?” Asked Marinette, peering into her co-worker’s office, a very peppy woman named Jill.

“Of course! I’ve gotten them matted, just like you asked. 10, right?”

“Yes! Thank God someone is doing their job right today.”

“Oh, Marinette, where are your shoes?”

Marinette looked down to her bare feet. “Oh, I wore pumps that are great for working at my desk and walking to the water cooler, but they got kicked off somewhere around 9 this morning.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Have you seen Tim? He’s fixing the sizing sheet and I can’t find him anywhere!”

“Did you try his office?”

Marinette’s jaw dropped. “Tim has an office?! Since when?”

“Since always? Are you okay? You look like you could use a nap…or at least a cup of coffee.”

Marinette groaned. “No naps! No more coffee! My heart is just a hum now anyway! I haven’t been able to sleep the last few days and last night I didn’t sleep at all. I got this weird phone call—“ she stopped herself before she said too much. “Anyway, yes, Tim does have an office. I forgot.”

“And he’s always so good at emails, you never need to talk to him. I know. We had this same conversation last week.”

Marinette groaned again as she covered her face in shame. “Why is Mr. Agreste doing this to me?”

“Speaking of Mr. Agreste, have you gotten any answers from him today? I’ve sent three emails and he’s not responding at all. Apparently Tim’s having the same problem with Adrien.”

“I haven’t heard a thing from the manor. Not Gabriel, not Adrien, not even Nathalie. We’re supposed to have a meeting at 2, but I haven’t heard if that’s still on.”

“Doesn’t Adrien usually come into the office on meeting days?”

“He did…I don’t know what's up with him. He was being super cagey with me yesterday when I went to talk to him.” She sighed, hunching her shoulders. “I’m worried.” She didn’t disclose the truth of the conversation, that Adrien had effectively ended their friendship. It was too painful, but too fresh to ignore.

“I’ve been working here since Emilie was still around. Gabriel went through a huge personality shift when she disappeared. Maybe Adrien takes after his dad? Maybe something happened?”

“Ugh, don’t talk like that, I’ll just worry more!” An alert beeped from her phone, letting her know she had an email. “Ah! An intern’s job is never done! See you later!”

“Good luck, Marinette!” Jill called. After she left, she added, “you’re going to need it.”

At two o’clock, the department heads and designers all came together in the conference room. Marinette set up her laptop to the screen and had the presentation open, as well as the Skype call to Gabriel.

He had yet to join the session, but it was still a few minutes before the meeting officially began.

“I see you’re wearing shoes now,” said Jill.

“I don’t know if I could handle the ridicule from Mr. Agreste if he saw me bare foot in the conference room.” Marinette chuckled weakly.

“As if Gabriel would ever reprimand you,” said someone else. “He adores you.”

“That must be why he took a vacation and told no one,” she laughed again. Was her filter fading with all this sleep deprivation? Probably.

Finally, the call started, but Nathalie took the helm instead.

Before questions could be asked, she announced, “I’m afraid this meeting must be postponed.” No ‘hello’, no ‘thank you for your patience and hard work’. It was enough to make Marinette snap in all of her exhaustion and emotional turmoil.

“Nathalie, with all due respect, everyone is here and ready to go. Why isn’t Gabriel ready?” She huffed.

Nathalie glanced away from the camera, a tell that she was about to deliver a great blow. “Mr. Agreste is deceased.”

The room went silent. Someone dropped a pen.

Marinette fell into a chair, feeling like the ground was shaking under her.

“Early this morning, both Gabriel and Adrien passed away. A joint visitation and funeral will be held at the manor on Friday evening and Saturday morning, respectively. Everyone is invited, but it’s not mandatory, of course.”

Marinette couldn’t swallow the lump in her throat; it was so thick.

“The fall line will not be released this season. Two weeks paid vacation will be passed on as we prepare the new head designer to take Gabriel’s place.”

Someone asked, “Who is the new designer?”

Most heads looked to Marinette, knowing the answer.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng has been determined to be the new head designer.”

She sputtered out of her shock. “What? Me?! No! Surely not! I’m just an intern!”

“Intern to the head designer,” someone clarified. “We all knew you were going to be hired as his assistant soon. It was obvious.”

“But—but—“ she stammered. It was rather obvious, thinking about it. Gabriel was just waiting for her to secure that college degree to make it official. “I can’t! I just—“ Without any preamble, tears burst forth and rolled down her face.

Adrien was gone.

Her best friend. The love of her life. Without a goodbye, and on such horrible terms.

Screw the responsibilities, the job title didn’t matter. She didn’t care at all.

Several arms wrapped around her, her coworkers, her friends, comforting as best as they could.

“No one is expecting you to jump right in,” Nathalie explained. “You were quite close to both of them.”

“What about you?” Marinette rasped out.

“I had my moment earlier. I’m in business mode now. If anyone would like more details, please reach me privately.”

And she left. Like a whirlwind, leaving destruction in her path.

“Can you get home on your own?” Someone asked Marinette.

She thought she confirmed affirmative, but someone led her from the room with an arm around the shoulder. Maybe it was Tim. She didn’t really know. She didn’t really care.

When she arrived home, she dropped her purse on the floor. Where were her other bags? At the office? Oh well, didn’t matter now.

Nothing mattered anymore.

“Girl, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Alya and Nino were home, they were here and alive, and they didn’t know.

They didn’t know and she had to tell them.

“He’s gone,” She whispered.

“Who?” Asked Alya, resting a comforting hand on her arm.

“Adrien…he—he’s dead.”

“…what?” Nino squeaked out. “H-how? Why?”

“I don’t know…he and Gabriel—“ she stopped and flexed her hand. Her phone was still in her hand. It held answers.

She called Nathalie on video.

“Hello Marinette. I’m glad to see you made it home safe. I was worried.”

“What happened?” She blurted. “Nino and Alya know that he died. What happened?” Because there had to be a reasonable explanation.

Nathalie’s face morphed from serious business to pain and pity. “Are you sure you want to know?”

God, with a preamble like that, it couldn’t be good. Not painless like Carbon monoxide poisoning in their sleep, and not instant like a car accident.

“Please Nathalie, I have to know.”

She breathed shakily and admitted, “it was a murder-suicide, as enacted by Adrien. He first stabbed Gabriel, and then himself.”

“Augh!” Marinette sobbed out. It was an ugly sound that couldn’t be controlled or silenced.

“I’m sorry. I wish I could lie…but I can’t. Adrien had been acting strange lately…I think Gabriel knew this was going to happen.”

“No! You’re lying!” Marinette yelled. “Adrien loved his father! He would never—he’s not like that!”

“Marinette, I saw them. Adrien was obviously deeply disturbed.”

“SHUT UP!!” She ended the call and dropped the phone on the floor.

Then she looked to her friends, who were both bawling like her. Nino moved first and pulled her into a tight hug. Alya came around the other side, crushing her in a Marinette-sandwich.

“You’re right, he wouldn’t do that.” Alya offered. “But they’re both gone, so we can’t prove anything.”

“If Nathalie didn’t tell the office, then the truth might never come out,” Said Nino, nodding in reassurance. “Only the four of us will have any idea.”

After a long time, numbness started to set in. There was a degree of disbelief in her still, where she may have heard it, but she didn’t see it.

That left room for doubt.

Without a word, she took her phone from the floor and wandered back to her room.

After the door closed, Tikki appeared. “Marinette…”

But she wasn’t listening. She was staring at her phone screen, like she was trying to solve a puzzle.

Then she started a call.

It rang and rang and rang and rang…

“Hey there, it’s Adrien, I’m not available to answer right now. But leave me a message or shoot me a text, and I’ll get back to you. Hope you have a great day!”

The phone beeped.

“Adrien,” she sobbed. “Adrien I know—goddamnit this sucks. I’m too late. I love you so much, and I’m too late. I wish I told you sooner. Even last night when you called—I’m sorry I didn’t know you were struggling. I’m sorry I didn’t know how to help you. I loved you so much and I couldn’t save you and I’m so sorry…”

“Marinette…” Tikki tried to tell her to stop.

“This is the closest I could get to telling you. And you’ll never hear it and—“

The phone beeped again, signaling the end of the recording.

She saved it, and set the phone down.

“Marinette…”

“What is it, Tikki? What’s so important?”

“I have to tell you something…but it’s really really bad.”

“Well, hit me with it. Today is literally the worst day of my life.”

“Adrien…well, he was Chat Noir.”

As if the day couldn’t get any worse.

“What?”

“Chat Noir. He was Adrien.”

“But—but he can’t be. You must be confused.”

“Marinette, he literally wore the earrings before.”

“I KNOW!” She screamed. “But you have to tell me he's someone else! Because I can’t lose both of them! I can’t do it Tikki!”

“I know it hurts. You two were literally soul mates. The Ladybug and Black Cat always are.”

“You’re not helping!” She sobbed.

“I know, I’m sorry.”

Tikki allowed Marinette to sob for a while, letting her anguish spill out of her. Tikki just kept watch for the Akuma that never came.

“You know what you have to do next, right?” Asked Tikki.

“What?”

She sighed. “You have to go to the visitation and take back the ring.”

“I can’t do that!” Marinette cried, horrified. “I can’t! There’s no way!”

“We’ll he can’t be buried with it. You have to, Marinette.”

Marinette crawled into bed, still fully clothed and wept and wept and wept until her tears burned her cheeks and exhaustion took hold.

All the chapter titles are songs from my spooky halloween playlist that inspired this fic (and their lyrics will be in the chapters)! You can find that playlist here. The playlist will be updated as the fic goes on.

#ml #miraculous ladybug #fanfiction #the ghost of Smokey Joe #adrienette #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #chat noir #ladybug

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cdyssey · 4 years ago

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“Lyra’s Jordan” Reaction:

Hello!! I just recently got into the His Dark Materials series, and now that I’m almost done with the The Subtle Knife, I wanted to start the first season of the show! It caught my eye on Tumblr and made me want to start the books in turn. I’ve heard such good things about the series, and I’m keen to see what it does with this gorgeous world of Pullman’s.

DJDJS, nooooo, not the expositional text scrawl. I get it. You have to introduce people to this world, but still.

OH, it’s Asriel, Stelmaria, and Lyra!!!!!

Aughshsh, baby Lyra smiling at the Master. 😭

Lmao, the canon of Asriel literally just dropping his baby off at a college is objectively the funniest thing in the world. The Master is just like, Wtf? What is wrong with you, man? (To which the right answer, ofc, is a lot of things.)

OH, Dafne Keen is already everything I’ve ever wanted in a Lyra adaptation. Playful, witty, adventurous, (currently) carefree. The type of girl who has no qualms playing with a skeleton’s bones.

And I’m also really glad we get to see these shots of Lyra and Roger playing together. It feels like such a real childhood friendship.

Ooooooh, the show’s letting us see what Asriel’s up to even when Lyra’s not around, which I think is a great move. In the book, Asriel really only showed up at the beginning and end, so having some extra content to help flesh out his character is nice.

Whoa! The title credits and score are so pretty. They remind me of the ones from The Crown.

The Librarian’s fond smile at Lyra when she says please is wonderful. And then she yeets out JSJSJSJSJS. Perfect Lyra.

“The retiring room is expressly forbidden!” / “Not for family reunions.” SJSJSJ.

The Master’s hand shaking as he pours the poison into the Tokay. 🥺

They did such a good job capturing Stelmaria’s air of elegance and regality. I love her VA!!!

God @ Asriel pinning Lyra down. You suck. When I was reading the book, I didn’t know what to think of him until this precise moment, which shaded all my impressions of him from there on out.

(Holistically, tho, I actually do love both his and Mrs. Coulter’s characters. They’re both stunningly vile, but Pullman invests them with such interesting nuances that they’re genuinely two of the most electric characters in a series full of electric characters.)

God @ Lyra rubbing her shoulder after Asriel lets her go. Worst. Father. Of. The. Year.

“I’m sure he had a good reason. To be honest with you, if I were him, I would be afraid of me.” / Huh, I don’t remember if these lines were in the book, but the self-awareness here is really interesting. Asriel knows that he’s playing with dangerous fires, and he’s still doing it anyway.

That sweater on Asriel? And that little gray curl in his hair? Hot damn.

A subtle worldbuilding detail that the show was spot on to pay attention to is how all of the Scholars are essentially old men.

Between Asriel and Dr. Malone, Pullman really understands how much of academia runs on asking for grants hahahaha.

OH, MY GOD. IS THAT MA COSTA.

SHE’S SO WARM AND LOVELY AND OH MY GOD. BILLY. HE’S SO SMALL. JESUS.

And the inclusion of this little coming of age ceremony is beautiful. 😭 The Gyptians are so wonderfully communal.

BILLY 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭.

Aufh, Asriel carrying a sleeping Lyra to bed. That’s so soft.

Ur still a shitty father, tho.

But you’re a nuanced man, and I appreciate that.

Lyra waking up and smiling gently in realization. Asriel untying her shoes. Oh, my g o d.

“Can I see the man’s head?” / “No, why would I let you do that?” KWEODIDJ.

This Master and Librarian conversation has me tender. They both care for Lyra so much.

Lyra desperately pleading for Asriel to take her with him. 😭😭 And Asriel’s response: “I am sorry, but I just don’t have time for you right now.”

