#what even led daniel to decide to eat here in the first place

[apoptoses]

“And the following night in Boston, Armand was in the dining room of the Copley when Daniel came in. Daniel’s dinner was already ordered. Please sit down. Did Daniel know that Interview with the Vampire was in the bookstores?”

Was doing some research about what the Copley would have looked like when Armand ordered the entire menu and found this:

Assuming the Copley refers to the Fairmont Copley Plaza (which it must, all of the old articles I can find refer to it as just The Copley), the dining room was dominated by a rotating merry go round bar until 1978. The merry go round would finish a rotation once every hour, and you could eat dinner and sip cocktails while it went around.

There were even postcards of it that you could mail home:

(postcard circa 1930s)

By the time Daniel and Armand visited the decor had been updated, and looked something closer to this:

(this photo is from the 1960′s, surely by the 70′s it was even tackier)

So just imagine the surrealism of Daniel downing glass after glass of wine and having Armand have to help his drunk ass down off this thing, all while he goes through an emotional crisis over finding Armand hot when he laughs.

It’s no wonder they ended up together, Daniel is the only person wild enough to decide to go to dinner alone in the kind of bizarre place Armand would be attracted to.

[torscrawls]

Out of the Loop ch.2

Wordcount: 2,801

Can be read on AO3!

--

When lunch rolled around fifteen minutes later Wes had come to three conclusions.

One. People here thought that ghosts were real. He was unsure if this was because of a huge misunderstanding, a result of mass hallucination, or if Wes had actually managed to stumble upon the only town in the US where people were more into conspiracies than he was. Or maybe it was only a result of poisoned lunches.

Two. The Guys in White were the people behind the security cameras that were everywhere in the school. Everyone seemed to fear them. No one would tell him what they wanted. This couldn’t be legal, right?

Three. Bathroom-boy’s name was Daniel Fenton, called Danny. Or Fenturd, Fentonail, and a variety of other increasingly absurd and childish nicknames if you asked the jocks. Son to the local ghost hunters, best friends with Sam Manson and Tucker Foley, and a huge nerd.

So far he hadn’t been able to combine all three into a configuration that made sense—did Danny work for the GIW? Was the school a test-sight for a government led drug program? Was Danny working for the GIW? Or the supposed ghosts? Who even is the GIW?—and his confusion wasn’t helped by everyone refusing to answer his questions.

Wes stumbled out of the classroom and tried to decide on where to go now, who was most likely to give him some information.

He saw Danny, Sam, and Tucker huddling further down the corridor. Tucker was gesticulating wildly and Sam was nodding along as Danny laughed and shook his head.

Before he had the chance to approach them and get some answers, he was intercepted by Star and several of the more popular students in his class.

“As you know, my name is Star.” She gestured at the people next to her. “This is Paulina, Kwan and Dash.”

Wes noted that the last jock was the one who had tripped Danny when he got back into the classroom earlier.

Dash gave him a once-over before giving a short nod. “You might do. You play any sports?”

“Basket.”

Dash shrugged. “Not football, but good enough.”

“You wanna eat lunch with us?” Kwan asked with a big smile.

Wes sent the trio down the corridor another look, but Star was still the only one who had given Wes any kind of information, however little that might be, so he nodded and decided to try his luck with them first.

As they sat down at a table Wes stared at his lunch with suspicion. He really hoped it wasn’t drugged, even though that would explain a lot.

Star sipped her drink and said, “Okay, so. Here’s the deal.” She placed her hands on the table in front of her and leaned in towards Wes. “We have to be a bit careful when we talk since…” she paused and raised one eyebrow, eyes shifting to one of the security cameras on the walls, “the ghosts can listen in.”

Oh, so they were talking around the issue. That was no problem; Wes was good at reading between the lines. He would make sure the ghosts didn’t find out anything! “Of course.” He winked.

Star pressed her lips together as a furrow appeared between her brows.

Paulina leaned in and causally asked, “You know about ghosts?”

Wes pursed his lips in thought. “I know they’re dead people?”

Paulina shook her head and then said, in an overly enunciated way that Wes had never heard her use before, punctuating each word with a jab of her fork.  “Yeah, no. They're not people. They're monsters.”

“Oh,” Wes blinked. “I thought the whole idea of ghosts was based on the fact that they'd been humans?”

Paulina and Star exchanged a glance before Paulina shook her head. “No. They're all just bad. No personality. No emotions.” She raised her eyebrows and gave Wes a meaningful look. “They are bad. Evil.”

“Okay, alright,” Wes nodded. He understood what they were trying to say; all ghosts were evil and they had no personality. Finally he was getting some useful information!

Kwan joined in, “They’re very much not like people.”

“Yeah, I mean, sure,” Wes agreed with a nod. “They're ghosts. They're not humans anymore.”  He understood what they were trying to say; all ghosts were evil and they had no personality. Finally he was getting some useful information!

Star paused, a small frown on her face. “Right… It's just important to know that they're all very evil.”

She placed a weird emphasis on the last few words and Wes hesitated. This must be her telling him that the last part is extra important. So ghosts are, at the very least, very evil, probably even worse than that but she couldn't explain more because of the surveillance. That had to be it.

Wes patted himself on the back for his quick thinking.

Dash jumped into the conversation with half a potato in his mouth and unnecessarily added, “Yeah, so evil. No exceptions.”

Wes frowned as something occurred to him. “But you didn’t seem to hate the guy with the white hair?”

Star blinked before sending another pointed look to the nearest surveillance camera. “Yeah, no. Of course we don’t like him. He’s a ghost.”

Wes narrowed his eyes. He felt like he might be missing something. He turned to look at one of several cameras on the wall but Kwan reached out to stop him from turning fully in his seat. Wes hesitated and then slowly asked, “Sooo… What’s up with the cameras?”

“It’s the GIW. They make sure were safe,” Paulina said with the same conviction as Wes uses against his dad when he says he’s not going to stay up past midnight reading on conspiracy-forums.

Kwan nodded. “They’re watching and listening in the school to look for… evil ghosts.”

“So who are they?”

Dash, somehow still with a potato in his mouth, said, “The GIW stands for the Guys In White.”

Star smacked his shoulder. “It stands for the Ghost Investigation Ward, idiot.”

“I knew that!” Dash exclaimed in outrage.

Wes nodded. “Ah. So they are a group of ghosts that investigate things, got it.”

Star blinked. “Eh?”

Kwan snorted. “No, man, they investigate ghosts.”

“Oh,” Wes blushed. “Of course. Yes.”

“And hunt them,” Paulina added with badly concealed disdain, “Don’t forget the hunting part.”

“They hunt ghosts?” Wes asked as he finally started on his lunch to try and hide his red face. “Like, for real?”

“Yeah,” Star said before rolling her eyes and sarcastically saying, “Someone has to keep them in check.”

Wes nodded. “Yeah, sure,” he paused. “No, wait, what? Like whacking weeds? Or pest control?”

They all stared at him as if he was crazy. Then Dash gave a slightly strained laugh. “You’re acting as if you’ve never heard of ghost hunters before, man.”

“We don’t… Really have that where I’m from?”

Star blinked and tilted her head. “But then, who fights the ghosts?”

“No one,” Wes said as he wondered what alternate reality he had landed in where he was the sensible one.

Kwan tapped his chin as he asked, "Doesn't ghosts work the same way where you're from?"

"Don't be stupid!” Dash said as he punched him in the arm. “Of course they do. Maybe they just use different words?"

“Right! So,” Kwan said and here the whole table turned to face Wes, “Who controls the ghosts that escape from the Ghost Zone? Wait. Maybe you have another word for that too. What do you call the dimension the ghosts come from?”

They were crazy. This whole town was crazy. Absolutely bonkers. Wes itched for something to write all of this down on. It was too good.

But first he had to try and get this conversation back on track if he wanted more information. “We don't… Have ghosts? Like, at all.”

This statement was met with a stunned quiet.

Then Kwan laughed. “Right. Right. We didn't always have them either.”

Star shook her head. “It feels like such a long time ago.”

Wes saw his chance. “So when did ghosts first appear and how—”

He was interrupted by several people screaming down a corridor, followed by a sudden commotion by the doors leading into the cafeteria.

A group of people burst into the room, pristine white suits gleaming beneath the fluorescent lamps. Only outshone by the raised weapons in their hands.

Before Wes had time to do more than blink, all the students in the cafeteria were suddenly on their feet, displaying a creepily fast reaction time in response to people interrupting their lunch with drawn guns

All the people at his table glanced to the same corner. Wes followed their line of sight but could only see Danny, Sam, Tucker, and a few other students huddled around a table.

One of the men in the white-clad group raised his gun and fired a glowing bolt into the ceiling. Wes squeaked in fear and ducked under the table for the second time that day.

Star looked down at him with clear disappointment on her face. “Seriously, Wes? This again?”

The man that had fired the gun screamed, “We know the ghost that calls itself Phantom is hiding in this school!”

“We saw Phantom on the cameras! Where is he hiding?!”

Wes poked his head out from under the table and hissed at Star, “Why do they come now?! It’s been like half an hour?!”

Star winced. “Yeah… They’re not exactly the most… effective hunters in town.”

One of the people in white, a woman holding some kind of large and beeping device, pointed and screamed, “The signal came from in here! There! In the far corner!”

Wes glanced back to the corner where Danny and his friends had been, but now it was crowded with people; a majority of the students seemed to have moved over to that specific corner and surrounded the table like a barricade. There was still no ghost in sight.

This didn’t seem to deter the men and women in white suits as they scrambled towards the far corner of the cafeteria, ignoring the protests of the students around them.

Wes watched as several students tripped and spilled their food in their way, tripped over stools so they sprawled in front of them, two girls even managed to tip a table to block their way with a giggling excuse of “being so clumsy”.

As the white-clad group passed by Wes' table, one of the maniacs’ eyes landed on him and they paused. “You! I haven't seen you before! Who are you?!”

Wes instinctively raised his hands, bumping into the table above him. “My name is Wesley? I'm new in town?” He didn’t mean to make it a question. But he suddenly had several guns pointed in his direction and felt more than a little nervous.

The woman who had stopped to interrogate him narrowed her eyes. “Hmmm, convenient.”

“Is it?” Wes squeaked out.

She tapped the trigger of her gun, aimed right at Wes. “Why are you hiding under a table?”

“Because you have guns? And ran into the room screaming?” And I don’t know what the fuck is going on, he thought but didn’t add.

“You’re saying you don’t trust the GIW?” She frowned. “I would call that suspicious.”

“You’re the GIW?!” Wes gaped and then managed, “I didn’t even know who you guys were like five minutes ago!”

“How can you not know who we are?” Another man in white spoke up, real confusion in his voice.

“This is my first day in this school! I just moved into town three days ago!”

The woman narrowed her eyes further, grip tightening on her gun. “Maybe that’s exactly what a ghost would say to throw us of his trail.”

Wes was starting to get angry. How dare they accuse him of being something he wasn’t?! The indignity! He would never do something like that to anyone! “How can I be a ghost when I’m not even sure what they are?!”

The woman opened her mouth to no doubt spout even more nonsense, but they were—once again—interrupted by a group of people bursting into the room with drawn guns. But this time it was only two; a man and a woman in aggressively colorful jumpsuits.

Wes distantly recognized the woman carrying a bazooka from when he’d first arrived in town. It didn’t make him feel any better.

“Where is he?!” screamed the woman in a blue jumpsuit.

The man in orange followed it up with an equally aggressive, “Where is the ghost boy?!”

The woman looked around the room. “There was a spike in his ectosignature from the school!”

Wes looked around in dazed confusion, distantly noting that the students around Danny and his friends drew in closer around them, effectively shielding them from view.

The two groups of gun-wielding maniacs—one white and one colorful—nodded to each other in greeting. The woman who had interrogated Wes spoke up, “We think we might have found the bastard!” And then she gestured to indicate Wes.

Wes gaped as the man and woman in colorful jumpsuits perked up. And then immediately raised their guns in Wes’ direction.

Wes shrunk back, trying to fit himself completely underneath the table.

The woman raised some sort of device in Wes’ direction and it screeched and hummed. Wes said his prayers and cursed the moment they had arrived in this insane town.

The woman pocketed the device. “He’s not a ghost.” And she sounded so disappointed by that fact. But then she paused and frowned as she studied the device in her hands. “In fact, he has a lower ecto-contamination than anyone I’ve ever seen…”

She stepped closer, too close. Wes tried to scramble backwards but the man reached under the table, grabbed Wes’ arm and dragged him out and up. Wes squeaked as he dangled in front of the woman, the white-clad maniacs and the whole of the student body of his new school.

Jack hummed, “That’s interesting, maybe we should take him back to the lab to see why—”

Danny poked his head up from the mess of students huddled around him. “Hi mom! Hi dad!”

Jack dropped Wes’ arm and started waving intently at Danny. “Son!”

The woman turned away and smiled wide from underneath her threatening goggles. “Hi honey!”

Wes stared as he massage his arm where the man had gripped it—where Mr. Fenton had gripped it.. That’s Danny’s parents? The towns ghost-hunters?! They were all so screwed.

Star grabbed him by the shoulders and ushered him backwards, covering his retreat with several well-placed students who stepped in without any hesitation. Kwan stepped up to his other side, keeping a steadying hand on his back.

Wes glanced over his shoulder at the man and woman and asked faintly, “Are they the most effective hunters in town?”

Star snorted. “Oh, Ancients no!”

Kwan laughed. “But they are the loudest.”

Star pointed at him. “Can’t argue with that.”

“But…” Wes tried to make sense of what had just happened. “If they’re ghost-hunters, how come they can't even differentiate between a ghost and a human?”

Star pursed her lips in thought, tapping her chin. “You know, it can be surprisingly hard sometimes.”

Wes wasn’t even surprised anymore. He had thought being dead meant being dead and that it was pretty clear-cut, but he had also thought that you weren’t supposed to threaten students with guns, that ghosts weren’t real, and that

Jack’s voice boomed over the chatter of the cafeteria, “We'll let you go this time, but we'll keep our eyes on you!”

Wes turned to see him looking right at him. He scowled. He would be the one keeping his eyes on them.

Wes turned back and caught Danny watching him from across the room, a laugh dancing over his face.

Wes narrowed his eyes at him. He knew something.

Wes would find out how this all fit together and how it connected to Dan—

He froze.

Danny had left the room before the ghost attack.

The hunters had followed their readings, right towards Danny, before they had gotten distracted by Wes.

It was so clear, so obvious. Why had no one else connected the dots?

Danny and Phantom was the same person! The same way his old teacher and the big, scraggly and unkempt dog Wes had seen behind the school had been the same person. He was sure this time! He would prove it.

And he would bring the proof to the whole school; freeing them from being tricked into protecting an evil ghost!

Star looked back at him with concern in her eyes. “You okay, Wes? Did Jack pull on you too hard?”

Wes smiled wide. “No worries. That was just what I needed.”

[t00turnttrauma]

sincerely yours

Part Two: Dinner Is Served

Word Count: 5.2k

Warnings: mentions of cheating, family arguments, coarse language

You debated going to the palace for dinner despite promising that you’d be in attendance. Sam had called to confirm your attendance, making sure that you hadn't forgotten. While Jake was on the attendance list, the small chance that he’d be home past 6:30 when he was usually pre-gaming had you on edge. You wouldn’t let yourself be pushed around, but then again, he was a prince and you were a guest in his home. You changed out of your pajamas, carrying the garden plans to the palace. Your deadline for the queen to see the plans already passed and you knew just how much she wanted it finished. 

Lance led you in, leaving you in the receiving room and taking your plans to the den. You stood around until Sam walked in. You curtsied to him before he took you beneath his arm. “I switched the nametags. You’re across from Josh and Ronnie and Jake but you’re between Danny and I.” 

“Thank you,” you whispered. “How is it going with him, by the way?” 

Sam grimaced. “I would offer you the guest room, but Dan has set up camp for the time being.” 

“What is this fight about anyway?” You asked, partially knowing what the argument was over. Instead of answering, Sam practically pushed you to walk ahead of him. 

The family was already waiting in the dining room. They hadn’t been seated yet, rather waiting for you. After quick curtsies, you finally let yourself relax. The six of you engaged in conversation, exchanging pleasantries and stories from the past year. The Queen sat first, allowing everyone else to take their places. Sure enough, you were tucked between Sam and Daniel, across from Veronica. Josh’s place was to be on her right, Jake on her left. The Queen glanced at her watch. “I think we can give Josh a few minutes. He’s driving back from a seminar.” 

The conversation kept going. The Queen joked about last year's Christmas dinner when Sam slapped the table, causing his fork to fly into the suckling pig. His face reddened as he tried to defend himself. The table erupted into laughter, interrupted by the sliding of the door as Josh snuck in. The Queen welcomed his kiss on the cheek. 

Josh took his seat at the other end of the table. “I apologize for being late,” he sighed. He placed the cloth napkin across his lap. “I see that my brother is also running late.” 

All eyes at the table glanced at the almost always empty spot. The Queen glanced at the clock. “Fifteen minutes. We’ve waited long enough. Liam, I think we’re all ready to be served.” 

The head of the kitchen staff nodded. “Just a moment, your highnesses.” 

The King broke the ice first, joking about the new candelabras on the table. “And then your mother, here, decided that the rose looked nicer so she had them all mailed back.” 

Queen Karen laughed, moving her hands back to allow her plate to be placed in front of her. “The lighting in here is much dimmer than I thought!” She laughed.

You giggled, watching Sam pick at his plate. They’d forgotten to separate the vegetables, leaving them a jumbled mess. He hated sending them back, even if he physically couldn’t eat the vegetables. He motioned for Liam to come back over. 

“I’m so sorry, Prince Sam. I’ll have it fixed right away.” 

You turned back to the rest of the table. Unlike more formal engagements where you’d be limited to only speaking with the person directly next to you, Danny in this case, the small table made it one large family dinner. 

Josh clinked his glass. “Since we’re here together as a family, mother, I’d like to ask something of you.” 

The Queen looked around nervously. “What is it?” 

Her eldest son looked down at his plate. “I’ve met with-”

The door swung open. Most would have expected a frantic courier to fly in, informing the party of something drastic. Instead, Jake strolled in, a black cloak accented with gold hanging on his shoulders. He kissed his mother’s cheek, quietly greeting her. You felt your muscles tense. Liam was quick to serve the tardy prince his dinner. He stood in the corner of the room, directing the kitchen staff quietly. 

“Thanks, Liam,” he said. “Did we already say grace?”

The Queen and King ignored him. Sam stifled a laugh. Veronica smiled at her older brother. “You usually smell homeless, Jake, but now you smell like you actually showered in the last three days.” She clapped for him quietly. 

“Thanks, sis,” Jake said. “I canceled my plans for this dinner.” 

“I’m sure those rowdy clubbers will be disappointed that the Prince will not be there to pay for their drinks,” The King muttered under his breath. 

Jake scoffed quietly. He cut through his steak, taking a bite. “So what is the 411 on everyone? Y/N. You’re back from school. How long do you have left anyway?” 

You clenched your jaw for a moment, calculating your tone. “Graduated last week, actually.” Your voice came out sweeter than planned. 

Jake looked at his twin for a moment before seemingly biting his tongue. Daniel looked at you for a moment before looking at you and Sam. “Have you thought more about what you want to wear to the Jubilee?” 

Sam shrugged, rolling the cooked broccoli around his plate. His outfits to the annual summer jubilee were always the talk of the town. As the youngest and last in line to the throne, he liked the idea of being a fashion icon, even if it brought him much more stress than he anticipated. “I have. I’m deciding between a darker or a light color.” 

The table chatter turned to Sam’s potential outfit to the biggest event of the year. The Jubilee hosted in the backyard happened every summer. It allows for the family to reminisce on their year. The date almost always falls two weeks after the coronation of each monarch. This year would be The Queen’s 25th year on the throne. The realization hit you hard. The garden had to be finished, or at least mostly finished before the celebration. You looked at The Queen. She obviously had the same thought. “Y/N, will you have enough time to fix the garden? If not, we can have the Jubilee elsewhere.” 

Put on the spot, you panicked. It happened every time. Panic almost always meant promises were made that were going to stress you out. “Yes! Of course. I have my plans set up in the drawing room for you. I was going to show you after we finished here.” 

She waved her hand. “Nonsense. I’ve seen your portfolios of your 3D renderings of gardens that you turned in. They were marvelous and I trust you have a good eye.” 

You nodded. Even though she didn’t see the plans, she still approves of them. “Thank you, your highness.” 

For the rest of dinner, you avoided Jake’s eye. You refused to look in his general direction, hoping that he would catch the hint. Once your plates were cleaned up and dessert finished, The Queen offered coffee in the den before you were set to leave. You waved them on, trying to detangle the chain of your purse from the chair. Finally getting it undone, you started to make your way up to the den. 

“Y/N,” Jake said, catching your hand gently. 

You turned back, looking at him. He ordered Lance out of the room. “I want to apologize for my behavior,” he said. “I was out of line and I should have never treated you like that.” 

You hummed. “I accept. Now, please let me go, I have plans tonight.” 

He realized your hand was still in his, dropping it quickly. His eyes looked like he wanted to say something more, but he instead opened the door for you. You left quickly, catching up with Sam and Danny. 

=

The following morning, you began your work in the garden. The Queen offered professional help to do the heavy work for you. You politely denied, wanting full control of the project. She stepped back, letting you work diligently. You played music from your phone, keeping it under a rag beside you. You placed markers to map out where the different materials would be. You worked around the dirt piles, measuring and marking where the bricks would be placed. You hummed along to the sweet voice of Patsy Cline as she sang. You wasted most of the day staring and keeping yourself from second guessing your design. While you aced the class on landscape design, actually working on one proved to be much harder than the class made it out to be. You kneeled back down, checking to see if your strings were level enough. A shadow appeared beside you. 

“Patsy?” Josh asked, nudging a dirt pile with his foot. 

You looked at him. “Yeah. I like her voice”

He took a moment to take in her humming. “She sounds lovely.” 

I start to see a weeping Willow/crying on his pillow

“What do you think of a willow tree out there?” You joked.

He shrugged. “I would love it. I think they’re very pretty.” Josh kneeled down, ignoring the fact that the damp ground soaked through his designer pants. “Tell me about your design, Y/N.” 

For two weeks you worked with Josh by your side. Any spare time he had that he wasn’t in phone conferences or meetings, he spent with you in the garden. You taught him what you could, lecturing him on the different types of mulch and soil mixes. You explained the importance of proper acid levels and what critters could negatively impact the types of plants you would place. He listened intently, eventually bringing a notebook to learn. You taught him how to properly prune his plants, creating ways for them to grow stronger. Josh found your presence comforting. He eventually started to confide in you. He would rant about his stresses. His voice would be sharp as he talked about potential plans for new buildings and schools that he had to approve but his hands would be gentle on the leaves and petals. He found you to be comforting, reminding him to take it one step at a time. 

On this particular morning, Josh was nowhere to be found. You thought nothing of it. After all, he is a busy man. You picked up where you left off, jamming a shovel into the trench to make room for more bricks. The sun beat down on you but the deadline for the Jubilee was nearing. You continued working, patting down the dirt. Josh came out of the house in his house clothes, a pencil in hand. 

“Can I help you with something, your highness?” You asked. 

He smiled. “I hate when you call me that,” Josh chuckled. “I’m worried about you. You’ve been out here all afternoon. At least come inside for a break.” 

You tipped your hat back. “You came all the way out here to ask me to take a break?” 

He shrugged. “I was hoping he could have a chat over a glass of lemonade. Please tell me you’ll join.” Josh extended his hand to you. 

You nodded, taking his hand. His cool hand landing on your shoulder as the two of you walked together helped you realize just how hot you were. Your skin burned as the cool air from inside the palace chilled it. Josh placed his jacket around your shoulder, seeing your body tremble at the sudden temperature change. You felt the sunburn settling in, your skin itching at the drying sweat. 

“You’re very red,” he mused, pouring a glass for you. 

You looked at your arms. “I’ll survive. Some aloe and extra strong sunscreen for the next few days.” 

Josh looked around. “I have a question to ask.” You nodded as you practically drained the lemonade from your glass. “How do I make the next move with someone? In the sense that I want to introduce her to my parents as my girlfriend.” 

You thought about it, ignoring the eruption of butterflies in your stomach. “Just tell her you’d like to see her for dinner at your home.” 

“Surprise her?” 

“No! You have to tell her exactly what the dinner is for. If you just spring the official ‘this is my girlfriend’ dinner on her, she’s going to be so anxious and springing it on her is going to be awful for her.” 

Josh nodded, soaking in your words. He stood up. “Dinner tomorrow night, Y/N. Please be there.” He kissed your forehead as he left the room.

The butterflies erupted in an instant. Josh had always been respectful and he’d been more caring than usual lately. Returning to the guest room for a much needed break, you were shocked to see a box left on your bed. Assuming it was more clothes sent by your parents, you went to move it to the dresser. Much lighter than you expected, you opened it. A bouquet of roses sat in the box, already in a vase. A letter sat tucked in between the flowers, your name written neatly on the front. Nearly tearing it open, the wax seal split in half. 

Dear Lady Y/N, 

I'm not sure how to start one of these. I hope you like the roses. Like Ms. Cline once said, 

One's as wealthy as a king in a palace/

Tho' he's callous and cold/

He may learn to give his heart for love/

Instead of buying it with gold

Patsy, in the song, has to make a choice. Marry the man of her dreams, the man who can only afford a bouquet of roses or the man who can buy her everything in gold. In the end, she chooses the poor man's roses, for his love means more to her than any rich man's gold. 

Sincerely yours, PJ

You clutched the letter to your chest. PJ. Josh’s signature from when he would send you letters accompanying Sam’s. The butterflies erupted again as you thought about him. The roses were the same that you noticed were missing from the garden. A blush flared across your cheeks at the thought of Josh sneaking into the garden in the early hours of the morning to take the flowers and arrange them for you. 

Placing the flowers on the windowsill, your mind ran with the outfit possibilities for dinner tomorrow. 

=

In the morning, you decided to take a break from gardening. Your back and arms ached from the weeks of manual labor you’d taken on. A letter had slipped beneath your door. Coming from the same stationary, you smiled as you opened it. 

Dear Y/N, 

Last Christmas, not the song. I promise there are no song references in this one. You wore a blue velvet dress. While I know it is far too warm for a velvet dress, I had it tailored. Outside of your room, you will find the dress has been made into a two piece outfit. You left it behind when you grew warm during the Just Dance marathon with Sam and Veronica. You looked amazing in the dress and I’m sure you will look just as radiant tonight at dinner. Dress code is dressy casual. 

Sincerely Yours, PJ

Whipping the door open, you looked around. Josh stood on the balcony outside, overlooking the lake and sipping out of a mug. You smiled, pushing the box into your room with your foot. As promised, the dress you thought you lost was cut into a skirt and an off-the-shoulder top. The designer the family often hired for their gowns and suits signed the inside of the box. Shannon J. Irving. You nearly gasped at the idea of such a genius and fashion forward icon handling your dress that came from a department store. Tucked beneath the skirt was a vinyl record of the song Blue Velvet with another note. 

I know I said no references, but this song came to mind after the fact.

=

Josh paced nervously. “Dinner is about to begin and she hasn’t arrived yet.” He looked at his sister who stared at him blankly. “Do you think something happened? Do you think this is her way of breaking up with me? Maybe I moved too fast.” He chewed on the pesky hangnail that had been bugging him all day. 

Veronica sighed, fixing her brother’s collar. “I just caught word that Valerie is at security being fingerprinted. Just come in and sit for a moment. Brock will tell you when she’s inside.” 

Josh nodded, allowing her to enter the dining room first. It was custom to mingle before being seated, allowing late birds like Valerie and Jake more time. It was a tradition started by The Queen when she noticed her son would rather be partying with strangers than sharing a meal with his family. Jake strolled into the room, picking his chair next to Sam. You looked at him. His hair was damp from a recent shower and his clothes were less wrinkled than usual. 

“Y/N,” Josh called for you. 

You stepped over to where he stood by the door. He placed a hand on your shoulder. “Thank you, Y/N for being here. I wouldn’t be able to do it without you here. Thank you.” 

“Of course, Josh,” you smiled. 

He touched the velvet sleeve. “This is a nice shirt. The blue suits you.” 

You blushed. The simple compliment meant the world to you. You stepped back, hearing that it was almost time to be seated. You stood behind the chair across from Danny and beside Veronica. You sat right next to the King, who sat at the foot of the table. 

Josh looked to the door where Brock nodded. “Yes.” He looked around nervously, clasping his hands in front of him. “Everyone, I’d like to introduce you to my girlfriend, Valerie Mayton.” A woman walked through the door, your smile dropping for a moment. “Her father owns a successful chain of corporate grocery stores in America. She came to stu-“ 

“Let her speak,” his mother tutted, crossing the room to meet them halfway. 

“Yes, mother.” He raised his eyebrows at Valerie who smiled back. 

Valerie looked around nervously as everyone lined up to greet her. She curtsied to them all, thanking them for their time. When it came to you, she curtsied as well, whispering a hello. The Queen was last. Valerie looked terrified. 

“Hello, Your Majesty.” 

Queen Karen smiled. “Hello, sweetheart. Tell me about yourself.” 

She seemed to relax tenfold. “I’m on an exchange program from America. I study in Spain and I major in Spanish education.”

The King nodded. “Let’s sit.” Everyone took their seats. Valerie looked around, studying everyone’s movements. She followed suit when the napkins were placed in laps. “How did you two meet?” 

Josh grinned. “She was working security at the hotel I stayed at when I went to the seminar about the Great Barrier Reef salvation efforts in Spain.”

You stared at the table. The tears threatened to spill for the rest of the dinner. You ate the appetizer quietly, nodding occasionally and laughing when the others did. Everyone had their eyes on the guest. Sam nudged your foot with his. You met his eyes, smiling and raising your eyebrows. The plates in front of you were removed, space made for the main course which was the family’s favorite soup. 

Good? He mouthed.

You nodded. Jake rolled up his sleeves and adjusted his shirt. The King sighed at the sight of Jake’s tattoo adorning his collarbone. They broke headlines when he first showed them off on the social media page of one of his pub friends. If there was one thing the public loved, it was knowing that the royal family was just as troubled as any other family out there. Except instead of feeling like they were somehow closer to the people. The family often felt more ridiculed than welcomed. 

Jake noticed the stare, a smirk toying on his lip as a plan formed in his mind. Sam sighed, seeing the argument bubbling across the surface. The server paused for a moment, thinking she’d done something wrong. Sam shook his head, reassuring her that she was doing a phenomenal job. Danny noticed the sigh, rolling his eyes and seemingly moving away from his partner. Tradition when inviting a new family member to dinner is that everyone states what they are grateful for in life. Veronica started, grateful for how successful her new foundation for underprivileged music students was going. Josh stated his siblings, almost refusing to look at his twin as he said it, and his new girlfriend. The King was next. He cleared his throat, staring at his second born. 

