#two siblings with the most lethal face cards

[pedgito]

PEDRO & LUX PASCAL attending the 'GLADIATOR II' global premiere

[serymn31]

HotD S2E3 raw reaction

I hate watch House of the Dragon with the expectation that it will be bad and ridiculous, with Rhaenyra bias, and I don't expect too much. For me, this episode was less dull than the first two and had its comedic moments. Spoilers ahead.

House of the Dragon or House of the TIME SKIPS? Seriously, this is a lazy trick. The Blackwoods vs Brackens started out as a street fight then BOOM, all of them are dead in the battlefield. They could have given us an epic battle and showed us more about this conflict, about two houses who just needed the flimsiest excuse to kill each other. The two new faces were pretty good for their short screen-time too. Bracken Twink has a lethal face card too. Hope they kept them longer but of course this show will kill anything that will make it interesting.

HARRENHAL is my goth dream and Alys finally showed up and she’s beautiful! I don’t know why there were people who are against Gayle’s casting but with her show look she’s perfect for Alys.

We get a vision scene with young Rhaenyra sewing back Jaehaerys’s head, but this show can’t give us an interaction between Helaena and Jeahaerys when he was alive. Who are MOTHER AND SON.

I actually like that they showed us more of Baela and Rhaena. Rhaena is probably my team black favorite, frustrated, misunderstood, and her family doesn’t value her because she has no dragon yet. Also, have I said FUCK CORLYS yet? This shows that everything is not sunshine and rainbows in Team Black.

Rhaenys is a weird character but I kind of have a soft spot for her. Maybe because I love to see a woman of Eve Best’s age on screen. In this episode, it feels like Rhaenys knows that it won’t end well for her? And she still fought for Rhaena’s claim for Driftmark.

Aegon and Aemond in the brothel. Peak sibling energy from Aegon right there.

Aegon doesn’t look that bad actually when he’s moving in the armor. In the photos he looks like a bug.

JAEHAERA SIGHTING

GOD Gwayne is so CUNTY. What a spoiled bitch! I actually like how Criston put him in his place and reminded him that there’s WAR

Rhaenyra disguising herself to talk to Alicent personally? I agree on most of the criticisms of this scene but from a dumb lesbian POV this was gold. It was so FUNNY. Rhaenyra is flustered and obviously didn’t think this through. “I will be slain but not before I kill you.” It was hilarious.

Damn, why is this always about Viserys? Why do we have this dumb misunderstanding on Alicent’s part. Whether what Viserys wanted or not, Aegon has a pretty strong claim too. However, Alicent was right. There’s really no turning back and its too late for Rhaenyra to stop it.

Good on Rhaenys for reminding her that Aemond’s eye was cut out which indirectly lead to this tragic turn of events

I would like to see an interaction with Helaena and Aegon but Helaena baby, it’s okay for you to grieve. I feel like Jaehaerys’ death is continually being minimized by the writers. Also Helaena’s room is a dream.

That’s it. I actually spoiled myself on tumblr before I watched and let’s see if I still have the attention span for next week’s episodes.

[mt07131]

Blurbs under the cut

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

When war orphan Rin aced the Keju—the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the academies—she surprised everyone: test officials, the guardians who wanted to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise, and even herself. But being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not easy at Sinegard, the most elite military school in Nikan. Targeted by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers that gods long thought dead are very much alive and that she possess a lethal, unearthly power—an aptitude for the nearly mythical art of shamanism that could be the weapon the empire desperately needs. While Nikara is at peace, its enemy and former occupiers, the Federation of Mugen, bides its time... and a Third Poppy War is just a spark away. Rin's shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. Yet as she discovers more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity. And it may already be too late.

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

On the day Oliver Marks is released from jail, the man who put him there is waiting at the door. Detective Colborne wants to know the truth, and after ten years, Oliver is finally ready to tell it. A decade ago, Oliver is one of seven young Shakespearean actors at Dellecher Classical Conservatory, a place of keen ambition and fierce competition. In this secluded world of firelight and leather-bound books, Oliver and his friends play the same roles onstage and off: hero, villain, tyrant, temptress, ingénue, extra. But in their fourth and final year, good-natured rivalries turn ugly, and on opening night real violence invades the students' world of make-believe. In the morning, the fourth-years find themselves facing their very own tragedy, and their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, each other, and themselves that they are innocent.

All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O'Donoghue

When attention-hungry Maeve Chambers finds a dusty pack of tarot cards at school, she soaks up the celebrity that comes with giving eerily accurate readings to her classmates. But when Lily O'Callaghan—Maeve's former best friend, whom she betrayed last year—is finally goaded into sitting for a reading, she selects a card that shouldn't be there at all. Two days later, she disappears. Consumed by guilt, Maeve teams up with beautiful, sophisticated classmate Fiona and sexy, mysterious Roe, Lily's older sibling, to try and find her lost friend. But as the three combine their unnatural talents to bring Lily back, they must face the dark forces keeping her trapped before she's lost forever.

Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson

Artemisia is training to be a Gray Sister, a nun who cleanses the bodies of the deceased so that their souls can pass on; otherwise, they will rise as spirits with a ravenous hunger for the living. She would rather deal with the dead than the living, who trade whispers about her scarred hands and troubled past. When her convent is attacked by possessed soldiers, Artemisia defends it by awakening an ancient spirit bound to a saint's relic. it is a revenant, a malevolent being that threatens to possess her the moment she drops her guard. Wielding its extraordinary power almost consumes her—but death as come to Loraille, and only a vespertine, a priestess trained to wield a high relic, has any chance of stopping it. With all knowledge of vespertines lost to time, Artemisia turns to the last remaining expert for help: the revenant itself. As she unravels a sinister mystery of saints, secrets, and dark magic, her bond with the revenant grows. And when a hidden evil begins to surface, she discovers that facing this enemy might require her to betray everything she has been taught to believe—if the revenant doesn't betray her first.

Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard

A strange darkness is growing in the Ward. Even Coryane an-Amarat can feel it, tucked away in her small town at the edge of the sea. Fate knocks on her door, in the form of a mythical immortal and a lethal assassin, who tell Corayne that she is the last of an ancient lineage—with the power to save the world from destruction. Because a man who would burn kingdoms to the ground is raising an army unlike any seen before, bent on uprooting the foundations of the world. With poison in his heart and a stolen sword in his hand, he'll break the realm itself to claim it. And only Coryane can stop him. Alongside an unlikely group of reluctant allies, Coryane finds herself on a desperate journey to complete an impossible task, with untold magic singing in her blood and the fate of the world on her shoulders.

The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh

In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans is a safe haven after she's forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent in the middle of the carnival season, Celine is quickly enraptured by the vibrant city, from its music to its fancy soirées and even its danger. She becomes embroiled in the city's glitzy underworld, known as La Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group's enigmatic leader, Sébastian Saint Germain. When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in Sébastian's own lair—the second dead girl to turn up in recent weeks—Celine battles her attraction to Sébastian and suspicions about his guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret. After a third murder, New Orleans becomes gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose—one who has now set Celine in his sights. As the murderer stalks her, Celine finally takes matters into her own hands, only to find herself caught in the midst of an age-old feud between the darkest creatures of the night where the price of forbidden love is her life.

Slay by Brittney Morris

By day, seventeen-year-old Kiera Johnson is an honors student, math tutor, and one of the only Black kids at Jefferson Academy. But at home, she joins hundreds of thousands of Black gamers who duel worldwide as Nubian personas in the secret multiplayer online role-playing card game SLAY. No one knows Kiera is the game developer—not her friends, not her family, not even her boyfriend, Malcolm, who believes video games are a "distraction to keep the Black man from becoming great." But when a teen in Kansas City is murdered over a dispute in the SLAY world, news of the game reaches mainstream media, and SLAY is labeled a racist, exclusionist, violent hub for thugs and criminals. Even worse, Kiera faces potentially being sued for "antiwhite discrimination," and an anonymous troll infiltrates the game, threatening to harass all the players and take over. Driven to save the only world in which she can be herself, Kiera must preserve her secret identity and harness what it means to be unapologetically Black in a world intimidated by Blackness. But can she protect her game without losing herself in the process?

[imlyfie]

Saw a lot of Malcom Pace headcanons and gotta admit him the Stolls, Clarisse and Charlena (rip) are my most favourite side characters to ever exists.

So with that being said with Malcom introduced as Annabeth's second in command, and for Annabeth to actually reach that level with him you cannot deny to my face/screen whatever that they caused Chaos together...LIKE....????

__________________________________________

•I need Malcom being the only Athena kid who Annabeth warmed up to when she first came to camp in one of the most unideal situation a seven year old can find themselves in BECAUSE THEY ARE THE SAME AGE AND MONTHS APART but act like they're a millenia apart.

•I want Malcom and Annabeth arguing about them being the Head Counsellor and Second in command which always ends with Annabeth saying "I'm older so you should listen to me" and getting replies from her brother like "youre older by two months you blonde head"

•^^Yes because the idea of all Athena kids being blond is ridiculous and I HC for Malcom to either be Asian, Desi or black with hella interest in computing, coding, hacking and astrology. His roots are black/brown with his hair in blond highlights. He has shoulder length hair and it is his pride and joy okay?! His hair his so curly you can mistake it for instant ramen noodles when blond ngl. He prefers like honey brown at the lightest but sometimes Mitchell from the Aphrodite cabin adds in too much bleach. But when he smooths it out its beach wavy and it just frames his square jaw and cheekbones like- perfection.

• Tbh if Malcom was Asian, I HC his face claim to be RM ngl. Whoops- but it's mainly because Annabeth didn't get along with her step-family fast and they were Asian so Malcom was the first step into accepting her own life and letting go of grudges (of her step family) and learning to forgive even if it was one per cent. If he was desi his face claim would be similar to actor Prabhas.

•I need Annabeth and Malcom going off against each other while being the most protective of each other. Maybe even being the de facto parents of their younger siblings.

•Malcom shipped Percabeth since SoM after the cheek kiss and always brings it up to tease her. When Annabeth in her frustration accidentally spills about the kiss in the volcano to him, he never shuts up. He hummed the wedding march loudly and played the wedding march on his flute everytime she mentioned Percy after their underwater kiss for a week until she threatened to rip his tarot cards once.

•I want Malcom to be 100% supportive of Percabeth and give the brother/boyfriend talk to Percy and also tell him embarrassing baby Annabeth stories like how she had a baby deer phase where her legs just shot up faster than her body and she was utter clutz similar to how Sally told Annabeth and Thalia baby Percy stories in TTC.

•I want Malcom to be the rebellious kid of Athena, while Annabeth is the Stereotype kid of Athena (which juxtaposes Annabeth is very emotionally driven just as she is ambitious and a lethal strategist. Meanwhile, I want Malcom to be a stoneface tactician who loves art and is very un-Athena-kid like)

• I want Malcom to get a gift from Athena like the invisibility cap his sister got but it's a communication device disguised as an advanced apple watch which he can duplicate to give someone else the other piece hence he can talk to them, see their location, msg them and send things and shit, its conveinient because it dissappears when no in use and appears when needed. AND HE ENTRUSTS THE DUPLICATE TO ANNABETH

•Annabeth having to deal with a dozen kids lmao and then complaining to Malcom who just makes her a coffee and returns to programming like" uh huh yea okay whatever you say" pissing her off, she throws a dictionary at him. And then Annabeth comes home from quests to Malcom running to her on his knees like "please make this stop" and "now you know what I have to deal with". They eventually settle on an agreement though.

• Them coming up with sketches for builds which have security codes which are impossible for mortals to hack into.

•The summer Annabeth returned from her father's place before both of them really too a chance to care for each other, she comes home to the cabin in tears and Malcom makes her a hot chocolate before going onto his computer and hacking into Frederick Chase's bank account and going "your dad might be an asshole to you but with your word he will go broke af and all the money would be wired to you"

•This method of threat came in handy when they had to save Malcom's dad once who was a lawyer and his opposing council was quivering in fear seeing two teens coming up to them and threatening them.

• Stereotype that everytimeee someonemetons to be like exemplary Cabin Six, which is the most behaved, Malcom and Annabeth share a look and go "uh huh. Most behaved....Totally"

-Flashback to them sacrificing the eldest to get rid of the dust that was formed in the cabin library which looked like cobwebs and there was chaos for an entire week it was the Hunger Games but budget version.

-Flashback to the time when they have Friday Free for All where they either choose strategy games or plan for the chariot races which always, ALWAYS end up with screams and insults and papers pencils and every book and stationary strewn out the floor and shelves until their majestic shapeshifting guard owl scolds them. These are just TWO examples.

• Malcom was so into arguing his points that one of their sisters decks him and Annabeth has to drag his ass into the infirmary and he's like "whatever you're on my side right?" And she's like "pay me fifty Drachmas a month and I'll always choose your side"

-and they get close to Will this way and these three usually are step in medics. Ft doctor Solace and his two wittle assistants.

• Everytime Annabeth and Clarisse are going off at each other Malcom tries desperately to play mediator before everything goes to shit...and well it does go to shit. When they are older, Clarisse and Annabeth act like they are fighting to get on Malcom's nerves.

•Malcom was a hardcore Silena fanboy and held her on a pedestal because she was just so sweet and he always looked up to her. He'd piss off Annabeth with his ranting, while Annabeth pissed him with her crushing on Luke for a few years. He went through a heartbreak phase when he found out Charles and Silena mutually liked each other. Got over it fast enough.

•He was ready to pulverise Luke after his betrayal to CHB because he hurt Annabeth. And he was ready to punch Annabeth because her denial was hurting her.

• Baby Annabeth accepts Malcom much faster than Luke/Thalia/and her mortal half brothers, because they are the same age and he puts effort to know her and pesters her in the ways only brothers can, and baby Malcom is so happy he clings to her like a koala like "Yes! My life mission is complete!!"

•Annabeth curses in greek when pissed, angered annoyed or whatever negative emotion she's feeling. One time her and Malcom partnered up with the Stolls in a training game against monsters and she's so pissed that the Stolls messed up her perfect plan. They eventually win but ends with her spewing so many greek cusses that Malcom and the Stolls are redder than beetroot. Malcom, Percy, Piper and Grover are usually at the unfortunately unintentional receiving end of this treatment.

•Both are skilled in gymnastics because Malcom had to take it as a kid and went through a cultural shock when he first came to camp to find out it is not normal for everyone to know about gymnastics. So he pleads with Chiron and Annabeth rolls up her sleeves, gets her debate journal and CONVINCES Chiron. Ends up with a mortal who is clear-sighted for a tutor, funded by Malcim's billionaire dad, who teaches both Taekwondo and Rhythmic Gymnastics at camp during the months the all-rounders feel lonely because the camper number dwindles after summer. This exercise is a good way to get rid of the adrenaline in their bones. Unfortunately they only stayed until they turned twelve and the lessons stopped.

-Can you see where im going with this?!!! The possibilities are endless! (P.S. annabeth loves monkey bars. You need core and arm strength to like that torture device okay-)

•Adding to my previous hc of Malcom being an un-Athena-kid like he enjoys playing the flute(which is an instrument that Athena cursed) and is very skilled at it.

-And everytime Annabeth has a panic attack in the cabin or when he is burning the midnight oil and Annabeth has the nightmare of the cyclops or Thalia's turning, he plays the flute to calm her down.

-Their favourite pastime is to hand out by the big tree with lemonade from sunset with books until dark, Annabeth reads her architecture books while Malcom brings his flute and tries new tunes with the song books the Apollo cabin lent him. When it's dark and the stars are out, Malcom geeks out and shows her the constellations and the astrologies that accompanies them.

-Its a routine the built up well into until BoTL where everyone is more focused on war. But Post-TOA I believe they catch up to do this tradition of theirs.

• Malcom likes his using his reading glasses which double as sunglasses. And he loots hot in them. Usually when some young Aphrodite girl or Apollo boy tries flirt with him, Annabeth becomes a protective sis™. And vice versa especially when Malcom found out Connor crushed on his sister for a few years.

•Hc Malcom to be the wise grandma type of brother who is always ready to give advice. But denys when he desperately needs it himself. Annabeth is an intellectual and is able to read body languages and pick up cues. But I don't think she is wise in the sense that personally enjoys the long game, and has patience for it. She takes calculated risks and is quick and a fireball when pissed(and she gets easily ticked off).

Malcom is kinda the opposite.

-He lays back and doesn't get agitated easily. Always holds his tongue and plans for the long term, overall just a sweet granny type of brother who we can't help but love. Doesn't mean he isn't ruthless when necessary.

[archived-kin]

you go to a devildom zoo and a penguin attempts to seduce you (the brothers are not happy)

note from kin: this was meant to be out way sooner but covid-19 and a whole lot of catch-up coursework said no to that idea >:(

anyway formatting on mobile is actual ass so let me know if this ends up unreadable!

enjoy, darlings!

fandom: obey me!

character(s): gn!reader, lucifer, mammon, leviathan, satan, asmodeus, beelzebub, belphegor, diavolo (mentioned briefly)

pairing(s): demon brothers/reader, penguin/reader (one-sided), a bat also very briefly tries to seduce you

warning(s): reader really loves deadly creatures which i know isn't really a warning but just as a heads up for those who can't relate i guess??? also this is ended up WAY longer than i intended lmao

genre: fluff (but also crack)

oh the pure joy you felt when you found out that there are zoos in the devildom

zoos full of sphinxes, chimeras, hydras, krakens, manticores, basilisks and griffins, but zoos nonetheless

in fact, you’d argue that the fact that the zoos here are full of potentially lethal legendary beasts is even COOLER

so, naturally, you begged lucifer to let you go to one

his response?

“absolutely not, you could be killed.”

well now that’s just unfair

there are so many things down here in the devildom that could kill you! the heat, the food, the dragons just wandering around in the skies, your fellow students at rad, belphie, not sleeping enough, the stupidly narrow staircases, lucifer himself! in fact, you’d argue that lucifer has already come close to killing you more times than any of those creatures at the zoo

unfortunately that was entirely was the wrong thing to say because now lucifer’s gone all broody on you

you just KNOW he’s gonna spend all of next week either drowning himself in work or sulking in the music room if you don’t cheer him up quickly

so you guess it’s time to pull out the puppy eyes and hope that they work

spoiler alert: they do. you also end up being stuck in lucifer’s arms for about five hours afterwards as he cuddles out all of his negative thoughts, but that’s not a bad thing, so you’re not complaining

the next day, however, you are BACK on your bullshit

and you are back with a vengeance!

you are getting a trip to that zoo whether lucifer likes it or not and you will not rest until you succeed

your first idea is to go to diavolo for help because.... he’s diavolo and lucifer would listen to that demon before anyone, including himself

unfortunately that doesn’t work because diavolo is out on a business trip to the human world with barbatos

(which means your butler buddy, who could probably have helped you make your case, is also out of the picture)

you suppose that you could try getting simeon in on the scheme but you’re pretty sure he’d end up making it worse with his insatiable penchant for teasing lucifer

your final solution?

cry

and it worked a treat too!

lucifer is just a sucker for his human and he doesn’t like seeing them sad okay :((

he finally agrees to let you go to the big zoo just north of RAD since it’s directly under diavolo’s jurisdiction, but he also makes you promise that you’ll take at least one brother with you

(he’s hoping you’ll choose him)

but then you uno reverse card him!

jokes on you, lucifer, your human wants a family day out!!

lucifer would be lying if his heart didn’t swell slightly when you proclaimed you wanted all the brothers to come with you so that you could all spend the day together having fun

although you may have just made a mistake because now lucifer is going to do everything in his power to make sure the day goes perfectly, and if that means smiting the rude demon in line in front of you, then what about it?

(luckily you stop him from the killing someone before you’re even inside, but it was a close call)

the moment the eight of you step into the zoo satan whisks you off to look at the devildom equivalent of big cats

which means the sphinxes and manticores first, then the giant fire-breathing tigers

he’s planning to have a nice heart-to-heart conversation with you while the two of you stroll along the exhibit, but then you both get distracted by how cool the animals are

so the two of you just end up dragging each other back and forth to look at one creature after another

not the romantic scene satan initially had in mind, but he’d be lying if he said this wasn’t also absolutely perfect

holding your hand while you talk enthusiastically about how majestically that manticore leapt thirty feet into the air with your entire face lighting up like the most beautiful lantern in the world? stunning. outstanding. he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

meanwhile, back at the entrance, levi is sulking, mammon is fuming, beel is already stuffing himself with overpriced food stall delicacies, belphie has crawled under a bench to nap while he waits for you to come back, asmo is taking pictures with the extra long-legged flamingo billboard, and lucifer is so preoccupied with trying to figure out just how the hell the walking system here works that he hasn’t even noticed that you and satan have just disappeared into the void

in the end the remaining brothers split off into pairs, all agreeing that whoever is the first to find you and satan will get to have some one-on-one time with you next

and, drumroll please, that lucky pair turns out to be... beel and belphie!

(really they have an unfair advantage though since beel can smell out anyone he knows from a mile away)

meanwhile satan has just spent just about all of the grimm he brought with him on a hideously overpriced plush version of the manticore you were so fascinated with

but the smile on your face when he gives it to you?? the LIGHT that exudes from you when you declare that the plush’s name is now greenie because it has green eyes just like his?? worth it. absolutely worth it.

but uh oh, the moment is soon to be gone, because guess who’s here?

beel and belphie can’t let satan have all your attention! beel is a little more forgiving, but belphie is going to make sure he’s the first to get a kiss today, anti-lucifer club alliance be damned!

he’s not going to admit that of course. instead, he’s going to very subtly hip-bump satan out of the way so that he can hold your hand instead (beel can have the other hand, but if he tries to pull you away, he’s getting what-for.)

normally satan would be pretty miffed by this, but hey, he’s in a good mood right now and he doesn’t want to spoil the day by getting pissy, so he lets the twins get away with it. younger sibling privilege, am I right?

belphie wants to take you to his particular favourite exhibit here, the giant carnivorous cattle with horns the size of chair legs

beel, on the other hand, suggests that maybe you don’t want to see a gargantuan mammal tear apart a giant piece of meat that may or may not have been sourced from a human graveyard (the giant carnivorous cattle are picky, okay? at least they’re not murdering people for the meat)

you, however, are absolutely fearless

besides, what harm can a giant carnivorous cattle with horns the side of chair legs do to you when it’s being kept behind six inches of hellfire trench, with three of the devildom’s most powerful demons close by to swoop in to your rescue?

beel begrudgingly agrees to go see the giant carnivorous cattle, but makes you promise to stay slightly behind him so that he can jump to defend you should they get out of hand

your big strong demon standing in front of you, protecting you as you get to look at a super cool and also deadly creature? you are absolutely on board with this.

(satan is slightly concerned by your willingness to go near creatures that could tear you to pieces in a second, but if he gets to see you smile like that again then... well, what can he say, he’s a simp)

so off you go!

the giant carnivorous cattle are AWESOME. you get to watch a trio of them eat what appears to be an entire car in, like, two seconds, tops, and they don’t even look bothered by the metal disappearing down their massive gullets.

(you ask belphie in an undertone why the cattle are eating cars if they’re carnivorous. his response is that even giant carnivorous cattle need their minerals, so the zookeepers feed them a bunch of the metal stuff you get in human scrapyards.)

(sounds like an RSPCA violation to you...)

you’re practically tumbling over the fence as you lean forward to get a proper look at them and their adorable tiny wings, so belphie ends up having to pull you back

just as he does it, however, he has a very bright idea

so instead of gently tugging you back as he’d originally planned, he practically yanks you into him, conveniently slipping your hand out of beel’s in the process

listen, it’s not that belphie resents letting beel hold hands with you at the same time as him. a demon’s just gotta get his hugs sometimes, alright?

of course you’re a little miffed about being so violently yoinked, so you’re about to turn around and give belphie a piece of your mind, but then he pulls you close to him and nuzzles his nose into your hair

how are you supposed to scold him for that???

he seems so content and he’s even doing that adorable little purring thing demons do when they’re happy that he never does in public

you can’t just pull out of his arms! it’s probably illegal!!!!!

belphie gets a pass for being cute this time. only this time. no more.

(as an aside, this sort of thing happens at least once a day because belphie’s a whiny little baby who can’t go twelve hours without your love)

anyway now beel looks a little downtrodden which you are not having

your solution? wait until belphie lets go of you on his own and then you can give beel a hug of his own.

unfortunately belphie doesn’t seem interested in separating from you

luckily you don’t end up having to deal with that, because then satan steps in

partially because he feels bad for beel and also partially because okay that’s enough touching now, know your boundaries

which means it’s BEEL’S TURN TO SHINE

does this demon want you to die? because that is what’s going to happen if he keeps being so friggin sweet

first of all he buys you a bunch of treats from the nearby food stalls with his own money and offers every single one to you

is he on drugs? is that what’s happening here? what happened to the avatar of gluttony who ate first and asked questions later???

of course you aren’t going to be so cruel as to take every single one of the treats he’s offering when you can physically hear his stomach rumble as he holds them out to you

instead, you take a handful or so and tell him to eat the rest himself because he deserves it

beel almost tears up he’s so happy he loves you so much in that moment

some may say he’s being dramatic but beel says that every moment with you is a treasure and he has every right to be emotional

belphie is a teensy bit pissed that satan simp-policed him when he’s just as whipped but it’s beel so... he’ll stay down

satan, meanwhile, starts snapping pictures of you at every opportunity, most of them candids, to save to the album he has dedicated especially to you, and also to send to the brothers’ group chat to brag

asmo responds to each one with even more heart emojis than the last, levi always has some kind of jealous comment to make, lucifer stays silent (satan knows he’s saving the photos to his own gallery to gaze affectionately at later though), and mammon just keeps sending angry stickers and then quickly adding that they’re not aimed at you but at satan for having the audacity

anyway, the four of you end up leaving the giant carnivorous cow exhibit after spending a few minutes just sitting together on one of the giant benches while you and beel (mostly beel) eat the giant pile of food he purchased

(beel’s not evil so he offers satan and belphie some obviously, but he makes it clear that you’re getting first pick)

beel’s about to ask where you want to head next when

here comes trouble

and make it double

asmo and levi are IN the building (zoo)

levi, having gotten so antsy waiting for you to show up, disregards all subtlety and basically throws himself right at you, scoops you up, and takes off

leaving behind your poor manticore plush, a stunned satan, beel, belphie, and asmo, who immediately starts running after the two of you, shouting ‘hey, that isn’t fair!’

satan, belphie and beel are left to exchange disbelieving looks and attempt to follow

(don't worry about greenie, satan picks him up and vows to keep him safe until he meets up with you again)

meanwhile you are being quite literally swept off your feet

“levi. levi stop i can walk. levi i’m coming to aquarium with you. you don’t need to pull me. levi i’m getting a little dizzy over here. levi please”

luckily you are saved from your impending doom (because, realistically, there is no way mr hasn’t-exercised-in-several-millennia can carry someone halfway across the biggest zoo in all three realms without tripping) by asmo

now, asmo does not like exercise. it makes him all hot and sweaty (and not in the sexy way) and it’s just... not it. however, because it’s you, he will make an exception just this once.

so he grits his teeth, pins back his long-ass fringe with a cute butterfly clip, and runs for it

normally jealous-mode levi will not stop for anything, but a running asmo in the right situation is even more terrifying than a quiet angry lucifer, and a quiet angry lucifer normally means multiple people are getting burnt alive

so what does levi do? naturally, he stops in his tracks, lets out a scream of such a high frequency that he disturbs a flock of deathseye hawks nesting in a tree nearby, and almost drops you on your head

asmo immediately stops running, takes a moment to dab off any sweat on his forehead with his dainty little pink handkerchief, and lets his hair back down

because he is not exercising for a second longer than he has to

anyway, now that you’re not being torpedo’d halfway across the world, you can finally take a second to breathe and actually ask levi what he wants

he goes pink and stares shame-facedly at the ground and refuses to say a word, especially with avatar of lust ‘i like teasing my brothers to the point where it might be sexual harassment’ asmodeus Right There behind you

but you want your purple boy to be honest!! which means it is puppy dog eyes time again

finally, staring determinedly off to the side, levi mumbles, “you promised we’d go see the fish...”

oh your poor heart

you’re inclined to start pressing kisses all over his face, but you just know he will immediately blow up on the spot if you do in such a public area, so you settle on giving him a subtle hug and reassuring him that yes, you will go see the fish with him

now, asmo’s a hoe for attention, we all know that, but even he has his moments

so, making you promise to go see the birds of arcadia with him later, he departs with a wave and a very sneaky kiss planted on your cheek to let you and levi have your time together

thanks asmo

so off you and levi go!

the aquarium FUCKS

sorry that was too strong

the aquarium is GORGEOUS

it’s got this beautiful deep blue-green ambient lighting, and there are enormous tanks for the giant sharks that essentially make up the walls and ceiling

and there are SO MANY FISH!

rainbow fish, neon pink fish, fish with tiny markings that make them look like they have moustaches, fish with scales that change colour every five seconds, glow-in-the-dark fish, fish the size of a small car

literally any kind of fish you can imagine? they HAVE THEM

you’re almost too distracted to notice levi tugging aggressively on your sleeve

when you do, though, he quickly ushers you over into the tunnel exhibit, where the dolphins live

devildom dolphins look pretty similar to regular human dolphins, except they live in what’s essentially hydrochloric acid and are pitch black in colour with bright purple eyes

you’re pretty confused as to why levi wanted to drag you in here so quickly - you’d have thought he’d go for the goldfish, or the venomous water serpents, or even the special hydra exhibit they’ve got for a limited time

but then levi pulls you over to the very edge, taps his fingers lightly on the glass, and... starts clicking and chirruping?

you’re about to very concernedly ask if he’s feeling alright when something amazing happens

the giant male with scars all over it who, according to one of the signs along the tunnel, spends most of his time skulking as far away from the glass as possible and will eat any demon who comes too close, swims over to him

then, wearing the gentlest little smile, levi turns to you and tells you to say hello to captain

you almost yell out of sheer excitement, but you manage to collect yourself

instead, what comes out is an aggressively whispered:

"hello!! hi, captain!! it's lovely to meet you!! i love you!!!!"

and captain loves you too!!!!!

he swims right up to you and butts his nose against the glass

well you can't not immediately press your face against the glass as well so it looks like you're bumping noses with him can you???

so you do exactly that

all the while going "hello!! hello!! you're such a pretty boy!! what a handsome boy!!"

levi almost cries because you are just too perfect

you love captain? and captain loves you too? he seriously has to hold himself back from dropping to one knee and proposing right then and there

after taking a moment to get his heart to calm down, he translates what you're saying to captain, who immediately starts clicking back

and guess what??? captain says you're the prettiest!!!!!!!!! you’re the handsomest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

now you're going to cry

you and levi spend ages in that tunnel together, just talking to captain and holding hands and exchanging little kisses now and then

levi is so in his element here in the aquarium that he isn't even as nervous and stuttery with his affection as usual

it's almost jarring, but are you complaining? absolutely not

when and levi emerge from the aquarium, both a little giddy and still enthusiastically talking about all the other creatures you said hi to after captain (who you are most definitely coming back to visit sometime), asmo is waiting outside so impatiently that he's getting a lot of irritated looks for his aggressive foot-tapping

levi wants to go see the reptiles now, but then asmo plays the 'i let you get away with having alone time, now let me have mine, bitch’ card

and to be honest levi's pretty sure that even self-proclaimed romance expert asmo can't top the mini-aquarium date you've just had with him, sooooo...

buying you a little keychain replica of captain just to get a final one over his brother, he bids you goodbye and goes off to the reptile house on his own, pulling on his headphones on his way so that he won't accidentally end up talking to some stranger again

it is now asmo's time to shine!!!

and so off the two of you head off to the birds of arcadia exhibit

however, it seems that asmo doesn’t have much interest in the birds themselves apart from for taking pictures with them for his devilgram

the birds are beautiful indeed, but guess what else is also beautiful? here is a short and concise list:

1. holding asmo’s hand

2. giving asmo kisses

3. receiving kisses from asmo

4. giving asmo hugs

5. receiving hugs from asmo

6. cuddling with asmo

7. sleeping with asmo (in the literal sense)

8. sleeping with asmo (in the not so litera—)

this has been a short and concise list of things that are very beautiful and you should absolutely do right this second (not ghost-written by asmodeus, avatar of lust, not at all)

anyway, it’s kind of hard to concentrate on that adorable neon striped pecker sitting close by to you when asmo is draping himself all over you like a damn scarf

it’s cute! it’s cute. but.... the birds...... you want to see the birds.........

in the end the two of you settle on a compromise: asmo will let you have some time to just look at the pretty birds as long as you keep holding his hand, and then the two of you will go and get matching face paint together

asmo’s kinda pouty about it at first, but he quickly changes his mind when he sees how enamoured you are by the birds

you really are too cute!! he just wants to scoop you up and cover you with kisses, but he’s already promised to leave that for when you aren’t in the middle of a busy public space

(he definitely isn’t the slightest bit jealous of them because he wants to be the only beautiful thing that you look at like that. he knows he’s prettier than those birds.)

