#those two appeared at the end of the table and wouldnt leave until i put them off to the side in their own little piece.

[utenixx]

Despite being close allies, I don't think Cagalli and Lacus agree on everything. So, they make their disagreements everyone else's problem. It's relatively civil all things considering. Their meetings just tend to run a little late.

Just a little.

[bloodycassian]

darkness defined - 

az or cass x reader idk if this makes sense or not but here we go, either az or cas POV where reader (their mate) was stuck under the mountain with rhys and doesn’t come back bc she is still locked in the dungeons (rhys just assumed she died, he doesn’t know she is still alive)  Switch to readers POV, a few months later where they think their mate and their family (the night court) has abandoned them bc nobody ever came looking for her. Reader is like on the verge of death and uses her last energy to send a pulse down the bond. Switch back to az or cas POV  who are basically freaking out with guilt and anger and worried-ness. Im sorry it’s super long don’t feel pressured to write this anytime soon idk if it even makes sense  

DONT APOLOGIZE FOR BEING SPECIFIC! I LOVE WORKING WITH THIS KIND OF STUFF PLEASE DO MORE LOL

Cassian was a wreck. From the moment Rhys came home alone, and until the end of time it seemed to be. Azriel sighed, watching his brother down his second bottle of alcohol. His eyes were red, face gaunt and pale. The circles under those tortured eyes looked more like bruises. 

He hadn't talked to Rhys much since the news came that you were gone. Cassian had practically blown the roof off the house of wind, then disappeared for two weeks. The only reason Rhys had let him was because Az followed, far behind just to make sure he wasn't going to do anything drastic. 

Azriel watched his brother circle the mountain, only to have to turn away. Wards made by Helion himself refused entry to anyone while the mountain was still being evacuated of Fae. He glared daggers at the people streaming outside the shield. His heart was a painful stab in his chest constantly. His mate.. gone. He refused to believe it. And Azriel saw the denial there, plain as day. 

Azriel had only stopped him once. When he packed a bag and started his flight to Hybern. He earned a black eye and a verbal lashing for that, but it had saved Cassian from going on a suicide mission.

After a month of being out, he went to his brother. Rhys refused to ask Helion to lower the shields around the Mountain, and finally Cassian seemed to give up. He would have gone to Helion himself, but the wards around his court prevented him from doing so. Rhys was torn up over the entire experience of under the mountain, but losing you was one of the worst parts. He would never forgive himself for losing his brother's mate. 

Azriel watch his brother's eyes get more and more dull. Watched the bottles stack up. Rhys wasn't around much, busy regaining control over his city, getting updated. And keeping an eye on Spring Court.  Cassian sighed when the bitter liquid hit his tongue. He drank like it was salvation. Like it would lead him back to you. Plus, it helped him sleep. It was the only time he could sleep without seeing you, without feeling that pull - the command his instincts gave. "Find me, find me. I'm here. I love you. Please."  He often escaped to the cabin. To not have to talk to anyone, and to keep Rhys from stealing his bottles from him. Cassian was convinced Rhys was saving them to drink for himself. That's where he found himself flying, bottle of booze in hand. The guilt a lead weight in his stomach. 

The door shut, and he finished the first bottle in an hour. 

Mor appeared beside him, took the second bottle from his hand and had a long drink herself. He smiled drunkenly, showing too many teeth at her. He wasn't sure if she was actually glowing or if it was his eyes squinting too much. "Cheers." He slurred, taking the bottle back and downing more.

+ The walls were getting drier and drier with each passing day. The once cool winds that would cut through the stone dungeons were turning softer, warmer. It was a welcome relief, but without the muddy water from the walls...you knew you didn't have much left. Your spirit was crushed, on top of it. Death seemed like not a terrible option anymore.  Especially knowing that your court - your friends - your family had left you. They had just... forgotten. Thrown you aside like nothing. Didn't even try to find you. Like the Winter court skeleton in the cell beside you, just left to die.

  You pushed the thoughts back, knowing that logically that wasn't true. But you couldnt come up with a reason why they would leave you down here. You prayed, you tried sending thoughts down the bond. Nothing worked. Sometimes your mind got the better of you, and you would rush to the bars of your prison cell when you thought you heard faint footsteps. 

Then you would hear your own voice echo back, and no one else.  Eventually you stopped getting up. You let the fantasies keep you entertained while you lay on the floor. Not caring about the bugs that crawled on you. You were glad there wasn't a mirror to see yourself in. A wave of dizziness crashed over you, and you fell into darkness. 

When the water ran dry, you stopped bothering calling out for Cassian. The bond was there, but saturated. Trying to grasp it was like trying to hold wind. You were too exhausted. So you propped yourself up in a corner and let the dizziness pull you under again for a moment. Taking rattling breaths, you let your mind wander to that mind bridge. That once sturdy marble that would always remind you of Cassian. 

You sent out a final tug down that bond. Using the last of your energy, you put all your effort into it. "I'm here, I always will be. I love you. I'm sorry." The platform you imagined your bond being seemed to go dark, and lifeless. Empty.

+ Cassian shot upright, head spinning. Mor was asleep beside him, her feet on the table. He shook her, trying to shake the stupor. "Wake up. Wake up!" She groaned, weakly batting him away. He took a breath, trying to steady himself. He wobbled to the kitchen, dunked his head in the cold sink water and slapped himself a few times. The haziness from his stupor crawled away, slowly. 

Mor appeared in the archway, rubbing her eyes.

"Get Rhys. I need you to winnow us." He demanded, patting her face softly. Her eyebrows knit together but she stretched, and sleepily obliged.  + You assumed the crackling was just your starved imagination. Again. But the wind changed as well, and you tried not to let your hopes up. You weakly opened your eyes, to the same familiar cell. A silent tear slid down your cheek.  Then there were the shuffling of footsteps again, and you hid your face in your hands. It seemed like all the imagination tricks were attacking at once. You wanted it to stop. You wanted nothing more than to just fall asleep until you could see and hold Cassian again. Voices, now.

The sweet deep voice of a man who spoke another language. An ancient language. Your ears rang. You cracked your eyes again, to a blinding white light. You held a hand in front of your face, trying to see behind it. 

A thud, and scrape of metal. Then the scent hit you. It was similar to what you had imagined but somehow a million times better. Then, his arms were around you. "Mother above." He breathed. You would have thought the mother took you at last if it wasnt for the pain in your gut.

"We got you honey, I'm so sorry. Im-" He tried to hold back a sob. You smiled weakly at the familiar, yet different eyes that you loved. The marble platform you shared seemed to be lighting up with happiness. At the same time, crumbling and falling with shame. Anguish. 

Rhys began winnowing the group immediately, nodding to Helion. The high lord gave him a melancholy smile back, and winnowed himself in a flash of light. He would check the rest of the mountain with his forces and repair the wards before he returned to his home. 

Everyone surrounded the healer, watching her work. Mor was trying to stay calm, but her hands shook when she held Amrens. Rhys and Azriel both had jaws clenched, shoulders tense. Watching the way Cassian's tears fell on to your shoulder as he cradled you. The healer squeezed  his arm softly, silently requesting him to move. He didn't.

Azriel went to his brother, wrapping an arm around him. "Your mate needs you to be strong, Cas." He consoled, pulling him away gently. Cassian held you tighter, just for a second then nodded and let go. He held your hand firmly. His warmth missing from your body was a shock. You began shivering. Amren tugged a blanket off the guest couch nearby and placed it over your legs. 

"T-thanks." you muttered. Her eyes widened, but she nodded. Her and Rhys glanced to each other. A silent conversation. You didnt care. 

"Cas?" You squeezed his hand, and there he was. His pale face looked ragged. He seemed like he was struggling in every sort of way. You didnt want to imagine what he was looking at when he looked at your features. You could practically feel your cheeks sinking in, your bones losing their density. "I missed you." You smiled, trying to lift his mood. 

His lips quivered, and he nodded. He kissed the back of your hand. "You wouldnt believe how much I missed you. All of us did." he glanced to Rhys. His face was blank, but that steady stream of power seemed to be crackling outside. 

You let your eyes drift to each of your friends. Each of their tear stained faces were such a welcome relief. Over a month alone, their presence alone was enough to soothe that part of you that doubted their love. 

Cassian kissed your forehead, before the healer's light knocked you into a peaceful sleep. 

[riverbabyniyah23]

Plot: sweet pea and fangs both broke up with you when they left for the farm left you heart broken but you but you had Betty to cheer you up but then the beginning of the summer before senior year when the farm is long gone thanks to Betty and G&G was gone too they came back to you to apologize and that just makes them find out how hard it was for you when they left

Warning: smut, suicidal thoughts, more tears

3 months ago

I was waiting for my two boyfriends to come to my trailer when I turned my head to see them standing there at the door and they both sat on either side to me

“Well hello to y’all to” I said and chuckled

“We need to talk about something “ sweet pea said then I looked at him

“About what?”

“Like when are you going to join the farm with us” fangs said and i laughed and i looked at his serious face

“Oh your serious?” I asked and they nodded

“Uhh I don’t know I was warned by Betty to not do that Because it’s dangerous and I’m pretty sure she had a good reason so I guess I won’t “ I said and fangs sighed

“We was hoping you said something different we have no other choice “ and I gave fangs a confused look and he stood up so did sweet pea

“We’re breaking up with you” and after those words came from his mouth my heart shattered

“What?!WHY” I said and stood up as they were heading towards the door

“Evelyn said if you don’t join us then we have to cut you off”

“FUCK EVELYN WHAT DO YOU TO THINK “ I said and they both looked at each other the. Back at me

“You know us y/n we always do what we gotta do “ sweet pea said

“If you two walk out that door you don’t love me ” I said as tears came down my cheek

“Please don’t make this harder then it already is” sweet pea pleaded

“NO IF YOU TWO LOVED ME YOU WOULDNT LEAVE ME”

“Then I guess we don’t “ fangs said and it’s like I was being cut like a knife hurt like a bitch

“Wait maybe I can join the farm with you guys that’s what you want in the first place” I said and sweet pea shook his head

“You already made the decision so we’re done with you...see you around “ sweet pea said and walked out the door

“Fangs, baby please “ I pleaded and he shook his head and walked out the door shutting the door and I broke down crying and i looked at the promise ring they both gave me on my finger

“You promised..” I whispered to my self and started throwing stuff around my trailer and I few minutes later I went outside and I got on my bike and went to the cooper-Jones house and I knocked on the door and a few seconds later Fp Jones appeared in the doorway

“Y/n what’s up ?” He asked

“Is Betty here?” I whispered with a shaky voice and he looked concerned

“Yeah she’s in the kitchen with Jughead and and JB” and I went in the house and went straight to the kitchen and saw Betty there laughter and smiles faded when they saw me

“Y/n what’s wrong?” Betty said standing up

“Fangs and sweet pea dumped me because I didn’t want to join the farm” I said and Betty eyes widened and she stood up and hugged me then alll of a sudden I started breathing hard

“Y/n?” Jughead asked saw what was going on with me and Betty looked at me and my hand started shaking

“I-I’m having o-one of my p-panic a-attacks “ I said and I fell to the ground the last thing I heard was Betty screaming my name

3 months later

“GIRL IM COMING JUST WAIT” I said and laughed talking to Toni who was impatient because I said we could go to pops for lunch but her impatient ass was already there

“Bitch I am hungry if your ass don’t get here within ten minutes Imma start eating with out you “ she said threw the phone and i laughed and grabbed my keys

“Why can’t you be patient ?” I said heading towards the door

“Since when was I?” She said and i laughed and opened the door my smile quickly faded when I saw sweet pea and fangs on my doorstep of my trailer

“You still there?” She asked

“Y-Yeah look I’ll be there just give me a few minutes “ I said

“Ok bye “ she said and I hung up

“What are you two doing here “ I said and sweet pea sighed

“We just wanna talk please?” Sweet pea asked I closed my eyes and toke a deep breath and opened my eyes again

“You got 3 minutes “ I said and opened my door wider for them can come in and they did and I shut my door and I went to the kitchen and they followed me as I went in the fridge

“Look baby w-“ fangs started until I interrupted him

“You lost the privilege to call me that “ I said and got a beer and stood up

“Look ..y/n we wanted to come back and say we apologize for everything we did G&G , the farm all of it” fangs said as I sat at my kitchen round table

“Okay...2 minutes ” I said

“And we want to know if you wanted to get back together so we can be all together again and forget about a few months ago” sweet pea said as they sat at the table with me on different sides looking at me

“It was 3 months ago and uhh it’s kinda hard to forget” I said and drunk my beer

“Why are you being so cold “ fangs asked and I put my beer down and licked the taste of beer off my lips

“You really gotta ask me that?” I asked and fangs looked down

“You still haven’t answered our question “ sweet pea said

“No there’s your answer “ I said and they looked shocked see they seen me cold to others but not them as we were kids they was my best friends then they turned in to my boyfriend’s then now nothing

“B-But why?” Fangs asked

“You know I had asked that same question 3 months ago your answer was you gotta do what you gotta do my answer is the same” I said and sweet pea tried to touch my hand putting his hand over mine but I moved it and looked at him

“Y/n were so so sorry for what we did “ sweet pea said

“First of all don’t try or touch me second why would I be with people who don’t even love me” I said leaving them shocked but speechless

“I told you if you walk out that door you don’t love me and you walked out and that hurt like a bitch therefore my answer is no”

“Please baby we need you!” Fangs pleaded

“MY NAME IS Y/N your time is up GET OUT “ I said

“Please princess we love you so so much we need you we miss you” sweet pea pleaded

“You know what hurt the most is the people I go to when I’m hurt or in a mood or when I’m in pain are the ones who left me ain’t that a bitch “ I said and crossed my arms

“After you too left me for the farm I went to the cooper-Jones house as we call it and when I told her what happened I ended up falling to the ground having another one of my panic attacks “ I said and there eyes widened

“Later during that month Toni heard what happened came to visit me she walked in on me trying to hang myself “ and sweet pea eyes started watering with tears going down his eyes so was fangs

“That’s much it hurt the pain YOU TWO CAUSED ME “ fangs opened his mouth to say something but I beat him to it

“It hurt knowing you two weren’t together with me in anyway bestfriend or couple way you two broke your promise you knew what happened to me in the past what I went threw but yet YOU TO DIDN’T CARE I LOVED YOU TWO AND YALL BROKE MY HEART IT SHATTERED IN TO PIECES I GAVE YOU MY HEART but yet you still didn’t care I WENT TO A DARK PLACE THAT BETTY, TONI AND CHERYL HAD TO PULL ME FROM and neither of you was there” I said with tears coming from my eyes watching as there tears fell from there eyes as well

“And I’m sorry I can’t go threw that again I’m sorry “ I said

“I think you two should go” I said and they quietly got up wiping there tears fangs kept walking towards the door while sweet pea froze as I stood up and push in my chair and then sweet pea turned around and walked to me and grabbed my wrist and backed me up against the wall and put them above my head held them tight

“Sweet pea ge-“ then he pressed his lips against mine like this pressing me against the wall

A part of me wanted to pull away but he was to strong for me and I felt something I hadn’t felt in months warmth and safety then we stopped kissing and looked at eachother

“Please don’t push us away we love you, we need you “ sweet pea said and i turned my head to see fangs beside him and he kissed me to like this

Then we broke the kiss but I was still pinned

“Please just give us another chance and I promise you we will do right by you and won’t leave you please again please !” Fangs pleaded and I looked at sweet pea and he nodded and i sighed

“One more chance that’s all you get don’t lose it “ I said and they smiled and I smiled back then sweet pea kissed me again while fangs focused on my neck and made me moan in sweet pea mouth then fangs moved me and picked me up and toke me in my bed room

“HEY WHAT HAPPENED TO SHARING !” Sweet pea said from the kitchen and walked in causing me to giggle and me and fangs flopped on to my bed

2 hours later after we were done laying in bed just cuddling naked under the covers fangs was behind me having his arms around my waist while resting his head on my neck while sweet pea is in front of me I was resting my head near his chest while he plays with my hair

“Hey y/n?” Sweet pea asked and I look up at him

“Yes bubba” I asked

“What happened to your promise ring?” He asked

“Yeah what did happen to it” fangs asked with his leg still over both of mine and head still rested on my neck

“Uhh on my dresser “ I said and sweet pea eyes widened “you kept it?” He asked and I nodded a little trying not to move a lot because of fangs

“Yeah I guess I still had hope for us” I said and he smiled

“Also who were you talking to earlier when we got here?”

“Toni why?” I asked then I gasped

“TONI!” I said then I heard someone yelling from outside and heard banging on my door

“BITCH I WAITED FOR YOU FOR TWO HOURS AND YOU BETTER HAVE NOT SLEPT WITH FANGS AND SWEET PEA BECAUSE THERE BIKES ARE HERE !” Toni yelled from outside and both of the boys looked at me

“See I am very happy that we got back together but ahem I’m sorry you got back with me on the day of my death “ I said and they laughed

Then the door banged open and I heard someone stomping towards the bed room and the door open slowly to reveal our pink headed friend

“Heyyy T” I said

“Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME!” She said

“We’re back together surprise” I said then Toni pounced on the bed pissed a-

*paused*

Sorry I have to pause this program for a second because this is the moment she knew she fucked up we do not include insurance for the person who died today by Toni topaz-A/N😂🤣🤣

[7wanderingpaws]

⭐️ I’m curious about about a “directors cut” for Let’s Have Some Gentle Fun and Captain Bucheon as well.

Jamie, not gonna lie but if I had to guess what youd be asking about, I would say these two! I feel like I owe you with the "Lets have some gentle fun" one shot since it was for you ㅠㅠ (this will be long, sorry)

Directors cut for: Lets Have Some Gentle Fun

(Can I just say I want to explore Jiyongs character in this one? lol totally unrelated but still... "Dragon" and his own adventures haha)

Baekhyun smiled at you kindly, his eyes following your movements the entire time despite having a beautiful chick sitting on his thighs. Gulp. Those thighs.