“I’m grateful for my daughter and my sons who are free of those horr-“ 

“Not this again,” Jake sighed, tossing his spoon onto the table. 

“-pieces of so-called art. We live in a museum lined with gold. You have it all, Jacob-“ 

“So you think.” 

“Why do you insist on marking yourself up?” 

You glanced around the table, studying their behavior. Each sibling had their heads down, staring at their plates. The Queen sighed, upset at yet another fight between her troubled boy and disappointed husband. She stared at her husband for a moment, her jaw tense as she frantically tried to think of a way to diffuse the situation. Valerie followed suit, looking at her bowl of soup. You stared at your nearly untouched bowl. 

“Because I like having reminders of who I am and where I come from,” Jake answered icily. 

“You know all about your history, Jacob,” The Queen said softly.”It’s all around you here.” She reached out, patting his hand twice before he pulled away. “You’ve always been different and I apprecia-“ 

“I know, mother, You appreciate and love me and all that, but this night is about our lovely guest, Valerie.” He turned to the woman who sat silent through the family argument. “I apologize for my parents.” 

“You’re excused, Jacob,” The King gritted. “Now.” 

Jake scooted his chair back, rounding the entire table despite his chair being the closest to the door. He touched Josh’s shoulder, making him tense up and resist shrugging him off. He then touched Valerie’s shoulder. She looked up at him, forgiving him silently. The tense silence soon turned awkward as the only noises were the slinking of silverware and soft thuds of glasses being set back on the table. 

The Queen placed her napkin on the table. “Why don’t we all go to the den for some coffee and tea?” 

Between the dining room and the den, you excused yourself for the night. Sam gave you a worried look but let you head upstairs. You spotted Jake at the end of the hall, a cigarette hanging from his lips. He nodded in your direction. 

“Hey,” he smiled, tapping the cigarette into a nearby ashtray. 

You waved at him, opening the door to the guest room. Despite knowing, deep down, that Josh would never choose you, the awkward neighbor girl and his younger brother’s best friend, you still felt crushed. The disappointment and embarrassment washed over your body in a cloud of heat. The sweat began to accumulate faster due to the velvet clinging to your body. You peeled it off, dropping it into the hamper. Spotting the flowers and box that the velvet skirt came in, you tossed them both into the garbage. You had no use for them. A shower felt like a nice idea, a way to wash off the scent of failure and mortification. 

You stepped out of the shower. With red, swollen eyes, you dialed the number of the person who would always be there for you. 

“Hello?” A groggy voice answered. 

“Mom?” 

“What’s going on?” She asked. You could hear the flick of her lamp and a groan from your father. “Is everything alright?” 

You sniffed. “I thought Josh was going to ask me out tonight and then he brought his girlfriend to dinner.” 

“Girlfriend? I thought he was writing you those letters.” 

You shrugged, feeling more confused than ever. “I thought he was.” 

“How do you feel?” 

You twirled the fur from a pillow around your finger. “Stupid for ever thinking a prince would want to be with me.” You wiped the stray tear from your cheek. 

“Do you think it could be anyone else? Maybe Sam?” 

You looked at the letter. It looked similar to his handwriting, but the signature was still throwing you off. PJ. You nearly gasped when it clicked. Sam used to sign his letters to his mother as JP, a nickname started by your classmates at school. Junior Prince. “Ma, I have to go.” 

You paced in the hallway for a while. There’s no way the letters could be from Sam. The plucking of Jake’s guitar from his room made a good soundtrack to your thoughts. While his brothers were trained in softer instruments like the harp and piano, Jake insisted on daily lessons in guitar. You wanted to listen to him more, but instead, you stormed to Sam’s door. You stopped upon hearing soft voices from inside the room. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to?“ 

The bed creaked. “Princess, you know I like it when- wait. No. No! Stop! Sammy!“

“And his name is Sam Kiszka!”

“Sam!” Danny groaned. 

“Badapapapa!” 

“You- that’s the McDonald’s jingle, not John Cena’s.”

“No, it’s not.” 

“Yes, it is. John Cena’s is ba ba da pa,” Sam insisted, his feet hitting the ground as he most likely jumped from the bed. 

“Pull it up on the YouTube now,” Sam ordered. 

“‘The YouTube’,” Danny scoffed, reaching for the remote. “You’re a prince. You don’t live under a rock.” 

Sam, proven wrong, huffed. “Whatever. I'm going downstairs. Do you want a snack?” 

Danny nodded. “Cool whip?” 

Sam raised an eyebrow as he opened the door. “That kinda night, huh?” 

“Yeah!” Danny nodded. He rolled out of bed and opened the mini fridge. “I saw these strawberries earlier and they’ve been calling my name since.” 

“Fuckin’ strawberries,” Sam muttered as he walked down the hall. He noticed you sat on the bench. He tied his robe shut, covering his exposed chest. “Y/N? What’s up?” 

You looked up at him. “Have you been messing with me?” 

“Messing with you?” He asked. “Yeah. I’m sorry. I’ll knock it off if it bugs you.” 

“Sorry?” You snapped. “Sorry for making me think that-“ 

“Woah, what?” Sam tried his best to calm you down. “I’ve been knocking on your door at random times of the night.” 

“Oh. Wait. That's you? I thought it was some weird ghost trying to scare me out of here since I’m not blue blooded.” 

“Wouldn’t it try to scare Danny too then?” Sam placed a hand on his hip. 

“Well, he’s got you to protect him, right Mr. Cena?” You raised an eyebrow. 

“You heard that?” He winced, knowing he’d never hear the end of it now.  

“All of that. I’m gonna get a strawberry from Danny if you don’t mind.” 

Sam turned away, a middle finger over his shoulder. “He’s naked!” 

“No I’m not!” 

“Sam!” The Queen called. 

He quickly put his finger down. “Sorry, Mother.” 

“Everyone. Lights out.” 

Danny’s laid in Sam’s bed. You stood on the side, pulling the corner of the blanket. “Can I share the blanket?” 

He quickly shook his head. “I’m actually naked under here, but there’s a throw in the closet.” 

You sighed, leaning against the bed instead. “Are you and Sam going alright?” 

“Close the door,” he said. He sat up. “Truthfully, this is the most normal we’ve been for the past two weeks.” You didn’t want to pry, nodding instead. Danny sighed heavily. “I want to get married but Sam’s worried about Josh.”

“About Josh?” 

“They’re announcing his engagement soon.” 

You sucked in a breath. “Engagement?” 

“Why do you think he introduced her tonight? The Queen already knows. She’s known since  Josh first asked her out. He wanted to wait to let Sam and I have our moment. Sam went behind my back and told him we’d wait.”

Sam tried the door handle. “Dan?” He asked, his voice weak. A light thump hit against the door. “Can you open please?” 

Danny looked at you, lowering his voice. “He doesn’t want to outshine his brother.” 

It makes sense. Sam’s committed and he always will be. Josh’s life is always going to take precedence over his siblings purely for being the first born. You bid him goodnight and opened the door. Sam looked at you curiously. “He got cold and the door must have locked as a fluke.” 

He nodded. “Dan’s okay?” He whispered. 

You nodded. “Check under the sheets,” you winked. 

You walked through the palace, trying to make sense as to why the letters would appear. The summer brought cool night air that chilled your burning skin. You decided to stroll through the gardens. Maybe seeing the ground at night would bring a fresh concept to your brain and take you away from the severity of the situation. You stared at the closed flowers. Crickets chirped and the cool breeze pushed your hair away from your face. 

“Josh!” A voice squealed. “What if someone sees?” 

You felt wrong listening. You wanted to walk away, but your feet stayed planted. 

“I just wanted to show you what Y/N is working on,” Josh said, shushing her giggles. A beat of silence made it obvious that they kissed. “This is the fountain where I would sit and read a year ago.” 

“You read?” She joked. 

“Believe it or not, I do.” 

You caught a glimpse of the two standing in the moonlight. Josh had his pajamas on, a matching set. Valerie wore a nightgown that reached her knees. She stared at the broken fountain. “Did it work before?” 

Josh nodded. “Yeah. Then we had some issues since the pipes burst this past winter. Y/N is redoing the garden for Mother.” 

“Y/N, does she talk much?” You rolled your eyes. Of course you talk. “She didn’t say much at dinner tonight.” 

Josh shrugged. “Y/N and Jake had a falling out, according to Samuel. She’s like a sister to me but she hasn’t opened up yet.” He shook his head. “Enough about her. I want to talk about you,” he pulled her into his arms, “and I. Will you marry me, Val?” 

She let out an airy laugh. “Yes.” 

With the final nail in the coffin, you practically sprinted back into the palace and to the guest room. You wiped the tear from your cheek. You spotted another letter on your bed. 

Y/N, 

I hope it’s not too late to apologize. If you want to be upset with my honesty, I completely understand. I try to say sorry, but I can never get the words to come out right. I just need one chance to be forgiven. I’ve made mistakes and this may be one of my biggest ones. You can never be Queen Consort, no one would allow it. I take the blame. There is no innocent person in this game for two. All I ask is for forgiveness and a moment to reveal my truth.

Sincerely yours, PJ

[captainnameless]

NO I CAN IMAGINE LANDO ALL TEARY EYED "i didn't mean to break it 🥺" and he makes max a little trophy to say sorry

no cause like:

Lando’s scuffing his trainers into the concrete outside of hospitality. It’s late, meetings and celebrations have concluded. He’d been waiting on Daniel for a bit now which means his thoughts have free rein.

He didn’t mean to break it. It hadn’t seemed like such a big deal, but then he saw the tweet about how long it took the artist to create it, saw the replies.

Max didn’t seem upset, but maybe that was because he was running the high of his win still, maybe he’d be pissed now. There’s a shaky sigh that leaves Lando as he scuffs the tips of his trainers further into the concrete. He didn’t mean to break it. But he had. Breaking stuff was bad. Being bad meant getting in trouble. And he really really didn’t wanna be in trouble during Daniel’s first race weekend, not when he was promised a fun Sunday night with Daniel and Max.

The tough guy act; his indifference towards the situation had worked for the cameras but the longer it took for Daniel to appear the more the guilt began to eat at him. Sorry, not sorry is what his instagram story had read. Lies; he was feeling pretty sorry right about now.

“Stop ruining your sneakers.”

Lando nearly jumps out of his skin at the familiar but unsuspected voice, Daniel’s hand gently squeezing his shoulder.

“You rea-?” Daniel’s voice stops mid sentence, right about when Lando looks up at him. He doesn’t notice he’s crying until he realizes Daniel’s face is blurry, his trademark smile shifting into a worried look. “Ah no, what’s wrong?”

Lando scrunches his eyes shut, shaking his head as his hands come up to scrub at the tears. “I didn’t-. I don’t wanna- I just.” He’s not really making much sense, hiccupy breaths in between words.

Suddenly he’s being led somewhere, possibly out of sight. There’s barely any people around still but Daniel still doesn’t appear to want to take a risk of this being a public encounter.

Once they’re safely tucked away in private Daniel gently cups his face, thumbing at the ever flowing tears. “What’s wrong, Bub? Try to breathe, just like Danny.”

Daniel follows up with a big intake of breath, before gently blowing it out, praising Lando when he tries the same.

“Don’t wanna time-out.” Lando eventually gets out, and Daniel’s face contorts into confusion.

“Lando who-? Did Papa give you a time-out?”

“No!” Lando whines, arms coming down in frustration. “If- .. if you? Do you?”

The confusion on Daniel’s face doesn’t lesson. “Do I what baby? Danny hasn’t told you you’re getting a time-out?”

“Not yet.” Lando’s bottom lip wobbles dangerously. “Max.. Max not here yet.”

Daniel’s brain is working over time before he finally seems to connect the dots, it had been all over the paddock. “Is this about you breaking Max’s trophy?”

“Yes!” Lando cries, hands clutching the bottom of his own hoodie.

“Oh, Bubba.” Daniel soothes, puzzle pieces clicking into place as he reaches out to Lando. “You’re not getting a time-out for that. It was an accident.”

Lando doesn’t need too much prompting, flings himself into Daniel’s chest with a sob. “What if he’s upset I broke it.”

“He isn’t.” Daniel soothes, wrapping his arms around the younger tightly, very grateful he can take care of this right now, instead of through FaceTime. “And Max doesn’t decide about your time outs. Danny says no time out.”

Lando relaxes visibly, but even as his tears calm down Daniel notices the discomfort present in his body still, a miserable sound leaving him when Daniel breaks the hug to look Lando in the eye.

“Do you wanna fix it?”

Lando nods quickly, eyes still shiny and wet. “How?”

They can’t fix it right then and there, but Daniel promises and arts and crafts shop first thing in the morning. Max isn’t upset, spends ages cuddling his little friend to reassure him it’s alright and beams when Lando tells him about his plan to fix it.

They find glitter glue the next day, and sparkly stickers that they put the trophy together with again. Some may say it’s even prettier than before.

[bubblegumbeech]

The Losing Move

Day two Ectoberhaunt:  Scream vs Laugh

AO3

It started with a scream. That’s how Clockwork knew it was finally time. 

He hesitated, of course. There was so much to lose, so much still uncertain, paths branching in different directions, moments shrouded imperfectly from his view, strings of fate tangled and misused. But he was the Master of Time. He could hesitate and no one would ever know. 

Not even them. 

Clockwork made a portal, leaving his Clocktower and walking towards a tall grey rock almost as old as time itself, weathered by age and nothing like the statue it had once been standing proud in a garden of overgrown thorns and long dead leaves. Nocturn appeared next to him, a swirl of inky black void scattered with stars and nebulae. 

“Did you hesitate?” he asked. 

It was a valid question. An important one too, if they were to succeed. Clockwork’s hesitation could lead to an uncertain future, to a failure in their plot. And then they would be lost, set back hundreds of thousands of years again. 

“No.”

Nocturn accepted his answer. Perhaps he knew that Clockwork was lying, perhaps he did not. Either way, they both turned to the stone. 

It wasn’t long before the others appeared. 

Misery Vex was the first, then Sojourn, on and on until they all stood, surrounding the stone. 

Misery turned to Clockwork. “Did it take?” she asked, and he flew forward, taking off one of his gloves to run his hand along the smoothed side of the rock. It hummed, an energy unlike any else, unique to here yet everywhere and nowhere at all. Very chaotic indeed. 

“It has.”

She hummed an affirmative, linking her hand in his before reaching out to take Sojourn’s. Clockwork reached for Nocturn and as they all linked together they formed a shield, thick and impenetrable between their varied talents, around the stone. 

“How long will this take,” Vortex said, ever the impatient one. He was jittery, yellow cords of lightning constantly jumping all over him in a nervous jumble, branching in and out of each other like writhing snakes. 

Clockwork sighed. “Not long.”

“You musn’t get too close,” Misery warned.

“I know.”

“You musn’t go too far,” Nocturn reminded him. 

He knew that too. 

“You’ve failed before,” Misery said, her voice steady and calm. She was not wrong, nor accusatory. He had faltered, it had led to a less than ideal outcome. He would not admit this. 

Clockwork didn’t allow any emotion on his face. “The threat is contained. My faults did not lead to the failure of our mission.”

She scoffed. “No, only to ‘inconvenience’. Right?”

As far as she knew. As far as any of them did. They relied on him, to determine if their future would be a success. He was the only one who could see which path to take, what choices would lead to their victory. He was the only one who knew just how thin the chance was, how precarious the choice. It would not benefit them to know. He did not need their doubt.

“Who was it?” Sojourn asked, referring to the scream that had summoned them here. The scream that had echoed hauntingly throughout the entirety of the Infinite Realms. 

Clockwork hadn’t looked. He looked now. 

“A boy, fourteen years old, between child and adult, between living and dead, between here and there.” 

Nocturn smiled, “How fitting.”

The stone shattered. Power and chaos, magic and will swirled around in a tornado, beating against the solid weight of their shield and making what was once so obviously strong seem weak and pitiful in comparison. 

Vortex’s eyes glowed in excitement. It was a sign, they all knew, that things were getting close. 

Eventually the storm faded and all that was left was a weathered pile of ash and rubble where there had once been a stone, where there had once been a statue, where there had once been nothing at all. 

It would come to nothing once more. 

Soon.

  The Infinite Realms had been lifeless for so long. Nothing more than ambient ectoplasm and void. A place. Nothing more and nothing less than it had to be. Many of the denizens had never seen them alive, existing as they once had. The panic was only natural. The frenzy, exciting and new. The heart of it all beating again. 

There was one ghost in particular, of course, who had only known the realms as they existed now. Sure there might also be others, newly made and newly dead, but this one was the important one. He’d been the one to give his life for the life around them now. 

Or at least, he’d given half of it. 

The Observants, of course, were furious. 

They had attempted to hunt down the Ancients, knowing it was they who had done this, who had planned this and then hidden it from the view of those who watch. Vortex had been taken first, as expected, and Undergrowth had fled to the mortal realm. The others also split, the time for them to come together was over; the time to prepare for the end was nearing. 

Clockwork, of course, their ever loyal subservient pet that could not leave his tower without their knowledge, that could not use his power without their permission, he’d never been looked at twice.

“You told us the threat was neutralized.” Nocturn said, sliding up next to one of Clockwork’s monitors. He watched a scene, where Daniel and Pariah fought. It was not a real fight, of course. Pariah had long shed the haze of bloodlust that had driven him mad, and was now attempting to be endearing, to rebuild a trust Clockwork had never actually had in him. 

Clockwork took a sip of his tea. It was made from some of Pariah’s newly grown coraleander leaves and made a thick, murky green tea that Clockwork quite enjoyed the taste and texture of. Unfortunately that was exactly why Pariah had grown them, and while Clockwork had snuck them away like a petty thief, he doubted that the missing leaves had gone even a moment unnoticed. 

It was infuriating and Clockwork sipped at it slowly, savoring it’s warmth.

“He is no longer the King. In fact, there is no King at all, just as I said it would be.”

Nocturn turned to meet his eyes, tilting his head just slightly in suspicion. “Yes, you did. Though I suppose the others thought you meant he would not escape his sleep. Or at least, that he would not escape his sleep until after .”

Clockwork looked away, towards the monitor. Pariah had soundly defeated Daniel and was laughing. Likely at the way the poor boy looked, his hair a mess and covered in the very coraleander leaves Clockwork was drinking. He’d need to wash them off before he transformed back into a human. While they wouldn’t be immediately deadly to a Half-Ghost, they would form a large, hard to explain, rash. 

“That wasn’t what I said though, was it?” Clockwork met Nocturn’s eyes once more. 

The other ghost just snorted and shook his head. “No, no I guess it wasn’t. Clockwork, the tightrope you’re walking, that future you see that you haven’t told us about? I really hope you get it. I do. Because the brightest lights cast the darkest shadows and I can’t imagine what would happen if you missed.”

Clockwork’s tea had gone cold. He continued to sip it. He ignored Nocturn’s words and he watched the screen as Pariah helped Daniel stand, only for Daniel to tackle him when he wasn’t expecting it. 

“I’ll take that under consideration.” 

It was becoming habit, he found, to lie to Nocturn. 

  Daniel was at the Clocktower, eating a plate of cookies and complaining about some of the varied ghosts he had to deal with and fight on a regular basis in his mortal realm. It was a side effect, of course, of Phantom’s new role as the Heart of The Infinite Realms. The smaller, weaker ghosts, especially younger and newly dead ones, had attempted to flee the Realms when they noticed the sudden changes. 

When the Observants had become so busy trying to find the cause of the change, so busy trying to hunt down what was left of Chaos’ children, that they could no longer micro-manage the state of the Realms. Could no longer constantly overstep their authority and keep their tasteless ‘Order’. 

The Realms had become more and more lively and Clockwork had found himself in a perpetual good mood. He took a cookie for himself. Nocturn caught him baking the other day; his expression had been dry as he congratulated Clockwork on his adoption. It was  a pointed accusation. 

He had shoved it to the back of his mind and decided to make some forgoent tea to go with the cookies. He hadn’t offered any to Nocturn. 

Daniel paused in his musings for a moment before speaking again, his voice careful. “I’ve been visiting Pariah.”

Clockwork hummed, not looking away from his screens. “I am aware.”

“Of course you are.” Daniel rolled his eyes. Then he sighed like he didn't know how to bring up what he was going to say next. “Did you… Did you know he was going to get free if you sent me after that key?” 

Ah, so he’d figured it out then. “It was a possibility. Each and every choice you make creates an entirely new future with entirely new consequences.” 

“He doesn’t seem all that bad…” Daniel argued, as if Clockwork was going to disagree with him. Clockwork raised an eyebrow, the one with the scar Pariah had given him, and looked over to him. “I mean, he just. When he first woke up he was really mad right? But like, I’d also be really mad if I finally woke up from a forced coma only to have Vlad there.”

Anyone would really. 

“And even though he sucked Amity Park into the Ghost Zone, no one actually ended up getting hurt. At least, no more than usual in a ghost attack. And I’ve been talking with the other ghosts that have been ‘Challenging’ him and they all say he's a pretty cool teacher… Like, he knows how to fight and he’s good at showing them how they can use their unique powers-”

Clockwork didn’t interrupt Daniel as he rambled. It was rare, at least since he’d been deposed, to hear lists of Pariah’s more positive aspects. It wasn’t uncomfortable so much as mildly frustrating. Was this part of Pariah’s ploy? Get Daniel to fall all over himself to recite poetics about Pariah to Clockwork. He should have learned by now that whatever affection he might hold for him, it would not be enough. Not to stop his plans, and certainly not to stop the others.

“So uh, you know, he seems… chiller. Without the crown and ring and stuff.”

“Yes, it was the Ring of Rage Daniel, what did you think it was used for?” 

There was a small imperceptible shift in Daniel’s expression, as if he’d realized something and made the choice to file the knowledge away for later. He must have learned that from Pariah as well. “So, if there’s things that can change even powerful ghosts like Pariah, are there things that could change, say… one of the Ancients?”

Was Daniel befriending another Ancient? Clockwork smiled, that was good then. He could hold that against them, the weight of his failure to keep an emotional distance wouldn’t be as stark, if another Ancient or two fell just as easily to Daniel’s pleasant company. He could use that, he simply had to find out which of them it was. Perhaps Sojourn? He was always soft for children, but Clockwork hadn’t been aware of him returning to the Barrens lately, and Daniel rarely went any further than the Time Locked Lands or the Far Frozen. 

“It is good to befriend others Daniel,” he says halfheartedly, searching through his mirrors to locate Sojourn, “but remember not to trust too easily. You never know the goals of those around you, if they might be using you towards their own ends.”

“Of course,” Daniel replied, his voice hard. 

Clockwork looked over to him, he was staring at the dregs of his tea, expression dark. 

“Would you like more tea?” Clockwork offered, wondering what had plummeted the boy’s attitude so suddenly. 

Daniel looked up, a small smile on his lips, “Yes Please.”

Clockwork left to make more, his mind still trying to find which Ancient Daniel had befriended. 

  “The Observants are completely ignorant of your machinations,” Pariah said as Clockwork entered his study. “Of course, they don’t know you as well as they think.”

Clockwork should stop visiting him. Should never have started, a fact that Nocturn was only too happy to remind him of. Sometimes Clockwork wondered if Nocturn got his taste of Chaos from Clockwork's mistakes, he seemed so dedicated to reveling in them. 

“I didn’t come here to talk about the Observants. I have my fill without the need to remark upon them when absent from their presence.” Clockwork was scowling. He could hide his irritation, but despite his lies and trickery he was hardly an accomplished actor. 

Pariah chuckled, flipping another page in the thick book he’d been reading. The title was faded, but Clockwork recognized it easily enough. It was a detailed history of the Infinite Realms after King Dark had been sealed away. It was a long history, though not as long as the history that came before his reign entirely. 

It was also the exact kind of thing Pariah would read cover to cover, like the obsessive monster he was. 

“I suppose you came to warn me away from your ward then?” Pariah asked, his voice casual. Clockwork scoffed, allowing a roll of his eyes before floating over to Pariah’s shelves and grabbing one of the books that looked recently used. It was about old soul binding rituals, much like what had happened to Fright Knight. It was amusing, the thought that Pariah’s oldest friend might still be whining about his little curse. 

“Hardly,” Clockwork said, idly flipping through the pages, “if I could control Daniel I never would have let him near you to begin with.”

Pariah smiled, placing his own book down. “Yes, I imagine you wouldn’t have. It would be a mistake to let me get close to him and realize he is the reason the Infinite Realms have started to sing.”

He’d figured it out then. Of course that wasn’t entirely out of the realm of possibility. Unlike the Observants, Pariah was wickedly intelligent and fully capable of coming to the appropriate conclusions. “Sing? An interesting way to describe it.”

Arms encircled his waist and Clockwork was pulled back into a warm chest. Pariah’s chin rested on Clockwork’s shoulder as he spoke softly into his ear. “Is it enough? The realms feel alive, weaker ghosts are fleeing or banding together once more. It resembles the time we once had, between Chaos and Order. Will you stop here?”

“There’s nothing more I can do,” he lied. 

Pariah hummed an agreement and reached out to flip a few pages through the book Clockwork had been holding. There was a beautifully illustrated drawing of a necklace, bewitched and layered in curses. Pariah must have memorized the pages, of course. “Would you wear jewelry if I made it for you? I would see you decked in gold and finery if I could.”

Clockwork slammed the book closed, just missing Pariah’s fingers. He didn’t think about the earrings Pariah had once gifted him, or how he wore them even now, dangling hidden beneath his hood. “You should know better than to ask that.” 

He felt a smile against his neck. “Then I won’t ask.”

  He held the Thermos in his hand. 

The other Daniel was a menace, truly. But he would not be so desperate to ruin Daniel’s life anymore. It had been long enough for him to realize that his existence was no longer predicated on Daniel’s decisions, or on the loss of his family. 

It would change him, of course. The knowledge that he exists in the same time as his once family will either soften his grief, or sharpen its edges. There were so many paths he could take, and Clockwork could not see them all, did not bother to look much further than the distance he needed him for. 

There was something more important than his grief that he and Clockwork had in common. Something Daniel and Pariah likely had in common with them as well: the detestation of the Observants. 

Clockwork opened the thermos, releasing Daniel’s worst nightmare and not thinking about how the young half-ghost had given it to him so easily, had trusted him so quickly when all Clockwork had done was protect his human family one time. 

The other, once possible, Daniel appeared in an explosion of light and matter and immediately attacked, using his claws to scratch at Clockwork’s face. He was prepared for that though, years trapped in a thermos had eroded much of Dan’s more refined aspects. It would work in Clockworks favor of course, he had made sure of that.

For now, Clockwork froze time and moved behind him. That way his wild attack would meet nothing but ambient ectoplasm and Clockwork could speak his piece. Provided his piece took less than a second to speak.

He allowed time to flow and watched as the other Daniel floundered, confused, only to instantly realize just what Clockwork had done and turn around, ready to attack once more. Clockwork smiled as their eyes met and asked, “Would you like to End the Observants and their Order?”

the other Daniel attacked him, but Clockwork could see the consideration in his eyes. The thought had been implanted, now all he had to do was sit back and watch. the other Daniel had always been rather good at ruining things after all. 

“CLOCKWORK!” Daniel yelled, flying frantically into the Clocktower. “Clockwork Dan escaped somehow! He attacked Amity Park!” 

His desperate flight slowed when he saw Clockwork floating casually at his screens as he always had. He was watching a specific screen now, and pulled the image onto the largest one to share with Daniel. “Yes, I know.”

Daniel looked between him and the screen, his expression growing more and more confused. “But, he was here though. Locked up. How did he escape?”

Clockwork didn’t turn to look at him. “I’m sorry Daniel,” he lied. “Your trust in me was misplaced. He escaped while I was distracted with another matter and I was unable to stop him. It’s my fault.”

Daniel’s eyes widened, searching for something in Clockwork’s expression, and then in Clockwork’s screens. The only thing he saw though, was the other Daniel causing havoc and destruction. After visiting Amity Park and re-traumatising Daniel’s sister, the other Daniel had been driven away by Daniel, whose power had become far superior in the time since they had last met. It was only natural of course, Daniel’s existence was unique and far beyond that of Dan’s mangled pieced together form of conflicting obsessions and damaged cores. 

It was possible, Clockwork knew, for the other Daniel to stabilize properly. Perhaps he could become a proper ghost, perhaps he could stop attempting to restrict what humanity he had left. Either way, it did not matter in the end. If anything, his existence was a fun riddle that would play itself out long after Clockwork’s plans came to fruition. 

Clockwork looked over at Daniel, his expression hidden behind the shadows of his hood. The boy was staring emptily at the corner of the Clocktower that led to the inner dungeons where the other Daniel had been hidden away.  After a moment he turned away, hiding his own expression, and began to walk. As if his legs had become too heavy to fly. 

“It’s fine. I’ll get him back. It won’t happen again.” There was a promise in his voice and it softened to be almost inaudible entirely. “I won’t let it.”

After he left, Clockwork turned back to the screen with the other Daniel on it. He was finished terrorizing the ghost from before, and was now floating listlessly in the void of the Infinite Realms. Likely, he was warring with his obsessions- or his emotions- it was hard to tell which. Eventually though, he shook his head, looked up as if to catch Clockwork’s eye, and flew off.

In the direction of the Observants. 

  It’s eyeball was glaring at him, the normally dull yellow of it’s sclera bright with fury. “You were given responsibility over him! You were entrusted to keep him from destroying the Realms!”

Clockwork’s own eye twitched as he fought back an eyeroll. Those who Watch were as predictable as ever, not showing up at the moment of Dan’s release but instead at the moment he began to take his rage out on the Observants. Their responsibilities had always been superfluous though, a vague excuse to do as they pleased in the name of Order. 

“I failed. He escaped. Woe is me.” He floated over to one of his more intricate gadgets and began to tinker with it, pretending to be busy. “Surely an Order such as yours, full of powerful ghosts that command the Realms, did not come to me in fear though? He attacked you directly, does that not make your vow of inaction void?”

“ You-! ”

“Of course, it would be different if you simply couldn’t defeat him. But… he’s only a decade dead. That would be an embarrassment.”

The other Observant that had come to scold (and demand his servitude) floated in front of its companion so as to cut off a likely incensed reaction. “He’s an abomination, and an amalgamation. Surely you can understand why we wanted him dealt with before it came to this.”

Clockwork inclined his head, playing at civility. “Perhaps then, you should seek to work alongside Phantom. I have it on relatively good authority he’s also trying to deal with your resident menace.”

Both of the Observants took his suggestion as an insult, one even growing red with it. “That Abomination? He should be destroyed along with it!”

“Pity,” Clockwork said, turning back to the screens and watching as the other Daniel tore the core out of another Observant’s chest and crushed it in his palm. He wasn’t even absorbing them for their power. It was a waste, but Clockwork was certain it was a waste born of trauma. Dan’s creation had, after all, been due to a botched absorption with a powerful ghost core. “You can leave now.”

“You must deal with this.”

“I will deal with it when the time is right,” he said in lieu of an answer. 