(but, like... he’s still gonna puff up his chest a bit when he catches one edging just a bit too close to you. he may be the avatar of lust, but he does have his moments of jealousy as well… even if they’re at blooming birds.)

finally, when you’ve decided that you’ve had your fill of gorgeous birds, asmo immediately pulls you off to the face-painting booth

all the designs the demons managing it have come up with are pretty beautiful, so he’s not bothered about which one to get as long as you two are matching

which means you get to choose!!!!

at first he thinks you’ll ask for the super popular one that imitates the feather pattern of the most popular bird of arcadia, the lesser spotted spectra

but then you turn to look at him, think for a moment, turn back to the demon doing the painting, and ask if they do custom designs

asmo can only watch on, confused, as you and the demon whisper conspiratorially back and forth for five minutes

then the demon has started painting, and the cheeky little grin on your face is making him a little worried that you’ve deliberately asked for a really stupid design just to mess with him

but then, as the strokes and colours all come together, he realises something that might make him a little teary eyed. just a little bit.

the design you’ve asked for just so happens to be the gorgeous, swirling pattern of the avatar of lust’s pact mark

and it’s not just that, either. he takes a closer look and realises that the little flowers added around the edges are his favourite kind of rose as well

and THEN the demon doing the painting turns to him and tells him with a smirk that, by your suggestion, the paint he’s using has been enchanted so that it goes rainbow when you kiss the person who’s wearing it

oh, he really should have had more faith in you! this is even better than anything he could come up with!!!

(he takes about a million photos of you while he’s waiting for his own turn and sends at least a quarter of them to the group chat)

asmo is practically vibrating with excitement as he sits there getting his own face painted

and if you think he doesn’t drag you off to some secluded corner for a good half an hour just pressing little kisses all over your face and giggling when he pulls away and your face paint has gone all the colours of the rainbow, you are severely wrong

of course, he wants kisses as well. this is a give-and-take system and he wants just as much as he gives!!!

unfortunately, there is one disadvantage to spending so much time just canoodling

the others haven’t heard from you or asmo in a good hour and they are beginning to PANIC

mammon in particular is practically shooting off the walls and just constantly spamming you with ‘WHERE ARE YOU’ and ‘COME BACK’ messages

asmo doesn’t want you to go but he’s also kind of running off a high right now so he decides it’s okay and sends you off you find mammon with a cheery wave (and a love struck sigh once you’re out of earshot)

you find mammon just walking in circles in the communal area outside the cannibalistic not-zebras exhibit

he almost bursts into tears when you come up to him and tap him on the shoulder because it feels like he hasn’t seen you for what feels like hours and hours and he just,,, he missed you okay

after five minutes of him just furiously rubbing his eyes and refusing to admit why, he gathers himself and asks you what you want to go see

you have to think for a good long while because, while you’ve been to plenty of zoos in the human world and know by now the sorts of animals most of them have, devildom creature species are unpredictable

you could jokingly say ‘hyper-aware empathetic goose’ and they’d probably have one

but then you have a look around you and see the big map

and what is the first thing you see on that map?

‘vampiric venomous bats’

oh fuck yeah

mammon is a little concerned because the vvbs are known to randomly swoop down and attack the people who walk into their exhibit

he knows you can protect yourself!! but when you’re being swarmed by a horde of more than fifty giant bat creatures with enormous teeth full of venom that can kill you in seconds, there’s really not much you can do

and there is no expressing the amount of absolute misery that would descend on him if he let you get hurt

so instead, you make a compromise and decide to go to scheduled talk on the vvbs in ten minutes instead

normally mammon finds these zoo talks boring as all hell, but heck, if he gets to hold your hand for a whole forty five minutes without having to make an excuse to do so, he’s down

so off you go to the talk!

you’re having the absolute time of your life as the keeper shows you one of the more lethargic bats and describes exactly how it paralyses its prey with high frequency screeches and then kills it with a single bite to the neck

mammon, on the other hand, is honestly kind of spooked

that bat may be half-asleep, but it’s got the eyes of a murderer

so what if he shuffles a little closer to you every time the bat moves?? it’s not like he’s scared of it or anything! no way!

(please hold him or he may cry)

but then... DISASTER strikes

the keeper looks out across her bright-eyed audience, listening attentively to her explanation of how the vvb detects prey through the slightest vibrations in the air... and asks if there are any volunteers who want to hold it

everyone goes quiet. they’re all looking at the floor and avoiding eye contact like students who don’t want to be picked to answer a question in class. they may be demons, but even they know danger when they see it.

except...

mammon is just commenting to himself in amusement about how quiet everyone’s gotten when he looks to the side and practically feels his heart freeze

your hand has flown straight up into the air, and before he can pull it down, the keeper has called on you

mammon may be just as terrified of that bat as everyone else, but he isn’t going to let you go near that thing without him to protect you

the keeper looks a little befuddled as to why one of the most powerful demons in the devildom is following you up to the front like a very attached duckling, but luckily she goes along with it

first she gives you a super thick dragonhide glove to wear, just in case the bat gets violent

then she attaches the little lead around one of the bat’s feet to the end of the glove, so that even if it tries to attack an uncovered spot on your body, it’ll just get pulled back

(meanwhile, mammon, standing just behind you, is just barely holding back from bursting into demon form and wrapping himself around you to protect you)

and so, as you watch in anticipation and mammon in terror, the keeper slowly moves the bat from her arm to yours

at first it just kind of sits there and blinks and... doesn’t really do much

the keeper, however, seems very happy about this

“it means she already trusts you!!!”

and she tells you to try a simple little trick

“just flick your wrist up and she should swing down to hang from your hand!”

mammon is very pointedly whispering to you that that’s enough, you’ve held the bat, come on let’s get out of here

but you are determined to continue putting your life in danger, it seems, because you do exactly what the keeper says

and it works!!!

piki, which you have learned is the name of this particular bat, lets out a quiet squeak and drops to hang from one of the enormous fingers of your glove

you immediately go ‘wooAAAAAAAAAH’

mammon almost bites his tongue in half because of how on edge he is, but it turns out that he doesn’t need to be

because the bat turns to you, blinks once, and suddenly puffs up around the neck

you panic a little at first, but the keeper seems incredibly excited

“she’s displaying!!!!!!! she likes you!!!!!!!!!!! she sees you as a potential mate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

okay mammon is not having any of that

he is not about to be upstaged by a goddamn bat

and so the instant the bat and glove is removed from you, he grabs you by the hand and charges right out of that room, shouting something about it being urgent

leaving poor piki the vampiric venomous bat squeaking sadly because her new crush is gone

sad :(

now mammon is buying you a giant plush to make up for dragging you away like that

happy! :)

and you KNOW this means a great deal because mammon does not part with his money very easily. in fact, most of the time, one would have to physically threaten him into buying something for them

and the fact that mammon bought you a ridiculously expensive enormous plush that probably dug a pretty big hole in his savings without you even asking??? your heart basically melts on the spot

now you definitely can’t get angry at him for pulling you away so suddenly

so instead the two of you go to see the giant narwhals

you’re fascinated, but mammon is too distracted to even look at the narwhals

he just keeps staring at you looking so happy hugging the giant plush he bought for you so close to yourself with this giant dopey grin on his face

(s i m p)

he’s shaken out of his infatuated daze when he hears a camera shutter directly behind him

at first he whips around ready to fight because he’s expecting levi or asmo, but then he looks up slightly and comes face to face with none other than his beloved older brother

lucifer doesn’t even try to hide the tiny grin on his face as he very slowly raises his phone and takes a photo of mammon’s half shocked and half irritated face

mammon is so dumbfounded by how much kinder lucifer looks when he smiles like that. he doesn’t even recover in time to tell you who’s just showed up - you end up noticing by yourself

you should have given lucifer a bit of warning because the moment you turn around and and greet him with such a bright and happy smile on his face he is DECEASED

all you and mammon see is his cheeks going pink but let me tell you this man is screeching like a trapped possum on the inside

lucifer may act like he’s a Big Important Unfeeling Demon but everyone else knows that this man would quite literally bring you the moon if you asked (he probably wouldn’t be able to pull down the entire moon, but damn him if he isn’t going to try)

he has to stay silent for a moment because he knows that if he speaks his voice is going to crack and mammon absolutely would NOT let him forget that for the rest of his long life

once he’s managed to get his puddle of a heart back to a state where he can speak without sounding like the physical embodiment of being smitten, he’s quick to offer to take you to the nearby penguin exhibit

he’s paid attention to the messages he’s been receiving periodically from the other brothers throughout the day about the things you’ve been getting up to with them, and he has seen a pattern in the sort of creatures you like the best

that pattern is: the more deadly, the better, with bonus points if it still looks cute

and lucifer has been to this zoo enough times to know most of the best exhibits pretty well (especially since diavolo’s taste in deadly creatures is very similar to yours, so he knows that any of the demon prince’s favourites will probably end up pretty high in your list as well)

therefore he knows that the devildom’s penguins are about two and a half meters tall, with millions of retractable fangs in their beaks and venom sacs in their necks that they can spray so violently and quickly that they’ve become known as ‘venom machine guns’

and you are ALL ABOUT THAT

you’re so excited by the concept of these penguins that you don’t think twice before tucking your arm into lucifer’s outstretched one and following him off to the exhibit

leaving mammon pouting furiously behind the two of you

now, while the avatar of greed doesn’t dare to directly interfere with his older brother, he most certainly dares to inconvenience him

what does that mean? it means that mammon is immediately whipping out his DDD and shooting a quick message to the group chat specifically made without lucifer to let everyone know what’s going down

and, within ten minutes, every single one of the other brothers are heading right for the penguin exhibit as well

lucifer is in the middle of listening to you excitedly talk about piki the bat when he feels something hit him in the back

he turns to see, with great dismay, that the six other brothers have started following behind the two of you, and have begun taking turns throwing things at him. satan doesn’t stop even when he realises that he’s been spotted.

lucifer feels a vein pop in his cheek when satan manages to nail him right in the middle of the forehead with a screwed-up ball of paper

unfortunately for lucifer (and fortunately for the other six brothers), you quickly take notice of the group following behind you

the avatar of pride can only watch in dismay as you call out for the others to come join you to see the penguins

well, obviously, the others are coming now that you’re inviting them over!!

asmo immediately jumps to give you a little kiss on the nose just so he can see your face light up in all the colours of the rainbow again

(which earns several surprised noises from the other brothers since, while they knew from the pictures from asmo that the two of you had gotten your faces painted, they didn’t know the paint did that)

belphie subtly shuffles up behind you to give you a little prize figurine he spent way too long trying to win on one of the zoo’s mini claw-machine games, while beel attempts to find a stealthy way of sneaking the bag of treats he’s carefully sourced for you into your pockets, but ends up giving up on that and just hands you the bag instead

levi is still on a bit of a high from the mini aquarium date, so his face immediately goes fifty shades of red when he sees you, but instead of running off like he usually does when he’s flustered, he just offers you the WIDEST smile

satan is a little disheartened when he realises just how much bigger the plushie mammon got for you is than greenie... but who cares!! greenie is small and cute!! he most definitely isn’t puffing up slightly like an indignant owl when he sees you hug that plushie to yourself like it’s the softest thing in the world!! no sir!!!!!!

mammon is being kinda whiny about lucifer barging in and ruining your one and one time together, but then satan reminds him that they’ve all just interrupted lucifer’s one on one time with you before it could even really begin, and also points out (a little saltily) that, judging by the giant plushie in your arms, he’s already spent more than enough time with you

(luckily mammon isn’t exactly perceptive so he doesn’t pick up on it or else satan would be in for one hell of a teasing)

you, meanwhile, don’t miss the way that lucifer not so subtly presses himself closer to you as the eight of you are walking to see the penguins

so close that your arms are physically touching

it’s not like lucifer to be this clingy (well, clingy by his standards, anyway), but you aren’t going to bring it up considering that he would probably immediately move away out of ~pride~ if you did

unfortunately the other brothers don’t need you to point out lucifer’s behaviour to immediately start attempting to sabotage him

by the time you all get to the penguin exhibit, you’re surrounded completely by all seven of them, and they appear to be executing a genuine attempt to crush you if the pressure on all sides is anything to go off of

looking on the bright side of things, though, the penguins are SO CUTE

sure, they’re about nine feet tall with beaks full of millions of tiny serrated teeth and very toxic-looking feet-claws. but they’re ADORABLE

you love them so much!!!!!! but now the brothers are being big MEANIES and aren’t letting you get close to the fence

“those penguins can shoot venom up to twenty feet, we’re not taking any chances” so WHAT you just want to see the goddamn penguins!!!!!!!! you’ve survived countless near-death experiences down here, you can manage a bit of venom!

eventually your very pointed complaining finally gets most of them to relent (asmo is still against it, but majority vote says you get to get closer to the penguins, so HA) and you are allowed to go right up to barrier that separates the attraction from the spectators

you’re absolutely delighted, but the brothers quickly realise that their concerns about this whole thing were not unfounded

because that fucking penguin over there is totally giving you the googly eyes

levi is the first to notice - as the general of hell’s navy, he has a natural connection to all animals of the seas, even the ones that are only semi aquatic

satan notices soon after him - he’s been to plenty of ‘taming dangerous creatures’ club meetings, and he knows how to recognise attraction in animals

you yourself are pretty clueless until you suddenly notice that one of the flock is now sliding beak-first on its belly towards you

levi silently hopes you’ll be scared into leaving, but instead you just lean right up to the barrier (lucifer hurriedly grabs you by the arm before you fall over it) and whisper-shriek “hi baby!!!!!!!!!!!”

oh the brothers did not like that at all

but the penguin seems absolutely THRILLED

you’re pretty sure you see its eyes light up. like physically light up, not in the metaphorical sense - its eyes glow

(do devildom penguins understand human/demon speech?? you could swear from the penguin’s reaction to your greeting that they do, but when you ask satan about it later, he just scowls and shakes his head, proclaiming that devildom penguins have ‘a brain smaller than a tangerine and the motor function of a slightly bent paper clip’)

(damn satan you didn’t have to do the penguins like that)

anyway, this penguin, now thoroughly convinced that you are its destiny, hops to its feet, nods its head several times, then proceeds to start making the weirdest noise at you

you don’t even know how to describe it. it’s like a laser beam has been combined with a motorbike combined with a vacuum cleaner combined with levi when his favourite idol group releases a new song combined with that godawful screeching violin satan has been playing on repeat for two weeks just to annoy lucifer combined with, i don’t know, a turbo-charged printer or something. and then the whole thing’s been shoved through a dubstep filter.

it’s such a rattling sound that asmo, mammon, levi and belphie clap their hands to their ears, beel frowns so hard his entire face squishes inwards, satan recoils so far backwards that he’s about two feet further away from you than he was at first, and even lucifer actually physically flinches

(short break for a personal headcanon of mine but hear me out here: this man probably listens to nothing but full professional orchestra classical all day. he absolutely has that thing where his ears are sensitive to poorly played notes or just harsh grating sounds in general. you know, like how lan wangji and lan xichen in mdzs are physically repulsed by the sound of bad music? yeah that)

you wince slightly, but the pain in your eardrums is overpowered by your thrill about the fact that this penguin is actually talking to you

you smile wide and reply, leaning right up to the banister, “hello!! hi!! it's nice to meet you too!!”

if the penguin was happy before then it’s absolutely over the MOON now

it makes the weird honking sound again, nodding its head furiously at you, all the while shuffling closer and closer to the barrier

you are positively delighted by this development, but each of the demon brothers seem to be taking the penguin’s approach as a personal threat both to them and to you

beel’s expression is steadily scrunching up more and more in displeasure as each second passes, asmo’s glare could probably boil the penguin alive, and you’re pretty sure you just heard levi hiss at it

you turn around to try to tell them off for getting jealous over a penguin out of all things, but they are just not listening to reason

the penguin meanwhile is desperately trying to get your attention back by nodding even more frantically and honking so loudly that lucifer actually reels back a little

you try to turn back to it but then belphie decides that he’s going to shove his way right between you and the barrier and block the penguin’s line of sight

the penguin immediately sets up an extremely loud complaint, but belphie refuses to give it any rope at all

at this point the other brothers begin catching onto what he’s doing

mostly because of his weird twin telepathy thing, beel is the first to join belphie’s quest, with his giant frame being substantially more effective as a barrier, while asmo and satan work together to not-so-subtly start ushering the entire group backwards and away from the penguin

you’re attempting to protest, but lucifer is practically shouting over you about how interesting and fun you’ll find the giant giraffe exhibit, which just so happens to be on the other side of the zoo

the penguin is positively screeching at this point, but a moment later is suddenly goes silent. for a moment you’re afraid that one of the brothers have lost their nerve and actually killed it, but then you manage to spot it sliding away again around beel’s massive shoulder

turns out that, though his brothers don’t seem to care about his status and power placement at all, the avatar of greed’s glare is enough to silence even the most passionate of penguins

while the brothers exchange triumphant looks as they lead you away from the penguin exhibit, though, you’re more than a little upset by this whole ordeal.

the disrespect? abundant. the lack of sympathy? rampant. the audacity? sheer.

you make your displeasure very clear by scrunching up your face, crossing your arms, and refusing to respond to any of the brothers when they try to ask you something

goddammit, it was supposed to be a good thing that they saved you from the so obviously dangerous penguin, but now you’ve got them feeling bad

in the end, though, you still can’t stay mad at your boys for long

they all apologise (well, all of them except lucifer, whose pride will forever be his downfall, and belphie, who genuinely doesn’t think he’s done anything particularly wrong), and you can’t bring yourself to keep dampening the mood

so, with a short scolding that’s really little more than a light slap to the wrist to remind the boys that you don’t need to be protected from everything like some sort of delicate glass case despite how much they might think that’s the case, you’re back to your previous happy self

thank fuck

the rest of the day goes smoothly! the eight of you do indeed go to see the giant giraffes, which you actually get to feed, and beel somehow manages to knock down an entire row of rigged carnival targets to get you a pretty wooden carving of a super cool dragon

(you’re still not entirely sure how that happened but it was probably the sheer willpower)

you convince all of the brothers to take about three hundred photos with you in the cheesy green screen safari booths (it was mostly levi, lucifer and belphie who needed convincing, since beel and satan weren’t too fussed about it either way, and mammon and asmo were downright thrilled to do so)

lucifer buys the whole group matching keychains, despite the fact that they were pretty basic wood-and-plastic affairs but still cost a good fifty grimm each

(you’ve noticed that he seems to like doing that, considering the harrison porter keychain you’ve still got from that trip up to the human world back during the whole body swap fiasco)

he gets himself a fire-breathing peacock, mammon gets a gold-hoarding crow, levi gets a sea serpent, satan gets a good old regular cat, asmo gets a lesser spotted spectra, beel gets a manticore (since they’re known to eat more than three times their body mass on good days), belphie gets a giant carnivorous cow, and he begrudgingly lets you pick out the giant penguin design - as an apology for his actions earlier.

(you don’t fail to notice the slightly irritated looks levi and satan in turn both send the keychain as you tuck it safely into your pocket)

all in all

a lovely day out

10/10 would do again

[the-crows-typist]

Here’s the fourth installment of your Valentine’s event (Yes, I know it’s March but IRL stuff happens y’know? This time we have Kalim paired with the word ‘Flowers’ requested by @opalmaplehibiscus .Enjoy!

CW: Hanahaki AU (Non-lethal variant), Angst with a happy ending, potential OOC, Minor talks about death

Word count: 3656 

Other works: Chocolates Feat. Jade, Cards Feat. Floyd, Kiss Feat. Vil

A Heart From Me to You

Kalim loved to look at flowers regardless of where he saw them. He loved the way the petals touched his skin and the many scents, whether sweet or strong, he breathed into his nose. Visiting the school’s botanical garden was one of his ‘hidden favorite things’ to do, he puts it as hidden as Jamil and he was glued to the hip since birth and while he never minded that Jamil was close by, there were moments he wished to be alone.

It was a very selfish want, he admitted to himself.

“Phew.” He breathed a relieved sigh, finally able to enter the garden without much of a problem. The sound of birds is what calmed him and the familiar scent of stored water was what brought him a sense of renewal. Taking one of the watering cans, Kalim began watering the flowering plants with not much thought going into it.

The flowers were beautiful, they truly were. They were very lucky to be this beautiful and to be held in such high regard for it. Yes, the flowers were indeed lucky contrary to his being; he never thought of himself the way he viewed the flowers and while he enjoyed some perks of his life thanks to his family’s achievements, it came with the same amount of misfortune and realities usually too dark for people his age to perceive.

Many people get hurt or even die for his sake, his siblings don’t get as much attention from their father as they liked because he, the eldest, is in the way and deep down he knew and felt the boiling resentment many had for him.

He doesn’t blame anyone for thinking that. It was a hard pill that Kalim was used to swallowing.

Perhaps had he been born a flower, life would have been easier for everyone including him.

He continued his watering until the can was empty and only then did he go back to the hose to refill it. The foliage on the way there was thick, he figured it hadn’t been cut for a while and made a note to himself to find some hedge clippers. He wasn’t allowed to hold knives, that’s true, but hedge clippers don’t count, right?

Lost In his internal debate, a quick set of feet ran and collided with his side harshly, Kalim and the unknown student losing their balance with a collective sound of surprise. “Oh, gosh, I’m so sorry. Are you okay?” You held your hands to yourself, as if hurt when Kalim slowly inched forward. “A-are you hurt? I can take you to the clinic if you—!” He was suddenly pushed out of the way, your hands only touching him for a moment before running off.

Kalim watched in confusion, blinking when the door slammed shut. The smell of lavender hit his nose and his eyes loomed downwards to see that the area you had touched had been taken over by the flowering buds of lavender. “This wasn’t here before.” He whispered to himself and attempted to pull at the flowers carefully out of the fabric.

When he finished his resting time, Jamil was waiting outside the botanical garden looking very upset. “You ran off again.” He said in the most seething voice Kalim was used to hearing. “Look, I can explain.” And back to reality it was, playing as the happy-go-lucky person people knew him as. While he enjoyed the time to himself, he hated how short it lasted. But now, he has to keep face, he has to be what he was expected to be.

Jamil takes his hand but Kalim’s smile only wavers a little bit. Here we go. “No amount of explaining will change the fact that you were alone. You should be more careful, Kalim. What if—?”

There was a biting sensation on his skin, the two boys looking down and on Jamil’s skin sprouted small white blossoms and enticing black berries. They both reeled from each other, Jamil holding his hand and Kalim his wrist.

He suddenly remembers you, bumping into him during his internal discussion.

“Kalim…” Jamil’s eyes were wide in fear. “Your…”

The nightshade flowers withered under the sun, its poisonous berries drying and falling to their feet in clumps.

Wearing gloves in warm weather wasn’t the nicest feeling but it had to be done. After the confirmation that Kalim had indeed been cursed, Jamil had become vigilant and stricter with his role as protector. There wasn’t a time he was ever alone in one room. His selfishness has come to bite him back, Kalim thought to himself.

He looked to his hands with a huff. The curse didn’t seem harmful, just inconvenient…And the one who gave it, You, didn’t seem like it was intentional. The meeting between you two was brief, only lasting a few seconds and a few shed flowers.

“Kalim, let’s go,” Jamil said, tugging him along and walking by his side every step of the way.

Ah, how would he know anyway? He’s not good at anything like Jamil nor does he have the physical capabilities as he does. The only thing he’s probably good at is flying a magic carpet and the drums.

“Yeah.”

Kalim was quiet on their walk and until he sat down in the classroom, he kept silent. Class started without much trouble, he took notes but couldn’t listen much, his mind wandering back to you in the botanical garden.

Lab classes had a sort of freedom to it. Kalim was able to work around a bit more his gloves and Jamil would often be paired with someone else…Usually Azul. Kalim noticed that despite their different interest, Jamill and Azul had grown closer in the past months. And while he was happy for them both, there was a sting that never wanted to leave.

He and Kalim were born around the same time and since then never left each other’s side. He was there when Kalim needed him and he was his friend, probably his only friend. That was, at least, what he wanted to believe but even during their childhood, Kalim had already noticed that Jamil was with him because he was told to. Had Jamil been given the choice, he could have played with someone else other than him.

“Excuse me, would you like to start?” His partner asked and he blinked, nodding his head and smiling the way he always does. “Yeah! Let’s work hard.”

He stayed in the corner, eyes looking at particularly nothing. He and his partner finished up early and got a good enough score for it…Which is good, he’ll take a passing grade than a failed mark any day. He looked over to the side of the ceiling and his hands intertwined with each other. In the back, Jamil smiled at Azul’s demise after hot smoke bellowed from the cauldron and out to their face.

It had been a while since he saw Jamil looking that happy. There was stinging itchiness in his hands that went with the heaviness in his heart. The gloves grew tighter and less comfortable and Kalim wanted to take it off, but showing he had been cursed meant showing others he was vulnerable.

The itchiness and the cold warmth of fear felt were too great. He needed a change of environment, he needed alone time. He took one last look at a laughing Jamil then slinked off and out of the lab, almost running to a place he knows he’ll be safe.

The botanical garden was silent and unchanged, its flowers blooming in different colors and hues, the temperature a mix of tropical and temperate. He smiled upon seeing Leona rest against a tree and soon walked deeper and deeper into the gardens to a place where he could relax. Discarding his gloves, he let his hands touch the tree stumps, flowers of Helenium growing on the bark and providing color in an otherwise dimly lit landscape with the trees acting as a canopy.

Kalim sighs, letting his thought leave whichever way it can. The flowers bloomed under his palm and he reveled in its beauty, just by being born it was able to bring a sort of happiness to those who choose to look at it.

His shoulders droop slightly, his line sight dipping to a tree’s roots. His hands begin to scratch and he begins to scratch on the skin of his palms, begging his body and the curse to stop. He rubbed his palms together, the tattered stems and petals falling to the ground in a heap. “Please stop.” He begged to himself. “Please make it stop.”

He closed his eyes, brows furrowed and shaking. The flowers crept up his skin over his hands. “Please stop.” Hunching over, he brought his hands to his chest. “Please…”

“Please,”

“Calm down.”

Picking the flowers out of his skin was an odd experience and even more that someone else was doing it. Your hands were wrapped with bandages and eyes searching for even the tiniest blossoms on his skin. Kalim sniffed, rubbing his eyes with a now flower-free hand. “That’s it, just let it all flow out.” You said and pick the last flower from his hand.

“Festering emotions are what power the curse.” You explain. “You have to let it out or else the flowers will consume you.” He takes his gloves out of his hand and slips them back on and you sit up straight, an embarrassed smile formed on your lips. “I suppose I should its high time that I introduce myself—.”

“You’re the one who bumped into me.”

You nod your head. “Yes, and you’re Kalim Al-Asim, dorm leader of Scarabia.” With a voice gentle, Kalim felt at ease but what his eyes saw betrayed the feeling immediately. “Please forgive me, I didn’t know that it would pass onto you so suddenly.” You bowed, forehead touching the ground in your position.

You waited for a reaction, anything, but as time passed you never heard anything nor did you feel any anticipated touches. “It’s a little embarrassing seeing you like this, raise your head,” Kalim said and you did what you were told. He looked down at his hands, a few blossoms stayed on his skin.

“How long have you had it?” Kalim asked, placing a hand over yours and the touch making you twitch. “This curse.” He clarifies, your eyes holding the quivering vulnerability only presented to him alone.

“For a long while now.”

Kalim didn’t know how long he had spent in the gardens just talking to you, knowing what the curse had to offer. You always made sure none of your skin ever touched anything or peaked out of your uniform. While you were gentle and kind, Kalim saw fear in your actions.

“The curse only latches onto anyone with festering feelings…Perhaps,” Kalim looks at his hand while you pause as if what you were about to say would sound very mean-spirited. “Perhaps that’s why it latched onto you, too.”

It was near evening when he got out, his heart not as heavy but speedy knowing that he had to face a very upset Jamil for being selfish and unguarded. He walked down the steps, already seeing the familiar figure at the bottom; Jamil’s brows were furrowed and expression angry.

The two of them stared at each other and Jamil turned his back. “Let’s go home.”

You had told him prior that you lived inside the garden, in a special cottage that was hidden from view. It must be nice, he thought to himself. Jamil took Kalim by the wrist and pulled him close, walking to his stride.

“Is there a way to break this curse?” He asked and your smile deflated but only for a short while. “I wish I could tell you,” You say. “But I don’t know, either.”

From the evening setting of Night Raven, Kalim was welcomed to the familiar home of the Scarabia dorm. The two walked to the entrance quietly and soon Jamil let go of him, turning around. “Is there something I need to know about?”

“Festering emotions are what power the curse.” He remembered you explaining to him and suddenly his palms began to itch. He shook his head, giving him the happy-go-lucky smile he was used to seeing. “You were having fun so I thought it’d be best to leave you alone.”

“Just…” He could hear the frustration in his voice before the eventual sigh of exhaustion. “Just don’t run off by yourself. It would spell bad things if you’d gotten hurt.”

Jamil shook his head and went on his way, leaving Kalim alone. Now that they were in the safety of the dorms, he could rest…Both of them could. Kalim quickly takes off his gloves and pressed his palms together, breathing in deep and for the first time in a while let the tears fall from his eyes.

His breathing was slow and steady, his walking slightly shakey and laborious but his palms no longer itched and the flowers halted in their growth. When he entered his room, he plopped his face into his pillow and letting it soak up all that he had felt.

Flowers were beautiful and revered for just being alive. Flowers were born lucky and he wasn’t. He breathed in deep and moved away from the pillow to breathe, his thoughts went back to your face with a smile so delicate like thin glass.

“There are moments I wanted to be born as a flower.”

Evading Jamil and regrouping with you was a new normal for him, waiting for the right moment that Jamil is busy or focused on something or someone before bolting. The botanical garden was immediately a no-go after he had caught you there twice so the two of you decided to set course for a place no one normally goes to.

The fields blew, the tall sunflowers dancing in the wind and keeping both of you hidden from sight. You huffed a small laugh. “What kind of flower would you have wanted to be like?” Kalim touched the fibrous stem of the sunflower.

“Maybe a sunflower. People like them and they give really tasty seeds.” Bringing his knees together, Kalim’s expression shifted to one of deep thought. The sun cast a soft light over them, his eyes almost glowing like rubies under it.

The brief silence between you harbored no negativity but one of understanding. You and he had bonded with the small time together and Kalim knew very well that you wouldn’t run away from these kinds of conversations. You listened and you replied with what resonated with you.

He liked your honesty and he didn’t spare any effort to show his appreciation to you.

“What about you?” He asked, looking over to you as you thought about it.

“An osiria rose. They look really pretty and the petals are white with red tips.”  Smiling to yourself, you look into your hands. “It’s a rare flower and takes a lot of breeding mixes to perfect. I really like it.” Kalim hummed and looked up to the sky as the wind crashed against them.

“Flowers are really lucky, huh?” He said, leaning back with his palms flat on the ground. “No matter how dangerous or how defensive a flower is, people still like it just because.” You never mentioned it to him but Kalim was good at hiding. His eyes, to his lips, and to the very voice he used with you; there was never a time you actually saw his grief that way he saw yours.

“The very first time Jamil was poisoned back when we were young I didn’t know what to do with myself.” His fingers shook and removed his glove and letting his bare skin grow flowers on the ground he touched, allowing flowers to grow where he touched. “He didn’t wake up until weeks later while I was escorted around by different people.” You blinked, leaning your head towards him.

“I’m sure his family was worried, his sister tried her best not to show it but I knew better.” Feeling your head on his shoulder, he reciprocated the action with a small laugh. “That was probably the time I realized how unlucky my origins were.”

“Kalim.”

“It’s a stretch, I know.” His smile morphed into a frown. “I don’t like asking for much knowing how much effort people have to make to get it done.” Your hand held his and soon, your fingers closed onto each other. “I’m fine. I just wanted to vent—.” He said but you only shook your head.

“It’s okay to cry, Kalim. I won’t say anything.” And he did, he continued looking forward yet the tears betrayed neutral expression. He sniffled when you continued to hold his hand.

“I met someone special back then. They made me very happy.” The both of you needed to move hiding places when Jamil caught wind of your meeting without him, the two of you opt to go to a field behind the school. A place not a lot of people go to, the flowers were not bountiful where you sat and the air was cooler.