GOD.

“Did it look like this?” / “What?” / “The airship that my parents died in.” / “No. No, it was smaller.” Jesus.

Something that got me from the books, and that gets me here, too, is that the adults in Lyra’s life had had a similar refrain. “A college is no place for a child.” “The North is no place for a child.” And because these are the only paradigms that Lyra knows, whether through experience or imagination, the most consistent lesson that she’s ever been taught is that there is no place where she belongs.

JOHN FAA!! I love him.

And man, I’m really appreciating the way the show is paying close attention to the Gyptians, who are marginalized in their world. The way that they’re organizing to look for Billy just has me feeling some type of way.

OH? Lord Boreal!!??

“That includes her.” IT’S TIME.

I’m not going to lie. The Tumblr gif that got me interested in the series was a set of Ruth Wilson acting her ass off, so I’m ready to be hurt by her in so many more ways than one.

LMAO, this evil theme at her power walk entrance. Perfect.

The golden monkey!! He looks so deceptively cute here.

It is insane how much Dafne and Ruth weirdly favor each other. If you told me that they were really related, I’d actually believe you.

Thinks about how this is the first time Mrs. Coulter has seen her daughter in, like 12 years.

Also, ooooh, the Master in the background is intently monitoring the conversation because he knows how significant it is, and ofc, he’s absolutely wary of Mrs. C.

She’s so soft-spoken here. 😭

AUGH, and her reaching up to briefly stroke Lyra’s cheek.

“You feel utterly alone. And you feel utterly... magnificent.”

Lyra’s wide-eyed adoration of Mrs. C breaks my heart. It only makes the revelation of her true nature all the more awful. Though she doesn’t know it at this point, Lyra looks up to both of her parents, and both of them so completely fail her.

Wow, in the show, is the implication is that Mrs. Coulter gets Roger kidnapped because Lyra talked about him to her??????? Brutal.

OH, GOD. RUTH WILSON’S FACE AT LYRA UNRESTRAINEDLY HUGGING HER FOR THE FIRST TIME. THE SURPRISE, the CONFUSION, the TENDERNESS.

Roger. 😭

Ma Costa sobbing and Tony hugging her oh my g o d. I’m upset. It is no coincidence that this scene almost comes directly on the heels of the Mrs. Coulter/Lyra hug. The juxtaposition is bonechilling. Mrs. Coulter is partaking in the joys of motherhood for the first time, and Ma Costa is contending with the grief of missing a child directly because of everything that Mrs. Coulter is doing.

“Lord Asriel himself brought it to the college when you were just a baby.” Cue the Master and Librarian smiling fondly at their little Lyra, remembering. 🥺

Lyra frantically shrieking for Roger stings. The show did an excellent job of capturing their friendship—honestly, better than the books I would argue.

“BECAUSE YOU’VE BEEN A GOOD AND STRONG MOTHER TO HIM, MAGGIE.” I’m crying a little at this line because my name is Maggie, and so now I love Ma Costa even more if that’s at all possible.

John Faa’s casting is pitch perfect. He’s authoritative and stern but so caring and compassionate at the same time.

In an alternate universe, Mrs. Coulter and Lyra track down the Gobblers would be such a badass plot line.

“We’ll have plenty of time to discuss whenever you wish.” Wow, this line echoes Asriel’s from earlier: “I am sorry, but I just don’t have time for you right now.” But the irony is that they’re both saying nearly the same thing. Mrs. Coulter may say this, but she absolutely doesn’t mean it.

OH, the complexities here!! The monkey noticing that Lyra shoves the alethiometer deeper into her pocket, Pan noticing the monkey growling, and then Mrs. Coulter looking up. Such quick but charged moments.

What a magnificent first episode. I’m already hooked.

#his dark materials #lyra silvertongue #marisa coulter #lord asriel #ma costa #roger #john faa #f: his dark materials #reginian blogs #maggie blogs

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levyfiles · 5 years ago

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helloooo!!!! since you are my fave blog about shyan content, i must ask: what are your favorite fics???

AHhh! I–OK well, Lately I’ve been finding more and more fics that fill my heart right up with every gorgeous headcanon there is, but If we’re talking all-time favourites, I have finally compiled a List from the moment I started reading shyan fic in 2018 of fics that have ruined my life; all of them here in no particular order.

Be All My Sins Remembered by spoopyy

Summary: In every lifetime, they find each other.

Review: This fic manages to take you on a long journey through what feels like a series of AUs and they all weave in and out of the wealth of their relationship with some vivid descriptions of the historical settings their journey takes them through. As someone who grew up reading Anne Rice’s epics through historical events, this fic is right up my alley. A vampire Shane passing through the wave of human society’s climb searching for a reincarnated Ryan again and again, trying to hold on to him and keep him through great tragedies and timeframes that just don’t let them be together. This was one of the first fics I read when I was only a lurker and to be quite honest, I need to give this one a nice re-read, maybe for the book club which would be loads of fun. Either way, 10/10. Would be Hurt in the heart again.

Perfect Fit by @beaniegara

Summary: There’s a legend that says anyone able to take all of statue Shane’s cock will summon the god to the mortal realm. Given the statue’s excessive size, no one has ever succeeded to prove or disprove the story.Until Ryan that is.

Review: Listen. You wanna talk actual fandom legends. This fic is one of them and it pulls out all the stops on being delicious and evocative. Also features one of my favourite incarnations of size queen bergara. Good stuff and you’re really rooting for Ryan in this lol.

Everything’s Weird and We’re Always in Danger by the beethechange

Summary: Ryan perches on the edge of the bed, an indistinct shape that Shane can only just make out in the dark, so he turns the lamp back on. He wants to see Ryan’s face, wants to know that he is alright. Ryan’s cheeks are damp, his hands fisted in the hideous flowered duvet.

“It won’t go away,” Ryan says miserably. “I’ve been like this since we got here, basically, and it won’t fucking—”

“Ah,” Shane says. “Well, you know, sometimes fear…adrenaline…they can affect people. Physically.” He waves his hands indistinctly crotchward. “It’s a, a scientifically known phenomenon.” Shane feels a little better staying in the realm of scientifically known phenomena.

Review: Word of advice. You see a fic is authored by beethechange, run don’t walk because you’re absolutely always going to be treated to the best of banter, the best of prose, chemistry, organic execution and feels right up the bottom end of your heart. This fic, this changed everything I thought I knew I wanted out of a bed-sharing fic. It’s got a little bit of two treats here. You got a sex-pollen-esque situation mixed with bed-sharing and holy fucking damn that is more than you think you deserve, but read this because you do deserve the best of the best. The build up, the dialogue, the surprisingly hilarity of it, the hotness woah, and The Aftermath. When you think you know what you’re in for, you’re wrong and you’re most pleasantly surprised. Get this fic in your life and honestly? while you’re at it, you could do a clean sweep of every fic in her list of works and while my less than adequate reading time management may still be short on some of her most well-recommended pieces, I have an adamant faith that Bee doesn’t disappoint. Go get y’all juice.

Maelstrom by thewindupbird

Summary: Here’s the thing about driving halfway across the country to see someone. You can’t really deny, after that, that you’re pretty much head over heels for them.

Review: Listen. One morning on a day off, I just laid in bed and read this– all 40k+ words– while lying there clutching my pillows, hurting and loving every moment of it. The descriptions of Americana, the slow steady metronome rhythm of Ryan’s feelings as frightened and helpless as they feel when you’re relating deeply to them juxtaposed with the deep-seated struggle of understanding what it is to be with someone you love so much but your mental health is burning quiet holes in your ability to express it in a way that can be understand. Ryan’s fierce determination, breaking through the silence of their non communication is really Everything to me in this fic. i think I really left my heart in the scene in Shane’s parents kitchen. That finished me. Read this fic and understand the deep relief you get when you’ve finished a fight with someone you fiercely care about and they understand you and you understand them and it’s OK; it’s gonna be all right. Augh.

A Burial on Box Hill by InkStainsOnMyHands

Summary: The Celtics believed that the yew flower symbolized both immortality and death. Meanwhile, for centuries, the buxus flower was seen as a symbol for safe passage into the afterlife.

Or,Shane and Ryan were never the same after investigating the Black Forest of Germany alone.

Review: Let me just quote my bookmark comment here. Usually I flee from tragedy like a cat spotting a cucumber but the brevity and the prose dragged me in and now I’m a functioning mess. Bless this fic. Oh my god it’s short and reads like one of those quick horror stories you’ll read to your friends just as the scary stories are transitioning from the urban legends to the ones that feel real. Big warning for main character death but still read it if you appreciate a good story told.

Body Farming by shiphitsthefan

Summary: Failed suppressants and a surprise heat: the worst of cliches, and here Ryan stands, living the trope on location with the alpha he’s hopelessly in love with. Even worse, they’re spending the night in the famous Bell Witch Cave, completely alone and with no way to contact the outside world.

Ryan knows he can survive and keep his preheat a secret, as long as Shane will stop being so protective and concerned. After all, it’s not like Shane wants to bond with him.

Right?

Review: Now judging from the reactions of many people I’ve spoken to, big heavy ABO kink is not popular here but guys, GUYS. This one. Let this one in I promise it is not what you think it is. The dynamic is organic and the worst side of the trope is subverted in all the best ways and lord help us, the smut is hot, like swelteringly smoking. It’ll stay with you.

Believer by cellard00rs

Summary: Some demons and otherworldly creatures love climbing up the power ladder. Shane is not one of these. He likes where he is (thank you very much) and has no interest in moving up. All he wants is to give his friend Ryan a nice birthday gift. So, naturally, everything goes to hell.

Review: This fic is another fandom legend. When I think demon!Shane. It’s this and one other one that always pops right into my mind. This was my first exposure to the bureaucracy meets the supernatural!Shane trope and I was sold from the get-go. The Shane in this fic is everything I imagine a demon!Shane is and his ginger care for Ryan, the concept of their bond and how even though Shane is a demon and responsible for keeping the supernatural a firm secret from Ryan and the rest of the world, his skepticism is relayed through his status as a demon. I want to talk more about it but I think so much of the enjoyment comes from the surprises as the plot unfurls.

Heartbeat by quackers

Summary: So the guy Ryan sits next to at work is a vampire. That’s no big deal, right?

Review: I could talk your literal ear off about this fic. Vampires, man. I love the trope; you don’t know me as a person if you don’t know this at least. And this fic kept me fed all damn year. It was a readable garden. If there is one thing I can guarantee about quackers’ work, it’s that their world-building is a festival of detail. The realms and alternate universes they work with while still managing to keep Shane and Ryan’s voices so familiar and real is a talent not attributed to your everyday author. This fic propelled me into wanting to write more and more because quackers makes stories so much fun! Reading their work is, to me, not unlike the feeling I got when I was younger and finding series that speak to my need to escape this crummy existence, made me want to believe in fun spicy things like a vampire that lived through centuries, cynical but still searching, navigating a world where people are still people, adjusting to differences and prejudices, finding comfort in a guy that understands that and more. I’ve talked about this fic in more than a few different posts so I’d just be reiterating a lot of things I loved about the more historical aspects of Shane’s journey, the way Ryan is so firmly curious and inventive in ways to connect with Shane. Look, even if vampires aren’t your thing, I can promise that if you visit quackers list of work, you will find something for your supernatural-lovin’ palate that speaks to a gentler side of your own curiosity about monsters and the jocks that love them. lol.

I’ll Crawl Home by carrieonfighting

Summary: “Shane was almost unnerved by how quickly he’d settled into this body, this name, this life - his friendship with Ryan was the most time he’d spent with any human before, and yet the man fascinated him.”

Review: This is the second fic I think of when someone says the words ‘demon!Shane’ to me because ohhhh my word, this fic is a masterpiece. I really am hard pressed to find anything better than the feeling I get when I think of demon!Shane headcanons interwoven with the irl Buzzfeed reality and the idea of the Ryan as we know him being protected and watched and loved so deeply by a demon that found him so long ago and wanted nothing but to protect him. I feel an almost vicious glee reliving that moment when Ryan and Shane are on goatman’s bridge and man, I just really love canonical fic mixed with a slight twist. The writing in this makes it work so well with lines that still haunt my heart and soul like “Ryan liked popcorn. So did the demon. Genuinely, not just out of a desire to please the human – he liked the way it crunched between his vessel’s teeth. There were some aspects of taking a corporeal form that were…nice; laughing, coffee, feeling warm. Ryan made him laugh.” FUCK! The beautiful agony of it, watching the demon fall in love with Ryan through the eyes of his vessel. Just stark with pain and unspoken, well-written angst and pain with a perfect ending, I wouldn’t change for anything. I love this for us as a fandom and will always love that author crafted this piece and shared it with us. (Also every time I hear Work Song by Hozier, I think of this fic again and sigh).

Like I said at the beginning, thanks to @skepticbeliever-bookclub I’ve been discovering and re-discovering some fics I hadn’t had the chance to read and or have never even heard of before and my bookmarks list is growing with each new week. So if you get through this list and need more in your life, here you go. Every fic in my bookmarks deserves the community’s attention. If I can just make one special request of you guys? If you do happen to click any of these and enjoy what you read, please take the time and tell the author what you loved about it. It really changes the game out here for fanworks and fan-creators like you wouldn’t even believe and the people who shared these works with us worked hard to make the stories what they are and put a great deal of emotional investment in sharing it. Share more than your silence in return.