The Observants, disgruntled and unwilling to leave, as if hiding in Clockwork’s lair would somehow protect them, made comment after comment demanding his action and threatening punishment should he fail. He replied with sarcasm and an aloof attitude that soon had them leaving out the door if only to try and do what they could to tighten his bonds. 

He sighed, there was time still. He should make cookies, that always seemed to calm him, help him to exist in the present and not become impatient for what is yet to be. He headed to the kitchen, only to see an unexpected visitor at his table. 

“Nocturn, you’re early.”

The other Ancient nodded. “Yes, your plan seems to have worked flawlessly. The Authority of the Observants has been shaken. Much of the power they had gained through fear and reputation has dwindled, but…”

Clockwork raised an eyebrow as he opened his cabinets. There was egyptian sand flour left over, it would be dryer than using something more modern, but the age would add a good aftertaste. He just needed to add extra Honey-Wasp bits from the outskirts of The Undergrowth and that should balance it. Maybe some purified ectoplasm. Pariah gifted him a jar after he had somehow managed to create a device to filter it from the Infinite Realms. 

He had also made an absolutely unsubtle offer to join him in his new ‘sauna’ that Clockwork had pointedly refused. 

“But?” he prompted, there was little information he could glean from silence. 

Nocturn watched him prepare the batter. He sighed and stood, grabbing a knife and helping to mince the Honey-Wasps before speaking again. “But they still have their numbers, and much of their actual power. And Clockwork, Pariah has made his move.”

“I know,” Clockwork admitted, “but is that not in our favor as well?”

“Not if he takes more power from them, Pariah on his own is not a fight we can accept lightly. Anything more being beholden to him is hardly something I wish to see.” 

Clockwork cracked a Kraken’s egg into the mixture and moved the bowl closer to Nocturn so he could scoop the Honey-Wasp bits into it as well, without losing any of the juice. Mixing it would be troublesome, some of the more experimental batters attempted to gain sentience and would try to escape the bowl. “It will work in our favor either way. the other Daniel caused havoc, their power was broken across the realms. Pariah is merely salting the ground we have burned.” 

He used a dull knife to cut into the batter and stirred, stopping any attempts at formation. Nocturn grabbed the bowl from him, forcing eye contact. “What if he seeks something else?”

“Haven’t I already escaped the chains he bound me in before?” Clockwork laughed. “Do I not have allies that would find short work of cutting chains that I did not allow to bind me?”

The bowl was set back down and Clockwork and Nocturn both made short work of dividing the dough and setting it into the oven. “We could not break the bindings of the Observants,” Nocturn said as Clockwork closed the oven door. 

“That is different, that was part of our plans. They needed to never suspect me, if we were to get this far.” Clockwork waved him off. “Would you like a cookie?”

“We have to wait for them to cook, Clockwork.” Nocturn said, exasperated.

Clockwork simply rolled his eyes and increased the time surrounding the oven. “I don’t wait.”

Daniel hadn’t visited again since Clockwork allowed the other Daniel  to escape. It was possible, he admitted in the back of his mind, that Daniel blamed him for what happened. As well he should. Yet, the thought left a sour taste in his mouth. 

He was watching the screens again. Aiming them in every direction he could to see everything as it played out. Most were occupied by the remnants of the Order he had set about decimating. A few were dedicated to their interconnected Lair, the place where they held their play courts and kept their prisoners. It was where they kept Vortex before he was freed. One screen though, was aimed at Pariah’s Keep. 

It had been a simple thing that Clockwork had neither encouraged nor discouraged, Daniel’s visits with Pariah. But now that Clockwork’s own visits had come to an end, it had become something distinctly bitter, a feeling that was building in his chest, where his core hummed, that Clockwork was ignoring with all the practice of a man dead set on his goals. 

Daniel would visit again, of course. Clockwork could even tell the exact date and time, or at least the most likely ones. He didn’t look at the futures where Daniel never came back, there was no point in uselessly fretting about it. He’d be fine, there were more important things to deal with now. 

He could feel the pressure of his binds loosening as more and more of the Observants were hunted down. Not all of them were ended by Dan, of course. They had made many enemies. Both Vortex and Undergrowth had gone out of their way to visit quite a number themselves, along with a few of the other Ancients. Clockwork was certainly tempted to do so, alas, the restrictions upon him prevented it still. And the only way for those restrictions to end was for those wielding the reins to End. And well, then there wouldn’t be anyone left to take his ire out upon would there? 

Instead he allowed his own part in their demise to be enough for his bruised ego and the millennia of torment he’d undergone beneath them. Then he ate a cookie and kept watch of his screens. 

Pariah was teaching Daniel how to use a sword. Pandora had attempted to teach him swordsmanship but Daniel had been disinclined to it. He wasn’t particularly elegant to be fair, and the finesse and practiced movement of Pandora’s sword was more akin to an art than anything else. Her limbs risked entanglement if she wasn’t careful and had developed a style suited to such. 

Daniel was much more inclined to blunt, ferocious movements. He often thought with his fist before anything else, even as a ghost with a multitude of powers to command. He used speed and strength to win and outmaneuver his opponents and despite his lack of polish, he often won due to those two traits alone. Pariah was a talented teacher, in that he was clearly taking what Daniel had already in ample supply, and taught him how to wield it appropriately to its maximum use. 

He was still only beginning of course, but Daniel was a fast learner and had grown significantly in a short period of time. 

Clockwork had toyed with the idea of taking Daniel on as an official apprentice once or twice before. Teaching him how to exist beyond the means which he had become accustomed to as a human. While he would not have Clockwork’s inclination for time specifically, Daniel’s connection to the Realms would allow him a level of control over his surroundings and the beings that exist in them that simply does not exist in anyone outside of the Ancients. And even then, Clockwork’s Time was different enough from the others’ domains to be unique in and of itself in a similar vein to Daniel’s powers. Even if they’d only just barely begun to show. 

But it was a risk to do so before everything else came to fruition. If Daniel realized his plans, it would be troublesome. He likely would not agree to the lengths Clockwork is willing to reach, and more than that, there is no guarantee that his existence as half human would not have him attempting to side with Order over Chaos. No, it was better to wait and see how it all played out first. There wasn’t much left to do before the end. 

Yes it would lead to anger. Perhaps even to hatred. It would be fitting for Clockwork. He had never known a love that had yet to turn. That had truly been any kind of unconditional. 

But he would be free. 

Finally, finally free. 

Free from this horrid linear existence, free from his servitude, free from his bonds. The root of him, the core, had been born from Chaos, from the mess of all things and no things, and like any child wishing to cradle in the arms of its mother, Clockwork longed once more for it. 

He had been patient, as had the others. There was little left to do. 

  When Daniel finally visited again Clockwork had made cookies. 

They resembled human chocolate chips, if one squinted, and Clockwork had made sure to take them out of the oven just as Daniel arrived so they would be warm.

“There you are Daniel,” he greeted. The cookies were still moving and he had to give the tray he was holding a bit of a shake to get them to stop. He doubted Daniel would eat them if he thought they were alive. 

The boy didn’t look well. He had deep bags under his eyes, and a skittish, weary look about him. 

Clockwork clicked his tongue. “You need to sleep,” he said, not waiting for Daniel to speak. 

“What?” The boy lifted his head, confused. 

“I said, you should sleep.” Clockwork grabbed one of the amulets from the wall and placed it around Daniel’s neck. “I’ll stop time for a few hours, you can sleep here if you want.”

Daniel just blinked. “Oh.”

Nodding, Clockwork turned back to his screens so he could keep watch. Nocturn had warned that Pariah was making his move and Clockwork was determined to keep an eye on him now, when the timing was most crucial. 

He felt a tug on his sleeve. 

“Clockwork…”

He looked down to catch Daniel’s eyes. “Yes?”

“Nothing,” he sighed, “thanks.” He grabbed the amulet in one hand, a torn expression on his face. Then he floated off to the room Clockwork had given him to sleep.

Watching as his ward wandered off, Clockwork waited until he was out of sight to grab hold of time and let it rest for a moment. It was the least he could do. 

It wasn’t long after their fall that the final thread snapped and Clockwork opened his eyes in triumph. Everything was available to him now. There were no hidden futures, no shrouded pasts. His screens multiplied around him as even his Lair was freed from its limits. Like a beast stretching from a long hibernation, Clockwork lost himself to his Obsession, revelled in the freedom he had long gambled away. 

The Infinite Realms felt it as he left the Clocktower for no reason other than because he wanted to and he didn’t have to ask. He didn’t have to come up with some convoluted reason as to why this was perfectly acceptable before his own body allowed him to leave the doors of his own Lair. It felt wonderful, he almost took down his hood to see everything around him with the eyes of a free spirit. 

He didn’t though, it would be too much of a hassle to wrangle his hair back and he didn’t really want someone to see him so freely bared. It was enough in every way, that he was finally free. 

“I almost forgot how powerful you were, Clockwork.” He turned to see Misery Vex, lounging comfortably just outside his lair. “The Eyes Around Us are gone then?”

Clockwork nodded, looking to the future, looking to the past. She had been waiting here for him, but not for long. And she wouldn’t have waited much longer. “Are you ready for what happens next?” he asked. 

“Are you?”

He nodded again. There weren’t any more preparations to make, how could he be anything but ready?

They didn’t meet at the Clocktower this time. 

It was no longer necessary after all. This time they met in the night. The soft evening of eternal sleep and dreams, Nocturn’s lair. It was spacious if nothing else, and creative with its decoration. Should one of them wish to sit, they merely needed to chance sitting and see if the space around them would accommodate. It suited him immensely. 

“Have you found her yet?” Misery asked.

Sojourn nodded, a small enthusiastic smile hidden under his beard. “Yes, Clockwork and I were able to locate her shattered core amongst Pandora’s boxes.”

“ It will not be easy to receive her, and it will only be more difficult to revive her,” Nocturn warned, “especially if we wish to keep this to ourselves. Rather than risk the entirety of the realms turning on us as they did the Observants.”

Clockwork nodded, “we shouldn’t do much in more than pairs. Sojourn and Misery should seek Pandora. Nocturn and I can set the ritual once the pieces are complete.”

“And the rest of us?” Undergrowth scowled, he hated Nocturn’s lair. It was cold and empty, barren of any more physical matters and there was nowhere for him to take root. Clockwork suspected half of the reason it was that way was intended to irritate Undergrowth specifically. 

Sojourn clapped his hands together and smiled, his eagerness truly knew no bounds and his obvious delight was nearly infectious. “You’re our escape plan of course! We’ll need help once we locate the right box, Pandora’s obsession is hardly a good one to be on the wrong side of.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Vortex grinned.

Clockwork couldn’t help but agree, what are they waiting for indeed? 

  “What is Chaos, Clockwork?” Daniel asked. But Clockwork was distracted.

He hadn’t expected Daniel to show up today, he hadn’t paid attention to it. There was so much to do, so much to get ready for. The time was now after all. 

He took care to answer anyways, the changes that were to come would affect the boy. At least a little. He was strong enough that he would thrive in Chaos, and it would help to nurture his Obsession, if the weaker denizens of the Realms needed help. And they would

“Chaos was the first, how it all began. Everything started with Chaos or nothing could have been at all.” 

Daniel frowned, a small furrow in his brow. “That… didn’t really-“

Clockwork paused for a moment. “Is something wrong Daniel?”

He sighed. “So if you were made from Chaos, is she like, your mother?”

“No. Chaos is not sentient so much as conceptual.” Clockwork frowned, “though I suppose she predated concepts as well if she was the first. Chaos was neither one thing nor many things. It’s safe to say Chaos was everything and everything came from her. But that did not make her nurturing” 

Clockwork looked back at Daniel, letting time flow smoothly once more. It wouldn’t do to delay. 

There was a hint of something in Daniel’s eyes, a wariness that Clockwork had never seen before. It must have been due to their conversation, but Clockwork couldn’t place what about it would have Daniel on edge. Chaos would not be any more a threat to him than it would be the other Ancients. 

“Clockwork, if Chaos came back…” he paused, as if the words had been stuck in his throat, “what would happen to the humans? The mortals?” 

What a strange question. “Life would not exist as it does now, utter chaos would not permit it.”

It had been something of a sport, to watch Sojourn and Misery in their attempts to find and excavate the remnants of the Core of Chaos. Clockwork and Nocturn had watched it from the safety and comfort of Clockwork’s lair, on the largest of his screens. 

“They’re having fun aren’t they?” Nocturn mused, taking a sip of his tea. He’d made it himself in Clockwork’s kitchen, had been insistent about it when he’d seen Clockwork start to make his own.

“Pandora is a valiant warrior and a good fighter. Misery has been on the sidelines for some time since the end of Pariah’s court.” Clockwork’s tea was cold. He frowned and set it aside.

“Yes, it’s good to see her stretching her limbs. I hadn’t seen all of them since her last fight.”

Clockwork thought back, the fight Nocturn was referring to played on one of the smaller screens. It was a gladiator based competition, where Pariah had sent her as a member of his court to show his power. She had challenged the Lord of Little Crawlers to a duel and shredded him to pieces before even five minutes had passed. Then she had collected herself, reset her veil, and gone right back to Pariah’s Keep. 

Now she was using every extra limb she could against Pandora, swords clashing with long knitting needles and strings of silk. Watching the fight was mesmerizing to be sure, almost akin to a dance, if not for the frustrated vulgarities being thrown around and Sojourn’s overly eager cheering from the back.

“Do you think they’ll make it?”

“Sojourn will remember what they’re supposed to be doing when he almost drops one of the boxes held in his arms. Upon that realization he will sneak away while Pandora is distracted and meet with the others. From there they will come here with their spoils and it will be our turn to prove our worth.” Clockwork answered, easily detailing the future ahead of them. 

Nocturn nodded and took a sip of his tea.

  It didn’t happen exactly like Clockwork had predicted. But it was close enough. Sojourn had bypassed Vortex and Undergrowth completely and simply flown straight to Clockwork‘s lair on his own. Nocturn spared Clockwork a glance, but he remained unaffected. It was still on track to be an ideal future. 

Once Sojourn entered his lair Clockwork grabbed hold of time with his hand and twisted , forcing it to bend and still under his palm. The trip to the Cave was only a step after that and once there, he let loose and released time to settle amicably around them.

“Amazing,” Sonourn said, “I do think I’d like to travel this way more often. It’s quite convenient.”

Nocturn patted him on the shoulder and grabbed one of the delicately detailed boxes he’d been balancing precariously in his arms. “You’d need to be very careful if you did, there’s no telling what might get caught up in all that twisting and turning.”

“It won’t matter much longer after this,” Clockwork said, taking his own box. 

The entirety of Chaos was not here, her core long since mostly destroyed, but there was enough to recreate something should they use the ritual they had devised. 

It needed to be hidden, so they had found a cave. It was ancient, and once thought to be a reliable doorway into the spiritual and mortal realms, every wall was covered in ancient arts and writings. No rhyme or reason between them, a bit of a mess conceptually, but perfect for their purposes. Once Vortex had destroyed it in the mortal realm, it had been simple enough to recreate, especially using Undergrowth and Misery Vex’s powers. 

Most ghosts dared not travel here, where they placed it. It was a deeper part of the Infinite Realms, where the pressures of the ambient ectoplasm was strong enough to kill even some of the more stable spirits, certainly more than any Watcher could have ever handled. 

Clockwork gathered the ashes in the center of their chosen chamber. Three rights from the first left. Nocturn moved around the edges, the walls solid and firm under his hands as he tested them. And Sojourn, setting his own box aside, lit the flames. 

It began. 

They had known the work would be hard, tedious even. Most mortals, when they picture rituals like this, imagine chanting and holding hands, perhaps some use of indomitable will. But this was far more personal, more hands on.

Clockwork took the broken edge of a shattered piece of core, and began to mold it, shaping and soothing it into a puzzle-like shape. He had spent time looking into human carpentry practices, and had come across the traditional Chinese techniques of Lu Ban. 

It had taken more than a human lifetime to learn it properly and then suit it to his own needs, but he put it into practice now, shaping the shattered pieces anew and slotting them together so that they might fit and stay snug.

Sojourn had weaved together layer after layer of treated ectoplasm into a fine cloth and was now sewing it into a fitted dress, each stitch small and tidy, seamless against the weave. 

The one who stoked the flame, who kept its energy strong and the newly forming core well fed, was Nocturn. He kept a measured gaze upon it, not once turning away or getting distracted. 

This continued for an eternity, the creation, or recreation, of something both ancient and now new was exhaustive work. But eventually, Clockwork felt a hum. A small, weak thing that would have left him breathless had he needed to breathe. 

Chaos was born again, though faint, though weak. Not anything close to what she once was, but still, she was there, feeding on the flames of her own ashes, pieces of her own core held together and finally finding life. 

They needed to keep going. This was delicate work, if they got distracted, if there was even one misstep, it would be over. Chaos would be what she is now, what they made of her, and not what she needed to be. 

The fire went out.

“ Damn ,” Nocturn hissed, quickly turning to look around. He did not bother to relight the flame, it was too late. Clockwork felt hollow, had they truly failed? But how? 

He acted quickly, bundling the newly formed and still fragile core into Sojourn’s half sewn garment and thrusting it fully into the other Ancient’s hands. 

“You are the fastest of us, run, hide her away before we lose her entirely.” Sojourn nodded solemnly, flying quickly through the winding tunnels that led out of the cave. 

Nocturn scowled, “whoever is there should be glad I am merciful. Come out now and I shall forgo eternal torment for a quick End.”

There was only silence. 

Clockwork was growing irritated himself and looked to the future, only to see Nocturn tackled into a wall by a familiar black and white blur. 

“Daniel?!” He said, his thoughts screeching to a halt. But, there was no way. He couldn’t have followed them. He would have had to know about the cave and been lying in wait for the exact moment to-

There was a soft sound, like the clinking of a delicate chain, as Clockwork felt a weight upon his neck. All at once he felt the universe stand still, as if he had been trapped in the moment, the singular moment no longer able to spread himself beyond. It was cloying, claustrophobic. Something he never thought he’d experience again. 

And he knew who was behind it. 

“You’ve always been impatient my dear.” Pariah spoke softly, his lips far too close. 

Clockwork fled, slipping between moments to force space between them almost on instinct alone. Pariah simply let him go, a smug smile on his face. No, he wasn’t supposed to be here. How did he know about this place?

What had he placed on Clockwork’s neck?

He lifted a hand, not taking his eyes off of Pariah in case he decided to get any closer, and felt around his neck. It was a chain, delicate and just long enough to have slid over his head and dangle its pendant at a point on his chest, just above the glass. The shape of it was vaguely familiar, but Clockwork couldn’t place it.

“What have you done to me?” he asked, using anger to hide the tremble in his voice.

Pariah’s expression softened and he took a step forward. “Did I not say I would see you decked in gold?”

No…

The necklace…

It had been a cursed necklace, layered in charms meant for protection that slowly twisted into possession and control. It shouldn’t have been strong enough to cause any trouble at all to Clockwork, if something this simple had worked, Pariah would have used it long ago in the peak of his madness. 

Clockwork grabbed the chain, intending to rip it off, but Pariah spoke, startling him. “I wouldn’t, you’ll only hurt yourself.”

“Then why did you put it on me?” he tugged at the chain in emphasis, without his strength. Pariah never warned for no reason. 

The bastard smiled, like Clockwork had asked a stupid question, one he should know the answer to. Clockwork scowled, and moved further away from him. His back hit a wall. The cave, while earlier it had been comforting, a sign that eternal chaos was close at hand, that all Clockwork had done was paying off in the end, it was now more reminiscent of a stone cage. 

A trap.

He’d walked straight into a trap, one Pariah had been laying since he awoke. And Clockwork had never paid it any heed, had not bothered with his machinations because he assumed Pariah would be too slow, had thought whatever he did would be too weak. He had underestimated him, and now Pariah Dark was walking towards him, a lion stalking its prey.

Clockwork froze time.

He was still moving. Clockwork had frozen time and Pariah was still moving . 

It shouldn’t have been possible, there was nothing restricting Clockwork’s power in that way. He felt the threads of all existence tangled around him, grabbed the ones moving forward and tugged, sharp, desperate, to keep them still. He felt them still. 

Pariah kept moving though. 

“How-?” Everything else had frozen, all around them was silence and the only things that moved were the two of them. It was a strange kind of dance, one stepping closer and the other floating away. 

“I made it myself, the charm. It ties you to me, obviously.” Pariah caught him, gently because he didn’t need to use force, didn’t need to use any of the almost limitless strength behind him. “It’s based off the contract you signed with the Observants, I hadn’t honestly expected it to be so blatantly one sided when I read it. Though I suppose it was on purpose, a miscalculation on your part, in the end.”

Clockwork pulled his hand away, but Pariah simply moved with the action and stepped closer, crowding against him. “It doesn’t work like that,” Clockwork said through clenched teeth. A one-sided contract that gave away so much of himself was necessary. It was also only possible because Clockwork had signed it. Pariah couldn’t mimic that without Clockwork’s consent, that wasn’t how it worked. That wasn’t how any of this was supposed to work. 

Pariah hummed in agreement. “It wouldn’t be, if that was all I did.” He brushed a lock of hair from Clockwork’s eyes. “The Order of the Observants was in chaos. They were desperate. They wanted someone powerful to protect them. They were willing to give anything for the possibility they might find safety.”

Then he pulled out a medallion of his own, a horribly familiar one.

Oh.

So that was all it took…

Pariah was right, it had been a miscalculation indeed. 

“Even if they gave me to you, the contract dissolved with the Order. I felt it break.” 

“It did,” Pariah took hold of one of Clockwork’s hands and held it to his lips in a kiss, “But I had you for long enough. Long enough to bind you to myself instead. All it took was some craftswork.”

He let go of Clockwork’s hand to touch the pendant hanging from his neck instead. It was a gentle, reverent touch, as if thanking the damned thing for its work in keeping Clockwork trapped for him. “Luckily I was up to date on all the most prominent binding curses. I have a friend who suffers from such an affliction after all.”

“Fuck you.” 

Pariah laughed, a genuine surprised chuckle that truly lit him up from the inside. His eyes were so warm, his hands burned like brands, and Clockwork wanted nothing more than to tear out his other eye with his teeth. “Come Clockwork, you’ve failed. Let’s go home.” 

  Pariah led him back to the Clocktower, his lair. His home and prison. Clockwork stormed past him once they were inside. “And what is your plan now? I can’t imagine I’d be much use in subjecuting the Realms, as you can see I’m quite traitorous by nature. All of my previous masters can attest.”

“Then it’s good I’m keeping you for your sense of humor,” Pariah said as he closed the door behind him. 

It was the first time Pariah Dark had ever been inside Clockwork’s lair. Pariah had always been a cautious ghost, it made sense that he wouldn’t allow himself the vulnerability of being inside another powerful ghost’s lair, a place where they quite literally held all of the power and had all of the control. 

The irony of course, was that the moment Pariah had stepped inside, it was Clockwork that felt vulnerable. Exposed like a raw nerve, every part of him standing on end, tightly coiled and ready to flee. 

“How is this exactly how I have always envisioned it?” Pariah says dryly, his eyes roaming freely, invasively over every nook and cranny. Every randomly placed cog and haphazard ticking machine. It was a chaotic mess, naturally, it was Clockwork. 

Clockwork picked up a twentieth century alarm clock and weighed it in his hands before chucking it as hard as he could towards Pariah. The bastard caught it, of course. And Clockwork scowled.

“Did you often picture yourself waltzing into my Lair?”

Pariah set the clock down carefully, as if it would break. As if it were truly a piece of Clockwork himself. “I don’t see why I shouldn’t have. You were certainly at home in mine.”

“Oh please, half the Realms has access to your Lair. We are not the same.” Clockwork scoffed, crossing his arms and floating awkwardly in the middle of the room. He didn’t want to be any closer to Pariah, but neither did he want to risk being backed into a wall again . It seemed a recurring treat for Pariah, to cage him in that way. 

There was a touch of mischief in Pariah’s smile when he replied. “Perhaps we can change that, would you like more visitors?”

“No.”

“Pity.”

Clockwork grabbed another trinket to throw, this one he had pried from the walls. Pariah handled that just as easily, an uncomfortable expression aimed at the destroyed part of Clockwork’s wall. He was truly the most obnoxious perfectionist. If Clockwork’s mangled mess of a lair was going to bother him he shouldn’t have bothered to come inside.

In fact, if he was going to be disappointed so easily he shouldn’t have chained him in the first place. It wasn’t as if the bindings guaranteed something like loyalty. They couldn’t even force him to act should he not wish to. Clockwork wasn’t going to change from how he had been for eons under the damn Eyes. 

“Why did you do this?” Clockwork asked, “And don’t dare say it’s only because you said you would. You may be meticulous but you are not beholden to simple words.”

Pariah had fixed his wall. And was now attempting to reinstate the very same decoration Clockwork had used as ammunition. It was strangely domestic to see and Clockwork felt rage simmer and build. Would he simply make himself at home then? Perhaps he would seek to combine their lairs in a twisted amalgamation so that he might seek order where it damn well did not belong.

“You were going to leave.” 

What a useless excuse. “Did you lose your ability to reason permanently to that crown?”

This time it was Pariah that rolled his eyes. “Obviously not, if I was able to out-fox Clockwork of all ghosts.”

“You had help.” Clockwork said through grit teeth. He wouldn’t ask who, he didn’t think he could handle having it confirmed.

Pariah’s eyes sparkled. “So you knew?”

“I figured it out.”

“Feeling very betrayed, Clockwork?” This time Pariah’s smile was sharp, a vicious little thing that certainly made him more recognizable as the fallen tyrant he actually was. 

Clockwork refused to rise to the bait. He did not regret, it was impossible to feel regret when every single decision he’d ever made had been so thoroughly calculated. “I wasn’t going to leave. Where would I even go, Pariah?”

“You were leaving me.” Pariah walked towards him, quicker than his usual slow prowl. Clockwork had chanced a step back himself but it only served to darken Pariah’s expression further so he stilled instead and allowed himself to be caught and held. Pariah’s hands were heavy, one landing on his hip and the other reaching for his wrist. “You were disappearing to the flows of Time, one minute here and the next somewhere no one could follow you. You speak of chaos and the freedom it would give you, but you lie to yourself when you say that is all that you desire. The freedom you had so desperately sought, how lonely would it have been.”

Pariah had not been able to talk after that, too busy weathering Clockwork’s sudden violent outrage. 

Nocturn was the first to visit him, to see Clockwork’s anger, his desperate lashing out. He had the same expression he’d always had when the topic of Pariah or Daniel had come up. The look of undisguised pity, as if he had known from the start that Clockwork would fail, that he would be chained in this way, the moment his freedom was closer than at any other time. 

“We do not hate you for your failure, Clockwork,” Nocturn said, and Clockwork bared his teeth. It had been sometime since he’d carved out an eye in petty vengeance but he was not above making it a hobby.

Nocturn simply kept his distance, just one step away with one of those damned medallions around his neck, stopping Clockwork from freezing him in place in his own lair. “You’ve always been easily twisted by affection, too willing to be tied down with familiarity.”

His words hurt, like an arrow piercing through Clockwork’s chest. He hadn’t thought it would be so literal, hadn’t taken Pariah’s threats seriously. Had believed, genuinely, that he would be able to escape whatever bonds Pariah had fashioned for him. Had not thought to protect himself thoroughly enough and now all was for naught. Nocturn said he harbored no ill will, but he should . 

And Clockwork was distraught that he did not. 

He deflated and Nocturn floated closer, just within range. But Clockwork’s arms hung heavy, and he was exhausted now, the weight of it all too much. “You should. Chaos is lost to us.” he spoke, his voice barely audible.

“Yes,” Nocturn acquiesced, “but Chaos was lost to us long ago. It was a child’s hope, that we could get it back.”

“You are content then? To rot in containment in an infinite realm of order and stability?”

A laugh escaped Nocturn, perplexing Clockwork and only flaring his temper worse. The other Ancient didn’t even try to hide as he fell into a laughing fit. “I would not be, no. But my oldest friend, I am not the one in containment. I have always known you look too much towards the forest and its tallest trees, very rarely have you ever noticed the grass or the leaves.”

“Speak sense,” Clockwork snapped. It was his job to speak in riddles, he had little patience to hear them now. 

Nocturn did not call him on his hypocrisy though, instead he shook his head and floated closer, relaxing next to Clockwork as if they were two friends taking tea. “It was not, as you believed, an all or nothing gamble.”

“Was it not?”

“No, the realms are back to Anarchy as they should be. The Observants were the last hold in their attempts to tame them, and they have been destroyed. There is no King, not even a sleeping one, and Chaos exists.”

Clockwork listened, the cold weight of failure that had settled in his chest chipped and cracked as Nocturn spoke on. “She does not exist as she had.”

“But perhaps this is a better way,” Nocturn pondered, “last time, Chaos reigned so supreme it seemed all were insistent to seek order. Then order reigned supreme and we sought Chaos. Perhaps now, with the Realms alive once more, and order and Chaos in balance, it will last instead.”

Nocturn placed a hand on the top of Clockwork’s head, petting his hair. “The other Ancients and I shall seek our fun, and find ways to exist in this new existence. It is only you, I am afraid, that will remain trapped.”

Clockwork slapped his hand away, “How comforting, Nocturn. Do you also go to the newly dead and tell them not to weep, at least they were the ones that died and not others?”

Nocturn’s hand returned to pull his hood down over his face and Clockwork had to slap it away again. “It is not in my perogative to comfort the newly dead. I thought only to inform my dearest friend that he had not earned my animosity. A fear he might have had, failing the plan we had painstakingly worked towards for eons.”

“I don’t want to be chained any longer.” Clockwork admitted. It had been so long since he’d had any semblance of freedom. Did he even know what it would feel like anymore?

“We know. Though some, like Misery Vex, believe it karmic, that your attachments, which had led so thoroughly to our defeat, came back in the forms of chains for you alone. But know that if one day it comes to pass that I can free you, unlikely as it may be, I shall make the attempt.” Nocturn stood, leaving Clockwork alone in his tower. 

“Clockwork?” It was Daniel’s voice. It was the first time his young ward had come to visit since the binding. It was not a comfort to hear his voice, to see that he was okay. It was not .

He didn’t acknowledge Daniel when he entered, wouldn’t have let him in the door if he still had complete control of his Lair… But he’d bargained that away long ago in a gamble that had failed him entirely. 

Instead he floated to his screens. Ever since the fall of the Observants, he could see properly at least. Pariah had no interest in obscuring his vision, had even less in controlling what it was he could see. Pariah’s only interest had been binding Clockwork to him so that he might not escape, so that he might not regress, so that he might not lose himself to the chaos of infinity and escape his limited existence.

Clockwork scowled, still ignoring Daniel’s presence, his attempts at conversation. Pariah’s interests should not have mattered. Because Pariah should not have won . Because Pariah had lost before and Clockwork had been so certain that he would again. Because- 

Because Clockwork had made a mistake when he sealed him away. Because Clockwork knew he could not bring himself to end him. Because Clockwork had seen an opportunity to see Pariah again and had known it would be a mistake but had wanted so desperately just to see him again. Wanted to see him free of the haze of anger the ring and crown had obscured him in, but a ghost’s natural state was obsessive. And Pariah had never hid his desire to keep Clockwork as he was, Clockwork had simply brushed it off as words of affection. He should have known better really, Pariah was hardly the type to speak lightly, and had never claimed what he did not mean with his entire core. 