While the bluebells were scattered in patches, coloring the meadow blue and green. “But I was young and stupid like most people, I thought they’d be with me for a long time.” You smiled at him, chuckling. “It’s silly but, I was really sad when they left.

“They meant a lot to you, didn’t they?” Kalim wondered.

“The meant the world to me.”

The both of you smile and your hand brought itself to your lip, a finger hooked under it. “It’s silly, really. It’s nothing like what you went through. I was so hung up on it that I ended up getting hit with the curse.” Kalim places a hand on your back as you laugh with a bitter taste in your mouth. “It’s silly, I know. It’s nothing compared to what you went through.”

“Still, losing someone important hurts a ton. Especially when you couldn’t get to say goodbye.”

Nodding your head, you lean against Kalim’s shoulder and he does the same by leaning against you. The bluebells flutter into the wind, your nose sniffling and eyes carrying a lingering sting. Kalim’s hand goes to your shoulder, rubbing it.

You hold your palms, scratching at it through the wrap. “Thank you for listening, Kalim.” You say, rubbing your eyes slightly. “I really appreciate it.”

Kalim stared into the distance, holding you close to him and not minding what little tears you chose to let out in front of him. “You did the same for me.”

The tendency to be clumsy often comes at the worst times, Kalim and your hands were wetted with some nice fruit juices he managed to snag when Jamil wasn’t looking. Both his gloves and your wraps lay soaked on the ground in front of you.

“I…” Kalim sighed and you shook your head. “Those things do get hard to wear after some time. It’s nice to feel the air again.” You rub your hands together, palms soft after being confined for so long. Kalim sits on the ground across from you. “I’m sorry, I’m sure we can find something to wrap your hands with.”

“Yup.”

The both of you looked at the items before you in silence, both of your hands to themselves and never touching at all. “Do you ever…Do you miss being able to touch things?” You ask him and he nods his head. “I do. I miss being able to feel brooms and the blankets I have. I try not to mind it much.”

You ball your palms together, interlacing fingers over each other. “I see.” Suddenly you bring out your hand to his, palm open for him to take. “But…” He hesitates but his hand comes out slowly. “It’s alright to ask for things.” You say. “Go on.”

He took a breath in, his hand inching towards yours. He thought about his first meeting and the many times he evaded Jamil just to be with you.

“I trust you.”

Did he really deserve to be able to ask for this? After all the things he’s caused?

“I do too.”

Your hands touched and mirrored each other; the itchiness he expected to feel was no longer present. The silence was tense and his shoulders and breathing were shaking yet your hold on him calm with a knowing and relieved smile on your lips. Your eyes met one another and Kalim smiled, lacing his fingers with yours and pulling you into him into a hug; his laugh tingling beside your ear.

Your hands feel the softness of the fabric and your nose breathed in the scent of his clothes. You closed your eyes, burying your face into his shoulder, bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new as you imagined a new life ahead of you. A pot of olive flowers blooms not too far from your position as you two shared an embrace long-awaited.

Peace had been found between two kindred souls. Finally, after so long.

[maswartz]

Power Rider Paradox

(Logo by @riceyhot)

In 2019 a man who would be known as Master X used technology he stole  from his time with organization X to ambush and slaughter the earth Riders (Deca through Hybrid) and used a machine to transfer the power from their belts into small hand held discs. Outraged, a group of alien riders (Adalve through Vamp) confronted him only to be slaughtered too and their powers turned into discs.

As Master X he began a 50 year reign, he began by slaughtering the remaining rangers and riders on earth as well as all the world leaders. He used his new god like powers to seal the earth off from the universe by literally placing a barrier around it that only opened in certain places he allowed it.

The other riders (1-Jiga) managed to sneak in but were found and slaughtered save for Dex and Donais and they were only spared because Donais bartered his belt for their lives. X demanded they never step foot on earth again. From their belts another series of discs was created (the Masked Rider Rex belt was used to create a disc for PR Rex and the Masked Rider while the Shadow Rider belt was destroyed in the battle)

Master X had four unique discs made for his most trusted Generals, each given power over a domain (Wild, Science, Warriors, Supernatural). However during his rule new riders rose up. Shadowstrike, Mystery, Roborg, and Xtera all gained their power and in one way or another tried to end Master X’s rule. They stood no chance against his power. Their belts were stolen off their corpses and discs were made.

After this Master X ordered his scientists to find any remaining rider powers  on earth leading to them finding a series of ancient belts in museums. The fourth and final set of discs was made.

During his 50th year in power Master X’s grandchildren, Stephanie and Gerald  witnessed him slaughter a group of rebels. Disgusted they defected and with the aid of a rebel scientist named Kenji and his grandchildren Tiffany and Travis, they stole the first set of discs (Adalve-Hybrid) as well as a group of R.A.V.E (Rider Armor Vehicle Exoskeleton) and escaped into the time stream to make sure he never rose to power.

Arriving in late 2018 in Century City they set up base with Kenji’s younger self in his repair shop. The two Kenjis made belts and discs for the two as they realized their mission would create a paradox erasing their own births. Stephanie became Power Rider Paradox with the goal of saving the Riders from the lethal ambush and Gerald became Power Rider Quantum with the goal of murdering his own grandfather before he could become Master X. However they realized that due to Master X’s paranoia nobody had even seen his face or heard his actual name in decades. Even the siblings had no knowledge of their grandfather’s true identity.

His generals were sent back with a set of discs containing corrupted versions of the rider’s powers to create soldiers called X Riders to fight for them. The portal was kept open in the future thus preventing any changes from sticking. This allowed Tiffany and Travis to sneak to the future and steal the other discs (1-Jiga) leading to them becoming Power Rider Chrono and Power Rider Epoch.

Eventually Master X had one of his best soldiers fitted with a belt and sent back as Power Rider Eternity. he was given the discs for Shadowstrike/Mystery/Roborg/Xtera to succeed where the Generals had failed. However the soldier would eventually turn on Master X when he learned the truth about his reign of terror.

Soon Master X had a box sent back with the past discs (Hardrock/Coatl/Smith/Sheriff) to assist the generals but they were scattered throughout history. Eventually they were  found and ended up in the possession of a scholar of heroic myths and legends named Lauren. She thought they were just neat relics until she saw a close up image of one of Eternity’s future discs on the news and realized they shared a similar design. She then tracked the riders down and ended up as Power Rider Ancient

During some of their battles against the X-Riders the six are aided by various Riders from Deca through Hybrid. These six Riders are all that stand between Master X and his goals of conquest. Will history be changed or has fate already been written?

Power Rider Paradox- Stephanie- Kind and caring, the younger of the siblings. Once she witnessed her grandfather’s true nature she made it her mission to prevent him from ever coming to power. Though she still loves him she knows he has to be stopped and wishes to do so with as little violence as possible. After meeting some of the previous riders she discovers that she’s bisexual. Face Claim: Liana Ramirez Transformation Device: Mirai Belt Transformation Call: Let’s Ride! Transformation: When she spins her belt a giant energy clock appears and as the hands spins the armor forms Finishing Moves: Paradox Kick- As she leaps in the air the numbers 1-12 spin around the enemy forming a clock face (POV facing Paradox) keeping them in place as she lands the kick Paradox Slash- As she begins to slash a clock appears with both hands spinning fast (POV lining up with Paradox). When they line up she slashes in that direction Paradox Blast- As she begins the blast a clock appears (POV lining up with Paradox). Energy shoots from the numbers to her blaster charging it until she fires through the clock Vehicle: Clockwork Cycle When a Rider activates a Rider Disc an image of that Rider appears and poses before becoming the armor and forming around the Rider who used the disc.

“Armor of Adaption! Adalve!”- By using the Adalve Rider Disc Paradox gains armor based on Power Rider Adalve’s base form Finishing Move- Paradox Adalve Kick- A kick charged with the power of Adalve. When the hit lands it leaves the mark of Adalve which explodes

“Armor of Reflections! MirWar!”- By using the MirWar Rider Disc Paradox gains armor based on Power Rider Drago’s base form Finishing Move- Paradox Drago Kick- A kick charged with the power of Drago. The kick is accompanied by a fireball by Dragogard

“Armor of Insects! S.W.A.R.M!”- By using the S.W.A.R.M Rider Disc Paradox gains armor based on Power Rider Beetle’s base form Finishing Move- Paradox Beetle Kick- A kick charged with the power of Beetle. The attack is charged by lighting.

“Armor of Wishes! Djand!”- By using the Djand Rider Disc Paradox gains armor based on Power Rider Djand’s base form Finishing Move- Paradox Djand Kick- A kick charged with the power of Djand. The kick sends the enemy flying into a projection of Djand’s train.

“Armor of Power! Deca!”- By using the Deca Rider Disc Paradox gains armor based on Power Rider Deca’s base form Finishing Move- Paradox Deca Slash- A slash powered by the power of Deca. The enemy is surrounded by Deca Cards before they slash and cut them finished with the slash itself.

“Armor of Memories! Duow!”- By using the Duow Rider Disc Paradox gains armor based on Power Rider Duow’s base form Finishing Move- Paradox Duow Kick- A kick charged with the power of Duow. The shoulder armor splits into two units (Wind and Warrior) that join with Paradox for the kick.

“Armor of Beasts! Animaster!”- By using the Animaster Rider Disc Paradox gains armor based on Power Rider Animaster’s base form Finishing Move- Paradox Animaster Kick- A kick charged with the power of Animaster. Three Animal Medals appear and Paradox kicks through them into the enemy.

“Armor of Space! 4Z!”- By using the 4Z Rider Disc Paradox gains armor based on Power Rider 4Z’s base form Finishing Move- Paradox 4Z Kick- A kick charged by the power of 4Z. Paradox turns into a rocket flying around the enemy before flying feet first into them

“Armor of Nature! Warruit!”- By using the Warruit Rider Disc Paradox gains armor based on Power Rider Warruit’s base form Finishing Move- Paradox Warruit Slash- A slash charged with the power of Warruit. The enemy is trapped in an energy orange which explodes when slashed.

“Armor of Fusion! Hybrid!”- By using the Hybrid Rider Disc Paradox gains armor based on Power Rider Hybrid’s base form Finishing Move- Paradox Hybrid Kick- A kick charged by the power of Hybrid. A vortex of red and blue energy surrounds the enemy pushing Paradox into them.

“Armor of the Time Stream!” Time Stream Armor- During a battle with the generals she’s knocked into the Time Stream where the power grants her the Time Stream Armor boosting her power. Time Stream gives her the ability to pause, rewind and see into the future no more than five minutes either way. Finishing Move: Time Stream Slash- Twin clocks appear representing the past and future (POV lines up with Paradox) they combine and when all four hands line up she slashes in that direction.

“Armor of History!” Era Armor- After the Four Generals begin to enter the battle the two Kenji’s decide Stephanie needs a new edge. They use spare parts from the other belts to create the Era Armor. The Era Armor allows her to summon weapons or copy attacks from any of the Riders from the past present and future. Finishing Move: Era Kick- Three clocks appear, one spinning backwards, one stopped and one spinning forwards. When she lands the kick the numbers send energy into the enemy causing an explosion Era Slash- Three clocks appear, one spinning backwards, one stopped and one spinning forwards. When all the hands are aligned she slashes.

“Let’s Ride! [voice clip of every primary rider from Adalve through Hybrid shouting “let’s ride” as one] Armor of Riders! RIDERS FOREVER!” Forever Armor- During a daring mission to the future Stephanie steals a prototype armor from Master X’s personal armory. By using it she is able to tap into the power of all the Riders from Adalve- Hybrid however she learns that X rejected the armor because it was not a true union of the power instead it only gave him access to the powers all at once. Thus he labeled it Imperfect and had his scientists create a better version. Even imperfect the Forever Armor becomes Stephanie’s final form.

In time however it becomes necessary to unite the power of all the riders from Adalve through Paradox herself. The two Kenji’s create a new Rider Disc allowing them to channel the power of the Forever Armor into a more perfect form. In this perfect form Stephanie is able to unleash the full potential of the Forever Armor. For example by using a Rider Disc in this form she gains access to ALL that Rider’s various forms. Both versions are able to summon copies of the Riders themselves to fight by her side. Finishing Moves: Paradox Forever Kick- Energy versions of Paradox’s past forms (Default, Deca Armor, Time Stream Armor, Era Armor) all join in the kick converging as one at the moment of impact. Perfect Form only Riders Forever Kick- Variant 1- Energy versions of every Rider from Adalve through Hybrid appear and join in the kick converging as one at the moment of impact. Variant 2- Various Riders in various forms appear attacking with their finishing moves. Final Forever Kick- Energy versions of the riders from Adalve through Hybrid appear in their final forms and merge over Paradox charging them with power for the kick. Perfect Form only

Power Rider Quantum- Gerald- Stern and serious, the older of the siblings. When he witnessed the truth about his grandfather he swore to stop him no matter the cost. He is fully prepared to use whatever means to prevent the rise of Master X. His willingness to resort to violent means sometimes puts him at odds with his sister.

Face Claim: Colby Strong Transformation Device: Mirai Belt Transformation Call: Let’s Ride! Transformation: When he spins his belt a giant energy clock appears and as the hands spins the armor forms Finishing Moves: Quantum Kick- As he leaps in the air the numbers 1-12 spin around the enemy forming a clock face (POV facing Quantum) keeping them in place as he lands the kick Quantum Chop-As he begins to chop a clock appears with both hands spinning fast (POV lining up with Quantum). When they line up he slashes in that direction Quantum Arrow- As he begins the arrow a clock appears (POV lining up with Quantum). Energy shoots from the numbers to his bow charging it until he fires through the clock Vehicle: Clockwork Cycle

“Armor of Myths! Wyvern!”- By using the Wyvern Rider Disc Quantum gains armor based on Power Rider Wyvern’s base form Finishing Move- Quantum Wyvern Kick- A kick charged by the power of Wyvern. The kick impacts with a charge of power.

“Armor of Revival! Phi!”- By using the Phi Rider Disc Quantum gains armor based on Power Rider Phi’s base form Finishing Move- Quantum Phi Kick- A kick charged with the power of Phi. An energy drill appears and Quantum kicks with it into the enemy.

“Armor of Occult! Arcane!”- By using the Arcane Rider Disc Quantum gains armor based on Power Rider Arcane Spade’s base form Finishing Move- Quantum Arcane Kick- A kick charged with the power of Arcane. Various Arcane cards charge the kick with various attributes.

“Armor of Sound! Meloni!”- By using the Meloni Rider Disc Quantum gains armor based on Power Rider Meloni’s base form Finishing Move- Quantum Meloni Kick- A kick charged with the power of Meloni. A Demuse drum appears on the enemy and Quantum kicks it sending vibrations into the enemy.

“Armor of Darkness! Vamp!”- By using the Vamp Rider Disc Quantum gains armor based on Power Rider Vamp’s base form Finishing Move- Quantum Vamp Kick- A kick charged by the power of Vamp. The enemy is wrapped in chains as Quantum jumps and kicks.

“Armor of Magic! Mystic!”- By using the Mystic Rider Disc Quantum gains armor based on Power Rider Mystic’s base form Finishing Move- Quantum Mystic Kick- A kick charged by the power of Mystic. A mystic rune appears and Quantum kicks through it charging their body with power.

“Armor of Speed! Racer!”- By using the Racer Rider Disc Quantum gains armor based on Power Rider Racer’s base form Finishing Move- Quantum Racer Kick- A kick charged by the power of Racer. A series of automodels appear and Quantum bounces off of them kicking the enemy each time.

“Armor of Spirits! Phantom!”- By using the Phantom Rider Disc Quantum gains armor based on Power Rider Phantom’s base form

Finishing Move- Quantum Phantom Kick- A kick charged by the power of Phantom. Quantum’s body is charged with ghostly energy as they kick the enemy.

“Armor of Data! Arcade!”- By using the Arcade Rider Disc Quantum gains armor based on Power Rider Arcade Player 1′s base form Finishing Move-Quantum Arcade Punch- A series of punches charged by the power of Arcade. Each hit registers a higher and higher score before a final blow.

AM/PM- A twin mode suit with an Aero Mode setting that boosts speed and grants flight and a Powered Mode setting that increases power. Finishing Moves: Aero Claw- At the moment of impact a clock face appears (POV lines up with Quantum) Powered Saw- At the moment of impact a clock face appears (POV lines up with the saw)

Eon Armor: About a decade into his reign Master X ordered his scientists to take the belts collected from the fallen secondary Riders and harness their power into a single Rider Disc. Dubbing it the Eon Armor he intended to bestow it to his heir one day, however when his son betrayed him he abandoned this plan. Later after Stephanie stole the Forever Armor he had the Eon Disc sent to the Four Generals as part of a plan to sway Gerald back to his side. The plan failed however and Gerald claimed the power for himself.

Finishing Move: Quantum Eon Kick- A kick charged by the power of all the secondary riders.

Power Rider Chrono and Power Rider Epoch- Tiffany and Travis- Kenji’s adopted grandchildren, he took them in after their parents were killed when they were young. They try to remain optimistic and are the quickest to adapt the present day. While doing research Tiffany discovers there were Riders before Adalve and the two grow curious why none of them were recorded in their time. Eventually they learns they sneaked onto earth a few years after Master X took over and confronted him, however his power was too much even for them. The only survivors were King Dex and Prince Donais and that was because Donais gave up his belt in return for his father’s life. The two were also forced to vow to never return to the earth. From Donais’s belt X’s scientists pulled out the power for PR Rex and the Masked Rider. The scientists were even able to replicate Biocide’s abilities onto a device. With this knowledge the two borrow one of the R.A.V.E’s and goes back through the portal to the future and steals the discs with those rider’s powers on them.  When they returns to the present their grandfather creates two belts for the pair to become Power Rider Chrono and Power Rider Epoch. Chrono is armed with a pocket watch based staff that turns into a chain whip and Epoch is armed with a sundial based shield and dagger. Each of them can place a Rider Disc in their weapon to charge it with the power of that rider. Tiffany is the more level headed of the two, she enjoys studying history and planning strategy. Travis is the more impulsive of the two, he enjoys losing himself in fantasy books and tends to rush into action. Face Claims: Tiffany- Erika Fong Travis- Yoshi Sudarso Transformation Devices: Timeless Belt Transformation Call: Let’s Ride! Transformation: When they spins their belt a giant energy clock appears and as the hands spins the armor forms Finishing Moves: Chrono Whip- She whips her chain whip at the enemy, at the moment of impact a pocket watch appears as they explode Chrono Kick- She sends an energy pocket watch at the enemy as the chain wraps them up the pocket watch itself is hit by her kick sending the energy into them Epoch Slice- A beam of sunlight charges his dagger as he slices Epoch Kick- A beam of sunlight hits him and pushes him into the enemy Chrono’s Rider Discs

“Armor of Winds! Rider 1!”-  By using the Rider 1 Disc Chrono gains armor based on Power Rider 1 Finishing Move- Chrono Royal Kick- A kick charged by the power of Rider 1. A strong wind is created upon impact.

“Armor of Tornadoes! Rider V3!”- By using the Rider V3 Disc Chrono gains armor based on Power Rider V3 Finishing Move- Chrono V3 Kick- A kick charged by the power of Rider V3. A tornado is created upon impact.

“Armor of Jungles! Roarior!”- By using the Roarior Rider Disc Chrono gains armor based on Power Rider Roarior. Finishing Move- Chrono Roarior Slash- A savage slash charged by the power of Roarior.

“Armor of Flight! Zephyr!”- By using the Zephyr Rider Disc Chrono gains armor based on Power Rider Zephyr.  Finishing Move- Chrono Zephyr Kick- A flying kick charged by the power of Zephyr.

“Armor of Ninja! Ninobi!”- By using the Ninobi Rider Disc Chrono gains armor based on Power Rider Ninobi. Finishing Move- Chrono Ninobi Kick- A kick charged by the power of Ninobi.

“Armor of Change! Masked Rider!”- By using the Masked Rider Disc Chrono gains armor based on The Masked Rider. Finishing Move- Chrono Masked Kick- A kick charged by the power of the Masked Rider.

“Armor of Disguise! Zer0!”- By using the Zer0 Rider Disc Chrono gains armor based on Power Rider Zer0. Finishing Move- Chrono Zer0 Kick- A kick charged by the power of Zer0 Epoch’s Rider Discs

“Armor of Cyclones! Rider 2!”- By using the Rider 2 Disc Epoch gains armor based on Power Rider 2. Finishing Move- Epoch Royal Kick- A kick charged by the power of Rider 2. A cyclone is created upon impact.

“Armor of Environments! E.X.E!”- By using the E.X.E Rider Disc Epoch gains armor based on Power Rider E.X.E Finishing Move- Epoch E.X.E Kick- A kick charged by the power of E.X.E. An energy “X” appears upon impact.

“Armor of Thunder! Surge!”- By using the Surge Rider Disc Epoch gains armor based on Power Rider Surge. Finishing Move- Epoch Surge Kick- A kick charged by the power of Surge. Upon impact the enemy is shocked by a powerful charge.

“Armor of Cosmos! Eclipse!”- By using the Eclipse Rider Disc Epoch gains armor based on Power Rider Eclipse.  Finishing Move- Epoch Eclipse Punch- A double punch charged by the power of Eclipse. One fist is charged with solar power while the other is charged with lunar power.

“Armor of Royalty! Rex!”- By using the Rex Rider Disc Epoch gains armor based on Power Rider Rex. Finishing Move- Epoch Rex Kick- A kick charged by the power of Rex.

“Armor of Monsters! Biocide!”- By using the Biocide Rider Disc Epoch gains armor based on Power Rider Biocide. Finishing Move- Epoch Biocide Slash- A powerful slash charged by the power of Biocide.

“Armor of Giants! Jiga!”- By using the Jiga Rider Disc Epoch gains armor based on Power Rider Jiga Finishing Move- Epoch Jiga Kick- A kick charged by the power of Jiga.

Power Rider Eternity- Warren- One of Master X’s best soldiers, Warren genuinely believes Master X is making the world a better place and gives his all. He was sent back to stop Stephanie and Gerald and uses the power of Riders who rose up during Master X’s rule but were defeated. He attacks the siblings but when the X-Riders sent to assist him go on rampages he works with them to stop the monsters and protect civilians. It takes time to convince him of the truth about Master X but the Riders willingness to help others convinces him. When he accepts it he decides to help stop Master X as a way to make up for his past actions serving him. Face Claim: Najee De-Tiege Transformation Device: Eternity Belt Transformation Call: Let’s Ride! Transformation: When he slides the handle into place a digital clock counts down as his armor forms Finishing Move: Eternity Kick- Four digital numbers spin around the enemy counting at various times until the kick is delivered when they all hit zero.

“Armor of Shadows! Shadowstrike!”- Power Rider Shadowstrike- Last survivor of a ninja clan used mystic scrolls and relics to become a Rider. Gained his power 15 years into Master X’s rule. Fell during a failed assassination attempt. Their armor grants Eternity heightened speed and agility. Shadowstrike Transformation: A scroll opens up and shadows flow out covering them forming the suit Shadowstrike Finishing Move: Kage Katana Strike- A slash charged with shadows Armor Finishing Move: Shadowstrike Slash- A shadow infused strike

“Armor of Puzzles! Mystery!”- Power Rider Mystery- Gained her power by opening an impossible to solve puzzle. Gained her power 24 years into Master X’s rule. Fell while infiltrating his fortress in an attempt to sabotage it. Their armor grants Eternity illusion and puzzle skills. Mystery Transformation: A giant question mark appears behind them sending many smaller ones to form the suit Mystery Finishing Move: Mystery Kick- Two panels appear, one marked true the other false, after a question is asked Mystery appears out of that answer hitting the foe. Armor Finishing Move: Mystery Illusion- A series of question marks restrains the enemy for a spear strike

“Armor of Machines! Roborg!”- Power Rider Roborg- Survivor of an attack lead by the generals. Rebuilt as a cyborg and made his base in a junkyard. Gained his power 37 years into Master X’s rule. Fell while trying to hijack an army of R.A.V.E suits. Their armor grants Eternity enhanced strength. Roborg Transformation: He activates the circuits on his belt sending electric currents through his body creating the suit Roborg Finishing Move: Electric Burst- Electric energy charges up until they strike Armor Finishing Move: Roborg Breaker- Electric energy charges his attack.

“Armor of Aliens! Xtera!”- Power Rider Xtera- An alien crashed to earth hidden in a meteor 45 years into Master X’s rule and bonded with a person. She fell while trying to free prisoners. Their armor grants Eternity power of various cosmic objects such as planets and stars.

Xtera Transformation: The alien comes out of the belt and merges with them as an orb surrounds them. Xtera Finishing Move: Galaxy Charge- A kick charged with the power of the galaxy

Armor Finishing Moves: Xtera Galaxy- A cosmically charged kick explodes in the shape of a galaxy Xtera Shower- Meteors of various size rain down Xtera Nova- A large burst of extreme heat

Power Rider Ancient- Lauren Matthews- Scholar of heroic myths and legends from around the world. She found the ancient Rider Discs at various antique shops without knowing their true purpose. When she saw a news report with an image of a Rider Disc she tracked down the Riders and ended up becoming a Rider herself. Face Claim: Claire Blackwelder Transformation Device: Ancient Belt Transformation Call: Let’s Ride! Transformation: As she slides the handle into place a analog clock spins its hands as her armor forms. Finishing Move: Ancient Kick- The Roman Numerals for 1-12 spin around the enemy until she lands the kick

“Armor of Stone! Hardrock!”- Power Rider Hardrock- A Caveman who found a powerful gem deep in a cave and used it to transform in order to fend off skeletal dinosaurs attacking his people- Arms Ancient with a stone spear Hardrock Transformation: Stone emerges from the gem covering him until he breaks free revealing the armor Hardrock Finishing Move: Stone Spear- He throws his spear at the enemy turning them to stone as they crumble. Armor Finishing Move: Hardrock Spear- She throws the spear at the enemy turning them to stone.

“Armor of the Rain Forest! Coatl!”- Power Rider Coatl- A Mesoamerican warrior blessed by the gods to aid in her fight against elemental spirits- Arms Ancient with an obsidian ax. Coatl Transformation: A jaguar roars as her armor is formed around her by the aura of a jaguar. Coatl Finishing Move: Roaring Chop- A spiritually charged ax chop Armor Finishing Move: Coatl Chop- Chops at the enemy

“Armor of the Forge! Smith!”- Power Rider Smith- A blacksmith blessed by deities to create incredible weapons to defend against demons who possesses objects to create monsters- Arms Ancient with a metallic mallet Smith Transformation: Steam shoots out the belt turning to metal around him creating the armor Smith Finishing Move: Forge Crusher- Hits the enemy with their mallet Armor Finishing Move: Smith Smash- Smashes the enemy with the mallet

“Armor of the Law! Sheriff!”- Power Rider Sheriff- In the old west a native shaman cast a curse upon the settlers who attacked his people however in their rage their curse created beasts that endangered all life, native and settler. A lawman uses the latest in scientific marvels to arm himself against this threat. Utilizes steam powered blasters-  Arms Ancient with twin blasters Sheriff Transformation: Steam shoots from the pack as a brief sandstorm forms the armor Sheriff Finishing Move: Sheriff Shooter- A steam powered bullet shot at the enemy Armor Finishing Move: Sheriff Shot- Shoots the enemy with a steam powered blast. The X-Riders Twisted versions of the powers of the Riders. Created by Master X to act as warriors for his Generals to use to stop the Riders. An X Rider can only truly be defeated with the power that spawned them, either in the form of the original Rider or by a Rider using that Rider’s Disc. Any other method will not destroy them. When an X-Soldier uses one of the X-Discs to transform the effect is a twisted version of the original. For example while Hybrid transforms in a spiral of swirling energy Hybrid X transforms in a rushing geyser of energy. When Warren is sent back he is accompanied by four X-Soldiers he personally trained who are armed with the X-Discs for his Rider Discs. When he defected they pledged their loyalty to the Four Generals. When Lauren appeared as Ancient the Generals requested Master X create X-Discs to counter her own Rider Discs. The four soldiers to wield them were the top of the elite troops for each General When an X-Rider is defeated the X-Disc is drained of power until it recharges. There are no set users for the X-Discs, the Generals pick an X-Soldier to use them and when they fail they’re recalled to the future to face Master X’s wrath. The X-Disc is then passed onto a new solider to use once it recharges. As X-Riders get stronger they gain the power to summon forth enemies fought by the original Rider. (Note: In universe the Kamen Rider names on the X-Riders are replaced by their title and the year is replaced by Master X’s symbol. E.G instead of Kuuga it now says Adalve X) The Four Generals- The strongest of all of Master X’s warriors. Each General is given control over a territory to do with as they please. Master X regularly sends prisoners to them to punish as they wish. When the Four went back in time to stop the Riders they are given a series of X Discs containing corrupted versions of the power of various Riders. They have their soldiers use the discs to create the X Riders to fight the Riders.  

General of the Wild "The Huntress”- Mistress of the hunt, the top tracker of Master X. She regularly holds a hunt within an artificial preserve of her own design. Her quarry are the prisoners sent to her domain. X Riders:

MirWar X- A twisted version of Power Rider Drago. A dark reflection of the original. They share the original’s ability to travel inside reflections. Transformation- A cracked reflection of the armor appears forming around the user turning them into MirWar X.

S.W.A.R.M X- A twisted version of Power Rider Beetle. More worm than rider. Like the original they can enter a state of hyperspeed. Transformation- The armor crawls across their body like bugs before attaching turning them into S.W.A.R.M X.

Animaster X- A twisted version of Power Rider Animaster. Acts like a beast on the hunt. Transformation- Three medals with twisted versions of the symbols for the hawk, tiger, and grasshopper appear before merging on the user’s chest turning them into Animaster X. Face Claim: Jenna Coleman

General of the Sciences “The Doctor”- Top scientist and inventor for Master X, an expert in all fields of science. It’s rumored that he subjects those sent to his domain to inhumane experimentation. All in the name of Master X of course. X Riders:

Djand X- A twisted version of Power Rider Djand. Like a dark wish brought to life. Transformation- Sand covers the user turning them into Djand X.

4Z X- A twisted version of Power Rider 4Z. Dark cosmic energy fills their body. They can utilize dark copies of the Cosmic Switches Transformation- The user is surrounded by a storm of cosmic energy as they’re turned into 4Z X.

Racer X- A twisted version of Power Rider Racer. A swift and lethal warrior. They can summon a dark version of A.U.T.O Transformation- The armor appears broke and shattered around the user before attaching to them turning them into Racer X.

Arcade X- A twisted version of Power Rider Arcade Player One. Acts like the boss character in a game. Transformation- A field of virus infected binary floods over the user turning them into Arcade X.

Hybrid X- A twisted version of Power Rider Hybrid. A disturbing balance of hare and artillery. They are able to scan objects and people to create new Fuelsion to use in battle. Transformation- A rising gusher of energy sprays them turning the user into Hybrid X. Face Claim: David Tennant

General of the Warriors- “The Gladiator”- Master of all fighting styles and strongest warrior under Master X. His domain contains a massive Colosseum he uses to hold regular gladiatorial games with those sent to him. X Riders:

Adalve X- A twisted version of Power Rider Adalve. Power grows as it fights. Transformation- Intense flame covers the user causing them to change into Adalve X

Wyvern X- A twisted version of Power Rider Wyvern. The dragon’s power has gone wild. Transformation- A demonic dragon appears breathing fire on the user changing them into Wyvern X

Deca X- A twisted version of Power Rider Deca. Able to use the abilities of other X Riders. They are one of the strongest X Riders but still pale in comparison to the Generals and especially to Master X. Transformation- A card depicting their X form flies around the user turning them into Deca X.

Duow X- A twisted version of Power Rider Duow. A warrior of the winds without humanity. Transformation- A burst of universal energy forms the suit halves as they’re stitched together turning the user into Duow X.

Warruit X- A twisted version of Power Rider Warruit. A twisted warrior powered by nature. Transformation- An orange appears around the user pealing to reveal them turned into Warruit X. Face Claim: Arthur Darvill

General of the Supernatural- “The Oracle” - The top mystic of Master X, she is versed in all schools of the magical arts. She uses her connection to the paranormal to torment those sent to her realm. The air in her domain is filled with mystic power. X Riders

Phi X- A twisted version of Power Rider Phi. More Necrive than rider now. Transformation- Blood like plasma flows around the user turning them into Phi X.

Arcane X- A twisted version of Power Rider Arcane Spade. Their body is filled with arcane power. Transformation- A dark arcane symbol passes over them turning them into Arcane X.

Meloni X- A twisted version of Power Rider Meloni. More demon than rider. Transformation- Dark flame engulfs them turning them into Meloni X.