“Thank you,” he made sure to say, when you stood up to your full length. Shooting him a very pressed, almost painful smile, you nodded once, accidentally meeting his gaze that you thought was not on you any longer.

You were wrong. But were you wrong as well when you always felt electricity curse down your veins whenever you would look at each other? Was the attraction just from your side? Why was he so hard to approach yet so easy to talk to once you actually managed to spike up a conversation?

Right. Your friends always snatched him away. While he was the center of the circle, you were the edge; the misunderstood one yet always invited. Doing chatty-chats with the famous ones in the circle of your friends seemed to be hard because if they didn’t really vibe with you, they’d made sure you could feel it. Baekhyun not once did, yet his apologetic smiles whenever someone wanted to talk to him when he was about to start a conversation with you, hurt more than any of your other friends’ attitude.

Reciprocating his stare a little longer, you finally turned, thinking he would be paying attention to the pretty lady on his lap. Yet again, you were wrong. He was looking even when you were far gone and back to the bar to continue your shift.

Okay, stop here. This right here screams interest and Baekhyuns badly hidden attraction towards OC. He had been doing that in other scenes where he stares at her and says words that clearly mean his interest, but there is something holding him back which is his girlfriend; the one sitting on his lap, the one who will appear at the end of the storyline. Meanwhile, OC isnt as focused on his girlfriend, as she is on the reality of everyone stealing him away from her. Baekhyun can only offer apologetic smiles - why is that? OC can only interpret that as his disinterest; he isnt much different than the others. Baekhyun is being very vague again in the next scene:

“You have a man here?”

Both of you were quiet now. He was staring into your eyes, something so hard for you to decipher flashing in those deep orbs. His eyes seemed almost black, swallowing up every light that dared to enter including you.

“It’s what you all think about me, isn’t it?” you mumbled quietly. “That I bring men home, that I’m the quiet before the storm. I know that’s what you all say behind my back. I’m just living up to your knowledge.”

Baekhyun’s face became unreadable. His features evened out. “Way to ruin the mood.”

You laughed. “Whatever mood you’re talking about-“

Baekhyun made OC believe there was something happening between them in that moment. He is always unconsciously flirting with her, making baby steps to get to know OC better; it felt like he put the blame on her when in reality, he is the taken man and he is the one never offering more. And he had the audacity to act hurt at the idea of her having someone there?

He stepped closer, silencing you right away. “I know people are judgemental fucks but I would have always said otherwise about you.”

“Meaning?”

He gave you a lopsided smirk, not reaching his eyes. “I can hardly judge you when I know so little about you. I never believe those rumors and you shouldn’t give a damn either. If anything, you’re the most intriguing among our friends.”

He couldn’t tell, but breath hitched in your throat from the way his eyes were drinking you up, their intensity burning every sane thought you could produce. “Then why do you always yield to those friends? We had many chances to talk. But it wasn’t me who always turned around at the last moment.”

The tension was almost palpable when you were looking up at him.

He didn’t reply and you realized the headache you were gifted with today. Sighing tiredly, you smiled up. “Whatever. Don’t answer that. Go. I bet your girlfriend is waiting.” When he didn’t move, you snorted a laugh. “Why are you even baking at this hour? You’ll be late to work.”

Poor OC. Baekhyun was darn lucky she decided to speak up and not let him answer. He wouldnt be able to offer anything she would want to hear in that moment. I really liked these scenes because they set the diversity of Baekhyuns character, they set up the confusion, and at the same time they are enhancing OCs struggle with her crush towards him. She knows she cant have him, and she also thinks Baekyhun is just like her other friends, while she has no clue the man is attracted to her. Just for the funsies - we dont know whether he actually meant it, or whether he just wanted his desire to be satiated by her as a one night stand. I still love this plotline so much! And I think it is the most realistic kind of crush - from OCs side and from Baekhyuns side.

Directors cut: Captain Bucheon

“Then why would you do it if you don’t want to do it?” he asked, genuinely confused.

“Because I’m in the student council,” you replied almost in a whine. “They asked me and I couldn’t say no!” You threw your arms around, making it sound like a big deal. And for you, it was a big deal. You didn’t like how you were easily pushed around.

Baekhyun nodded, a small smile stretching his lips when he saw your comprehension. Sweet university life. “You must be very liked by everyone.”

You froze at that. That wasn’t true. How would you tell your ex the reason everyone was all over you was because you had huge tits and you were friends with Chul? “It’s not like that…”

Baekhyun nodded, noting your discomfort but deciding against questioning it. He didn’t think he was anywhere near the position to stick his nose into your business. For all he knew, he’d scare you away like that time in the bar but, frankly, he didn’t even utter a single word that night to give you a reason for your abrupt fleeing.

“So you run here often, huh,” he heard you say and then saw you shuffling your feet, the small stones of the track field rustling under them.

So much is happening here I want to CRY! The first question Baekyhun asked is something he would definitely ask her if they were dating. He cares about her so much, he needs to ask for her reasons. Yet, Captain Byun isnt the type to be too nosy; from Burn Your Bridges we saw he was a passionate lover but very mature and responsible which also shows in the part where he didnt question her about her discomfort when he sensed it. But he still cares too much. These scenes prove how tables turned; Lee Nari is the one who is harder to reach now, while Baekhyun seems to be losing his mind a little with having the young girl back in his life. It shows in this scene:

Baekhyun was fast. Before you realized the warmth of his hand leaving yours, you heard a loud snap, his fist landing with the dude’s face. You squealed, covering your mouth in shock and just like that, Baekhyun had professionally put the lad down, having both his arms locked behind his back. It vastly made you remember when he did a similar move with your brother in his office at the police station, and chills ran down your spine.

Right. Baekhyun first arrested you, and then your brother who was still in jail until now. Baekhyun lied to you to get closer to you. Right. Right, right, right.

“Don’t ever even imagine her in your filthy mind,” Baekhyun’s voice thundered through the space.

Baekhyun lost it. And this is also a huge trigger for the OC. If you read the story, you would learn that Baekhyun would never pull this move on just a random person he needs to protect as a cop. But we are talking about Lee Nari and he would sure as hell manhandle anyone who dared to talk about her badly. Even her brother.

Your palm landed on his cheek and Baekhyun’s face snapped to his right side. “I hate you!” You shouted shakily, more tears spilling down your cheeks, the snot out of your nose. You were a mess. “I hate everything you put me through, Byun Baekhyun! You lied to me! Why did you lie to me?! I loved you!” You shouted again, and squeezed your eyes shut.

(...)

Your palms were still, pressing against his sturdy chest but you couldn’t make him move anymore. You were crying now, your voice shaking and your eyes still squeezed shut. “What did I do to deserve this… when all I did was love you honestly, purely,” you wailed, your voice sounding almost like a wolf’s howl in the empty streets of the campus. “I was just seventeen…”

Baekhyun was quiet the whole time, emotions of guilt eating him away just like they had been for the past year. His own heart was in pain and he knew how hurt you were but seeing you like this made his heart split into two. You were a complete, utter mess.

Even I felt heartbroken as I wrote that, angst at its best!! Baekhyun could finally witness just how damaged the girl is. Nari needed this. Thank God Baekhyun provided her the chance to finally speak up. I just loved the slap that she gave him, I loved how passionate and aggressive she was - with all his previous kindness, she finally erupted like a volcano. I love how she became so tired of her emotions, so tired of hating on Baekhyun that eventually led her to be in his arms. That last sentence is just as heart-breaking; your lover realizing just how much they ruined you but they still hold you in their arms. Its a little ironic, isnt it? The delicious pain of enemies/lovers trope <3 God I love them!!

- ASK ME: Fanfic Writers: Directos Cut

[deniigi]

I had a really bad day (I wont say why because I wouldnt want you to feel like I'm guilting you into anything) and I was wondering if maybe you had a dfv/lfv or inimitable verse drabble you havent put up or one on here you really like you could point me to (navigation is hard on mobile) or even just some like hcs. If not its totally ok! You dont owe me anything. But I thought I'd ask and see if that's ok.

Oh no!

Sorry that you had a rough day my dear. I don’t have much in the works for those verses right now (I’ve been hammering my head against a wall, trying to write out a piece exploring Gwen and Murderdock’s relationship–it’s not working tho, so I’m stopping). Of course any of the Clint-based pieces are fun in those verses if you need a pick me up, but I am equally fond of Chapter 13 of Sidebars.

But! If you don’t mind a little piece from Lying by Omission/The Sprawl I’ve got cute little bit of Jack and Ben going out to dinner with Matt and Peter?

I’ll put it under the cut if you’re down

—-

“Dad, let’s go out to eat.”

Jack didn’t trust that. Jack had been scarred by the durian. Permanently scarred. He was never coming back from the durian. He was etching a durian with a big ‘X’ through it into the top of his next coffin for future archaeologists to find and have absolutely no questions about.

Matt, sensing that he was presently not receiving the amount of attention that he could be receiving, oozed out of the kitchen and draped himself over the back of the couch, right behind Jack’s shoulders. Jack glanced to the side and noted that he was wearing shoes.

He wasn’t chancing it.

“No shoes on the couch,” he said.

“It’s my couch,” Matt hummed, already migrating over to the couch’s arm, no doubt to burrow his way under Jack’s own arm.

“It’s a couch.”

“My couch,” Matt hummed, plucking Jack’s phone out of his hand and tossing it callously to the other side of said couch. He then executed the burrow and wriggled himself over so that he was the sole occupant of Jack’s lap. He waited, as sweet as could be, until he had Jack’s more or less undivided attention.

The kid was heavy. Jack couldn’t tell if he knew just how heavy he was.

He suspected that he was more than aware of it.

Matt beamed at him. He did not pull his shoed feet over the couch’s arm.

A sign of obedience. Or perhaps a buttering-up technique.

Tricky, tricky.

“Why do we need to go out to eat? What’s wrong with what’s in the fridge?” Jack asked Matt’s untrustworthy grin.

It faded a little because there was a pout which needed doing.

“I’m tired of eating potatoes,” Matt huffed.

“Take it back,” Jack scolded him. “I won’t hear any raggin’ on tatties in this household.”

“I want rice.”

“I’ll make you rice, Matty.”

“I don’t want your rice.”

Picky little shit. Just like his mother. She’d been the type to refuse a peanut butter and jelly sandwich if the slop wasn’t equally distributed.

Jack’s rice was perfectly fine. It even had bits of onion in it. If he was feeling real fancy, he might even cook it in broth or something.

“Fine, so make rice yourself,” he said. Matt squirmed up and wrapped arms around Jack’s neck. He put his cheek against it and immediately made the skin there it itch.

“You need a shave,” Jack huffed, reaching back for his phone. Vanessa was doing battle with her replacement: Bella the cat. She was giving their zombie group the play by play of the her and the cat’s opposing campaigns to win Wade’s favor. Thus far, Bella had broken a plate and gotten scratchies and kisses for it. Vanessa was outraged.

It was an outrage to behold.

“Daddy.”

Not this again. This was no reason to bring out the big guns.

“Get your shoes,” Matt whined.

“Baby, you can go out. I’m not stopping you from going out. No one is stopping you from going out, god help us,” Jack told him.

Matt abandoned his neck, stretched out, quick as a whip, and snatched the phone on the other cushion. He crammed it into his shirt and then replaced himself and his face-broom against Jack’s pulse point.

Yeah.

Yeah, Jack didn’t know what he’d expected to happen here.

“Matt,” he warned.

“Dinner.”

“The last time we went to dinner, you broke my heart, soul, and trust.”

“I won’t do it again.”

“Uh-huh. Yeah, right. ”

“I won’t,” Matt promised, pulling back to add puppy eyes to the mix.

That was unfair. Uncalled for. Totally underhanded.

“Why don’t you go out with Foggy?” Jack tried as a last-ditch effort.

“Because I want to go out with you,” Matt emphasized. “My pops. My old man. We gotta bond. It’ll make me more well-adjusted. The internet says so.”

Jack was confiscating the internet. The internet was a know-it-all snitch.

“DAD.”

“Fine, for fuck’s sake, boy. Get off, you’re drowning me here.”

  Jack would go out to dinner on one condition.

Two conditions actually.

1)      There was to be no durian. Anywhere. At all.

2)      He got to bring moral support.

Matt was more than cool with that because it meant that he could replace the durian with another creative element which would equally torture Jack.

So Jack asked Ben Parker to come along. Parker was sharp as a tack. Compared to Jack, he was a man of the world. A reasonable and sensitive body with respect for his fellow humans. He promised to help Jack identify potential threats to his person flung his way by his uncaring and mischievous son.

Unfortunately, to that end, Matt insisted that they take Ben’s nephew, Peter, out with them too.

Jack knew from the start that this was Matt inserting his chaos element into what might otherwise be a perfectly tolerable and uneventful night out. But he also held out hope that Peter would be the sweet, kind-hearted boy he appeared to be.

It really was too much to ask for.

Peter latched his whole body onto Matt within seconds of their two parties meeting up and the two of them immediately set to whispering which bode poorly for everyone else involved.

“I believe we may have made a mistake,” Ben observed, rubbing thoughtfully at his chin.

  Matt wanted rice and Peter wanted something sour enough to leave ulcers in his mouth, so the two of them decided that Thai food would achieve both of these effects. Jack was suspicious. Ben told him that Thai food was very tasty and he had little reason to fear, except.

Except.

“Peter hates durian, it’s fine, he won’t be setting up any conspiracies around it,” Ben promised him.

Mm.

They’d see about that.

Foggy had said something similar when he and Matt had dragged Jack out for Filipino food.

  Jack was pretty sure that Peter just wanted a lime. He was 90% sure that all Peter’s cravings could be satisfied with a lime right now.

Matt, however, in an unlikely turn of events, convinced him that he should get food-substances to accompany his burning desire for limes. Peter grumbled at this and deferred to his uncle for support in the face of this logic.

Chaos element, located.

“Pick a carb,” Ben directed.

“Sugar is a carb,” Peter argued.

“Pick a carb in a less refined form,” Ben countered easily.

“If it’s raw sugar, it—”

“Veg, noodles, or rice,” Ben offered him.

Peter scowled.

“You said a carb,” he pouted. “I want sugar.”

“I have good news for you, sweet child of mine,” Ben said fondly. “There is sugar in everything served in the United States of America. You will have your sugar. Pick its structure: veg, noodles, or rice.”

Ben made Jack feel like a shit dad sometimes. Although, to be fair, Jack hadn’t been a dad as long as Ben had.

Peter, outwitted and bitter about it, agitated Matt to help him.

Matt saw no need for that.

“You’re gonna be hungry in an hour and then you’re gonna whine about it,” he declared.

Peter scowled at him and then turned his lethal puppy eyes onto Jack. Jack set up a menu between the two of them because he was not strong enough to cope with that.

Peter whined behind it.

  Things were going too smoothly for too long. Jack did not trust the decent behavior happening at this table. Ben got a kick out of his paranoia, which was great because someone needed to.

“What are you hiding?” Jack asked Matt. Matt scoffed.

“Chill, old man,” he said. “We’re literally just having dinner. Maybe try to have a good time, huh?”

No.

Something evil was afoot.

Peter snickered. Matt swatted at him; he easily dodged the hand.

Trouble.

  Dinner was eaten and paid for and Jack eventually gave up and settled down. Begrudgingly, he had to admit that Matt was right. Thai food was nice. No incidents had occurred. There was no durian. Ben and Peter made for good conversation, even if everything led back to Peter’s obsession with sci-fi films.

Ben told him that if he kept mentioning them, the aliens would hear him and his name would start to move up higher up on their list of potential captures.

The kid was horrified.

Matt helpfully started counting off the number of times Peter had mentioned aliens in the last week and Peter had briefly looked like he was going to cry.

“Is your wife not going to hear of this?” Jack asked Ben as they walked after the trouble duo who had determined that they were finding dessert at a different location. They seemed to know what they were after, so Jack and Ben left them to it.

“Oh, she will,” Ben said.

“And you don’t mind?”

“She encourages it. She’s convinced him that if you leave a tv on static, aliens can pick up on your watch history.”

Interesting parenting techniques going on here.

Ben laughed.

“Well, I guess we just figure that if you’ve got a weird kid, it’s easier on everyone if you just lean into it. My brother probably wouldn’t be so down with it, but he’s not here, so whatever.”

Ah, right.

“Peter’s your brother’s son, then,” Jack noted.

Ben hummed.

“I…guess,” he said uneasily. “I—it’s hard to explain. I mean, biologically, yeah he’s Rich’s son. But, you know, me and May’ve raised him for longer than Rich and Mary were ever in his life, so, I dunno. Is it fucked up that I kind of think of him as my son?”

No. Not at all.

“My eldest brother pretty much raised me,” Jack told him. “My mama couldn’t be assed to do anything more than scream at the drop of a hat and my daddy was busy drinking himself to death, so Bill was the one who got me up and dressed and off to school in the morning. I always thought of him as a mix between a brother and a mom.”

“No shit?” Ben said. “Where is he? He still around?”

Uuuuuuuh.

“We haven’t talked for a long time,” Jack said.

“Oh? Well, now’s your chance you know.”

Jack tried not to wince too sharply. Ben caught it anyways.

“Or not,” he said. “You don’t have to if its painful or something.”

Oh, buddy.

“We’ll see,” Jack decided. “I’ll need to think about it.”

He didn’t know how Matt would react. Hell, he didn’t know how he would react to seeing Bill again.

  Matt and Peter presented Jack with a drink that had evil hiding in the bottom of it.

He should have known better to think he’d escape that night uninjured.

–

I hope this cheers you up my dear and that things get easier for you soon!

[ninzied]

another kind of goodbye

for @carry-the-sky. happy birthday, my friend! have a little post-cancellation kastle fic.

It’s three months, give or take, when Frank lets himself think about her again. Really think about her. Not in the passing kind of way, where he’s walking down some street and sees a bouquet of gardenias, like the kind he’d almost gotten her instead of the roses that day. Or when he’s sipping on coffee, and Karen’s face flashes like a mirage at him across the cheap Formica table – blonde hair almost white under the shit diner lighting, but those eyes still so blue as she told him he would never lie to her.