The screen he was watching was boring, most things were now that he had no reason to keep track of the threads, no overarching plan to work towards. It was so simple. A young ghost was trick-or-treating with a watermelon instead of a pumpkin and was turning into a large candy-based monster whenever someone turned them away. 

It was the middle of summer where the ghost was, and Clockwork allowed himself to appreciate the tiny bit of chaos that the ghost was bringing to the small mortal town. Nocturn had told him that not all had been lost, Clockwork may be trapped, but Chaos had been released. 

Just enough. 

He sighed. 

“Why are you here Daniel?” he finally asked.

Daniel straightened up, he’d been rambling, no doubt in an attempt to cajole Clockwork into joining conversation or listening subconsciously. He hadn't been.

He was also carrying a plate of cookies that Clockwork had not seen, because Clockwork had not looked. When would he learn his lesson about that? Why was he always looking too late?

“I wanted to check on you,” Daniel said, setting the plate of cookies down now that he was sure Clockwork had seen them. “Pariah said you were… having a hard time.”

Clockwork scowled, too many things tearing at his chest at once. Damn Pariah, damn him . 

“Having a hard time?” he said with a false calm. “The plans that I made eons ago, plans that had been in work before your mortal realm even knew what time was, were ruined by someone I trusted. Someone I did not think would step so easily between me and my goals. Exactly what kind of time should I be having, chained to my own lair without even the authority to deny entrance to whom I wish?”

There had been a small flinch, Clockwork noticed, when he had mentioned betrayal. But if Daniel felt any guilt he didn’t look it. He raised his head, eyes full of determination. The very same expression Clockwork had seen through his screens so many times, in the fights against the other Ancients. The plans they’d made to make him stronger, to keep him stable, so that when the Chaos had been released he and the Realms with him would survive. 

He had certainly survived. 

“Pariah said this was the only way to save you.” Because of course that was what Pariah had told him. Because Daniel was intelligent, but Daniel was also a child and all too willing to trust any competent adult. A flaw that Clockwork himself had been so quick to take advantage of. A flaw that cursed him now. 

“Do you really believe that Pariah Dark has my best interest at heart?” he would have sneered, if it had been anyone else. If it hadn’t been Daniel, who was practically his own child. Instead, he asked softly, his frustration drowned entirely by exhaustion.

Daniel still answered him though. “You were changing Clockwork,” What? “The same way you told me Pariah had once changed.”

He hadn’t, there was no way it had been so obvious. He hadn’t, it wasn’t as if he had lost himself to his obsession, nor had he gained power that grew out of his control, what was he talking about?

“You were distant, as if you were struggling to stay in any given moment. Sometimes you’d forget everything going on around you, and others you seemed to be somewhere or some-when else entirely. I mean,” Daniel took a breath, “you’ve always been a bit cryptic, but you were losing yourself entirely . Halfway through a conversation you would start talking completely randomly, in languages long dead or unrecognizable. Or you’d start talking about things that had never happened or had happened forever ago.”

He was almost shouting now, his eyes shining with more than just energy and Clockwork felt a sting in his core. He had known that Daniel would disapprove, that he would get angry. But it had not occurred to him that his anger would be pointed towards this rather than his blatant manipulation of Daniel and his friends.

“And your actions! They were reckless, Clockwork!! Releasing Dan? What the hell?! ”

It was Clockwork’s turn to flinch. “Your future self’s release had always been part of the plan. It was why I had you leave him with me to start with. I was not losing myself Daniel, I was revealing who I actually am.”

Daniel made a desperately frustrated noise. “Do you think saying something like that is going to convince me we were wrong, Clockwork? I- I trusted you! I care about you! You’re-”

“So you’d cage me and try to force compliance so that the more unsightly aspects of myself can be filed away? So you can teach me to be better, like some kind of petty human criminal, Daniel?” He let his anger take over instead. It was easier, so much easier. It was what he had always done with Pariah. 

Daniel rolled his eyes. “How dramatic,” he said dryly, “Didn’t you do the same thing to Pariah, wasn’t what you did like way worse? You’re throwing a fit just like he said you would.”

“If you trust Pariah Dark so much, why are you even here? Have him make cookies for you. I'm sure he’s fully capable.” Clockwork wasn’t throwing a fit, he was angry. 

Daniel sighed, grabbing one of the cookies he’d brought. They had long gone cold, but it hardly mattered to Clockwork, he wouldn’t be eating them. “Pariah has a lot of faults, and there’s a bunch of things I don’t really like about him. He’s manipulative, methodical. He never lets me half ass anything and he’s really picky. He doesn’t actually care if a person dies or a ghost gets Ended, and we fight about that kind of stuff a lot. But…” he met Clockwork’s eyes, his expression looked hurt, heartbroken. Clockwork didn’t want to see it. Had never wanted to see Daniel like this.

“He’s never outright lied to me. I’ve been checking, ever since… Well. I don’t just trust anyone at their word anymore. So yeah okay, I know he’s manipulating me just like he was manipulating you, but he never lied to either of us about his intentions. He didn’t do what you did.”

Clockwork couldn’t look at him any more. He’d made so many mistakes. If he was truly destined to fail… He should never have revealed his true nature or intentions to the boy. His disappointment burned almost as much as the chain Pariah had placed around Clockwork’s neck.

It didn’t matter though, that Clockwork could not stand to see him, because Daniel flew towards him and grabbed his face gently, hands on either side of his cheeks. 

“I don’t trust you anymore, Clockwork, but I still love you. So does Pariah. We can fix this, okay?” Daniel said and Clockwork’s eyes widened at the threat. 

He had truly lost, hadn’t he?

[five-rivers]

Pennywort and Swallowtails

For @phantomphangphucker :)

Prompt:  Flynn, due to being Phantom’s aka the Ghost King’s family and part of the Zone’s society, receives a Prince title and is now getting crowned.

.

Flynn couldn’t put his finger on exactly why, but the Ghost Zone seemed different lately.  There was something in the atmosphere, almost.  It felt… lighter, maybe?  

He didn’t like it.  

After all these years in the Ghost Zone, he’d come to regard any change from the norm with suspicion.  The tendency had saved his life multiple times.  Usually, such changes were caused by a nearby and powerful ghost.  Or, on rare and terrifying occasions, a not so nearby and obscenely powerful ghost.

For example, that Pariah Dark guy he’d heard about from some of the ghosts he traded with.  Flynn sure was glad someone else had taken care of him.  Not that Flynn was much good in a fight against any ghost more powerful than that annoying one in overalls that showed up whenever Flynn so much as thought of making anything even vaguely box-shaped.

Which wasn’t that often.  Flynn had never really nailed the whole carpentry thing. Ha.  He’d never been super great at the whole square thing either. Because he wasn’t one.  Skipped school and everything.  The whole high school experience.  Ha.  

Sometimes he really cracked himself up, but only in the most depressing of ways.  

He sighed, heavily.  Maybe he should think about spending more time in his hideaway cave, under his cottage (aka his shack, it was a shack, who was he kidding).  Stock up on supplies.  Get ready to weather a storm.  Literal or metaphorical.  

But hiding out in the cave was so boring.  There wasn’t anything to do down there. Except try to design better grass shoes and to patch his increasingly ragged clothing with limited amounts of thread. He preferred being outside greatly. Even if it was just on his little floating island, messing around in his little garden, growing potatoes and blood blossoms, digging for those crystals ghosts seemed to fear and desire in equal measure.

Flynn was peripherally aware that he was supplying the ghosts he traded with the equivalent of ghost uranium (one of the few human-world things he’d picked up was a middle school science textbook), but…

Yeah.  Guy had to eat, and the Ghost Zone didn’t exactly have cops running all over the place, or the United Nations, or… yeah.  Honestly, the Ghost Zone didn’t have much of anything, at least not in these parts.  It was pretty empty around here.  

Just like Flynn’s heart.  

Ha.  

Yeah.  That was a good one.  

Eh.  Life wasn’t so bad.  He was sort-of-kind-of friends with half a dozen undead monsters of questionable morality, had his own house, most of his teeth, and copious free time.  Plus, it had been a while since the ‘rocks from nowhere’ decided to trash his roof.  Which was bad for the sport he had invented (Chucking Rocks into the Misty Void), but good for roof integrity.  And not having a concussion.  Or losing any more teeth.  

But, back to his original topic.  

Flynn glared absently at the Zone at large. Okay, yeah, something was going on. Was it Flynn’s problem? Maybe.  Was it directly Flynn’s problem?  No.  The day was otherwise clear and ‘normal’ (the term being used loosely in the Ghost Zone), so he might as well go about his day—

The sky tore open in front of him.  

Flynn recognized that.  Before he knew what he was doing, he threw himself away from the portal. The last time he’d stepped through one of those—

The thought crossed his mind that this portal might lead back to Earth, back home, back to Mom.  But he knew from his ghostly friends how unlikely it was that the portal would put him anywhere near his home physically, not to mention temporally. It might not even lead back to Earth for that matter.  

He took cover behind a boulder, cursing his blasé dismissal of potential danger.  Who knew what could come out of a portal?  At least according to the ghosts he talked to.  Hopefully, nothing came out that he couldn’t beat into submission with his ectoranium staff.  

This was going to suck so much.  

The portal disgorged three floating eyeball ghosts in voluminous robes.

(One of the other books Flynn had gotten his hands on was a dictionary.  Which he had read.  Twice. Living on a tiny floating island was boring when it wasn’t terrifying.)

Ah, heck.  He could take one ghost.  Three? Yeah.  Not a chance.  

Maybe they’d leave?  They couldn’t know for sure he was here.  With how unpredictable portals were, and all.

“Flynn Walker,” intoned the central eyeball ghost with a great deal of gravitas.  

Flynn’s body did something between a cringe and a blanch.  

He was never trusting Globithar the Lapidarist’s tall tales ever again.  He wasn’t going to give him any more discounts for them, either.  No way to control a portal his scarred left butt cheek.  

“Flynn Walker,” repeated the eyeball ghost, now with a touch of annoyance.  

“In accordance with the laws of the Infinite Realms,” said the leftmost ghost, in a higher-pitched voice, “we call you to take up your position in the Court of the King of All Ghosts as a member of his family.”

Ah, that ectocontamination Aunt Maddie had sometimes talked about had finally caught up with him, and he was hallucinating something fierce. Either that, or these ghosts thought unbelievable jokes were good bait.  They weren’t.  Flynn would know.  He’d made many unbelievable jokes.  They’d never attracted anything but groans.  

Ha.  

“This is ridiculous,” hissed the third ghost.  “He isn’t even a real ghost.”

“He’s more ghostly than Phantom’s sister,” said the second.  

“We don’t have any choice about her, though.  Can’t we simply… not tell Phantom about this Flynn? Especially if this cousin of his is so craven as to hide at a moment like this.”

Rude, but accurate.  

“He’ll find out,” said the first eyeball, tiredly. “He always finds out.  Damn Clockwork.”

This was officially too weird for Flynn.  Why were they cursing out clocks?

“Because they’re petty and don’t have anything better to do.”

Flynn may or may not have shrieked like a little girl at the voice behind him.  The uncertainty was mostly because Flynn hadn’t seen or heard a little girl since he was in the vicinity of his cousin, Jazz, which was years ago.  At least a decade.  

But he did scream.  Loudly.  Which he really should know better than to do, living in the Ghost Zone and all.  He brought his staff up defensively, too, though, so his self-preservation skills hadn’t completely shorted out.

“Clockwork!” chorused the eyeball ghosts.  

“Yes, yes,” said the ghost who’d snuck up on Flynn, flicking imaginary dust off his robe as he smoothly, and dizzyingly, shifted between ages.  “I’m sure you’re all very shocked that I’m here, after you just finished complaining about how much I know.”  He examined his fingernails.  “Now, Mr. Walker—”

“Walker?” shrieked one of the eyeballs.  

“Yes, he is related to our illustrious sheriff. As I was saying, I am here to bring you to your cousins, who have risen quite a bit in this world.”

“What.”

“It is, indeed, rather surprising,” said Clockwork. “To those who cannot see the twists and turns of fate.  Or those who are willfully blind to those twists and turns.”  He eyed the eyeballs.  

“What,” repeated Flynn, more forcefully.  

“Clockwork,” growled the lead eyeball.  

“Allow me to explain,” said Clockwork.  “Do you recall your youngest cousin, Daniel?”

“Uh,” said Flynn.  He adjusted his grip on his staff.  “Vaguely?”

“He was crowned King of All Ghosts a few weeks ago. As a member of his family and an active participant in ghost society, you are automatically a member of the court. Assuming you wish to be, of course.”

“You- You’re saying I have family here.”

“Indeed.”

“Like, Aunt Maddie?”

Something odd passed over Clockwork’s face.  “No.  Your cousins. Daniel, specifically.”

“Wait, wait, he was a baby.  Wouldn’t he only be, like, ten or something?”

“Fifteen,” corrected Clockwork.  

“How did he die?”

“You will have to ask him that,” said Clockwork.  He raised an eyebrow.  “If you would like, you can sleep on this and I will return tomorrow.”

Flynn bit his lip.  Hard.  Okay. He wasn’t dreaming.  And- And this ghost didn’t seem to be lying. What would the point of that even be, anyway?  Flynn was nothing.  He didn’t have anything they could possibly gain by lying like this.  

“I’ll go with you,” said Flynn.  

“Excellent,” said Clockwork, clapping his hands.  “Then let us away to the castle.”

.

Well.  That was certainly a castle.  Or a palace? Flynn wasn’t sure of the difference. The ghosts hadn’t lied about that, at least.  

It was a big step up from Flynn’s house.  Which, honestly, more deserved the title of hovel. Or perhaps shack.  

Or even hole, when compared to all this.  Dear god, this place was fancy.  

Flynn hunched his shoulders, feeling out of place even as Clockwork led him deeper into the massive edifice.  

Come on, Flynn, he thought furiously at himself. Some of these people aren’t even wearing skin.  You are not underdressed.  

Clockwork brought him to a normally sized (which was, incidentally, not a given in this place, which contained both huge and tiny doors) door with understated but elegant carvings.  “Here are your rooms,” said the ghost.  “You will find a selection of clothing in your size in the wardrobe, and the bathroom is fully stocked and human safe.”

“Human safe?”

“Human safe.”

That was ominous.  

“There is a bell in the room that will summon a servant should you need one.  I will collect you for dinner in three hours.  Long enough for you to relax, I should hope.”

Or long enough for him to worry himself into pieces and chew on their curtains.  

… There would be curtains, right?  This place had to be fancy enough to rate curtains.  

He opened the door.  

Lots of curtains.  Lovely.

No, really.  It had been so, so long since he’d seen curtains.  He might be crying.  

Oh, gosh, that bed looked so nice and soft.  He wanted to—

Wait, no, he was filthy.  Filthy.  Covered in years’ worth of grime.  He hadn’t had a proper bath since he’d still been living with his mom.  

Pathetic, right?

There was a human-safe bathroom in here somewhere. Beyond the snark, he was looking forward to having a human-safe bath.  He was craving a human-safe bath.  With clean water and soap.  

Could the bathroom also have toothbrushes?  Toothpaste?  Unrestrained luxury.  

The bathroom door was in the same style as the outer door, but the handle was different, lighter.  The inside was tiled and surprisingly modern.  

There was a sink.  

He played with the sink faucet for several long minutes before remembering that he’d come in to take a bath.  

He spent several minutes playing with the bathtub faucet.  

Then he got into the bathtub and experienced a half hour of combined panic (he didn’t really know how baths worked anymore, and the sensations were weird) and nirvana (the sensations were also good).

He had to keep cycling the water.  Because he made it so, so dirty.  He sank into the water, up to his chin.  

When he got out of the water, he decided his hair was a lost cause.  Because it was always a lost cause.  Only, it was even more of a lost cause now, because it was also wet and had been stripped of its usual protective layer of oils.  

There was a variety of toothbrushes and toothpastes available.  He tested them out and discovered that he would probably need the services of a dentist. A good one.  Were there ghost dentists?  There had to be ghost dentists.  They had a lot of teeth.  A lot of teeth.  Sharp, scary, teeth.  

Ugh.  His baby cousin was a ghost.  He’d probably have teeth like a shark.  When he’d last seen him, he’d hardly even had any teeth at all.  Because.  Baby. Little, tiny, baby.  

Who Flynn barely knew.  

Why did he even want Flynn?  Or was it just some weird ghost tradition thing?  

Ghosts were weird.  Anything could be possible.  

He flopped face-first onto the bed.  His bed?  His temporary and maybe permanent bed.  If he was allowed to stay here.  

Oh, gosh.  Clockwork and the eyeballs seemed to know how to make portals.  Could they make a portal back to the human world? To Earth?  

To Flynn’s proper time?

To Mom?  

He missed Mom so much, even after all this time.  

(Dad?  Not so much. He hardly remembered the man.)

He wouldn’t know until he asked, he supposed.  But asking maybe-royalty would be scary. Talking to all these powerful ghosts was scary enough by itself.  

Ehhhh, he thought he’d gotten rid of his more cowardly side by now.  He was living in the scariest place out of the world.  

Ha.  

Yeah.  

He crawled out of the bed, dragging his nice, clean self to the wardrobe.  Oh, boy. Many clothes.  He hadn’t even seen so many clothes since the last time he’d been in department store.  Incredible.  

They were so fancy, too.  He didn’t know how to choose.  

He didn’t even know how to wear half of these things. At least half of them.  

He began to tease lengths of fabric from the wardrobe and lay them on his bed.  Some of them looked cool.  And also the kind of thing that he’d destroy just by touching it.  

Except he had already touched them, and they hadn’t been destroyed yet.  Yet.

Oh, cool, there was underwear.  Wow.  It had been a while.  

.

Okay.  The bed was incredibly nice, but somehow too nice.  Like, no nap nice.  

He wanted to take a nap.  

But no nap was occurring.  

The bed was too soft.  Ugh.  This was like the thing in that one war novel he’d read when he was probably way too young to read it.  

He groaned.  He hadn’t thought that was real.  He’d thought it was an exaggeration, or just drama.  Or something.  

He crawled off onto the floor and the wonderfully plush carpet.  

Maybe he could sleep here.  

.

He woke up to a faint knocking sound and rolled sideways under cover.  What cover? Oh.  Bed.  That was the bed.  He was in the room.  In the castle.  The ghost king’s castle.  

His baby cousin’s castle.  

He was going to cry.  This was so weird.  

Embarrassed, he rolled back out from under the bed and threw on the first clothes that came to hand.  Which.  Might not have been the best of ideas.  But, hey, he was dressed now.  

He stumbled over to the door and spent several long, embarrassing seconds sleepily remembering how to open doors with this type of handle.  Eventually, though, he managed it.

Clockwork was standing there.  One of his eyebrows went up.  “Interesting choice.”

Flynn looked down.  Orange and green went fine together.  What was he talking about?  

Forget it, he wasn’t about to develop a sense of social shame after living in a hut for a decade or so.  

“Come, now.  Your cousins are expecting you.”

Flynn briefly considered ducking out, phasing through the floor and out of the castle using a tangibility trick he’d picked up a couple of years back.  At least, that would spare him from this ‘diner’ he was rapidly approaching.  

He decided not to do that.  Running away wasn’t his style.  

(Who was he kidding?  That was definitely his style.  He would have run away so, so much if he had anywhere to run to.)

(It wasn’t like he could exactly fight ghosts on even footing.  Each and every one of them had Martian Manhunter’s powerset.)

“Don’t be afraid, Flynn,” said Clockwork, looking back over his shoulder.  

“Do you, like, read minds?”

Clockwork chuckled.  “Only the future.”  He swung the large, gilded door open.  

Inside, there was a long table, set with silvery plates.  There were a small group of children beyond it.  One of them waved at him.  Was that Danny?

Flynn took a deep breath and walked forward, back to his family.  

[honey-dewey]

Buckle Bunny

Pairing: Jack ‘Whiskey’ Daniels/Reader

Word Count: 2,582

Warnings: None

Permanent Taglist: @phoenixhalliwell

You were bribed (AKA you lost a bet) into going to a local rodeo and being a Buckle Bunny. Unbeknownst to you, a mildly bored Jack Daniels is waiting in the crowd. Unbeknownst to Jack, the buckle bunny he’s smooth talking is a whole lot more than meets the eye. 

“I am not wearing this!” You shouted, flinging the hat at your laughing best friend. “I am wearing my own hat.” 

Elle, still doubled over with laughter, took the shitty hat from you, gesturing to Harmony to pass over your actual cowboy hat. You settled the brown hat on your head, sighing. 

About a month ago, Elle had made a stupid bet with you, who could stomach one of Harmony’s ridiculously frilly pink drinks the longest. You’d puked first, and therefore lost the bet. Elle’s reward? She demanded you attend your next rodeo as a buckle bunny. 

“I hate you,” you growled, wiggling in your tiny shorts. “This is embarrassing! I am competing today.” 

“I told you that you can absolutely put on real clothes when you compete,” Elle said, handing you your boots. “But until then, I want you to get some numbers! Find you a nice sugar daddy or something.” 

You reached behind you to smack a squealing Elle, Harmony almost falling off the bed with how much she was laughing. 

“We’re gonna be late,” Harmony said finally, standing and saving Elle from your wrath. “Come on.” 

The drive to the rodeo was quiet, with you sulking in the backseat. Buckle bunnies were often the bane of your existence, and now you had to pretend to be one. 

The rodeo was, as expected, crowded. The fair was also in town, and between the rides and the rodeo, there were hundreds of people gathered in what was once an empty field. 

“Just find a hot cowboy and go flirt relentlessly!” Elle said as she walked off to find the funnel cake. “Have fun!” 

You gave her a middle finger, tried to pull your shorts down yet again, and headed off. 

Wandering was easy. The fair and rodeo were your playground, and you knew every corner of the space, from the rigged games to the mildly unstable Ferris wheel. 

“Well hey there little lady,” a voice drawled beside you as you finally decided to grab something to eat. “What’s a pretty thing like you doin’ all the way out here?” 

Resisting the urge to gag, you turned, seeing an unfairly attractive man raising his eyebrows at you. He was stupidly good looking and dressed like a southerner, but not a full blooded cowboy. The hat looked authentic enough though. 

“Oh,” you said, trying to act ditzy. “Just wanted to see what the commotion was. It’s so hot!” 

The man grinned, taking off his sunglasses and revealing blazingly amazing brown eyes. In the sun, they looked whiskey gold. “Well, I’m Jack.” 

You gave him your name, looking wistfully at the food truck. “I’m gonna grab a drink. You want somethin’?” 

Jack shrugged. “Might as well.” 

You two stood beside each other as the line moved up, until you were ordering your good luck charm, a shamrock green cup of shaved ice. It was margarita and spearmint flavored, aptly nicknamed the Mojito, despite not having a drop of alcohol. 

Jack took a minute, but finally ordered a plain cherry cup of shaved ice. He beat you to the register, winking as he paid. 

“I could’ve paid,” you pouted, taking a bite of your shaved ice and immediately feeling a reprieve from the blistering heat. 

“You could’ve,” Jack agreed. “But you didn’t.” 

Snorting in a likely unflattering way, you led Jack towards the rodeo portion of the field. “So. What’re you here for, cowboy?” 

Jack smiled. “The rodeo, of course. Got the day off of work. Figured I’d relax the way my dad used to.”

You smiled. Jack was surprisingly more likable than you’d expected. You and him found a spot in the mostly empty bleachers around the rodeo ring and just talked. The metal of the bleachers burned your thighs, but you ignored it in favor of staring at Jack. 

He was gentle with you, happily explaining rodeo terms you’d known since before you could walk. You pretended to be entirely clueless, keeping up the buckle bunny act. You’d almost told him about the dare, but then the thought of him seeing the supposedly dumb bunny getting a nearly perfect saddle bronc score was too good to pass up. 

When an announcer called all the competitors to the tent, you jumped up, checking your watch. “Oh goodness, is that the time? My daddy’s gonna kill me!” 

Jack chuckled, standing as well. “Sure you can’t stay? The show’s about to start.” 

You shook your head. “Sorry cowboy, daddy’s super strict. See you!” You planted a kiss on his cheek and winked as you walked away. 

Jogging to the competitor’s tent, you immediately checked in and detoured to the bathroom. Putting on proper pants, a button down shirt, a shamrock green vest, your belt and leg covers, and your spurs, you rushed out to join the other competitors, nodding to men you’d competed with all your life. This wasn’t a real competition, it was mostly just for fun and entertainment, so you weren’t worried about the competitors being nasty. In fact, some of them grinned and clapped your back in greeting, as if you’d been the best of friends for years. 

Turning your attention to the blathering announcer, you tuned in just as he announced the saddle bronc. You were second to last, with only five people before you. 

Those five people went and were judged loosely, and then they were leading you to the horse you’d be riding. It wasn’t your horse, no, your horse was waiting for the timed events. Saddle bronc was the only roughstock event you rode, and boy was it worth the risk. 

Situating your spurs above the chestnut horse’s shoulders, you gripped the bronc rein tied to the horse’s bridle with one hand and secured your hat one last time with the other. 

Just like that, a buzzer was sounding, and you were off, jolting around wildly as the chestnut tried to throw you off. But between your hand and your thighs, you weren’t going anywhere. The chestnut kept kicking, and you moved with him, back and forth and back and forth like a wave, your free hand occasionally touching your hat to keep it on your head, but it mostly stayed free, helping keep the balance. Your spurs dug into the chestnut’s shoulders and neck, just enough pressure to piss him off and keep him kicking, but not too much, lest you actually hurt the horse. 

The chestnut whirled around, trying to throw you. You’d never ridden this horse before, but he was definitely a bucking horse, and knew as much about the job as you did.

Eventually, you were thrown from the chestnut’s back, hitting the dirt and rolling away from the horse so he didn’t hurt you. 

You stood once it was safe, hearing cheers as you swept your hat from your head and bowed deeply, a triumphant grin on your face. 

“And for competitor 6, a score of 90!” 

It wasn’t your best, but you were extremely happy, bowing to the judges and walking off to go wait for the final competitor. As you waited, you looked over the events list. For the timed events, steer wrestling would be first, after the roughstock events finished. You didn’t compete in steer wrestling. Not because you couldn’t, but because, like the remaining two roughstock events, they were too rough on your body. You’d stick to the other events, thank you very much. 

When the final competitor finished, they called everyone out to assess scores. A 90 was damn close to perfect, and if you were paying attention correctly, you’d won. 

The small podium was painted with the traditional one, two, and three, and the announcer, a cowboy with a real buckle bunny by his side, began to announce scores. 

Third place was a valiant 75. The buckle bunny placed the medal around his neck, grinning widely. 

Second place was a damn good 85. He clapped your back as he jogged off to take his prize. 

“In first place, competitor 6, with a score of 90!” 

You walked to the podium, stepping up above the number one, bowing slightly so the buckle bunny could slip the medal around your neck. As you waved to the crowd, you put on your most natural smile and scanned the crowd for Jack, but it was too late. You were leaving to go wait out the rest of the events you weren’t in, unable to spot your mystery man. 

Alone in the stables, you stroked down Lilac’s nose, humming to yourself. Lilac was your rodeo girl, speedy as hell and perfect when paired with you. She nudged into your shoulder, and you didn’t know it was a warning until you heard a voice behind you. 

“And so it seems I was fooled.” 

You turned, seeing Jack leaning against a wall. 

“Shouldn’t you be watching the rodeo?” You asked. “I mean, that’s got to be more interesting than talking to a fake bunny.” 

Jack shrugged. “Yeah, but I ain’t here to talk to a fake bunny. I’m here for the real rodeo rider. That was impressive. How long have you been competing?” 

“Since I was able to ride,” you admitted. “My dad used to put on fake competitions for me to practice in when I was six. Been doing rodeo events ever since.” 

“Huh.” Jack drew closer. “Are you the bettin’ kind?” 

Smirking, you took a step closer to him, so you were basically chest to chest. “That depends. What’re the stakes?” 

“My phone number.” 

You were definitely interested. “What must I do to obtain said number?” 

Flicking the brim of your hat, Jack began to walk away, calling out over his shoulder, “Win the rest of your events.” 

You snorted. Even without something as interesting as Jack’s prize on the line, you’d still probably win your events. 

That didn’t stop you from being nervous. By the time they were calling the barrel racers out, you were a ball of anxiety. Lilac nudged into you, snorting as you stroked her nose. 

You were set to go second out of the five competing, watching the competitor before you grab a decent score. Swinging up into Lilac’s saddle, you took a deep breath. Decent was good. Perfect was better. 

The buzzer went off, and so did Lilac. Swinging immediately to the right barrel, you kept control, turning her in a hairpin turn, your knee just barely grazing the barrel. It remained upright, and you moved on. Lilac was going top speed, tightly turning the next barrel, you atop her, sure this time would break your personal best. 

The third barrel was the final one, and it was perfection. You cued perfectly, Lilac turned perfectly, and then it was over. 

“Competitor 2 with a time of 15.7 seconds!” 

You laughed, adrenaline and joy coursing through you. Your personal best had been stubbornly stuck at 16.1 for months, but this had just shattered it. 

In the end, you won the event, immediately moving on to the tie down. The last event. 

You were first, Lilac nervously prancing behind the barrier as they brought out a calf. You’d been told all your life tie down events were cruel, and you agreed to a certain degree. But the way this rodeo did it, you were secure in the knowledge that the calf wasn’t getting hurt today. Not without severe consequences. 

The countdown began, and you fiddled with your lasso. It was a familiar feeling, and you adjusted it just right, hearing the countdown reach zero. The calf took off, and two seconds after it, so did you. 

Your first throw of the lasso was successful, grabbing the calf as you sprung off Lilac and felt her back up, giving you a tighter rope. You moved forward, grabbing the calf and flanking it in one swift movement. You took the end of the lasso and tied an expertly precise and incredibly fast three bone cross, securing the calf and hopefully, your win. 

Your time was called. A 9.3. Not a personal best, but pretty damn close considering your best was an even 9 seconds. 

The next few riders averaged around a 10, with someone nabbing a neat 9.5 that made your heart pound. And then, the final competitor. 

Your blood chilled. Jack, atop a beautiful black horse, sat behind the barrier, adjusting his lasso. Leaning against the fence, you didn’t even blink as his calf raced out, and right behind the calf, him. 

Suddenly, your original speculation of him being southern but not a cowboy was gone. He was picture perfect in that saddle, the lasso in his hands moving as if it were alive. He was good. Too good. 

As he walked away from the calf, the announcer called his time, and your heart almost stopped. 

He’d scored a 9.2. 

He’d bested you by a tenth of a second. 