Vamp X- A twisted version of Power Rider Vamp. Acts like the bloodsucking vampire of earth instead of the darkness draining vamp. Transformation- Darkness covers them before bat wings turn them into Vamp X.

Mystic X- A twisted version of Power Rider Mystic. A dark look at what Mystic would have been had the Dragon won. They can use dark copies of Mystic’s spell rings. Transformation- The mystic symbol of the dragon appears and shoots flames all over the user turning them into Mystic X.

Phantom X- A twisted version of Power Rider Phantom. A ghostly warrior wielding dark powers. Transformation- Dark energy surrounds them as the twisted soul of the hero forces itself onto the user turning them into Phantom X. Face Claim: Alex Kingston All four command the X-Riders created to counter Eternity and Ancient

Shadowstrike X- A twisted version of Power Rider Shadowstrike. A lethal assassin hiding in the shadows. Transformation- A scroll appears and the user’s own shadow leaps onto their body turning them into Shadowstrike X.

Mystery X- A twisted version of Power Rider Mystery. Full of impossible questions. Transformation- A field of question marks swarm the user turning them into Mystery X.

Roborg X- A twisted version of Power Rider Roborg. A twisted parody using natural materials instead of metal and gears. Transformation- An electric current surges through the user turning them into Roborg X.

Xtera X- A twisted version of Power Rider Xtera. Represents the alien that bonded with the original Xtera. Transformation- Orbs orbit the user sending energy into them turning them into Xtera X.

Hardrock X- A twisted version of Power Rider Hardrock. More dinosaur than human. Transformation- Bone and stone surrounds the user turning them into Hardrock X.

Coatl X- A twisted version of Power Rider Coatl. The jungle beast gone wild. Transformation- The jaguar roars as the user is wrapped in vines turning them into Coatl X.

Smith X- A twisted version of Power Rider Smith. A dark blacksmith filled with evil flame. Transformation- Cracks appear on the user sending waves of heat as the user turns into metal becoming Smith X.

Sheriff X- A twisted version of Power Rider Sheriff. A coyote like bandit armed with twin guns in their fingers. The steam pack is a part of their very body. Transformation- Steam shoots out from the user’s pores turning them into Sheriff X. The generals all have a symbol and the united symbol is a giant X with each of them on the tip of the X with Master X in the middle X-Soldiers All X-Soldiers share the basic body armor (resembles Paradox/Quantum with the watch aspects and words in the visor removed) But each general has unique additions to their own soldiers. The X-Soldiers who accompany the Generals are often used to create the X-Riders though the process often proves lethal when they are defeated in battle. All X-Soldiers have a recall function built into their suits so that when they fall in battle their suits do not fall into enemy hands, this function was installed after the Rebels got their hands onto suits from fallen soldiers. Soldiers who prove themselves in many battles are rewarded with their own personal R.A.V.E suit. Huntress- Her soldiers wear environmental camouflage and are armed with sniper rifles, bows and arrows, and knives. They are trained to fight like beasts. Doctor- His soldiers are equipped with the most advanced technology the Doctor can develop. They are trained to fight in a mechanical manner, many of them having cybernetic enhancements. Gladiator- His soldiers are styled after the ancient Spartans and armed with high tech spears and shields. They are trained to fight like warriors in the Colosseum. Victory or death are the only options for them. Oracle- Her soldiers wear cloaks and know many low level spells to cast. They are trained to fight with magic enhancing their actions. Master X- His soldiers are the very elite of the elite. They are styled after himself and would rather die themselves than cause Master X to even be aware of a threat against him. When Warren is sent to the past he is accompanied by his own personal squad he trained himself. When he defects they remain loyal to Master X and turn on him. During the final battle this squad uses the X-Discs for the Future Riders.

Master X- The man known as Master X was once a man named Max. Max grew frustrated with the state of the world and marveled at the power of the Riders. He realized that a single being with all their power could rule the world like a god and shape the world to their liking. After using his ties with Organization X to create rider technology he lured the Riders of Earth into a deadly ambush. Using organization tech he transferred their powers into himself gaining enough power to cut down all in his path. He used the power of the Riders to take over the Earth and slaughter his foes including all the Rangers and remaining Riders of Earth. After this massacre he cut down the heads of nations virtually abolishing the very concept of nations. The world was united under his flag. However the only thing greater than his power was his paranoia. As time went on he would remain transformed all the time and not even his own family would see his face nor know his true name. He learned the hard way not to truly trust anyone when his own son and his daughter in law planned to overthrow him. Learning of their plan he murdered the two and framed rebels for the act. He would raise his grandchildren alone, treating them with kindness while molding them in his own image. However all his work was undone when they witnessed him slaughtering a group of rebels. His grandchildren would join the rebels and travel back in time to prevent his rule from ever beginning. After sending his Generals to stop him he eventually grew frustrated and traveled back himself, quickly finding his younger self and enlisting him to repeat his conquest. Master X treats his younger self with contempt barely hiding his disgust at what he once was, in fact he even plans to simply transfer his brain into his younger body and extend his lifespan. Despite this he gives his younger self a special Rider Disc allowing him to become Power Rider Zenith. He also brings the machines keeping the time portal open insuring his survival. Master X only truly cares about himself and anything or anyone that threatens his rule is an enemy to be dealt with severely. Any noble goals have long been forgotten as a ruthless tyrant rose from the ashes of heroes. Face Claim: Peter Capaldi

Power Rider Zenith- The man known as Max had grown bored with his life and sickened by the actions of those in power. He believed that he could do a better job. One day a visitor from the future gave him the chance. In this timeline Max never had the chance to begin his plans on his own before Master X arrived and told him of his destiny to rule the world. Seeing his dreams within his reach he agreed to help his future self insure history remains on the proper course. Though he does feel like his future self is not telling him the full story. Face Claim: Alex Heartman Transformation Device: Zenith Belt Transformation Call: Let’s Ride! Transformation: When he spins their belt a giant energy clock appears and as the hands spins the armor forms The time soon comes for the final battle as Master X summons his armies. Due to the time distortion portals begin to open. The Rider Discs call forth the Riders from the past and the future (Hardrock through Xtera) resulting in the Riders joining forces with their own backup in the form of the rest of the (primary) Riders. The battles are set. Paradox vs Master X and Zenith Quantum vs The Huntress Eternity vs The Gladiator Chrono and Epoch vs The Oracle Ancient vs The Doctor Adalve-Hybrid vs the X Riders Hardrock-Xtera vs their X Riders 1-Jiga vs Master X’s soldiers and their R.A.V.E’s

During the battle Master X forces a fusion between him and his younger self turning themselves into an X Rider version of themself. After a hard fought battle the two men defuse and Max reveals that the process let him learn of Master X’s plans. Fed up with his future self and enraged at the betrayal Max laughs as he claims to have found a power greater than any Master X holds. The tyrant laughs and asks what power he could have. Max responds “The power to change the course of history” as he stabs himself with a broken blade. Panicking at the mortal wounding of his younger self Master X retreats to the future with his soldiers following him, the rest of the X Riders fade with their Rider Discs shattered.

Arriving in the future Master X realizes too late he left the machines in the past as Paradox and Quantum destroy the machine closing the time portal. As it closes history changes for Master X. His power fades leaving the tyrant a frail and pale old man screaming as his empire fades and history is rewritten. The past and future Riders return to their origin points despite knowing that for half of them their deaths are already written and for the others their very existence has been erased. Due to being in the present Stephanie, Gerald and the others remain intact.

Without Master X or the hope of returning to their future the guilt of their actions finally hit the Generals. After begging the Paradox Riders to put them out of their misery the Riders refuse and tell them they can use this chance to make amends and make a new beginning. And so the Four Generals leave Earth and scatter to the stars, each attempting to atone for their horrific deeds. The Huntress uses her skills as a bounty hunter tracking down those who escape justice. The Doctor creates a single robot for each of his many victims. After each one is completed he sends it into the universe to do good and help others. The Gladiator seeks out and trains with the greatest warriors across galaxies before accepting students of his own. He instructs his pupils to only use their skills in the defense of others. The Oracle uses her future sight to prevent disasters and tragedies wherever she is able. After the battle the Rider head to a near by mall and buffet to relax and unwind as they discuss the future that nearly was and the future yet to be. The threat of Master X is finally ended. We see four glimpses into the new future * The Tournament Of Shadows is held between the various ninja schools around the world each sending a Rider to represent them. From the School of the Frog comes Power Rider Shadowstrike who quickly becomes the crowds favorite… * A woman solves an unsolvable puzzle and uses the power within to become Power Rider Mystery and fight against a mad scientist trying to force humanity into the next step of evolution… * A man barely survives the first attack of the robot uprising. He is found by a group of scientists who save his life by turning him into a cyborg. Fighting to defend humanity he becomes Power Rider Roborg… * A woman finds a peaceful alien crash landed on Earth. The alien had come to warn of an invading fleet but is too injured to help. The two bond and Power Rider Xtera is formed to fend off the invaders…

(Faces by @dream-chef-flavors Zenith and additional armors by JK5201, Hardrock/X, Coatl/X, Smith/X, Sheriff/X, Xtera X, Four Generals all by Chen Chan , Epoch, Ancient and additional armors by @chuckles-the-jester, Adalve-X, 4Z-X and Phi-X by Larryng1204)

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No Boys Allowed- Vanya’s Day

Fandom: The Umbrella Academy

Characters: Vanya Hargreeves, Allison Hargreeves, Klaus Hargreeves, Ben Hargreeves (sort of) 

A/N: I had the best time doing TUA fic week and definitely want to keep writing for this fandom. Thank you all so much for reading. Enjoy today’s entry :)

“Can you braid? Neither of us know how.”  Allison knew that Ben knew, but he must have been playing dumb the entire time if anyone had asked him for help. When Klaus had knocked on her door, Vanya by his side, she knew they were seeking her out for a reason. She took it as a welcome distraction.

“We were saying how nice he would look with his hair French-braided.” Vanya added, “But neither of us can follow a tutorial for anything.” Something stirred inside Allison, excitement maybe? There had been so many awful, confusing things going on lately that she hadn’t even begun to process. But this was one of those few times she could actually help, no matter how small the request was.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

They didn’t have what had now been lovingly referred to as “girl’s night” very often at all as kids. But sometimes, a rare sometimes, Allison would desperately need a sister’s company at the same time Klaus would desperately need a break from the nonstop aggression of brothers at the same time Vanya was lonely enough to risk actually seeking out someone to be with. “Girl’s” night was of course loosely-defined since Klaus was involved, but any other brothers barging in to play superheroes or throw knives at the boy band posters on the wall were firmly redirected to the hand-written No Boys Allowed sign taped to the door for such occasions.

It would feel like the times they all snuck into each other’s room after bedtime to play cards or tell stories, but somehow even more vital in their purpose and function. Girl’s nights were few and far between, sometimes less cheery and loud than the group hangs, but the sisters and honorary “girl” needed their time.  

 This was the first one they all had as adults, already feeling somehow younger and hopelessly old as they gathered on the floor of Allison’s room.

“So who’s going first?” She flitted around the room, gathering what she thought they would need. Most of her things were exactly as she left them, the brush and mirror and extremely 2000s barrettes and butterfly clips. She grabbed a makeup bag and a pack of stick-on nails just in case the night started picking up.

Klaus volunteered, “I need a modern makeover.”

“As modern as we can get with these beaded hair ties.” Allison ran her hands through his shoulder-length waves, smiling as he leaned into her touch. She couldn’t resist scratching behind his ear like a cat to make him giggle and squirm, but still close enough to brush out the tangles and start braiding. Vanya made herself comfortable, coming over to Klaus to lay her head in his lap.

“Remember the time we dragged Luther in here and painted his nails?” He asked.

“Thanks to that hole Diego put in the wall, I never forgot it.” Allison said.  Klaus threw his head back and laughed at the memory.

“Wait, what?” Vanya looked up at her siblings, puzzled. Oh, right.  Sometimes they forgot how many memories they had where Vanya just wasn’t around.

 “He was being an ass so we dragged him in here kicking and screaming and gave him pink nails.” Allison said, thinking of the one time they broke the No Boys Allowed rule.

“Me and Ben and Diego had to sit on him.” Klaus added.

“Then why did he-“

“Luther tickled him to make him get off and he’s a kicker.”

“Where’s the hole?” Klaus started laughing again, pointing at a suspiciously low poster hanging on the wall, tacked hardly an inch above the baseboard.

“We didn’t want to get in trouble.”

“Somehow no one caught on.”

“It was my brilliant idea.” Vanya just shook her head, laughing to herself as the two recounted the event. It was the gateway to even more stories of things she had missed, and while Allison finished Klaus’ hair and applied Vanya’s press-on nails, the “girls’ caught her up on things. They explained everything from inside jokes (A fictional 8th sibling named Hubert that lived under Ben’s bed and was responsible for everything in the house that went wrong), the reason there was a fork stuck in the ceiling beam in the living room (Diego still refused to completely say why), and how one time they managed to cover everything in Five’s room with post-it notes. The experience was bittersweet, especially since they all knew why Vanya wasn’t around for things, but it felt good to talk. It felt good for everyone to be distracted by braids and nails and stories.

Klaus ended up looking stunning in a French braid, pulling the hair back from his face and showing off his features. Allison even left a few strands to hang loose and curled them. He would not stop looking in the mirror, taking up the space by the vanity as Allison had moved onto highlighting Vanya’s cheekbones and adding glitter wherever she thought was necessary. The process was taking forever because the big fluffy brush tickled something awful and it was an ordeal trying to get Vanya to sit still. 

   "You look like a prom queen." Allison told him, hoping that if she gave him enough attention, he would get out of her light. 

"You look like a founding father." Vanya countered. 

Klaus’ jaw dropped. Vanya was still getting use to the whole teasing thing, but this was her best attempt yet.  Allison's reaction definitely wasn't her usual pity laugh, bursting into giggles both at her comment and Klaus’ floored reaction. Maybe there was something about her time away in the 60s that gave her confidence.

   "I am stunning, thank you." He poked Vanya in the side and she squeaked.   "You need to play nice with others." Allison said, "missing" her cheekbones entirely and swiping the powder brush over her ear again. 

  "Stop!" She scrunched up her neck and wrinkled her nose, but had giggles in her voice.

  "Tell me I'm pretty!" Klaus said, giving her one last chance. Vanya sighed, turning to the side to gently take Klaus’ face in her hand, utter sincerity in her eyes. 

"I'm sure you'll do amazing at your Hamilton audition." Allison doubled over, laughing so hard she had a snort fit and needed to grab on to Vanya’s chair to keep herself upright. 

"Oh that's it!" Klaus went back to poking at his sister’s sides, but with a new intensity. Vanya’s dam burst and her giggles rang throughout the room, shaking her shoulders and turning her cheeks pink. 

  Allison had recovered and decided Klaus needed some help with his vengeance, going back and forth between using her nails and the big, fluffy brush, making her sister scrunch up her neck even more and squeak as she laughed. Klaus poked wherever he could find an opening, fighting off her hands, all the while taking notes on which spots got a good reaction. 

  "I am a goddess and I will be treated as such!" he said, attacking her ribs.  Vanya nearly fell out of her chair, eyes screwed shut as she rocked with silent laughter. 

"N-no!" She managed, mustering the strength to plan for attack. For the first time, she fought back, going right for Klaus’ hips with her new press-on nails. She had so much time just sitting on the sidelines during these sort of interactions, watching every move. It would be the easiest thing in the world to take every sibling down based on her knowledge of tickle spots.

  Klaus let out a shriek and curled on himself. It was his fault for wearing shirts that never fully covered his torso. 

  "I'll get his front if you get his back." He heard Allison say. That’s when he knew girl’s night was over and he needed to be on his way. He went to run, but the door slammed seemingly on its own. Even the knob refused to turn

.   "Screw you, Ben!" Klaus yelled out, right as his sisters had him cornered, kicking the door for good measure. He could hear the bastard laughing right on the other side of the wall. 

  "Thanks, Ben!" The sisters said in unison. Overhead, the lights flickered, as if noting the appreciation.

  They ended up in the weirdest positions as they tried to get their brother pinned, tangling themselves in knots until they finally had Klaus laying across Vanya's lap as she held his arms in place, Allison kneeling between his legs and making a big show of showing off her nails before going for the kill. She made her hands into claws and dug right onto the surface of his exposed hips, sending him into hysterics. The tickles they had all been giving and receiving so far had been gentle, but there was something about the new nails and the motivation of vengeance that was giving Vanya a merciless streak. She and Allison were a team now, and they were firmly locked on their target as they tickled him senseless, themselves giggling as Klaus went into the asthmatic hyena stage of his laughter. 

   The tables turned on Allison next, who unexpectedly yelped and curled up in a ball in the middle of tormenting Klaus, swatting at something invisible that had tickled her neck.

  "Ben, you TRAITOR!”

"He thrives off chaos" Klaus wheezed, and immediately folded over with a squeak. The ghost truly had no loyalties.

"No boys allowed, remember the sign?" Vanya added. The door dramatically swung open and slammed loudly, nearly drowning out Allison’s laughter as Klaus had used this chance to exact his revenge, slipping his hands up under her arms and making her cackle until there were tears in her eyes.  Vanya happily went with this change of plans and joined right in. After all, Allison had been way too ruthless with that brush earlier. 

   She never would have guessed that Vanya and Klaus together would be such a lethal team, but they absolutely were due to years of observation and combined creative efforts.

   "You need to hold STILL.” Vanya said, some time later. She couldn’t resist grabbing the powder brush from the vanity and running it over her neck to see how she liked it.   "Shuhuhut UP!" 

  And it was back to Vanya again. She could have sworn she felt another set of hands jabbing away, but she couldn't think straight from laughing. The hands she could see and feel on her were bad enough to give her the hiccups and a sore stomach. She couldn’t remember laughing like this. Maybe she never had before. 

   Allison's work ended up going to waste, makeup being smudged and hair becoming more and more disheveled as they wrestled and played and laughed. Mostly they laughed. It reminded Vanya of the rare occasions when the entire sibling squad would camp out in each other's rooms when they were supposed to be in bed and would be giddy from the mischief of sneaking out and being overtired. She may not be on the same level of comfort and familiarity like this with the others, but her "sisters" were the safe place to start. 

     They sank against each other at last in a heap, breathless and glowing with happiness. Occasionally, there would be bursts of giggles or random pokes and squawks of indignation, but mostly they were tired out and content to lean against each other, Vanya nestled between the “girls.” Glitter was everywhere thanks to the powder brush that had found its way over Vanya’s ears and Allison’s neck and Klaus’ ribs. She collected a few specks of the fine, sparkly dust on her fingertip and pressed them to Klaus’ cheek, giggling when he stuck out his tongue at her.

“The guys are seriously missing out. I forgot how great this was.” Vanya felt so relaxed she thought she could almost fall asleep there and then, warm and happy with Allison absentmindedly playing with her hair.

“Do you think Diego would really let us even touch his hair, though?” Klaus began to think of how many barrettes he could sneak before Diego noticed while his back was turned. The idea was tempting.

“It’s like you almost want him to put his foot through the wall again.” Allison gestured to the poster with one hand and skittered across his side with the other, grinning at the sound of his laugh.

“You’re right. Maybe we should keep it our thing.”

“Same time next week?” Vanya suggested.

She hoped in all honestly it would be even sooner than that.

[hedwigstalons]

High Expectations - Ch22

Next instalment of the military boys for you with WASP!Gordon and Air Force!Scott.  Lots of love and thanks to @willow-salix for putting up with my musings, moaning and general self doubt.

Earlier parts: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-One

AO3 chapter link

Chapter Twenty-Two

The bar was dark and packed to bursting point.  Gordon nursed a juice while keeping half an eye on the door for Scott. It was probably just as well that the army had been allocated a different bar he reflected, he wasn’t sure many more bodies could safely squeeze into the already crowded space.  The US Army, buoyed by being on home turf, had scraped a narrow victory in the competition and the walk from the barracks had been accompanied by the sounds of celebration from across the base as the resident personnel decided to toast the victors.  In light of this the event organisers had decided it was perhaps wise to keep the visitors separate from their hosts, a winning team could get a little over enthusiastic in their celebrations, especially with an entire base full of compatriots on hand to buy them drinks.  It meant that the designated non-Army bar was crowded but at least Gordon knew he and Scott would definitely end up at the same place.  

Ordinarily he would be in the thick of the action after an event.  Before, the short time between the end of a competition and heading home had been one of the few points in his life when he was free of responsibilities and obligations and he usually took full advantage of the freedom.  His misspent youth could be carefully plotted out on a calendar in regimented bursts around his swimming commitments before the daily realities of training, school and looking after Alan kicked back in.  

Tonight he wasn’t in the mood for indulging in a few hours of hedonism, especially after Scott’s prior warnings about underage drinking and military police not making for a happy combination; it wasn’t worth risking his fledgling career for.  The more physical pleasures that often followed a competition were also off the cards in a shared dormitory of strangers.  Most of those present though didn’t fall under the state’s age restriction and the alcohol was flowing freely.  A glass thudded down on the table in front of him, slopping some of the contents onto the already sticky table.

“Get that down you, Tracy.  You earned it.”  The sound drew his eyes away from the door and back to the table of WASPs around him.  He hoped Scott would turn up soon, after the swimming was over he’d managed to avoid the cretins he’d had the misfortune of being thrown into the pool with but with everyone confined to one place there was no escape.  Not all of WASP fell into the obnoxious category but there were a few individuals that he was quite glad he’d be unlikely to cross paths with ever again.

“I’m good, thanks.”  He nodded towards his own glass, still half full of apple juice.

“Ah, c’mon, you’re off duty.”  An uncoordinated hand slapped him on the shoulder, jolting him forwards with the force of it.  WASP might not have won the competition but they hadn’t done badly and a sizable chunk of the points had come from Gordon’s success in the pool.  Points that were being celebrated with a few too many beers and a fair quantity of hard liquor.  “Lighten up a little.”  

The glass was shoved closer, nearly falling off the edge of the table into his lap.  He wasn’t too sure what was in it but it sure as hell wasn’t apple juice; from some of the sniggerings and mutterings and looking at who had supplied the drink he strongly suspected the glass contained a lethal mix for the sole purpose of getting him blind drunk.

“He said he’s fine.”  A hand reached down and covered the glass, dragging it away towards the middle of the table with a scraping sound.

Gordon looked up, then up further.  Scott towered over the table, exuding an air of command even during his down time.  Blue eyes were set into what Gordon clearly recognised as protective mode, his mouth thin and his jaw clenched, daring those at the table to challenge him.  Grateful though he was to have his brother finally show up he really didn’t need Scott to antagonise the rest of his team over one drink that he’d had no intention of touching anyway.

“Sorry folks, family reunion time.  I’m sure one of you can put that drink to good use,” he flashed a placating grin as he quickly stood up and stepped away from the table, drawing Scott away before tempers could flare.  Those that hadn’t been at the pool were looking a little bemused at Scott’s sudden arrival and departure which must have come across as fairly rude but Gordon could already feel the tension from the swimmers who had butted heads with his brother before and he was keen to avoid an argument.  “Do you have to rub everyone up the wrong way?” he asked when they were finally clear of the WASP delegation.

“They’re idiots, and drunk ones at that.”  Scott was in no mood to suffer fools, he’d had enough of that already for one day.

“I know, but you’re late and I didn’t really have anywhere else to wait.  And they aren’t all idiots, there’s just a few bad apples on the team.”

“If you say so.  What the hell was in that drink anyway?”

“No idea, but I had no intention of finding out.  I could have handled that by myself you know.”

“Sorry, I should have trusted you.” Scott at least had the decency to look a little shame faced, sometimes it was hard to remember that Gordon was no longer a kid and was capable of making his own decisions, usually the right ones. “I just know what it can be like, the military can be a bit heavy handed with the drink when it’s in the mood.  Speaking of which, do you mind if I grab a beer?”  

“Go for it,” Gordon shrugged, just because he was sticking to juice didn’t mean his brother had to.

Scott gave a grateful nod and worked his way towards the bar, his movements still stiff and tense.  He ordered a beer and knocked the whole lot back in record time before leaving the empty bottle on the counter top.

“Jeez Scott, is everything okay?” The ferociousness with which Scott attacked the drink had surprised Gordon and he sensed that Scott’s mood wasn’t just down to his encounter with the WASP team.  The man before him certainly wasn’t the carefree brother he’d enjoyed sparring against just a few hours earlier.

“I’m fine.  Can we get out of here?” the tone suggested Scott was anything but fine.

“Sure,” he nodded, following on in Scott’s wake as they made their way to the exit.  Once they reached the cool night air Gordon tried again, it was clear from Scott’s bearing that something was bothering him.  “Now are you going to tell me why you’re storming round like a thunder cloud?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Bullshit, Scott.  You show up late looking like you’re spoiling for a fight then knock back a drink at mach 3.  You either tell me what’s going on or I’ll set Virgil on you.”  

Scott grimaced but he could tell from Gordon’s expression that he was deadly serious.  At least Gordon was likely to have some understanding and sympathy whereas with Virgil he risked being subjected to an anti-military guilt trip and he definitely wasn’t in the mood for that.  Normally his immediate younger sibling would be his sounding board but on this their opposing views were likely to be a stumbling block, no matter how well intentioned his brother's counsel might be.

“Not here,” the area immediately outside the bar was busy with people taking a break from the heat and crowds inside and there were a few too many Air Force personnel around for his liking, “let’s take a walk.”

They headed off into the darkness, their subconscious steps leading them by mutual consent towards the nearby athletics track.  The bleachers were empty in stark contrast to the crowds of the previous day and the whole area was shadowy with just a few security lights illuminating the gates.  They settled onto the hard planks and took a few moments to just sit quietly in the darkness.

It was Gordon who cracked first, the slumped shoulders and stony expression worn by his brother were still a cause for concern.  Scott looked tired and not just in the purely physical sense.

“So spill, how come you were so late tonight?”

“Just had to deal with some stuff from my CO.”

“Still not gelling with the new guy?”  He had been treated to a few choice words in the past about Scott’s thoughts on his Commander and they were far from complimentary.

“Not that new anymore.  But no, he still doesn’t trust me to lead my unit and questions my every decision.  I guess the feeling’s mutual though.”

“How so?”

“His orders are...urgh.”  He dropped his head into his hands for a moment, his fingers carding through his hair in agitation, before straightening and gazing unseeingly over the empty track.  “My last mission, it was a complete disaster.  Pretty much everything I predicted would happen, did, but when I tried to talk to him about it before we flew out I just got shot down,” there was a heavy pause, “just like two of my unit,” Scott muttered darkly.

“Ouch,” Gordon winced.  “I didn’t hear about that; must have been reported while I was on the subs, it can be hard to keep up with the news down there.”

“It wasn’t reported.  The whole mission was top secret, even the guys’ families think they were on some training exercise that went wrong.  Look, I really shouldn’t be telling you any of this.”  He turned towards Gordon and even in the darkness the silent plea could be seen.

“Understood,” Gordon tried to reassure him.  He knew there would probably be times in the future when he needed to speak to someone outside of the service despite it being against orders and if you couldn’t trust family, who could you trust?  “Whatever you say goes no further.”  This moment was between him and Scott, one serving brother to another, and he could feel his shift in status from dependent child to equal.

“Thanks.” The quiet nod that accompanied it conveyed a depth of feeling that showed just how much Scott was dealing with.  “You always hear rumours about the secret stuff and you think it’s going to be all exciting, but the reality is...it’s bad.  This isn’t what I joined up for.  The guys from my unit weren’t the only casualties either, there were civilians in the area, innocent people who had no choice in all this.  Collateral damage is how my CO referred to them, callous bastard.”

It was the first time Scott had spoken to anyone outside of his immediate unit about the mission and the relief at being able to criticise the orders without reprimand was palpable.  He’d been on the other side of this conversation a couple of times as some of the men and women who served under him had felt the need to talk but he’d always been the listening ear and had always been required to respond on party lines, that the sacrifices were worth it for the bigger picture, despite his desire to scream that he’d thought it was a fool's errand and that he hadn’t wanted to lead them into danger.  But none of them had been given a choice, it was a case of fly or be court martialed.  Now, with the lives of those who trusted him on his conscience, he wondered if court martial would have been the better option. 

Gordon sat in silence, realising that what his brother really needed was someone to just listen as he worked through his own thoughts.  His own meagre service history, still in the early stages, had him completely devoid of experience in the field of combat and the moral minefield it could evidently come with.  In the deep shadows of the stands Gordon could almost feel the ghosts that haunted his brother's memories, turning the figure that was normally a poster boy for patriotism into a hunched and brooding shell that looked far older than his twenty-six years.

As if sensing the scrutiny his brother was subjecting him to Scott mentally shook himself and straightened.  The doubts and worries were locked away again as he visibly morphed back into older brother mode; strong, dependable and emitting a feeling of self-assurance.  He might have let his guard slip for a moment but he had worn the mantle as head of the pack for too many years to be comfortable showing such vulnerability for long.  He was already doubting the wisdom of telling anyone about his problems but the call from his CO earlier in the evening had left him angry which always clouded his judgement.  Venting had helped a bit and he was grateful that Gordon had been there, listening without judgement in a way that their father or Virgil never could.

“So what’s this posting of yours?” He asked, flipping  the focus back to  Gordon.  “You said in the ring you wouldn’t have any time for training.”  

It was a clear sign that any conversation about the Air Force and Scott’s thoughts towards it was over.  The walls were back up and Gordon knew that, despite that momentary show of vulnerability, any further probing wouldn’t be welcomed.  It was troubling just how much Scott was affected, biggest brother had always been so confident, but tonight Gordon had seen a side he’d never been privy to before and he wondered how many other times Scott had worn the mask to protect the rest of them from his doubts.  

Much as he wanted to help Scott he really didn’t know how and he still had his own problems to unpick.  Now it was his turn to be in the spotlight.

“No, I think my sporting activities are going to be on hold for a while.  Um, I’m being given command of a craft.”

“You’re getting a Merlin? You really must have impressed them during the training to get your own sub so quickly.”  Scott couldn’t help but feel a flush of pride at Gordon getting that level of recognition so early on in his career.  Really Gordon should have been bouncing at the news so to see him so flat and brooding was a worry and he wondered what the problem was.  “You had to know it was coming at some point, commanding a unit is kinda the deal with being an officer.”

“S’not a Merlin, it’s a bathyscape.  I go in a little under a month.”

“A bathyscape?  I didn’t even know WASP had those.”

“Yeah, it’s a research posting; unlike the Air Force, WASP isn’t all about combat missions y’know.  I’ll be out there for a whole year, looking at underwater farming methods.”

Scott whistled, as first assignments went it was a big one but perhaps not in the direction Gordon had been hoping to take; his brother has made no secret of wanting to get a place on the sleek and fast Stingray, the whole point of volunteering for the Merlins was as a stepping stone to this, and a research bathyscape was the polar opposite.   “That’s a long time, is that what the problem is?  At least you know your way around a farm, or was a sea tractor not quite what you had in mind as your first mission command?  You don’t sound too excited about it all.”

“It’s not a sea tractor,” Gordon snorted at Scott’s abysmal attempt to lighten the mood.  “I know underwater farming might not be everyone’s bag but I’ve been really enjoying the oceanography and marine biology parts of my training.  I think that’s partly what got me picked for it.  A whole year is a bit longer than I was expecting but this is a big deal.  This project could really make a difference and I’ll be leading a sizabe team so it’s an honour to be chosen.”

“I sense a ‘but’ coming on.”  Despite everything he was saying there was a distinct lack of excitement from the aquanaut.  

“It’s the whole research element.  The project is joint with CalTech and I’ll be sending our findings on to their marine biology team.”

“What difference does that make?”

Gordon tried to meet Scott's eyes but couldn't, nervous about whatever reaction he might get to the news he hadn't yet been brave enough to voice.  Compared to the issues Scott was facing this seemed minor in comparison but it was still giving him sleepless nights.  His stomach churned, the butterflies inside him evidently practicing backflips or something.  He hadn't told anyone about this, not even Virgil, but he trusted Scott to give an objective opinion and be honest with him.

“Well, most officers have been to university.  It turns out that they like those of us who haven’t to get qualified on the job.  Part of the deal with CalTech is that the research papers can count as course credit.  If I study for a few extra units while I’m down there then by the end of the year I could earn a higher ed diploma.”

“That’s great news.”

“Is it?  My CO is talking like it’s a done deal but I’m really not sure.”

“What’s not to be sure about?”  

“This is me, Scott.  The family screw up.  Part of the reason I’m even in WASP is cos you finally got Dad to see sense that I wasn’t cut out for College.”