So – okay, so he thinks about her. He thinks about her.

(He wonders if she—)

Frank eventually makes his way back to the city again, after. Another day, another job. Madani thinks he’s meant for something greater than this – than picking off these scum-of-the-earth kinds of assholes that litter the streets of a place like New York.

He can’t believe that he was meant for greater, but. Sometimes, he does wonder. If a part of him – whatever part of him that’s not still buried deep down in the ground with his family – was meant to come back here. To walk these streets and feel the pull of her, always, even when that’s all he can afford to feel.

He tells himself that has to be enough.

He’s been laying low, since his return. Coughed up some cash for a three-hundred-square-footer in Brooklyn, but he crosses the bridge to the city most days, maybe even finds his way to Hell’s Kitchen from time to time too. It’s risky, he knows. If Murdock catches wind of him, they’d be lucky to walk away from each other in one piece. And Karen…

There’d be a different kind of hell to pay, if Karen ever found out.

His phone gives a single buzz in his pocket as he’s hunkering his way down 47th, and he stops in his tracks, nearly colliding with an elderly woman in the middle of the sidewalk.

“Excuse me!” she says in a shrill voice, bag clutched tight to her chest.

“Apologies, ma’am,” he nods as she makes a show of putting as much distance between them as possible, and then he fishes his phone out, hesitating for one absurd moment before glancing down at the screen.

Back in town yet, Castle?

He barks out a laugh. Chrissakes, Madani.

His phone buzzes again.

I have a job for you, if you’re still interested.

“Still,” mutters Frank, with a scoffing shake of his head. He thinks he admires her perseverance, but Madani’s gotta know she’s only wasting her breath.

He cuts south down 10th, toward Lincoln Tunnel. It’s a brisk day, and the wind on his face feels sharper than usual, considering he hasn’t bled much there in a while. He jams his hands deeper into his pockets, ignoring the insistent drone of Madani’s follow-up call.

He’s got a date with a park bench on the wrong side of town, and if he closes his eyes, he can pretend it’s the same bridge overlooking the water, and when he opens them again Karen’ll be there, waiting for him.

…

His closest call comes with, of all people, the lawyer. Not Red – the other one. Franklin Nelson.

Frank’s emerging with coffee two storefronts down just as another door opens, and he’s cursing himself for not seeing the signs when out tumbles Nelson with his back turned, adjusting his tie against the wind.

“Foggy bear, wait!” someone else is laughing, and a blonde lady steps out to chase after him, slinging a purse over her shoulder and reaching with her other hand to link around his elbow.

“I told him this was gonna make me late for work,” grumbles Nelson, but without any heat to the words. “Dad’s surprise party isn’t until tomorrow, don’t know why this couldn’t have waited – oh, crap, I forgot I told Karen I’d pick up some coffee—”

Nelson’s about-facing sharply, girlfriend following closely behind. He doesn’t appear to notice Frank crouched down in a corner by the 7-Eleven, hood obscuring half his face as he trains his eyes on the ground by their feet. The girl unearths some coins from her bag as they pass, clinking them onto the lid of Frank’s coffee cup without seeming to hear his low mutter of thanks.

He’s leapt up the moment he hears the door latch shut, brushing the coins into his palm as he goes.

He leaves them with a guy camped out by the train stop, a dog lifting her head from their blankets to blink sleepy eyes up at Frank, and he walks away harder, takes the steps two at a time and wishes – God he wishes—

…

Another text from Madani.

He shuts his phone off. Goes back to retrieve it ten seconds later from the trash can that he’d dumped it in, wiping it down and scowling as her message pops up on the screen.

Castle – offer still stands, FYI.

“You should call her back,” advises a man huddled down by the newsstands next to him. His face is like leather, worn down and weathered with age, with living. “Apologize for whatever it is that you did, so you don’t end up out here like me.”

“Already there,” Frank tells him, turning the phone over and over in his hand. Madani’s message lights up again each time, flashing and flashing until he sees it like a burn through his retinas even when the phone’s no longer facing him.

“Damn. That’s a damn shame.” The guy shifts, scratching at a spot on his back. “Maybe shouldn’t’ve stayed away from her for so long.”

Frank shakes his head, uttering a short, incredulous laugh. “Well, maybe I got my reasons, yeah? You think about that?”

“Doesn’t matter what I think,” shrugs the guy. “Does she think they’re any good? These reasons of yours?”

Frank turns away, jaw working furiously.

“Yeah.” The guy shouldn’t have any right to sound as smug as he does, and yet. “Yeah, I didn’t think so.”

…

He’s got no place in coming here. He knows it. He knows it, but he thinks it was always meant to be this way, him circling back around to her, even after everything that he’s done to push her away. Maybe a part of him had never left. And the rest is just – there, hovering right at the edge of some sharp realization, that he could try to be whole again if he simply took that first step. And a part of Karen must at least sense that. It’s why she’d never really given up on him, before.

It doesn’t change how I feel about you.

Frank wonders if she’d forgive him this time. If he’d even want her to.

It wouldn’t be anything close to what he deserves, that’s for goddamn sure.

He gazes up at her fire escape, counts the number of steps it would take just to be able to reach that bottom rung from his vantage point across the street. Her shades are drawn, the lines of them blurred out in the dim orange light. On one corner of the windowsill, wedged up against the glass, there’s a small stack of books. On the other, a vase. From this angle, the shadows folded into the fabric of her curtains look almost like flower stems.

Frank squints, and the stems disappear.

…

There’s about a week in between, where he feels himself inching closer to something, each time he drops by her block. He never goes farther than the patch of sidewalk across from her building, but it’s getting harder not to just careen over the ledge.

More than anything, he wishes he knew, in those moments obscured in half-darkness, whether he’s come to look for that after she’d spoke of, or if he’s come to say goodbye.

Then, one day he spots flowers in her window, for the first time since—

(They’re pale white against the cream of her curtains, their stems dark slivers of green, and he imagines them pricking the pad of his thumb, drawing up a spot of blood.)

Frank takes a deep breath.

…

She doesn’t look surprised to see him when she opens the door, swinging it back two-thirds of the way before stopping. Her lips are pressed tightly together, like there’s too much to say, or maybe there’s things that she can’t, either way he can’t read her and he thinks she’s never terrified him more.

Frank drops his gaze, mouth moving soundlessly until the words grind their way out. “How’d you know I was here, Karen?”

He’s not sure what kind of answer he’s expecting. That Nelson had grown a real pair of eyes, or that Red had managed to ferret him out of his lurking somehow. Or maybe Karen really just hadn’t known at all, and those flowers were never for him.

What Karen says instead is, “Dinah and I grab a beer together, sometimes.”

“That right?” he asks, trying to lay out an image of this in his mind. It sits strangely there, stumping him for a moment, and some of his bewilderment must show on his face because Karen’s mouth almost turns up in a smile before flattening again.

She leans away from the doorjamb, waving her hand in a worn-looking gesture before letting it drop to her side. “Besides, you…haven’t exactly been subtle, in your haunting of Hell’s Kitchen.”

He doesn’t know what to say to that, other than a gruff, “’S’what dead men do, Karen,” as she folds her arms and sighs at him.

“You sure you’re not just losing your touch, Frank?” She steps into the doorway, whether to move closer to him or to block him out of her apartment, he can’t tell. “Or was it because you wanted me to know but couldn’t tell me to my face?”

His eyes snap up to hers, twitching slightly under the sharp weight of her gaze. He shakes his head, wishing he could just ask her, What do you want from me, Karen? but they’re long past that now, and if he can’t find his own way to answer her, then.

God, he really doesn’t deserve this woman.

“I think I—” He shifts his body and tries again. “I think I needed to figure some things out. Karen. I was waiting 'til I felt like I was ready, and I don’t think I’ll ever be that.” But I’m here, he wants to say, but I’m here.

“Yeah.” Karen’s nodding, hair falling into her face, and she brushes it back, resting her chin in her palm for a moment. “I know that, Frank.” All of the fight in her seems to have ebbed slowly back, and he resists the urge to reach out and shake the storm back into motion, to make her understand she doesn’t get to let him off the hook so easy.

The look she gives him now is softer, but he knows. Fight’s not done. May never be done. And he knows this because he knows he’ll never stop fighting for her.

She’s stepped back into the door, letting it swing open further. She doesn’t invite him in, but she’s quirked an eyebrow up at him, biting her lip with another deep sigh and a shake of her head.

“You, uh.” Frank glances back and forth at their surroundings, doesn’t quite meet her eye. Tries to lighten his tone through the gruffness as he asks her, “So, you wanted to see me?”

Her voice is soft, forbearing, with a hint of gentle knowing behind it. “You didn’t?”

She’s holding back the clear start of a smile from him this time, and Frank. Christ. It’s taking everything in him not to step toward her, to—

Karen tilts her chin at him, the motion loosening another wave of blonde hair, and he can’t remember anymore why he was trying so hard to stand back from all this. He’s moving, swaying forward until she’s just an arm’s length away, and there’s something almost teasing about the way she relaxes her shoulder into the door as she watches him.

“You back to kill some people, Frank?”

He feels a corner of his mouth turn up. This girl. He licks his lips, lets out a quiet sort of laugh. “That was the plan, yeah.”

Karen gazes up at him, unblinking. “Have you?”

“I was—” Frank has to look away for a moment, finally turning back when he can. His eyes are steady, boring into hers, voice low and full with meaning. “I was. Working on it.”

Karen nods. Doesn’t speak for long seconds, and he measures them out in heartbeats, chest tightening hard enough it feels like it might break when she asks him, very carefully, “Still?”

Frank steps closer, close enough to feel the way her breath shakes with a small sigh, how her body moves away from the door to meet him.

His hand is inches from hers, but he doesn’t reach for her. Not yet.

She waits, gaze searching. He gives the barest shake of his head, and a single word, gravel-filled, a promise. “No.”

Something cracks open in her expression, and it means everything to him, her head ducking away as though she can’t have him looking too closely at the way she's biting back that smile of hers, and he thinks – he thinks he wants to make her do it again, and again, for as long as she will have him.

“Would you like to come in, Frank?”

He takes her hand in his this time, feeling the pull of her as he steps across the threshold, door shutting firmly behind them, and it feels like coming home.

[soybeantree]

blossom 

pairing: mark x reader  genre/warning: singleparent!reader, teacher!mark; some soft shit word count: 7k description: soft mark as your son’s teacher. a/n:  buckle in buttercups

“Do you ever feel like your life is spiraling down a black hole headed nowhere?” “No. Is that an adult thing?”

 The young boy sitting across the table from you asks, pausing in his breakfast consumption. Sighing, you put down your spoon and shake your head. “No, I think it’s a me thing. Your mom is a mess. Have I apologized to you lately that you ended up with me as a mom?” The young boy chuckles and shakes his head. “You’re a great mom and a beautiful mess.” He says as he stands up and clears his dishes, heading for the sink. “I’m a blessed mess.” You call over your shoulder as you stand up. “It’s the only way I could end up with a kid like you.” You add as you follow your son’s example and place your dishes in the sink. As you start to rinse them off, you catch sight of the clock. “Oh, shhh-It’s time to go!” You save yourself, shooting your son a smile. The kid shakes his head. “Swear jar.” “I didn’t say it.” “Swear jar.” His arms cross his chest, and his feet stand firm. Your cause is lost. “Fine. Go grab your jacket and backpack. And hurry about it!” You call as he disappears into his room. Heading towards the annoyingly large glass jar which sits in the far corner of your living, you dump all of your change into it. The jar is nearly full, and the sight makes you cringe. The past few weeks at work have been stressful, leading to your statement at breakfast and the full jar. While you hope the trend won’t continue, reality leads you to believe otherwise. You do need to find a better outlet for your stress though, or you’re going to end up broke. “Mom!” “Coming.” You rush to the entryway, slipping on shoes before dashing out the door your son is so kindly holding open. His school is close by, the reason you chose the apartment. He insists that being ten he is old enough to walk to school by himself. You insist that being twenty-eight you are not old enough for him to walk to school on his own. You plan on living a long and healthy life, and if something happens to him, you’ll either end up dead from grief or in jail for vengeance. So the two of you walk to school together. These couple minutes are sacred to you. With all the stress and demands of work, time with your son is scarce, so you take advantage of every minute you have. “Alright, what do I need to know about this coming week?” You ask as you head down the street. Your son walks silently beside you, fiddling with the zipper on his jacket. “What is it?” You ask at his hesitation. “We are currently in a full honesty, no judgment zone. Didn’t you see the sign we just passed?” You gesture over your shoulder to the non-existent sign behind you. He cracks a smile and shakes his head. “There was no sign mom.” “Okay, but my point still stands.” Taking a deep breath, he starts. “I want to make a deal with you.” His eyes dart to yours, and you nod urging him to continue. “If you say yes, you can take back all the money in the swear jar.” The money in the swear jar is designated for charity. You two had come up with this deal when he was in first grade and was sent to the principle’s office for swearing in class. You had been mortified but were even more mortified when you realized it was your fault. That day you had told him that swearing in school was not okay and promised that you would stop swearing, and that ff he caught you swearing, then you would put all the change in your wallet into the swear jar. Once it was full, you would take all the money and donate it to the charity of his choice. While you hadn’t been able to keep your promise as diligently as you would have liked, you two had donated quite a bit to charities. “Kid, that money-” He holds up his hand though, and you zip your lips. It’s his time to talk. “At the end of the month, we’re going to have a choir concert.” Everything within you plummets as your mind follows the path he’s laying out. “Minnie’s mom was supposed to help with the costumes and the set, but she broke her arm and can’t. Mr. Mark can’t do it all by himself, and he asked if any other parent’s might be able to help. I know you’re busy with work, but no other parent’s can help and if Mr. Mark doesn’t get any help then we can’t do the concert and-and…” His shoulders heave, and his eyes start to glisten, and you stare back at him helpless. Ever since that first day when the doctor placed this tiny bundle in your arms, you’ve been helpless whenever you look in those eyes. “Okay.” “Okay? You’ll do it!” He bounces on his feet, smiling up at you so brightly, and you know if you could you would give this kid the world. “Yes, yes, I’ll do it.” “Mr. Mark will be so happy.” He beams as he starts to skip down the street. “Mhm.” You nod as you follow him at a more moderate pace. Mr. Mark. Mark Tuan was your son’s first grade teacher, the one who had sent him to the office for swearing. He was there when you came to pick him up. Your son had been in tears. He hadn’t realized what he said was a bad word. Mommy said it all the time. He didn’t want to be a bad kid. Mark had sat beside him, telling him that just because he said a bad word didn’t mean that he was a bad kid. People made mistakes. He just needed to learn from his mistake, so that way he didn’t make them again. Standing down the hall watching the interaction, your mind was a war of emotions, the chief being mortification. You were mortified that you were teaching your son to cuss; that because of you, he felt this way about himself; and that Mark witnessed it all. The second emotion was gratitude. You were grateful that Mark was the one who witnessed it, that he would sit with your son and comfort him, and that he had somehow found a way back into your life. Fate is funny, you think as you give your son a kiss and send him off to school. While the goodbye embarrasses him as it would any ten year old boy, he lets you do it every morning. Because, as he has told you so many times, his love for you is greater than any embarrassment. You hope it’s something he learned from you. That cussing isn’t the only thing you’ve taught him.  Your love for him is greater than any embarrassment. You wish it was the same for your family. Heading towards the nearby bus stop, your mind wanders through old memories. You were young when you had your son. Fresh out of high school, you found out you were pregnant. You were unwed and unemployed with only your family to lean on, except you couldn’t. They wouldn’t let you. Coming back from another unsuccessful job hunt, you had found a suitcase on your parent’s doorstep with all your clothes in it. Your father wasn’t pleased with what had happened you could tell that by his stony silence and your mother was always looking away when you entered a room, but they were your parents. They should love you more than any embarrassment. You had stood on their doorstep, pounding on the door and screeching until night fell. But the door never opened. They probably weren’t even home. They had kicked you out and fled. You collapsed against the door, staring at the sliver of moon which hung in the sky. That’s when Mark came. You had known Mark your whole life. He lived down the street from you and was by far the coolest kid on the street. All the boys wanted to be his friend and all the girls wanted to be his girl-friend. He was your first crush and your first love. Being two years older than you, he had already gone off to college. So when he came and crouched down in front of you, you were shocked to see him. He had undoubtedly heard you screaming, the whole neighborhood had, but he didn’t say anything about it. He didn’t ask about it or offer any false words of hope. Instead, he held out a hand and asked if you wanted to grab something to eat. As you board the bus, you smile at the memory. His face had shone with kindness, but all you wanted was to tell him to fuck off and leave you alone and stop trying to be nice. With him there, you couldn’t curl up in a little ball and cease existing. But you said none of that. You couldn’t. While the thing inside you was probably no bigger than a grain of rice, it needed you. Without you, it couldn’t survive, and you refused to abandon it. Your love for it would be greater than any embarrassment. So you took Mark’s hand and let him pull you up. He grabbed your suitcase and, with his hand still wrapped around yours, started walking down the street. He did all the talking which was shocking because he never talked. Mark was always the quiet, mysterious type, but tonight he was a fountain of words. He told you about how he was studying to be a teacher and about his roommate Jinyoung who was also pursuing education. The two of you headed to a local restaurant, and over a steaming bowl of soup, he continued to speak. Eventually, you started talking too and joking. He never asked about the pregnancy or made any comments about it. For one night, you were able to just be you. After dinner, he offered you his sister’s room for the night. Being older than him, she had already moved out. Hesitant, you declined, but he assured you his parents wouldn’t mind. Having no other options, you relented and agreed. His parents didn’t mind. They welcomed you in with open arms, showing you the spare room. A towel lay folded neatly on the bed with little bottles of shampoo and soap. After a warm shower, you laid down and fell asleep instantly. The next morning, you woke before any of them. During your shower the night before, you had accepted the truth. The life you had lived before came to an end when the second pink line appeared. Your parents made it very clear you no longer had a place here, and you couldn’t live of the Tuan’s kindness forever. Before they could wake and talk you out of your decision, you left with only a note to thank them for their kindness. Life was hell after that. Working, raising a kid, and putting yourself through college, you wonder how you did it. There were lots of tears and sleepless nights, but you survived. After all your hard work, you were able to land a good job and send your son to a good school. He loved his school, especially his teacher Mr. Mark. It wasn’t until that first parent-teacher conference that you realized Mr. Mark was your Mark. That had been a fun night, followed by more fun nights. Over the school year at different functions, you and Mark had filled each other in on those years since you left. He regaled you with the tales of him and his friends, and you allowed him a glimpse of your hell. Feelings you had thought long dead floated to the surface. They weren’t the same though. The infatuation of a young girl had matured into respect and appreciation and desire. For a time, you entertained your childhood fantasies. Then your son swore. Standing there watching Mark comfort him, you were thrown back to that day on your parents doorstep. After all those years and all that hell, you were still the same girl who needed Mark to step in and help her up. You couldn’t face him after that. The feelings which had surfaced, you forced back down. Your son graduated to second grade and your interactions with Mark dwindled until your son decided to join the school choir. For years, the school choir had been run by a kind old man who had lost his hearing at some point during his tenure. No one had the heart to tell him though. But, before your son’s third grade, the old man announced that that year would be his last. Mark, a music minor, was unanimously elected as his successor, and your son was one of the first kids to sign up the next year. Now, you see Mark on a weekly basis. Thus far you have successfully limited your interactions to polite greetings and small talk. Stepping off the bus, you acknowledge that moving forward this will no longer be the case. The two of you will be working closely until the concert. The feelings you sunk, stir at the prospect, but you force them to still. Mark has always been a pleasant fantasy, but you live in the real world and have dealt with too much shit to indulge in fantasies.