Accepting your second place medal was hard. Standing next to Jack, you felt a bit bad for feeling so jealous. Jealousy wasn’t your color, so maybe that wasn’t it. Maybe you were just disappointed. 

After the show, you packed up your three medals, two golds and a silver, and gave Lilac a pat as you handed her off to the stable hands. Leaving the stable, you looked around for Elle and Harmony, eager to get some funnel cake and play around with the horribly rigged games before the fireworks. 

“Hello darlin’.” 

The drawl made you turn. Jack grinned at you from the barn, and you walked over to him. 

“Congrats,” you said, nodding to his gold medal. “That was impressive riding.” 

“All part of the job,” Jack said, shrugging it off. “Anyway, I believe you earned your prize.” 

You were shocked. “I didn’t, actually. I got silver. You won the last event.” 

Jack smiled. “Ah, but two golds beats one, doesn’t it?” 

He pulled out a pen, and you let him scrawl his number onto your hand. As he pocketed the pen, he tipped his hat to you and turned in the direction of a woman with short hair and a neat white button up who was apparently waiting for him. “By the way, green looks good on you!” 

Jack walked away, making a ‘call me’ gesture as he disappeared into the crowd. 

“What was that?” Elle yelled as he jumped on you from behind. “He was cute!” 

Harmony was a bit nicer, squealing and grabbing your hand. “Jack Daniels,” she read. “Oh hell no, that is not his actual name!” 

You yanked you hand back, smiling and taking a picture of the number, just in case. “I want funnel cake.” 

Promptly ignoring all the questions for the rest of the night, you tried not to think about the number until you fell onto your bed, hat securely tossed onto your lamp. 

Finally, you called the number. 

“Jack Daniels, what can I do for you?” 

“Jack?” 

“Bunny!” 

You sighed. “Do not call me that.” 

Jack chuckled. “Struck a nerve?” 

“Just a small one.” You rolled over, trying to think of what to say. “So, I’ve got another rodeo soon.” 

“Oh?” 

You nodded, despite it being pointless. “Yeah. I’m a judge, and I’m allowed to bring a date.” 

Jack paused. “Bunny, are you asking me on a date?” 

“Maybe.” 

Another pause, and then Jack laughed. “Consider it done bunny. On one condition.” 

You smiled. “You never call me bunny ever again?” 

“Nah,” Jack said. “Wear somethin’ green.” 

Feeling giddy, you eagerly nodded. “Consider it done Mr. Daniels.”

[jinxxedwammys]

Ok hear me out. I’ve listened to “Sway with me (slowed)” by Cytus II and I have this whole imagine of the reader at a masquerade ball as an undercover agent, and as The Wammy Bois (preferably L or Near) S/O or crush. Well the situation turns for the worst and L (or near) rushes out into the party (he was originally watching on cams) to get a hold of the situation to either like confront the Bad Guy or just protect the reader. Idk I think about it when I listen to the song. Love your writing btw

Aww thanks anon, I'm glad you like my writing! And damn, I like this one a lot! This calls for a fic. Thanks for requesting! (Not me accidentally making this somewhat like that ball scene in Black Butler.. oof)

For this I chose L and decided not to do Near, I hope that's okay.

Warnings: Mentions of human trafficking, Main antagonist being a creep, daggers.

(Image from some wallpaper site and very lightly and badly edited with befunky)

The night was young, the sun had only just set below the horizon plunging the city into darkness. At 8PM this night there was a masquerade ball at a very wealthy businessman's mansion. As all the high society guests exited their limousines and luxury cars escorted by servants you stood staring at the lavish mansion.

"I feel so out of place here... Do I really blend in enough?" You quietly asked Watari who stood beside you as your "servant". You shifted uncomfortably and looked to him for an answer.

"Yes, of course you do. You fit in very well. Please do not worry, I'm sure you will be alright in there." He bowed before reentering the drivers seat of the vehicle you'd arrived in. You took a deep breath before carefully ascending the marble stairs leading to he door. Before you could be noticed by anyone in particular, you placed the earpiece you had been provided in your ear disguising it with your hair.

Unlike the other guests, tonight wasn't about enjoyment or entertainment for you. You were assisting with an investigation into one of the high class men attending this party known as Daniel Grant. He had been suspected of human trafficking, though it seems he had been doing more than just that. A recent investigation by the private investigator known only to the public as L suggested that he may potentially be behind multiple murders in the area. As it happens, you were the lynchpin in solving this case and getting the evidence needed to put Daniel Grant and all involved behind bars.

He seemed to target young people between the ages of 18 and 25. As it happens, you were perfect for that role. You were also a police officer. So only two weeks ago, you had been asked to assist the one and only L. Of course, when he contacted you, you were overjoyed. Finally, something more interesting than petty crime! But now, as you entered the lavish mansion you were far less confident than you were when you initially joined.

You knew L was watching the camera feeds from the CCTV system, but it still didn't calm your nerves. You nervously approached the table where the guest sign in book was placed, carefully signing your alias. Then you made your way to the ballroom where the party was held. You took a deep breath and adjusted your mask before entering into the room.

Inside, everyone was chatting amongst themselves every single person dressed very formally, women in beautiful ballgowns, men in fancy suits. Every single one wore a masquerade mask, some plain and simple, some adorned with gemstones, lace and other ornate designs. Everyone went silent when one man tapped his glass with a fork.

"Hello everyone, I'd like to thank you for attending tonight. Thank you all for celebrating my niece's 20th birthday with us" He motioned to a young girl blonde girl wearing a dark pink dress with a black lace mask. Everyone gave a short applause in response. "Please enjoy yourselves" He bowed slightly. You hadn't known this was a birthday party beforehand. You wondered what Daniel Grant had to do with this girl. About 20 minutes into the party, you decided to check in with L as you hadn't heard a thing from him since you arrived. You excused yourself to the bathroom.

"L are you listening?" You asked quietly and waited for a response.

"Yes, I am, is anything wrong?" He asked. You shook your head before you realized he couldn't see you right now, there were no cameras in the bathroom.

"N..No, I haven't seen Daniel yet either... I was just making sure you were there." you hurriedly replied.

"Mmh, I'll guide you to him if you would like, I can see him on the cameras." He replied clearly eating something.

"Okay, please do!" You left the bathroom and reentered the ballroom doing your best to hide the fact that you were scanning the room for the suspect. L's voice came over the earpiece again, this time instructing you to look for a woman in an emerald green dress near the center of the room. You entered the crowd of guests. Your eyes widened slightly when you saw the woman L had been talking about. She was in fact talking to Daniel Grant. They seemed to know each other. You stayed back, waiting for L to say something.

"Seems like you found them, stay back for a little while, I'll tell you when to approach" He said. You of course didn't respond since you were surrounded by others in earshot. You casually checked your pockets and approached another guest making small talk to kill time. You had taken your eyes off of him for a second, and the moment you looked back, the niece was talking to him. L seemed to notice as well.

"Daniel is currently talking to an important innocent. Please intervene now." You looked around the room before casually approaching the two.

"Hello, I came to wish you a happy birthday!" You said, sort of putting yourself between them. She nodded, thanking you and went back to talking with Daniel. You sighed in annoyance, but persisted.

"Hey, could you by any chance show me to the washroom? I've been looking for it and I just can't find it" You asked. She looked at Daniel, excusing herself from their conversation before leading you to said washroom.

"I'm sorry for inconveniencing you... Oh.. and I think it would be best if you stayed away from that man." She gave you a quizzical look.

"Why is that? He's one of my mother's friends." She asked. You were kind of shocked. Another detail L had left out. You questioned if he trusted you before ultimately banishing the thought. Of course he trusted you. You wouldn't be the one confronting the guy if he didn't.

"Just trust me, he's no good" You warned. It was clear that she didn't take your words seriously whatsoever. She scoffed and left. Now what? You wondered. And just like that, L's voice came through again.

"I want you to talk to him, try your best to get him away from her." Immediately you left the bathroom and made your way back to the ballroom again. By now, there were a few people dancing. Unfortunately Daniel seemed to be one of them, but you had a plan. Dance your way to him! You started off with a tall man with a purple tie, then to an average height lady in a light blue dress, then a lady with a fuchsia pink dress, and so on until finally, you were dancing with Daniel.

"You're the person who rudely interrupted my lovely conversation with the guest of honor" He observed. His voice was cold, though there was a tinge of intrigue.

"And what of it?" You sort of snapped. He smirked, it sent chills up your spine. You backed away slightly, but he closed the distance.

"Oooh, I like them feisty" He growled into your ear. You couldn't help your face twisting in disgust at that.

"Why don't we go... somewhere more private" He suggested. It was then that L's voice came on through your earpiece.

"Go with him, I want to see what he'll do" You gulped. You really didn't want to go anywhere with that creep. But L's orders... You nodded and Daniel led you upstairs. You both stood in front of a bedroom door. He opened it, directing you to go inside. As you did, his eyes seemed to undress you. It was then that he took out a dagger holding it to your neck.

Meanwhile, L sat in his temporary investigation headquarters observing your actions. He had just stuck a piece of cake in his mouth when you had been attacked. He had not expected Daniel to be armed. You were in grave danger and he knew it. He immediately stood up, the fork clattered to the ground and the plate the cake had been on shattered as it hit the floor. He didn't care.

"Y/N, hang in there, I'll be there soon" he quickly said to you before rushing to get Watari and speed off to the party. The car ride seemed to take forever. Every second of it, he watched and listened. Daniel seemed to be just threatening you for the time being, but at any second, he might just kill you. The very second they arrived, L clumsily jumped out of the car and rushed up the stairs to the manor, past the guards outside and up another flight of stairs to where you were.

L had for the first time in his life, brought a gun in case things got even more ugly, but he doubted he'd need it. Daniel didn't seem like the type to be bold enough to kill in front of another person. Even so, he gripped the gun before entering.

"Let them go!" L commanded. Daniel's head snapped in his direction.

"Get out, this is none of your business" Daniel said, turning back to you.

"It is my business, that happens to by my significant other you have there." You blinked. Significant other? Is he acting? You thought before mentally reprimanding yourself for thinking that now. L moved a little closer.

"Oh.... She is... I'm sorry" Daniel backed away. It was kind of comical how he looked like a scolded dog. You stood up and walked towards L, glancing back a few times at Daniel to ensure he wasn't going to get violent again. And without another word, L led you out of the manor to safety. Though there was one question burning in your chest. When you were safely in the car you decided to voice it.

"L... Do you actually like me?" L turned to you, his expression was completely unreadable.

"Yes" He said almost monotonously. But that was good enough for you.

[90spumkin]

Angelic- Part One

Prologue / Next

Summary: Reader finds out the prince is coming home, and then gets her assignment from the league of assassins'. What could go wrong?

A/N: This is part one of this on going series, and I am so excited for it. This part does not introduce all of the characters so bare with me. Things should start getting really good in part two. I put the link for the prologue above the summary, that gives a little teaser of what’s to come.

Fun Fact: The name I came up with for one of the kingdoms ended up being the name of some French company that makes stuff for babies- I was curious if it was totally original or not and obviously it is not.

Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3pbCClNwdsUe0I7F0c2rl5?si=055186e0f1524687

Pairing: Prince! Spencer Reid x Fem! Reader

Warnings: swearing, teasing, and mention of dagger

Word Count: 1K

I always like to sit and try to enjoy any moment of calmness I possibly can. Sitting on the river’s edge feeling the soft grass under me and the cool breeze blow through my hair, calm is what I felt. It seems as if the world was only still right before the sun rose and split the sky with cracks of gold. Almost like the calm before the storm. 

In my case the storm was my sister, Emily. 

“Y/n get your ass up here. These chores aren’t going to do themselves.” She yelled from the top of the hill where our little house sat. I threw my head back with a groan soaking in a few more moments before treading up the hill. 

As I was walking back, I saw a flyer lying in the grass, the nights winds must have blown it this way from town. There was a picture of the Prince and it read ‘The royal highness returns home’. With a snort I continue walking up the hill and hand the flyer to my sister once I reached her. 

“About time, it’s been what 8 years since anyone has seen him in his own damn kingdom.” Emily despised all royals especially the ones who did absolutely nothing for their people, and I second that hatred. 

Before I could respond I noticed a figure walking our way down the path that led into town, it was my best friend Derek. 

He looked warned down and tired after a long night out on the river. 

“Morning shrimpy!” Derek rolled his eyes at the nickname and snatched the flyer from Emily. 

“Drooling over the returning prince, are we?” He teased causing both Emily and I to groan in irritation. 

Emily had a sullen look when she asked, “Were any of the fishermen able to catch anything last night?”

Derek’s face fell from a teasing smile to a sunken frown, “Barely, but it’s not enough to last more than a day in the market.”

Of course, the fear of our village starving started to sink in once more as I said, “It’s the war. They’ve move to the river front and all the blood and gun powder is driving away the fish.”

Emily and Derek just nodded in agreement, neither one of them wanting to have a conversation about the war that has been raging for over a decade before breakfast. 

Just then my mother, Anna, swung the door open and seen us all standing and not working. She had a look of annoyance until she saw the flyer in Derek’s hand and gestured for them to come inside without saying a word. 

Once we were all inside, we all started to move as one, as if we have all danced this dance a hundred times. Emily went to fetch father from the stables, Derek went to wake my youngest brother Daniel, and I helped mother set the table. 

Once everyone was seated mother spoke first, “There has been a cut in rations so this is all I could scrounge up before my trip into town.” 

No one said anything knowing that no words of encouragement or appreciation was needed; mother understood that we understood and making light of the situation was just irrational and she raised us better than that. 

Once we began eating father handed me a piece of folded parchment while continuing to eat. Everyone around the table did not spare a glance at the transaction or questioned it whatsoever. They knew the containments of the letter and knew it was for my eyes only. 

You see to the outside world my family consisted of a mother and her two daughters who were both weavers, a farmer, and a schoolboy. That was all true, except what was held inside my letter was evidence that there was something much more to our little family. 

—-

“I’m guessing the league has a way of getting me inside the palace.” I was inside my father’s study pacing the floor as he watched me with amusement. There was panic building in the pit of my stomach, but I did not dare let it show especially in front of my father. 

He just nodded with a curt, “They do.”

I stopped pacing to look at him, “No detail from you or this vague letter.”

“Does it tell you a place and time to arrive?” He asked knowing very well that it does. 

“Yes but- “he held up a finger stopping me mid-sentence. 

I knew there was nothing I could say or do to get more information out of my father. 

Once outside away from everyone I opened the letter once again: Go to the edge of the palace stables at midnight. 

That is it, that’s all instructions the league of skilled and sophisticated assassins deemed necessary to tell me. There is one thing I know for sure about this assignment, I’m not going to the stables for a horse. 

——

I decided that I absolutely hated this assignment by the time I had reached the palace stables. I was freezing from the night air, and I had no idea who I was meeting.

A tap on my shoulder from someone behind me startled me and my defense instincts kicked in. I had my dagger pressed against a blond woman’s throat before she could even let out a scream.

“I am so sorry. You startled me.” I quickly removed my dagger and put it away inside my cloak. The woman let a genuine laugh, “It is quite alright my dear. I would have done the same thing. Hi, I am Penelope. I apologize for having you meet out here, I wasn’t quite sure how to get a princess in the castle without the towns people noticing.”

I stared at her, blinked a couple of times, and asked, “A what?” Penelope looked concerned as she slowly repeated herself, “A princess? You are the eldest princess of Isle Combelle, right?”

Damn it, this assignment was going to be a lot harder than I thought.

*

*

*

Tag list: @criminalmindzjunkie​ @brooklynxnicole​ @the-queen-of-moons​ @imdefinitelyfloating​

[ashintheairlikesnow]

Whumptober Day 15: Possession

CW: Blood, knives, stabbing, mild gore and skin removal, suicidal ideation from one character, some dehumanizing language

TIMELINE: The end of the Bad Arc

“Just-... fuck, keep going, please-” Ryan’s voice is thin and strained, and his back arches off the old hardwood floor, rattling the chain that connects his iron collar to the wall. There’s a fine sheen of sweat over his scarred, burnt, cut-up, healing skin. The ring of raw skin around his neck is surrounded by the scars of the old wounds, healed and reopened and healed and reopened as the collar never stops burning him alive. His head thumps back into the floor, heels pressing against it, panting up at the ceiling. “Don’t stop, Ora please, please don’t stop…”

Ora looks up, their lips pressed together, hazel eyes wide and full of more feeling than Ryan has ever seen them have before. Their hair hangs, bright, freshly-dyed Kelly green in their face. They’re sweating too, stripped to a tank top in the dim, unlit room, with only a little yellow sun coming through the paper that Ashley and Abraham tape over the window. Everything has a sickly yellow tint. “Ryan, this isn’t-...” They hiss, closing their eyes, gulping in deep breaths, before their hands go back to work again. “This isn’t going to do any good-”

“Yes, yes it will, it’s h-helping. I can feel it rising, fuck, please, God, don’t fucking stop now, he’s hurting Danny… he’s going to turn Nate into him... keep going keep going keep going keep going, fuck yes keep going, ah!”

Ryan’s eyes flicker bright and glowing, fall dull, flicker to life again. He digs his fingernails into the grain of the wood underneath him and wails as the knife Ora stole from Abraham digs deeper beneath the first few layers of skin over his hip.

The pain is a burning thing, but Ryan has spent a year drowning in pain, and he can handle this. He can survive this. 

Abraham has taught Ryan how to survive this, now.

There are lashes across his back that ache and itch, mostly healed. He feels a few of the deepest reopen, knows his blood will smear red across the floor, even as more blood dribbles from the skin as Ora slides the blade beneath. 

Below them, Danny is screaming behind his muzzle. Downstairs, kitchen or living room or outside - maybe it doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter, it doesn’t because wherever he is, Ryan is coming for him, just as soon-

As soon as Ora cuts the fucking tattoo off-

Your true teeth are waiting. It’s not a voice, it’s not his own thought, it’s a certainty that runs even deeper than that, rising like a wave, building like heavy dark clouds along the horizon of a dried-out place. It’s the scent of hot dry air in a land he’s never been to, a land that still feels like home. As Ora cuts the first strip of skin with the yellow eye off of his hip and peels it back, he feels something in him slowly cracking open, a darkness with yellow eyes waiting to step out.

He’s so fucking tired.

He’s tired, and sick, and hungry. 

He’s hungry in ways that eating cannot soothe. He wants something that Abraham can’t give him. He’s starving for it, and he needs it to save Danny, to save-... to save Nate, he thinks, who he can hear arguing with Abraham, but it doesn’t matter. 

He’s going to do for Danny what his big brother has always done for him.

He’s going to take this pain, and survive it, and then he’s going to save Daniel Michaelson from being destroyed.

“That’s-... oh god, that’s one,” Ora mutters, their face pale and greenish around the edges. He watches them jerk forward, fighting the urge to throw up at the sight and smell of so much blood. Ryan takes a deep breath and reaches out, gripping onto their wrist. His hands are slippery-slick with sweat that keeps pouring off of him. 

The yellow light from outside shines on his cheekbones - more pronounced than when he came here - as he stares them down. “Ora.”

They keep staring down. “Y-yes? Yeah, I can, I can do it-”

“You have to help me do this,” Ryan says, waiting until Ora slowly looks up at him again, until their eyes meet. 

Make them sleep. Make them sleep, and then, then you can move through their mind and-

He shuts out the voice - or not a voice, but a knowledge. A truth of himself he has never been allowed to face, but it’s a truth he needs if he is going to save Danny’s life today. Downstairs, his brother’s animal screams through a locked jaw continue, and he can hear Nate, too.

Begging for his brother’s life.

It’s only Abraham’s words that carry with effortless projection through the thin walls, up the stairs, and right to Ryan’s ears. It won’t take long, Nate. And then you can protect him forever - or tell me no again and he doesn’t have to survive what happens to you, does he?

Bram, f-f-for the love of G-God-

I am beyond gods, baby.

I’ll d-do it, please, just don’t k-k-kill him, pl-please, please, I’ll d-do it-

Put your back up against that tree, baby.

“Please, Ora.” Ryan groans, agony throbbing up his hip. A pain sharp enough to be felt all the way to his toes, and he rolls his hips in a pantomime of pleasure. The pain is so sharp that he can barely understand it. His mind steps away, trying to pull him into the space in his mind he has found to go when it’s Abraham’s knife carving him open. It takes all his willpower to stay here, here and now, and let the pain roll through him.

Ora nods, quickly, tucking hair back behind their ear, and then recoiling as they realize they’ve just streaked their green hair with Ryan’s red blood, their fingers are smeared with it. “Oh, god,” Ora whispers, and tears stand out in their eyes. “Oh my god, Ryan, I, I, what if-”

“It’ll work,” Ryan says, shaking his head a little. “It’ll work, Ora, I promise, just-... please, Danny’s running out of time-”

Ora leans back over, and Ryan wails again as the knife slips, soft as a kiss, back into his skin. The next eye is sliced apart first before the skin is pulled off, and Ryan chokes off sobs. He could never take pain like Danny could, but the year has done so much, and he keeps trying to cry and stopping himself, shaking his head, knocking it back into the floor, screaming but it doesn’t matter because Abraham thinks he’s screaming because of Danny, and instead…

The third eye is peeled back, dropped to the floor. 

He can feel it. It’s there, inside of him, pushing the darkness open a little further, and a little further.

As Ora cuts the final piece of the tattoo off of his body, the door inside Ryan doesn’t open - it is destroyed, and the thing he is but was never supposed to know he is comes loose. The thing he is tears apart all the barriers that have been built to keep him safe.

There is a roar inside his mind, gibbering laughter, and then that soft, soothing certainty.

Here are your teeth.

Ryan screams, back arched so much only his head and his feet touch the ground, as the world shifts on its axis, tilts and remakes itself, and the monster he was always made to be gives him back his birthright.

“Ryan?” Ora’s voice trembles, and he can hear in it what he has never heard before - he can hear their voice and know that they were born in a state thousands of miles from here, grew up unhappy, stayed unhappy. He can hear the choices they made that led them here. He knows what their girlfriend sounded like as she died. He can hear how they have told themself, again and again, that life is meaningless, but how they know somewhere deep down that it’s all a lie.

It’s a lie.

Life means something.

Life means death.

For the first time, Ryan Michaelson can direct it.

He drops back to the ground, groaning, eyes fluttering open and shut, before he reaches out to grip onto Ora’s arm again. He turns to look at them, and his eyes are glowing so brightly he can see the reflected light on Ora’s face, the flicker of yellow against their irises. There are things that move beneath the light in Ryan Michaelson’s eyes, and he no longer feels them pushed back under the surface of his skin. 

“I’m so fucking hungry,” He whispers, and his fingernails dig into Ora’s arm until they begin to bleed and whimper, but they don’t - can’t - pull away. Not until he lets them.

They will be lost in his eyes until he decides to let them go.

Downstairs, Danny’s screams have turned to hoarse sobbing, and now Ryan can hear like he has never heard before. Downstairs, Nate is saying, just l-l-let him live, I’ll d-d-do it, just don’t k-k-kill them, don’t k-kill them, pl-please, Bram, I’ll d-d-do it and Abraham is laughing and Abraham has won, but he hasn’t.

He hasn’t won yet.

Ashley, call it up. Let’s make him one of us.

“No,” Ryan whispers. “No. You can’t take him from Danny, too.”

“Ryan?” Ora’s voice is a whisper this time. He swallows around a strange lump in his throat, nervous, like a child riding a bike for the very first time. 

“Everything dies,” Ryan says, voice thick, foggy, distant. He can feel them now, teeth sharp as needles, and he runs his tongue over them, breathing hard. When he reaches his free hand up, the iron collar simply shatters under the strength of his grip when he squeezes it tightly, and the chain drops to the ground.

As soon as it’s gone, alongside the sense of a sweltering rainy season within him rises the vision of green hills, verdant and brilliant. Both of them call him home. He is so hungry. He is so hungry. He is so-

He pulls Ora on top of him, and they cry out as they slide over the blood that continues to run from his hip in a river. “You’ll die here,” He whispers, his hands on either side of their face, now, and they nod, tears bubbling and running down their cheeks.

They’re not afraid of him.

They are not afraid to die.

He can see how they stopped being afraid to die when they put a drug in Danny’s coffee and followed him in a car. He can see how they stopped being afraid to die and became someone simply waiting for death to find them.

He is hungry.

But Ora has been kind, sometimes, when no one else could be.

“I-I know. Please,” Ora whispers. “Please, please don’t let her be the one to kill me, Ryan, please. I don’t want to die hers. You, you can, whatever you are, you can kill me, right? You can-”

“You don’t have to die.” Ryan whispers, and they lean close, and Ora’s lips are warm, chapped, rough to kiss but so are his, and the heat flares up as he presses his lips to theirs. They whimper and then respond, and the green around him is sharp, the scent of ozone.

The clouds are building, rolling over themselves, dark and full-bellied, heavy with rain.

He is hungry, and he is thirsty, and he is two things that both want to feed to find the strength inside of him. He breaks free of the kiss. “I can save you.”

“She’ll never-”

“I can make you stronger than she is,” Ryan says, his mouth trailing from their mouth to the soft curve of their jaw, their neck, feeling them rock forward into him, their fingers curving around his shoulders and gripping tightly. “This doesn’t have to, to end here, Ora, but I need-”

Danny cries out.

Ryan groans, gripping Ora against him, and they are covered in his blood but he feels the heat growing inside of him anyway, and Ora is breathing harder. Ryan has never wanted someone who did not want him back. 

I’m just that gorgeous, he used to say, and flash a smile. He knows better, now. 

“Let me save you,” Ryan murmurs against the warmth of their neck, as their hands move to grip painfully tight into his dirty, tangled, overgrown black curls. “Let me make you stronger than she is. Let me, let me-... let me save Danny, Ora, please-”

“Yes,” They say, eyes up towards the ceiling, as his hands move down their back and settle low there, just above their hips, to rock them forward against him. “Yes, okay, yeah, save Danny, save Danny, save-”

“I’m saving you, too,” Ryan says, softly. “You’ll never have to kill anyone, I’ll show you how. I’ll show you. You’ll never have to-”

“Make me strong enough,” Ora gasps out, a sob edging their voice, tears that run down their cheeks and drip onto Ryan like holy water, burning him in all the best ways. “Make me strong enough to k-kill her so she can’t ever do this to anyone else. I don’t even care if I die, I don’t care, please, just so Penny can rest, so-”

“Yes, fuck, yes,” Ryan moans, closing his mouth around their throat, and the sharp needle-teeth sink in. It’s effortless, like he’s been doing it his whole life. The certainty in him surges upwards, and he buries his teeth deeper and deeper within them. He doesn’t want to hurt them, he doesn’t, but it doesn’t have to hurt, does it?

He’s never wanted someone who did not want him back.

Ora dissolves under his teeth, moaning not in pain but in a pleasure that runs deeper than any agony ever could, and their blood is hot and thick and iron-rich on Ryan’s tongue, but the iron doesn’t hurt him, because the green hills are not as strong, now, as the rains that fall on the grass and the trees somewhere far away.

He has been hungry for a year, without knowing what he was hungry for, but he knows now.

Blood. Fresh, bright, copper-salt-sweet, floods his mouth and he moans.

Blood and pleasure, the way it feels to have Ora’s hips moving against his, how they shift under his touch and he needs only to drop one hand to-

No. Not like this.

Not like this.

For now, the blood is enough.

Blood, rich and full of life, surging into him and they lay together in the scent of blood and sweat and tears, while someone else inside his brother’s body cries for help, and Ryan desperately tries to drink enough to provide it. He could kill them now, ruin Ora, leave their corpse torn to shreds to feed his growing hunger, but-

Ryan pulls free, and Ora whimpers. Ryan’s head is back against the floor as he forces the needle-teeth back from their throat with every hint of strength he has.

“Wh-what are you,” Ora says, pale as a ghost, shadowed and drawn, dying in his arms. “What, what are you?”

Ryan takes in a deep breath, his world sparkling around him. He lifts his own wrist up and tears at it with his teeth, ripping open thinned skin, his own blood running freely again before he pushes the wound to Ora’s mouth. 

“Ryan, what are you-”

“I’m special,” Ryan says, hoarsely. “Now drink.”

Ora latches on like a child to a bottle, tongue lapping at the wound in his wrist, their eyes shifting, fading, going dull and dark. Then they jerk back, hitching in a deep breath, and Ryan pants as he watches the dull hazel brighten until their eyes are glowing the color of a tree canopy in early fall, a heady mix of greens and browns that bounce light off their own skin when they look down.

There are things moving in the light behind Oracle Collins’s eyes.

“Now you’re… you’re special, too,” Ryan says, reaching up to touch their face. “You’re special, too.”

“I’m… I’m hungry,” Ora says, staring down at their hands, blinking, and then back up at him as they sit up pushing off of him, scrambling away and across the floor. They have smears of drying blood where Ryan’s hands have been, across their collarbone and arms and along the tank top at their back. “I’m so, I’m hungry-”

“I know.” Ryan swallows, pushing himself up on his elbows, and then forward, until he can crouch. Until he can stand, swaying, staring at the doorway. No door - puppies don’t need doors.

He’s not a puppy.

He’s not fucking Faerie Boy.

Danny isn’t Red all the time, and Ora isn’t too far gone to be worth saving.

Abraham spent a year teaching Ryan how to suffer.

It’s time to return the favor.

“Come on. You can hunt her, now.” He takes one stumbling step to the door, and then two. Through the doorway, leaving blood on the frame as he goes. It runs down his hips, his thigh, trickles over his ankle bone, drips onto the floor as he moves, each step half-stumbled, each step full of purpose.

His brother is crying downstairs. His brother is crying for help.

Danny needs him.

Ora is just behind him, and the two of them look nothing like the humans they have been and pretended to be. His feet thump on the stairs, one by one, and he feels the laughter inside of him, dark and deep. He thinks of the red supplement powder he’s taken in smoothies and shakes and stirred into soup every fucking week of his life. He thinks of his mother’s sharp edges, her high cheekbones, the look in her of a faraway place she has told him belongs to him, even if he never goes there.

She is right.

This belongs to him.

He is meant for this.

He is made of this.

“I’m still hungry,” Ora says, a little plaintively. “Will I ever stop being hungry?”

“Yes,” Ryan says, low and deep, as they reach the entryway. Outside, Danny is lying in the dirt, and there is more blood on him than unmarked skin. Outside, Abraham leans over Danny, knife just touching one of the few spaces left he has not ruined yet. Outside, Ashley leans against a tree, watching with avid interest.

Outside, Nate is tied to a tree, shouting, with a circle drawn around him and marked with evenly spaced white rocks. 

Inside the circle, something darker and older than Ryan is trying to make itself known.

“No,” He says, hoarsely. “No.”

Abraham pauses, and looks up. Ashley looks up, too, and hisses through her teeth. “Ora?”

“I’m… I’m so hungry, Ashley.” Ora looks down at their bloodstained hands, and back up again. “I’m hungry. You killed Penny and you made me help you kill people and I’m so… hungry, now, so...”