Hope you find something you like here, nonnybabe..

#shyan fic #shyan #skeptic believer #recs #love tag #Anonybae

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gaamagirl565 · 5 years ago

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Matters of the heart Ep 6

Matters of the heart Episode 6 Spook spectacular {OPENING CREDITS} {Cut to morning in Old Corona; Varian is hitching the horse up to the wagon; Ruddiger paws at the horse and it snorts at him startling him and making him retreat to behind Varian’s neck} Varian: *laughs* I told you, Ruddiger! Chessie isn’t fond of other animals! *he pats the horse* Ruddiger: *chitters angrily* Varian: let’s see… I got gout gel, feverfew essence, apple salve, lavender calming elixir...yeah I think that’s it! Ruddiger: *chitters happily* Varian: Isaiah?... Isaiah come on son! I have to deliver this stuff to the main city. {Isaiah walks out with a giant knitted covering over his head making Varian drop his clip board} Varian: umm...Isaiah..Wha...What are you wearing? *snerks* Isaiah: it’s a babushka...It’s called fashion Dad! Read about it! Varian: *laughs* Isaiah why are you wearing that? Isaiah: I have my reasons! {he goes to get in the wagon but Varian stops him} Varian: is this about your scar? {Isaiah visibly flinches} Varian: oh buddy, I know you’re scared but- Isaiah: I’m not scared! Varian: O-okay! Okay!... Isaiah, I swear it’s going to be okay...don’t let people’s opinions dictate what you think of yourself...I don’t… I believe in you buddy… Isaiah hesitates: he reaches up and takes off the babushka revealing a large scar on the left side of his face; he looks up at Varian and smiles} Varian: That’s my boy... {Varian lifts him up onto the tailboard of the wagon; he walks around to the front and gets on the driver’s seat; looking back at Isaiah he smiles and flicks the reins} {cut to the Main city of Corona; Rapunzel(holding baby Flynn}, Eugene, and Lily walk down the main road} Lily: um...dad? Eugene: yeah princess? Lily: is there a reason we’re all going out into town or is mom being in one of her crazy happy moods again? Rapunzel: Hey! Eugene: *chuckles* ok firstly, your mother is always crazy happy like that. Rapunzel: um I’m right here! Eugene: and secondly, We have very special visitors coming today? Lily: not more diplomats! Rapunzel: no not more diplomats...Your uncle Lance and Aunt Adira… Lily: Really!? I haven’t seen uncle Lance for so long! Eugene: well this time they’re staying for a while! Lily: oh my gosh! Really!? Why!? Rapunzel: Your auntie recently had a baby boy. They’re considering moving here for safety. Lily: aw why couldn’t it have been a girl!? {Lance comes in off screen}

Lance: hey come now! Boys aren’t that bad… {Lilly turns around and squeals before running over and jumping into Lance’s arms} Lily: Uncle Lance!!! Auntie Adira!! Lance: Hey there kiddo! Give your uncle Lance some love! {He hugs her tightly; Rapunzel and Eugene walk over and hug them as well} Eugene: Good to see you, man… Lance: you got old! Haha! Eugene: look who’s talking! Rapunzel:: Hi Adira! Ohhh! Is that your baby!? He’s beautiful! Adira: thank you, your majesty. {Adira looks around worriedly} Adira: Earrings, she’s gone again... Lance: huh? Oh for the love of...Akina!! {A girl a bit younger than Lily pops out from behind a stall; she has dark olive skin, brown almond-shaped eyes; and black hair pulled back into a short poofy ponytail} Adira: come small one. There is no danger here… {She walks over and hides behind Adira} Rapunzel: Hello Akina!...I’m Queen Rapunzel but you can call me Aunt Punzie...okay? Hmm...oh! This is your cousin! Lily! You met when you both were little!..say hello Lily. Lily: Hi! {Akina hides herself behind Adira} Lily: I promise I’m not mean! Come out! Adira:...go on small one...give your greetings… {She slowly comes out} Akina:...h-hello… {Lily squeals and hugs her making her scream and run behind Adira again} Lily:...too soon? {lance looks over to one of the stalls and gasps; he proceeds to rush over} Lance: oh no no no no! Look at this tall lanky man! {He laughs and picks up Varian and spins him around before crushing him in a bear hug} Varian: augh! Oof! L-Lance!? Lance: how ya been little man!? Haha! Varian: i’ve been..ack..great! Isaiah: dad? Who is…? Lance: hmm? Oh, no...now way this is that little small fry from before! Varian: yup that’s my boy. {Lance picks Isaiah up and lifts him up high} Lance: C’mere little guy! Let me get a good look at ya! {Isaiah stares at him Confused and slightly afraid} Lance:.......what happened to his face? Isaiah:......put me down… {Lance gingerly sets him down} Adira: Last time I saw this one he was quite young...hmmm...what to call you… Isaiah: huh? Eugene: Adira tends to give nicknames… Isaiah: if she calls me “scarface” we’re going to have problems… Eugene: *snerks* Rapunzel: hmm..Oh! I have an idea! Why don’t Lily and Isaiah go play with Akina! Varian: sounds good to me! Lance: adira...hmm? Adira: I...Suppose small one could use the interaction… Lily: Yay! Come on Akina this will be so much fun!! Eugene: just so long as they don’t go looking for the “ghost of the dungeon” {all three looks up} Isaiah: What? Varian: an old legend a man named Xavier told me...they say a prisoner went mad in the dungeon and scratched the days into his cell wall...when he died he proclaimed that anyone whom sought out his spirit and gave him an offering of food, water, or clothing would have a wish granted for them. All 3: wowww…. Rapunzel: but it’s just a legend and that’s all it’ll ever be! That part of the dungeon has some very real dangers! I forbid any of you to go there! Lily: aww mom….finnneee...come on guys… {all three leave} Rapunzel: Really? Eugene? Eugene: Relax Sunshine! That part of the dungeon has been condemned for years! The kids aren’t that gullible. Especially our lily! She’s got my mind remember? Rapunzel: that’s what I’m afraid of… {Varian sees Zapada pass by} Varian: uh...you guys...I’ll ummm...see you later...welcome back Lance… {He walks off} Lance: speaking of minds...haha what’s on his? {cut to the kids walking into the castle} Lily: okay...so...lets go ghost hunting! Isaiah: wait what? Akina: A-Aunt Punzie said no! Y-your highness… Lily: just Lily is fine Akina…I know the way down to the dungeon and everything! There’s this passageway that takes you to all the parts of the castle! Isaiah: she’s right Lily! And I’m in enough trouble as it is! Lily: we won’t get in trouble! Think of it as an adventure that ends in- {She runs into a door} Lily:....Glory…. {Isaiah face palms; cut to the Cult HQ and Cassandra is sparring with some members} Noremoth: m’lady she is close to mastering her capabilities. Cult leader: indeed she is...she was a good choice… {Cassandra blocks an attack and throws her opponent against a wall} Noremoth: m’lady if I may speak freely? Cult leader: please Noremoth...call me Larkspur… {Noremoth blushes slightly} Noremoth: o-oh alright...Larkspur...I have worries that we should merely retrieve the moonstone sliver ourselves… Larkspur: hmm? Why would this be? Noremoth: although she is a strong vessel Zhan tiri’s power can only control her actions for so long. And Corona is of personal value to her. Her mental state out of trance is delicate and if people who once knew her become wiser to her act...plus what if turns against us and asks for help. Larkspur: *giggles* Noremoth...sweet little Noremoth Noremoth: ehh? Larkspur: you worry too much...her close relations are precisely the thing we need to obtain access to Corona...they’ll be so naively trusting of her...and as for her spilling the truth….the lastest infusion took care of that...if the power within her senses her attempting anything of the sort it will pilot her subconscious from there….and she doesn’t want that… {Cassandra yells as she releases a shock of pink and green lightning electrocuting her sparring opponents; she gasps and covers her mouth in horror at what she has done} Larkspur: *watches her cry* hmmm..Perhaps you’re right...I’ll send you and a few others to watch over our vessel from a safe distance. Do not let yourself be seen… Noremoth: yes m-...Larkspur… {cut to the kids walking a dusty, dark, corridor with Lily holding a map; Lily stops walking, Isaiah and Akina run into her making her step on a trap} Isaiah: GET DOWN! {Isaiah jumps on them and forces them to the ground as arrows fly over them} Isaiah: Lily we should go back Akina: Scarface is right. Isaiah: I said we’d have problems if I was called that Akina: sorry… Lily: We can’t go back now! We’re so close! It should be right around the corner here! Akina: but it’s so dark!...i’m...I’m frightened… Lily: Hey Isaiah? Do you have anything that glows? Isaiah: wait what the f-why would I have something that glows? Lily: seriously? Mr.Varian is always carrying some sort of science like thing, shouldn’t you!? Isaiah: Lily in case you haven’t noticed I kinda...lost any and all alchemical privileges so… Lily: Oh?...ohhhh… Isaiah: yeah...sorry… Akina: um...Lily? Lily: I think we found it… Akina: yeah...was gonna say… {infront of them is an old stone door with two lit torches by it} Isaiah:..ladies first? {both girls look at him} Isaiah: ...no?...fine… {he opens the door and it turned out to be a secret passage to the condemned part of the dungeons} Lily: well? Isaiah: oh yeah...we found it… {They all walk in and look around at the crumbling medieval dungeon; Isaiah looks in one cell and gasps; on the wall are thousands of scribbles counting the days} Isaiah: guys...this is it… Lily: mother of the sun… Akina: wow.. Lily: so an offering of food, water, or clothing...I have a muffin from the royal kitchen… Isaiah: I have my goatskin I filled with water… {both look at Akina; Akina looks at them and hesitantly takes out her hair tie} Isaiah: food, water, and clothing...ok… {They lay out the objects on the ground} Lily: don’t speak your wish...or it won’t come true!...think it only! {They close their eyes; Lily wishes to be a good leader; Isaiah wishes for his family to be happy and whole again; Akina wishes for friendship; as they make their wishes the ground beneath Akina begins to give way} Akina: {Screams in terror} Isaiah: AKINA! {Isaiah grabs onto her arm and starts sliding} Isaiah: LILY HELP! {Lily grabs onto Isaiah} Lily: nghh...A-Akina… reach up with your other hand...and we’ll pull you up… Akina: I-i’m frightened!...I can’t! Lily: Yes you can! Look at me, Akina! {Akina looks} Lily: We won’t let you fall… Isaiah: We promise! {Akina nods and reaches up; Isaiah grabs her other hand; He and Lily pull her up} Akina: *sobs once safe and hugs them* Lily: see? You can trust us. Akina: hehe...is everyone this friendly here? Isaiah welcome to Corona… {they laugh; cut to the castle living room; the fire is glowing and the gang is back together laughing; all three kids walk in filthy and with tattered clothes} Varian: Isaiah what the-!? Lance: AHH! My baby!? What did you do!? Akina: Mama! Papa! {Akina runs over and hugs them} Adira: Small one y-you’re wearing your hair down! Akina: It was so much fun! We explored and dodged arrows and Mama I made friends! Real friends! {all eyes glare at Lily and Isaiah} Eugene: Young lady… Varian: Isaiah… Both: we know...Grounded… {END CREDITS}

#tangled #tangled the series #rapunzel’s tangled adventure #Varian #Isaiah #TTS #RTA #fanfic

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hiddendreamer67 · 6 years ago

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ROYALITY GAY DISASTERS

Okay but listen, I see a lot of royality where they’re all perfect and established and do the cutest stuff and always call each other cheesy nicknames augh so much fluff.

But really, you expect a clean relationship ride with them? Captain insecurity and bottle-it-up boy? Nah, Roman and Patton would be those cliches where they’re like “I don’t think he really likes me though :/“ and everybody is just SCREAMING at them to move on and kiss already. Some examples:

-Roman sprawled across Patton’s lap and Patton just thinks he’s a touchy-feely person

-Patton going out of his way to spend lots of time with Roman and Roman just thinks he’s such a great friend

-Roman literally serenading Patton and pat just claps obliviously to cheer him on because he thinks Roman is practicing for someone else

-Patton explaining how he kinda wants to meet Roman’s parents and impress them, is that a weird bro thing?

(...actually okay I know I went into this with the intention of romance but honestly Royality like that where they’re weirdly close but just have an amazing pure thriving friendship? Oh my heart cries out for it! Anyways continuing...)

Some more beneath the cut because oops it got long:

-Patton going out of his way to make cute desserts for Roman but scraping the heart-shaped ones because what if he doesn’t like them?

-Roman trying to write a love letter-style poem and subconsciously finds himself putting in Patton’s name and has a panic moment of wow I’m gay

-Patton talking anybody’s ear off about how amazing Roman is to the point that he talks about Roman more than Roman himself does

-Aww Patton bought Roman roses for his performance! Except friends do that too, right? What do different colored roses mean again?

-Roman brings Patton roses, but he’s probably just being nice and returning the favor from the play...three months ago.

-“I think my ideal guy is a lot like you, actually.” “Good luck finding someone as amazing as me!” ...Roman, he means you.