Later that week, you sit hunched over a sewing machine as you curse under your breath. The damn bobbin keeps messing up, and if you have to re-thread the needle one more time, you’re likely to shove the whole thing off the table. Believing the school would have adequate equipment for the task at hand, you left your beautifully functioning sewing machine at home. The mistake would not be repeated again. Next time, you would bring it. 

Needle re-threaded, you run the cloth through the machine, only to hear the whir and feel the tell-tale tug. Before the machine can meet the floor, long hands pull it out of your reach. Glancing up, you find Mark standing above you. A smile tugs at his lips, but he forces them to still. He wants to appear serious. “Would you be able to help me with the set pieces? I’ve finished cutting them out. I just need someone a little more artistic to paint them.” Sewing had offered you the opportunity to distance yourself from Mark, but if you spend any more time with that machine, you’ll end up owing the school a new machine. Maybe that’s what you should do with the swear jar money this time around. You muse, chuckling to yourself. “What?” Mark’s eyes catch yours. “Nothing, I was just- it’s nothing. I’ll just get started on those set pieces.” You stand heading over to the cut-outs. The less talking you do the easier all of this will be. You grab a nearby paint brush and bucket and begin outlining the branches. Mark settles next to a fence as an uncomfortable silence falls. “Do you mind if I put on some music?” Mark’s voice breaks the silence. Your brush streaks across the tree leaving an ugly stain. You hadn’t expected him to speak. Determined to escape the awkwardness, you had filled your mind with everything you had to do for work. “No, I don’t mind.” You clear your throat. “It’s fine.” Music starts as you try to fix your mistake. The two of you continue to work, as the music pushes the silence back. However, the awkwardness remains and grows worse as the night drags on. You continually check your phone, hoping hours have ticked by. But only minutes have passed. “Mom!” Your sons voice enters the room, and you glance up from the bush you’re working on. A relieved smiled slips on your face. Today’s torture is coming to an end. “Hey, sweetie. How was studying at Minnie’s?” You ask as you start to gather up the brushes and paint. Not able to physically help with the concert, Minnie’s mom had offered to watch your son while you worked. ���I finished all my homework.” He beams. “You did? Good job, kiddo.” “Yes…” A glint appears in his eyes. Pushing off the floor, you cross your arms and nod for him to continue. “Since I finished all my homework, I was wondering if we could go and get some ice cream.” He fixes you with those eyes, and you tell yourself that he earned a treat. You’re not being a pushover. “Okay,” He fist bumps the air before you can finish, “We can get ice cream.” You chuckle as he proceeds to do the dorky victory dance he learned from you. “But first, help me clean up. We don’t want to leave this mess for Mr. Mark.” “Oh, Mr. Mark,” he turns to his teacher, “do you want to get ice cream with us?” The invitation should have been obvious. You should have waited to agree until after you left. Now the invitation hangs in the air, and you can’t face Mark. You can barely face your son for fear he will read too much in your expression. Smoothing your face, you turn to Mark with a simple smile. “You’re more than welcome to come with us.” “Sure, I can always eat ice cream.” He returns the smile. Drawing on a strength you didn’t even know you possessed, you manage to keep the smile on your face and nod. With the three of you working together, you finish the clean up in minutes. Down the street from the school is a local ice cream shop which has been run by the same family for generations. Here you three head for the promised treat. Your son is quick to order chocolate fudge, requesting a second scoop when he thinks you’re not paying attention. He receives one scoop with sprinkles. You request the more moderate vanilla. Mark completes the trio with cookies ‘n cream. Outside the shop, benches and tables sit clustered around a little wishing well. Your son plops onto a chair, and you settle on the bench across from him, failing to realize your mistake until Mark exits the shop with his cone in hand. The cluster your son has chosen only has the chair he occupies and the bench under you, leaving the only available seat beside you. Glancing at your son, you find that glint in his eye as he slowly licks away at his ice cream. “Do you mind?” Mark asks gesturing to the accursed spot. You shake your head scooting over until the arm rest bites into your side. Mark lowers himself, careful to keep an arms width of distance between you two. “Mr. Mark?” Your son asks. Mark motions for him to continue. “Did you really know my mom when she was little?” Sputtering turns to coughing as you choke on your ice cream. Mark pats you gently on the back, but you wave him off. “Sorry.” You cough. “Wrong pipe.” “Ummm…” Mark glances at you, but you wave him off again as you regain your breath. “Uh, yes. We grew up in the same neighborhood.” He turns his attention to your son. “What was mom like when she was little?” “We didn’t know-” “She was very independent,” He cuts you off, “like she is now.” “Really? How so?” “There’s one thing I remember from when we were really young. She would wander away from her house all the time, and the whole neighborhood would know when it happened because her mom would rush out of the house screaming. Everyone would start looking for her, and she would be somewhere different every time. When she finally returned home, her mom would rage at her.” “Mom!” Your son accuses. “And you won’t even let me walk to school by myself.” “Do as I say not as I do. Have you ever heard that expression?” You defend your protectiveness. “I was lucky that nothing happened to me.” Mark clears his throat before taking another bite of ice cream. You eye him. “What?” “You weren’t always lucky.” He mumbles, but you still hear him. At your bewildered expression, Mark continues more clearly. “There was one time I saw you wandering, and there was this guy. He made me feel uneasy, so I went and got my dad. And he reported the man to the police.” The knowledge sends a chill racing down your spine, and you stare at him horrified. “After that, I would always keep an eye on your door, and if you ever went wandering I would follow behind.” “You did?” Clearing his throat, he nods, but he doesn’t meet your eyes. “So you were my mom’s guardian angel?” Mark chuckles. “I wouldn’t say that. I was just worried something might happen.” His focus goes to his ice cream as he continues to chip away at it. You stare at him and then a crack in the sidewalk until your ice cream drips onto your hand. Cursing in your head, you lick up the mess and make quick work of the frozen treat and cone. Your son works more slowly, that glint in his eye ever present, so you hurry him along and excuse yourself from the situation. You need to get home before any other secrets come to light.

At work the next week, you sit through yet another meeting. This one thankfully marks the end of the project you’ve been slaving over for the past month. You wish your boss would show his gratitude for your teams hard work, by not having a meeting. Glancing at your co-workers, you can tell they are of the same mind set. Your boss does end the meeting earlier than usual though which everyone applauds. 

As you gather your things and prepare to return to your desk, you hear your name called. Your boss stands on the other side of the room a smile on his face. That smile sends your stomach plummeting. It means more work for you. With this project completed, you had hoped you would receive a reprieve from your overloaded schedule, but you seem to be luckless.

“I’m sorry sir, could you repeat that?” He chuckles at your bewilderment. “I want you to head our new office.” “If I’m not mistaken, that office is in a different country.” He nods. “Of course the promotion comes with a move, but the company would assist with your relocation, and you would be allotted a housing stipend.” The offer is an honor, recognition for all the work you’ve put in. Everyone knew about the new office opening, and the office gossip had all been supposition about who would helm it. You had never given consideration to the idea that it would be you. While work can be exhausting, you are content where you are, and you believed the company was content to keep you where you are. “This is a big change, sir. Could I have some time to think about it?” “Of course, we don’t have to announce anything for another two weeks. Take your time think it over, but I’m sure you’ll find the benefits outweigh any minor inconveniences you face now.” His smile broadens as you nod. Exiting his office, you find your co-workers packing up and saying their farewells. A glance at the clock confirms that the workday has come to an end. You breath a sigh of relief. After that bombshell, you wouldn’t have been able to focus on anything. Grabbing your own bag, you head out of the building to your bus stop. The bus ride home is spent in silence. You watch the world pass by, but notice nothing as your mind weighs the benefits against the “minor inconveniences”. While your boss saw them as minor, you did not see them the same way. Moving meant leaving the apartment you had worked for years to be able to afford. It meant tearing your son from his school and his friends. It meant uprooting the life you had worked so hard to achieve. Did the benefits really outweigh what you would have to give up? You would have a new apartment, probably better than the one you had now, but it wouldn’t be the apartment that you had walked by every day for three years, promising yourself that one day you would live there. Your son would make new friends. The new city would have a good school, maybe a better one than he went to now, but Mark wouldn’t be there. That last thought stills you, and you almost miss your stop. Hoping off the buss, you start towards the school, but the familiar path is a blur as you try to rid Mark from your mind. He doesn’t fit into any of your plans and isn’t one of the “minor inconveniences”. Your relationship with Mark ends at the school gate. As you approach that gate, you find your son standing there talking with Minnie and a few of his other friends. When he notices you, he says his goodbyes and heads towards you. “How about a hug today, kiddo?” You hold your arms open wide, and after a moments hesitation, he walks into them. Squeezing him tight, you breath deeply. “You know I’m the only kid my age whose mom still hugs him?” He mumbles into your shoulder. “That’s either because they don’t want to be hugged or because their moms don’t love them as much as I love you.” You reply, releasing him. He gives you a look, causing you to chuckle. “I was thinking BBQ for dinner tonight. What do you think?” “Really? Yes! Let’s go!” He starts off down the street before you can change your mind.

Sitting at the table waiting for the waitress to bring your drinks, you prepare yourself for the coming conversation. This move will affect him just as much as it affects you. He has a right to know what’s coming and to add his input. 

“Mom, what is it?” His question startles you and draws your attention to him. “What?” “You keep staring at nothing and sighing, and you said we could have BBQ tonight. Something is going on.” Your poker face never was the greatest. Nodding, you begin. “I’ve got some good news, but it could also be bad news.” He nods for you to continue. “My boss called me into his office today to offer me a promotion.” His eyes go wide, and he beams at you. “That’s awesome, mom! You’re the best worker at the company. You deserve a promotion. Why is that bad news?” “The promotion means we have to move.” “Where?” “Another country.” Silence. He stares at you, the joy from moments before washed away by this revelation. “Sweetie-” “Mom, we can’t move to another country. What about my friends and my school and our apartment, and everyone here. We can’t leave all of that.” His voice is a squeak, evidencing the boy he still is. He stares at you with those eyes, and you feel your inside crumble. “I know we would have to give up a lot, and I know that would be hard. But, there are a lot of good things that would come with the new job and the move. We would find you a new school, and you can make new friends. I would be making more money which means that we would be able to do more fun things like go on vacations and adventures.” “Would you be working as much?” You’d be working more. The answer shows on you face. He snorts, crossing his arms. “We won’t be going on any adventures. You’ll be too busy working, and I’ll be home alone with no friends.” “Kiddo, you’ll make-” His glare cuts you off. He’s angry, and he has every right to be. “I think we should both give this some serious thought, and then we can talk about it again.” His response is a huff.

Working with your sewing machine is a relief. If you had to struggle with the demon school machine, you would have gone on a rampage. The promotion has been dominating your thoughts, robbing you of sleep and leaving you peevish. You’ve weighed the pros and cons a thousand times and come to no satisfactory conclusion. Your son is firm in his resolution to stay and refusing to speak to you which irritates your aggravated state. You’re a toe stub away from a full melt down. 

A knock, knock on your work table draws your eyes to Mark who is standing above you with a two steaming mugs in his hand. “Tea?” He offers. While you should say “no” and return to your work because being around Mark isn’t helping your situation, you straighten, stretching the muscles in your back, and reach for the mug. The warmth spreads through your aching fingers, and you sigh as you breath in the tea’s earthy smell. The steam caresses your face, relaxing the muscles. “Thank you.” You mumble as you bring the mug to your lips. “You know even Okoye needed the help of the Dora Milaje when she took on Killmonger.” He states as he perches on the edge of the table. You snort, nearly spilling tea down your front. “What?” “Okoye is the greatest warrior Wakanda has, but she was still able to accept the help of her fellow warriors.” He says, taking a sip from his own mug. “I’m sorry. Are you using a Black Panther analogy to tell me that it’s okay to accept help?” You raise an eyebrow at Mark as you lean back in your chair. Mark smiles and shrugs his shoulders. “It got you to smile didn’t it?” The smile, he referenced, thins to a line, but you can’t keep the edges from tugging upward. “So it at least accomplished one of it’s tasks.” “And the other was to get me to accept help?” “To let you know that you can.” His eyes hold yours, and you feel yourself falling back through time to that day on your parent’s doorstep. The last day you had accepted anyone’s help. “Are you offering again?” Your eyes fall from him as you set the mug on the table, your fingers fiddling with it’s handle. “I’ve never stopped.” His voice is light, and you can hear the smile in it. But the words lay heavy on your shoulders. “Mark-” But you don’t know what to say after that. Does he want you to apologize? Do you want to accept his help? You don’t even know what you want?   “I hear congratulations are in order.” He says sparing you from your unfinished thought. “What?” “Your son told me that you’ve been offered a promotion.” Mark explains. The action shouldn’t surprise you. Your son has been attached to Mark since his first day of school. He’s the first solid male figure in his life. “What else did he say?” Mark pauses, his eyes drifting to a corner of the room. “You said it was okay to accept your help, Mark.” You don’t look at him as you speak, and the words burn on the way out. But you say them in the hopes of alleviating your ever mounting stress. “He won’t talk to me. I’d like to know how he’s feeling.” “He doesn’t want to move. He’s afraid he’ll be alone because he won’t have any friends and you’ll be too busy to spend time with him.” Your son is shy. A truth which you have buried as you’ve contemplated your decision. His fear is well-founded, and it rips at your chest. “You don’t think I should take it.” The irritation that’s been gnawing at you bleeds into your words, turning them from a question to an accusation. Mark holds up his hands in a gesture of surrender, and with a simple smile says, “I think you should do what you think is right.” He relaxes his arms, folding his hands on his lap. His smile and demeanor fit his words, supporting them, but his eyes don’t. His smile doesn’t reach them and an emotion resides in them which sets your heart racing. The emotions which you have been suppressing for years burst forth, and you find yourself asking, “How do you feel about this, Mark?” The question encompasses more than this moment and this decision. The question goes back years to when you were kids growing up in the same neighborhood. You ask him how he feels, but really you want to know why he followed you all those days, why he offered you a hand and a place to stay, why he was with your son at the principle’s office, and why he keeps showing up in your life. “I don’t want you to go.” The answer is simple and soft. No loud declaration or demand. “What?” “I’ve never wanted you to go, but I understand that just because I want you to stay doesn’t mean you should.” He smiles, shattering everything inside of you. “Why?” The question is pointless and self-serving, but you have to know, want to hear him say it. “Because I love you. I have since that first day I followed you on your wanderings.” Tears leak from your eyes, evidence of your wreckage within. “I-I...” You stutter as your brain shifts through the rubble for a response. “I have to go.” You stand up, grab your bag, and run like you did back then like you always do.

“It’s time to go.” Your son informs you. They’re the only words he’s spoken to you in the last week.

You catch his eyes in the bathroom mirror and give him a smile as you nod. “I’ll be ready in just a minute.” His lips remain a thin line as he turns and heads for the door. A sigh forces the air from your chest and slumps your shoulders. After a final check of your make-up, you head out of the bathroom and towards the front door where your son is waiting. He fixes his eyes on  the door as he waits for you to slip on your shoes, and he is out the door the second they are on. He keeps two steps ahead of you the whole way to the school. “How much longer do you plan to keep this up? If we move, are you never going to speak to me again?” “You’re going to take the job.” He whirls around to face you with tears welling in his eyes. Clearing your throat, you respond, “I didn’t say that. I just wanted to know.” “If I say ‘yes’, can we stay here?” Hope has replaced the tears, and you find it wrenches your heart more. “We should hurry. I don’t want you to be late.” You start to walk again, and your son plods along behind you.

The concert is beautiful. The costumes, the set, the singing. Everything turned out perfectly. But you notice none of it. Your attention is split between your son who whispers and giggles with his friends during each song break and Mark who directs the boys with a patient smile. 