Ryan watches as Ora moves around him like they are in a dream, stepping down the ancient front porch, the wood steps creaking under their slight weight as they move. Whatever Ashley sees in Ora’s eyes, she recognizes well enough, in that moment, to run.

Ora starts running, too.

“Faerie Boy?” Abraham is still frozen, for just a moment, and the things that live in his eyes have been there so much longer than Ryan, but it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter, because Danny is going to die if this doesn’t work, and Nate is going to die if this doesn’t work, and Ryan finds, to his mild surprise, that he doesn’t want Nathaniel Vandrum to die at all. 

“My name isn’t Faerie Boy,” Ryan says. One step, two, and then another. Down the porch steps, naked and bloodied, with the final check on what he can do cut free of him. The red around his neck is ugly, he knows it must be, because Nate’s eyes go there and then away as he pales at the sight. “How-”

“Too late,” Abraham says with a sudden rictus of rage, and he reaches out - grabbing Ryan by the arm, his hand slipping in the blood that covers him, jerking him closer. “Come here, Faerie Boy. Take your punishment.”

Danny pushes between them - Ryan will never know how he moves so fast, when he looks back on this later. The furious need to defend Ryan lights Danny up, brings back all his height and strength from wherever he has hidden hem in his fear, and for a moment - just that one single moment - Danny is once again the sun that Ryan’s world revolves around. “No! You don’t get to hurt him anymore! Go to hell! You don’t get to do this to Ryan anymore!”

Abraham turns, to look at Danny, but Danny isn’t looking at him. His eyes are on Ryan, and his big brother is there through all the pain and will always step up to protect him-

“Bad dog. Time to put you down.” Abraham jams the knife in his other hand directly into Danny’s back, then jerks it to the side with inhuman strength, the handle breaking off with the blade still buried in Danny’s skin to the right side of his spine.

Danny’s scream echoes nearly to the sky as he collapses first to his knees and then into the dirt at Ryan’s feet, face down. 

Nate’s answering scream at the sight is somehow even louder. “D-Danny, no, no, pl-pl-please-”

“If I can’t have my puppy,” Bram snarls at Nate, stalking away from Ryan and back to the black-haired man, “neither can either of you.”

The darkness in the circle begins to rise, called by the pain, and fear, and blood - rising up to respond to the sacrifice - and Abraham gives Ryan a sneer before he moves into the circle, pulling Nate’s eyes to him.

Blood is pouring from his brother, and Ryan stares down at it dumbly, hardly understanding what has just happened. “Danny,” Ryan whispers.

His brother lies still in the dirt, blue eyes half-open, jerking in hitching, trembling breaths. Ryan feels, in the way that he can now, that his brother isn’t the person whose eyes move slowly to see him and then fade away. Someone else has been made for this moment, and someone else will help Danny die.

No-

Bram stares Nate in the eyes, and under the weight of grief and power, Nate begins to crumble. “B-Bram-... y-you can’t, you f-fucking-... you can’t do this-”

“I love you,” Abraham says, softly. He places a hand over Nate’s chest, pressing his cold palm to Nate’s bare skin. “Now we’ll be together forever.”

Ryan looks up and his lips move in a silent, no. He steps outside of the fabric of the world and then steps inside Nate Vandrum’s skin.

Let me in. 

Nate’s mind is a soundless scream being drowned by the power of Abraham’s eyes, and of whatever is trying to rise within the circle, whispering madness threatening to break its way in. But for all that Abraham spent a year teaching Ryan how to suffer - and five years with Danny - he spent even longer with Nate.

Nate knows how to hold him off, but he is breaking under Danny’s loss, the life he had held onto, the man he had saved once almost too late and now couldn’t save at all.

We can save him. Listen to me, Danny isn’t dead, yet.

Ryan can hear heartbeats around him like the crack of thunder after lightning, and his brother is still alive. Danny’s lungs still work, shuddering shallow breaths around the agony. Danny’s nerves fire pain at him from every possible angle, and Danny is buried deep inside him while someone else takes the final pain.

But it doesn’t have to be the final pain.

Danny doesn’t have to die here.

Someone else doesn’t have to be the last one drawing air into Danny’s lungs.

Ryan tries to be heard around Nate’s wailing grief. Let me in and I can save you, and you can save us, let me in.

The scream dies, and there is a terrible silence in Nate’s head, the silence of thinking he has been utterly, totally lost. That all his efforts to save the love of his life have failed. That there are no other options left but to give in and be what Abraham would make him. The darkness inside the circle will claim him and he will spread his own pain through the world, like Abraham and not like him. 

Danny whimpers, and Nate’s eyes, fading under Abraham’s influence, snap back to a bright and brilliant green as he turns to look at the redhead bleeding to death just inside the circle. “Danny,” Nate whispers.

Abraham grabs him by the chin and forces his eyes back and away. Ryan, moving blindly with power he has never been shown how to use, pushes himself along the inside of Nate’s body, feeling the constriction of the underside of his skin.

Let me in and let me save you. 

Help me save my brother.

Give yourself to me.

Give in.

Give-

Nate jerks in a gasping breath, tensing up all at once, and then relaxing as Ryan flexes fingers that aren’t his, swallows in a throat that doesn’t belong to him, and pulls lips back from Nate Vandrum’s teeth.

“My name is Ryan Michaelson,” He says with Nate Vandrum’s voice, “and I do not belong to you.”

He tears Nate’s hands free from the ropes that bind him and throws Nate’s body at Abraham Denner, burying the call of the demon in the circle with his own thirst for blood. Flat blunt white teeth tear at Abraham’s shoulder until skin breaks and black blood bursts free.

The thing trying to rise inside the circle is pushed back.

Danny’s heart is still beating.

For now.

---

@slytherynjolras, @whump-it, @bleeding-demon-teeth, @finder-of-rings, @burtlederp, @whumpywhumper, @18-toe-beans, @pumpkinthefangirl, @special-spicy-chicken, @swordkallya, @astrobly, @slaintetowhump, @moose-teeth, @untilthepainstarts, @whumpiary,  @lave-whump @raigash @cupcakes-and-pain

[niawritess]

The Lovestruck~Chapter 23

(20 February)

8:36 pm

You let out a sigh staring at the view infront of you while sitting on the bench. You had came to your usual place to distract your mind from your thoughts but that didn't seemed to be working.

As you were home after leaving the Café, you started to study as your exams were coming up. However, you couldn't as you felt unmotivated which led you to have several thoughts in mind and they didn't help but demotivated even more.

Wanted to take a walk, you ended up here and at that moment, you got a call from Baekhyun. You tried to sound as fine as you could but as if you were too transparent to him and he instantly understood something was wrong.

Lost in your thoughts, you didn't even hear footsteps from behind until a figure appeared infront of you making you startle. Your eyes looked up only to be locked with familiar soft brown orbs staring at you concern yet warmly.

You stayed still, with his eyes boring into yours making you melt and your heart to welled up. You felt a lump in your throat and instantly gulped before looking down.

You sighed licking your lips and looked up. "I know this is sudden...but...can I hug you?"

His palm went to your cheek caressing it with his thumb as he gave you a soft smile. "You don't have to ask."

You nodded before wrapping your arms around his waist with your face in his stomach and his hand stroking your hair softly making your eyes close and tears streamed down your cheeks.

That was it. You needed a hug. His hug. His warmth. Him. Your favorite person and now your safe place.

Minutes of you weeping and sniffing, you both were sitting beside eachother with Baekhyun's arm draped behind you on the bench with his hand caressing gently on your shoulder.

Baekhyun took a glance at you as you sniffed wiping your remaining tears with your hoodie sleeves. He couldn't help but smile at your red nose and cheeks finding it adorable.

"Feeling better?"

You nodded as you actually felt light after letting it all out.

"Wanna share it?" He asked cautiously and you nodded before taking a deep breath.

"I.. I feel weird. I feel so unmotivated, I have so many assignments to do and exams coming up but I can't bring myself to study and that just left me stressed. What if I fail?"

You felt his hand rubbing your arm as he instantly pulled you close. "Hey, Hey, it's okay. We all have those days, sometimes we get tired and just need a break. So, don't let your thoughts take over your peaceful mind, you are strong enough to pass those days."

"You think so?"

"I know so." He kissed your temple making you smile before looking at him.

"Thank you."

He gave a nod. "Yeah sure, but next time don't bottle it up. Whenever you are struggling or feeling down, you can share it with me, I'm always here."

You stared at him in awe, wondering how did you got this lucky to have him.

Smiling, you nodded. "I know."

"Good." He kissed your nose making you laugh before leaning his forehead against yours and you both closed your eyes enjoying the calm yet comfortable silence.

All of a sudden, your stomach growled making you both flinch and you gasped leaning away before biting your lips as you looked down clutching your stomach.

Baekhyun, who just got out of the shock instantly bit his lower lip grinning at your embarrassed state before standing up.

"Let's go." He held out his hand and you pouted but eventually grabbed it as he made you stand up and led you to his car while trying hard not laugh.

He took you to a restaurant close to your house and you couldn't even wait to full your stomach as the smell of dishes making you more hungry.

As your noodles were served, you instantly began to dig and slurp while Baekhyun kept taking a glance at you worringly.

You were too imersed in eating and didn't realize his lovingly stare on you. He palmed his cheek as he stared at you before chuckling and got your attention.

"What?" You raised your eyebrows questionly while munching.

"I can't believe, you were crying a while ago and now..." He stopped as he nodded your way and you rolled you eyes. "I wasn't crying, okay!"

"Yeah, sure. And you didn't hug me earlier too." He spoke nonchalantly before slurping and you blushed remembering that scene before clearing your throat while stirring the soup as something crossed your mind.

"Ah, my parents want to meet you." You said and he choked on his food.

You passed him the glass of water and he gulped it down while you rubbed his back before biting your lips to suppress your laugh.

"You sure are a killjoy." He wiped his mouth glaring at you playfully and you shrugged smiling.

It's been more than a month to your relationship and with you being all smiley and cheery made your parents too desperate to meet him and Daniel's nonstop praises to Baekhyun weren't helping either.

"It's not my fault, if Dan likes you so much." You crossed your arms. "He's always praising you and only listens to you and sometimes I get jealous too."

He chuckled. "Don't be, I'm all yours anyway."

You rolled your eyes. "Don't twist my words."

"When should I meet them? Your parents?" He asked nervously.

"How about right now?"

"Right now?!"

You laughed. "Chill, I was joking."

He squinted his eyes. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

You giggled nodding. "Yes, it's so rare to see you like this."

He huffed. "Let's talk when it's your time."

Soon, you went back to home with Baekhyun as he stopped his car infront of your porch. He got out of the car with you and walked towards you before leaning his back against the car while taking your hand.

"Listen, don't think about anything. Take a warm shower and go to sleep early so you can feel better, hm?" He poked your cheek softly and you chuckled nodding.

"Okay, Ajjusshi."

"Yah!"

"What? You think only you can tease me?"

He pouted before nodding. "Okay, then, I won't bring that up and you do the same, hm?"

"Fair enough." You nodded. "Now go before you have to deal with my mum."

He chuckled pinching your nose causing you scrunch your nose and he imitated your expression before walking to the driving seat but you stopped him.

He looked at you confusingly before you tiptoed grabbing his nap to pull him down and kissed his cheek. "Drive safely, Ajjusshi."

You made a face before giggling and sprinted towards your home leaving the stunned Baekhyun behind. As soon as he recovered, his hand went to cheek and he chuckled shaking his head.

"Gosh, I love her!"

***

(21st February)

1:23 pm

Next day, you and Ria went to a restaurant close to your college as you decided to eat outside making your bestfriend confused as ever, since it was the first time you asked to go out.

"Y/n, tell me seriously?" Ria questioned crossing her arms as she eyed you suspiciously and you gave a shrug avoiding her gaze.

"What? I just wanted to eat outside. Is it that hard to believe?" You took a sip from your orange juice before giving her a smile.

She scoffed. "Yes."

You clicked your tongue rolling your eyes before you got a weird feeling and instantly threw your head back to see Baekhyun's face, looking down at you.

"Oh? How did you know I was here?" He asked surprised and you shrugged before he pecked your temple and took a seat beside you.

Ria watched the scene smilingly before her gaze went behind you to see Chanyeol coming towards the table. She suddenly felt nervous as he took a seat beside her before smiling at her.

You and Baekhyun exchanged looks with each other before ordering and getting imersed in the conversation. While between the talks, Baekhyun kept taking a sip from your orange juice and when you offered him to drink it all, he refused but then continued to take sips.

As you all finished your meal, Baekhyun excused himself to the washroom and you continued your conversation with them. You also took the chance to observe the pair infront of you who seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Baekhyun walked out but stopped when he spotted a guy other side of your table, scribbling something and gave it to the waiter before pointing towards you.

His blood boiled and he walked faster to the waiter and stopped him before taking a look at the paper. He scoffed lowly reading it as the guy was asking your number.

Taking the pen from the waiter, he scribbled something down the paper before pointing it to give back to the guy.

The guy was imersed in his phone to notice until the waiter gave him the paper back and he expectantly opened the paper only to get confused.

She is taken

He looked towards your table to see you with Baekhyun who instantly locked eyes with him and shot a intimated gaze at him causing him to look away awkwardly.

"Shall we leave?" Baekhyun asked you and you nodded before standing up and Ria looked at you both confusingly.

"What? Where are you going?"

"We have to be at Café, so we're leaving." Baekhyun said wrapping his arm around your waist. "Chanyeol will drop you off."

You controlled your laugh at seeing Ria's expression but you wanted to do this as Chanyeol and Ria needed to have a talk. Hence, you and Baekhyun decided to be cupids for them.

"Yeah, i'll drop you off." Chanyeol smiled at her before sending a smirk towards Baekhyun which got unnoticed by you as your eyes were on your bestfriend.

You waved at them as you exited the restaurant not before Baekhyun throwing a glance to the guy who awkwardly coughed before looking away.

"Are they going to be okay?" You asked him as soon as you were out.

"Don't worry, Chanyeol's gonna take care of it and your bestfriend is in safe hands." He gave you a assuring smile which you returned but then felt his stare.

"What?"

"You must have got confessions a lot and crushes too."

"Huh? Suddenly?" You frowned. "Well, not really because back then I was too naive to notice and about crushes..."

"I know, that Big Boss and Siwon, whatever his name was." He rolled his eyes and you chuckled at his adorable jealously.

"If we're talking about crushes," You crossed your arms over your chest. "Then I do remember Chanyeol Sunbae telling me about your high school crush."

"Oh.. That..." He rubbed his nap before smiling sheepishly."It was just a tiny bit crush, nothing serious."

You nodded giving him the exact smile and he chuckled. "Okay, we have to go."

"Come on! Coffee bean, let's go!" Baekhyun stretched out his hand for you and you squinted your eyes before grasping it.

"Stop calling me that!"

He laughed locking his arm around your neck to pull you by his side. "Why? It suits you."

You groaned rolling your eyes and started walking with him before his eyes stopped at a Café and a sigh left his lips making you look at him.

"Graduation is approaching and I will have to officially start my work and maybe stop working in the Café." He leaned the side of head over yours. "But I will miss you."

You bit your lip thinking about the days without him at the Café. Sensing your silence, he lifted his head up to see the expression which he never want to see.

"Don't be sad." He tilted his head and you looked into his eyes. "We will see eachother and think about it, if I don't work how will we feed our little beans, hm?"

Your brows knitted in confusion but then your eyes widened and you immediately slapped his chest playfully but he caught your hand and laughed.

"Wait, who said I'll marry you?" You raised your brows looking at him with smug expression.

He let out a dramatic gasp. "I didn't know you were that bold to have kids withoutmm-"

You cupped his mouth giving him a glare which he seemed unfazed about before you felt his lips kissing your palm bringing heat to your face and you instantly pulled your hand away.

"You're such a pervert!"

"Umm." He nodded. "Your pervert. And you're stuck with this pervert forever. So deal with it."

You walked back to your college with your thoughts about him leaving. And you already started missing him.

Meanwhile at the restaurant, two people were now sitting in an awkward silence until Chanyeol chuckled.

"You don't have to feel stiff around me, you know?" He smiled at Ria which made her relaxed.

"I know you are confused about this but actually I asked them to give us a space so I could say what I wanted to say." He said rubbing his thighs nervously.

Ria licked her lips nervously with her heart beating fast than ever. "What do you want to say?"

"I won't beat around the bush." He cleared his throat before taking a deep breath. "Would you like to be my girlfriend?"

Ria choked on her saliva at his straightforward question causing her to blush and Chanyeol chuckled. "Did I surprise you?"

She smiled shyly nodding as they both exchanged a loving eye contact and that was a new start of their journey.

_______________

8:01 pm

"Y/n, take the big Cart."

You heard your mom saying when you were shoving your car keys in your pocket and frowned but nodded as you grabbed the trolley before walking further into the store.

You were here with your mom at the grocery store to shop as the minute she heard about Baekhyun coming tomorrow to meet them, she started her preparation while you just mentally shook your head.

"Mum, why are you so excited for?" You questioned as you both stopped by a vegetable section.

"Why wouldn't I be? My one and only daughter who was never interested having any boyfriend, got a boyfriend for herself and you want me to just sit still?"

She gave you a duh face and you gave her a poker face before rolling your eyes. Well, she wasn't wrong though.

"Let's not buy too much cucumbers, just for our face masks."

"Why? I'm gonna make salad tho."

"Yeah, but no cucumbers because Baekhyun doesn't eat cucumber." You picked few cucumbers and put them in the trolley. "And not too spicy food."

You looked at her to see her smiling at you causing you raise your eyebrows confusingly. "Why?"

"My daughter just sounded like a wife material and this is such a miracle." She exaggerated dramatically and you blushed at the wife word but then shook your head.

"I'm gonna check that section." You said walking away and she laughed giving you a light slap on the arm causing you wince slightly.

It wasn't hard slap but you were already slapped hard by your bestfriend after knowing about your little cupid plan about her but at the same time, you were happy to know that your plan did work as she has started dating Chanyeol.

You walked to the opposite direction and looked for some chocolates before unconsciously glancing over to the side to see an elder woman walking speedily with her trolley only to get bumped into a lady's trolley.

The lady flinched and looked at her surprised before making a distance between them. The elderly lady looked at her furiously.

"Can't you make space for others to pass by?"

Rude. Instead of apologizing, she's blaming her.

The lady scoffed. "Excuse me? I'm standing at the right side, you were the one passing by without looking anywhere."

"Now, you are blaming me? Instead of apologizing?" She spoke loudly getting the attention of the other people.

You scoffed rolling your eyes and getting fed up with her behavior and decided to jump in.

"Excuse me? Ma'am." You spoke and their head snapped towards you before giving the rude lady your tight polite smile. "I think you should just apologize."

"Listen young lady, this is not your concern so just leave."

"I think it is my concern since i have seen everthing." You snapped at her with a calm voice and her face dropped but then she instantly smirked. "Who's going to believe you?"

"They don't have to but they'll believe that CCTV over there." You pointed at the Camera witnessing the scene before looking back at her with a sarcastic smile. "Should we check that?"

The rude lady scoffed before blinking and tried to turn away but you instantly stopped her. "Aren't you going apologize?"

She shot you a glare and you looked at her unfazed before she looked at the lady. "Sorry."

With that she walked away and people also went their way.

"Such a strange lady." You and the other lady said in unison and looked at eachother amazed before smiling.

"Thank you, young lady." She smiled at you and you returned it. "No worries, ma'am."

"Y/n!" You heard your mom behind and saw her coming towards you before she stared at you and the lady. "Did you cause trouble again?"

You gave her a seriously face and the lady standing with you chuckled before looking at your mom. "No no, she actually helped me. You have such a nice daughter."

You blushed but smiled and your mom nodded towards her before she asked something you weren't expecting her to.

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Eh?"

She chuckled. "Ah sorry. I just wanted to know generally."

You mom smiled. "Yes, she has a boyfriend and we're meeting him tomorrow."

You looked at your mom weirdly as she just started talking freely with her and the lady nodded before you both bid goodbye to her.

The lady sighed. "Ah, what a lucky guy would he be to have her as a girlfriend. Wish my Hyun also can get a girlfriend like her."

She turned around to walk away from there and met Kyungsoo who was helping her with somethings before exiting the store.

You went home and got a surprise to see Jae sitting on the couch with Daniel and your dad. Apparently, his training was over and now he's going to join dad's business which means goodbye to Scotland.

You were happy to know this because after Ria, Jae was the person whom you could talk about your feelings freely and he was the first one to know about your relationship too.

Indeed it was a surprise, a good one but little did you know, that another surprise was waiting for you.

***

Coming inside to his Baekhyun's share apartment, Mrs Byun saw him and his friends playing with his nephew and niece. She walked in the kitchen with Kyungsoo helping her putting the bags on the counter with Jongdae and Minseok and joined them.

Baekhyun walked inside the with his niece in his arms and made her sit on the counter before giving her a strawberry which they just bought before taking a bite of it too.

"You called me earlier saying you are done but you are coming now?" Minseok questioned putting the vegetables in the fridge and Kyungsoo sighed.

"Don't even ask." Mrs Byun started as she began to make some tea. "There was this rude lady who started arguing with me out of nowhere."

Baekhyun's ears perked up upon hearing this. "What? Why? What did you do then?"

"Of course I didn't back away but then a young girl helped me." She smiled. "She was such a smart girl but she had a boyfriend."

Baekhyun shook his head. "Eomma, you really need to stop this plus I have a girlfriend already."

Mrs Byun's eyes widened. "What?!"

Baekhyun nodded nonchalantly. "Umm and i'm meeting her parents tomorrow."

Baekhyun's nephew who was in Chanyeol's arms almost slipped from his embrace hearing that but instantly tightened his grip on him.

"Yah! Aren't you going too fast?"

"What are you talking about? It's just a casual meeting since they want to meet me." He told them and talking about it just made him nervous suddenly.

"You have a girlfriend yet you didn't tell us?" Mrs Byun asked him.

"I told you."

"When?"

"Just now."

He smiled playfully and winced in pain when Mrs Byun pulled his ear hardly causing the kids to giggle cutely at the sight while Boys showed no reaction and continued their task as it wasn't something new to witness.

"Whatever, let's have dinner but i want details later." She demanded and Baekhyun nodded rubbing his ear which turned red as his strawberry in his hand which he ate it immediately.

As everyone walked out of the kitchen leaving Kyungsoo and Mrs Byun inside, Baekhyun got stopped by the Boys snickers and shot them a confuse look.

"Hyung, you have to do well tomorrow." Sehun spoke. "If not, forget Junior Y/n forever."

Baekhyun scoffed. "You think i'll be scared of that? I'll be fine."

They all nodded giving him raising their fist in the air as a fighting cheer to him before snickering. Baekhyun who just shook his head and went to his room for a shower as the nervous he already was, his friends made it even worse.

On the other hand, you walked into your room after all the chattering with your family and checked your phone to 2 missed calls and few messages from Baekhyun.

You frowned but then dialed back his number to call him.

Mrs Byun walked in Baekhyun's room and heard the showering sound from the bathroom and took the chance to change his bedsheets.

Not long before, she heard Baekhyun's phone ringing and told him about it which she got a reply from him to check it.

Sighing, she grabbed his phone and checked the caller ID only to get confused by the contact name on it.

"Coffee Bean?" She mumbled confusingly before answering it and pushed it to her ear.

"Hello." You spoke and frowned when he didn't say anything back while Mrs Byun was confused as hell but understood who the girl was.

She cleared her throat. "Hello?"

Your eyebrows crashed together hearing a female voice and checked if have dialed the right number and it indeed was right before pushing your phone back to your ear.

"Who's this?" You asked cautiously.

"I'm Baekhyun's mother."

Your phone almost slipped from your hand but you clutched it tightly before covering the phone with your hand. You eyed the phone shockingly and puffed out your cheeks before taking a deep breath and gulped.

"Hello, Mrs Byun." You greeted her politely though your heart was banging loudly against your chest. "I had something to talk to Baekhyun but it's okay it can wait. Sorry if I bothered you."

Mrs Byun smiled. "No no, you didn't. Don't mind it. Actually Baekhyun is in the shower, so I'll tell him to call you after."

"Yes, no problem. Then have a good night." You said and hearing a same reply from him, you hung up and the phone slipped out of your hand landing on the bed. Thankfully.

Baekhyun walked out drying his hair with the towel and saw his mother smiling looking at her phone and seeing that he approached her.

"Who was it?"

"Your Coffee Bean." She handed him the phone before fixing the pillows properly on its place and Baekhyun looked at her shook.

"She is your girlfriend right?"

Baekhyun smiled nodding before chuckling. "She must have freaked out."

Mrs Byun smiled. "Well, she sounded polite and nice too. How is she like?"

"She's incredible." Baekhyun didn't even took a second to reply and seeing that Mrs Byun just shook her head before smiling at him.

"I guess, she must be as you have been happier since the day you have visited us." She approached him and made him sit on the bed before she began to dry his hair with the towel.

"All we want to see you is happy and seeing you this happy, is enough for me." She smiled before laying the towel around the chair and Baekhyun grinned shyly flipping his hair back out of habit.

"So? When will you introduce her to us? I really can't wait to meet her." She said turning around. "By the way, what's her name?"

Baekhyun chuckled. "Y/n. And I'll introduced her to you soon but tomorrow I have to be introduced to her family."

She nodded folding her arms and approached him with a understanding smile. "I know you must be nervous already. And it's normal since you're meeting her parents as you want to make a good impression. So just be yourself."

Baekhyun nodded and Mrs Byun was walking out but stopped at the door frame and looked back at him. "I want every detail at the dining table."

Baekhyun laughed and then Mrs Byun said something before going down which left him blushing.

"I wonder when will I see my grandkids."

"Eomma!"

He pouted before someone crossed his mind and took his phone before dialing the number.

You were walking back and forth in your room while biting your thumb nail nervously and having a bucket of thoughts before you jumped when your phone rang and saw it was Baekhyun.

You carefully pushed the phone to your ear and kept mum not wanting to take a risk then heard a deep chuckle on the other side making you sigh in relief.

"What do I do? Ah! Seriously! I just talked to your mother. Oh God! What should I do now?!" You whined, ranting nonstop and Baekhyun smiled already imagining you stomping your foot cutely.

Oh, How much he wanted to see that scene.

"Y/n, relax." He said making your babbling to stop. "She likes you and wants to meet you too."

"Me? Right now?!"

He laughed. "No, dummy but don't you think this feels kind of familiar?"

You frowned but then flashback of your conversation at the restaurant crossed your mind and you gasped.

"Dejavu." You both blurted out in unison and Baekhyun chuckled confusing you.

"Karma really works fast in our case." He uttered and you could imagine him smirking causing you roll your eyes.

"Whatever, I'm going down." You huffed and he laughed at his whiny girlfriend before hanging up and you chuckled.

Then your door burst opened flinching you and there was standing a devil at the door frame, Jae.

"Haven't you heard about knocking?"

He shrugged plopping on your bed. "This is my house, why do I have to knock? I heard your boyfriend is coming tomorrow."

You frowned seeing his evil smirk. "Don't you dare pick on him."

He looked at you amused. "Oooh, already protective huh? Let me tell this to everyone."

With that he got up and ran out of your room with you chasing him down.

"Jae! No!"

Life surely becomes an entertainment when you have annoying brothers and a boyfriend who doesn't leave a chance to tease you but were you complaining? No, because at the same time, you loved this.

_______________

@wooya1224 @buttercupbbh @jddcfc-blog @usernameloaa

[lia-jones]

Growing Together - Chapter Twenty - The Green Eyed Monster

It was early dawn when we left the apartment, the cold breeze enough to jolt me awake from my remaining morning sleepiness. Loveland was still asleep, as it would be on a very early Saturday morning, and the only thing we could hear was the sound of our footsteps on the gravel… and my moaned complaints. I’m really not a morning person, and making me leave the warmth of my bed to face the frosty 6 am air without even letting me have my coffee first was pure torture. Needless to say, I was beyond moody.

It had been almost a month since Owen’s grandmother’s first and last contact with us, which meant that probably she took my words to heart and decided to leave us alone. Victor announced a week later that Daniel had been sentenced to 15 years of prison, and was waiting to be charged for other crimes, which meant he would probably never leave prison. All of the things that were taunting us were slowly but surely slipping away, and now we dared to take a deep breath of relief. Which led us to why we were getting up so early in the first place.

We were aware that things would become hectic pretty soon. LFG France was almost ready to make its official debut, which meant that Victor would have to make a long business trip to France in order to tie up the last loose ends, and we would be seeing much less of him in the upcoming weeks. With that in mind, my husband decided to treat the family with a comfort meal, and take the three of us on a small field trip: we were going to Loveland’s Farmer’s Market to get the best ingredients. Early. When it was freezing outside. This meal had better be worth it.

“Are you cold?” Victor wrapped his arm around me as we walked towards the market. “I told you to put on more clothes. It’s chilly early in the morning.”

I grunted in protest, but still leaned my nose on his chest, looking for warmth.

“I see what this is all about.” He let out a chuckle. “Don’t worry, you’ll have your coffee soon enough.”

“I want a hot chocolate!” Owen chimed in, excited. “Do you think I can ask for marshmallows?”

“How are you so perky?” I squinted at my son, offended that he could be so alert while I was still trying to stave off sleep.

“Dad says that all the great chefs go at this hour, and they personally pick the ingredients.” Owen jumped as he explained. “Can you imagine meeting one of those top chefs that we see on TV?”

I grunted again, burying myself in Victor as much as I could. The only chef I wanted to meet was Pillow Boyardee, back in my bed, where it was still warm. But that was so far away that it felt like I had left it in another dimension.

“Hey, sleepyhead.” Victor nudged me playfully, making me look at him. “We’re here. Do you want something else with your coffee?”

The scent of freshly ground beans hit my nostrils, awakening from my stupor. The Promised Land! Finally, I had arrived at a place where I could be happy: the coffee shop. Victor laughed again, as I promptly gave up his warm embrace for the promise of caffeine.

“Two coffees, one hot chocolate with marshmallows and three cinnamon rolls, please.” He asked the cashier, a perky brunette in her early twenties.

“Can I have the names to identify the beverages, please?” The cashier smiled widely at him.

“Coffee for Andrea and Victor, and hot chocolate for Owen.”

“Andrea, Owen and Victor…” The girl rolled her tongue weirdly as she pronounced Victor’s name. “You can have a seat anywhere, I’ll meet you there. After all, you are very hard to miss.” She gave him a sultry smile.

I blinked in confusion as Victor took mine and Owen’s hands, leading us to a table nearby.

“Is it just me or was that girl a little bit too friendly?” I asked as Victor pulled a chair for me to sit.

“What girl? The cashier?” He gave me a confused frown.

“You didn’t notice? I could swear she wa-”

“Here’s your coffee.” The cashier came with our order. “Strong and hot, just like you.” She winked at Victor.

I was so appalled I couldn’t even react. How dare she hit on my husband right in front of me?

“Careful, she said it’s hot.” Victor slid my coffee cup towards me, seemingly ignorant of what just happened.