-Patton asking if Roman has any Valentine’s Day plans and Roman says no before waving goodbye, only to realize at a much later date why Patton was asking.

-They both want dates to the dance so why not ask each other? Except they both don’t want to make it weird so they end up making it weirder as they stumble around trying to figure out how to ask the other in a not-gay-but-I-mean-gay-If-you-want way.

-One puts an anonymous note under the others door and the recipient wonders why they recognize that glitter pen handwriting

-Roman quite nearly impulse bought Patton a puppy just because Patton was upset #friendThings

-The two have movie nights where there’s only one blanket (oh noooo) so they have to share except neither is watching the movies anymore because they’re hyper aware of their arms touch and is this okay?

-They both end up with an absolute mess of class schedules because they just took a bunch of classes to spend time together and “wait I thought you like biology!” “I don’t.” “...then why are we here?”

-Patton makes lots of puns about romantic things (bordering on pickup lines) and Romans just like huh, Patton’s humor is more romantic than normal. Weird.

-They both have each other’s food and drink orders memorized pretty much everywhere and Roman always offers to pay but Patton feels bad because Roman is so sweet and then they just try to out-chivalry each other.

-Patton can barely sit still (easily distracted) but he comes to every one of Romans performances and stares attentively I mean what a great fan. Also sometimes he comes early to decorate Roman’s dressing room with little personalized notes saying he’s gonna do great.

-Roman always steps in to keep Patton from petting stray cats because he hates to see Patton get all upset later when his allergies kick in, but Y’know anybody would do the same

-Patton texts Roman admitting that he’s having trouble sleeping and minutes later Roman is throwing pebbles at his window, sneaking in to listen to all the thoughts troubling Patton just like a regular Romeo, what a BFF.

-and then if they ever did date, both would be so nervous at first to hold hands and things because they don’t wanna ruin it or seem clingy

And those are my rambles. Maybe I just love royality, okay?

#sanders sides #headcanon #royality #roman sanders #roman #patton sanders #patton #gay #romance

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doctorguilty · 5 years ago

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ok you’ve all been waiting for it my thoughts on the sonic movie!!!

under cut cause long

so overall! I really liked the movie! I think it sorta landed pretty in the ballpark of what I sorta expected quality-of-plot wise and how much I’d be entertained by it. which is satisfying!!! I’m going to like, stream of thought this, starting with some criticisms which are gonna be kinda hefty cause im critiquing something I care about

so right away I really disliked the “record scratch so this is me I bet you’re wondering how I got in this situation” opening like I’m not sure if it was intentionally a self aware joke on that being cliche and dumb but it does like, really frustrate me cause my philosophy for most stories is Start your story where it begins!! which made the backstory infodump more frustrating on top of that, like, I think that’s an easy mistake to make to want to spill your Backstory right away but it’s not necessary! the audience doesn’t NEED to know immediately what sonic was like in his homeworld and his tragic separation from it. we already have the audiences suspension of disbelief in play because they know they’re watching.. a movie about sonic the hedgehog in the real world. I think the backstory stuff would have been much more impactful as a flashback later on, especially when sonic’s whole arc is how lonely and isolated he is. it would be a better punch in the heart to later on be like so by the way as a child his guardian probably died and sent him to earth for his own safety. so that was like AUGH you blew it

next up that i think was unnecessary like, completely, was establishing that sonic already knew the main cop guy and his wife (omg I already forgot their names..because they were not memorable but we’ll get to that fjdsg) and like, secretly immersed himself into their life that’s ?? odd to me? I think it would have been fine to just have sonic be like attached to the whole small town and he thinks the cop is cool and calls him donut lord, and that’s the extent of it like cause the problem is later down the plot when sonic finds out cop guy is leaving green hills and flips out about it.. I’m like, not sure if I believe sonic, immersing himself in their life, had NOT known that was a thing cop guy wanted to do like he NEVER heard about that??? but that’s like whatever

I don’t really like the cop guy as the protag human like. oof he was very bland and I’m trying to figure out how to put this into words............ I feel like a character like him isn’t someone the audience can really connect to. this guy has a virtually perfect life with a house and a dog and a job and a wife, his Conflict is that he wants to move to california and see more action and save people, but the WEIRDEST thing about it is that the prospect of leaving his little town behind isn’t really shaking him up at all. it shakes SONIC up later, but up until that point.... the cop just has legit a perfect life and it’s kinda sad because sonic appearing in it physically becomes something that immediately has the effect of “starting to ruin it” and thats why the cop is so like, mean about things at first.

see I don’t really like that it doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. if I were to rewrite this keeping the general ideas in mind, I would have opted for a ... paul blart crossed with judy hopps. a guy who’s life isn’t all in order, maybe not living in trash but he doesn’t have a wife, he DREAMS of being a cop and saving people, but he doesn’t quite have what it takes physically/mentally or maybe he’s too afraid to even try. he loves his rural town but thinks like, maybe if I move to the big city I’ll find myself maybe he’s offered a job there for something boring and is like resigning to a boring life idk there’s a lot you can do but you get the idea! a lonely underdog with big dreams. so when Sonic comes into his life, its WAY more impactful to paul hopps.....judy blart...... that Sonic pleads for help saving his life and this sudden adventure isn’t ruining his life either.

then LATER when we get to sonic being upset that paul hopps wants to leave, it’s less this awkward confrontation “how dare you wanna live your already in motion dreams somewhere ELSE because people love you HERE” (like .. oof bad take tbh) it would be a much nicer “why do you want to leave your home to become a hero when everyone here already sees you as one” and instead of the shabby like “well I guess I’ll stay because i crossed off saving someone from my bucket list” paul hopps would feel fulfilled he saved sonic and I actually you know what? I’d change up the whole scene with the turtle to be at the end where paul hopps becomes a cop in green hills and he like, saves a turtle crossing the road and is like! that’s what its all about being a hero! like thats cute and resonates with an audience, the message like, being a hero just means being kind and doing the right thing, which is way more suitable for a sonic movie when the sonic series has always been a campy power of friendship thing.

in a similar vein, the cop being a lonely underdog would give him a better connection with sonic, so that even if he was annoyed by him at first he’d later have the understanding they’re one in the same, you know? connections people!! themes!!!!

anyway but enough of that au

so the last thing I’m like iffy about is how robotnik was handled. like jim carry is funny and stuff but it felt like a bit of a mess like, this character is repeatedly reminding us what a hard ass I’M SUPERIOR THAN YOU MY IQ IS HUGE but then being super mega goofy, like I’m all for eccentric scientists but it felt kind of disconnected? and idk like not to be that guy but man.. i remember when sonic 06 came out and everyone hated how eggman was slimmed down to what he looked like in that game jfkdfsgksdj like my brain really doesn’t find a fully slender bodied eggman palatable like......... let my mans be fat ... WHICH tbh I’m a little nervous because at the end of the movie we see this implication that robotnik is turning more visually into the eggman we know with the stache and bald head but I’m worried they’re gonna also go with “and he also gets fat” cause I don’t like that sort of thing, you know?

i think that’s all for my major criticisms!! but otherwise like! the movie was genuinely really fun and goofy and it felt very in spirit with the sonic franchise!

if you read bogleech’s post I agree with him whole heartedly that this is the best characterization of sonic. it feels almost like?????? the characterization he was MEANT To have but he always ended up going TOO MUCH in the direction of confident and cocky and being too cool and successful about it? I love sonic with that hyper teenager-like personality, it’s incredibly charming and cute, like I never Hated sonic as a character but he was defs like... lower on my list of characters in the franchise I found interesting. I felt like I could connect with movie sonic a lot and like! i’d want to be his friend, you know? I really really want to see more of him like that!

I also agree big time that the movie had the best use of bullet time I’ve ever seen! I’m like omg?? WHY hasnt that ever been a mechanic in a game?

and overall just like the cuteness like............I literally almost cried when the little girl gave sonic her shoes like AAAAAAAAAAAAA WEEPS............ and the end with sonic getting his own room thats so super cute too!!!!

oh and the post credits scene with tails was SO FUCKING HYPE like, people in the theater audibly gasped and started being like YESSSSSSS tails looks really great!

so like YEAH dabs ,, being a story snob aside it was a fun and cute movie and I’m glad to hear it trumped detective pikachu for a video game movie I’m glad it’s brought some attention to the sonic franchise! like while it’s cool in some aspects that Nerd Culture is mainstream now, it’s absolutely exhausting the HUGE focus on that is marvel and DC and all that stuff........ like theres nothing wrong w/ liking that but its like.. hm.... idk how to explain it but................. as someone who was bullied a lot in school for liking things like sonic.. like I guess stuff like that people usually see as lame stuff for babies??? superheroes are more like, macho and palatable to adults?? it’s been a good experience for all my normie coworkers to ask what I did for valentines day and I tell them “I saw the sonic the hedgehog movie” and I BRACE myself reflexively to be laughed at but not a single person did they were just like oh cool! how was it? like it really makes me appreciate I got to at least grow up and feel a little more accepted!

so THATS my thoughts feel free to comment and discuss!

#seth speaks

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lunatens · 5 years ago

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golden hour

word count: 1.7k

genre: fluff, best friends to lovers, summer

pairing: mark tuan x gender neutral reader

song rec: i want you - shinee

“$4.72... is that enough?” you ask, biting your lip doubtfully as you look up from the pile of coins on the floor at your best friend (who looks just as doubtful). you and mark have spent the last 10 minutes tearing apart your cottage in search of every last bit of spare change you can find; the local ice cream place only accepts cash, and neither of you have any on you. couch cushions and pillows are strewn across the floor from your hunt, and now you sit on the carpet with the small pile of coins between you.

“only one way to find out,” mark says, shrugging and stuffing the coins into his pocket. “now we gotta hurry into town, it closes at nine, remember?” he says, and you gasp as you glance at the clock.

“race ya!” you say, getting up and hardly managing to pull on your sandals before you burst out of the door and fly down the wooden porch steps. you hear mark’s shouts behind you, “woah! hey, you got a head start, not fair!” (the two of you really are children) and footsteps as he chases after you, the coins jingling in his pocket. you giggle as you sprint, but end up coughing and spluttering as you run through a cloud of gnats. mark laughs as he passes you, cheekily sticking his tongue out (but smiling the whole time).

“mark, wait up!” you yell after him, pouting a little now that he’s gotten so far ahead of you (stupid gnats). he turns and laughs, teasing you, but nevertheless he waits for you to catch up anyways. you shuffle along the gravel road, an awkward half-run half-walk as you try to kick the tiny pebbles out from your shoes.

“for the record, i think this means i win,” mark says as the two of you walk now side by side. the orange sun shimmers on the surface of the lake to your left, which you can see through the little groves of trees and the occasional cottage along the shoreline.

“what, were you expecting a prize or something?” you ask, trying not to focus too hard on the way the golden rays of sun seem to light up his face as he squints to look at you, or the way he’s decided to wear a tank top to show off his shoulders and arms; even the way his hair sticks to his forehead and tiny beads of sweat drip down his (smooth and soft looking) skin is attractive. okay sure, maybe you’re in love with your best friend; maybe you have been for god knows how long. you can admit that to yourself, although even that took a while, but there’s no way you’d ever admit that to mark, lest you ruin your perfect friendship.

“yeah, maybe. i don’t know what i want it to be yet though, i’ll have to get back to you on that,” he says, voice snapping you out of your train if thoughts.

“okay,” is all you can say. as you turn onto the main street of the nearby town, mark’s trying not to let you catch him stealing glances at you. he’s trying not to think too hard about all the small details that make you perfect, in this moment and always; the sand still stuck to your skin from when you went to the beach earlier, or the little bit of sunscreen on the back of your neck you missed rubbing in, or the flyaway strands of hair plastered to you from the sticky humidity.

the bell jingles and the screen door shuts with a creak behind you as you walk into the tiny store.

“hey jaebeom,” you greet with a smile, and mark inhales sharply at your friendly wave to the cute boy behind the counter. mark’s arm brushes against yours slightly as he steps a little closer to you, and you don’t look at him but you can feel your cheeks burn at even this slight touch. jaebeom smiles and greets you back; you and mark are frequent visitors during the hot summer months when most weekends turn into road trips to your cottage—you just happened to forget all of your cash this time, apparently.

“we only have enough for one cone,” you point out, scanning the chalkboard menu as mark fishes the coins from his pocket.

“guess we’ll have to share,” he responds. you laugh nervously in response.

“what flavour do we get then?” you say, deciding not to comment on his response.

“mint chocolate?” he suggests. you raise your eyebrows at him in shock when he suggests your favourite flavour (jaebeom does the same; he knows your orders inside and out by now).

“i thought you hated mint chocolate, you always make faces at me when i get it,”

“i changed my mind,” he says matter-of-factly, and you decide not to press it further, missing the sly look jaebeom gives to mark as he begins scooping the ice cream (mark returns it with a “don’t say anything” glare).

“see ya later,” you call as you wave back at jaebeom, exiting the store and returning to the humid summer evening, ice cream in hand.