Since the night he confessed, you have kept your distance from him, not even helping with the final set up for the concert. Mark never texted or called about your absence. He allowed you your space like he always does. Staring at the most important person in your life and the person who has always been beside you, you make your decision. The weight which has rested on your shoulders since your boss offered you the promotion lifts instantly. You exhale all the stress and smile as you sit back and enjoy the rest of the concert. When the last song is sung and the children take their bows, you stand up and applaud with the rest of the parents. Your son finds you in the crowd. His smile pushes his cheeks into his eyes, and he practically glows with pride. But all too soon, memory returns, and he whips his attention from you. You continue to applaud though until the children take their final bow and exit the stage. Leaving your seat, you head back stage to share your decision with your son. Before you can reach him though, you run into Mark. He freezes when he sees you, and you mirror the behavior. Clearing his throat, he nods to you and continues on his way. “Mark.” He stops. “Can I talk to you?” He turns his eyes finding yours. The way he looks at you stills your heart and stops your breath. He’s searching, and you wonder what he sees. Whatever he saw causes him to nod again as he walks towards you. He leads you to a small alcove which allows you both a modicum of privacy. Standing a few feet apart, Mark starts talking, “If this is about what I said the other night, I want to-” You hold up a hand stopping him. “I’m sorry.” You apologize, staring him straight in the eyes though your mind screams in protest. “I’m sorry I ran then and that I ran all those years ago. I tell myself that I’m strong and independent but most of the time I’m just scared. And I act out of fear. Even as I say all of this to you, I’m scared,” you release a shuddering breath but continue, “but I’m tired of letting my fear control me. I love you too, Mark. I’ve loved you since before I can remember.” The truth flies from your lips leaving you with only fear as you study Mark’s face. He smiles, not big and bright but small and sad. Watching him, your heart plummets. “What I said that night is the truth. I love you, but I know that just because I love you doesn’t mean I can stop you from doing what is best for you.” You blink as your mind works to unravel the meaning behind his words. His response was unexpected and unwanted. Searching his eyes, realization strikes. “The job. You’re talking about the job.” You chuckle to yourself which furrows Mark’s brow. “I’m not taking the job, Mark.” “If it’s because of me…” You both know the end of the sentence. You smile up at him, and yours is big and bright. “It’s not because of you. Well, it’s not fully because of you.” Your smile eases as sensibility asserts itself. “I would be lying if I said you didn’t play into my decision. “The truth is it really is an incredible job. It comes with more money and more opportunities. And for those reasons, I’d be a fool not to take it. But it also comes with more hours and more traveling which means less time I get to spend with my son. You pause, your eyes becoming unfocused as your mind travels back to your early years. “When he was little, and I was putting myself through that hell; I told myself it’ll be worth it. If I work hard now and put in the hours, when he’s older I won’t have to. I can have time with my son.” Glancing back up at Mark, you continue, “If I take this job, I’ll have lied to myself all those years. I only have so much time before my son goes off to live his own life. I want to spend all the time I can with him until that day. “After that day,” you shrug your shoulder, “I’ll take a job with money and opportunities and hours and traveling. So I guess, I’m not saying no. I’m saying not now.” “Not now.” Mark nods with a true smile. “Not now.” You repeat returning his smile. “So what happens now then?” “I wouldn’t be opposed to dinner.” You cock a brow. “I also like movies. Video games occasionally. They’re really good stress relievers.” Mark snorts and nods. “I’m free for dinner most nights. And I also like movies and video games.” “Do I get to go to dinner and the movies and play video games too?” Both of your heads turn to face your son who stands in front of the alcove, smiling up at you two with his hands clasped behind his back, a familiar glint in his eye. “How long have you been there?” You ask. “Long enough to know that you two love each other and we’re not moving.” He smiles up at you. You’re caught between wanting to scold him and wanting to laugh. “And you didn’t think you should announce your presence?” “No.” Mark laughs, and you glare at him, but he continues. Shaking your head, you rub your eyes. “I’m hungry. Are you both hungry?” Glancing between the two, you find them both agreeing. “Good. Then let’s go to dinner, and we can talk about all of this there.” Your son smiles wide and heads for the door. As you start to follow him, you feel a hand slip into yours. Mark meets your eyes and offers you a simple smile. You return the smile and fall into step with him as you two head after your son.

[mushroomminded]

Walkman (2)

Donna confiscated Jake's walkman.

Aaron should have been satisfied by it. He should have been so happy to see that symbol of everything be could never have plucked from the fingers of his brother, but he wasn't. Deep down, he was horrified.

Ever since he could walk, Aaron had tried to take that walkman from his older brother. It was forbidden and interesting and he wanted it. But Jake had always guarded it like his life depended on it. If it wasn't secure in his backpack, it was clutched firmly in his hands, his fingers lovingly tracing the grooves on the translucent blue plastic cover as the disc inside whirled in circles, creating silent sound that always took Jake somewhere else, somewhere far away that his little brother wasn't allowed to visit. It wasn't fair.

But it was Jake's. Dinged up and old and sometimes Jake needed to give the disc inside an encouraging spin to get it going, but it was Jake's. It was his old thing and even Aaron knew that it comforted him. That's why after Jake was flown away in a haze of sirens and red and blue lights that Aaron had bent down and gathered up Jake's backpack, turning the walkman over in his hands. It was dinged and scratched and the headphones were snapped in two, but it was whole. That's why he carried it with him to the hospital every day. That's why he put it in Jake's lap and slid a crisp new pair of headphones over Jake's ear. It was supposed to make him feel better, and the look of restfulness on Jake's face when he pressed play told Aaron that it did.

It wasn't Aaron's to touch. That's why it felt so dirty when his mother dropped the walkman into his hands, the disc still spinning and warm inside and told him he could have it until Jake learned to be nice to him.

Jake hadn't fought it. How could he, in his condition? It seemed like agony for him to move, only prying himself from the bed if he absolutely had to, staggering and crying, leaning up on the wall as he moved so slowly, clutching at himself. Aaron pretended not to hear. Pretended not to notice when Jake would crawl back into bed in the room neighbouring Aaron's, sobbing in pain, the bed creaking as he tried to find some semblance of comfort. Pretending not to see when Jake quieted down, the headphones over his ears, tears spilling from his squeezed-shut eyes, breathing to the rhythm of a tune Aaron couldn't hear.

Aaron passed the newly acquired walkman from hand to hand, turning it, finding the off switch, gathering up the headphones. So long ago he would have wanted to press the phones to his ears, to find out what Jake had been hiding from him for so long, but now the thought made him sick. He glanced into the bedroom. Jake's trembling hand lifted to his chest, wrist still captive in a cast. A soft whine came from the room, stuttering, breaking, as Jake's breathing picked up.

Aaron left to his room, walkman in hand.

___

The walkman stayed on Aaron's dresser. Aaron never once touched it as it sat there, useless, the green and silver disc inside catching light and begging to be spun, but Aaron refused. He listened instead to the room behind the wall.

Jake was whimpering, gasping quietly and letting it out as a high moan. Aaron sat beside the wall, knees pulled up to his chest and listened. Part of him told himself that if Jake called for help, he would help him, but the other part knew that Jake never would. He knew what Jake knew: help wouldnt come if he did.

---

Things got worse.

Jake got up less and less, and he cried more and more. It felt like anytime Aaron was home, Jake was there in the bed, door open as always, openly sobbing to the ceiling, a harsh wail of pure agony. One time Aaron heard his mother come down the hallway and he listened, eyes transfixed on the stubborn old walkman on the dresser. He listened as Donna rebuked Jake for the noise. He listened as she called him a burden to the family, how he was keeping everyone up at night, how he should really be so grateful for how good he had it. Jake didn't cry less after that, his voice was instead just so choked that it couldnt be heard from beyond the hallway.

---

Aaron visited Jake about a week later. He'd watched him from the doorway, listened to him through the walls, but never set foot in the room since the walkman made it's home on Aaron's dresser. Aaron stood awkwardly over the bed for a moment, seemingly unnoticed by Jake until he took a seat at the foot of the bed.

"Mom..." Jake choked out, a sob welling in his throat.

"Aaron," Aaron corrected quietly.

Jake swallowed, sniffling and steadying his breath as best he could.

"Aaron," Jake repeated. Then he burst into tears.

"Why are you crying so much?" Aaron asked, his voice sounding stiffer than he intended.

"It hurts, Aaron," Jake cried quietly so not to draw the attention of his mother. "It hurts so much and I can't move."

Aaron noticed a croak in his voice, thinking at first it was from Jake crying himself out, but quickly wondering when was the last time he heard Jake get up for water.

"You didn't cry so much when you had your walkman."

It was a cruel, horrible thing to say, but Aaron had to know why.

Jake's voice cracked. "It-it helps me Aaron!" He sobbed. "I can't c-calm down without it I can't- it helps me f-forget."

"Forget what?"

"How much it hurts!" Jake's sobs got louder. Footsteps came from down the hall. Donna's short figure appeared in the doorway. She saw Jake cracking and breaking in the bed and Aaron seated awkwardly at the end. She focused on Aaron.

"Let him cry it out," she told him. "He will learn to be grateful."

Aaron nooded quietly. He stood and left, leaving Jake crying behind him.

He joined Donna in the living room. She was watching the news on television, the stories long since passed the horrifying tragedy that befell his big brother.

"I forget he's here sometimes," Donna admitted nonchalantly. "He doesn't do an inch of good for us."

"He's in pain, Mom," Aaron said quietly.

"I should hope so! He was a fool to play in traffic. Hopefully he'll learn something for once."

"He wasn't playing in traffic!" Aaron heard his voice raise after it was too late. Donna turned and looked at him sharply.

"Sorry," Aaron muttered sheepishly. Donna turned back to her viewing, mouth firmly pressed shut. Aaron poured a glass of water and went silently back up the hallway.

---

Jake's friend asked Aaron about him in school. Aaron had never met Jake's friend before and was surprised when the tall, strongly-built boy asked very quietly about his brother.

"I haven't seen him in a long time and I can't get a hold of him. He won't respond to his e-mails," the friend explained, a deep concern written on his face that Aaron was unfamiliar with.

"He's at home," Aaron admitted, "and he hasn't been doing very well."

Jake's friend's face scrunched up in such an expression of worry that it turned Aaron's heart.

"Maybe I could visit him?" The friend asked, softly, gently.

"I'd have to ask our mom."

---

Aaron came home with a small, flat box wrapped in silver-blue paper in his backpack. He stood at the threshold of Jake's room, package in hand. On the top was a white sticker that read "Get Well Soon! I Miss You! -Dan". Aaron turned it in his hands before stepping into the room. An empty water glass stood on Jake's bedside table.

"You've got a present," Aaron said softly.

Jake gave a soft hum in response, not seeming to fully process what was happening.

"From a guy named Dan."

"Dan?" Jake said, trying to lift his head. Aaron held the gift so he could see.

"I'll open it for you," Aaron said, lowering the package and peeling back a layer of the shiny paper. Inside was a brand new CD still in its case. The cover had three men Aaron didn't recognize dressed in black and dusted with golden glitter. He showed Jake the cover. Jake began to cry immediately.

"Tell him thank you for me... please," Jake managed to say.

"I will," Aaron said quietly, slipping the CD case under Jake's fingers and leaving with the wrapping paper in hand.

---

The walkman on the dresser taunted Aaron more than usual. It had gathered some dust but the reflection of the sun off the plastic still hit the wall in such a way he could never forget it was there.

Aaron thought about the CD in Jake's room. Jake had managed to open the case at some point and had oh so gently spun the disc inside and pulled the front cover out to reveal a little booklet with pictures of the band and the words to all the songs. Jake read them quietly aloud to himself, sometimes humming a little tune to go with them. Sometimes when he cried, he'd sputter out the words, gently singing himself to sleep.

It felt like a crime that disc didn't have a chance to spin.

Aaron stood in Jake's doorway once again. Jake was quiet. The booklet was back home in its case and the case was wrapped carefully in his bandaged hand. Aaron wondered vaguely how long those casts and bandages were supposed to be there. The two of them were no stranger to broken bones and it felt like it had been forever since Jake had seen a doctor.

Aaron glanced down at his hands, the old walkman in one and the neatly wound headphones in the other. He took a breath and appreached the bed.

"Jake," he said quietly, crouching beside the bed. Jake turned tiredly to face him, his face more ragged than Aaron remembered. His eyes fell to the walkman. Aaron expected a glimmer of hope in Jake's eyes but found none, only seeing exhaustion and pain as Jake looked back up at his face. Aaron's gaze dropped to the walkman as he unwound the headphones.

"I want you to listen to it," he whispered, gently placing the band over Jake's head, the padded earpieces landing over his ears. He placed the walkman on Jake's bedside table, gently setting aside a half-filled glass of water. He opened the latch on the walkman and took out the shiny silver-green disc, setting it carefully on the table. He then slid Jake's gift from Dan from his hand and opened it, placing the new CD in the player. He gave it a spin like he saw Jake do so many times before closing it and pressing play.

He heard the music fade in. Jake's eyes closed. For a moment Aaron saw his old brother. As the sounds he couldn't fully hear played into Jake's ears, a calm settled over his face. Even as tears formed and fell from the corners of his eyes as he listened, there was some kind of happiness on Jake's face that Aaron hadn't really seen before. As the song ended and the music faded out, Jake's eyes opened again, he turned to Aaron and gave something like a smile. He slowly, carefully put a hand to his ear, turning the headphone out.

"Listen with me," he said.

Aaron's heart jumped. He felt his face turn hot but he leaned in slowly until his ear touched the headphone, until his head was pressed against Jake's. Jake's eyes fell closed once more and his breathing calmed to the tune of the song. Aaron let his eyes fall shut too and he listened, for the first time in his life, to the walkman.

[actor-mark]

Ending and Recap

Hell folks! Marks mun here. Our ARG/Interactive Story is done and I want to thank everyone who came into the server and those of you who followed the blog along. Thank you so much for your interest in this and helping to tell this story. I wanted to put a proper and final close on things and to recap everything that happened for those who may have missed something. We are currently planning a new ARG and taking suggestions in the server, right now our top contender is a film noir eaque Abe based ARG perhaps a murder mystery or hunting Wilford down in one of their stories. Who knows! If youre interested in joinin the next one let us know! It wont be as limited as this one was and will allow folks to play canon characters too! So without further ado heres the recap ------------------ A strange invitation was floating by you, a flashy and eleborate dinner party at some fancy place named Mortem Manor. You thought nothing of it at first until you spotted your name in big golden writing upon it. A little odd but after picking it up you felt a pull to go to this place. Without even looking it up you seemed to know where it is and by the evening you were knocking on the door having traveled all the way there but with no real memory of the journey, all you knew was it took a long time to get there. Upon entering the manor you were greeted by the butler who encouraged you to make yourself at home, and then directed to the greeter named Allistair. An older gentleman that looked like he was two steps away from deaths door, shallow eyes and an eerie stare. He spoke not a word but took your coat and lead you to the current populated room be it the living room or the dining room or even outside. Here you met the other party goers, others who like you received an invitation from seemingly nowhere and all just as confused as you were. If youd been one of the firsts it was a few days before Mark, the owner of the manor, showed his face but shortly after those coming in would meet him right away or even be greeted at the door by him. Immediately Mark gave off bad vibes, too welcoming and easy to explode yet he seemed to do his best to stop that anger from happening. He tried his hardest to make sure each and every guest was comfortable, going out of his way to make comfy sofas and beds to be slept on...yes time was odd in this place... Breakfast was had at 9...though it was uncertain if this was 9am or 9pm it felt like much later. One particular guest seemed to have Marks full attention, so much so that other guests were now being completely ignored and it was clear this whole thing was purely for this one guest. A man going by the name of Light but really named Damien. This of course had Mark convinced that he was THE Damien. Sometime after lunch, the Butler, a suave and handsome man named Benjamin, went missing, with only one guest hearing what had happened and suspected hed been killed in Marks rage. The Maid, a blue haired young man in a skirt named Ethan, took over and was clearly running stressed at the work of two. Strange things were happening in this house, Light even seeing many of the dead in the upper hallway and getting trapped there for a while until Allistair came to silently rescue him. Now most certainly concerned about this place Light wanted nothing to do with the dinner that was sure to soon follow. By now many of the guests had noticed that the exterior of the house frequently changed with no real pattern, but it stopped for a long time in one particular garden with a small shed in the back. Taking the dogs Chica Henry and Spencer out into the yard with everyone Light did his beat to investigate that shed without Marks notice but the creak being too loud he opted out of it. Out of time Mark wuickly hurried everyone back inside but not before Light had discovered the house was in fact spinning on the spot. Having gotten stuck in one place before it changed once more with everyone safely back inside. Shortly after Light discovered that he could in fact slip between worlds, visiting the uoside down as easily as Mark could, but kept this information to himself. He challenged Mark to a game and won information. The exterior moves but why Mark didnt say. Mark in turn won a game through cheating and managed to have Light agree not to leave when the exterior "realigned" fortunately for Mark hed already tricked them into passing that opportunity by going outside with the dogs when it had already done so. At this point a new guest arrived by the name of Mr Sharp, otherwise known as The Phantom. A powerful spirit that had made a deal with Mark to buy this house. A house of the dead. Prior to his arrival at Mortem Manor, Phantom had been dealing with something of a nightmare. A previous ARG named Serverwatch had events leading up to the death of Darkiplier, however soon after its closure, Sharp had been dealing with an odd entity haunting him one that he had trouble seeing which made him curious. Before he could do much to contain it a nightmarish creature slendermanesque was stalking after him, and after finding a small green blood stone he was suddenly sent into the upside down and found himself at the manor. The trip had taken a huge toll on Sharp, going days without food water or sleep. Moving from March 30th to May 13th. He barely made it upstairs to a room when Light encountered him. Sharp gave Light the small green stone to keep safe from Mark. Light could even now hear two odd voices. One from the stone and another seeming to come from Sharp whenever he was close enough. Convinced to come to dinner Light helped Sharp downstairs but as they reached the inner hallway they came across Allistair. His eyes were glowing blue and he didnt seem himself. Surely enough Mark appeared demanding they move aside while Ethan aimed a shotgun. A Hollow is a corpse, reanimated and possesed by a spirit not belonging to that body and then the spirit flees it leaving only an empty shell. This shell still animated acts like a sombie but takes orders from those with a soul spirit. That someone being Mark. However Allistair seemed to have broken his bindings to Mark and before Mark could order Ethan to take the shot, Phantom was able to contain Allistair withing his cane. Annoyed by this mark left and before he too parted Ethan declared that there were many more Hollows. At this point Abe the Detective had arrived after someone supposedly called in about a murder (Ben) and Mark quickly deflated his accusations. Finally arriving at dinner the Chef had put on wuite the spread for them including Bread Rolls that soon became a server meme they were that good. Mark insisted that he had entertainment after dinner such as poker and a performance with himself as the starring role of course. Still confused Abe tucked in and conversations errupted about the past, especially since at some point somewhere Warfstache had also arrived and bestowed milkshakes to everyone at the table. Mark insisted that the old manor happenings had been a joke or a performance, a murder mystery. Clearly no harm had been done if they were all still here alive and well. Abe chose to believe him for now and Wilfords agile mind soaked it up like water to a sponge, just happy that his friends were all here and enjoying themselves over dinner. Once dinner was done, Mark led them to the poker room where they talked. Ever since taking the stone from Sharp it had been burning a hole in Lights pocket going hot then cold then hot again. Annoyed with Marks behavior, Light began picking at him for it. Maybe Celine wouldnt have left if hed been kinder, maybe Amy would like him if he wasnt such a prick. Mark stormed out and one of the guests took after him to make sure things were okay. Shortly after a gunshot rang out but not before Phantom fell asleep only to reveal hed been carrying Celine with him the entire time. Once The Phantom had passed out in his exhaustion Celine took over. Abe managed to help Celine find what Mark was hiding in the room then hurried out after Light. Light and Abe rushed to make sure that the guest was ok and oddly enough they were, Mark declared Abes gun, formly won from him in an upside down dice game Mark had again cheated at, had simply gone off in the drawer, even if there was no evidence. They were interrupted by the ground shaking as Celine broke what Mark had sealed away. Hurrying after Mark Abe Light and Wilford discovered a huge stage in the upside down where the poker room used to be. Its audience made up entirely of Hollows and the guests of the manor. Mark and Celine stared each other down before Celine hurled Sharps cane at him in an attempt to pierce his black dead heart. Mark wasnt falling for it again and caught the cane. A bad thing to happen. Phantoms cane contained the souls of thousands of powerful people. Magicians sorcerers demons anyone willing to make a contract. Now at Marks control. In an attempt to help Light stepped between them however the closer proximity to Celine had the stone in his pocket turn to lava temperatures and he quickly pulled it free. The stone... It was Damien. Light threw the stone to Celine but with the new power Mark caught it and floated it over to his own hand, crushing it with a vile laugh. Blue smoke seeping from the stone quickly made its way towards Light. In an attempt to stop Damien Mark began to draw his soul into the cane but was quickly stopped by a table cracked over his head from Celine. Connected with Light Damien took control and abandonning her current puppet of Phantom, Celine reunited with her brother taking the new form of Darkiplier and stealing the cane from Mark once more Mark grinned commanding his army of Hollows to attack, but Dark knew better. It was a sacrifice he knew, one that would have Phantom suffer for a long time but one that had to be made. He shattered the cane freeing the souls inside and each soul connected to a Hollow, breaking the hold Mark once had. In a fit of rage, Mark demanded his only remaining Hollow, Ethan, to incite a spell at the burial site of his old body, but Ethan too had broken control and instead of protecting him, burnt his body instead. The result caused a backdraft effect, black fire consuming the whole manor. With a final punch to the jaw from Abe, Mark went down. Dark ushered everyone out but Wilford made sure everyone of the guests made it out okay, even going back for the body of the guest who had indeed been shot by Mark. In his final moments Mark declared hed return laughing as his soul scattered into the black flames. Dark fled and Wilford warped Abe to somewhere in the Bahamas, getting a drink for them and then laughing out a "catch me if you can detective" Once the place had burnt to the ground the outside realigned again, the shed from the garden still standing. A dark and mysterious entity peering out before closjng the door again. Seems experiments were going to get interesting from here. ------ Again thank you everyone for joining, and thank you for reading! We hope to see you on our next adventure! - Mort/Mark