“Ok, there is no way you didn’t see that.” I glared at him, only to have my glare returned with a confused look.

“See what?”

“Strong and hot, just like you.” I repeated her words with a nasal voice. “She was flirting!”

“You probably heard it wrong. I’m sure she didn’t say that.”

I felt my blood boil.

“So I’m hearing thin-”

“And even if she did, it would be useless. I’m happily married.” He said matter-of-factly. “Drink your coffee, you’ll feel better.”

The table fell silent. Victor was minding his phone while Owen was focused on blowing on his hot chocolate, poking the marshmallows with his little finger so they would melt a bit more. And I was steaming just as much as my coffee, but I kept quiet, not wanting to make a scene.

“What are we buying, Dad?” Owen broke the silence.

“I am glad you asked, my loyal esquire. This quest will not be an easy one.” Victor answered in all seriousness. “It is essential that today we make a meal fit for royalty, since our Queen is discontent.”

He was teasing me to make me laugh, and the sad part was, it was working. I took a sip of my coffee to hide my grin, but obviously he caught it and kept on playing, his tone even more exaggeratedly ceremonious than before.

“We start our perilous adventure fighting the most ruthless of adversaries: the butcher. We must obtain from his bloody hands the most precious cut of meat, the tenderloin.”

“We will go into the woods, holding our mighty swords, looking for the beast to hunt it down.” Owen continued, amused with the story.

“Or, in your father’s case, he’ll go into the market holding his mighty wallet.” I chimed in with a dry tone, although I was melting with how playful these two could be.

“The tool is irrelevant.” Victor smiled at me, sipping his drink. “All that matters is that I win the Queen’s heart.”

And just like that, Victor was making me giggle like a schoolgirl. He was good, I had to give him that.

“Why is there a number written under your cup?” Owen interrupted, frowning at the bottom of Victor’s cup.

“She wrote her number under your cup?” I looked at the paper cup like it was cursed.

“It's nothing.” He lifted his cup at an odd angle, so I wouldn’t see the bottom, drinking his coffee in one go. “Let's go. The market will get busy soon.” He declared as he crumpled the cup and promptly threw it away.

Somehow I managed to let myself be led out of that coffee shop without making a scene, but the truth was I was barely holding myself. Jealousy was churning inside me, and I wanted nothing more than to unleash all my anger. That girl had some nerve, hitting on a married man in front of his wife.

“You are surprisingly quiet.” Victor noticed. “Is this because of that woman?”

“No.” I pouted as I lied. Of course, he wouldn’t buy it.

“Why are you making such a fuss over this? I clearly have no intention to pursue any other romantic endeavors. You are too much trouble already.” He tickled my ribs, trying to get a smile out of me. He got an annoyed scoff instead.

“This doesn’t become you, you know.” He continued. “Jealousy is for insecure people with unfulfilling relationships.”

“I'm not jealous. I’m just annoyed that she flirted with you in front of me. What happened to sisters before misters?”

“I admit it was crass, but since when do you even pay attention to those things?"

“I don't.” I threw, wanting to close the topic. “It’s over, let’s move on.”

I could feel his eyes studying me and all my movements. When I turned to scold him, he was smiling mischievously.

“Well, I suppose you do have reasons to be cautious about other women.” He gave me a smug smile. “I am quite the catch.”

“Self-confident, are we?” I gave him a warning look.

“Rightfully so. You fell for my charms, didn’t you?”

“Ugh.” I walked faster, hoping he would just drop the subject. It was obvious he wouldn't.

“Admit it, I’m irresistible. You tell me yourself every day, I’m handsome, I have a promising career, I can cook…”

“You can be ridiculously annoying sometimes.” I added. “Like now.”

“They called me Loveland’s Most Eligible Bachelor, after all.” He continued, amused. “You can’t blame me for having all these women falling at my feet. Because, in all seriousness, who wouldn’t fall for this?” He pointed at himself like he was presenting an appliance in a game show.

“You're such an idiot." I shook my head.

“You're such a moron." He quipped.

It was true that there would always be some floozie flirting with Victor, he was indeed a remarkable man. But it was also true that, probably due to some lucky star, he only had eyes for me, and he showed me that every single day. Why was I letting such petty things get to me? The green-eyed monster was definitely not a good advisor, and I wasn’t going to let him ruin my day. Especially when I felt my husband’s hand hold mine, his fingers entwined with my own.

We finally stopped at the butcher’s door, Owen looking at it in amazement. He probably was expecting a violent man chopping off some animal’s head inside, and not the scrawny guy with a high-pitched voice that Victor called Clarence. Nonetheless, Victor looked at Owen with wide scared eyes.

“Do not look straight at him.” He warned, and I couldn’t help but laugh at Owen’s excited gasp. “His eyes feed on the souls of fools.”

“I am no fool!” Owen declared. “I will go prepared!”

Of course, he had nothing to prepare for, the butcher shop was as normal as any other, with burgers and meatballs on display, along with some other cuts of meat.

“Mr. Lee!” We heard Clarence’s high-pitched voice, very unlike someone who can eat your soul with his eyes. “Came to take your order?”

Victor was distracted for a few moments, staring at the door.

“Yes, my wife will take it for me. Here.” He quickly put some money on the counter, turning to me afterward. “Wait for me outside, me and Owen will be right back.”

“Where are you going?”

“On another perilous mission.” He gave me a smug smile. “Don’t worry, Owen will swat away all the women that throw themselves at me. I will be safe.”

“Not as safe as you think.” I frowned.

I turned to face the counter again, part of me happy for seeing him in such a good mood, the other part a bit concerned that now that he knew I was jealous, he would be teasing me all day. I caught one of the workers watching our interaction, a large bag in her hands.

“Here’s your order.” She smiled. “May I interest you in anything else?”

“No need, thank you.” I smiled. “To be honest, I have no idea what he’s cooking.”

“Mr. Lee is cooking?” She sighed. “You are lucky. A good-looking husband that can cook? Most of us can only hope.”

I felt the green-eyed monster poking my shoulder.

“Don’t get too excited, he doesn’t cook that well.” I lied through my teeth. What was with Victor and women today? Jesus.

As agreed, I waited by the butcher’s door, holding a bag full of meat, wondering where the hell could the two men of my life be. I felt a hand on my shoulder and immediately turned around, expecting to see my husband’s smug smile again. I had a whole different thing coming.

“Andy?”

“Levi!” I threw myself into his arms for a big hug. “I haven’t seen you in ages, how are you?”

“Last time I saw you was when Victor had that accident. I never heard from you since.” His voice had a tinge of hurt. “I knew you moved from the guys that were taking your stuff from your apartment.”

“Oh God, yes.” I grimaced. “A lot has happened since.”

“Oh, I know. I saw your wedding on TV. You looked beautiful, by the way.” He gave me a sweet look. “And congratulations on your award. And for the new job position.”

“Thank you, like I said, I have been pretty busy.” I smiled, feeling awful. I had been a terrible friend. Levi was a very close friend before I met Victor, my greatest support when I was alone and had no one to help me, and I didn’t even invite him to my wedding. Even worse, I couldn’t find the time to make a call. All he knew from me, he had to learn from the media. “I’m sorry, I am a bad friend.”

“It’s alright, it’s never too late to catch… Oh, hi, Victor, how are you?”

Victor was standing right behind me, his earlier playfulness gone, a grim expression instead, eyeing Levi like he was one of the monsters he and Owen were supposed to be slaying. Levi extended his hand for Victor to shake. Victor shamelessly ignored it.

“Mom! Mom!” Owen pulled my arm, excited. “We got something for you!”

I looked back at Victor’s hands and spotted the bouquet of roses he was holding.

“You’re a mom?” Levi asked, seemingly incredulous.

“Oh yes, I am sorry.” I took my son’s hand. “Levi, this is Owen, my son. Owen, this is Levi, my friend. He used to teach me Krav Maga. It’s a martial art.”

“You taught my mother how to fight?” Owen’s interest in Levi peeked instantly. “Will you teach me too?”

“I sure will.” Levi nodded. “Ask your mom to bring you to the studio one of these days, we have a kids’ class you can attend.” He turned to me with a smile. “And maybe she will let me buy her some coffee, see if we can catch up on lost time.”

“I can’t really promise you that for now, I have been super busy with work. But text me the time, maybe I’ll ask our nanny to drive Owen.” I looked at my beautiful boy. “Would you like that?”

“Yes, yes, I would love it! I want to be strong like Levi!” Owen turned to Victor. “Can I, Dad? Can I?”

“We’ll discuss it later.” Victor answered dryly. “Shall we?” He took my hand.

“Yes, we need to go. So nice to see you, Levi.” I let go of my husband’s hand to give Levi another tight hug.

“Don’t be a stranger, will you?” He ruffled my curls. “And no excuses, I want your sweet tushie in my studio for proper training!”

I had no time for Krav Maga, but the truth was, I did miss it. I had been so stressed the last few weeks, I definitely could use blowing off some steam. Owen definitely seemed excited about it.

“Mom, do you think he will teach me how to kick, like this?” He lifted his little leg haphazardly, kicking the air. “I bet he is super strong! I bet he can lift forty pounds!”

“Who cares if he can lift forty pounds?” Victor muttered. “Elephants can lift a lot more, they don’t waste their time bragging about it.”

“He didn’t brag about it, Owen was the one who mentioned it.” I pointed at the flowers in his hand. “Are those for me?”

“No.” Victor almost pouted, pulling the flowers to himself. “And you don’t need to defend Leonard. If he is so incredibly strong, he can defend himself.”

“Ok, number one, I wasn’t defending him, I was merely pointing out an inaccuracy.” I spoke gently, trying not to aggravate my already very aggravated husband.

“You’re an inaccuracy.” He childishly muttered, but I wouldn’t be deterred.

“Number two!” I called his attention again, holding up two fingers. “His name is Levi and you know it.”

“I do not have the time nor the interest to memorize Larry’s name.” He scoffed.

“Did you know that the elephant communicates with others by purring as cats do?” Owen chimed in, completely oblivious to the subject at hand. “And that they are the only mammal that can’t jump?”

“That does sound like Lenny.” Victor quipped. “Quick to purr, but slow on the jump. ”

I looked at my husband, reading his expression and posture as he stopped by one of the many colorful stalls to pick some vegetables. His eyes were focused on whatever produce he was handling, but his jaw told me he was churning over something else. He was jealous.

I observed him for a while longer, wondering if I should take this moment to my advantage and tease him as he teased me. The answer was pretty simple.

“Come on, Victor, are you jealous of Levi?” I joked. “You said it yourself, jealousy is for insecure people with unfulfilling relationships.”

“I am not jealous, why would I be jealous?” He frowned. “Because Lemur was flirting with you, despite the wedding ring you have on your finger? Maybe I’ll have to buy you a bigger diamond, or a traffic cone. Do you think he will see that?”

“Why would Mom wear a traffic cone?” Owen giggled, again completely unaware of our argument. “That’s ridiculous.”

Victor scoffed as he took the bags full of groceries from the vendor, and I prepared to deliver a final blow.

“Ok, I will let you have this one.” I threw my hands up in defeat. “You are right.”

“You don’t need to tell me, I know I am.”

“It’s just like you said earlier.” I gave him a cocky grin. “I can’t help being this irresistible.”

He paused to look at me, right before unlocking our car.

“So, that’s how you are going to play this.”

“Well, it’s not like I can turn it off.” I continued. “Of course I will have men throwing themselves at me.”

“Fine.” He declared before getting in the vehicle.

“I mean, I did get Loveland’s Most Eligible Bachelor to marry me, that has to count for something.” I stuck my tongue out to him.

“Can I drive us home in peace or do you want to cause an accident?” He glared at me before starting the car.

“Can you acknowledge your jealousy is just as ridiculous as mine?” I glared back.

“Shut up.” He pressed the Start button.

Victor seemed to be incredibly tense the whole ride, so I decided to leave things as they were. It was pointless to discuss things that would never happen anyway, we were both loyal, I knew that. And talking only seemed to make things worse, so the best thing to do was to hope that cooking would distract him, and eventually the green eyed monster would leave him as well.

Sadly, that was not the case. After I helped him put all the food away, I found him flattening the steaks with a hammer, his blows so hard he almost punched a hole in one of them.

“Victor, you’re hurting the food.”

“Do you think Lawrence would do a better job?”

Even though I knew it would only upset him more, I had to laugh. Victor’s commitment to not mentioning Levi’s name was truly commendable.

“Why are you laughing? Is my distress amusing to you?”

“I have to admit it is a bit amusing.” I came closer, running my hands through his chest. “Come on, let’s end this.”

“There is nothing to end.” He stiffened.

“You know, I’m an idiot.”

“I agree.”

“So are you!” I playfully smacked him on the chest. “We love each other. Why waste time with this?” I wrapped my arms around his neck, prompting him to come down for a kiss. Victor, however, stood tall, unwilling to give in.

“Come on, let me make it better.” I purred.

“I need to get lunch ready.”

I wasted no time. I grabbed his shoulders and basically jumped up, knowing he would catch me so I wouldn’t hurt myself. I wasn’t wrong. His arms wrapped around my waist out of instinct.

“Are you trying to get yourself hurt?” He scolded.

I kissed him, my tongue grazing his lips. He hardly resisted, deepening the kiss as he placed me on top of the kitchen island, so his hands would be free to roam my body.

“Now, doesn’t it feel better?”

“Not really. I burned my tongue drinking my coffee so fast.” He was still trying to appear upset, but his tone told me otherwise.

“So I wouldn’t see what she wrote?”

“So you wouldn’t get upset. I don’t want you to ever feel insecure about other women. There is no need for that.” He gave me an earnest look.

“Same goes for other men. I’m yours.”

“I guess we both are idiots.” Victor reached behind my back, presenting me with the bouquet he bought.

“Aw, Mr. Lee, those are for me?” I smelled the beautiful red buttons.

“They were always meant for you, and you know it.” He complained as he slowly pecked the tip of my nose, moving to my mouth, and then my neck, making me shiver with pleasure.

The sound of our doorbell echoed through the apartment.

“Are you expecting anyone?” I gave him a curious look.

Without a word, Victor walked to the hall. I followed him.

“Mr. Victor Lee and Mrs. Andrea Lee?” I heard a man ask.

“Yes?”

“You have been served.” The man handed Victor two envelopes, turning to leave.

Victor closed the door with a stern look and went to the study to find a letter opener. I found him wide-eyed, reading the contents of the envelopes.

“Pamela is suing for Owen’s custody.”

“What?” I took one of the letters from Victor’s hands to read. “She said she wouldn’t interfere in the adoption.”

“And you believed her? It’s irrelevant, either way. She won’t get him.” Victor declared, narrowing his eyes at the piece of paper. “He’s our son.”

Sometimes, jealousy -- or in Pamela’s case, greed -- gets the best of us. It tells us that we don’t deserve something, and urges us to do the craziest things to secure them. Crazy like throwing an irrational fit, or like removing a child from a safe loving place. Either way, at the end of the day, we all fall prey to the green-eyed monster.

[waywardfamilywrites]

Second Scent

Title: Second Scent

Author: Themis // Beta & Header by Epione // Divider by @firefly-graphics​

Word Count: 1604

Fandom: Supernatural

Pairing: Alpha!Fem!Reader x Castiel

Rating: Explicit

Tags/Warnings: 18+, smut, p in v, unprotected sex, ABO dynamics, unpresented angel

Summary: You’re an alpha. You meet someone who has no secondary presentation. When you start to fall for him, will the complications be too much or will you figure it out? A/N: This is my first piece for WFW and my first ABO dynamics. I hope it lives up to your expectations, anon!

It was hard being an alpha female. Omega women were scared of me and alpha men weren’t trusting. Even betas steered clear for the most part. Except one.

Castiel. He was a special case, though. Cas was an angel on earth -- literally. Wings, halo, powers. An actual angel. You guessed it wasn’t fair to consider him a beta since he didn’t really ‘present’ like the rest of humankind. His vessel was a male primary sex, but no secondary traits. He didn’t smell alpha, omega, or beta. He just smelled like Cas. That’s what caught your attention for the first time.

You were walking home from work one evening when this dark haired, blue eyed man started walking next to you.

“Don’t freak out,” he told me, “But there are some men following you. I can sense they have ill intentions.” He continued walking beside you and you turned your head to look at him. 

“I smelled them a couple of blocks back,” you replied, sniffing deeply. “They’re also not exactly quiet. I do appreciate the gesture, but I’m an alpha. It wouldn’t be a fair fight with the two betas back there.”

“Oh.” The man looked sheepish as he walked next to you with his hands in his trench coat pocket. 

“What, exactly, are you?” you asked. “I can’t smell a secondary sex on you.”

“I’m an angel of the Lord.” He responded so quickly and so confidently that for a moment you thought he was joking. However, when you looked at him, his face was deadly serious and his blue eyes were shining with electricity.

“An angel. A real, honest-to-Jack angel?” As confident as he was, you weren’t exactly a believer.

“How do you know the Lord’s name is Jack?” he questioned, cocking his head to the side and looking at you intently.

“Um, I didn’t. I was talking about the liquor.” He looked even more confused when you told him that so you attempted to clarify. “Jack Daniels?”

“Does Jack Daniels make you honest?”

“Yes. Yes it does,” you confirmed with a chuckle. The pair of you walked along in silence for a few blocks before you spoke again. “What’s an angel of the Lord doing here anyway?”

“I’m attempting to take care of a threat to humankind. I got distracted when I suspected you could be in danger.” His confident words were at odds with his nervous fidgeting as you walked.

“Wait, I distracted an angel of the Lord?” You stopped and put your hand on his arm, causing him to stop and turn towards you. “Aren’t you guys supposed to be hyper-focused?”

The angel chuckled. “That’s not true. We don’t feel the things that humans do but we do still get distracted by beautiful people.”

“Smooth. So is there something else I can call you? Angel sounds a little...intimate for someone I’ve just met.” 

“Castiel. My name is Castiel,” the angel told you with a close-lipped smile. 

Cas kept showing up when you were walking alone. Sometimes he would pass it off as a coincidence but other times he would admit that he was waiting for you. Instead of being creepy, you found it endearing, somehow. After a few weeks of this, you asked him to dinner.

“Angels don’t eat, Y/N. Dinner would be impractical,” he told you.

“Okay, maybe I can rephrase that. Would you like to go on a date with me sometime?” You hoped that being plain in your meaning would entice him to confirm, or deny, that he felt some kind of connection to you.

The confused tilt of his head led you to understand that he still had no idea what you meant. You chuckled at his squinted eyes and furrowed brow and tried to explain further.

“Castiel, I feel like there’s a connection between the two of us. I’d like to spend some time together exploring that connection,” you told him.

“Oh. I suppose there is something. I enjoy spending time with you but I want you to know that there are no sexual urges. I haven’t felt the need for sex since I returned to this plane of existence,” he replied. 

“Noted. Shall we continue our walk then?” You were hopeful that his confirmation that there was something was….something. 

You and Cas dated for several weeks but he still hadn’t given you a straight yes or no on feelings. You, however, were falling for him. Hard. One night, you decided you couldn’t take it anymore.

“Cas?” you called, getting the attention of the blue-eyed angel. 

“Yes, Y/N?” he responded, stepping closer until he was right in front of you. Before you could talk yourself out of it, you lifted your head and pressed your lips to his. He was surprised, but you felt his lips move against yours, his hand wrapping around your neck while his other arm snaked around your waist. 

You slipped your arms around his neck, your fingers playing with the hair on the back of his neck. When you couldn’t wait for breath any longer, you pulled back, slowly fluttering your eyes open to see Cas gazing at you with a soft smile.

“I couldn’t wait any longer. I think I’m in love with you, Castiel,” you whispered, hoping that he wouldn’t be scared off. The idea that he could reciprocate your feelings, however, was just a dull speck of hope. You’d settle for anything, as long as he’d stick around.

“Y/N, I…” he started, trailing off, trying to find the right words.

You loosened your arms from his neck and tried to step back. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have-” 

You were cut off by Cas pressing his lips back to yours, effectively stopping you from talking. He pulled back after a moment, his gaze still soft, the smile still on his face. “I was going to say that you’ve reawakened urges and feelings that I’ve long since accepted as dead. I believe there is a high probability that I’m falling in love with you. But I have concerns about your alpha presentation.”

“Cas, I don’t want pups. Ever. I couldn’t be happier that you haven’t presented as an omega, or even a beta. It wouldn’t matter anyway because even if I did want those things, I’d want them with you.” You smiled at your angel boyfriend as you pulled him down into another kiss. This time, you ran your tongue across his lips and he parted them, allowing you to slip inside his mouth.

You moaned into his mouth and pushed him backwards towards your couch. He sat back with a huff and you straddled his lap. You wrapped your fingers into his hair and tipped his head backwards. Your lips met with his in a heated, passionate kiss, your tongues exploring each others’ mouths, his hands trailing down your sides lightly to rest on your waist.

You ground your hips against his, making him groan into your mouth. Detaching your lips from his, you kissed your way down his neck, your hands making their way to the buttons of his shirt and loosening them. As soon as the buttons were free, you slid his shirt from his shoulders. He looked up at you with hooded eyes, pupils blown with lust, lips parted. His hands slipped under your shirt and lifted it over your head. 

Your hands trailed down Cas’s chest to his belt, making quick work of the buckle and unbuttoning his pants as his hands fumbled to remove your bra. You yanked his pants and boxers down his thighs and quickly removed your own as well before settling back on his lap, your knees on each side of his thighs.

“Cas, are you sure about this?” you asked him. “I don’t want to push you to do something you don’t really want.”

“No, Y/N. You’re in my life for a reason. If that reason is to reignite feelings in this vessel that I didn’t think I could feel anymore, then I’m happy with that.” Cas licked his lips and pulled you down towards him. “I want you. All of you.” He pressed his lips to yours and wrapped his arm around your waist, pulling you closer.

You rose up on your knees and lined his cock up with your dripping entrance and sank down, slowly filling yourself with his dick. Cas’s eyes fluttered shut and his mouth hung open at the sensation of your wet heat surrounding his cock. You stilled once you had taken his entire length. 

Placing your hands on his shoulders, you slowly lifted along his shaft until just the tip remained inside. You slid back down, rolling your hips to grind your clit against his pelvis. You set a steady pace, alternating bouncing and grinding, the tip of his cock hitting your g-spot just right with every thrust. 

Your climax built quickly and you could feel your knot swelling. “Cas,” you panted, “Want you to come with me.” 

“‘M close,” he gasped.

“Take my knot, Cas.” You felt him respond to your words, his seed filling you up as your release triggered your knot. You cried out, throwing your head back in ecstasy, and stilled. You rested your head on Cas’s shoulder and panted as you both came down from your highs.

Cas wrapped his arms around you and held you close. You could feel his pulse under your cheek, your hearts pounding with the same rhythm. 

You spoke first, sitting back onto his lap and looking into his eyes, your foreheads pressed against each other. “I love you, Castiel.”

“I love you, too, Y/N.” 

[honey-dewey]

Take me Home, Country Roads

A Writer Wednesday Story

Pairing: Jack ‘Whiskey’ Daniels/GN! Reader

Word Count: 2,313

Warnings: Mentions of Jack’s late wife, but this is entirely fluff

Permanent Taglist: @phoenixhalliwell @star-wars-hell

You and Jack had never had an easy relationship, but it all seems to be coming together now. Especially after you and him decided to have a kid via surrogate. The only issue? Your daughter is nine hours away. I guess this calls for a road trip. 

The prompt for this week’s Writer Wednesday was given, as always, by the lovely @autumnleaves1991-blog. 

“Baby,” Jack shook your shoulder, making you groan and roll over in bed. “Baby.” 

“What?” You said slowly, sufficiently cranky after having been woken up before the sun rose. The clock over Jack’s shoulder read 2:37, and you really wanted to hit him. Why the hell were you awake?

Jack kissed you, and you had half a mind to bite him for waking you up so damn early. “Daniels,” you said against his lips. “You aren’t winning yourself any points with me right now.” 

“Mhm,” Jack hummed. “C’mon. We have to go.” 

“Go?” You sat up, rubbing your eyes. “Go where?” 

One of Jack’s old shirts was tossed in your direction, and he smiled. “We’re picking Frankie up today.” 

Immediately, you felt giddiness fill your stomach as you jumped up, suddenly very eager. You passed Jack, the both of you going about your morning routines in a very rushed way. Today was the day you and Jack were going to drive from your house in Texas all the way out to the middle of New Mexico to pick up your newborn daughter, Marie Francesca Daniels. 

It was nearly three in the morning by the time you were ready to go. Jack yawned, filling a travel mug with coffee and handing you your own travel mug. “Do we have everything?” 

You nodded. “Car seat is in the car already,” you said, checking the items off your fingers as you went. “Diaper bag was packed yesterday, I have that audiobook downloaded, you have the address in your phone, and I just packed snacks.” 

Jack smiled, kissing your forehead. “Are you ready?” 

“No,” you admitted. “But at the same time, yes. I can’t wait to have her here.” 

“I can’t either,” Jack reassured. “C’mon, we have to hit the road.” 

Despite the early hour, you didn’t sleep at all in the car, opting to instead listen to the audiobook you had picked and relax, watching night darkened landmarks pass you by. Exhilaration kept your eyes as open as they’d get until breakfast, and you paid half attention to the book while Jack drove beside you. 

Nine and a half months ago, you and Jack had sat down to have a very serious discussion. Did you want kids or not? Jack had, obviously, said yes, but after the catastrophe that was his late wife, he was hesitant. You were in a similar boat. Kids would’ve been nice, especially considering your ranch house was built for a family, but the process of having kids was something you could never see yourself doing. So after much discussion and a few angry nights, you and Jack found a surrogate. She wasn’t that far away, and she was super sweet. The three of you had met once, to confirm the pregnancy, and all of you had cried. Since then, her health had been well and steady, and last week she’d given birth to your baby girl. She was named after two of Jack’s great grandmothers, one from his mom’s side and one from his dad’s. 

The sun rose earlier than you expected, peering over the hills as Jack continued westward. The hospital in New Mexico was nearly nine hours away, meaning you wouldn’t even reach it until a bit past noon, and you wouldn’t be returning home until well after nine pm. But you didn’t mind, not for this. 

Nearly four hours into the trip, at 7 in the morning, Jack found a relatively healthy place to stop for breakfast. He walked in and got two bagels while you sat in the car, texting the surrogate. She had just woken up, and was almost as excited as you and Jack were for today. 

“Whatcha doing?” Jack asked, getting back into the car and handing you a paper bag with your bagels in it. 

“Texting Jackie,” you said. “She says Frankie is doing a-ok, and is eager to come home with us.” 

Jack smiled. “Still can’t believe you let me name her Francesca.” He handed you your bagel, and you grinned. 

“We made a deal,” you said. “You could name her Francesa as long as it wasn’t her first name. No matter what, I knew we’d be calling her Frankie.” 

“We can call her Marie when she’s in trouble,” Jack said, leaning in close and giving you a kiss. “Thank you.” 

“For what?” You asked, laughing as Jack trailed his kisses down, tickling your skin with his facial hair. 

Jack smiled, humming against your skin. “For letting us have a baby.” 

“Oh Jack,” you murmured, abandoning your breakfast so you could turn your full attention to your cowboy husband. “I wasn’t ever going to stop you from raising a family. Ever.” 

“I know,” Jack reassured. “What do you think about having another one? That house has room for three or four.” 

That brought a huge smile to your face. “Jack,” you said seriously, humor tinting your voice. “Let’s focus on one for now. We can revisit this conversation in two years.” 

Jack pouted, but accepted, leaning back so he could eat his bagel and get back on the road. You ate slower than Jack, absorbing the audiobook you’d started playing again and enjoying seeing all the passing land outside the car. 

A few more hours into your trip, and you were bored out of your mind. The book was super good, and you kept trying to focus your attention on that, but nothing could kill the boredom that was building in your chest. 

“What time is it?” 

Jack sighed. “Ten minutes since the last time you asked,” he said, taking your hand and kissing your knuckles. “It’s about ten thirty.” 

You groaned. “Fuck,” you said, dragging the word out. “I’m so damn bored.” 

Jack chuckled. “My laptop is in the back if you want to screw around with that solitaire program.” 

It was better than doing a whole load of nothing, so you grabbed Jack’s laptop and set it up on top of your thighs. “Am I even allowed to use this?” 

“Why wouldn’t you be allowed to use it?” Jack asked. 

“What if I uncover some big Statesman secrets,” you said, logging in regardless. “What if I destroy the world?” 

Jack smiled. “You cannot destroy the world from my laptop,” he reassured. “Not that one, at least.” 

“This one?” You looked up, surprised. “You mean to tell me you can destroy the world from a laptop you own?” 

Now Jack was full on laughing. “Yeah!” He said. “My work laptop. It stays at work though.” 

You made a face. “Well that’s boring,” you decided, clicking on a solitaire game. “When do you want to grab lunch?” 

Jack shrugged. “According to the GPS, we’ll get there a little after noon, so what do you say to eleven thirty? That way we have time to eat and stuff, plus the car won’t smell.” 

It seemed reasonable to you, so you nodded. “Sounds good,” you said, sliding down in your seat and beginning a forty five minute long solitaire tournament with yourself. 

“Babe,” Jack said softly after you finished the tenth game, nudging you. “Take a look at this.” 

You shut the laptop off and looked up, immediately feeling yourself gasp. Outside the car was a sight you wished you could experience forever. The road stretched on as far as you could see, empty except for you and Jack. The sky was a beautiful picturesque blue with only the barest clouds, none of which dared block the sun. The earth was a gorgeous orange dirt, striped in various shades. Ahead of you stood a few mesas, breaking up the flat expanse of land. It was perfection, and you couldn’t help but pull out your phone to snap a picture. 

“It’s beautiful,” you breathed softly. “Absolutely beautiful.” 

Jack smiled. “There’s a small town ten minutes from here,” he said. “We can stop to grab lunch, and then it’s only another half hour until we’re there.” 

You looked at Jack, surprised. “Was I really playing solitaire for that long?” 

“Yes you were.” 

Lunch ended up being from a food truck, considering that was all you could find in the middle of nowhere, New Mexico. When you got out of the car, you immediately groaned, stretching your legs out and feeling your back pop. 

Jack smiled, grabbing his hat. “Feeling okay over there?” 

You shrugged. “I’ve been through worse,” you decided, looking around. “This place is so cool.” 

“Reminds me of where I grew up,” Jack said, putting his arm around you. “Although my hometown had more grass and less sand.” 

While you two ate at a small picnic table, you texted Jackie, telling her you were only half an hour away. She responded with enthusiasm, and you sent her the picture you took of the landscape. 

The final leg of your trip was very quiet. The audiobook had finished, and neither of you wanted to break the delicate silence in the car. Well, silence was relative, considering Jack was humming John Denver while he drove, but you didn’t mind. 

When you finally pulled into the hospital parking lot, you had trouble getting out of the car. Inside that building was your baby, your little girl. When you looked over at Jack, he looked just as nervous as you. “Ready cowboy?” 