“You are not a screw up!” Scott exclaimed, cross that even now their father’s past needling about Gordon’s academic abilities was still able to drag his brother down; sure he wasn’t in the same league as John but then very few people were and it didn’t mean he wasn’t bright in his own right.  “Now you listen up.  I didn’t go against Dad cos I didn’t think you could hack college, I did it because I could see you’d make a damn good aquanaut.  You’re made for the submarine service but that doesn’t mean you’re incapable of anything else.”

“But studying at undergrad level, it’s going to be a lot of work.”  

“Gordon, you work harder than pretty much anyone else I know.  You certainly worked harder at school than the rest of us,” he took in the raised eyebrows that framed a look of pure skepticism.  “I mean it.  You might not have got top grades but your marks were still good even though some of the subjects didn’t come naturally and you did all that around your swimming and Alan.” 

Gordon scuffed at the planks, his fingers absentmindedly attacking a stray splinter in the wood as the empty seat on his far side suddenly became very interesting.  Scott seemed to believe in him but he just couldn’t summon up that same faith in himself.  “But what if I fail?  I don’t think I can do it.”

There, he’d said it.  Ever since he’d been called in by his commanding officer and given the details of the posting the study element had been dragging him down like a millstone.  He’d realised pretty early on, even during selection, that he was the odd one out, underqualified compared to most officers.  What he hadn’t realised was that WASP would not only support him to gain a degree but it was assumed that he would be taking on this learning as a matter of course.  From that moment on the gnawing dread had been eating away at him.  He enjoyed the study topics and he’d proved himself worthy of the command element of the posting but instead of looking forward to the opportunity all he could think about was the impending failure because he couldn’t foresee any other outcome.

“Look at me, Gords.  You aren’t going to fail.  It’s a diploma of higher ed, right?” Gordon gave a slight nod of confirmation.  “That means it’s first year stuff and I know that when it comes to the ocean you’ve got that more than covered.  What you’re going to be missing is the general skills and for those you can always ask the rest of us for help.  John has written more scientific papers than is healthy, Virgil can generally spot any flaws in logic even if it’s not his subject and I’ve done so much Harvard referencing I could probably do it in my sleep.”

“Harvard?  But you went to Yale.”  

“Harvard referencing is how you say what books and papers you used to write your assignments.”

“See, this is what I’m talking about,” Gordon groaned, kicking out at the bench in front, “I don’t know any of this stuff.”

“It’s alright,” Scott slung an arm round Gordon’s shoulder, wishing there was some magic pill he could give his brother to dispel the self doubt.  Gone was the confident aquanaut, even the thought of returning to study had Gordon regressing to the kid who worried each term if his report card would meet the lofty ideals of the father who demanded so much.  “No one knows this stuff at the beginning and there is no shame in that.  Normally you would get a load of seminars at the start of your course but that’s going to be a bit tricky if you’re underwater.  I don’t know how it will work with you doing it through WASP but CalTech should give you some support and if they don’t then you’ve got three older brothers who have all been there.  One of us will always be available to talk you through it, not that I think you’ll need any help.”

“You really think I can do this?”  He pulled out of the hug and stared at his brother as though trying to gauge his honesty.  The way Scott was talking he made it sound so simple.  

“I’m sure you can.  But if you get stuck with anything don’t brood on it, just ask.”

“Yeah, I can really see that one going down well.”  Gordon rolled his eyes, remembering the last time he’d attempted to ask for homework help.  “John already thinks I’m an idiot.”

“No one thinks you’re an idiot, Gords.  I know John can be a bit...acerbic at times but he’s mellowed since he left Harvard.”  Scott made a mental note to have a quiet word with the would-be astronaut; for most things the word ‘can’t’ was just a challenge to Gordon, something to be proved wrong, but when it came to anything academic Gordon was evidently still plagued by crushing self-doubt.  The last thing he needed was for a disparaging comment from the family genius to send Gordon spiralling.  It was true John had been a lot more approachable since starting at Tracy College, living with Virgil and having Alan as a frequent visitor seemed to be grounding him more in family life, but he could still be a bit abrupt if you caught him at the wrong moment.

“If I do this can you promise me one thing?”

“What’s that?”

“Please don’t tell Dad, I really don’t need him breathing down my neck about grades.”

“Promise.  Dad won’t hear a word about it until you’ve got that certificate in your hand.”

The sigh of relief was audible in the still night air as Gordon released some of the tension that had been knotting his insides.  Sat there with Scott, being given assurances that his brothers would be on hand if he needed them, he felt a lot more confident about the whole thing.

[fearfulkittenwrites]

“Traitor! My cookies!”

Inspired by @tiny-italian-danger-noodle​ (Link to the amazing post: https://tiny-italian-danger-noodle.tumblr.com/post/624948123561852928/im-sorry-but-i-just-love-the-idea-of-the-rest-of )

Word count: 2261

Notes: Heyy! Quick heads up: I changed some things from the original post. Idk, it just made sense in my head to write it like this. Also, yes, I did made a point in fitting in the batman bingo, because I have a card to fill and it was perfect, so don't yell at me :( I hope you enjoy it! <3

It’s not like there was any kind of conscious effort in it. And yet, Dick was slowly becoming the closest thing the batfamily had to a mom. He hated it, but someone had to tell Damian to not kill his brothers. Or tell Tim to go to bed after 48 hours up. Or tell Jason not to shoot firearms inside the house. Or tell Steph to not prank elderly people (It doesn’t matter that they are homophic Steph, you can’t do that, they’re 80). And if no one else would do it, then, well, he would.

It started after the cookie episode.

Alfred had baked them after Damian requested it. He had been craving those for months, and finally decided to ask for them. But Jason came home before he did, and ended up eating most of them, leaving the smallest two for the boy. Once the kid got home from school and saw what happened, he was fuming.

“Devilspawn, what are you doing in my room?” Jason asked, laying on the bed, face buried in a book.

“You. Ate. My. Cookies.” He said, katana in his hands.

“Okay, and?” Jason answered “I left you some. And I eat stuff from everyone in the house, so that really shouldn’t- You have your sword. Oh my God, why do you have your sword?” He jumped to his feet after the realization, trying to run.

“You will pay!” Damian raised his katana, charging towards his brother.

“Fuck!” Jason yelled, climbing on the bed, trying to get away from the boy.

“I have been waiting for those cookies for ages!” Damian sliced through the air, aiming for the other’s feet. Jason fell from the bed trying to evade the move and ran through the bedroom door.

“Help!” He yelled, running down the halls “Dick, help! Damian wants to kill me! Again!”

“Traitor!” Damian screeched behind him, tiny footsteps growing louder and louder as he approached Jason “My cookies!”

“AAAAAAAAAAAH!” He ran down the stairs, going to the entrance hall “Dick, please! He’s getting closer!”

Damian skipped steps behind him.

“You coward!” He brandished his sword “Face me like a man!”

As they went into the dining room, Damian felt a sudden pull at his uniform’s collar. Dick held him there, as if he was a kitten, and pointed at Jason.

“Don’t move.”

“Okay.” Jason said, backed up against the wall.

“Unhand me Grayson!” He complained, trying to twist himself free “He deserves punishment for his crimes!”

“Give me the katana.” Dick took the weapon from his brother’s hands “Damian, the no kill rule does extend to siblings. Please keep that in mind.”

“I wasn’t going to kill him.” Damian pouted, angry “I was simply going to mutilate or maim. If he died, that would be on him.”

“We don’t mutilate or maim each other in this house, okay?” Dick said, finaly letting go of the kid “Don’t make me repeat that.”

“Fine.”

“And you,” He turned to Jason, crossing his arms “Why did you eat all of his cookies?”

“I left him some.” He mumbled.

“Doesn’t matter.” Dick answered, hardened expression “You should’ve waited for him to get home, and you know it.”

“Yeah, okay.” He scratched his head.

“Now, apologize to each other.”

Both of them looked horrified at the idea. Dick sighed.

“Apologize. Now.” They didn’t budge “Or you’re both banned from patrol for a week.”

“You can’t do that.” Jason said “Can he?” He asked Damian, in a quieter voice. The kid shrugged.

“Don’t test me.” Dick answered.

“Fine.” Jason rolled his eyes “I’m sorry for eating all your cookies.”

“And I’m sorry for trying to mutilate you because of it.”

“Great. Now hug it out.”

“I’m not...”

“You must be...”

“Now!” He stomped his foot, and both of them grumpily hugged each other, clearly uncomfortable way “See? Was that so hard?”

“Yes.” Both of them answered.

“Then think about that before you do some stupid shit again.” Dick answered, leaving the room.

Tim, who was out of sight but within earshot, raised an eyebrow at the scene.

The next week, he knocked on the door of Dick’s room, covered in glue, feathers and glitter.

“He- Woah!” Dick said as he opened the door, finding a very unamused Tim on the other side “Okay, you’re not getting in here like that. What happened?”

“Steph happened.” Tim answered, flat toned and tired.

“I love how that explains so much and so little at the same time.” He sighed, supporting an arm on the door frame “What did she do?”

“Glue bucket on my door. Tripwire, then a bunch of feathers. And finally, a glitter bomb by my bathroom door.”

“Oh God.” He covered his mouth with a hand “Why?”

“Prank war. She took it a little too seriously.”

Dick rested his head on his forearm.

“Steph!” He yelled out “Come here!”

They heard footsteps, and the blonde girl emerged, laughing.

“Oh, man!” She said “This is the best one yet.”

“Steph, why would you do that?” He asked.

“Oh, so he can hack into my computers and change the names of all my files and I can’t play a little physical prank? I sent my teacher a very rude meme because of that. Almost got expelled.” She crossed her arms. Tim snickered.

“What?” Dick asked “Why?”

“Prank war.” Tim shrugged.

“Okay, you know what? No more prank wars until you two learn how to behave.” Dick said and pointed at Steph “You are cleaning all the mess you made in his bedroom. And you,” He pointed at Tim, and twisted his nose “Well, you are going to take a shower, and then you’re going to change back all that you messed with on her computer. And,” He kept going “Both of you are cleaning the batmobile after patrol for a week.”

“What? That’s not fair!” Steph complained.

“You’re right.” Dick said, scratching his chin “Okay then, Steph is cleaning the batmobile for a week and Tim can’t use the batcave before sunset and after three a.m. for a week.”

“What?!” Tim screamed “What do you expect me to do all day then?”

“Learn how to function in a healthy way? Anyways, complain too much, I’ll make it a month.” Dick answered.

“You can’t do that!” Steph complained “You’re not Batman.”

“Try me.” Dick squinted.

“Fine!” She threw her hands up, leaving “I’ll clean the stupid room and the stupid car.”

“Traitor.” Tim hissed, walking away.

Then three weeks after that, Batman came up to him in patrol, and, on top of a building, said:

“I need your assistance.”

“Sure. Who are we up against now?” Nightwing asked.

“Not... That kind of assistance.” Batman looked down “Your brothers keep talking in a weird way. I don’t understand the colloquialisms in their language, and I’m almost sure they are mocking me.”

Dick blinked a little under the mask.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I need you to stop them from doing that while we’re on patrol.”

“B, can’t you... I don’t know, you are their dad, not me!” He pointed out.

“But you are the one who gets them under control.” He shot back. They stared at each other “Please. Just while they are wearing the mask.” Dick sighed.

“Fine. I’ll talk to them.”

Later on, when they got back from patrol, Dick felt a little ridiculous having to explain to a bunch of masked heroes that they have to stop communicating in memes and insulting Batman when on patrol. And why it wasn’t okay even if it was to his face, Steph. Damian, of course, was let off the hook on that one. He had just recently grasped the concept of a meme, having declared on multiple ocasions that they were a stupid waste of internet data. Tim was personally offended by all of those declarations.

It didn’t take long for Dick to start correcting the family’s unhealthy habits after that. He had given Cass a “required socialization day”, to be performed at least once a month, Damian had mandatory off patrol days every two weeks, he dragged Bruce to bed every other night, and regulated Tim’s caffeine intake.

Duke was the best enforcer of his rules in the house. Not because he was brutal or particularly persuasive, but because he could instill guilt into the members of the family.

“Hey, Bruce, didn’t Dick tell you to go upstairs and grab lunch?” He asked, going down to the cave to practice. The man grunted as he set down his gym bag “Okay then. I just don’t know how you’ll deal with his broken heart when he sees you haven’t been taking care of yourself like you said you would. I mean, how can you even break a promise you’ve made to that guy? He worries so much about us, it’s-”

“Okay!” He exclaimed, getting up “Okay, I’ll go get lunch.”

Whenever Tim went to get a cup of coffee after seven p.m., Duke would stare at him until he poured the liquid in the sink. He could convince Jason to give up on any idea by saying ‘But what would Dick say?’, or ‘That would break your brother’s heart you know?’.

Duke’s proudest moment was the one time he managed to build up the courage to do it with Cass.

Dick had been telling her for weeks that she needed to rest. That training so much everyday is bad for her health. That she should try having fun in different ways. The man had been (and still kind of is) on a quest to find her a non-lethal hobby. But when Duke went down to the cave once, to fetch his forgotten water bottle, he found her training, and figured out why Dick had a frow on his face earlier.

“You know,” He started, testing the waters “Training so much can strain your muscles.” Cass shot him a look, but didn’t say anything “I’m just saying,” He put his hands up “Maybe you should listen to Dick. I mean, he’s usually not wrong about these things. And he’s been doing it for longer than we have.”

“What do you want?” She asked, annoyed.

“Me?” He placed his hands on his chest “I don’t want anything. I just think you have been working too hard. You deserve a break.”

“I don’t want a break.”

“Well, maybe you should take a break anyways. It would make Dick so happy.” She stared at him, and Duke kept going “You know, he was very upset earlier. Seeing that you have taken his advice would make him smile so much. He really cares about you, y’know? Sometimes, I think we all take him for granted, not realizing how much of his time he spends trying to-”

“Shut up.” Cass said, pushing him aside to climb up the stairs “I’ll take the break.”

Duke smiled to himself. Dick would most likely ask him how did he do it later. He’d smile and say ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about, I didn’t do anything’.

And he rarely ever got into trouble. Considering that the other five had set multiple rooms on fire, broken several pieces of expensive furniture and ruined the house’s plumbing system many times in the past, there wasn’t much Duke could do to be considered trouble. Dick would vent to him about the others and always asked him to report on their behaviours whenever he had to be away for too long.

Damian envied that. He could give much more detailed reports of incidents than Thomas could, and he was ready to die on that hill. Dick mentioned multiple times that this just wasn’t the point, and that if he could go at least a month without threatening to kill one member of the family then he’d consider asking for Damian’s help.

Damian would then argue that he wouldn’t threaten anyone if they weren’t such useless piles of meat with no functioning braincels and irritatingly deficient fighting skills, and Dick would take away his cellphone for the day.

But the moment they realized how much power he actually had was when Alfred started using him as a threat.

“Master Damian, please stop sharpening your sword in the living room. I’m sure you can do this down at the cave.”

“I’m asserting my dominance, Pennyworth.” Damian replied “Drake can hear this from the kitchen and therefore knows better than to continue his attacks.”

Alfred frowned.

“Master Damian, I’m certain there is a better way to handle the situation. I trust you can find that out by yourself, or should I ask for master Dick’s assistance?”

They got caught up in a staring match for a while. And then, the boy silently got up, and went to the cave. Alfred smiled to himself, before moving on to the kitchen.

“Master Timothy, I do believe you have been told not to tease your younger brother in the past.” Tim raised an eyebrow “If you insist on these antics, I will call master Dick.”

“I- um...” The teen started “Okay.”

Alfred nodded, and turned to Bruce, who was entering the kitchen.

“Ah, master Bruce. Will you be joining us for dinner tonight, or should I ask master Dick to call for you?”

Bruce froze and looked at Tim. The kid made a face.

“I will be joining you.” He answered, hesitant.

“How delightful.” The butler said, making his way out.

“Wha... What just happened?” Bruce asked.

“Alfred knows.” Tim said “We’re fucked.”

“Language.”

“Oh, leave me alone.” He shot back, sipping a freshly made cup of coffee “You’re not Dick.”

[tactyl-ymon]

DnD session recap - Service and Struggle

I’d been trying to write this recap since mid december because god there’s just so many emotions in game at the moment and it’s very draining to write about. We got a new barbarian and lost one of the rogues as they had to move interstate

We open with a lone figure paddling through an otherwise still ocean as the moonlight silhouettes a large country that wasn't there a month ago. The figure, drawn forward by a feeling in their gut that this is where they're supposed to be, makes landfall and begins lumbering through the forest as fast as her turtle like legs will allow. It is hours of running peppered with the occasional break to curse whoever thought making towns so far apart was a good idea before our new friend sees the telltale signs of town gates, a place called Merigan it seems. As the guards size up the towering tortle laden with weapons, they shakily ask the barbarian her name and what business she has. Donna Tello Tortellini introduces herself and says she's just looking for a place to sleep for the night, the guards look warily at her large frame and then mention if she's got coin there's a tavern nearby that probably had a room, otherwise there's a stable a few streets away if they promised not to cause a ruckus, the last group they had let camp there were just a constant bother to the guards and town in general whenever they came through. 

Donna Tello asks about the group and it being another in a long line of slow nights the guards escort her towards the tavern, surely nobody could be that much of a nuisance? The guards tell her all about the wicked group that calls themselves Tactyl Y'mon, about the time they had pretended to be ghoulish monsters attacking the town gates and the time they'd arrived with a lively boulder that was very protective over a busted old cart that they wouldn't let anyone get near and the time they had managed to save several townsfolk including the town leaders wife and then tossed his house after staying there the night and got several of the guards drunk, stole one of their pants and jumped through a familys roof before screaming and jumping through their window. As Donna Tello thanks the guards for the hopefully tall tales and mentions she'll definitely try to avoid the group if she can, she enters the tavern for the night and to think about where she might find some decent coin to help her explorations.

It's just before dawn the following day as Eridol is startled awake by the telltale whines of his dog signaling that he needs to go out before the very not telltale sound of his dog screaming about how he needs to pee. Which is enough to slip Eridol's already shoddy grasp on reality with everything that's happened the last few days, this has to be a dream … or insanity, who cares, best to just throw away the whole suitcase of emotions at this point and take his suddenly very talkative dog for a walk. The important questions are asked on their jaunt through the keep, “Could you always talk and were just shy?” “If this were fake, you'd tell me right Pickle?” “Where do you enjoy pats the most?” It's around here that Eridol gets a very familiar reality check in the shape of a golden dragonborn standing just outside the gates of the keep talking to one of the guards, former friend and one time follower of the god of murder, Drackuss. 

With nowhere to run, no weapons to defend himself and no backup Eridol is faced with doing the one thing he swore he would never do, have an emotional conversation with someone who shattered his trust. But Eridol still has his last trump card to get out of the conversation. Freeze up and become unresponsive. Whether Drackuss actually notices or not is irrelevant, the former paladin barrels through what amounts to an apology for how he acted when he tried to brutally disembowel one of their companions before going on a one man murder quest across the country, but how Eridol was part of stopping him doing awful things and he owes the small cleric for that. Eridol breaks and shouts that as far as he is concerned nobody owed him anything, whatever help Eridol gave was balancing a ledger or trying to make up for his own failings. Repayment for all the times that Drackuss had saves the party from otherwise lethal blows. Repayment for Eridol being too far in his own head to notice anything was wrong. Repayment for one of the earliest memories Eridol has of the dragonborn spending days in a rundown church trying to save sick children from a plague. That version of Drackuss deserved a second chance to make his own path but Eridol didn't have to be a part of it and that if Drackuss actually cared what Eridol thought they wouldn't even be having this conversation.

Several familiar shapes creep into the periphery during the silence that follows. The remaining members of Tactyl Y'mon, Whisky, Veiraen, Septima and Emmi wander up from the keep as Core, the groups sometimes government contact and Sukaren, a very imposing blue dragonborn who had been in charge of the front lines to the entry portals to the country march up from behind Drackuss. Core begins by formally thanking the group for everything they had done to shift the country back into the prime material plane and that word had gotten around that the group was at least partially responsible for the shift, people were calling us champions and the like and that there would be some exhibition matches being held in the main city and the group was invited to participate in two back to back. That one would offer a much larger challenge, but if the group could come out victorious in both they'd receive a significant reward for the show. 

Core also goes on to mention that there seems to have been some unforeseen fallout from the whole fabric of reality shifting back into place thing. Hundreds of criminals seemingly disappeared in an instant at the time of the shift back to the material plane. Murderers, cultists, thieves all set to wither in the dark for the rest of their lives gone in an instant with no evidence of what happened and with the official business out of the way, Core suggests walking to the nearest town to spend the rest of the day drinking all of that away like the semi-functional alcoholic sponge he is, the group not ever really needing a reason to drink but having just so many they could choose from decide to go with him. Drackuss shrugs, mentioning that he did what he needed to and that Sukaren and him were heading back to Principium to continue training.

As the two lumbering lizards retreat back to their training regiment, half of the group wanders into the keep to put on pants leaving Core and Emmi standing outside in awkward silence as the last moments of dawn fade away. With nobody else around, Core once again mentions that Emmi’s mother, Sharona really wants to talk to her as soon as possible. That she has so much to apologise for and that she had a plan to find out what happened to Emmi’s father all those years ago. That if Emmi was willing, Sharona would be waiting outside of Principium on a ship for the next week. The silence that follows is almost deafening as she considers the chance in front of her. Inside the keep, Veiraen approaches Eridol and asks if he really meant what he said about Drackuss, that everything he’d done was just rebalancing a ledger and whether that extended to how he thought about the rest of the group. Eridol still not quite over everything that happened outside quietly says that he doesn’t know, that he genuinely cares about everyone and is so afraid of losing people he cares about again. Eridol realises what he said and stiffens before taking a breath and apologising. Everyone deserved better than he could offer, but that he would be a better friend if Veiraen would give him another chance. Veiraen agrees before asking if he could stab Eridol again for funsies and the status quo of bickering siblings is restored like nothing happened. 

Several hours and jugs of grain alcohol later, the group find themselves in a tavern inside Merigan and are alternating between loudly trying to guess what they’d face in the fight pits with Core and how to best announce their awesomeness to the waiting crowd, it’s around the third shout of ‘We’re Tactyl Y’mon, we could fight a swan” that the shouts get the attention of the large tortle barbarian who had been sitting at the bar who with the fading memories of the guards saying to avoid the group, she gets up and introduces herself, saying that she had overheard the group was going to be in some upcoming exhibition matches at the main city’s amphitheatre and that she was a decent fighter and was looking to gather some gold for her travels if the group thinks they could use the extra set of hands in the fights. This is basically all the group needs to hear before collectively welcoming her to the rag tag family and then several rounds later getting around to asking her name. With introductions out of the way and a new friend made, the group staggers slowly back to the keep, singing songs the whole way.

In the coming days, the group train half heartedly before making their way to the capital city of Principium. They enter the familiar halls of the arena that the exhibition matches are held in to raucous applause and quickly take a win in the first fight, much to the joy of the crowd watching. A quick break later and they re-enter for the second match. Whatever the group was expecting is blown out of the air as from the other side of the arena enters faces very familiar to the group. Core, Sukaren, Drackuss, Rorstaad the council member, an old lizardfolk monk ally and a lumbering form of a hill giant with a grudge against the party’s cleric all appear across from them and against the superior combatants and the well oiled teamwork of their opponents Tactyl Y'mon quickly begin to fall. Eridol and Emmi fall within seconds, Veiraen temporarily falls shortly after but by the time he gets his footing again there isn’t anything that can be done. It is only 20 seconds after the fight begins that it ends. Sukaren spits that their time is worth more than mopping up such disappointing fodder. The crowd watching all of this sits deathly quiet, no cheers, no boos, no movement as Tactyl Y’mon quietly leaves the arena, thoroughly defeated by their betters.

Minutes later in the waiting room of the fight pit, Tactyl Y’mon sit and lick their proverbial and literal wounds as Core and Sukaren enter and as Core splits off to speak with Emmi, Sukaren attends to everyone else in what amounts to a “I am both mad and disappointed in all of you” conversation she goes over how this proved to her that the group is not worthy of the champions/defenders of the realm status that the commonfolk believed about them. They were nothing but mercenaries who had bumblefucked their way to success, idiots with no real skills or teamwork, just lucky that they hadn’t faced a serious threat. Sukaren dared any one of them to prove her wrong, to say something that would justify how poorly they just performed. We leave the session with Core and Emmi having a whispered conversation about what’s really important and Emmi rushes out of the room in between all the shouting, making her way to a ship docked nearby, wordlessly hugging her mother before helping her pull up the anchor and pointing the ship towards the setting sun over the ocean.

[shesawriter39049]

|FAMILY TIES|MAFIA (M)|AU|MASTERLIST

AU SUMMARY:  A powerful alliance made up of 4 families spanning over a decade, is suddenly turned on its head when one family has a new leader after an unexpected death. Well, let’s just say he’s not down to follow the somewhat civilized rules your families have inforced. Sooo now, it’s game on…

The story takes place in Boston they all have variations of the accent

All of the boys pop in and out but Joon is the OC’s bodyguard so he’s n it the most 

The first 4 chapters have a lot of backstories mixed in with the “action/mob” aesthetic. Chapter 5 (PT 1 & 2 EST DEC 2019) is officially when one chapter closes and the “War” essentially begins...meaning shit starts getting reallll grimmy!

UPDATED AS OF  DEC 2019

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3:

PART 3.5 

PART 4 : (7/19)

How I picture “Family Ties ”Tae

Character breakdowns which are not fully disclosed in detail within the story: 

Taehyung (V)  & Luxx or Luxxy (Y/N’s nickname)

Both of their titles are technically “Cons” neither of them are officially considered boss’s or underboss yet. Both of their parents have siblings still working within the alliance that have naturally earned the higher ranking.  Even though they do acquire the same responsibility and depending on the setting are still referred to by the honorary.

Before all of the chaos unfolded originally Luxx and Tae’s position within the alliance was to be the facade of the business. The pretty faces that go around handling he more civilized parts of the job. IE closing deals, taking on new clients and investors, overseeing a lot of the “Normal “ businesses they own as a way to explain the 10’s of millions of dollars they’ve earned over the years. As well as playing a major part in putting together the teams and blueprints for missions, basically, it was there-fathers way to try and keep them somewhat safe...

BUT as of late the two of them have found themselves on the field, firing off there glock’s A LOT more than usual. Taehyung actually enjoys it, don’t get me wrong Tae loves throwing on a good Gucci suit and negotiating a good drug deal from his yacht every now and then. But at the same time..he also gets off on being on the mainline firing off a good 15 rounds from his register. Luxx on the other hand also doesn’t mind going out on the field..she’s always the secret weapon. No one ever expects the glam barbie in a fur coat and Louboutins to have skill strong enough to rival a snipper.

They essentially help oversee everything and are trained in every division within the alliance, but of course, because there the bosses kids they aren't supposed to get their hands dirty. But there lethal as all hell if they do..that’s for damn sure!

BTS Members intro so far/ Positions held

Namjoon -(Luxx’s bodyguard/ 1 of 4 Missions Navigator, outside of being Luxxs right-hand he also helps coordinate blueprints and routes for missions. I.E creating dry runs, making sure goods and contraband make its way in and out of the country as smoothly as possible, coordinating “getaway” cars. Basically being a walking GPS if a route needs to be changed within seconds due to a breach within the plan! He’s the one you call if you're in the middle of a mission and shits going left field! )

Jimin- ( A Mob associate..technically under Luxxs’ families reign…Drug distributor/grower..as well as he manages there dispensary! Jimin makes everything from wax to coke, and he's one of the main drug producers within the alliance! Occasionally he’ll slip his way in and out of the country to hand-deliver certain orders,originally trained to be a guard but had a knack for growing so ugh, that pretty face is deadly)

Hoseok- (AKA Jay/Bengie … Main launderer/ backup cleaner (Assassin) under the Kim family reign. Hoseok’s job is to get everything from drugs, money, to weapons in and out of the country without a trace. He’s one of the best Laudneres on the black market, Hosoeok has smothered 6 figures worth of drugs within a plane. Then sat there with the bright smile on his face while the TSA walked through it! He’s also a damn good cleaner soo, aftercare is his fave..meaning they won't even know you were ever there! So just don't piss him off..)

Yoongi- (AKA Suga main cleaner/ hacker under the Kim Family reign. Yoongi’s main job is to make you dissapere so if he ever shows up at your door your in fucking trouble! Simple as that, It also helps that he’s tiny, so he can fit in all the places you wouldn't think to check...cat-like eyes cat-like instincts. He prefers to do things in the dark..tensions better that way ya know? Makes your other senses heighten..or at least his do! OH and  he’s a hacker on the side, but don’t take that lightly he can tap into the stoplight camera if need be.)

Jin- (Associate within the mob..runs there distribution shop in Beijing for there high-end counterfeit goods. Jin is a floater but always within some type of administrative position within the alliance. Typically he’s HR, but more so on the black market side..I.E creating fake, IDs, passports, SS cards..you name it )

Jungkook- (AKA kookie another associate within the mob he runs the strip club Luxx owns in Vegas and uses to wash money through! He also handles the distribution and transportation of the majority of their firearms! As well as he's one of the 10 hosts for “Drop Night” )

DROP NIGHT- It happens twice a month on alternating Fridays..and the location is forever changing, but it’s essentially a night where varying members within the alliance meet in one place. Drop off there goods in exchange for pay, and possibly more goods....but it’s obviously not as cut and dry as that! On average there are about 20-30 associates coming in and out of the building per “Drop Night” so the liabilities high. The event has to be ran like a well-oiled machine to get everybody in and out without drawing too much attention to the situation! 

The Families

Kim (Khan) - Taehyung

Sunjata- Y/N /Luxx

Bianchi - Leo/ Marco (The main antagonist in the fic)

ConBoy- Jamesy Boy (It was his mother’s party in part 1 where the shoot out occurred)

(I’ve noted they all have hyphenated last names..depending on the type of business there doing, weather black market or blue-collar. As of chapter 3.5 I’ve only disclosed Taehyung’s) 

TRADES/BUSINESS (OWNED WITHIN ALL 4 FAMILIES)

“FACADES” IE “Normal business”

RESTAURANTS (IE ..private/family-owned..and franchised..Dunkin Donuts, Tropical Smoothie ETC)

BOUTIQUES/NAIL SALONS

2 Strip clubs (1 in Boston 1 in Las Vegas )

Real Estate (Rentals/Apartments/ Hotels  )

Weed (Legal grow farms/dispensaries) 

Fabrication/ Mechanic shops 

Junk/Scrap yards 9Well actually this could be used in more ways than one if you think about it) 

“MAFIA/BLACK MARKET BUSINESSES”

COUNTERFEIT GOODS- (High-end designer ….replicas)

DRUGS ( Weed, coke, H, pills..you name it ) - They also grow/ make a lot of there own goods…meaning they don’t buy it from someone its homemade!

WEAPONS

ALCOHOL/TOBACCO

FUEL

TRANSPORTATION PROVIDERS

HIT TEAMS

(That’s all that’s been disclosed as of 3.5) 

FINAL NOTE- Members within the alliance, ones like Hoseok and Yoongi also have “normal jobs”. Hobi isisnt laundering money every damn day so they still have to make a living! When things are slow they work within one of the more “Blue collar” businesses. Hoseok, in particular, is an industrial painter for one of there fab shops and Yoongi his the head chef at the upscale Japanese restaurant in London! Again it’s allll about the facade!!!

NON-BTS FACE CLAIMS 

[raging-violets]

The Christmas ship meme for Kiley + their kids?