[shazyloren]

Little Lyanna

Summary:  Jon is out of his mind with worry, trying to busy himself as his wife labours their baby into the world... They've been trying so long, and they had once thought it would not happen.

Notes: As you know, I am taking part in a challenge on tumblr by user 'JonerysFic' and 'MhysaOfDragons' in which for seven days from Valentines day I am uploading a new one shot. The prompts have been provided and the stories have all been written and I gotta say you're in for a lot of Jonerys content. So Day 7, the last day, 20th February, which is when I'm uploading this, the prompt I chose was 'Free Choice'. So I got thinking and decided to expand on my glorious reign series and give you the birth of their first child, Lyanna.

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17864576

----

Jon was going crazy.

Waiting for the arrival of his and Dany’s child had left him drinking with Tyrion in the hands quarter as a promise to Dany that he’d stay away while she laboured their baby. All of the dogs in King’s Landing were howling, due to the storm that had captured the city and by extension scared the inhabitants into staying inside. Lighting and rain, flashing and fierce. There had been four storms since he and Dany assumed the throne five years ago, but this had by far been the worse. Ironic that their child would also be known as Stormborn like it’s mother, but that also left deep rooted fear within Jon himself.

He wondered if she would survive, after all both of their mother’s had perished when giving birth to them, although Sam was dealing with her, the only person he trusted. But there was still this nagging feeling of fear within him that meant he was on edge and pacing the hands chambers all the while it was going on. He could stand on the Balcony and see their chambers from it, but he wouldn’t know what was happening.

They’d lost a babe already, after the first time they’d made love on the boat from dragonstone to White Harbour, Dany’s bleeding had not arrived. They didn’t count their chickens before they hatched, both of them knowing what happened to her last babe, but when her belly had began to swell with life they were joyous. Jon requested they not tell anyone, as only Missandei, Sam and themselves knew at that moment. But about ten weeks after the conception, Dany bled hard and the babe was lost.

She’d cried for weeks in private with him, they’d shared his chambers and it had been heart-wrenching to see her suffer. She put on a smile for the lords of Winterfell, and when they’d caught her crying she’d always played it off as the lose of her Dragon, which in a sense was also her child. So when her belly had become swollen once again six months ago, they’d been very joyous yet extremely cautious. Jon had not let her do anything, she was to relax for the first few months, must to her annoyance.

And now, she was in labour, a month early.

To make matters worse, Lord Baratheon and Lady Stark (Jon’s sister) had sprung upon them a surprise visit, which meant they too were in the hands chambers, drinking with him as the entertainment Tyrion had quickly thrown together for the visiting family got cut short. Daenerys was in the middle of giving a speech when she’d gushed on the floor and began to feel light headed.

She was early, and this was all the more reason Jon was worried. The chances of both of them surviving was very small, but he’d hoped that she had, they both had. If she was to go… Jon couldn’t even bare to think about it, he loved her so hopelessly that the even consideration that Daenerys Targaryen, his wife, his queen, would never see him again, would never look at him with those eyes, was completely consuming him

“Stop pacing, you idiot” Arya grumbled, fiddling with a knife, twisting it between her fingers. The Valyrian blade that Bran had bestowed upon her all those years ago, before he’s met his end… Jon shook his head and did as he was told. He may be the king, but when Ayra said to do something, he listened without question.

“It’s natural to be fearful, Your Grace” Tyrion countered, pouring red wine into his goblet and almost downing it instantly. “But I can assure you she’s in very good hands”

Jon knew she was, Sam had delivered several babies now including that of his sister, Sansa’s two children with her husband up in the north. He may be Lord of Horn Hill, but he also was their maester, and Jon trusted him more than anyone else besides Daenerys.

“Perhaps we can do something to take your mind off of everything, Your Grace?” Gendry offered. Nothing would take Jon’s mind off of it, he knew as such, but he took the bate and sat down at the table with the other three. “Are there any pressing issues that need resolving in the city?”

“We’ve been dealing with a speight of theft in flea bottom” Jon shrugs, reminding himself that flea bottom needs to be renamed as it wasn’t the hive of poverty it had once been in the era of the Lannisters rule. Jon and Dany had more than enough comforts here in the Red Keep that he’d make monthly donations of food and clothes that were worn by servants down to them and handed them out personally.

“Okay, let’s focus on that then”

It worked for maybe twenty minutes, until Jon swore he heard screaming all the way across the Red Keep. He knows he didn’t, it was more than likely his mind playing tricks on him, but still, it was enough to stop him from wanting to commit to the City’s issues and think about her instead.

He didn’t pray to the old gods, after all he’s seen in the world he doubted any god’s existence anymore, but he did pray to Sam’s ability that he’d keep her alive, both of them. He should’ve ignored Dany, stayed with her until the end, but it had been hours and she’d begged him to go until it was done. He wouldn’t if it was a case of not wanting to seem weak, or not wanting to see the birth, or perhaps if she did pass, she didn’t want him to see it in front of his eyes.

Whatever her reasons, it was a decision that was driving him crazy and fearful and almost alone.

“Sansa has birthed two children, both of which were successfully delivered by Sam, stop having a crisis you’ll look like you’re supposed to be celebrating your fiftieth name day” Arya was growing impatient and Jon did not blame her in the slightest, but had they known about the baby they lost, then perhaps she’d know why he was frightened for his Queen.

Sansa knew now, shortly after the war and her engagement and subsequent wedding to Gawen of House Glover, she’d come to Jon about bleeding heavily and unsure of anyone to turn too. She’d suffered a miscarriage and it had affected her mentally. Jon had offered comfort and told her the story of her and Dany losing one and from that moment, Sansa had dealt with the issue better.

“I’m her husband, she’s my Queen, let me worry” Jon sighs, thinking back to the times in which his worries were the living dead killing all of men-kind.

So much had changed and so much was still to change now that he and Daenerys were to become parents. The capital had been so happy at the news of their King and Queen welcoming a child soon, and thankfully, the other lords in the kingdom had too. Jon had struggled with it on some occasions. A child was something Jon had always wanted but never envisioned he would have when he was serving on the wall, but something that had come true and very shortly, he’d have to be a father.

Would he be a good one?

“Your Grace” Jon hears behind him and so he turns to note several guardsmen and Sam, the Maester and man he trusted amongst everyone else. He was covered in blood, as was to be expected after delivering a baby, but his appearance still filled him with dread.

“Is everything alright?” Tyrion is the first one to speak.

“Mother and babe are both alright” Sam nods and Jon almost wants to fall to his knees. The relief that over spills in his body is almost too much to handle. He doesn’t know whether to sit down, to run to Dany’s side, to kiss Sam even. “The Queen has lost a lot of blood however, so she needs to rest up for a few weeks, eat plenty and drink lots of water to get her up and running again” Sam takes a small pause. “It’s a girl”

Arya squeals piercingly into the air and yet Jon isn’t affected by it, he’s just shocked, his entire system falling apart as he imagines a small girl in his arms. A girl, a little daughter to call my own, our beautiful miracle, our beloved angel . Jon needs to see them both, he need to hold her in her arms and look at the beautiful life he and Dany created together.

“Can I seem them?” Jon ask, knowing that even if Sam said know he’d still go anyways. Sam just nods and that’s all Jon needs to start a quick pace towards his own bedchambers.

The halls are quiet when he leaves Tyrion’s chambers, only guardsmen with smiles on their faces as Jon feels glee and anticipation build in his chest. He follows the way to his chambers that he was so familiar with at this point, seeing servants cleaning and clearing stuff away, seeing cats up on the balcony, seeing the steps to their space. She was there, his little princess was waiting for him, and his queen too.

When he reached the door to his chambers, he was greeted by Missandei who was holding sheets covered in blood, she was smiling brightly when her eyes connected with Dany’s. Clearly happy both the Queen and the girl were okay. She gleefully grins before heading off in the direction Jon came from, leaving him to open the door.

The sound he was greeted with was like music to his eyes, a soft gurgling and a sweet song that melted away every fear in his body. He did not know the song, he thinks perhaps she made it up, but her voice is tunely and melodic and the happiness that was radiating from it was enough to send Jon wild. He sees them then, Dany, sat up in the bed with a small clothed babe in her arms. Jon, in an instant, is at her side.

“Stars above” Jon whispers as Dany kisses him on the cheek. “She’s absolutely perfect”

As he looked at her, he notices she has been born with a thick head full of hair, black hair like his own and a little bit all over the place. Her eyes however, magnificently violet and delightfully wild. Jon knows the babe can’t see them both yet, but she was content just being in her mother’s arm.

“I’m glad you’re here” Dany sighed, Jon knew she was tired. “She needs to hear her Father speak to her”

She passed him over and for what felt like hours, Jon just held her in his arms and looked at her. She was the most perfect creation that has ever been because of him. He loved her with every drop of blood in his veins, every breath in his lungs and ever word in his mouth. He whispered to her, promised her that he would protect her until his last breath, love her until he could not any longer and he even shed tears. He was sensitive in the moment but he did not care.

She was a dream.

“I want to call her Lyanna” He says out of nowhere, not having heard anything Dany had said, just cut off from it all as he stared at the perfect babe in his arms. “I think my mother deserves that” He stated. After everything his own mother went through, everything she and his real father gave up for him, and after wanting to know about her and finally finding out the truth, Jon felt sure that was the little babe in his arms name. “If that’s okay with you”

“Little Lyanna Targaryen” She sighs, sleep wanting to take his wife over. She was now laying down, hoping to get a moment of sleep. Jon did not mind, it meant he got to hold his babe for longer. Little Lyanna Targaryen, it was. “I like it, then if we have another one, we’ll call him Robb”

If we have another one, we’ll call him Robb.

Jon liked the idea, but they had everything they needed for now. Him, his queen and their beautiful Princess Lyanna. A life Jon never envisioned, but one he was grateful of nonetheless.

[cordytriestowrite]

(Not So) Platonic Affection

Bucky x Reader

Summary: You and Bucky are finally on good terms after a rough start. But is this really better than it used to be?

Try not to get to distracted by his abs!

Read Part 1 here

More parts to come!

You ended up being the last one down to breakfast the next morning. You almost skipped the meal all together but you knew that would say more about how you were feeling than showing up. So you trudged into the kitchen begrudgingly.

"Morning gorgeous."

It was Bucky who greeted you today. Almost like he was waiting for you to come in. Your cheeks reddened and you hid them behind your hands, feigning rubbing sleep from your eyes.

"Morning gorgeous." Sam mimicked winking at you and pushing Buck's shoulder playfully. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to leave your room.

You sat down in the space between Thor and Rhodey. Thor poured your coffee, earning a small peck on his massive shoulder. With coffee and food in your system you felt less tired. If it weren't for Bucky addressing you directly every once in a while you would have been able to believe last night never happened. And the winking! He winked every time you made eye contact and sometimes he would bite his lip too. It was practically vulgar and you would have totally lost your sanity if not for Sam, sitting right next to Bucky, mirroring his actions and making you smile through your constant blush.

"Alright heroes." Tony cut through the chatter. He sat low in his chair next to Steve, his head leant on the super soldier's bicep and arms across his chest. He was dressed in his usual silk pajamas and sunglasses, but had procured a tooth pick to complete a uniquely Tony Stark style.

"I dont actually have anything to say. Just wanted all eyes on me." He finally admitted when the table had gone silent. With a round of laughs and 'boo's' everyone rose to start go their separate ways for the day.

"Ready to go (Y/N)?" Wanda asked as she reached your side in the hallway. Her hand slipped into yours with a gentle squeeze. You and Wanda usually sparred in the gym after breakfast but so did Sam and Bucky. Breakfast was already enough with those two today.

"Let's go to the weight room," you said hoping she would not question the change in their routine. She smiled and pulled you through to the elevators.

"Is this about Bucky?" She asked in the same tone one would ask about the weather. You choked on nothing and despite knowing you were alone in the elevator you eyes searched the room before responding. You really hoped she wouldnt ask.

"It's weird Wanda." You sigh. You proceed to tell her your conversation from last night. How Bucky confessed he used to like you and how he doesnt anymore and that makes him feel comfortable to treat you lik part of the team. She listened intently and when you stopped talking she stayed silent, lost in her own thoughts.

"Wanda?" You started. You weren't expecting her to tell you everything would be okay. You were kind of expecting her to tell you that you were being ridiculous and overthinking. But you didnt expect silence after all that. Wanda finally looked at you and opened her mouth but it was then the elevator doors opened. Both your attentions were drawn to the movement and you knew your conversation was over, at least for now.

The weight room was usually used by Thor and Steve and today was no exception. But you did not expect the doors to open and reveal Thor lifting an entire weight rack with one hand. Sometimes you forgot he wasnt human. He put the rack down gently when he noticed you.

"Welcome ladies." He called, making Steve aware of your presence. It was rare to see you here voluntarily. You hated weight training and preferred to be flexible and lithe in battle. Leave the heavy lifting for the super soldiers, gods, and Hulk. Now that you were here, being eyed by Steve like a gazelle who stumbled into a lion's den, you weren't sure this was better than facing Bucky.

-

"Come on (Y/N) only 5 more." Steve called encouragingly from the ground below. He had roped you into an upper body workout you desperately needed and had desperately avoided since being shown this room in your welcome tour three months ago. You were currently hanging from slats installed in the roof and only 5 slats away from the ladder that would take you back to safety. You were sweating and shaking and every word the captain threw at you made your jaw clench in agitation.

"Fuck off, Rogers." You shot back for the hundredth time since starting this stupid drill. If at any time you needed to climb roof beams you wouldn't. You can teleport dammit that's what you would do instead of hanging like an idiot from the ceiling. But that didn't matter to Steve.

"Love you too." He sang back for the hundredth time since starting this stupid drill.

You faintly heard the ding of the elevator doors past your own heavy breathing. Five more slats and you could climb down and never use your arms again.