“let’s eat it at the bench on the top of the hill!” mark suggests. you groan at the thought of walking up the grassy hill, and there’ll probably be lots of mosquitoes, but nevertheless the bench does have a stunning view of the lake and surrounding forest. luckily it’s close by, so the ice cream doesn’t melt too much before you get there—although you shriek when a cool drip slides over your fingers, mark laughing (and blushing) as you frantically try to lick the melted ice cream from your hand. eventually you make it, flopping down on the cool wood thankfully protected by the shade of an oak tree. up here, there’s a slight breeze; it’s refreshing, and it’s enough to keep most of the bugs at bay for now.

“so, do you uh, have a thing for jaebeom or something?” mark asks you, and his out of the blue question shocks you.

“w-what?” you stutter.

“i mean he’s kinda cute, right, and you seemed pretty happy to be talking to him, and i don’t know, maybe you’d like a guy like that,” mark says, avoiding eye contact (you can see his ears though, too red to just be a sunburn).

“mark, sometimes i don’t know what to do with you,” you say, internally dying—is he jealous? the way he practically spit out jaebeom’s name seems to say so. “no, i don’t like him. not in the way you’re talking about at least. i mean sure he’s attractive and nice and all, but he’s...not exactly my type,” you say, licking at the ice cream cone.

“so what is your type, then?” mark asks, and now it’s your turn to avoid eye contact as you shrug in response, not speaking, for the word “you” threatens to spill from your lips. there’s a silence that seems to last centuries, the distant cries of seagulls carried on the wind and the gentle rustle of leaves surrounds you.

“want some?” you break the silence, holding the cone out for mark to taste. he takes the tiniest lick ever, and gives you an uncomfortable smile that’s more like a grimace you can’t help but laugh at.

“why did you pretend you liked this flavour??” you ask when you calm down.

“because it’s your favourite!!” he explains, as if it’s obvious.

“i like other flavours too, you know, we could have compromised,”

“yeah, but...it’s your FAVOURITE, as in it would make you the most happy,” he says, voice going quiet at that last part.

“well that’s...that’s really sweet of you then, mark,” you say, genuinely touched and a little flustered. you study his face silently for a moment, trying to read this strange expression you’ve never seen on him before.

“i’ve decided what my prize should be,” he says eventually. you aren’t sure when his face got this close to yours, but you aren’t backing up.

“oh? and what’s that?”

in answer, mark leans closer and presses a soft kiss to your lips; lingering a little but reluctantly pulling away sooner rather than later. you hope he can’t hear how your heart is pounding in your chest (his is too). he brushes hair from your face as his eyes stay locked on yours. you’re too focused on the moment to notice the ice cream steadily dripping down your hand. mark’s gaze is focused on yours, and he seems to be wordlessly asking you a question.

“please kiss me again mark,” you ask, although it’s more of a demand, and it’s exactly what mark was waiting for. this kiss is a little deeper; mark tastes faintly of mint and sugar and lemonade and he smells of lake water and sunscreen and the tiniest hint of your shampoo he borrowed after forgetting his (not that he’s got any complaints about smelling like you). eventually you pull away, both breathless and exhilarated.

“well then,” is all you can seem to say, and you both let out laughs of nervousness and relief.

“i know i’ve said this before, but i hope you’ll take it in an entirely new way now—although the sentiment has always been the same; i love you, y/n,” he says. how you manage to stop yourself from internally combusting you don’t know, but you’re sure mark notices how you can’t seem to contain your smile no matter how hard you try.

“i love you too mark,” you say, hesitantly pressing another soft kiss—you might have to get used to actually being able to do these things you’ve always dreamed of—to his cheek.

“also i’m getting eaten alive by bugs now, so can we head back?” you ask.

“of course,” mark says, standing up and holding out his hand to help you up.

“EW!! AUGH, that’s so GROSS!! i am so gonna throw you in the lake for that,” he whines as he holds the now very melted, sticky and soggy ice cream cone you passed him instead of your clean hand.

“catch me if you can!” you yell, giggling as you race down the hill, and mark can only watch in awe, hardly able to believe he has someone like you.

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thou-crusty-batch-of-nature · 6 years ago

Text

Friends will be friends (or more)

pairing sirius x reader

warnings angst, swearing and fluff

A/N Soo this is my first fic. I would like to thank @futurewriter2000 for everything she has done for me. She is such a kind, caring friend and such a good writer. She helped me so much and without her I probably wouldn't have posted this.

GIF IS NOT MINE

READER'S POV

I knew I was in deep shit when I realised that I had a crush on my best friend, Sirius Black. But how could I not, with his silky, thick, curly hair and those eyes that seemed like the sky on a - ugh, I was daydreaming again. And the worst part, I was almost certain that he liked me just as a friend. Fortunately, I was able to act like I wasn't l̶o̶v̶i̶n̶g̶ liking him. I was just leaving the classroom with the marauders after a really boring, long class of history of magic, spent doodling on my parchment. Despite the fact that they had been talking about Quidditch for the last five minutes (I disliked Quidditch because I was as tactful as a bull in a china shop), I was too busy to make a sarcastic comment as I was doing more important things - meaning that I was stealing glances from Sirius.

I began the deep friendship with the marauders in my fourth year. I was the first person who outranked them at a rather unsuccessful prank.

-throwback-

I barely woke up after the last night's Halloween feast, swearing that I would never eat so many sweets again - a lie that I had told myself every other year. I lazily got up and went to the bathroom, then got dressed. My best friends, Lily and Marlene, were still sleeping. I chuckled as I heard Marlene mumbling in her sleep, catching the words "pastries everywhere". However, when I looked in the mirror, I couldn't help but scream.

"FUCKING HELL I SWEAR I'M GONNA-" before I could stop the door was ripped open, a red-head staying in front of me.

"Wha-what is happening?" asked Lily worried, but as soon as she saw me she started laughing hysterically.

"LILY IT'S NOT FUNNY MY BLOODY HAIR IS BABY BLUE! IT LOOKS LIKE MERLIN'S HAT!" I roared annoyed.

"Calm down, Y/N, stop being ridiculous. It was obviously the 'mighty' marauders." she joked. Then she stopped and looked at me for a moment. "This morning we go to Hogsmeade, don't we?"

"Yeah...but where do you want to go with that?" I asked confused, not seeing any connection.

"Oh sweet, innocent Y/N/N, " she teased, a devilish smirk spreading on her face, "today you are going to make such a big statement that you are going to leave our dear Sirius with his mouth open like he is at the dentist. Marls, it's a fashion emergency!" I have never seen Marlene getting up so quickly before.

Long story short, when I arrived in the Great Hall wearing a lace crop top, skinny jeans, high heels all matching to my now slightly wavy hair, I could have sworn I saw Sirius spilling his pumpkin juice in his lap. Then, James complimented my hair. Remus apologised and Sirius invited me to go with them at The Three Broomsticks. I spent my day talking, laughing and drinking Butterbeer, and, to be honest, it was one of the most beautiful days of my life.

-end of throwback-

That's how we became friends. I figured out Remus' "furry little problem" at the end of the fourth year, and by now I was known as the fifth marauder. I've always helped them with their pranks; setting them up, finding ideas or even getting them out of trouble. After all, I was considered by most of the professors a quiet, model student, and it was quite useful added to a completely chaste smile.

"Um... Y/N/N?" a pinch on my cheek broke the trance in which I was. I saw the boys all staring at me. 𝘚𝘩𝘪𝘵.

"You said something?"

"No...We just asked you two times if you want to have lunch outside?" Remus admitted in a sarcastic tone.

"Yes! Sorry, I zoned out a bit." I mumbled. 'Yeah, thinking about the constant cliche drama-love-story in which I star for some time. Keep going that way, Y/N!' I thought.

"Well it's certainly not the first time, is it honey? Is something or someone on your mind?" James retorted, followed by a knowing smirk and a wink. How did he knew? It wasn't like I told anyone. That annoying brat!

Later that day, after an uncomfortable meal, I finally ran into James sitting on an armchair in the common room, reading a quidditch magazine.

"How do you know?" I asked as soon as I'd seen him, taking the magazine from his face.

"Well good afternoon to you, too, my dear friend! What a beautiful day it is, isn't it? Bright sun, a warm breeze, teenage love -" I gave him a smack. "Augh! I don't think I deserved that!" he stopped, dramatically rubbing his shoulder.

"Tell me this instant, Potter!"

"What?"

"How do you know I have a crush on Sirius?" I said, feeling the blush starting to creep up on my cheeks.

"I've only suspected, but now I certainly know that it's true!" Prongs stated, proud smile on his face, turning to leave.

"Oh, don't you dare leave! I haven't finished yet! Promise me that you won't tell a soul! He can't find out!" I exclaimed, a little panicked.

"Ok, ok! I swear! Geez, chill out, crazy woman! But what are you going to do about it?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean - you can't just act like nothing's happening forever. Won't you tell him?"

"It's useless. He doesn't like me that way. It will only destroy our friendship!" and that was my biggest fear. I couldn't let that happen.

Both of us were startled when we heard the door swung open, Sirius bursting happily in the common room.

"What happened?" I asked curiously.

"Guess who's got a girlfriend?" Sirius said proudly, adding then in a whisper "Hint: it's me!"

"What!? Who?" I asked cautiously, hoping that my voice wasn't as brittle as I thought.

"Madeline" he responded, his eyes twinkling like stars.

I felt my heart sunk. Madeline Vega was a gorgeous Hufflepuff; beautiful, funny, charismatic, smart, she had it all. All in all, she was a perfect match for Sirius. Like he'd read my thoughts, James shot me a pitiful look. And I tried to be happy for my friend, I really wanted to. But at that moment all I wanted to do was to tell him the truth and run away from everybody. But I didn't.

SIRIUS' POV

I arrived in the common room after I had spent the whole day in Hogsmeade with Maddy. 𝘎𝘰𝘴𝘩, 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭. She was a light in the darkness that seemed to follow me everywhere. She was the breath of fresh air that I needed. However, she was not the only girl that cared for me. Y/N has been quite distant lately and it started to feel strange. She always loved to make people laugh and now she barely speaks. 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳. I reached the dorm where the boys were lying casually on their beds, looking at me.

"So you have a girlfriend now, don't you?" Remus broke the silence. "How come?"

"Remy, you know that no one can resist my charms! Just look at me!"

"I am serious."

"No, you are Remus!" I reminded him, earning a death glare and a thrown book, from which I dodged easily. "Ok, ok. I started being friends with her through Potions, and we'd become closer and closer until I asked her to be my girlfriend today!" I was assigned with Maddy at the beginning of the year and I've always liked her. "She is wonderful," I said. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥- "Hey! Where is Y/N? Weren't we supposed to meet this afternoon?" I asked, remembering that today I promised Y/N to help her with the Transfiguration's essay.

"Yes. She came here at three o'clock when you should have met, waiting here for an hour, but 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 clearly had better things to do than keep promises!" James frowned. I looked at the clock - 6 o'clock. 𝘉𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘴!

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go to the Quidditch practice and be there on time because I respect a fixed arrangement!" he'd added before storming off.

"What should I do, Moony? She'll never forgive me." I asked hopelessly.

"Of course she'll forgive you, you drama queen, you just need to apologise."

"And give her some sweets!" Peter added, pointing at the Honeydukes bag I had bought earlier. I took it and headed to the girls' dorm. 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝗰𝗸, 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝗰𝗸.

READER'S POV

I was still mad at Sirius for forgetting about our study meeting, but fortunately, James helped me with that essay. I was on my way to the girls' dorm when I saw Sirius staying on the ground, waiting for somebody.

"Oh! Y/N! Thank god! I am so sorry! I know you needed help and I am so, so sorry that I forgot! Please let me at least make up!" Siriuis implored, sadness darkening his grey eyes.

"Calm down! Of course, I'll forgive you, you're my best friend!" I said reassuringly.

"Thank you! Thank you!" he shouted exited, squeezing me in a bone-crushing hug. "Oh! I almost forgot - I also got you some sweets!" he remembered, giving me the bag. It was full of my favourite chocolates and jellies from Honeydukes.

"You shouldn't have, thank you! But why were you waiting on the floor?" I asked, suddenly remembering how I've found him.

"Well, actually Lily didn't want to let me in..." he admitted, scratching the back of his neck. "She said, I quote, 'We don't let losers here!'" he imitated Lily's voice."But I guess I deserved that."

"Yeah, you kinda did," I told him, but at his shocked expression, you added "What? You are a loser! Forgetting about a meeting with your amazing, smart beautiful friend!"

We both stared at each other for a few seconds, then laughed. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘐 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴!

But everything came back to the usual awkwardness the next day at breakfast. I couldn't stand watching them holding hands while eating, or kissing after class, so I started to avoid him. Every day I spent my free time in places where I knew for sure he wouldn't be, but I still saw him in the common room or at lunchtime.

Today, for example, I went to the library and stayed at the most isolated desk. I'd just finished my Potions essay when I saw a couple kissing near me. 𝘐𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘦. Taking a closer look, I couldn't believe my eyes. Corey McLaren, a seventh-year Hufflepuff was snogging with... Madeline! She's Sirius girlfriend! That cheating liar! How could she?

I quickly took my books and left without being seen. I needed to tell him. I hurried to the boys' dorm and knocked a few times. In a moment, Remus opened the door.

"Hey Y/N/N! What are you doing here?" he asked happily.

"I need to find Sirius! Do you know where he is?"

"He left a couple of minutes ago to the Great Lake. Why?"