Keegan and Roxy will be about...4 in this aspect, since that’s the age that kids start to really ‘get’ Christmas.

who starts putting up decorations in october? Kendall, probably. He’s all for snow and the snowy decorations and everything that goes along with it. It’s fine with him if it kinda/sorta bypasses his birthday so that they can get to the ‘real’ holiday.

who buys the advent calendars? Kendall. He uses it as a bribing tool to get Keegan and Roxy to behave and teach them patience. Riley doesn’t care and will just root around until she finds the candy she wants to eat. She doesn’t have much patience when candy is involved.

who places mistletoes all around the house? Riley, but she’s very sneaky with it. Keegan and Roxy always cover their eyes, roll their eyes, and gag when they see their parents kidd, but Riley is very good at strateigically placing mistletoe around to the point that it’s a game for her. .To see where she can surprise Kendall the most with it and laugh when her kids are disgusted. The best time she did it was when she managed to attach it to a ceiling light so that it fell out when Kendall pulled the string to turn it on.

who wraps the presents for other people? Riley is VERY good at wrapping gifts...to the point that she often always knows what she got because she has to wrap the kids’ gifts, and Kendall’s as well. Except for the one or two he manages to surprise hr with.

who puts the final star/angel on the top of the christmas tree? Keegan and Roxy fight over it. However, Riley came up with whomever won the shared Christmas Cracker (after they opened their own) could put the star on the tree. .So far, Keegan has won ore often.

who’s the one that hates eggnog? Kendall is the only one who likes it. Riley, Keegan, and Roxy make identical faces when they get even a slight taste of it.

who’s the one that bakes christmas cookies for guests? This is a family affair. Kendall and Riley will make cookies together (and start bickering at some point as Riley takes cooking and baking seriously, almost personally, while Kendall has fun with it) and help Keegan and Roxy make their, very messy, cookies.

who sends out the christmas cards? Riley. She loves taking pictures. She and her siblings love taking pictures. They’re like trained seals when a camera comes up and they immediately move into ‘formation’. But she added that into her own family traditions, though she’s very aware that kids don’t want to sit still long enough so she’ll focus more on pictures of her and Kendall unless Keegan and Roxy voice that they want to be in the pictures, too.

who knows all the words to twelve days of christmas? Uhh…who doesn’t know the words to the twelve days of christmas? (Kendall doesn’t like that Riley taught Keegan and Roxy an alternate version to it. lol)

who’s the better snowman builder? Kendall. Riley hates the cold. She’ll go out but pout the entire time while watching Kendall chase their kids around and play with them. .Eventually they’ll get her in on the playing, but it’s not her thing.

who starts snowball fights? Kendall. He’s lethal with it and doesn’t even let up for Keegan and Roxy until they’re either begging for mercy or crying to Riley, who will then scold Kendall who defends his competitive nature. (Mostly until she forces his head into the snow).

who’s the one that wakes the other on christmas morning by playing christmas songs really loudly? Kendall. Riley loves Christmas.  Loves Christmas music. But is a little salty that most Christmas songs have to do with snow where all her Christmases were in Australia’s summer and on the beach. Plus, he gets back at her teaching Keegan and Roxy another version of 12 days of Christmas by having them sing along just as loudly to the songs to wake her up.

[resilientsovl]

BASIC INFORMATION

FULL NAME:  samuel  william  winchester. PRONUNCIATION:  pronounced  how  it’s  spelled. MEANING:  so  from   the  hebrew  name  שְׁמוּאֵל,  it  means  god  has  heard,  or  name  of  god.  it’s  a  little  ironic  considering  sam  is  lucifer,  god’s  fallen  son’s,  true  vessel.   REASONING:  sam  was  named  after  his  maternal  grandfather,  samuel  campbell. NICKNAME(S):  sam,  sammy,  little  winchester,  moose,  738273  other  height  related  nicknames. PREFERRED NAME(S):   sam. BIRTH DATE:  may  2,  1983. AGE:  honestly  he’s  not  sure.  he’s  died  3-4  times,  been  the  vessel  for  demons  and  archangels  which  probably  stalled  his  physical  aging  too.  i  say  he’s  probably  biologically  somewhere  around  35,  even  though  he’s  technically  47ish. ZODIAC: taurus. GENDER:  cismale. PRONOUNS:   he/him. ROMANTIC ORIENTATION:  heteroromantic. SEXUAL ORIENTATION:  bisexual.  (  he  can  appreciate  that  men  are  attractive,  has  probably  even  slept  with  a  couple,  but  has  no  desire  to  be  in  romantic,  serious,  relationships  with  men.  ) NATIONALITY:  american. ETHNICITY:   wonderbread  white. CURRENT LOCATION:  san  francisco,  ca. LIVING CONDITIONS:   a  crappy  two  bedroom  apartment  he  rents  by  the  month.  it’s  small,  not  in  a  great  neighborhood,  but  it  does  the  trick.   TITLE(S):   n/a.

BACKGROUND

BIRTH PLACE:   lawrence,  kansas. HOMETOWN:  technically  lawrence  kansas,  but  they  moved  around  frequently.   SOCIAL CLASS:  blue  collar. EDUCATION LEVEL:   undergraduate  degree  from  stanford.   FATHER:   john  winchester. MOTHER:   mary  winchester  (  neé  campbell  ).   SIBLING(S):   dean  winchester,  adam  milligan  (  half  ).   BIRTH ORDER:  dean,  sam,  adam.   CHILDREN:  jack  kline  (  adopted  /  unofficially  ) PET(S):   n/a. OTHER IMPORTANT RELATIVES:  bobby  singer,  pseudo  uncle.   castiel,  pseudo  brother  /  brother-in-law.   SIGNIFICANT  OTHER:   natasha  herrera,  wife.  (  separated  ) PREVIOUS RELATIONSHIPS:   jessica  moore,  amelia  richardson,  meg,  sarah  blake,  ruby,  a  few  one  night  stands,  amy  pond  (  first  kiss  ),  etc.   ARRESTS?:  a  few,  yes.   PRISON TIME?:  minimal,  seen  in  folsom  prison  blues.  

OCCUPATION & INCOME

PRIMARY SOURCE OF INCOME:   credit  card  scams,  illegal  activity.   SECONDARY SOURCE OF INCOME:   n/a. TERTIARY SOURCE(S) OF INCOME:   hunting,  but  it  pays  for  shit.   APPROXIMATE AMOUNT PER YEAR:   unknown.   CONTENT WITH THEIR JOB (OR LACK THERE OF)?:   this  is  never  the  job  he  wanted.  so  no,  definitely  not.   PAST JOB(S):   student.   SPENDING HABITS:  extremely  frugal,  only  on  necessities.   MOST VALUABLE POSSESSION:  john  winchester’s  journal.  

SKILLS & ABILITIES

PHYSICAL STRENGTH:   peak  physical  condition,  human,  in-shape.   OFFENSE:   extremely  skilled  with  weapons  and  hand  to  hand.   DEFENSE:  extremely  skilled  with  lethal  and  non-lethal  defensive  moves.   SPEED:  faster  than  average. INTELLIGENCE:  educated  and  above  average.   ACCURACY:   above  average. AGILITY:   above  average.   STAMINA:   above  average.   TEAMWORK:   below  average.  he  doesn’t  work  well  with  people  he  doesn’t  know  or  trust.  it  takes  time  to  develop  a  bond  /  ease  of  working  with  others.   TALENTS:   computer  skills,  digesting  information,  critical  thinking  skills. SHORTCOMINGS:   stubborn,  naive,  reckless,  deep  psychological  trauma,  suicidal  ideation,  a  nice  grabbag  of  issues.   LANGUAGE(S) SPOKEN:   latin,  english,  probably  a  bunch  of  other  old,  dead,  languages  that  might  come  in  handy.  he  probably  also  took  spanish  in  school.   DRIVE?:   yes. JUMP-STAR A CAR?:   yes. CHANGE A FLAT TIRE?:   yes.   RIDE A BICYCLE?:   yes. SWIM?:   yes.   PLAY AN INSTRUMENT?:   no. PLAY CHESS?:   yes. BRAID HAIR?:   no. TIE A TIE?:   yes. PICK A LOCK?:  yes.  

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE & CHARACTERISTICS

FACE CLAIM:   jared  padalecki.   EYE COLOR:   hazel. HAIR COLOR:   brown. HAIR TYPE/STYLE:   long  and  flowing.   GLASSES/CONTACTS?:   n/a. DOMINANT HAND:   right.   HEIGHT:  6′4 WEIGHT:   220  ish  lbs. BUILD:   slender  but  muscular.   EXERCISE HABITS:  rigorous.  he  jogs  in  the  mornings,  does  sit  ups  /  pull  ups  at  night,  and  lifts  weights  during  the  day  in  between  cases.  he  stays  in  shape.   SKIN TONE:   tanned.   TATTOOS:   anti-possession  tattoo  over  his  heart.   it  was  carved  out  in  2026  but  the  scar  has  been  tattooed  over,  replacing  the  original.   PEIRCINGS:   none.   MARKS/SCARS:   he’s  died  and  come  back  so  many  times,  it’s  hard  to  say  what’s  still  there  and  what’s  gone.   he  does  still  have  the  bullet  wound  from  where  he  shot  chuck  though.  it  never  healed.   NOTABLE FEATURES:   nose,  hair.   USUAL EXPRESSION:   smirk  of  disbelief,  concern.   CLOTHING STYLE:   lumberjack  lesbian.   JEWELRY:    he  wears  a  chain  with  his  wedding  ring  around  his  neck,  the  one  he  never  got  to  put  on  for  real.   ALLERGIES:   none.   BODY TEMPERATURE:   normal. DIET:   not  great.  hence  the  need  to  work  out. PHYSICAL AILMENTS:   general  fatigue  from  a  rigorously  active  lifestyle.  

PSYCHOLOGY

JUNG TYPE:  INFJ JUNG SUBTYPE:  Introvert(47%)  iNtuitive (34%)  Feeling(31%)  Judging(38%) You have moderate preference of Introversion over Extraversion (47%) You have moderate preference of Intuition over Sensing (34%) You have moderate preference of Feeling over Thinking (31%) You have moderate preference of Judging over Perceiving (38%) ENNEAGRAM TYPE:   the  reformer  or  the  challenger.   MORAL ALIGNMENT:  chaotic  good.   TEMPERAMENT:   melancholic.   ELEMENT:   taurus  are  usually  earth  elements,  but  i  think  air  suits  sam  better.   PRIMARY INTELLIGENCE TYPE:   logical-mathematical,  probably.   APPROXIMATE IQ:   unknown.  we  know  he  scored  a  174  on  the  LSAT,  which  is  incredible,  but  that  doesn’t  always  translate  over  to  IQ.  i  would  say  he’s  got  a  pretty  high  IQ  even  if  he  lacks  a  few  common  sense  points.   MENTAL CONDITIONS/DISORDERS:   undiagnosed  depression,  anxiety,  PTSD,  imposter  syndrome,  and  survivor’s  guilt  —  and  that’s  just  the  tip  of  the  iceberg.   don’t  ask  me  to  psychoanalyze  the  winchesters,  it’ll  break  us  all.   SOCIABILITY:   he  doesn’t  seek  it  out  but  he  can  keep  up  with  the  joneses.   EMOTIONAL STABILITY:   not  good.  he  has  exhibited  severe  signs  of  codependency,  suicidal  ideation,  lack  of  regard  for  his  own  life,  and  believe  that  he’s  cursed.  the  boy  is  a  mess.   OBSESSION(S):  vengeance  after  significant  loss,  saving  people  (  even  if  it’s  from  themselves  ),  trying  to  make  up  for  all  of  the  blood  on  his  hands.   PHOBIA(S):   clowns.  not  a  fan.   ADDICTION(S):   demon  blood  (  previously  ) DRUG USE:   no. ALCOHOL USE:  recreationally.   PRONE TO VIOLENCE?:  can  be,  yes.  

MANNERISMS

SPEECH STYLE:  casual. ACCENT:   american.  nothing  specific.   QUIRKS:   chewing  on  pen  caps,  tapping  to  songs  on  the  radio  against  the  steering  wheel  with  his  fingers.   HOBBIES:   reading,  researching,  pool,  morning  crosswords.   HABITS:   stress  pacing,  irritability  under  extreme  pressure. NERVOUS TICKS:   jaw  clench,  nostrils  flaring,  hands  curled  into  fists.   DRIVES/MOTIVATIONS:  vengeance,  restoring  order  /  protecting  people,  survival.   FEARS:  losing  the  people  he  loves,  hurting  innocents,  isolation.   POSITIVE TRAITS:   dependable,  loyal,  protective,  determined,  strong,  honest,  vulnerable. NEGATIVE TRAITS:  impulsive,  reckless,  guilt-stricken,  naive,  obtuse,  too  trusting.   SENSE OF HUMOR:   dry,  sarcastic.   DO THEY CURSE OFTEN?:   no. CATCHPHRASE(S):  damnit, dean.    jerk  /  bitch.  

FAVORITES

ACTIVITY:   long  drives.   ANIMAL:  hedgehogs. BEVERAGE:   monster  energy  drinks.   BOOK:   probably  the  classics,  or  something  by  neil  gaiman. CELEBRITY:   he  doesn’t  have  one. COLOR:   blue.   DESIGNER:   doesn’t  have  one.   FOOD:  philly  cheesesteak.   maybe  mashed  potatoes,  if  not  the  cheesesteak.   FLOWER:   sunflowers. GEM:   none. HOLIDAY:    none.   MODE OF TRANSPORTATION:   car.   MOVIE:   mallrats.   MUSICAL ARTIST:  none.  he’ll  just  listen  to  whatever  they  have  in  the  car,  or  is  on  the  radio.  before  i  think  he  was  probably  into  top  40,  maybe  even  classic  rock  as  much  as  he  complained  about it.   QUOTE/SAYING:   none. SCENERY:   autumn  leaves  falling  from  trees.   SCENT:   linen.   SPORT:   none.  he  doesn’t  care.   SPORTS TEAM:   see  above.   TELEVISION SHOW:   none.  he  probably  only  watches  soap  operas  every  now  and  then  again.  he  doesn’t  watch  anything  he  would  have  to  invest  time  and  energy  in.   maybe  pawnstars,  or  mythbusters.   WEATHER:  drizzle.   VACATION DESTINATION:  somewhere  warm,  tropic,  and  free  of  monsters.  

ATTITUDES

GREATEST DREAM:   to  have  a  normal  life.   he  knows  he’ll  never  get  it,  has  come  to  terms  with  the  fact  that  he  was  never  going  to  be  normal.   GREATEST FEAR:   ending  up  alone,  watching  everyone  he  loves  die.   MOST AT EASE WHEN:  around  the  people  he  loves.   LEAST AT EASE WHEN:   on  a  hunt  that’s  starting  to  go  awry.   WORST POSSIBLE THING THAT COULD HAPPEN:   turning  into  a  monster  —  the  very  thing  he’s  dedicated  his  life  to  hunting,  or  becoming  evil.  being  forced  into  killing  his  own  brother,  or  someone  he  loves  like  family,  would  also  make  the  list.   BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT:  in  a  really  soft  way,  i  want  to  say  it’s  becoming  a  pseudo  dad  to  jack.  it  might  not  have  been  what  he  saw  for  himself,  or  how  he  imagined  being  a  dad,  but  he  loves  the  kid.   if  not  that,  maybe  stopping  the  apocalypse.   not  that  it  lasted  for  very  long.   BIGGEST REGRET:   not  telling  jessica  the  truth.  he  will  always  believe  he  got  her  killed.  that  guilt  will  set  with  him  until  the  day  he  dies.   MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT:   too  many  to  count.   BIGGEST SECRET:   he  remembers  a  lot  of  what  the  demon  did  when  it  possessed  him  in  2026.   he  fought  with  everything  he  had,  but  every  time  he  broke  through  they  pushed  him  back  down.   TOP PRIORITIES:  figuring  out  what  comes  next,  i  suppose.  

[plotholetsi]

Some DA4 Ideas

Me and @thealmightym got off on a HUUUUGE tangent this morning, upon the suggestion that the Inquisitor + love interest might show up in DA4 based on how the romance loads into game (assuming the Dragon Age Keep continues to function as well as it has so far:

Lavellan/Solas romance:

I can totally imagine a storyline where, if you import Solas-romance inquisitor, as the new DA4 hero, you have inquisitor tag along on occasion. If you fuck up at the missions with them, inquisitor joins Solas in trying to wreck the world. If you complete all the missions with them, they take your side in the end fight with solas.

Inquisitor+Cullen:

You can join them on their farm for a side mission or two. One of the side-plots is Inquisitor helping hide Cullen's younger sibling from the newly formed circle/templar/whatever as young sib is starting to have little magic bursts. It's equally fretful and adorable.

Inquisitor + Iron Bull

Inky and Bull have formed a new Bull's Chargers. If Inky wa Qunari, there's some of his/her old Tal Vashoth band joined up now as well. They show up as a random helpful encounter aiding you in world events. If you run into them enough times, they come to you asking for help on a diplomatic mission, Halamshiral style side event. It ends in the whole crew being chased out of the party for wrecking EVERYTHING and if you play your cards with, a menage’a’tois with your old Inquisitor+bull plus new MC.

Inquisitor + Sera

This one’s easy. Inquisitor and Sera are married GAY AF ladies who show up as random encounter in urban settings. Only instead of helping YOU, they drop you arrows with notes on them of missions that need your specific flavor of diplomatic aid. Missions like: having you seduce a noble lady/gent while they steal said noble’s unearned goods. Stabbing a few really shitty nobles in the junk in a painful but non-lethal way. Immediately lose missions if guards or innocents harmed in process. Poisoning the food at the banquet of a robber-baron so everyone in the party gets diarrea BAD. Oh, and their skin turns purple for a week. And bees follow them.

Inquisitor + Blackwall

You meet them at missions in Weisshapt if Blackwall was told to join. Inq has joined them there indefinitely, and the two of them are the only two allows to Orlais & Fereldan as diplomats after that whole Wardens-turning-kinda-evil SHITE. They send you on a variety of one-off 'kill this monster' type missions, culminating in another encounter with the Architect, who can either help you by giving you something to defeat Solas, or you can fight, or they paralyse you and walk away without giving you ANYTHING depending on your game choices.

If inquisitor pardoned Blackwall, you run across the two of them in a cabin in the woods somewhere, trying their best to keep under the radar as they raise a couple of boys as out-of-the-limelight as possible.

Inquisitor + Josephine

Her ending goes one of three separate ways. Either she's got the bandit fleet under her wing, or her family has kinda lost status by the end. Or she's kinda bloodthirsty and killed some peeps.

I'm seeing their ending influenced by Leliana. If Leliana NOT Divine: Leliana is stealthily traveling alongside Inky & Josie to continue acting as a spy/ pulling strings of various nobility. While the peasants don’t suspect anything, most of the nobles are bloody terrified anytime Inky+Josie (and the unseen Leliana) roll into town because it means a few shitty nobles are gonna just be snatched away without a word. Inky+Josie show up as a set of espionage missions on war-tabley thing, and you can also interact with the trio at parties/ open-world spots where nobles show up, etc. Inky will very dramatically foil an assassination attempt on MC in DA4, starting a mission that culminates in an odd scavenger-hunt/goose chase of missions, culminating in Leliana identifying a spy within (DA4 organization here) who is trying to corrupt MC with magic. This traitor is not found in any other storyline, but is present in all other storylines (finger waggling here).

Josie+Inky IF Leliana IS Divine: series of wartable missions where Josie is convincing (DA4 group) to aid the Divine on various missions. Culminates in Inky foiling assassination attempt on YOU, and then enlisting your help to foil an assassination attempt on the Divine. Meanwhile, Josephine has been kidnapped, the Divine attack a diversion.

You go on a goose-chase of missions to figure out where they're keeping her, and when you finally get there, Josephine has things well in hand, and has a group of thugs tied up, and is regaling them with stories so entertaining that they're fallen over laughing despite being tied up. She looks over at Inky, who looks back at her lovingly, and says, "What took you both so long?"

NO ONE DAMSELS JOSIE

Inquisitor + Cassandra:

Inky + Cassandra have put away (most of) their adventuring, and have opened a bookshop.

Cassandra very convincingly makes a good bookshop owner. She recommends a different book each time you come in, based on what events you've finished/ things you've decided in game. "I see you came back from Hamalshiral. Can I recommend 'My Lady's Coattails'? It's a VERY saucy period piece with a side of court intrigue."

At a later date, you find her in the midst of dealing with several unconscious people in the shop, half her battle gear on. Turns out she's been doing some do-goodery on the side, and doesn't want Inky to know. She enlists you to help deal with a local thug who has been threatening the shop and people in town.

You go and deal with the thug, and turns out it's WAY more than a local thug. It's a REGIONAL thug, and it turns into a whole long mission, halfway through, you run into Inky who was sent along by someone else in (DA4 group) because people heard DA4-MC and Cass got in over their heard. There's a whole scene of Cass being mortified that Inky found out, Inky being like, "Don't be. I'm missing and ARM and you're a bad-ass, why would I keep my wife from helping people?" And they kiss and it's equal parts adorable and awkward in front of you. They cough and you proceed to PUMMEL the lead bandit-dude.

When you return to the shop, you still get nod-to-game book recs for the rest of the game.

If you die more than a certain number of times on any one mission, Cass will sarcastically recommend, "Gennevive's Sword Primer". Inky interupts to ask why the non-fiction book. Cass sneeringly jokes, "Because our MC needs to work on fundaments."

Inquisitor + Dorian

I feel like his is the hardest, because he has such a FIXED position in the DAI wrap-up. And given that everyone assumes the new game will center on Tevinter, he'll probably be a central or pivotal role the story nods to or revolves around.... Hell, maybe it's just this...

MC has several encounters with the Magisterium. Dorian is actually one of the most consistent council members. Despite his distaste for the High magisters of Tevinter, once he was shoved into the role of leadership, he used red tape like a weapon, pissing off a LOT of other politicians who were perfectly happy with things being as easy for them to rule as possible. If Dorian was romanced by DAI Inky, there are several events where you can see him being uncharacteristically called away from a meeting, and if you follow, can see an event where he meets with his foreign lover for a small chat and a furtive kiss.

At this point an event occurs where another council member offers to aid (DA4group) financially or politically if they can get dirt on Dorian. You're lead down a series of espionage missions where you copy the communication crystal, and can either aid Dorian by re-tuning it to crush the other council member, netting you a series of side-quests lead by DAI Inky to disrupt more blood mages outside Tevinter, or you can hand over the communication crystal to Dorian's rival, and have an instant massive boost in faction points towards Tevinter Imperium/ who-the-fuck ever, cause let's face it it's the edgelord choice you gotta put in the game for people who insist on wanting to play shitty-evil person, ‘because reasons’.

[lovelylogans]

lavender for luck: chapter four

see warnings here

art by neil

previous chapter | next chapter

Virgil had anticipated the move being absolute chaos.

The reality’s much worse.

He’s taken the beater of a car up to school, for now; the agreement is that he’ll drive it back and then get the bus back to campus, which is a pain, but seemingly the only solution. Virgil’s providing kitchen stuff and the materials for his bedroom, the rest is taken care of! according the groupchat they’d kept over the summer (which pinged in time nearly with his heartbeat) but Virgil’s been anticipating last minute runs to the nearest shop with the cheapest furniture.

He gets there first; granted, it’s towards the end of the day, and Virgil swings into the leasing office to get his key. He gets something at the Busy Bean, and then he waits. Virgil huddles up in his car, sweating (partially from nerves, partially from the heat) and triple-guessing every last move he’s going to make. He’s cased the street a dozen times, he’s got the potion necessary, he knows he’s likely as safe as it’s gonna be, but intellectually he knows how nocturnal college students can be; the potion may be good, but it’s not foolproof, and it won’t work on furniture.

He deems it safe when it reaches the witching hour, three in the morning—late enough that the bars are closed, late enough that people would be sleeping, late enough that police have likely given up on their rounds.

Virgil takes a breath when the clock turns and dumps the potion in his hands.

Potion’s really the only most casual name for it; this particular potion’s supposed to be applied like a lotion. It smells of apple seeds, foxglove, elderberries. Certainly lethal if ingested, and definitely painful if Virgil touches any living thing. Really, the invisibility is only a side effect; this is meant to incapacitate people. He vows to himself to take a shower as soon as he’s done what he’s about to do.

Virgil takes a breath. He can, technically, do this. He doesn’t usually—it feels show-offy, he doesn’t quite have the finest of control with it—and he’s never really done it with things this heavy.

He closes his eyes, reaches down within himself until he can feel the crackling echoing up and down his spine, and holds up his hands. (He doesn’t actually have to do this part, but it kind of makes him feel like a superhero, so he does it. He usually uses the excuse of narrowing my focus but it is absolutely because it makes him feel like a superhero.)

The furniture, kitchenware, and bins of clothes began to float through the air and soar gently through the opened door on the balcony. Virgil keeps his breathing even and calm—if he panics, furniture’ll go flying, and that’ll be even more of a mess.

He lowers his hands when the last of it’s up, smiles to himself, and goes to climb the stairs to actually enter his apartment.

His stuff is lying in the midst of the living room floor; he hasn’t put a hole through any of the walls, and there’s no scuffmarks on the balcony door, so Virgil’s considering this a success. He flicks his hand, and his bedframe scuttles off to his bedroom to assemble itself as the pots, pans, and silverware leap to file itself away in the cupboards and drawers.

He’s careful not to touch anything, too aware of what he’d read this potion can do, even resorts to having the bed make itself and his clothes hang themselves in his closet, as he goes into the bathroom and turns on the shower immediately.

Virgil crashes into his bed around four, having carefully scrubbed off every inch of his body, before he groans, remembering the parking meter outside. He may be magic, but even he can’t circumvent the police from giving him a parking ticket.

Grumblingly, he descends the stairs, and goes to park it somewhere he can actually keep it overnight. At least, he meant to, and eventually just turned the car to the highway and booked it back to Ligerion. Better now than later, he figures.

Cora’s less pleased that he’s made the drive on no sleep and bullies him into taking a nap in her apartment above the diner, before sending him off with a gift card for a grocery store, for food only, you hear me? for HEALTHY food, too! and coffee to wait for the bus.

He gets to the apartment and spends the morning straightening out the last of his belongings before he hears a knock on the front door, and pads, barefoot, to the door.

He opens it to see Logan juggling a box, and Virgil steps aside to let him in.

“When’d you get here?” Logan asks, and Virgil shrugs.

“Earlier,” he says. “That’s not all your stuff, right?”

“Of course not,” Logan says with a sigh. “My mother’s terrorizing the local store staff and my father’s joined her. Apparently as we are two young men with good backs, they have assumed we can handle moving the heavy things ourselves.”

“They totally saddled us with all the work, got it,” Virgil says, mentally calculating the likelihood of a Logan freakout if he does the same magic in the midst of the day before deciding it’s probably not worth it. “Patton and Roman should be by soon, though, so it’ll be four young men with good backs.”

“Fantastic,” Logan says, and squints. “I’m next to you, aren’t I?”

“Yes,” Virgil says, pointing down the hall. “Second door on the left. Patton and Roman have the right.”

The four rooms—two on the left, two on the right—are branched off from the living room and kitchen, each with their own bathroom. Which Virgil’s a little excited for, oddly—he’s so used to it at Ligerion, college was a bit of a culture shock for him.

Logan carts down his first box of stuff to his room as Virgil hunts after a doorstop.

He and Logan make two more trips up before a van pulls up, and out from it pours a Biblical plague of children.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Patton says, hands on his hips even as he’s exiting the car and lecturing two little girls who have already gotten into pulling on each other’s braids. “Pris, Poppy, go grab a box and stop bugging each other, okay?”

They roll their eyes in tiny unison but go to do as Patton says.

“I’ve brought free labor,” Patton says, gesturing expansively towards his eight siblings. “They’re getting paid in pizza and ice cream, so. Point Parker, Peter, Penny, and Piper to the heavy stuff, Pris and Pop say they’ve got dibs on decorating—my room only, don’t worry—Pat, could you help Pearl carry that ottoman, thank you—"

“Um,” Logan says, and proceeds to take the two nearest elder children, directing them towards his van as the other two split to grab some of Patton’s stuff.

“Run me through the roster again,” Virgil says faintly.

“Got it,” Patton says. “Me, Patton, I’m nineteen-almost-twenty. Penny’s just eighteen, Parker’s fifteen, Piper’s thirteen, Pris and Pop are ten, Patrick’s eight, and Pearl is six.”

Virgil shakes himself. “I’m never going to understand having that many siblings,” he decides.

“A-okay,” Patton declares, and gives Virgil a brief, one-armed squeeze of a hug. “How’s your summer been?”

“Good, boring,” Virgil fibs. “Cousins came to town, worked at the diner and with my uncle. Same old.”

Patton nods and he’s about to say more, before he swoops in to help the two littlest ones with that ottoman, leaving Virgil to grab a random box from inside the truck and haul it inside.

The big furniture has monopoly in the elevator, so Virgil’s suffering up and down the stairs hauling boxes for Logan and Patton when Roman pulls up—with his parents, and his sister.

Virgil sighs but accepts the box Roman thunks into his arms as a form of hello.

The apartment’s pretty spacey, compared to the dorm, but with sixteen people (Logan’s parents swan back in once the heavy lifting’s done with) it’s feeling a bit cramped. Virgil’s fighting the urge to hide in his room until everyone leaves.

Until there’s a tug at his pant leg, and Virgil looks down into the large brown eyes. It’s one of the little ones, Virgil thinks, but he can’t remember if it’s Pris, Poppy, or Pearl. Judging by size, probably Pearl.

“Um,” Virgil says. “Hi. Do you… are you looking for Patton? Do you need something to do?”

Pearl shakes her head, and stares at him, still wide-eyed.

“Oh,” Virgil begins, “kay. What’s up?”

Pearl makes a frustrated face, and the pulse Virgil gets from her is so strong that he barely even has to Look.

“Oh,” he says, “oh,” and then, fumblingly, makes a fist, thumb up, and circles it around his heart. “Sorry,” he says, careful to mouth his words carefully. “Sorry, I didn’t realize—”

Pearl shrugs, and she signs I get it, mouthing the words too, but Virgil knows, somehow, knows the signs that match up to the words. Does he know sign language too? Is this something he just knows, now? Or is it just because he’s Looking?

“Did you need something?” Virgil tries, managing to sign you and need. Pearl looks at him, and he knows the sign, knows what she’s trying to say.

Patton says you know magic.

Virgil doesn’t know if that’s what Patton’s told her, if he’s mentioned tarot to Pearl, if he’s trying to make his sister believe, but Virgil’s a bit spooked. He glances up and down the hallway, before he crouches to her height, digging out a quarter. He learned this a long time ago.

“Ready?” Virgil says, and makes the coin disappear, quick, sleight-of-hand magic rather than Fae magic. Pearl giggles and claps, and he pulls it from her ear, and he makes a mock surprised face for her.

More!

“You want more?” Virgil says, focusing on keeping his face turned towards her, and manages to finger spell m-o-r-e, grateful that he’d memorized the alphabet.

She nods, and Virgil looks up and down the hall, before seeing Patton’s shadow in the hallway door.

No real Fae magic, then. Virgil wracks his brain, before he smiles.

Okay. A bit of Fae magic. But he’ll be sneaky about it.

“One coin, right?” He says, holding up one finger, and she nods. He twists it, makes a fist, holds his hand flat.

Her jaw drops, and she picks up the two coins. She makes a signal Virgil doesn’t need sign language to know—it’s a signal for again!

Virgil grins. “Okay,” he says, showing her his empty hands, before tapping the two coins she held, making a fist, and opening each hand to show another two coins. He passes a hand over hers, and the other two coins appear in her hand, making four.

Again! Again! Again!

“Again, huh?” Virgil says. “I’ll go bigger. Watch.”

One, two, three, four, shuffle from her hand to his without him laying a hand on her, and one, two, three, four supersized coins take their place, and one, two, three, four, he pulls two of them from her ears, and two from her mouth.

There’s a burst of applause, and Virgil looks over, Pearl’s head whipping around a moment after.

“That was good, huh?” Patton says, signing his words, too. Pearl nods.

“I told you he was magic,” he says. “Virgil, how about you show off later? Pearl, Pris and Pop might need a bit of help in my room, if you want—”

She scuttles off as soon as he signs the words, and he smiles after her before turning to Virgil.

“I didn’t know you knew coin magic too.”

“I know all kinds of magic,” Virgil says, standing up straight. “Is that all it takes to entertain a kid?”

“She’s cute now, but wait until she’s tired, she’s a terror,” Patton says with a grin. “I was just gonna check if you were all good with pepperoni or cheese pizza, and if you had a preference on ice cream flavor.”

“All good,” Virgil says. “And… anything with a lot of chocolate, I guess.”

Patton laughs and nods, making a note in his phone, before he heads for the more cheerful chattering in the living room.

Virgil pauses before he can go into his room, sighs, and turns towards the chattering too.

The activity’s died down a bit; Roman and Logan are arguing over what goes in which cabinet in the kitchen as Patton’s siblings sprawl over their furniture and carpet, and Virgil goes to unload the groceries Patton’s dad’s dropped off. Patton looks almost nothing like his father, who’s sitting at the breakfast bar.

“Virgil, isn’t it?” He says, and Virgil is suddenly very aware that the other clusters of parents are around him.

“Yes,” Virgil says cautiously, shredded cheese in hand.

“Did your folks roll out of town earlier?” He asks mildly.

“Oh, I—we drove down my stuff and they helped me unload, yeah,” Virgil lies.

“Should I get your parents’ number?” Logan’s mother, looking pinched, asks. “In case of emergencies, I mean.”