"So this is where you've been hiding." You heard from below you. You didnt need to see him to know Bucky Barnes had not only found you but just called you out on hiding from him in the first place. And worse than that were the giggles of Wanda and Thor who you had last seen doing pull ups. Well Thor was doing pull ups and Wanda was wrapped around his torso as extra weight. Why couldnt you be face to chest with a shirtless god right now?

"Fuck off Barnes." You groaned.

"Only five more." Steve called his reminder.

You didn't look down. Didn't want to see Bucky and Steve below you smiling at your pain. You practically growled your way to the next rung. Then sobbed as you managed to move one more.

"Yes!" You heard Steve's cheer coupled with clapping from all around the room. You smiled to yourself. And made the mistake of looking down.

Right at the base of the ladder you needed to get to was Bucky smiling proudly at you. That is until you made eye contact. You watched in slow motion as his face changed to a dramatic grimace and his hand lifted the hem of his shirt to show his clenched stomach. The surprise of seeing his tan, hard abdominals and silly face cause you to lose focus on your grip and next thing you knew you were falling to the ground below.

This is why if you were stuck dangling from a roof somewhere you would just teleport. Just in case the bad guy was super hot, super fit, and not at all interested in you romantically when you just realized you might be romantically interested in him.

One second you were falling twenty feet down to the ground and the next you were materializing before Bucky, entirely safe but pissed as all hell.

"Fuck you!" You pushed him with the little might you had left in your screaming muscles. The force didn't even push him back and instead of increasing the distance with a push you really only found yourself against his chest.

He was laughing. He hadn't stopped since he had sent you falling. He laughed as he wrapped his arms around your shoulders. He laughed as he pressed his lips to your sweaty forehead.

You wanted to be upset but you were so exhausted. You only found yourself chuckling into Bucky's soft shirt, savoring the closeness and the rumble emitting from his chest.

"Sorry doll." He murmured against your forehead. His laughter had finally subsided into a content warmth that spread from his lips and arms into your tired muscles.

"I forgive you." You muttered. Your eyes struggled to stay open and tethered to reality.

"I need to go," you finally managed to say as you moved your head away from Buck's chest, not realizing until then that his lips were still on your hairline. "I'm gross and exhausted." You further explained when Bucky did not let go of your shoulders and let you walk away.

He removed his metal arm from your body and you expected his real arm to follow suit but it still laid heavily on your back. You pulled away further and looked up at him confused.

The way he was looking at you made your breath stutter in your throat. It was the same look he had toward you last night, like he could stay this way forever. If your heart was not already beating at a dangerous rate it definitely reached a deadly level when you felt his metal thumb brush against your bottom lip. His eyes flicked between your gaze and where his thumb rested.

You had to get out of here. The touching, the looks, the teasing, just about everything to do with Bucky Barnes was becoming too much to bear. You focused the last of your energy on getting away from him and to the safety of your room. Appearing gently on your bed you yet again felt that a part of Bucky still lingered on your skin. You subconsciously licked your bottom lip where his thumb has rested as you finally succumbed to your bodily exhaustion.

@salty-buchanan

[darkgreiga]

Wishes, Dreams, and Memories Chapter 31

Fandom: Rune Factory 4 Rating: T (to be safe) Genre(s): Adventure, Hurt/Comfort Characters: Lest, Dolce, Pico, Amber, Dylas, Leon, Frey, Arthur, Margaret, Forte Summary:  She had a wish to see him again. He had a dream of her last moments. They had their memories of having only each other. The amnesiac Earthmate never knew that by bringing his best friend back wouldn’t make his daily life go back to normal. Nor did he know she was the key to his and his ancestors’ past. Chapters: list Navigation: <<prev   |   next>> Author’s notes: The first chapter of the last arc is here!

Chapter 31 – Calm after the Storm

-Lest’s POV-

After the battle, Kane managed to find us in the castle after he had gone to the cave to escort the Guardians out safely. Frey explained everything to us, about how the Guardian’s corruption could affect even Venti, and we also told everyone about our relation to Ethelberd and Halwell. The news was a surprise to them as much as it was a surprise to me. After all, we don’t even look like the Sechs emperors by the outside and inside.

Two weeks have passed since that day. I can’t tell whether the corruption is completely gone or not, but all I can tell is that Venti is doing a lot better than when the corruption was still at large. Frey isn’t staying in the castle with us anymore, but she still visits us at least once every two days. She still has duties to attend back in the capital, so she can’t stay longer than a few hours.

I’m starting to feel that she is a close sister to me, but on the other side I can still tell that she’s not telling us everything. None of the Guardians or Kane actually paid attention to Frey’s wound back then, expect for Dolly and Pico. She looked like she was aware of something about Frey, but for some reason, she’s keeping it from me. I can’t actually force her to talk about it, but the fact that she’s hiding something from me is bothering me somehow. Why can’t you just talk to me about it if it’s actually bothering you?

-Third Person POV-

“Sweetie, will you stop staring at me?” the sound of his wife snapped Lest out of his trains of thought, realizing that Dolce was standing in front of him.

“Oh, sorry,” Lest shook his head to make sure that he was completely awake before putting his hoe over his shoulder, “Well, I’ll be working in the fields for the time being so let Frey know when she drops by to visit.”

“I will,” Dolce nodded before giving him a peck on the cheek, “Work hard, okay?”

Dolce watched as Lest left for the fields before Pico popped in front of her, “Are you sure about this, Dolly? Shouldn’t you say something about it to him?”

“No,” Pico followed Dolce closely as the two of them headed for the kitchen, “I need to be certain about the facts first. What we’re thinking now is just the conclusion we come into after we looked at her wound.”

“You’re scared, aren’t you milady?” Pico’s words made the Guardian stop her activity, “You know how it feels to lose a family… well, both of us do.”

Dolce let out a sigh as she turned to Pico with a frown, “He’ll know the truth sooner or later. I don’t want him to think that I’m hiding everything from him.”

Pico let out a sigh and smiled, “I think you’re worrying too much, Dolly. A bit more than usual, I guess,” Pico watched her friend working in the kitchen, “I guess I can see how much your love for Lest had changed my Dolly!”

A blush appeared on the Guardian’s face as she continued cooking, “S-Shut up!”

Lest let out a tired sigh before he admired his handiwork on the field, which was completely clean of garbage from the storm two weeks earlier. Crop seeds were planted on the tilled field and they had already been watered. His job on the field was finished and it was time for him to do his work in town.

Just as Lest was putting down his tools at the edge of the field, a scroll fell out from his pocket. He picked up the fallen scroll and the emblem of the Sechs Empire was visible on the scroll’s paper. A frown came to his face as he remembered the scroll’s contents when it was first given to him.

-Flashback-

“So…” Lest spoke up to Arthur and Kane as the three of them were in Arthur’s office, “The empire is requesting me to be the acting emperor?”

“Yes,” Kane nodded as he rolled the scroll he was holding and handed it over to Lest, “Lord Halwell still hasn’t awakened after a week of recovery even after getting help from the best doctors.”

Arthur turned to Lest, “It would be sad to see you go, but I will not force you to go if you wish to stay.”

Lest turned back to Kane, but stared at him for a moment before speaking up, “I’m sorry, I can’t.”

“No, I understand,” Kane responded with a smile, “The higher ups only requested for you because of your relation to Lord Ethelberd, but they never forced me to take you back.”

“Speaking of which,” Arthur interrupted, getting Kane’s attention, “How is the empire doing currently?”

“Much better than when everyone was corrupted, that’s for sure,” Kane replied with a shrug, “Everyone remembers what happened, but they don’t really know why it happened. Other than that, the corruption in the empire seems to have disappeared without a trace.”

“I see,” Arthur nodded in understanding, “If there is anything else we can do to help, please let us know.”

“Of course,” Kane nodded, “My main purpose for coming here is to deliver the scroll, but I’ll tell the higher ups that you can’t take Lord Halwell’s place.”

“Okay, I’ll see you later,” Lest waved the soldier goodbye as he left the office.

-End of Flashback-

“The acting emperor?” Ventuswill asked as Lest showed her the scroll in the dragon room, “Hey, I guess I’m right about you being royalty after all!”

Lest let out a laugh, “Don’t be too proud on it, Venti. You need to remember who my father was.”

“I know,” Ventuswill paused for a moment as she stared at the wall, “Speaking of Ethelberd, I think I recall hearing something when I was still in the forest. I know that I recognize that voice, now I remember that it was him.”

“Wait,” Lest looked at the dragon god in surprise, “You met him in the Forest of Beginnings?”

“Not exactly meeting in person, though,” Ventuswill put her claw under her jaw as she tried recalling the encounter, “I can only hear his voice saying that he won’t surrender until all Earthmates perish.”

“Can he still be alive in there? And corrupting people into doing things they shouldn’t do?” Lest asked.

“No,  that won’t be possible,” Ventuswill shook her head, “Humans can’t stay and live in there for a long period of time. If a person stays there for longer than they should have, their body will soon break into runes. Even so, the soul would still remain in there forever unless there’s a special case that they’re resurrected.”

“Just like what happened to you,” Lest added, “But if his soul is still there, can he do any harm to the world?”

“Hm…” Ventuswill went back to her thoughts, but nothing came into her mind, “I’m not sure, but I think it’s very unlikely.”

“I hope so…” Lest let out a sigh, “This corruption thing just happens to come and go without a reason and a trace. I just wish that there’s a clue somewhere so that we can prevent it in the future…”

“And then, he ran around the house in panic while yelling that there was a deadly scorpion in the house!” Frey and Pico broke out into laughter while Dolce simply chuckled as she sipped on her tea.

The three girls were hanging around at the castle’s balcony with Frey telling stories about the siblings’ daily lives in the past. Two plates of flan were sitting on the table untouched as the three were busy talking. Pico was completely taken into the conversation, but Dolce had noticed that her guest hadn’t touched either her tea or her flan.

There was a single question she had been meaning to ask Frey and her observation prompted her to pop the question right away, “Before we hear more of those stories, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

“Sure, we can talk while you have your flan,” Frey responded as she simply looked at her share of flan.

“Okay,” Dolce took her share of flan, but the scent of her favorite meal suddenly made her feel weird in the stomach, “Ugh…”

“Are you okay Dolly?” Pico saw as Dolce put a hand on her mouth before shaking her head.

“I’m fine…” Dolce uncovered her mouth before taking a spoonful of flan, only have the weird feeling on her stomach come back, “Not again…”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Frey asked worriedly as she took the flan from Dolce’s hands, “You look kind of pale.”

“I’m… okay… ugh…” Dolce quickly rose from her seat and ran inside, heading straight towards the bathroom.

“Is she sick or something?” Frey turned to Pico.

“That would be my best guess…” Pico turned to the barely touched desserts, “Dolly really loves sweets like flan and cakes, but she’s been avoiding them for the past week for some reason.”

“Hm…” Frey tapped her chin as she was thinking, “I don’t think she’s suddenly become bored of eating her favorite dishes…”

“That’s impossible. There’s no way she’s going to give up on her all-you-can-eat cake routine every-” Pico was silenced with a single talisman landing over her mouth.

“You’re saying too much,” Dolce had just returned from the bathroom, but her face told the other two that she wasn’t feeling that much different than before, “Sorry for that interruption.”

“I don’t mind, but I don’t think you look well at all,” Frey replied worriedly, “I’ll tell Lest about your condition when I see him, so why don’t you two just stay home until he gets back?”

Dolce let out a defeated sigh, “That… might be the best…”

Lest let out a tired sigh as he pushed the castle door open while carrying an extra paper bag with him. With Dolce taking her temporary leave from her evening shift, he decided that it might be best for them to eat dinner at home to let her rest at home. With the ingredients in the paper bag put in the kitchen, Lest left for his room to check on Dolce.

Lest had expected the female Guardian to be asleep with Pico watching over her, the scene he saw was Dolce knitting on the bed with a terrified Pico at the edge of the bed, “I’m… home…?”

“Oh, welcome back Sweetie,” Dolce put her knitting aside and greeted Lest with a smile as she approached her, “How was work today?”

“More or less the usual, I guess…” Lest’s attention was focused on Pico as he let Dolce took his backpack off him, “More importantly, what happened to Pico?”

“Just a simple argument between us,” Dolce replied, completely ignoring the fact that Pico was still in the room, “Are you going to prepare dinner tonight?”

“Yeah,” Lest nodded, “I was planning to make your favorite cake today, so-”

“I want… something else, if that’s okay…” the attention of the other two in the room shifted to her, “I want… some fried veggies…”

The room became completely silent with Pico hovering in front of her with the look of disbelief, “Did I hear that right? Dolly, you never liked eating any kind of vegetables!”

“I’m kind of surprised too,” Lest added, “But if that’s what you want, I guess I need to head out to buy the missing ingredients…”

“Alright,” Dolce nodded, “Sorry for the trouble.”

The two watched as Lest left before Pico turned back to Dolce, “Are you sure you’re fine milady? Do you need Jones to check your condition?”

“I’m perfectly fine,” Dolce let out a sigh before she went back to her knitting, “You’re being a lot more stubborn today. Do you want to be wrapped in talismans again?”

“N-No, please don’t do that again to me!”

[doomednarrative]

Ok, so something sad that happenes but it gets better. Flug, while mixing chemicals together one day for an invisibility serum, manages to somehow grab the wrong chemical to mix with the one hes currently holding, because he was busy shouting at Demencia to "PUT THAT DOWN BEFORE IT SHATTERS!", and the mixutre ends up exploding in his eyes. The rest of his face is fine, but his eyes become damaged. He becomes black and white colorblind. Hes only able to see in monochrome. His visions slightly blurry too, but aside from that and now being colorblind, he's ok. This wouldnt be such a problem, except that he needs to be able to see the colors of certain wires to make certain inventions work correctly, and he needs to be able to see the colors of different chemicals so that he doesnt cause a wider scale explosion in the lab. For a while he makes things work. He has to work a bit slower on some inventions, and he often needs Demencia's help in differentiating colors of liquids and machine parts and such, but other than the slower pace, which agravates Black Hat a good bit, all is the same as it was before the incident. One day however, Flug comes into the lab to find a suprise on table: a pair of goggles that will fit over the bag he wears. (Prior to this he didnt wear goggles over the bag. He just had eyeholes cut out of it.) He goes to put them on, and almost screams when he does because EVERYTHING IS BRIGHT AGAIN!! The goggles turn out to have lenses in them that can correct colorblindness and "Holy shit I CAN SEE THE COLORS AGAIN!! THIS IS AMAZING!!" Demencia walks in the lab with 5.0.5 in tow, and notices Flug walking around, looking at everything, clearly happy about something. And then she notices the goggles. "Neat goggles you got there! Where'd they come from?" "I don't know but Demencia, they allow me to see colors again!!!!" And shes kinda suprised because "Wait they make goggles like that?!" And Flugs just so happy because he can finally do his work again without depending on someone else to help him, and this will speed up his work process againc and Black Hat won't be so upset with his work time and - "Wait, Demencia, you didn't get these for me?" "Nope, no idea where they came from." He's a bit puzzeled, because these goggles obviously didnt just show up out of nowhere. Someone got them for him. Someone who knew he was colorblind. Someone who wasn't Demencia, and certainly not 5.0.5. That left one person. Well, demon more like it. Flug walks to Black Hats office, and opens the door just slightly to see that his boss is busy filling out that years tax forms, because "We may be a team of villains, but we still live in a house and own a business, and as such we owe taxes to the idiotic government that runs this country, and I will NOT have my company run to the ground because of tax evasion!!" Flug waits until he finishes writing up the page he's on, and then steps into the office the whole way. "What is it that you require Dr. I'm very busy at the moment and you have orders to fill." "Well um, Sir I just..just wanted to let you know that those orders you gave me yesterday? They'll uh..they'll be done by tomorrow. Tomorrow morning actually." Black Hat looks up at that because "Flugs work has taken longer than two days since the incident that doesn't add up" and then he notices the goggles. "What's with the new headwear Flug?" "Oh the goggles? They appeared on my um. My desk this morning. They actually..they correct my vision?" "...meaning?" "I can..i can see colors again Sir." Black Hat sits back for a minute, taking in the information. "Is that why you'll have those orders done so quickly compared to your normal time?" "Yes Sir." "...fair enough. Make sure they're as good quality wise as the ones you've been producing. We don't want to sell rushed work to our clients and ruin our reputation now do we?" "No Sir, of course not. I'll um..i'll have them ready and done well by tomorrow morning for you." "Good. Now go back to working on them, I need to finish these forms, least my company go down the drain from failing to comply with thw government's asinine rules." Flug turns to leave, and gets halfway out the door, before turning back to Black Hat. "You wouldnt..you wouldn't happen to have been the one who got the goggles for me, were you Sir?" Black Hat looks up, small scowl on his face. "Of course not Dr. Why would I ever do such a thing like that? I have no idea who gave them to you. Just be greatful that you have them now and get back to work." "Yes Sir, will do." And with that Flug leaves. He doesn't see the small smile on Black Hats face after he leavws because "he liked the goggles I got for him."

[tumblunni]

Today’s pointless headcanon/oc for Yo-kai Watch! I dunno if there’s an actual word for taking a vaguely described backstory character and turning them into their own thing? Kinda an oc, kinda not... Anyway, some spoilers for Dr Maddiman’s new sidequests in Yo-kai Watch 3 which I just heard about today and CRIED A LOT OVER!

Okay now it has been officially confirmed that new YW3 Yo-kai Dr Kagemura is officially Dr Maddiman’s son who grew up! Imagine the world’s largest tears falling down my goddamn face right now. I really like that there was so much subtle evidence of it before this dlc update sidequest thing came out, it was a good way to build hype! Like Kagemura Hospital is apparantly what the Nocturne Hospital was called in japanese, and one of the preset nicknames when you catch Dr Kagemura could be read as ‘His Son’. Thanks infinately to kaialone for all those amazing translation posts, I’m so happy to know that all their work paid off with that headcanon coming true! Also, does this mean he’ll be called Dr Nocturne in the dub? Or I wonder if they might change it up a bit. Cos in japanese Maddiman’s name calls him a hospital director instead of JUST a doctor, maybe kagemura’s dub name might make it clearer that he’s lower ranking? I dunno if its a very important detail though, beyond making it easier to guess that theyre related. But the dub will probably include all these postgame bonus sidequest downloads as part of the main package, so it doesnt really matter as much.