"I can't tell you right now! I have to go! and with that, you left.

I saw Sirius sitting on a bench, staring at the lake. I quickly sat next to him.

"Y/N! What happened?" he asked worriedly.

SIRIUS' POV

I have received another letter from mother. Last summer I ran away from that hell, and now apparently she disowned me. 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘵. Still, after I'd read it, I needed to go outside. I wanted to break free.

Soon I saw a silhouette that resembled Y/N coming closer. When I saw her face, her big, usually bright, Y/E/C eyes now veiled with sadness, I knew something was wrong. Very wrong.

"Y/N! What happened?" I asked, seeing that she was avoiding my stare.

"Sirius I am so sorry - I was in the library, studying when I saw Madeline... Maddy kissing Corey McLaren," she confessed. "As soon as I'd seen her, I looked for you in your room, and Remus -"

"Stop. She couldn't have done that. She is Madeline, she wouldn't cheat on me." I interrupted her.

"Maybe she is not the angel she pretends to be." she tried to explain.

"I knew you didn't like Maddy, but did you really think that you could come and lie to me like that?" I spat.

"You don't believe me? I had seen her with my own eyes!" she snapped.

"Of course I don't believe you! I thought higher of you, but you clearly let the jealousy talking! I rebuked.

"You know what, you're a bloody idiot! I can't believe that I actually loved you!" she shouted. "Stay with your cheating girlfriend, for all I care- but don't ever come back to me when you find the truth!" with tears spilling on her cheeks she left.

She loved me and I had just broken her heart. 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵.

I lit a cigarette. 𝘐𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘦. 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘶𝘵. I haven't realised when it started to rain. A hurricane of thoughts was ravishing my mind. Did Maddy really do such a thing? Did I destroy my friendship with Y/N? Did she love me? I threw the stump in the lake and left. I was soaking wet, but I didn't care. 𝘒𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘢'𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩.

When I reached the dorm I was welcomed by a furious James. He smacked me right in the face.

"What the fuck, mate!" I asked, feeling the blood trickling from my nose.

"Do you really believe that cheating bitch instead of Y/N, our best friend for two years?" James roared.

"Hey! She's my girlfriend!"

"Look at him! Then go to your pretty, angelic girlfriend who is more important than your friends!" James frowned.

"Remus?" I asked, hoping that he would understand me.

"I agree with James here, mate," he responded.

"Fine," I said. And I left.

READER'S POV

I had been crying long before I got into my dorm, our argument playing and replaying in my mind. Lily and Marlene weren't there, so I decided that I needed a nap.

I was woken up by Lily, who was nudging me gently.

"Y/N? What happened? Have you been crying?"

So I told them everything; how I'd seen Madeline, then went to Remus, found Sirius, then finally the argument we had.

"Hmm...A cheating liar and a stupid brat, I think they deserve each other!" Marlene stated after I'd finished.

"A stupid brat that I happen to know and love!" I said, with dried tears on my cheeks.

"Oh, I promise if he tries to hurt you once more I am personally going to beat the shit out of him!" Lily vowed. I laughed for the first time that day.

"There's that beautiful laugh!" Marlene smiled.

They stayed with me for a while, chatting and eating our stash of sweets, listening to old records.

"We have to go to dinner!" Lily announced after two hours of fun.

"You go, I'm going to stay here!" I told them. I still wasn't ready to face the boys.

"Are you sure?" Marlene asked.

"Yes."

They hugged me warmly and left.

Two weeks have passed and I have barely talked with the marauders. James tried to reach out to me several times, but I've brushed him off. We only greeted each other in the common room. And Sirius - he was still with Madeline. He made his choice not to believe me and I made my choice, too.

It was another night when I only shifted in my bed; I couldn't sleep. 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯. Suddenly, I heard a knock at my door. And another one, and another one.

"Y/N, OPEN THE BLOODY DOOR!" Marlene shouted from her bed, her head under the pillow.

I got up, put on my slippers and opened the door. I immediately recognized the person in front of me.

"Sirius."

SIRIUS' POV

The weeks without Y/N being near us, speaking, laughing, drove me mad. Maddy still was my girlfriend, though not a day passed without thinking about Y/N's words.

𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦.

I was in the library with Remus. While he was looking for books, I took the liberty to wander around. As I was turning to leave, I saw two people snogging in the darkest corner. However, I could recognise that wavy, golden hair anywhere.

"Maddy?" I saw her jump a little when she heard my voice. She turned to look at me and I saw the boy she was kissing - Corey McLaren.

"𝘚𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺 - 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺, 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘔𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦... 𝘔𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘺 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘺 𝘔𝘤𝘓𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯."

"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦?"

"𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦- 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩!"

She was right. And I was an idiot.

"We're over," I told her with a deathly calm, but before I'd left, I punched Corey in the face.

I went outside to the bench by the lake and looked around. The sun was setting. The sky looked like a canvas, colours blending in harmony. How could I let everything happen that way? Why didn't I believe Y/N?

Soon the night came, but I didn't care. I stayed outside, looking at the stars. Then, I got up and let my feet carry me anywhere they wanted.

I was in front of her bedroom. Before I could stop myself, I knocked.

READER'S POV

"Sirius."

"Please listen to me for a few minutes. Then, I won't bother you anymore." he begged.

"Ok."

"Follow me," he said. We walked without saying anything, finally arriving in the Astronomy Tower. He stopped near the window and turned to me.

"I am an idiot and I know it. And you were right. So right. I was blinded by the idea of love and forgot about those who really care for me, truly love me. And I was lying that day, I trust you with my life. I am truly sorry that you had to distance yourself from your friends because of me. I love you. I realised when you told me that you had loved me. Please give me one more chance- "

"I love you too," I interrupted and came closer. I could feel his warm breath on my face, "I love you so much that it hurts."

Then he kissed me so gently and softly, yet so lovingly. I put my hand in his curly, dark hair and he put a hand on my back, slowly drawing patterns. Then he broke it, not letting go of my back.

"I love you." he whispered, before pulling me in another sweet, long kiss.

MASTERLIST

taglist @futurewriter2000

#sirius x reader #james potter #remus lupin #peter pettigrew #sirius black #marauders era #harry potter #gryffindor #hufflepuff #ravenclaw #slytherin #hogwarts

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braveskyered · 6 years ago

Text

Knights (Part 12)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11

I’ll just keep biting my tongue,

‘Til all you want is done, alright!

Part 12: But I’m Afraid, Afraid of Losing You

- - - - - - -

“Vivi, please. You have to remember. You need to remember him!”

“Augh... Arthur, for the last time, I don't. Just, please stop.”

Arthur lowered the strip of photos from Vivi's sight with confusion and despair. Why is this happening? Lewis is missing, Vivi can't remember him or whatever happened that night, while Arthur himself lost his left arm and couldn't remember what happened, either.

It's rough. Vivi seemed content to go about on her own, but whenever an image of Lewis is seen, his name is heard, or even anything that could associated with her love, Arthur always saw that bit of purple haze forming over her eyes, preventing her from actually seeing or hearing.

Arthur would be lying if he said that he wasn't jealous of Vivi and Lewis. Before Lewis and Vivi started dating, it was the three of them. A trio of friends. A trio of adventurers like the Three Musketeers or something among those lines. Vivi, Lewis, and Arthur. A friendship of three was enough. Then the two got together, and before he knew it, he was left out from the pack without him realizing it at first, and when he did, he felt a tightening feeling in his chest. It felt wrong, it hurt, it caused him so much pain.

Why? Why does it hurt so much? Weren't they all friends?

Arthur wanted to ask to them about it, but he knew all it would do is bring discord. His pain didn't matter, he is just an extra. What is he supposed to feel? What is he supposed to do? He felt some happiness over the development, but at the same time, he felt so empty. They were going on like they forgot about him, as if his friendship with them never existed, and that hurt even more. The pain felt so bad that he considered leaving the Mystery Skulls after they handle one more case.

One last case for him, and he will leave. Maybe talk to his uncle and see if he might have some answers.

And then everything went wrong.

He couldn't leave Vivi alone. Not after what happened. Lewis wouldn't want that. Until Lewis either comes home or is found, Arthur swore to take care of Vivi in his place. It was the least he could do for them. That's what friends do, no matter how one feels.

...Right?

So Arthur tried, again and again, to get Vivi to remember. He would show her pictures in multiple albums, the many pictures they took while on their adventures, tell her stories. Tell her happy memories, sad ones, funny ones, strange ones, frightening ones, memories of Lewis in general. But no matter how often Arthur tells them, Vivi would always forget by the end of the day if not within the hour while suffering from migraine-like headaches.

Lewis would be devastated at being forgotten. Arthur couldn't allow that to happen, he wouldn't allow that to happen. It's not fair that he could remember him while Vivi could not, and Arthur saw how much it pained Vivi when she couldn't remember. She would look at the photos on her own at times, and even though she sees the many images of Lewis, she still cannot remember what Lewis even looked like.

It's just not fair.

There were moments where it seemed like even he was forgetting Lewis, and he hated it. He needed to find Lewis, he has to find him. He can't forget him. If he does, then Lewis will never be remembered, never be found, never get the closure he and everyone else so desperately need.

Even if it's only to make the pain in his chest finally go away at the very least.

The Yukino family is grateful that Arthur helped with Vivi's care in the many times they couldn't. Her mother, known for her sunny and bright demeanor, cried and cried upon seeing Vivi's lack of memory and the blank look she displayed. Her father, known for his no-nonsense approach, could only watch with muted despair when any attempts at getting his daughter to recall what happened result in failure. Her grandmother being unusually quiet instead of showing her usual crankiness and skepticism. They could only feel relieved yet guilty when Vivi could easily recall them once Lewis is out of the discussion.

The Pepper family. Oh, the wonderful family known for their sweet and spicy personalities. The father and mother that took in a lost child as one of their own, and in just over a decade to find their loved one gone and missing. They didn't know what to think upon realizing that Vivi couldn't remember, that their sweet son had been forgotten. They could only be grateful knowing that Arthur remembered, but it wasn't enough to ease their hearts. Their three little girls are too young to understand what happened, other than that their big brother is missing.

Uncle Lance broke down upon seeing Arthur in the hospital bed, the only time Arthur ever saw his uncle shed tears. Arthur was told that he would've died had he not received immediate treatment after the animal attack. Arthur remembered being in shock upon realizing that his arm is just gone, and went hysterical upon seeing Mystery and he didn't know why before being sedated.

The hospital was hell. Arthur hated it. Despised it. Loathed it. Felt undeserving of the services. Vivi needed it more than he did due to her unusual selective amnesia. Lewis needed it more than he did.

But Lewis isn't here.

Arthur screamed with wailing grief. Not wanting to accept it.

As soon as he got out of the hospital, he worked himself to the bone to make that prosthetic arm that soon became his trademark. A trademark he hated. He hated associating it with Mystery, who gave him a special strain of fear that would not go away.

During the time it took to go through the physical therapy, Arthur would help Mr. and Mrs. Pepper by watching over their three girls. Belle, Cayenne, and Paprika were all too young to fully understand what happened to Lewis, other than that he is not home for the time being. Belle seemed to have an idea what is truly going on, and the expression Arthur saw on the eldest girl’s face made his heart ache. A child like her shouldn't have to go through the loss of a loving big brother. He tried to distract her by showing her some simple toys that ran with gears, and taught her how to take them apart or put them together.

Cayenne didn't prank him at all when the first one she did after Arthur got out of the hospital nearly ended in disaster. Seeing Mystery's head covered with red sauce was enough to make Arthur pass out with terror, and Cayenne, realizing the severity before her parents could scold her for it, refrained from doing any pranks on him since. Under normal circumstances, Arthur would've welcomed it, but it didn't feel right without Lewis being there to scold and give the middle child attention like he usually does. He couldn't help but actually feel slightly disappointed when he found that Cayenne hadn't spiked his milkshake with hot sauce for once.

Paprika. Oh, sweet little Paprika. The youngest one who adored Lewis and Arthur, often asking the former for rides on his shoulders, the latter for help on fixing her toys. Arthur knew that out of all of them, Paprika took Lewis's disappearance the hardest. Who would be there for her the next time she has a scary dream when her parents, already in grief from the news regarding their son, would be exhausted from managing and cooking from seven in the morning to four in the late afternoon?

Arthur knew that he isn't anywhere as ideal as Lewis for the three little Peppers, but he tried to help fill the void for them until their brother is found.

Because that's what friends do.

As soon as he was able, he started his search. He had to look for Lewis. Vivi only went with him so he wouldn't crash and burn, and she is all for paranormal investigations. She made a cheerful comment saying she's eager to go on a mission that Arthur accepted for once.

They searched through so many places. Places they remember looking through, places they previously investigated, places they were going to investigate, areas that seemed out of place.

But they couldn't find the cave.

Arthur did his best to protect Vivi, who often went into things head on without considering the dangers, in Lewis's place. When the van mysteriously broke down in front of that haunted mansion, Arthur went along with Vivi and Mystery to see if any clues to Lewis's whereabouts might be in there or even if someone might be willing to help, but things started to spiral downwards from here on out.