“My parents are dead,” Virgil says, unthinkingly, and there’s a collection of quiet, pitying murmuring. Roman’s mother looks ready to smother him. He hastily tries to wave it off. “I—I was five, it’s been a while. My uncle’s the one who raised me, he doesn’t have a phone, but my great-aunt does, I’ll give it to you—”

The parents all fish out their phones, and once they’ve got that information sorted, Logan’s dad says, “So, what’s your major, Virgil?”

“Plant sciences,” Virgil says, putting away the eggs.

“And what do you intend to do with that?” He continues. Virgil tries not to flinch—that dreaded question.

“Join the family business,” he says vaguely.

“And what’s that?”

Virgil smirks. “Anything anyone asks, we can provide,” he says. “For a price, of course.”

“Bit vague, isn’t it?” Logan’s dad says, suspicious.

“Father,” Logan cuts in, wearily.

“I’m just making conversation, Logan,” his dad says, defensively.

Virgil tucks away the milk and excuses himself out of that fun little conversation as swiftly as possible.

Patton ends up intercepting him to help with the pizza-and-ice-cream run and Virgil jumps on it—and Pearl and Penny do, too. Penny ends up sitting up front with Patton as Virgil keeps Pearl entertained by vanishing quarters and over again.

They get four pizzas and three quarts of ice cream and end up missing the departure of Logan’s parents, Roman’s parents, and Roman’s sister—Virgil’s kind of grateful that he doesn’t have to weather any questions from Logan’s dad anymore.

The sun’s long set by the time Patton’s family gets going—Patton’s siblings give him hugs, a few give him kisses on the cheek, and Pearl even doubles back to squeeze Virgil, hard, around the legs, before flitting off to her father.

Once the door closes behind them, it seems much quieter.

“This is our life for the next year,” Roman says, and Patton turns to smile at him.

“Seems like it.”

There’s a long pause.

“Do we want to eat a ton more ice cream?” Roman asks, and they congregate in the living room, flopped on the floor, dipping spoons in the various quarts, too strung out to actually talk.

It’s not a bad first day back.

The next morning, Patton makes them pancakes for breakfast. It’s kind of incredible; he doesn’t need to look at anything. He just knows the exact amount of flour and water and eggs he needs to have the precise amount of batter for a precise amount of pancakes. If Virgil didn’t know any better, he’d think it was magic.

Virgil is learning that you learn a lot about people when you live together. Virgil knew that Logan watched Doctor Who and BBC’s Sherlock prior to living with him, but he didn’t know that Logan had two variations of Elemental Table Songs memorized. Virgil knew that Roman could be dramatic and fussy about his appearance, but he didn’t know Roman took five minutes to do his (what looked like) perfectly coiffed hair. Virgil knew the most about Patton; but he hadn’t known how many recipes Patton could come up with on the fly, to mixed results.

The semester’s pretty tame, to start. Virgil’s classes are decent, and he thinks that he’s gotten the hang of studying and doing homework for college courses; he’s got his own little corner, deep in the stacks, in the desolate east wing of the library. The bright side was, no one really tended to go up there, so it was the quietest, least disturbed place in the library, and good for getting some peace and quiet.

Because it just wasn’t possible to get peace and quiet in the apartment.

Someone’s always wandering in or out; Virgil’s discovered that Patton has a penchant for stress-baking and cooking, which turns out well for the rest of them, but it means that Patton tends to be in the kitchen a lot, and always ready for a conversation. Logan’s always in and out, but believes firmly in keeping everything in its certain space; so when he’s in the living room, he’s relaxing, but if he’s in his bedroom, he’s either studying or sleeping. And Roman, being Roman, is noisy basically all the time.

They settle into it… faster than Virgil expected it to, really. Whatever odd truce from over the summer has held to them living together, and Virgil’s been ensuring that his comments are sarcastic, but not biting. Roman hasn’t been as inclined to argue, lately, and Patton actually admitted when he was having a bad day recently, and Logan… well, he’s Logan.

That’s just the start of the semester, though. There’s a sudden influx of rain in late August, and Virgil knows what that can mean; to a point, good. But there’s flooding warnings and there was a campus-wide email about various routes to take to avoid particularly risky areas.

It’s during such a stormy night when Virgil practically feels his ears perk up, and the other three react a moment later, Patton sitting up from the couch where they’d slumped to watch a movie.

“Do you all hear that?”

Virgil hears it. Virgil also understands it better than anyone else. He dashes over to the balcony door, ignoring Roman’s yelp of “Virgil, the rain!” and throws the door open, squinting out into the night.

And yes—down there, Virgil can hear the yowling, and he knows what that means. He curses under his breath, and storms back out into the apartment, only stopping to grab his coat.

“Virgil!” Patton calls after him, but Virgil ignores it, thundering down all four flights of stairs and opening the door.

“Hey!” Virgil tries to call out into the pouring rain, squinting.

There’s a louder cry, and Virgil starts towards the sound, crouching.

“I’m Virgil,” he shouts to the cat.

“ComSci,” she pants—computer sciences building, Virgil supposes, and she’s a long way from home—that’s across campus.

“Hi,” he says, and holds out his coat. “I—d’you want help? I can get you inside, where it’s warm. It’d be safer for the kits.”

ComSci tenses, before at last, she slumps, and Virgil carefully gathers her up in his coat, and takes the elevator, just to be certain he doesn’t jar her, shushing her whenever she makes a keening noise in the back of her throat, and opens the door.

“Virgil, what—” Logan begins, before blinking at his arms. “That’s a cat.”

“Well spotted,” Virgil says, already heading for his bathroom, managing to balance ComSci in one arm as he sweeps all of his clean towels into the other, dumping them into the bathtub as a makeshift nest, before carefully settling ComSci in the towels, tossing his coat to his hamper, and heading for his plant supplies.

Or, at least, trying, because there’s three gawping roommates in his doorway.

“Move,” Virgil says, and the other three look between each other.

“Do—what do you need?” Logan says, and Virgil huffs a breath, leveling a look at ComSci, who’s probably going to give birth in a fairly short amount of time.

“Towels or blankets you wouldn’t mind getting rid of,” Virgil says, trying to focus. “Plastic gloves, a lot of them, or if we don’t have that, um—an old toothbrush, if anyone’s got it?”

“Since when—” Roman begins, and Virgil turns to shoot him a glare over his shoulder.

“Got it, got it,” Roman says, following the other two in attempting to find the supplies as Virgil crouches outside of the bathtub.

Really, it’s mostly up to ComSci now—providing a warm, safe environment for her to give birth helped, and checking on each of the kittens is all that’s left now, but he does need the—

“Here, blankets,” Patton says in a rush, and Virgil arranges them around ComSci without disturbing her, and barely manages to catch the box of plastic gloves Roman throws at him, and Virgil shoves on a pair.

“Okay, since when are you a vet?” Roman asks at last, sitting down on Virgil’s bed.

Virgil shrugs. “I take care of the cats in town, I told you about Goose, remember?”

Time mostly passes with Virgil very aware of the other three watching him, and almost immediately, Virgil can tell it’s go time.

“Okay, here we go, first kitten,” Virgil says, watching ComSci like a hawk, just in case he has to assist.

“What’s gonna happen?” Patton says. “What do we have to do?”

Virgil shrugs. “Honestly? Just keep calm and be prepared if there’s anything abnormal. She’ll remove the amniotic sac and I don’t have to cut the umbilical cord, so—”

“Should I look up the vet sciences number?” Logan asks, and Virgil nods.

“In case of emergency, yeah, just get it ready,” Virgil says, and looks at ComSci. “You’ll be all right, and this’ll be over soon, okay?”

Birth is both a beautiful and terrifying thing. ComSci’s an absolute champ—Virgil barely has to help at all, beyond ensuring each of the (five) kittens starts nursing as soon as possible, ComSci grooming each, Virgil swapping gloves as often as possible.

When it’s done, and each of the kittens is quietly nursing, Virgil leans back, and huffs a breath of relief.

All of the kittens are healthy, and ComSci’s pulled through just fine.

“Okay,” Virgil says, voice soft, and actually laughs, a little.

“Everything okay?” Patton checks, voice hushed, and Virgil looks over for the first time since labor picked up to see the three of them, still clustered in the doorway.

“All good,” Virgil says. “Mom and babies are all healthy. We’ll let them rest here, for now.”

He rises to his feet and starts to wash his hands. Even though he wore gloves, birth is still messy.

“That’s… incredible,” Patton says, before immediately sneezing.

“Patton, your allergies,” Logan says, and immediately herds him out of the room. Presumably to take his allergy medicine.

“How many cat births have you done, exactly?” Roman asks.

Virgil, belatedly, pushes his still-wet-but-slightly-drying hair out of his face a bit.

“I dunno,” Virgil says. “Six or seven, I guess. It wasn’t a frequent thing.”

“It’s six or seven more than I’ve ever done,” Roman says with a shrug, and then he smiles at Virgil.

It’s the kind of smile that Virgil’s heavily aware of the fact that his hair is likely drying frizzy with all kinds of cowlicks, that his still-damp clothes are clinging to him in uncomfortable ways, that he’s been wearing a long-sleeved t-shirt and sweatpants. That he probably looks like a disaster, and that Roman, with that congratulatory, soft kind of smile, with something deeper in his eyes, that he looks… beautiful.

“Yeah, well,” Virgil says, and coughs, looking away.

“Do we have to do anything else?” Roman asks, peeking in on the kittens.

“Probably best to let them be for a while,” Virgil says. “I’ll check on ‘em more later.”

Roman nods, and then he looks at Virgil, before nudging aside a lock of his wet hair with a laugh, and Virgil holds his breath.

“You should probably change out of those wet clothes,” Roman says, smiling. “And maybe brush your hair.”

“Right, yeah,” Virgil says, mouth dry. “I’ll do that. Um.”

Roman blinks, says “oh!” and moves to the door. “You can, um. You can pick next movie, I guess, with helping the miracle of life and everything. I’ll make sure we’ve got enough popcorn.”

He closes the door behind him.

Virgil takes a moment and asks himself what the fuck was that? before he starts rifling through his dresser for pajamas.

They end up handing the kittens and ComSci over to the vet sciences.

Mostly because they don’t want to get evicted from their no-pets-allowed apartment, and also because Virgil wants someone to look after the kittens as often as possible, which they can’t do because of classes.

It also turns out that the number of stray cats has increased fivefold since Virgil’s gotten to campus, except the vet tech doesn’t phrase it quite like that. But Virgil knows.

Virgil quietly promises himself to go looking around to see if the cats want any help.

Patton tags along with him for the vet visits, most of the time, always making sure that he’s taken his allergy medicine, cooing quietly over the kittens, who open their eyes in no time.

“They’re so precious,” Patton says, hushed, and Virgil gives him a sideways glance.

“I like cats as much as you do, but you saw the lease. No pets.”

Patton sighs in regret. “I know.”

Virgil weathers the first wave of quizzes and tests and the first three-day weekend of the year comes up; he’s the only one staying in the apartment, and waves off any of their concerns by joking about the arcane rituals he’ll do under the full moon.

Well. “Joking.” He does actually want to finish up a potion that aids against forgetfulness, and it’s most effective when brewed under the light of the full moon, so, the only joking part of that is saying it’s a ritual, rather than a potion. But it gets them less worried about him, anyways.

So he gets three days to himself, from Friday afternoon to Monday evening. He spends it making that potion, meeting the variety of new cats, and otherwise doing absolutely nothing, scrolling through the internet and catching up on shows he’s been meaning to watch and cooking things that require the least amount of effort, along with sending a letter to Cora.

Roman and Patton join him in watching Coraline when they get back, which turns into marathoning Disney movies for the rest of the afternoon, just waiting for Logan to come back. Gradually, as Virgil watches, Roman and Patton entangle in a kind of snuggle pile on the couch, and Virgil wishes for Logan to be here so they can exchange some kind of glance about it.

It takes until they’re on their third movie (Tangled) when the door opens, showing Logan holding the heft of his bags.

“Hey, Lo!” Patton says, grinning, head flopping back to look at him.

Logan, not stopping his rapid pace to his room, says tightly, “I do not have the time to be sucked into your mindless ridiculousness at the moment.”

His door is shut with the kind of precise use of force that screams that Logan is upset.

Patton’s shrunk back into the couch cushions, before he moves to get up, clearly going to talk to him.

“Hang on, Pat,” Virgil says, from where he is on the armchair, separate from the pair of them who’ve turned to look at him. “I got it, this time.”

Patton hesitates, before he nods, and sinks back down into the couch. “Okay.”

“Okay,” Virgil says, and moves down the hall, where Logan and Virgil’s rooms are. Virgil drops into his room to pick up a couple things, before knocking on Logan’s door.

“I’m busy, Patton,” Logan snaps.

“Not Patton,” Virgil says, opening the door and shutting it behind him. Logan pauses to blink, and he’s not at the desk how Virgil thought he’d be, if he really was busy; he’s curled up on his bed, a thick book on his lap.

“Virgil,” he says, and then, “I’d rather—I need quiet.”

“Of the three other people in this apartment,” Virgil says, “I think I’m the only other one who’d get it like you do.”

Logan hesitates, and clarifies, “I’d like to be alone.”

Virgil surveys him. He’s sitting in his bed to read, and Logan adheres strongly to the concept of beds for sleeping and sickness only. The blankets, snapping at Patton, the fact that he was away with his family, who Virgil knows next to nothing about, other than the tight tense line of his shadow, the things Virgil can tell from seeing him, touching him—

“Fine,” Virgil says, and sits down on Logan’s bed, next to him. Logan blinks at him, grip tightening on his book.

“Then we’ll be alone together,” Virgil finishes, and strings his earbuds in his ears, leaning back against the pillows and folding his hands over his stomach. Logan narrows his eyes at him for a few seconds, before slowly cracking his book open, taking a breath, worrying the page between his fingers.

Virgil hits play on the playlist when you need to chill out a bit but not enough to fall asleep, curated by Roman, and fixes his eyes on the ceiling. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Logan eyeing him, before starting to read.

He swaps the playlist partway through, to an audiobook, and Logan’s worked his way through three chapters before he speaks.

“I don’t like to fish.”

Virgil hits pause on the book and glances over at Logan, whose eyes are fixed on the book, a studious demonstration of avoiding eye contact.

Fine. Virgil can do that too. He returns his gaze to the ceiling.

“I’ve never liked to fish, not when I was a child, and I still don’t now. I like boat rides well enough, but I prefer when the boat’s actually moving somewhere. Fishing’s just… boating out to the middle of nowhere, and sitting, and waiting. Waiting for a catch was dull, seeing the fish hooked, throwing it in the cooler, and fileting them—it upset me. I would have liked it better if I could bring a book, could read on the boat, but I couldn’t. Had to watch the water, you understand.”

Virgil doesn’t—the Loch was never meant for fishing, so he’s never really been.

“During the summer family gatherings, it’s traditional for the men of the family to go out fishing while the women go and shop. We meet for dinner and eat whatever catches we get from the day. But see, I didn’t like to fish. I would have preferred to be left at the hotel to read, but that wasn’t an option, because I couldn’t be trusted alone. I would have preferred to go shopping with my aunts and my cousins, but that wasn’t an option, because I couldn’t mess with tradition.” Logan pauses, turns a page.

“It feels a foolish place to point to, as where the divide began, but it’s the clearest I can remember. I didn’t like to fish, and my parents never quite forgave me for it.”

Virgil stills. Falls completely and absolutely still.

“Well, no,” Logan says, frowning. “Perhaps not quite. The fall after my first fishing day, my parents received a call from my teacher because I’d had my pretend-wedding during recess to Allen Saylor. Maybe then. Maybe the fishing was the crack, and the wedding was the break. Maybe as soon as I turned to books instead of sports. I don’t know. What I know is that I am not the son my parents wanted. Expected. Whichever.”

Virgil aches to reach over and—what? Hug him? Reassure him? He isn’t good at this. He isn’t an emotions person. Neither is Logan, really.

“I know they love me—the kind of performative love, the sort of required love a parent’s expected to show to their child. I’m their eldest child, their only child. I know I should be grateful to have parents that at least provide for my wellbeing, ensure I get a head start in life. I am privileged in that, I know it. I don’t think I would have gotten into the PhD program without those advantages. But I… well. Outwardly, of course, they’re very okay with anyone different with them, the whole family is. However…”

Virgil glances over, out of the corner of his eye. Logan’s still staring at his book.

“You can’t tell Roman,” he says, his voice a facsimilie of calm, and Virgil’s eyes closed. He knows too well what Logan’s dad might have said. If Logan’s dad thought Logan was straight, and if he’d targeted Roman, the most blatantly out-and-proud member of their apartment.

“I see.” Virgil says, and looks over at Logan. “Would you like me to ruin his life for you?”

That startles Logan into a brief chuckle, and Virgil’s only half-kidding. But he’s happy it made Logan smile.

“A little, if you want,” Logan says, a smile clinging to the corners of his mouth. “Just a little, though. He’s still my father.”

Virgil nods, wonders what the subtlest thing he could get away with would be, mentally makes a note to send a letter to Uncle asking about it.

“Logan,” Virgil says, and Logan looks at him. Virgil takes a breath.

“You know we’re both really bad at this,” Virgil adds, as a preface. “But. You know that you worked your ass off, and that’s why you’re in the PhD program, right? It doesn’t matter that you went to really good schools. Tons of people go to really good schools and don’t make anything of it. Sure, it helped, and like, I’m not saying you’re not privileged, but. You’re the one who got straight A’s and all that, okay? You’re the one who decided to go after astronomy instead of, I don’t know, business, or something like that. The fact that you—you like astronomy, or you like boys, whatever. It’s what makes you you. It’s not something to be looked down at because it’s not traditional, or whatever the fuck. It’s what you like, and it’s your life, and you’re an adult, you can go about it however you want. Okay?”

Logan pauses, and says, “You aren’t as bad at this as you think you are.”

Virgil pauses too. “Well.” He starts. “Thanks?”

“You’re welcome.” Logan says, and Virgil fishes one earbud out of his ear, offers it to Logan.

“You wanna listen to an audiobook with me?”

Logan accepts it, and Virgil turns on the Sherlock Holmes megacollection he got, mostly because Logan had recommended it so much, and he sees Logan smile and relax even more out of the corner of his eye.

When Virgil walks out of the apartment, Logan and Roman are arguing over routine.

The sight of them arguing isn’t really out of the ordinary; even though they’ve all grown closer, and their words aren’t quite as barbed anymore, they still fall into bickering easily, especially Roman and Virgil, and Roman and Logan.

When Virgil walks back in, two hours later, they’re still arguing.

Virgil stops, and says directly to Patton, who’s scrolling on his phone, “Are they seriously still arguing about the same thing?”

Both Roman and Logan stop, offended that Virgil hasn’t addressed them.

“Yep,” Patton says brightly, and looks directly at Virgil, also ignoring Roman and Logan. “You’d think they’d realize that the best approach is a combination of their methods, and that they’re fighting towards a common goal.”

“You’d think so, right,” Virgil agrees, flopping on the couch next to Patton as if they’re talking about someone miles away from their apartment, and not standing right in front of them. “You’d also think that if they learned how to put their egos aside, they’d make a really good team.”

Logan and Roman blink at him, startled, before swiveling to look at each other.

Roman offers a tentative, apologetic smile. Logan’s face grows slightly softer as he quirks a brow. It’s the closest to a truce they’re going to get.

“Good job,” Patton whispers into his ear, and Virgil jostles him fondly. “You started it,” he murmurs back.

They end up going for dinner, with Logan and Roman holding some kind of tenuous, delicate silence between them as they think it over, and as such speak directly only to Patton or Virgil. Which is an issue, because Virgil has a case of daydreaming, feeling his mind drift; the apartment complex, in one of its rare moments, is complaining about a hole in its walls somewhere.

“—can so do a handspring. What, I’ve never showed you?”

Virgil blinks at Roman, and demands immediately, “Show me.”

“Welcome back to the land of the living, Earnest-o de la Cruz.”

Virigl stabs his spoon in his direction. “Take that back.”

Roman holds up his hands apologetically, and says, “But we’d have to go outside, there isn’t enough room in here.”

“Outside it is,” Patton says decisively. “Where’d you learn to do a back handspring, anyway?”

Roman waves a hand. “Choreography for a show—I forget which. Somehow, I tripped doing a jazz square, but a roundoff into a back handspring? Got it in three tries and haven’t messed up since.”

They clamber down the stairs, and Roman finds a suitably grassy area. He wipes his hands on his jeans, gages the distance, and waves them aside.

And then, Roman runs, turning perfectly into a cartwheel, and flipping his body for the handspring, bouncing up at the end.

They all applaud as Roman bows at them cartoonishly, turning his wrists and bending almost down to touch his toes.

Virgil sees Logan, out of the corner of his eye, smiling much more than usual.

They’ve developed their chores patterns. Patton cooks, because he likes it, and Virgil takes dishes. Logan vacuums and sweeps, Roman wipes down the common surfaces and makes sure everything looks nice. They tend to all tag together on grocery trips and split the costs on food.

It works. Everything works. Virgil probably shouldn’t be as suspicious of all of this as he should be, but he just feels something on the air that something’s going to go wrong soon enough.

Something wrong blows into town with the autumn breeze, and when Virgil’s least expecting it. Logan’s looking over one of Virgil’s assignments at the breakfast bar, and they’re debating word choice as Patton checks over the supplies for dinner when there’s a knock on the door.

They share a frown, before Virgil hops off his stool and goes to open it up, only to stare, just a touch slackjawed.

“Hey there, squirt,” Gillian says, leaning against the entryway. “Miss me?”

Virgil regrets, immediately, that he’s wearing short sleeves. What he wants to ask is how did you get my address? and didn’t you run off to get married to someone seven years ago? and what’s gone wrong now?

He’s silent the whole time, and Patton appears at his back. “Virgil, who’s this?”

Gillian smiles, and reaches her hand forward. “Gillian Fae,” she purrs. “And may I have your name?”

That’s enough to spur Virgil into action. He knocks Patton’s hand off track, and says, bristling, “You may call him Puck.”

Gillian grins at Virgil. “You’re not so rusty, after all.”

May I have your name’s an old trick, the one the more traditional Faes would use; it would imply taking a name, and once a Fae had your name in the old days, it was essentially game over. Giving a partial name, or a fake one, and not taking their hand was an easy enough way to circumvent that.

“What are you doing here,” Virgil says stiffly, stepping subtly in front of Patton.

She shrugs, tucks her hands in her pockets. “I was in town, and I was bored,” she says easily. “Thought maybe my baby cousin’d want to take me for a spin, show me the sights.”

Virgil’s eyes narrow. “What’re you in town for?”

Her grin widens. “Passing through,” she says easily. “Gonna see Sally and the girls.”

Sally, Gillian’s sister, is as well-suited to the image of a wild Fae that Virgil is; that is, Sally basically resorted to becoming a domestic housewife and was thrilled about it, last he’d heard. Poor thing’d have the curse kick in soon enough.

“Keep passing,” Virgil says curtly, and goes to shut the door when Gillian’s hand shoots out to grab his wrist, and Virgil catches his breath instinctively.

But there’s no sudden wave of anger, or sadness, or anything.

“Now, Virgil,” she says, voice low. “Uncle Dee’d be so disappointed to hear about your lack of courtesy. What happened to Faes first?”

“Virgil,” Patton says, soft, and Virgil gives him a look, suddenly very aware of the three people in this apartment, and how unaware they were of his family history. And how badly things could fuck up if they heard.

He looks back to Gillian.

“Fine,” he says, and reaches for his jacket, shrugging it on immediately. “We’ll go to dinner. That’s it. Dinner only.”

Gillian smiles even wider. “Knew you’d come round.” He opens the door wider, and she struts easily down the hallway. “Must’ve be your mother’s side kicking in,” she calls back, and Virgil’s hand tightens on the door, before he looks at Patton, who’s looking at Virgil, full of concern.

“If I’m not back in an hour, call me with an excuse,” Virgil tells him, before he shuts the door.

Virgil doesn’t take her to the Busy Bean, or anywhere particularly nice. He takes her to the nearest fast food place, which turns out to be a Taco Bell.

She scowls at him. “Really?”

Virgil opens the door for her. “I said dinner, I didn’t make any promises about quality.”

She rolls her eyes, but flounces up to the counter anyways, turning the charm up to eleven. Gillian’s ten years older than him, and thereby ten years younger than Uncle; the fact that she’s thirty and has on a visible wedding ring is doing nothing to make the college-aged cashiers less fond of her.

Gillian orders a slightly absurd amount of food; Virgil gets a soda and a side of cinnamon twists, intent on not ruining his appetite for Patton’s dinner.

Her eyebrows arch, and Virgil shrugs, nudging the twists.

“I technically got something to eat,” he says, and goes to sit at a booth as she waits for her various combos. When she brings over her tray, Virgil leans forward.

“Why are you really in town, Gill?” He asks in an undertone.

Gillian snatches one of Virgil’s cinnamon twists. “I really am going to see Sally and the girls,” she says, and glances at her wedding ring in slight distaste. “Jimmy ran into some trouble, so.”

Virgil frowns. “I thought your husband’s name was Sean?”

Gillian laughs. “Ooh, hon, you’re behind the times,” she says pleasantly. “No, no. Jimmy’s the current fling. Well. Last fling, I suppose.”

Virgil sighs. He really doesn’t know why he expected anything different. She’s never really been able to keep her attention on one thing—as soon as she gets what she wants, she’s always turned her attention to the next thing. She and Sally are like night and day.

Gillian pauses, and adds casually, “Got some word from Dee too.”

Virgil’s eyes narrow. “No chance you’ll tell me the exact words?”

“Nada,” Gillian says cheerfully. “You understand him way better than I do, you’d puzzle it out immediately. Anyways, I’m swinging by to see him after this, to get some…” she trails off, and shakes herself. “Doesn’t matter. Anyway. Is it really so unbelievable that I’d wanna stop by to see you?”

“Gillian, I haven’t seen you since you married Sean,” Virgil points out. “Remember? You ran away from Fae house. You packed up most of the liquor cabinet with you. I helped tie together the bedsheets so you could climb down from one of the towers.”

“Oh, I’d forgotten I’d taken all of that old wine,” she says.

He’s probably not going to get a straight answer. He doesn’t really know why he’d expected any different.

“Anyways,” Gillian adds, thunking her elbows on the table. “Little cousin, off to go get enriched, or whatever. College, V, really?”

“I like it here,” Virgil says mildly. “I always liked school more than you did.”

She snorts. “School,” she says. “Right. That’s why you’re here.”

“Plant sciences major and everything,” Virgil says. “I could have brought along my most recent essay, I was editing it when you showed up.”

If he’s not going to get a straight answer, Gillian’s not going to get a straight answer.

They play that game for quite a while, before Gillian, eating as slowly as possible, says, “So, those boys you live with. Puck,” she sneers, “seems cute.”

“He’s my friend,” Virgil says, keeping his voice at the same mild level he’s kept it at their whole conversation. “I wasn’t about to let you take the name of one of my friends.”

“Virgil,” she says, flatly. “Friends?”

“A whole three of ‘em,” Virgil says, taking an obnoxious slurp of soda.

“Faes don’t have friends, Virgil.”

“Faes have siblings, too,” Virgil says, keeping the bite out of his voice. “And yet here I am.”

Gillian shrugs. “Maybe you do, and you just don’t know.”

It takes a while for what she’s saying to click, and Virgil grits his teeth.

“Right,” he says, calmly, and grabs his jacket. “That’s that, then. Have a nice rest of your dinner, Gillian, tell Sally and the girls I say hi.”

“Virgil,” she sighs, as if he’s the one being unreasonable.

“No,” Virgil says, turning. “No. You knew my parents, you know how much my dad loved my mom, you know that it—no. Have a nice trip. Tell Uncle whatever you want. Sorry about the situation with Jimmy. I’m leaving.”

He storms out of the Taco Bell, and, to his gratitude, she doesn’t follow him.

He manages to slow his pace, and enters the apartment, hangs up his coat, calmly takes a plate from Patton, and says, “I’m eating in my room.” before he makes his retreat.

He isn’t hungry.

Bizarrely, this is what infuriates him most.

It’s pasta with marinara sauce and garlic bread. Virgil loves pasta and garlic bread. But he’s lost his appetite because his cousin, who he hasn’t seen in years, blew into town and knocked him off his rhythm, and insulted his dead father, and—

“Knock knock,” Patton calls, opening the door just a crack.

Virgil blinks at him. “Oh,” he says, belatedly, and looks down at the dish. “Hey.”

“Can I come in?”

“Yeah, sure,” Virgil says, and scoots over a bit so Patton can sit down on the bed.

“Your cousin, huh?” He prompts gently, and Virgil grimaces.

“Our grandmothers were half-sisters.”

“So, distant cousin, got it,” Patton says. “Are you okay?”

Virgil grimaces, and says, “I mean, other than the fact that she tried to imply that my dad cheated on my mom and I have a secret sibling somewhere, it was, you know. The usual.”

Patton gasps, and that’s enough to open the floodgates.

“It’s not like he—they were twenty, when they had me,” Virgil snaps. “They got married when they were eighteen, it’s not like they even dated anyone other than each other, let alone—” Virgil cuts himself off, looks away, and takes a deep breath.

Patton’s hand settles on Virgil’s shoulder. “I didn’t know they were so young,” Patton says, softly, and Virgil laughs without humor.

“Yeah. Yeah, they—they met when they were in kindergarten. The way my Mom told it, that was it. People kept telling her not to, it was a bad idea to get involved with a Fae—my uncle included, actually—but they didn’t care. She asked him out, and she proposed, and they got married, and—well.” Virgil shrugs a shoulder. “I happened.”

There’s a pause. Patton puts a hand on Virgil’s shoulder, and asks, soft, “Virgil?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I ask how they died?”

Virgil pauses, blinks at him, and studies his hands. He lets out a long sigh.

“It’s okay if you don’t want—”

“No,” Virgil says. “No, it’s okay. Um. They think—the toxicology report said arsenic poisoning.”

Patton’s hand pauses from where it’d been running up and down his back.

Virgil smiles, humorless. “I guess that’s not really what people expect, whenever I say my parents both died when I was little,” he says. “People expect, I dunno. Car crash, or a plane accident, or something… something more common. But, um. We ran out of food in the house, that day. And my parents decided to order Chinese food.”

He remembers. He’d had honey chicken. Uncle had lo mein. His parents had split General Tso’s.

“My Dad thought it was weird—they put in these, like. These almond and coconut cookies in with the order. My mom liked to bake a lot, and we’d been working through her latest experiments. Uncle doesn’t like coconut, and I wanted something with chocolate. So they both ate two. I, um. I didn’t know until later that arsenic apparently tastes like almonds.”

“Virgil,” Patton says, soft, and wraps an arm around Virgil’s shoulder. Virgil tilts his head so it rests on Patton’s shoulder, but he keeps talking.

“Apparently, there was some kind of… vengeful boyfriend at the delivery place, I guess. We lived next door to his ex’s family. He didn’t realize—” Virgil clears his throat. “Didn’t realize he had the wrong address. And Uncle woke me up in the middle of the night, and put his jacket over my face so I didn’t—so I didn’t see anything—”

Virgil chokes up, then, has to let out a shaky breath and rub a hand over his face, until Patton pulls him so his face is in Patton’s shoulder. It hasn’t hit him, until now, how young his parents were when they died. Twenty-six sounds like an eternity year old when you’re six. When you’re almost nineteen? When his roommates are all (almost) twenty?

“That’s why you hate almonds?”

“That’s why I hate almonds,” Virgil confirms, voice muffled into Patton’s neck.

There’s a pause, and Patton asks, “Virgil?”

“Yeah?”

“You, um. You said they think, when you were explaining all this. Do you think… something else happened?” He says. His voice is careful, and soft.

Virgil pulls back, and surveys Patton. “You’re a lot more observant than we give you credit for, you know?”

Patton shrugs.

“Basically?” Virgil says. “Yeah. It’s—” Virgil hesitates.

How does he explain the curse without unearthing the fact that he’s more magic than he’s already told Patton?

“It’s… a thing,” Virgil says, cautious. “I mean, it sounds really superstitious, and I… I’d rather not go fully into it, actually. But, um. The only time—literally, the only time—my uncle’s ever left my hometown was to visit us, before they died. And one of the last conversations I overheard from my parents was them telling my Uncle about how he needed to follow through with the will and take me in. They knew it was coming. All three of them did.”

I heard it coming, too, Virgil adds on silently, and I didn’t realize it.

There’s a long, long pause.

“Virgil,” Patton says at last, “that’s really fucked up.”

Patton swearing shocks Virgil into hysterical laughter.

“It is!” Patton squeaks, red-faced.

“No, no, I agree,” Virgil says, and wipes the tears of laughter from under his eyes. “Christ, I wish I was recording that. Roman’s never gonna believe me that you swore with an audience.”