ANYWAY THE HEADCANONS

Like.. I just want this whole awkward family to have a happy ending. Headcanon of what if Maddiman’s ex-wife also became a yo-kai!

I can hope for this!! or, at least, I can hope that if we ever hear more about kagemura’s backstory specifically then we can know if his mum ended up living a happy life in those 50 years before the game starts. But seeing how young kagemura seems to have been when he died, that’s got me worrying if his story ended up just as tragically as his father’s did. My old headcanons about this were that maybe maddiman’s son was very sickly as a child, and thats what started the whole ‘i will take over the world with yo-kai in order to protect my family’ obsession. And then the idea was that kagemura’s resentment of his father caused him to become obsessed with becoming a better doctor, putting everything into studying for medical school and dying in his late teens from overwork combined with his weak constitution. TRAGIC HEADCANONS! The Perfect Spice For Tragic Canon!

Aaaaaanyway, mystery unnamed wife lady headcanons! I was thinking if she became a yo-kai she might be like Nurse Taykeabreake, Laxy Daisy, maybe even Shirkly Temple? Or, tbh, it would make more sense if she had a different job to her husband. Easy Rider -> Easie Writer? I know that Cutta-Nah already exists as a Yo-Kai that makes people lazy, and there’s plenty for sleep, but I’m sure we could figure out a similar yet distinct thing to go with. maybe she’s specifically about procrastinating your homework? I’m thinking she’d look like a stereotypical strict teacher, or maybe a newspaper journalist or something. And her personality would kinda be that way, she’s all neat freak and easy to anger, and takes everything super seriously even though her ‘lessons’ are on how to completely fail at being productive. Eight hour essay on not writing essays! Oh, lol maybe she accidentally causes people to become MORE productive, cos she’s so bad at her job? XD

But yeah, the idea would be that her yo-kai form was manifested from her desire for her husband to come home from work every now and again. Just like his workaholic nature was exaggerated into mad science, her trying to get him to loosen up and take care of himself turned her into the personification of no rules ever. in a very strict and ruley way! Imagine if she ended up getting a gaggle of friends along the way too, but for her she just ended up in a group of baddinyan and co. Acts as the mom figure to all the gangsters! (”man look at how dirty all your jackets are!” *gets halfway to the washing machine before falling asleep*) Or maybe this could be an excuse for why her son appeared as a yo-kai before her? Like ‘i was gonna come back from the dead but I procrastinated’. So she only appears after her son and ex-husband reconcile and visit her grave together.

And the personality I’m thinking of for her is kinda just like the stereotypical ‘nagging housewife’ cartoon character, but portrayed sympathetically. Cos its not like she didnt have reason to get angry at him, this is the man she loves and she barely even sees him anymore, and he’s potentially gonna get himself killed in some extreme experiment and she doesnt even know that his motive for starting this all was just to protect his family in his own mad way. If anything, what little we know of her is that she’s abnormally patient with him. She put up with it for a long time, it seems, and deciding to divorce him and move back home must have been equally as painful for her. At least, I think it would be even more tragic if it was that way, yknow? Nobody is really a villain of the story, but it still ended up horribly because of just lack of communication and bad timing. I think her and maddiman always used to bicker and stuff, but it was more like a comical clashing of two larger than life personalities. Maybe they met in medical school and started off as just best friends, she was always all ‘darn it, stop with your endearing social awkwardness!’ and he was all ‘you need to relax, yo!’ and she was all ‘NO U NEED TO RELAX. AND ALSO STOP WEARING THE SAME LABCOAT TWO WEEKS IN A ROW’ *lovehearts in the air, somehow* Sassy couple. best couple. It all looked so promising at first! If anything, the problems came from when they stopped arguing, and just started being silent and stewing in their problems. Until it boiled down to a guy spending all day in work to avoid talking about his marital issues, just to come home and find that his wife had left a divorce note, unable to face him either. :(

And probably... honestly even if they both came back as ghosts, i doubt they would get back together. I think they would be incredibly happy to see each other, and they would be able to talk about what happened and apologise, but still they’ve changed so much that getting remarried wouldnt really be on the table. They’d totally be amicable exes and best friends, but its hard to start a relationship again when you know your breakup literally caused everyone in the family to die horribly and become earthbound spirits of misfortune. That’s a bit of an epic divorce... OH MAN I JUST GOT THE FEELS AGAIN Like... Maddiman’s diary talks about how he doesnt even take care of himself cos he’s so obsessed with work, and how his wife would complain as she tried to wash his clothes after he forgot to change them for weeks. So imagine like “oh god what would you do without me” and the answer is LITERALLY DIE! We don’t know HOW he died, but the japanese version seems to imply that he literally died halfway through writing this diary and just kept going. Like... after his wife left he just locked himself in his lab and kept working until he worked himself to death, and then got back up and kept working for fifty years afterwards... Can you imagine his wife and son’s perspective?? You still love this guy, it was really painful to leave but you thought it was necessary to give your kid a good life. Maybe you hoped that it’d be a wake up call and your ex is better off without you. You think about him every now and then and wonder if he’s doing okay, you wonder maybe about visitation rights for his son when he gets older. Then the first and only thing you hear about him in years is that he’s collapsed on the job and been hospitalized in critical condition. Maybe she had her own turn at being the one who walks through the door to find the worst possible goodbye? Desperately packing up all your things and flying back to japan to try and see your ex-husband in a coma, but when you walk into the hospital you find he’s just passed away. And then her and the child had to live the rest of their lives never knowing that he was just a few streets away as a yo-kai still haunting the same office. DEPRESSING HEADCANONS! FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY!

seriously i just have to happy headcanons after this plz yo-kai hugs for all of this sadly doomed household ghosty ex-wife: Sit up straight and take your slacking off lessons! *agressively buries maddiman in blankets* *drags him away from his work with giant buff demon arms*

[allcheatscodes]

minecraft xbox 360 edition xbox 360

http://allcheatscodes.com/minecraft-xbox-360-edition-xbox-360/

minecraft xbox 360 edition xbox 360

Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition cheats & more for Xbox 360 (X360)

Cheats

Unlockables

Hints

Easter Eggs

Glitches

Guides

Achievements

Get the updated and latest Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition cheats, unlockables, codes, hints, Easter eggs, glitches, tricks, tips, hacks, downloads, achievements, guides, FAQs, walkthroughs, and more for Xbox 360 (X360). AllCheatsCodes.com has all the codes you need to win every game you play!

Use the links above or scroll down to see all the Xbox 360 cheats we have available for Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition.

Also Known As: Minecraft

Genre: Simulation, World Building Sim

Developer: 4J Studios

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios

ESRB Rating: Everyone-10

Release Date: May 9, 2012

Hints

Herobrine In Your World

One way to tell if Herobrine is in your world is: sand pyramids in water, random objects in stange places (example: a layer of long flat bedrock and finding a block of sand). Trees with no leaves on them, just wood.

Phone

Walk up to a crafting table and have: iron, glass, and black wool.

A Tip On How To Find Diamonds

First, you have to dig to bedrock. And then go up 6-9 blocks up. This does not always work but it should help you find more diamonds.

How To Find Diamonds Easily

1 . Dig a staircase down to bedrock.

2. Carve out a room with torches and chests

3. Dig 2 tunnels 1 block apart

4. Dig straight in the tunnel until you find diamonds (WARNING: THE DIAMONDS U FIND ARE PROBABLY THE ONLY ONES YOU FIND! ) It is also a good way to find coal, iron, redstone, lapis, and gold!

Exploding Bed In The Nether

When you try to sleep in the nether, the bed explodes (the explosion is more bigger than a creeper and a tnt).

A Dark World

Have a piston, a glowstone, a switch, and also glass. Put a piston down facing up. Then have a glowstone on top of the piston. Put a glass block on the glowstone. Put a switch next to the piston. [you will only see darkness].

Surviving The First Night On Any Difficulty.

An easy way to survive is to first get 8 blocks of wood, any type. Then, make them all into planks and use 4 to make your crafting table. If you spawned in a swamp biome, this is convenient as you can climb the trees with vines, and don’t have to make stairs to climb trees. Place the wood on top of a tree, so as to make a wooden platform. The reason you need to make a treehouse is that no mob can get to you, even those pesky enderman. Place the crafting table down on the platform, and if you have enough wood, make a wooden axe and sword. Then find 3 sheep, collect their wool, and head back. On the way to and from your hunting grounds, kill as many cows as you can, as steak regenerates the most hunger. Craft a bed and place it down. If you have enough wood and time, make a wooden shovel and pickaxe and start digging for stone to make stone tools. I HOPE THIS GUIDE HELPED YOU.

A Good Start

When you spawn, immediatly go for the nearest tree, and cut down as many as one day can give you, but before the sun goes downm find 2-3 sheep, make planks, make a crafting table, then make a bed and dig into the side of a hill. Then start mining the next day.

How To Make Obsidian Nether Portals

There are two ways to build a portal. 1: you need cobblestone on each corner and obsidian the rest then flint and steel or 2: you can do all obsidian you decide.

How To Make A Door

To make a door first you will need 6 wooden planks for a regular door and 6 iron ingots for a iron door.

Empty the Chest Quickly

If you have a chest and you want to get everything out quickly,you hit/mine the chest and then everything will fall out of the chest and you will collect the chest!

How To Make Charcoal

You need a furnace and wood logs and wood planks. You put the logs in the bottom and you put the wood in the top and you have made charcoal.

Nearly Unlimited Lava Supply

1) dig 5 holes in the ground to shape a plus sign (+).

2) gather 4 buckets of lava

3) fill the outer holes with lava

REMEMBER: only take from the center or this will not create more lava.

“Unlimited” Water Supply

1) dig 4 holes in the ground forming a 2×2 block square

2) gather 4 buckets of water

3) fill ALL 4 HOLES with water

4) enjoy not relying on leaving your home to get water from the ocean!

Tips for Your First Day

On the first day, it is best to find a cliffside with trees nearby. If theres trees, theres dirt. You could go two ways in the short time:

1) make a quick fort out of dirt, but be sure to give it a roof! Spiders can attack you without a roof. I made a 3x3x3 cube house, and put a hole in the top to tell time of day.

2) climb a tree and hide in the top of it, using the wood you cut from the top as a roof. This is what I did on my first go, but I wouldnt recommend it without a plan of escape.

Survive The Highest Heights

Looking for something to land in when falling off a cliff? Well, you should try doing this! Make a pool 5 blocks by 5 blocks, and at least 3 blocks deep, or if its a very tall cliff, at least 6 blocks deep. I would recommend STILL water instead of running water. I did some experiements, and still water is easier to swim up and out of instead of running water. I also wouldn’t recommend dropping your ‘useless’ materials in there and hope they despawn, because you will just pick them up. TIP: Use the shift key (or if your playing the xbox version, press the right toggle stick), before jumping off, just in case you are over to the side. CAUTION: CANNOT BE USED AS A WATER SOURCE!

Caves

Whenever you see a cave, go in it. This is because you might find gold or diamonds in the cave. And you might want to bring some torches and a pick-axe. The chances that you’ll find valuables in the cave are pretty good.

Cheats

Duplicate Items

This trick requires two people and a dispenser. Get the material you want to duplicate and put it in the dispenser. Make sure you only put in one of the item. Put it in the dispenser and have your friend on split-screen or online – it doesn’t matter) and break the dispenser. When they break it, the item you want more of turns in to a stack of 64. Put it in your inventory then put it in a chest. Then put it in your inventory and do whatever you want with it. CAUTION: Do NOT quick move the item to your inventory or chest or else that 64 stack WILL be deleted. Repeat as many times as you please.

Unlockables

Gamerpics Unlockables

If you kill ten Creepers you will unlock the Creeper Gamerpic. If you mineredstone, you’ll unlock the Gamer Picture (Steve).

Steve Gamer Photo

To unlock the Steve Gamer Picture, you just need to mine redstone. Once you do,the Steve Gamer picture is unlocked.

Avatar Awards

A Minecraft Watch : Play the game for 100 day to night cycles.

The Creeper Cap : Kill a Creeper with Arrows.

The Pork-Chop T-Shirt : Earn a Cooked Porkchop.

Xbox Live Premium Minecraft Theme

When you get to the “Pause” menu, press “Y” to take a screenshot of the world.Next, upload the screenshot to your Facebook account.

Easter eggs

Have Your Dragon Egg

First kill the end dragon push LT on the egg go to the egg put a piston behinde it put the lever next to the piston pull the lever & grab it then you get your own dragon egg.

Glitches

Guns Glitch

When you are at the cratfing table, make sure you have 8 gold ingots and some gunpowder. If you do, you should see a little box and it should show a bullet. Note: abullet gives 10 ammunition and another box by it. If you have and iron ingots, you can make some weapons and yes if you keep creating things with supplies and use to many ingots and gunpowder it may not work. It ONLY WORKS AT NIGHT. I’m not to sure how it works but it does.

Duplication Glitch

First, you need to have a dispenser which you can make from a workbench. After that, you need to start killing some creeps because you need some TNT. Place the dispenser outside and right next to some TNT. Go inside the dispenser menu and place it in the middle what ever you want to duplicate. Then quit out of the dispenser menu with your object still inside, then hit the TNT (you will take damage so try to have gear on). Go back into the dispenser menu (before the TNT explodes) and the object will change to sixty four (click it fast though) the item will duplicate even if its something you can’t stack up the number , like a diamond sword for example you can’t have two separate diamond swords and put them together to make a bundle of two but with this glitch you can. After you got the stack of sixty four press and hold down the x button in a empty slot, the sixty four will go down but then when your one sixty four pack runs down to zero from placing them your sixty four will repeat and then you will have two sixty four packs.

Infinite Health Glitch

This trick involves two people. The person who wants to have infinite health sits down in a boat, (with a bed beside him), then while in the boat activate the bed to sleep in it. Have your friend destroy the bed without hitting you. The man who was in the bed will appear in the boat again, have your friend destoy the boat. Now you are invisible, yet you have infinite health. Only you can’t activate objects until you exit the game.

Easy Duplication Glitch

First you will need 2 people, a stone pick-axe, the thing you want to duplicate and a furnace. One person puts the thing you want to duplicate in the ingredient box and hold the x button. The other person destroys the furnace. If 2 items pop out of the furnace then it has worked. 1 will be the regular piece the other will be a duplicate piece. WARNING: THE FURNACE MIGHT EAT THE THING YOU WANT TO DUPLICATE! Try with simple items first, in case your item is destroyed.

Duplication Glitch (AFTER PATCH)

This is a simple cheat to do, though it may take a while.

Items needed:

1:Furnace

2:Pick axe

3:Spade

4:Somthing you want to duplicate

Start by taking every thing out of your inventory, except the four items. Place the furnace down on the ground. Next, place the item you want to duplicate into the top middle of your inventory. The only things you should have in your tool bar are the pick axe and spade. Now start breaking the furnace with your pick axe. When its about 90% broken, (still holding the mine trigger), switch to your spade. The furnace should break, then pop back. Now, quickly open the furnace interface. Take the item you want to duplicate, and hold down A when its in the FUEL box. (must be fuel). The item you should keep popping in and out. Keep holding A until the furnace breaks. Two items should pop out. The one in your inventory is the original item. Put it in a chest. Now there shold be another item on the floor, thats the glitched item. Walk over it and it should appear in your tool bar. Switch to your spade and open the chest with it. Pick up the item ( there should be a number 64 with it now. ) Drag it to a box in the chest and hold down X. (Must hold down X! ) It should keep placing itmes. Keep holding X in each box until your chest is full. (TIP: now place the glitched strack in your tool bar, this should give you over 1000 items in 1 box! )

WARNIG: GLITCH MAY NOT WORK THE FIRST TIME, AND MAY TAKE AWAY YOUR ITEM, SO BE PREPARED TO HAVE MORE OF YOUR ITEMS ON HAND.

If your having trouble, just comment and i’ll get back to you asap. Thx.

Duplication Glitch For Dispenser

Get a dispenser, there are 9 slots in the dispenser. So put any weapon/block or basically anything in the center slot. Then while you still have the dispenser displayed someone else will break it and you should still have it displayed and it should turn into a stack of 64. Then take it out put it in your inventory, and hold down x until you have another stack of 64 keep doing that and you can have as much of it as you want. [also can be turned into more stacks in a chest not just your inventory. ].

Guides

Currently no guide available.

Currently no guide available.

Currently no guide available.

Achievements

Achievement List

Acquire Hardware (15) – Smelt an iron ingot.

Bake Bread (20) – Turn wheat into bread.

Benchmarking (10) – Craft a workbench with four blocks of wooden planks.

Cow Tipper (15) – Harvest some leather.

Delicious Fish (15) – Catch and cook a fish!

Dispense With This (20) – Construct a Dispenser.

Getting an Upgrade (15) – Construct a better pickaxe.

Getting Wood (10) – Punch a tree until the block of wood pops out.

Hot Topic (15) – Construct a furnace out of eight cobblestone blocks.

Into The Nether (40) – Construct a Nether Portal.

Leader Of The Pack (30) – Befriend five wolves.

MOAR Tools (15) – Construct one type of each tool (one pickaxe, one spade, one axe and one hoe).

Monster Hunter (20) – Attack and destroy a monster.

On A Rail (40) – Travel by minecart to a point at least 500m in a single direction from where you started.

Taking Inventory (10) – Open your inventory.

The Lie (40) – Bake a cake using wheat, sugar, milk and eggs!

Time to Farm! (10) – Use planks and sticks to make a hoe.

Time to Mine! (10) – Use planks and sticks to make a pickaxe.

Time to Strike! (10) – Use planks and sticks to make a sword.

When Pigs Fly (40) – Use a saddle to ride a pig, then have the pig get hurt from fall damage while riding it.