When that ghost declared to it was Arthur it hated the most, Arthur knew he had to get Vivi out of here. If she were to get hurt by the ghost armed with fire and powers that defied all sense, he knew Lewis wouldn't forgive him if Vivi got hurt. That heart had to be a trap. There are ghosts and spirits and monsters out there that would tempt unwitting and desirable people with a “treasured” item to lure them to their doom, and Vivi just about had that heart in her grasp.

Arthur didn't think twice when he moved to grab Vivi's hand and take her away from the danger. It's what Lewis would've done, and Arthur knew Lewis wouldn't forgive him if he left Vivi to be taken by that ghost's trap.

Sure enough, that ghost wasn't happy when Arthur took away its prey. The resulting explosion only served to prove that the ghost is more dangerous than they can handle.

They barely managed to escape with their lives. Arthur shoved Vivi into the van and drove off with a high speed. How the van is working again in the spur of the moment, Arthur has no idea. He's pretty sure the transmission got chewed up because of it, but once they're in a safe area, he can pull over to fix it with the meager tools he has until they drive back to Kingsmen Mechanics.

He hoped Lewis is okay. He hoped Lewis will be okay with him for trying to hold the fort in his place. He hoped Lewis will be thankful that Vivi is safe.

He hoped that Lewis will be happy with his efforts to bring them all together again.

Still... maybe once they find Lewis, they might be able to come back for the ghost and hopefully help it. No matter what, a ghost should always be able to find rest.

Lewis always had a way with words, and he has been able to help convince more than a fair few ghosts into letting go and moving on. Maybe Lewis can help convince the ghost that Arthur isn't to blame for its hatred.

…

But then...

It burned.

“I-I can't trust this. I don't trust this at all,” Arthur shook his head while holding a small business card with four logos with a shaking hand.

Arthur and Elaine were in the living room sitting on the sofa. He tried to keep his breath steady, but he can only do so much.

“But the letter's from your uncle, right?” Elaine rose a brow as she read the letter again, “The one you've been sending letters to all these years?”

“Well, yeah, but... It's just... why now? I haven't sent him a letter in almost four months. It's just...” Arthur let out a breath of resigned frustration and set the card on the counter, “I don't like this. I don't like this at all. It's just... the fact that they found me is--”

“Are you thinking of going?” Elaine thankfully cut him off.

He struggled to keep the tears from forming, “Are you? We never involved anyone from my side at all. I didn't want anyone from Tempo to know.”

Arthur could only stare, a feeling of dread bubbling up in his throat.

For over seventeen years, Arthur had been away from Tempo. For fifteen years, he has been married to Elaine. For fourteen years, he has been a father to boy and girl twins and a little girl. For over seventeen years has he been safe. For all that time with Elaine, he has been happy. Some problems here and there, sure, but it was happy.

So why? Why is someone from Tempo here? He looked down slightly with a glowered expression while trying to keep his nerves from betraying him.

“Arthur,” Mr. Yukino slowly shook his head and smiled while looking relieved, “It really is you. Is this where you've been all this time?”

“You need me to explain the program to you, 'Mr. Snowfield'?” Arthur narrowed his eyes, “For your 'grandson,' if memory serves me right?”

“N-nani?” He blinked, confusion spreading over his face, “Ah... What?”

Arthur took his cell phone out from his pocket, pulling up the university's app. While on the pretense of searching through the app, he made a move to try sending a text to Elaine, hoping that she can get Gwen and Percy out from the school before Mr. Yukino notices. He has to get the kids out of here. If anyone from Tempo finds out about them, who know what could happen?! He will not let those monsters take them!

“For starters, your grandson will need a transcript from--”

Mr. Yukino grabbed his shoulder and held up a yellow envelope, “Arthur, I'm not here for that! I finally found you, just hear me out! We need your help! Please!”

Who gave you the right to touch anyone?

Automatically, Arthur swatted Mr. Yukino's hand away. He wasn't allowed to be near Vivi, even when she was the one to reach out. No doubt it extended to Vivi's family, as well. It didn't matter if Mr. Yukino looked conflicted or hurt, Arthur didn't want to risk the wraith's wrath.

“What,” Arthur spoke through gritted teeth, “Are you doing. I am not going--”

“Then at least read this! Please!” the older man pleaded and held the envelope out to him again, “It's from your uncle!”

Mr. Yukino tried to make another grab at Arthur. Arthur's sight became distorted as that damned voice echoed with his heartbeat.

“Arthur--”

Who gave you the right to be near her?

“GET AWAY FROM ME!”

“What's going on here?!”

Arthur is really glad that his boss had returned upon hearing the commotion at that time and allowed him to take a two week leave. He doesn't have to come back until finals week to recover. He had no idea what happened to Mr. Yukino after security escorted him out, but Arthur couldn't bring himself to care now that he has been found.

Why? After all this time, he has been happy living this life. Away from his toxic past. Why did someone from back then have to find him now? He had thrown it all away and left like they wanted! Even now, they still try to forcefully bring him back?

“Still, you trust your uncle, and he's asking that you come visit him for Thanksgiving,” Elaine said, “I don't think that's out of the ordinary. We don't have our reunions at Thanksgiving, anyway, so we can go to this. We can just visit him and no one else.”

“Elaine, even if I did consider going, I wouldn't dream of bringing you guys with me,” Arthur gripped at his sleeves and shivered, “I mean, what are they going to do if they see you all? I don't want to imagine what might happen if those monsters got a hold of the kids.”

He tried to blink back the tears, but soon they started falling. It's over. His life with the Knights family is all over now that someone from Tempo has found him. He didn't even know how Mr. Yukino did it. He thought he was so careful. Where, when, and how did he mess up? Whatever it is, it's the reason it's all over for him. Soon, he will never be able to hold Elaine again and see her smile, or encourage Gwen and Percy all the way, or be there for Vivian whenever she cries. Soon, he won't live to see another day, live to see the kids grow up, live to--

His thoughts were interrupted when Elaine took his hands to hers.

“Your uncle also requested in his letter that we bring the kids along,” Elaine shrugged, “Gwen and Percy are fourteen, and they've had about seven years to refine and control their power, so I'm not worried about them. We'll have to make some extra protection charms for Vivian so she doesn't hurt herself or others, but I can ask either Mom or Aunt Morgan to come with us as a safety precaution. I'd bring Eleanor, but she's still in Montana with her husband.”

“S-Shouldn't we just not go? And if we did, we can't take Vivian. She's only three, she's too young to control herself even with the charms if one of us isn't around.”

Because out of all three, Vivian is the most vulnerable.

Elaine gave him a look as if he stated something ridiculous, “Arthur, you know very well that Vivian gets antsy when you're away. Besides me, you're the only one who can truly calm her down when she's upset or loses control of herself. And who can say that she won't try to escape and follow us all the way to Tempo? She's done that once before while you were at the university, remember?”

“Well, yeah, but I don't have powers like you guys do. I can't protect you from the monsters that are there!”

She rose a brow, “Arthur, who do you think you're talking to?”

Arthur blinked, then slapped a hand against his forehead. He felt like an idiot. Did he seriously forget in his panic that Elaine comes from a family of monster hunters?! Now there's nothing that could convince her to stay away from Tempo! If he goes back, then it's only a matter of time before that wraith finds him to finish him off, or that kitsune that took his arm will come back for more.

“Elaine, you don't understand, I--”

“Arthur. Elaine.”

Both Arthur and Elaine looked to the side to see who called to them.

“Nana Niniane,” Elaine moved her hand away from Arthur's face as the old woman approached, “When did you get here?”

“I heard from your mother that Arthur is having some trouble, so I came here to see what the commotion is about.”

Arthur occasionally forgets that Niniane can basically come in and go as she pleases. No one seems to complain about it, though.

Elaine held out the letter to her relative, and Niniane took her time to read it. The old woman's brow slowly rose, but otherwise her typical frown didn't change.

* * *

Arthur,

I know that it has been many years since I have last seen you, and months since your last letter. I have long accepted that you will not come home, but I've heard you have a family over there now. Will you and your family come over for a Thanksgiving visit at the very least? Your kids should have a break from school by then, don't they? I just want to see that you're okay and meet the people that have made you happy with my own eyes.

There are so many things I want to ask, but over the years I have accepted that I will not get any answers. I do have an idea on why you left, and in the chance that it is true, I will not involve the Peppers into that matter. However, I do ask that you do not blame Nobuhiro Yukino for this, for he and his family will not involve themselves in this either if that is what you wish.

I'm not sure if Nobuhiro said anything, but we all need your help. You're the only one who can help us make things right. Although it may not solve everything, I do want everyone to obtain closure, including yourself. We all just want the sadness and misunderstandings to end.

Even if you don't consider Tempo your home anymore, know that you will always have a place to return to here at Kingsmen Mechanics.

I miss you, Arthur. I really do.

- Lance Kingsmen

* * *

“I see here that this letter isn't stamped,” Niniane viewed the letter with distaste before glancing at Arthur, “I take it it was hand delivered?”

Reluctantly, he nodded.

“And who is this 'Nobuhiro Yukino' that is mentioned in the letter?”

“The father of someone I used to know, and the one who found me,” he trembled, “I don't know how he did it.”

“I see,” Niniane set the letter aside and picked up the card, “And these four logos?”

As much as Arthur didn't want to answer, he knew that Niniane wouldn't accept his reasoning, “The wrench with the crown is the logo for Kingsmen Mechanics. It's the auto repair shop my uncle owns that doubles as his house, it's also where I used to live. The snowflake is,” he sighs, “The crest of the Yukino family. Nobuhiro is from that family.”

“And the half-black, half-white skull and the odd question mark?”

Arthur turned away while grasping his left forearm. He tried not to tremble, but the areas where he suffered those awful burns around his shoulders, chest, and neck began to ache. He tried to answer, but all that came out was a shaky breath.

“I see.”

He looked up and saw Niniane look at the card with disdain.

“So these two indicate the monsters that hurt you. Abused you, even. All for something you had no control over if memory recalls.”

Elaine gently tilted Arthur's head to her direction, and gave him a questioning look to him and his prosthetic. He knew what she was going to ask. He narrowed his eyes in hopes of avoiding her gaze, but soon nodded slowly. Elaine, to her credit, held a steady expression.

“Arthur, do you really not want to see your uncle again? This may be your only chance, and you've been hiding away from your past for all these years. You escaped from your abuse,” Elaine bit her lips, “But you had to deal with so many nightmares as a result. I feel that if we don't go and help confront your fear, you'll never be able to fully move on.”

He gritted his teeth. He couldn't deny it. He wanted to see Lance at least one more time.

“My star,” he felt Elaine's hand lift his chin to her line of sight, “I'm well aware that it was those monsters that hurt you, and I promise you that if they're still there, and if they try anything, I will do everything in my power to protect you. I just want you to heal. You've been here for me, so now I will be there for you.”

The tears started to fall again. He couldn't let Elaine or the kids go to Tempo. If that wraith is still around, and he's sure it is, he feared that it will only be a matter of time before he is taken prisoner by it for its own amusement like it was before. Percy heavily resembles him, and Arthur knew that the wraith will make his son suffer the same fate should it encounter him. Who knows what it could do to Gwen, who might also be tortured just for being his daughter. He definitely didn't want to imagine what would happen if the wraith ever gets it hands on Vivian, who is too young to properly defend herself.

And if that kitsune had any motives against the children, it might hurt them and then not regret it for a second like it did against him...

“Arthur, my knight, do you remember what we promised each other on the day we got married?”

He looked up at her.

“That no matter what obstacle comes in our way, we are to take them head on together,” she gave him a resolute nod, “So I will go with you to Tempo.”

Arthur was about to protest again before cutting himself off. He knew he ran out of arguments to present to Elaine and Niniane. Soon, he gave out a long breath he didn't realize he was holding.

“I'm,” he held a hand over his face before moving it away with a heavy breath to grasp at the wedding ring he wears as a necklace beneath his shirt, “I'm not fully on board with this, but you're right. We might as well just get this over with. We'll go. If anyone is to get hurt, it'll most likely be m--”

“I will not let anyone or anything harm my family,” Niniane spoke with a sharp tone, “If anyone tries to harm you, I will to see it that they will regret their actions.”

Elaine rose a brow, “All right, but I was planning on asking Mom or Aunt Morgan to come with us.”

“You may always ask if either of them wishes to come. However, the both of them are busy maintaining the family shop and taking care of your grandmother, who is not in a state to be traveling. Tom and Miles are also busy with their jobs, and they have already been signed up for plans that allow them to visit their side of the families for Thanksgiving. Besides,” Niniane leaned down to Elaine, “You will need help caring for little Vivian.”

Arthur and Elaine looked at each other.

Elaine shrugged, then conceded, “Very well. You have my thanks, Nana Niniane,” she turned to Arthur, “We do need to let the kids know about this sometime soon.”

“It may be better to tell them now,” Niniane looked up at the ceiling with a brow raised, which lead in the general direction to the bedrooms, “Provided they are still awake, that is.”

Arthur, with his heart already feeling heavy enough as it is, started to make his way up the stairs with Elaine following behind him while Niniane stayed behind. He heard some fast movements, but didn't think anything of it when he knocked on Gwen's bedroom door and opened it.

“Oh, you're all here,” Arthur smiled at the sight of Gwen and Percy playing with Vivian and her tinker toys, or at least looked like they were about to start, “We need to talk for a bit.”