“It’s never gonna happen again,” Patton declares, and picks up Virgil’s plate. “I’m gonna reheat this for you, mkay? And also find something sweet.”

He ruffles Virgil’s hair, and in that moment, Virgil desperately misses Cora.

When Patton goes to heat up his food, Virgil digs out a piece of paper and starts drafting a letter to her—letting her know Gillian dropped into town, but nothing else, and moving on to mention the various other things that have happened during the week.

When Patton gets back, balancing Virgil’s plate and a plate of chocolate cupcakes for them to share, Virgil finally starts to feel hungry.

Fall brings with it crisp breezes, Patton doing more experiments with apple-based dishes, and Logan’s birthday. Logan basically entreats them to eat the cake Patton has prepared, with minimal gifts, and an evening spent watching Cosmos, which Virgil thinks is a pretty good birthday. However, after that, it also means that fall brings Roman screaming about the fall semester theater performance.

He’s got a big role this time, bigger than last year, which is unusual for a sophomore. He’s already ensured that they’re all going to the show, and he often recites lines absentmindedly. It’s gotten to the point where Virgil kind of feels like throttling him whenever he starts reciting his second-act monologue.

When he gets home early from a cancelled lab, he sees Roman sitting on their balcony, legs under the railing so he can swing his legs back and forth into the open air. His back is tense, and Virgil’s moving before he can really think.

He opens the door to the balcony, and sits next to Roman, a bare breath of space between them, so they’re just barely not touching.

“Hey,” Virgil says, voice soft.

Roman huffs a long sigh. “Hi,” he mumbles.

Virgil licks his lips, and says, “You okay?”

Roman’s eyes slide shut, and he says, “I’m not cut out for this.”

Virgil blinks. “For… what?”

“Acting,” he says. “I—Virgil, it’s over.”

“You—what?” Virgil says, incredulous. “Roman. Listen to yourself. What could have possibly happened to make you think that your acting career’s over?”

Roman groans, and says, “The student paper show review.”

Virgil blinks. “I’m… confused,” he says cautiously. “The show hasn’t happened yet, what—?”

“The fine arts reporters want to make it a whole… series, following us from rehearsals to the show, or something,” Roman groans, head against the paper. “And they turned up to interview me today, and it was—”

Roman grimaces, and something in his eyes tips Virgil off.

“…someone who doesn’t quite like you very much,” Virgil finishes delicately.

Roman groans louder. “Understatement,” he gripes. “I—before we were friends—look, it was short and it ended messy—”

It clicks, then.

“Oh, God,” Virgil says. “An ex? Roman. You’re letting a bitter ex dictate if your acting career’s over? No one even reads the student paper.”

“Virgil, it’s not funny,” Roman says, and Virgil hastens to assure him that he’s not laughing.

“If future casting agents look up my name, they’re gonna see whatever article they write, it’s—”

“Okay,” Virgil says, letting out a sigh. “Okay, I get it. What’s this dude’s name?”

Roman looks at him sideways, suspicious. “Why?”

“Because I’m gonna take care of it,” Virgil says patiently. “I just need a name, Roman.”

“How are you—?” Roman begins, looking sideways at him.

“Just the name,” Virgil says. “You just worry about the show. They’re gonna be raving about you, okay?”

Roman squints at him, before he says at last, “Tristan. Tristan Howard.”

Virgil nods, name settled in his head. “Okay,” he says, and pats Roman on the back. “It’s gonna be fine, I swear.”

Patton comes home, soon enough, to take care of the rest of Roman’s frayed nerves, and Virgil dials a number.

“Virgil,” Uncle says pleasantly. “To what do I owe this completely normal call?”

Virgil grimaces. He really doesn’t ever call Uncle, but it’s important.

“Can you check one of the grimoires for me?” Virgil asks. “I’ve got some business to handle here.”

He can hear Uncle’s smile over the line.

Virgil’s got his headphones on.

See, usually he studies in the library, but today, he’s found a pretty decent booth in the basement of the student center, which also happens to be the floor where the student paper is housed. He’s glancing through one of his textbooks, but only performatively; his eyes keep glancing to the glass door that blocks him off from the amateur news room.

When Virgil spies a blond head he’s seen in social media pictures, he shuts his textbook with a snap and follows after him.

They wait for the bus. Well, Tristan waits for the bus. Virgil hovers a while back, and follows him on, settling in the seat next to him and nudging off his headphones.

“Tristan,” Virgil says pleasantly, “Isn’t it?”

Tristan looks at him sideways. “Uh, yeah. Have we met?”

“We have a mutual friend,” Virgil says easily. “Actually, I’d argue he’s really more my friend than yours. Roman Prince.”

“Oh, yeah,” Tristan says lazily. “Right. Friends, I get it. He gets clingy, so good luck with—”

Virgil doesn’t rise to the bait, though he does take a moment to wonder why Tristan jumped to thinking he’s Roman’s boyfriend. “That’s not really what I came to talk about,” Virgil says, and takes off the glove he’s kept on his right hand, outstretching his now-bare hand. “Virgil Fae.”

Tristan shakes his hand, and freezes, immediately. Virgil can feel the pins and needles arcing down his arm, and by the way Tristan tries to jerk away, he feels them, too. But Virgil tightens his grip on Tristan’s hand, and leans in so he’s talking directly into Tristan’s ear, no chance of eavesdroppers.

“Listen to me very closely and if you follow directions we’ll only have this conversation once,” Virgil says lowly. “If you attempt to intentionally sabotage Roman, then I’m going to have to have a conversation with the Provost. For an English major, you’d think you’d understand about the risks of plagiarism and offering essay writings to your friends for—what was it, again? Fifty dollars for three pages? I think being placed on academic probation might put a little damper in that scholarship of yours, won’t it? Not to mention stealing and selling those test answers for your political sciences course. They’ve been looking for you for a long time. I could only imagine that an accusation this serious would impact your plans for the future pretty heavily, wouldn’t it?”

Tristan makes a whimpering noise in the back of his throat. His eyes widen in alarm, and he tries again, making an even louder noise.

“You’ll find that you can’t talk anymore,” Virgil says, calm. “Don’t panic, it’ll wear off by midnight. Just a warning. Your vocal chords will recover by midnight. If you do try to cross me… well. No one’s going to care what you have to say. And you’ll never even be able to try. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”

Tristan’s eyes look like they’re going to pop out of his head.

“Of course,” Virgil continues, tightening his grip on Tristan’s hand so he can feel the bone creaking under his fingers, “If you, say, actually follow some journalistic integrity and don’t let your emotions get in the way of your reporting, and write about how integral Roman is to the excellence of the show, along with the glowing recommendations of his character that he deserves—well, I suppose I’d be able to keep my mouth shut for a bit longer, wouldn’t I? And you’d be able to open yours back up again.”

A higher-pitched noise.

“And be sure to let your lackeys know too,” Virgil adds, voice pleasant again. “We’d have to have another little chat if you try to go through them. You’re fine arts editor, you have some kind of sway, so don’t try to wiggle around this. You won’t like what happens if you do. Clear?”

He nods.

“Good.” Virgil lets go of his hand and slides out of the seat., tugging the glove back on. “It was nice meeting you, Tristan,” Virgil says. “For your sake, I’m sure you’d prefer if we never had to again.”

Virgil walks down the aisle and gets out at the stop, nudging his headphones back over his ears with a smile.

Roman emerges from the hall leading to backstage, sweaty, makeup messy, and beaming a mile wide.

“Roman!” Patton squeals, dabbing hurriedly at his eyes with a tissue, and intercepting him in a hug.

“Don’t tell me you cried, Patton,” Roman says, grin never faltering.

“You didn’t tell me you died,” Patton defends, and Logan shuffles around so they can hand over the massive bouquet.

“From all of us,” Logan adds, hasty, at Roman’s surprised look.

“It’s lovely,” Roman says, and sniffs delicately at the bouquet (alstroemerias, birds of paradise, gardenias, white heather, purple irises, orange lilies, snapdragons, yellow and orange roses, statice) and directs his full-wattage smile at Virgil. “This is a whole essay of flower meanings, isn’t it?”

Virgil shrugs his shoulders, and says, “You did good, Princey.”

Roman smiles at him, a little softer, before he laughs and wipes at his face with his sleeve and fans himself.

“I’m gonna have a stage light tan, I can feel it,” he says, with a dramatic huff. Patton, teasingly, starts fanning him with his program, and Logan and Virgil chime in, Roman pretending to toss his hair and leaning into the meager breeze.

“Oh,” Roman adds, brightly, “um, you three can come along to the cast party, if you want, but—” he glances over his shoulder, and leans close, adding in an undertone, “Honestly, I’ve dropped by the last two nights and it was… not your usual scene, so—”

“So skip it.”

Virgil blinks at himself—the words kind of jumped out of his mouth, and now the other three have turned to stare at him.

“Skip it,” Virgil repeats. “You’ve dropped in the past two nights, you can cut this time. We can—we can go out for breakfast for dinner, or something, and—do what you want.” Virgil trails off, and adds lamely, “If you want to, I mean.”

Roman pauses, considering, and grins wider.

“You know what?” Roman says decisively. “That sounds awesome. I’m super in, I want waffles. Are we doing I-Hop or the diner near Broadway?”

They end up piling in Patton’s car and going to the diner, all cramming into a booth that’s probably meant to seat two people, perusing the menu as Roman uses some wipes and scrubs free the makeup that’s caked to his face, as well as loudly debating what variety of waffles he’s gonna get with Logan.

Virgil, currently pressed between Patton and the wall, could only hide his smile behind the diner menu.

“—see, you mention that adding fruit would technically make it healthier, but it’s still full sugar,” Logan points out.

“Yeah, but extra fruit,” Roman says.

“Do you think a chocolate milkshake and double chocolate chip pancakes is too much?” Patton says thoughtfully, tilting his head at the menu, and Logan turns his exasperated gaze to him.

“We’re celebrating,” Virgil says, firm. “Go for it.”

“Then you complain to Virgil when you get a stomachache,” Logan says, and Virgil smirks at Logan.

“Come to me if you have a stomachache, I’ll have something for it,” Virgil says, and Patton grins at him, knocking their shoes together under the table.

When their drinks come, Logan lifts his glass and says, “To Roman. Congratulations on your make-believe going well.”

Roman snorts, clinking his glass against Logan’s. “Thanks, George Loony.”

“To Roman,” Virgil and Patton echo, and Roman rolls his eyes, but a pleased smile clings to his mouth nonetheless.

They order obscene amounts of sugar, even Logan, and each of them steal bites from each other’s plates, elbows knocking together, Roman’s post-show high making everything seem hilarious, Roman telling elaborate backstage tails and nearly knocking Logan in the head with each gesture that would make Virgil start laughing, and then Patton would start laughing, and no one could ever stand to hear Patton’s laugh and not laugh along, so they could barely get through a sentence without laughing at each other.

It hits him as Patton’s laughingly trying to box out Roman from stealing a bite of his pancakes when it hits Virgil.

He’s happy. He doesn’t think he’s ever been this happy in his whole life.

Virgil smiles wider and, sees Roman uses the distraction Patton’s giving him to steal a bite of Logan’s French toast. He sends his fork into the fray.

Winter finals, the second time around, are oddly less stressful than last year’s.

For starters, Patton’s more involved, this time, so he butts in whenever he and Logan look “too stressed,” which mostly means that Virgil’s baked goods intake goes up exponentially.

Somehow, some way, Patton’s somehow managed to get Cora’s recipe for jam tarts, which is mostly monopolized by Roman and Logan, but he also gets the same brand of butterscotch candies Cora always gives Virgil.

Virgil pops one into his mouth immediately. “How did you…?”

Patton shrugs. “I checked an envelope before you sent her a letter, I figured asking her about the tarts would be good, considering Logan and Roman eat them basically immediately. She’s really nice.”

Virgil smiles. “Yeah,” he agrees. “Auntie C’s the best.”

“She sent me a few other recipes too,” Patton says, and hands over the letter. Virgil touches the familiar curve of the D in dear, and vows to himself to write a thank-you note to her for responding to Patton.

“You miss her a lot, huh?” Patton prompts, and Virgil shrugs.

“Uncle’s… well, Uncle, he’s, um. Kind of hard to describe, I guess,” Virgil says vaguely. “Basically, the whole concept of, like, parenting… Uncle made sure I had a room and clothes and that kind of thing, but Cora’s the one who bullies me into eating my vegetables and cleaning out my backpack, and stuff like that.”

Patton smiles, and Virgil points out a fudge recipe before he starts doubling down on studying for his lab final.

“Oh, my God,” Roman’s exclaiming when Virgil walks into the apartment, “you’re not actually being serious, are you?”

“I do not like to sing,” Logan says flatly.

Virgil squints at them, clinging to his coffee he’d snagged from the Busy Bean.

“Are you singing at eleven at night,” Virgil rasps. Finals are killing him.

“Roman is attempting to goad me into singing,” Logan informs Virgil from the midst of his paper hurricane, laying waste to the vast majority of their living room. Virgil picks his way through the spots their carpet peeks through, and perches on an armchair, digging out his laptop.

“It’s almost Christmas, Mr. Grinch,” Roman protests, a certain manic light in his eye that meant he was probably procrastinating. “Or should I say Mr. Grouch?”

Virgil boos.

And then Roman swivels and beams at him.

“You could join in!”

Virgil snorts, then. “No way,” he says.

“You can’t be worse than Logan,” Roman says reasonably, and Logan scowls at him more, before tugging on his hair, making the tufts and cowlicks of Logan’s usually-neat-now-disastrous hair stick up even further, as he looks at his astronomy study guides.

And very suddenly, Virgil gets what Roman’s supposed to do. Okay, sure, he might Look a bit deeper, but, whatever. He gets it now.

“Okay, whatever,” Virgil says with a long sigh. “I don’t know many carols, though.”

Logan looks at him, grumbles a bit under his breath, and Roman grins, before trampling over several of Logan’s paper, handing over some music.

“You printed out sheet music for this,” Virgil says, and looks at Roman. “Roman, you know I don’t know how to read music, right?”

“It has the words on it,” Roman says, and gasps. “I nearly forgot Patton!”

Virgil and Logan both exchange a long-suffering look, before looking at the music.

And then Virgil squints at the lyrics.

“Oh, God, he wrote the lyrics himself,” Virgil mutters, and Logan and Virgil only have enough time to exchange a panicked look before the other two (bubblier) occupants of the apartment come forward, managing to find their places in the apartment.

Okay, it’s probably true that Virgil could be better at singing than Logan. Because Logan seems to modulate in an entirely monotone voice for each lyric Roman’s tried to write.

To put it gently, it immediately goes off the rails. For Roman.

For Logan, hearing Patton and Virgil sneakily change the lyrics and mutter side remarks makes him actually smile, for the first time in days, in the midst of all the stress and panic.

For Roman… it is less fun.

“Roman,” Virgil says. “Roman. Bubba gump shrimp?”

“What could that possibly have to do with us?”

“It doesn’t even make sense—”

“It’s finals week,” Roman declares, flustered, “Nothing makes sense.”

Virgil pauses, shrugs, and concedes that point.

Until Roman, Logan, and Patton all decide to pull some sappy shit.

“And an emo who’s now our best friend.”

Virgil wishes he wasn’t blushing so bad, and shoves off Roman when he loops an arm around his shoulders and musses his hair, crooning the line over and over in his ear.

“Get off,” Virgil grumbles. “God, you’re so annoying, are there any other stupid plans to break finals stress?”

“Well,” Patton starts, and Virgil turns in time for the lights of the apartment to go out, save candle light.

Candles on a cake.

“Roman’s exhaustingly dramatic, and has such planned this part,” Logan says dryly.

“Happy early birthday, Virgil,” Patton says, grinning, and Virgil falters.

“I,” Virgil begins, and clears his throat. “I, um. None of you are gonna sing happy birthday, right?”

“You are incorrect,” Roman declares, and leads the song, all noisy and full-hearted. Virgil and Logan both share long-suffering looks.

Virgil huffs out the candles as soon as the song is over, and Patton sets the cake down on the counter to pull Virgil into a hug.

“Happy birthday, Virge,” he says, warm breath huffing along Virgil’s ear, and Virgil smiles into Patton’s shoulder.

“Thanks, Patton.”

“Cake, cake, cake, cake,” Roman chants, and Patton laughs, pulling back, before digging around for a knife and plates.

Roman cuffs an arm around Virgil’s neck and musses his hair, again, and Virgil snorts this time, shoving him off, and Roman shoves back, just a little.

“I can’t believe you’re such a baby,” Roman teases. “Just nineteen, and not even nineteen yet!”

“Shut up,” Virgil grumbles. “I can’t help that I was born.”

“Accurate,” Logan says, and Virgil rolls his eyes at him.

“But,” Logan says. “As improbable as it is, I’m glad that it was you that was born.”

“Aww,” Roman says, immediately ruining the moment. “Logan, that’s really sweet!”

“Speaking of sweets,” Patton says, grinning, and Logan groans, even as Patton hands him his plate.

“Thanks, you guys,” Virgil mumbles, accepting the plate from Patton and immediately shoving a forkful in his mouth, before freezing.

“This is Cora’s recipe,” he says around the mouthful of cake, and Patton smiles at him.

“Yeah, she sent it with the jam tarts and stuff when I mentioned maybe doing something for your birthday,” he adds, casual. “Which, also, hang on.”

Patton goes off to his room and returns holding some familiar stationary. Virgil sets aside the cake and opens it.

Dear Virgil,

Happy birthday! Well, early birthday, I’ll see you on your actual birthday. That Patton boy (I told you I liked him) asked for some recipes. He told me more about those boys that you live with, and I’ve certainly been seeing more and more about them in your letters. You’ll have to tell me everything about them when you get home.

Hugs,

Auntie Cora

Virgil smiles a little and carefully folds the note, sticking it in his pocket.

“Okay,” Virgil says. “Cake, and we’re watching Nightmare Before Christmas, and then we’re all studying.”

Patton bumps hips with him, and Virgil crashes onto the couch, ready to binge on sugar and forget his studies, just for a couple hours, smiling privately to himself.

Our best friend.

“How were finals, then?”

Virgil shrugs, takes a sip of the butterscotch milkshake Cora’s considering adding to the menu. “Okay. I didn’t flunk anything, I don’t think.”

“The height of achievement,” she says dryly. “I’m sure you did fine. Great, even.”

She pauses, and adds, “How about those roommates of yours? They feel good about everything?”

“You aren’t as subtle as you think you are,” Virgil says, equally dry, and adds, “They’re pretty sure they did well. Roman was kind of worried, he had to take some kind of econ course this semester, for whatever reason, but he’s probably pulled through it okay.”

“Roman’s the theater one, who loves my tarts,” Cora checks, and Virgil nods.

“Logan’s the astronomy one who loves your tarts,” Virgil adds dutifully, “and Patton’s the teaching one who asked for the recipes for your tarts.”

“It was sweet of him, to ask about all that,” Cora says.

Virgil talks around his straw so he doesn’t smile. “Pat’s the sweetest guy I’ve ever met.”

Cora smiles enough so he doesn’t have to, and Virgil scowls at her, just out of habit, not out of any actual emotion.

She smiles, and says, “Every time you come home, I can tell those boys are bringing you out of your shell, you know. They’re good for you.”

Virgil shrugs. “I guess,” he says.

“You know,” she prods, and Virgil allows himself to smile, just a little.

“Guess I do,” he says, and she swats him affectionately with a dish towel.

“This should go on the menu,” Virgil adds, tapping the glass with his pinky. “S’good. Did you make ice cream outta this, or crumble up the candies somehow?”

Oh God, it’s happening. His accent’s getting increasingly southern-sounding, the way it always does whenever he spends a lot of time with Cora.

“Ice cream,” Cora says, tucking her towel back into her apron. “You’re changing the subject.”

“Am I?”

“Don’t act cute with me, Virgil Owens, you’re getting shy,” she says teasingly. “Bashful, even.”

Virgil grumbles into his shake, “You’re my great-aunt, you’re not supposed to mock me.”

“That’s what family’s for, hon,” Cora says.

Virgil wrinkles his nose at her, and she smiles at him, ruffling his hair before she tugs out a notepad.

“Okay,” she says. “So, for Christmas dinner, I was thinking…”

When Virgil tows in his duffle bag, intent on going straight to his room and going to bed, he does not at all expect to see two of his roommates making out on the couch.

Virgil yelps “Holy SHIT,” and swiftly pivots around, cheeks burning, as he hears scrambling behind him.

“I—sorry,” Virgil says, “I didn’t—I—wait,” he says, and it clicks, and he pivots back around to narrow his eyes suspiciously at Logan, looking conspicuously ruffled, who’s adjusting his glasses back on his nose. “Since when?”

“It’s recent, George Gloomy!” Roman squawks, buttoning the top few buttons that had come undone. “Would it kill you to knock?!”

“I didn’t realize I had to knock on my own apartment door!” Virgil nearly yells, feeling his cheeks burn redder and redder. “You’re in a common area!”

“You—you said you were going to be home tomorrow,” Logan says. “I assure you if we’d known, we wouldn’t have—”

“Well,” Roman says, with a thoughtful tilt of his head, and Virgil takes a moment to bury his face in his hands, take a deep breath, and emerge.

“Okay,” Virgil says, and gestures vaguely at them. “When—how—did this…?”

Roman and Logan exchange a glance, and Logan says, awkwardly, “Um. Today?”

It takes a few seconds to click. “Today,” Virgil repeats.

“We started arguing about jelly flavors,” Roman says sheepishly.

“And it turned into… desecrating our couch?”

“We were arguing about other things too,” Logan says, shooting Roman an irritated-fond kind of look, and oh, wow, how had Virgil never noticed the increasing amounts of fondness in that look?

“It’s been building for a while,” Roman says, smiling sideways at Logan, “And, um. It’s just—we’re trying to see how it goes, for now.”

“We don’t want things to become,” Logan says, and fiddles with his tie. “Strange.”

Virgil nods, slowly, and says, “No more making out in common rooms.”

“Absolutely not,” Logan agrees in a rush. “We won’t.”

“Well—”

“We won’t,” Logan says, giving Roman another look, this one more irritated.

“Okay,” Virgil says, and nods. “I’m gonna. You two are gonna be the ones to tell Patton, and everything, but, um. I’m gonna… unpack. If you two continue doing… that… please go to Roman’s room. At least for tonight.”

Virgil goes immediately to his room and tries to quash the weird squirming his intestines seem to be doing.

The next morning, when Patton’s finally back, Logan calls them awkwardly into the kitchen for an apartment meeting.

Logan takes a breath, before he tilts up his chin. “Roman and I will not be joining you for dinner this evening.”

“Okay,” Patton says, slow, glancing at Virgil, who doesn’t glance back.

Logan takes another breath, and continues bluntly, “Because we’re going on our first date. Roman and I are… dating. Now.”

“Oh,” Patton says, and his eyes get as round as quarters. “Oh, wow. How long has this…?”

“Not long,” Roman says hastily. “Just yesterday. Virgil, ah. Virgil kind of walked in on us kissing in the living room.”

“Please don’t do it again,” Virgil says, as if he hasn’t replayed the moments before they sprung apart in his mind fifteen hundred times.

“Of course,” Logan says, equally as hasty as Virgil. “But. Ah. We figured we should… make sure everyone’s on the same page.”

“Wow,” Patton says again, and asks, “So, like. Is this serious?”

It’s a fair question. Roman goes through flings like frat boys go through vodka, and for as long as Virgil’s known him, Logan’s never breathed a word of a single romantic outing.

Logan and Roman exchange a glance, blush, and break their gaze.

“We’d like it to be, yeah,” Roman says, in a quiet, shy voice.

What happened? Virgil wonders, and he absolutely aches to Look deeper, to find out what the catalyst was to swap bickering to kissing, what made them finally absorb how well they could work together. But he can’t—they’re his friends, and it’d be an invasion of their privacy.

Plus, the weird wiggling in his stomach starts up again double time when he considers Looking for that.

Patton smiles, wide and sharp, and wrong.

“Then I’m very happy for you two,” he says decisively, and stands up, pushing away from the table. “What are you two lovebirds doing on your date?”

Apparently they’re going to be pretty tame—dinner and a movie, and it ends up that Patton is in Roman’s room, and Virgil ends up in Logan’s, and he gets to ask the question he’s wanted to ask.

“So, how the hell did that happen?”

Logan’s holding up one of his numerous button-downs against his chest, and he glances at Virgil, before he looks back to the mirror.

“I,” Logan begins, and there’s a tinge of pink on his cheeks. Logan’s blushed more in the past day than he has in a year. “Well, we were—we were arguing about jelly flavors, you know, whichever one we’d get on our next grocery run. And—well—” he pauses, and says, “Do you remember, when Roman and I were bickering that one time, and you and Patton were on the couch, and he went out to show off that he could do a back handspring? And you and Patton mentioned something about us both fighting to reach a common goal, and that we made a good team?”

“That was a fun day,” Virgil says, sarcasm thick in his voice.

“Anyways,” Logan says pointedly, “I—I don’t know. It was a combination of things, I suppose. We complement each other, I’ve grown to trust him, we—we—“ he flushes, and adds, with only some of his usual dignity, “Roman is conventionally attractive, which helps, and—”

Virgil wrinkles his nose and waves a hand. “I’ve heard enough.”

Logan getting ready for a date, it turns out, is hilarious. Well. It would be hilarious, if Virgil can stop feeling the weird squirming in his stomach, or if Logan wasn’t so genuinely nervous and all… butterflies in the stomach, puppy love about it. It’s a state that’s just unnatural to Logan’s state of being.

What is with Virgil, right now? It’s probably because of the curse, or something. That’s probably it. Love’s antithetical to a Fae.

Patton and Virgil see Roman and Logan to the door and wave them off. As soon as they’re gone, the grin drops off of Patton’s face with a near-dangerous level of force.

Virgil hesitates before he carefully pokes Patton in the shoulder.

“Wanna order pizza and watch Steven Universe, or something?”

Patton wraps an arm around Virgil’s shoulders, and the sudden brush of Patton right now—sad—washes over Virgil like an unexpected wave, sinking him so he can barely breathe.

“I love Steven Universe,” Patton says.

They end up ordering a slightly ridiculous amount of food, all-out—mozzarella sticks, and greasy pepperoni pizza with cheese-stuffed crust, and brownies. They go back to the start of Steven Universe, and Virgil takes a breath.

It’s like Patton’s first reading—his need for touch right now is like an air horn in Virgil’s ear.

Virgil pauses, before he carefully rests an arm over the back of the couch.

“You okay?” Virgil mutters, gruff, and Patton lets out a wet laugh, before leaning on Virgil’s shoulder.

“Memories,” he snuffles into Virgil’s shoulder, and Virgil squeezes his shoulder, before he takes a breath.

“It feels… weird,” Virgil says hesitantly. “Right? Like, it’s not just me.”

“No,” Patton says, soft. “No, it’s not just you. I—” He swallows, and says lamely, “Yeah.”

Virgil tries his hardest not to cringe at himself as he says, “Do you want to, like. Talk about it?”

Patton pauses, and he squirms, and he looks at Virgil with a nearly defiant look in his eye.

“I like ‘em.”

“Who?” Virgil says, before it clicks. “Them. Oh. Oh.”

He tries to calculate that in his mind, and what comes out of his mouth next is, “You can do that?”

Patton flops back against the couch. “They wouldn’t,” he says.

“Patton,” Virgil says. “Are you kidding? They—I mean, talk with them about it, but—”

“What if they think it’s weird?”

“Then you and Logan swap rooms, and you can just interact with me,” Virgil says determinedly. “But I mean—it’s Logan and Roman. And you’re… you. Anyone’d be lucky to have you. Okay?”

Patton hesitates, before he rests his head on Virgil’s shoulder again.

“Virge?”

“Mhm.”

“People’d be lucky to have you too, you know?”

Virgil starts, and says, “No. Oh, no, I’m not—no. No dating in the cards for me. I can’t—I’m not doing that.”

Patton blinks at him. “Is it okay if I ask why?”

“Just,” Virgil says. “No. I’m not—I’m not dating anyone. Not now, not ever. Let’s watch Steven Universe some more, okay?”

Patton pauses, surveys her, before relaxing back against Virgil’s shoulder. “Okay,” he says quietly.

Virgil stirs a bit on the couch with the murmuring of quiet voices.

“—gil told me I should probably tell you two, so. Now you know.”

A long pause. Virgil stays still, and continues breathing deeply.

“You don’t have to—I mean—” Patton says, hastily. “I just—I thought you guys—I don’t wanna pressure you or anything, I just—” Patton groans. “I’m going to go run away now, I—”

There’s a sudden silence, and Virgil opens his eyes a slit, in time to see Logan pressing his lips against Patton’s.

“Oh,” Patton squeaks, soft.

“Yeah, oh,” Roman says in amusement. “Let’s go to my room to talk about it, I don’t wanna wake Virgil up.”

“Okay,” Patton says. He sounds dazed, like it’s some kind of daydream. “I’m—you’re okay with this too, Roman?”

“Get over here, pretty Patton,” Roman says, and Virgil keeps his eyes shut for this part. The squirming’s kicked up tenfold.

When he hears Roman’s door shut, Virgil gets up from the couch, curls up in his bed, and tries and fails to go to sleep.

When Virgil is nineteen years old, he realizes he’s going to kill his three best friends in the world. And that his twelve-year-old spell had worked, against all odds.

Faes fall fast and hard. Intellectually, Virgil knows this. It could be part of the curse, part of the magic that’s hopelessly intertwined with Fae DNA, it could just be a part of simply finding someone who didn’t ostracize them for their family history.

It’s three am, and none of them had been able to sleep, and all of them are sleep deprived and stupid and too young when Virgil realizes he’d twisted the other three into being, and he’d be the one to doom them all.

Roman was twisting Patton around the kitchen floor in a grandiose waltz to stupid middle school pop music as Patton slipped on socked feet and Logan sat perched on the counter, sipping coffee from his periodic table mug and keeping a close eye on the toaster because of Logan’s particular misfortune with cooking, and Virgil was about to be a murderer.

The first stupid, stupid thought in his head was, if that spell worked, which of them got the good kisser part?

The second thought in his head was that, rather distantly he was starting to notice that he was panicking. None of them seemed to notice how hard Virgil’s world had just flipped its axis, how quickly his stomach bottomed out and how the panic was starting to wrap around his ribs, choking him. Which was probably good.

He doesn’t know how he gets through it. He doesn’t know how he sips his cocoa and eats his buttered toast and doesn’t tip them off that something is terribly horribly wrong, because he’s such an idiot to have done that, Christ.

His mouth joins in with the chitchat as some kind of plan whirls around in his brain. Because what’s he gonna do, tell them?! That’d go over great, and probably get him sent straight to the psychology offices. Not even mentioning the fact that loving them would kill them, not even mentioning that, what kind of people would ever be with him like that? Why would Roman and Patton and Logan, exploring their new relationship together, fold in Virgil? Why would Roman? Why would Logan? Why would Patton, who deserves everything good and kind and soft in the world, get involved with someone like Virgil? Friends, fine, they’re all friends with other people. But—dating? No. No way. Virgil can’t do that to them—not even including the fact that Virgil loving them would kill them.

Telling them isn’t an option, then, not at all. Nothing. Nothing about his family history, nothing about the curse, and nothing about Virgil loving them.

So, what? Ignore it? That wouldn’t help either. Now Virgil knows, he’s going to obsess over it, he’s going to stare at them and moon over them and pine after them, which would be digging their graves deeper and deeper with every sappy thought and kind thing Virgil would do for them. He can’t just ignore it and exist with them there, he can’t ignore this.

Jesus Christ, Virgil is an idiot. How did he not see any of this before? It’s not like he fell in love overnight. When did this start? The birthday celebration? Settling in the routine of living together? Move-in day? Or did it go back even further, from the moment that they reached their hands out to him in forgiveness and friendship? Did he fall in love the instant they showed him some kind of kindness?

Or had he, twelve years ago, doomed himself to falling in love with them as soon as he declared the spell to be complete? Had he forced them into being? Were they even real?

Virgil shakes his head, hard, to dislodge that certain thought.

“Virgil?” Patton asks, blinking at him. “You okay, buddy?”

“I,” Virgil begins, and gulps. “I—I think I’m gonna go to bed, actually. This has been working on me.”

“Well, if it works on someone, it may as well work on you,” Roman declares, and waves a hand at him. “Good night, Good Night Gloom, sleep well.”

“Let us know if the sound bothers you,” Logan adds.

“Right,” Virgil says. “Night.”

Virgil turns tail to go to his room, sits on his bed, and feels his eyes focus on the duffle bag tucked haphazardly into his closet.

Oh.

Oh, of course.