The twins looked at each other and blinked, while Vivian stood up and slowly walked to Arthur, grabbing at his clothes. Smiling slightly, he picked her up, then sat down on Gwen's bed.

“What's going on, Dad?” Percy asked.

“It's been decided that we're leaving to meet with family on the Friday before Thanksgiving,” Arthur said, “But it won't be with your aunt Eleanor or uncle Nick or with everyone else you know. Instead, we'll be visiting...” He really didn't want to say it, but he gave out a deep sigh, then started talking again, “We'll be visiting your grand uncle Lance in Tempo, Texas.”

The reaction is immediate, both Gwen and Percy did a double take, while Vivian looked up at him.

“Wait, we have another grand uncle besides Miles?” Gwen asked, “How come he wasn't at the family reunions?”

“Those at the reunions are all from my side of the family,” Elaine explained with a patient grin, “The grand uncle we'll be visiting is from your father's side. In other words, we'll be visiting Arthur's uncle in a little over a week.”

“Grampa?” Vivian mumbled.

“No, Vivian, 'grand uncle,'” Arthur corrected, “I'd rather we do not involve my parents in this.”

“What happened to them?” Gwen asked.

“Let's just say... the less we talk about them, the better,” he looked away, “I haven't spoken to them ever since I was eighteen. I'd rather keep it that way.”

Arthur noticed that Elaine gave the twins a look that told them not to press further. Vivian, who is no doubt too young to properly understand what is going on, gripped at his shirt and looked up.

Arthur's chest ached at the sight. For a brief moment, he wished that Vivian wasn't born at all, since it would mean that she wouldn't be around to see all the horrors that he will face as soon as he reaches Tempo. He does agree with Elaine that the twins can handle themselves, but with Vivian at the tender age of three and having trouble controlling her power, he knew that's she's as helpless as a normal three-year-old could get.

“Tempo is about a fourteen hour drive away from here, so it will take us two days to drive over there. We'll have to stop by a motel on the halfway point,” Elaine explained to the kids, “Like I said, we'll be leaving the Friday before Thanksgiving, and be there by Saturday evening. We'll be spending a week there and leave on Saturday morning after Thanksgiving. Do you get what I'm saying so far?”

The twins nodded, as did Vivian, although Arthur figured she's just copying her siblings.

“So what I need the both of you to do is to get your laundry done by Thursday, and gradually pack some changes of clothes. I will be sure to find a hotel that has a laundromat nearby so we can wash them when needed. You're welcome to bring at least two of your projects in this trip to show your grand uncle, but I do ask that they're not to be too big to fit in the van. Do you understand?”

The twins nodded again.

Arthur then spoke up, “The desert surrounding Tempo is known to have paranormal elements. There may be more there ever since I left, so I don't know how strong they are,” he held his left hand out to the twins, “So when we get there, I want you to stay close to me and your mother. And if by some chance you can't, always stay close to each other, and help protect Vivian. Understand?”

Gwen and Percy looked at each other with a concerned look, then Gwen took his hand and nodded.

“We'll be careful, Daddy.”

“That's a promise we'll keep,” Percy added as he also took Arthur's hand, “We'll make sure Vivian stays safe.”

“Pom-ise. Pom-ise,” Vivian leaned closer against him.

Arthur gave a small breath of amusement at Vivian's attempts to speak a new word and smiled ruefully.

Gwen. Percy. Vivian.

How he wished they wouldn't become involved with anyone from Tempo.

It was at this moment that he knew, that he could only protect this happiness for so long.

It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts.

All because he said didn't want it.

It may have been something he wanted at one point, but didn't know for sure. He didn't understand why he felt so alone despite being with those he thought were his best friends.

No, he knew why, but that's not how it should work. It's all wrong.

The punishment from the vengeful wraith hurt so badly, for both his body and his soul. He knew he deserved it, since he is the one who killed his best friend while under the demon's influence, but he didn't want the pain anymore after so many times. He already knew what he did, the sin he will forever bear for the rest of his life and beyond. Falling victim to possession, unable to fight it off, unable to throw himself off to save his friend despite his efforts.

His heart ached painfully enough.

Why did everything go so wrong? Why did they have to ask that question?

He couldn't take it anymore.

There's no one who could help him.

For almost half a year, he could let them do whatever they wanted with him.

But he couldn't let them have the only thing he has left, not after all this.

With a heavy heart, before he could fully process what he was doing, he had gone to the bank and withdrew a decent amount of his savings, went to Kingsmen Mechanics to pack the tools, clothes, and other minor essentials that he could, put Galahad in a travel cage, bought a bus ticket, started to leave, and...

“Arthur, where are you going?”

Arthur saw his uncle give him a concerned look, which isn't something the older man is known for doing.

“Hey, I...”

“Where are you going?” Lance repeated, “You don't need to take a bus to get back home, I could just drive you back.”

“N-no, it's not that,” Arthur shook his head, “It's just... They're not expecting me back until Thursday, so I thought I could take the next two days to give myself some... time alone. To think.”

“Like a vacation?” Lance blinked, thrown off by his nephew's words, “I guess that could do you some good. Where at?”

Arthur didn't answer. He hoped he didn't have to say anything to his uncle, but he knew he had to leave soon, “Just anywhere but here, really.”

“Wait, Arthur,” Lance grabbed Arthur's arm, “What happened back at Lewis's place?”

Arthur is glad that Lance grabbed his left arm, or else Arthur would have cried out in pain and drop Galahad's cage. The bruises on his arm, chest, neck, and back hurt so much, and he knew that if Lance caught on, then Vivi's remaining happiness will shatter for good. It would be cruel to tear the Peppers apart again.

“We had a disagreement about some... future possibilities,” Arthur tried to answer as truthfully as he could without disclosing the actual reason. The best lies always have some truth mixed in, “I just need some time for myself to clear my head.”

“Arth-”

“Lance, please,” he set Galahad's cage aside on a nearby table and looked at his uncle dead in the eye, “I need this. I just, I just want to be able to think about things without anyone saying anything. I just need some time away from here. I just...” His breath hitched, “I need a break, Lance. Please. I'll even call you once I reach my destination.”

Destination. Hah! Not even Arthur himself knew where he is going, and he already removed the SIM card from his phone. He just wanted to get away from Tempo before the Mystery Skulls catch on and not find him to drag him back like a prisoner. He won't let them take the only thing about him that's left.

His uncle looked like he wanted to ask more questions, but instead the older man took Arthur into his arms. Arthur stiffened and bit his tongue to stop himself from grunting in pain.

Lance isn't known for being directly affectionate, so why is he...?

“Call me if you ever need anything, Arthur. Okay?”

Arthur nodded, and with only last look at Lance, he left Kingsmen Mechanics with his backpack and Galahad in tow.

I have to hurry. Hurry. Before they notice.

“Wait.”

Arthur turned to his uncle again, who held a set of keys.

“I'll drive you to the bus stop.”

Thankfully, Lance didn't ask any questions after that. With his uncle's help, Arthur made it to the bus stop with a few minutes to spare. Seeing Lance wave at him is the last thing Arthur saw before he turned away as the bus left with him inside.

I'm sorry, Lance. Arthur looked down at Galahad gnawing on a seed. But I can't ever come back here.

This is it. He made the final step of boarding the bus and riding on through. There is no turning back now. With this decision, he has abandoned everything he knew. His home, his only family, the van he spent so much time maintaining... and the ones he thought were his friends.

...No, he knew he is hated now. Hated for not handing it over when they asked for it. Hated by everyone when everything went wrong because he is so weak.

When the bus left the town border, Arthur started humming to himself. At first it was just random notes, but before he knew it, he started humming the tune that the Deadbeats would sing. His voice trembled as he hummed, trying to conceal the nervous yet relieved and gleeful laughter bubbling up in his throat, his breath hitching as tears of relief began to fall.

He is finally, finally out of the hell that was his so-called 'home.'

His humming stuttered.

T-this time I m-might just d-disap-p-pe-e-ear~

The next two days passed without incident, but Arthur knew that the day he would be returning to Tempo, and thus lose everything, is getting closer by the hour.

His nightmares returned with a vengeance once again. The wraith would torture him and attempt to take the children, all three being depicted as defenseless babies at different times, or he would have his throat bitten in half by the kitsune that took his arm, or he would be tormented by the sight of blackened green while hearing the screams of the Mystery Skulls.

He didn't want to wake Elaine every hour of the night for her to be there for him, so he tried to tough it out by staying awake all night to watch over Vivian as she slept. It didn't go as intended, of course, since Elaine soon caught him still awake and would coax him to bed. Arthur could only tremble as Elaine held on to him throughout the night before sleep finally claimed him.

Arthur went with Elaine to Four of a Kind Queens to give himself the opportunity to teach Vivian about the family trade. Elaine went into the front with her aunt and mother to do the main work, while Arthur remained in the always closed off fifth garage, showing Vivian various wrenches, screwdrivers, and other tools that were relatively safe to show to a three-year-old. The little girl took a liking to a small combination wrench, and Arthur made a mental note to look for a toy resembling it later before he leaves for Tempo.

It would be the last thing he could gift her. He wondered if Vivian will remember him once he dies, then made the sad conclusion based on her age: Probably not.

“What are you doing here?!”

Arthur and Vivian jumped and turned to the door.

“M-Mama?” Vivian sounded scared. It made sense, because Elaine isn't known to raise her voice around others. Even when angry, Elaine is usually the whole “tranquil fury” type of woman.

“Please, I just need to talk to Arthur! I--”

“We are not interested! You have already left the letter to us! Leave at once!”

Arthur's blood went cold upon hearing the foreign voice. Mr. Yukino found out about this place, too?! Why?! He left Tempo because they wanted him to! Why are they trying to contact him after so long?!

Not taking a chance to think twice, Arthur took Vivian inside Vivienne's home. The last thing Arthur wants is for Vivian to get scared, or expose his daughter to the man searching for him that is just inside the shop's lobby. He hoped that Vivi isn't with her father, otherwise that meant the wraith is with her, and that will mean that the wraith will take away his only reasons of living, and--

“Arthur? Is everything all right?”

He set Vivian down and saw Vivienne approach him with her wheelchair. The old woman that is his grandmother-in-law, nearly reaching ninety years of her life, gave Arthur a look of concern.

“Yeah, it's just,” He tried to answer her truthfully, but struggled to find the right words, “It looks like there's an unwelcome customer in the shop.”

Vivienne rose a brow and looked at the doorway.

“I see. I will go and look,” she started to wheel her way to the garage before stopping to give Vivian, her great-granddaughter, a gentle poke on her cheek as a sign of affection, then left to see the shop lobby. When the door opened, Arthur could hear the yelling persist.

“-- don't understand! My mother Fuyuko had--!”

Arthur picked up Vivian again and went into the living room, further away from the shop, and sat down on the sofa with Vivian in his lap. He's is glad that Gwen and Percy are at the university for a Saturday club activity, and that they won't be back for another few hours. The last thing any of the kids need is hearing the crazy drama going on.

...all because of him.

His chest ached, just like how it used to do so many years ago. Placing a hand over his face, Arthur tried to keep his emotion under control. He took slow breaths, knowing it wouldn't do if Vivian saw him break down.

Soon, in less than a week, Arthur's life will be lost.

“I love you, Vivian. You know that, right?”

Vivian looked up at him with an unreadable expression. Smiling sadly, Arthur's brow furrowed as he held her close, rubbing the back of her head.

“Daddy?” Vivian reached up to touch his face, “Love Daddy?”

He put his hand over hers. Sometimes, it's easy forget that she's only three. He often wonders at just what goes through her mind at times.

“Yeah, Vivian. Love you, too.”

…

The timer keeps going down.

“Arthur?”

He looked up, seeing Elaine smile at him sadly.

“Mama,” Vivian reached out.

“My knight,” she said as she held her daughter's hand and look at him, “How are you holding up?”

“I'm... all right,” he nodded a little and released Vivian from his arms so Elaine could hold her, “I... What happened at the shop?”

“You remember that Nobuhiro Yukino guy that approached you at the school two days ago?”

He tensed, then nodded again.

“He really wanted to talk to you, but I know you have no intention of doing that. Once he got the hint, he did one thing that might throw a wrench in our plans of going to Tempo next week.”

“...What did he do?”

“He hired us for a job to... help someone, so to speak. There's a ghost in Tempo that's been sealed in an old mansion inside a forest within the Tempo outskirts. He wants us to help it find eternal rest.”

Wait, what?

“Arthur, I have to ask you something, and I need you to answer me honestly.”

Reluctantly, he answered, “What do you need to know?”

Elaine looked like she is struggling to speak, then took a deep breath and asked.

“Before you left Tempo, did you know anyone named Lewis Pepper?”

…

Why?! Why did this have to happen to us?

Why did everything have to go so wrong?!

Did we think that little of him?!

…

Why didn't we listen?

The danger was so obvious.

And yet...

…

HOW COULD YOU DO THIS?!

YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST WALK AWAY?!

I CURSE YOU! I CURSE YOU!

…

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Maybe there’s no guarantee...

Part 13: How Unlucky...

#mystery skulls animated #msa fanfic #fanfic #fanfiction #msa arthur #arthur kingsmen #msa #elaine knights #msa knights

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