“Ready,” Jack confirmed, taking your hand. “Let’s do this.” 

Finding the room wasn’t hard. A very sweet nurse led you to Jackie’s room, and you stared at the door for a solid minute before knocking. 

“You’re here!” Jackie said, smiling as Jack opened the door. “She’s been an angel for me all morning.” 

You nodded, unable to speak. Wrapped in a soft blanket in Jackie’s arms was your baby. You and Jack had both seen photos, but it seemed nothing would compare to the real thing. Jackie stood, still holding Frankie. “Do you want to hold her?” 

Jack stepped forward, and Jackie put Frankie down in his arms. Jack smiled, cradling Frankie close to his body. “Hey baby,” he said softly. “It’s me, your daddy.” 

Jackie stepped back, towards you. “He’s a natural,” she whispered to you. 

You nodded. “Thank you so much,” you said. “I don’t ever think I’ll be able to thank you enough for what you’ve given us.” 

Jackie smiled. “I’m just glad I was able to help you two.” 

After nearly half an hour of sitting and waiting, you and Jack both holding Frankie, a doctor came around to release her. He checked your daughter over and deemed her okay to leave, and the four of you all walked out together. Jackie waved and smiled from her car as she drove away, rolling her window down to give you one final goodbye. 

You got into the driver’s seat, looking back at Jack, who was settling Frankie into her car seat. “How goes it back there cowboy?” 

“Got it!” Jack said triumphantly, smiling and kissing Frankie’s head. “Sleep tight baby girl.” He closed the backseat door and got into the passenger seat. “Still can’t believe she’s ours.” 

You smiled, taking his hand. “We have a daughter.” 

Jack nodded, his eyes watering. “A daughter,” he said softly. 

By the time you were half an hour away from the hospital, it began to feel more real. Every so often, Jack would check the backseat, finding Frankie asleep every time. She slept soundly, and you almost recommended Jack do the same. He’d been up since really early, and you could tell he needed rest. 

Two hours towards home, you realized that would’ve been disastrous. 

Frankie started to cry, and almost immediately, Jack looked at you. “What’s going on?” He asked, eyes wide. “Is she okay?” 

You nodded. “She’s probably hungry,” you said, carefully pulling over and putting the car in park. “Her bottle is in the diaper bag.” 

Jack took a breath and nodded. “Okay,” he said. “I got this.” 

He got out of the car and picked Frankie up, carrying her to the front seat with him. “That’s it,” he said softly, grabbing the bottle and beginning to feed her. 

You smiled, grabbing your phone to take a picture and send it to every single one of Jack’s coworkers who you had contact with.

“What are you doing?” Jack asked, barely looking up at you. 

“Giving Tequila sufficient blackmail,” you said with a smile. “And showing Ginger her new niece.” 

Jack made a face, laughing when he looked back at Frankie and found her copying his scrunched up face. “Aren’t you just a little troublemaker?” He said. “I know my mama can’t wait to meet you, bumblebee. How’s that sound? Wanna get spoiled by your abuelita?” 

You couldn’t help but smile at that. “Jack,” you said. “Put Frankie back in her car seat, I have to keep driving.” 

“Can I hold her for a bit?” Jack asked, looking up at you with his pleading puppy eyes. “Please?” 

Taking a deep breath, you sighed. “Fine,” you said. “But only for a little bit.” 

Jack smiled, twisting a bit so he could get himself buckled back in. As he did so, you turned the radio on, dialing the volume down a bit. 

You drove like that for a bit, with Jack cradling Frankie in the front seat. He hummed along to the radio, rocking Frankie as he hummed. Finally, the cursed song began to play, and Jack lit up. 

“Almost heaven, West Virginia. Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River. Life is old there, older than the trees. Younger than the mountains, growin' like a breeze,” he sang along softly with John Denver, and you smiled, turning the radio up a bit. Jack continued to sing, putting a gentle lull over the car as you continued your drive home, your tiny family of three comfortable and together at last. 

“Country roads, take me home, to the place I belong. West Virginia, mountain mama. Take me home, country roads.”

[bitch-i-migth-be]

Crash Course | Chapter 06: That one weird uncle-godfather-almost-parent-figure-thingy that refuses to go away because you're a walking disaster and they love you to pieces (sometimes literally)

Fandoms: Danny Phantom, Batman,  

Relationships: Danny Fenton & Jazz Fenton,  Danny Fenton & Jazz Fenton & Vlad Masters, 

Characters: Danny Fenton, Jazz Fenton, Random ghosties mentions *boo*, Vlad Fucking Masters Everyone, OC. 

Words: 5′195

Tags: Sibling bonding, Shenanigans, Swearing, Quasi Family dinners, cuddling, ghost core shenanigans, OC, Ghost King Danny, Vlad being vlad

Chapter Summary: Vlad.exe has started ‘the scheming’. These kids are tired. And another agent of Chaos is here.

A/N: I can’t believe I can get away with using that title.

Why is no one stopping me?

As the writer, I reserve the right to withhold information for now. Remember what I said about taking liberties?? Yeah, still doing that. Roll with me, pls-

Good news! This and another chapter more before Gotham! Fucking finally.

-.-.-.-

THIS IS ON AO3, IF ANYONE WOULD PREFER TO READ THERE. LOVE COMmENTs  so if u have anything to say IwillBeReallyHappyYesThankU

CHAPTERS: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7

-.-.-.-

Vlad considered himself a man of simple pleasures.

If something caught his attention and would make him happy then he went and got it. 

Not caring about what other people might think about his choices. If his happiness was on the line what other people had to say was irrelevant. Unless said people were influential enough to affect his future, in which case he had to tread carefully. But he never gave up on what he had put his sights on. 

This way of thinking had accompanied him since he was a young lad and It didn’t seem like it was going to change anytime soon. If his experience with Jack and Maddie hadn’t made the trick he didn’t know what possibly could. 

At the time, meeting Jack Fenton at the University of Wisconsin had opened the door to new possibilities. The man got so pumped up that he seemed to exude cheer all over the place, it was a sharp contrast to the dull family Vlad had left behind in his search for higher education, for something better than the leftovers they hoped would make him happy. 

What Jack brought to the table was new. A field of study no one had ever researched before, not like this, not with proper scientific evidence.

So he had let himself get dragged along. Just to see what it was like. A shot in the dark, so to speak. 

It was enough to intrigue him.

To the point that Vlad, who until that point was gunning for a major in business, had upgraded to a double major to include engineering, with a personal-extra-side of whatever the hell he needed to know to make sense of the things Jack kept spouting around like a complete madman.   

With the proper knowledge, and even more intrigued, Vlad had come to realize that while Jack seemed like a goofball at first sight, there was some backbone to his theories. That had just sealed the deal. 

And then Maddie came along. crashing into them with all the brilliance of a shooting star.

Madeline, who had been the cherry on top. Beautiful, passionate, and headstrong. Well on her way to becoming an amazing engineer with the meanest right hook Vlad had ever seen.

He had become infatuated. It was almost laughable how hard he had hit the ground running with that one. 

It went downhill from there with him none the wiser.

They had shared hopes and dreams with Vlad in a way not even his blood family had. Become his best and only friends. And he was sure that with time and careful planning Madeline could become more.

Could anyone blame him for thinking this could be what a true family was like? For thinking that this was it. 

They had been his everything, and as such he would have done anything within his power to lay the world before them. 

Which made their betrayal hurt deeper.

He had failed to see, as submerged as he was in his little happy bubble and the research, the growing distance between them and him, the sneaking around, the way they had started to look at each other. The distraction that had lead to mistakes 

Irreversible mistakes.

Ones they hadn’t stuck around for. 

He had been a complete mess after that. 

He had carried on. Once out of the hospital he has persevered and achieved everything that got on his way, and if he used a little bit of ghostly help that was no one’s business but his. And maybe he would have been happy with that, but there was always that little thorn that seemed to be stuck to his core. He had tried to play the fool. It hadn’t worked. And it wasn’t even his style, to begin with.

So when the opportunity presented itself to try and fix some of what he had lost in the past, he took it.  

He had planned to barge in guns blazing. And he did. But he hadn’t been expecting the pair of scrawny teens he had been presented with. Much less for one of them to have been subjected to the same affliction that haunted his days. Just that the brat had it worse because it had been his parents who had half-killed him and not his best friends.

Vlad would find out later about what exactly happened in the Fenton’s basement and laugh bitterly while sipping cognac because that made it even more ironic. 

He had thought about it long and hard. And decided to accept the child as his apprentice and honorary son. The kid was in urgent need of some proper training. A pair of meals for him and his sister wouldn’t hurt either — as blind as he had been back then, he was coherent enough to still recognize the mistake that was letting either of his ‘friends’ in the kitchen. — He was deliberately choosing to disregard their parent’s crime in order to help them. 

He was amicable like that. Kind, even.

If only the ungrateful little badger cooperated.

jasmine, who had eventually realized what exactly was going on — The man had seen it coming from miles away, the girl was smart and her disaster of a brother kept stumbling around town as if he didn’t have a care in the world. It was distressing to witness. — and not just the surface passive-aggressive way they sniped at each other in public, would help him realize that he had been going all wrong about approaching Daniel.

He had been treating him like he used to treat the boy’s parents

The older Fentons had never treated him seriously, so he always had to find dramatic ways to make them go along with what he wanted. Come to think of it, he had done that with a lot of people…

So, he had unconsciously regressed to his college years. Never a good stage to revive. It had obviously led straight to disaster, and he might or might not have neglected his business in the meantime. Thankfully, Jasmine had taken it upon herself to snap him out of it. Trying to run for mayor in a town in the middle of nowhere. Him. A goddamned Billionaire. What was he even thinking?

Obsessions were a dangerous thing. He would need to be more careful in the future. 

To summarize, Jasmine had been, as much as it pained him to accept it, most helpful in their little chats on how to deal with teenagers.

Now, he realized, the desire to keep striving for his beloved Madeline’s hand was putting a dent in his interactions with the little badger, and even his sister would show reluctance if he went a little too far. And if he wanted to educate this childr- child, educate this child properly,   that was not going to help him to accomplish his goals.

He was a businessman. He knew when risks were acceptable. Knew what investments would not be profitable.

There was a reason he had managed to convince the University of Wisconsin to finance their research when there wasn’t any concrete proof of ghosts, a reason he had managed to become a millionaire. Other than sleight of hand. That is. 

In the end, the final choice was pretty obvious. 

Having his obsession slowly shift targets after meeting the kids had been quite the experience. 

Especially because he, self-made billionaire, the man on top of everything, who had fingers in all of the biggest pies out there, The Vlad Masters Himself, had not seen it coming. 

-.-.-.-

Vlad would love to say he exhorted the best place to eat out of the boy. But really. Once Vlad said he was paying Daniel was more than happy to shoot for the tastiest and expensive things the siblings normally couldn’t afford. Jasmine was not openly contributing to her brother’s effort to suck him dry of money, but she was not stopping him either. 

He didn’t have any proof those two could communicate telepathically but by this point, he felt he didn’t need any. They probably had some sort of silent signals. The sneaky little shits. 

The man didn’t mind. Not really. He got the brats all for himself, after all. It was a win-win situation. 

“So,” he started with a hum “What happened with the box ghost?” Vlad inquired

The boy glared at him. Vlad smirked. Jasmine was making a great job at feigning deafness while looking completely done with them.

“I dealt with him accordingly.”Danny glowered, stabbing his burger with a fork. The billionaire wasn’t sure if that was meant to make a point or the teen went feral on automatic these days even with his food. “The fuck, Vlad. I thought we were in peace mode.”

“Excuse you, child. I didn’t have anything to do with that. It was just making a simple question.” Which was mostly true, Vlad wouldn’t lower himself to the point of using such an annoying ghost as a lackey. He just liked to poke fun at little badger  “And even if I had, that was before I called a truce. It would have been completely valid.”

Daniel just grumbled, conceding the point, and continued mangling the food on his plate. The little heathen. 

Having lost the attention of the boy, he took a sip of his drink and turned to look at the other sibling. 

“You convinced them to do your research in ghosts, hm?”   

“Not like it was hard.” she was eating at a more sedate pace than her brother, but still a little faster than would be considered appropriate in polite company.  “Thanks to a pair of someones.” she sniffed at them. Danny smiled at her but kept his mouth closed and otherwise occupied with food. Vlad just hummed in quiet approval. 

“Good job.” then he frowned. “But also, why?”

“Why what?”

“Not the best place you could have chosen to do that, is it now?”

“Maybe not the most agreeable, no.” She conceded, reaching over to take a napkin. “But it is the best place for my purposes.” 

“Why though?” He insisted, hoping for a proper explanation.  

“Why not?” she retorted, the picture of innocence taking another bite. Vlad sighed and rolled his eyes, he kept forgetting she could be as bad as her brother sometimes. 

“Does it matter, old man? We are going anyway.” Daniel finally joined the conversation again, waving one of his french fries in an extremely judgy manner in Vlad’s direction “I didn’t pull all those strings in the zone for you to come complaining and think we are backing down just because you don’t like it.“   

“Oh ho, strings, you say?” Vlad mocked, “Would that have anything to do with the reason why Skulker came to me seeking refuge with his tail between his legs?”

Daniel almost choked on his next bite. Enough that Jasmine started looking worried, most likely about whether or not she would have to use the Heimlich on him. She relaxed when her brother finally sucked some air into his lungs just to immediately start laughing. 

“It does have some relation, yes” Jasmine took over for her brother, seeing as he was too busy making an impression of the lion king’s hyenas. It was a good thing they were in the more private part of the restaurant. “We, um, had to get creative.”

Vlad just raised both his eyebrows at her, and with a background of her brother’s cackles, she finally acceded to give in some ground. 

“I have a theory, and frankly, it would be faster if I do this in Arkham. For a bunch of reasons I don’t feel comfortable discussing at the moment.” Jasmine offered, “Plus, seeing as Danny is insisting on tagging along and at the moment he can’t really afford to leave Amity for longer than necessary-” Hearing that made Daniel come back from his endless snickering.

“Hey! don’t try to pin this on me. This was all you-!” 

After that, a free for all started between the siblings and Vlad stopped listening, feeling honest to the ancients offended. Couldn’t afford to leave longer? Please, Vlad could fix that in a jiffy, they just needed to ask- but nooo, the brats always had to go to the extremes for everything.

Although Vlad had to admit that Jasmine most likely had good reasons — If Daniel had said it, he wouldn’t even contemplate the validity of such a loose statement — for saying it would be faster doing it in Gotham- ugh, he had to stop himself from sneering just at the mention of the place. 

He had decided to open a branch office for one of his companies in the damned city and it had been nothing more than a headache in the last years. He had opted to send people over from the other branches to take care of everything rather than hiring people from Gotham to fill the spots available. 

After a pair of months of operations, it had become obvious that the place wasn’t working as smoothly as any of his other offices all over the world. 

It seemed like his employees didn’t have the spine to deal with the city’s threats properly. And hiring more Gothamites, who were guaranteed to have a spine on behalf of being raised in the place, would just make the mess bigger without him there to supervise. 

Which he hadn’t had the time to do. 

Come to think of it, the only reason he hadn’t taken it into his own hands was because-

His train of thought stopped right in its tracks, eyes snapping open as he took a long look at the kids in front of him. 

They seemed to have stopped discussing at some point, but the teenaged halfa was currently trying to steal some food from the plate of the young lady at his side. His sister, on retaliation, was moving her fork in an exaggerated stab motion to discourage her thieving little brother. 

“Oh,” he uttered under his breath, as good as speechless and unable to take his eyes off them. 

I didn’t take matters of Gotham into my own hands because of them.

The thought, and the implications that came along with it, struck him so suddenly that they left him startled enough to start laughing without care for present company. 

Oh, this was too good!

Daniel was watching him warily. As if Vlad showing any kind of amusement was a sign of danger. Which, considering, was fair enough. 

Jasmine just took the opportunity the distraction lent her to keep eating peacefully before her brother got any other funny ideas about food-thievery.  

Vlad put his elbow on the table, interlacing his fingers so he could rest his chin on the joined hands, smirking and allowing himself to let out some random chuckles from time to time. Seeing the boy get all ruffled up was fun. Especially when he hadn’t done anything yet.

‘Yet’ being the keyword.

Oh, this was going to work perfectly after all. 

-.-.-.-

After eating their fill and doing some more quasi civilized talking they finally got some dessert and the siblings took the opportunity to order some take-out to have for breakfast. It was never a bad thing to secure food beforehand, and Vlad had seemed agreeable enough. 

Way too agreeable if you asked Danny. But food was food, and there wouldn’t be no looking at horses’ mouths in this household, no sir. 

Vlad said his goodbyes claiming to have urgent business to attend to, and vanished into the night like the dramatic pseudo-vampire-ghost he had always aspired to be.

Why the man had bothered to come all the way to Amity Park if he had work to do was beyond Danny, but good riddance. His random giggles were starting to creep him out. 

Once he was sure the fruit loop was not coming back and they were truly alone on the sidewalk, the teen turned around to his sister and found her stifling a yawn on her hand. A quick look at his phone confirmed that it was already pretty late, and having a full stomach always made Jazz get all lethargic on him. He would too, but that was why he consumed coffee religiously, unlike his sister who preferred the occasional vitamin drink. 

So he resigned himself to playing pack mule yet again and let her lean on him so they could start their trek back home. A trek that would be slow as fuck, because Jazz kept insisting on using him as a pillow while they walked rather than focusing on using her feet properly. 

She was lucky he loved her and had ghost cheat codes to support her weight, otherwise the night would have ended very differently. 

Danny huffed and let her snug closer to him.

Now they just needed to sneak into the house without alerting their parents. 

Yey.

-.-.-.-

Jazz had to give it to Danny, he was the best cuddle partner she could have asked for in a brother. 

Though she could admit that her brother’s temperature could fluctuate wildly sometimes while sleeping because of his ghost-core-thingy or other random ghost power, whichever it was at the time had made it a little awkward for them to share sleeping quarters when one of them needed the comfort.

Luckily, they had found ways to deal with the temperature clashes. In summer it was easier to deal with them because in that season her brother’s often chilly nature was a complete godsend. Winter was trickier but there was nothing a pair of isolation blankets couldn’t manage, and when Danny’s powers decided to be contrary and transform him into a living heater, Jazz was more than happy to take advantage of it.  

They had a few space blankets too, Jazz was pretty sure Vlad had gotten those just for Danny, but her brother had been rather tight-lipped about them, even if he clearly loved them.    

So here they were, sprawled on the bed with Jazz’s arms firmly around her brother’s waist and half her face buried against his upper chest, rejoicing in the coolness emanating from the spot.

She had been awake for a little while but couldn’t make herself let go of her little bro. After they had sneaked in — after Danny had half-dragged her in — they had ended up crashing in her room. This for two important reasons, first because Danny’s room was still a mess after their parents threw all the equipment they could their way, and second because she had refused to let go of her newly acquired pillow. So her bedroom it was. 

Ugh, she would get hungry eventually and would have to go downstairs for their breakfast effectively separating her from the cuddles. Jazz released a little grumble and buried herself deeper into the embrace. 

The only up-side was that she would only have to heat their food and not make it from scratch. As long as she managed to avoid their parents and make it back upstairs she could rejoin her brother without interruptions and-

“Good morning, Princess Jasmine! ”

Wha-?

Jazz lifted herself and turned her head towards the voice so fast she immediately regretted it. There went her neck. she winced and raised a hand to carefully massage her nape. It would never work the same way again. At least she could see the source of the unfamiliar voice now and it left her perplexed.   

There was a ghost on the window sill. 

Why was there a ghost on their windowsill?  

As a general rule, most ghosts tended to stay the fuck away from the Fenton house once they got out of the zone, so this development was very strange. Then again, Jazz had never seen this ghost before. 

It was a female ghost, that was clear, and her hair-

Jazz had to blink a few times, completely awestruck at the number of colors her brain was trying to process at the same time.

She really had rainbow hair. What the-?

The apparent twenty-somethings female ghost had her hair done on a perfect half-up ponytail and displaying all the colors in the visible spectrum, she was clad in a cute summer dress that seemed to be patched up with- were those postage stamps? and a pair of lace-up sandals. She sat with one leg crossed over the other, a giddy smile stamped on her face. She was glowing. literally. 

Meanwhile, Jazz had not bothered to change clothes before going to sleep or even tied her hair up into a bun, and now it looked like she had gotten trapped in one of her parent’s ghost traps. She managed to stifle the urgent need of running to the nearest mirror to tame down her hair as much as she could. She was feeling tacky all of a sudden.  

Ugh. She felt like a hobo just looking at her. she had patches on her dress and she was still pulling it off. Maybe that was the ghost’s thing? making other girls felt like vagabonds with just her presence. Jazz blinked a pair of times, brain finally processing the other girl’s words, and becoming even more baffled by the living — animated? embodiment? — rainbow’s presence. 

Had she just called her ‘princess’?

“Um, hi?” Jazz finally greeted her, she sent a look to her still slumbering brother and debated on whether or not she should wake him. On one hand, he had been running himself ragged the last weeks getting everything in order so she was reluctant to do it. On the other hand, there was a ghost on the window. A rather cute one, but still.

Choices. choices.

The redhead turned her whole attention towards the ghost again. Well, she looks calm enough, and has not set anything on fire or attempted any kidnapping yet, so- 

“Sorry, I’m still rebooting. Do I know you?” Jazz went on, trying to get some sort of grip on the situation. 

“Not really, but I have heard plenty about you.” the ghost beamed, just to falter suddenly and offer a chagrined smile “I must have seemed very rude.” 

“My name is Iris.” She finally presented herself and jabbered on while pointing at the little cloth string bag resting on her hip. “I’m the Infinity Realms’ Official Messenger. And I have a few packages for both of you, my lady.” 

“The Zone’s messenger?” Jazz parroted back. She had never heard about a messenger in the zone, but it was a rather big place and there were things even Danny hadn’t heard about, so it was a possibility.  “And just Jazz is fine, thank you.”

The skittle girl just smiled. “Yes, I made the rounds earlier and there were some packages for the crown prince,” she said, confirming the reason for her presence in the room. 

Ok. She could deal with ghosts addressing her brother with titles. And messengers? messengers were fine in her book. She could deal. She got this. Still-

“Danny was in the zone yesterday, though? Why would they wait until now and not just take advantage of his visit?”

“There are some fragile things in here, and your brother seemed to be getting- uh, quite busy yesterday,” she replied, clearly amused. “The senders didn’t want to risk it. So here I am!” 

With that declaration, she opened her little bag and started to unload a staggering amount of packages and even some mail into neat little piles. Great, more things to pack. How some of them could get into such a tiny bag was a mystery, but that was probably just ghost zone physics. Or magic. Maybe both.

“Oh, thank you.” Jazz just conceded. It was better to just go along. Iris hummed in acknowledgment, still organizing everything and explaining to Jazz where each pile had come from and some extra information that the messenger had found interesting on her rounds. 

She was quite lively for a ghost.

“Pandora in particular was rather twitchy yesterday about not catching your brother for a chat. Did you know she is having a gathering next month?” Iris gushed at her in low whispers, with all the air of a gossipy neighbor that couldn’t separate himself from their windows. “It’s a shame you will not be accompanying them for the festivities.”  

“But Isn’t that just for amazons..?” Jazz asked from her seat on the foot of the bed, where she had moved to have a better view of the things the other ghosts had sent to Danny and her. 

“Yes.”

“…I think I missed something.”

“Haven’t you heard?”Iris giggled. Getting a pen and notepad out of her bag and starting to write something down, she presumably used that to keep inventory. “You are both part of Pandora’s honorary amazons.”

The redhead’s eyes widened. “She can do that-?”

“I mean she is the Queen of the Amazons on this side of the pond, so-” the messenger replied, tapping her pen against her chin and looking up in thought. 

“Wait, does that mean Tucker and Sam are honorary amazons too?” Jazz startled at the sudden sound of her brother’s voice coming from behind her. He was practically on top of her now, still looking half asleep but definitely awake now. She hadn’t even felt him move. 

“Good morning, Lord Phantom!” Iris beamed at him from her spot on the ground among the still growing piles. “For what its worth, I think so, yes.”

Danny couldn’t help himself. He started cackling. 

“Seriously, Danny?” She pursed her lips at him in disapproval.

“You don’t understand. They are going to flip, Jazz. Pandora can count me in.” He gushed, finally getting a hold of himself. 

“She already did. Weren’t you listening to me, My Crown Prince?” Danny sighed.

“I did bubblegums. Sounds amazing.” her brother had already given her a nickname, or many for what she knew, so he probably had met the messenger before this. “So you were talking about some go-away gifts” Jazz sighed and rolled her eyes.

“They are called farewell gifts, Danny” jazz corrected. 

“Whatever. It’s almost the same.” he waved his hand dismissively and looked down at what Iris had just laid down. “You got way too many things there. You are almost done or..? “

“Yep! I was actually just making time until you woke up.” She admitted sheepishly, lifting the last package that had come out of the bag and had been all by its lonesome amid the others and passing it along to the halfa. “Your Order is ready, Majesty!”

Jazz watched her brother extend a hand to take the package but his face reflected puzzlement at her words rather than excitement at finally receiving something he ordered.

“Direct from the FarFrozen and the Acropolis, Sir Casper!” 

With those words, Danny seemed to snap wide awake, “already?” He didn’t waste any time in seating properly and opening the package. Jazz took the opportunity to peer into it. 

“Jewelry?”

Danny jus hummed back in response and started examining the little jewelry box inside

“you ordered jewelry?” Jazz asked again, a little confused because even if his brother didn’t mind using the occasional accessory it was not like him to own them. Her brother —as well as herself — was more of a borrowing person “Ghostzone’s jewelry?”  

“Yep.”

“why?”

“why not?” Jazz debated tackling him to the ground and tickling him until he talked, but considering they had company the redhead didn’t know very well yet and thus was not completely comfortable around, forcing Danny to spill the tea would have to wait. 

The little shit probably knew it too and was openly smirking at her. 

“hey, colorfalls?” Danny called to Iris

“Yes, winter pools?”

“Am I imagining things or this is way more than what I asked for?”

“The crafters outdid themselves, didn’t they? The Pan Queen said it happened because you ‘didn’t specify for shit so you better suck it up, brat.’ The Yeti-man said something too, but it was long and boring, so I forgot~” She ended sheepishly.

“Well, that’s helpful.”

“wouldn’t they have explained it in the letters?” Jazz offered, bringing his attention to the pair of envelopes under the probably-handcrafted box. 

Danny grabbed them and grumbled. “Probably. But, ugh, reading.”

Jazz tried to snatch the letters from his hand. Danny dodged her lunge and moved the letters out of her reach. 

“Thought you didn’t want to read them.” Jazz sassed.

“That I don’t want to do it, doesn’t mean I won’t do it. There is a difference, carrot cakes.”  

“Well, get on with it then, cakesicle.” 

They could have continued sniping at each other, as they were fully prepared to do so until Iris talked again.

“I better get going and leave you to it. Places to be, gossip to spread. You understand.” She declared with a playful smile and hopped up from the ground and attached her cloth bag to her hip again. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Jasmine.”

She made her way to the window waving her goodbyes as she went, the siblings waved back a little entranced by the sway of her hair. 

Danny looked thoughtful, he seemed unsure for a moment and ended up waiting until the last moment to call after her.

“Hey,” The girl turned around to raise an eyebrow at him in question. Danny smiled at her and pointed a finger towards her little cloth bag. 

"Do you think I could get one of those?”

-.-.-.-

“Jazz” 

“Yeah?”

“How long was she here for before I woke up?”

“She-” Jazz stopped herself and really thought about it. “I, I don’t actually now? I think she was already sitting on the window sill when I woke up”

Her brother had gone suddenly quiet, watching intently through the window Iris had just left. 

“She has a- quite bubbly personality. Good to know there is someone like her around.” She offered, trying to break the tense silence that had enveloped them. 

“I once saw her knock-out Walker from a single blow,” Danny replied, finally turning to look at his sister. Jazz’s eyes widened. 

“She what?”

“He threatened the network.” Danny deadpanned. “One does not simply threaten the network, Jazz” he stressed, seemingly trying to make the importance of a network she didn’t know anything about very clear to Jazz. 

“…That sounds really ominous.”

“She moves around human merchandise in the zone.” Danny explained, “She has- umm, I think you could say she has a thing for humans.”

“…”

“I’m not telling you this to make you wary of her.” Her brother said after the lack of a proper answer, carefully keeping eye contact with her. “Walker was being an ass, he deserved it. Jolly Beans is very helpful around the zone. Has even helped me with a pair of things. A real pal, she is. But-” Danny sighed and ran one of his hands through his hair in exasperation.

“Just- Just don’t mess with her gossip mags ” 

-.-.-.-

“Hey, Danny?” She probed, going through one of the ‘care packages’ that had been sent to them, “Do you think the ghosts know humans don’t wear these types of clothing anymore? They are cute, but-”

“I’m going to tell them.”

“Don’t you dare.”

-.-.-.-

ENDNOTES:

Say hello to Iris, everyone :)

She is one of my agents of chaos. She got the Job 5 minutes ago when she bitch slapped me with her bag and the pOssIbiLItieS.

(Not to be confused with intrepid reporter, Iris West, that might or might not appear here. )

-.-.-.-

Me, writing about sciency stuff, major and double majors like I know what I’m talking about: seems legit.

-.-.-.-

It’s fucking sad when the reasons you used to love someone end up becoming the same reasons you end up hating them.

-.-.-.-

I don’t remember if Vlad used Boxy as a lackey? If he did, let’s pretend he didn’t.

-.-.-.-

Vlad to Danny and Jazz through all this fucking fanfic:

-.-.-.-

The moment when your weird-murderous-uncle is actually more responsive to your ‘How-To-Parent’ talks than your actual parents.

Press F to pay respects.

-.-.-.-

I just want to let you know that one of the reasons Danny curses like a sailor is because he has a great respect for Pandora and that woman puts sailors to SHAME.

-.-.-.-

Did the show care about historical accuracy? no. Do I? That’s also a no.

-.-.-.-

The ghost jewelry will come back later to bite all of us. Be patient.

-.-.-.-

Danny is the Elsa to Jazz’s Anna.

-.-.-.-

UPdate on the JJ Ship!

I just imagined Bruce looking at this tiny (but feral) red-head psychologist interning in Arkham and seeing how good she is for Jason and just pulling a Mulan’s Grandma when Jason asks her to have dinner with them, like:

“WoulD YouU like TO sTAy FOREVEr?!?”

And Dick with, like, a banner and streamers behind him, fully supporting the notion.

And-aND! then on the eventual-some-years-in-the-future-engagement party:

Jazz: “Jay? Seems your family invited someone to help us celebrate the engagement.” Jason: “Really? Who?” Jazz *Opening the door that leads to the Mansion’s garden that is currently full to the freakin’ brim and deadpanning*: “Gotham.”

{(And all the fucking league. Let’s be real people-)}

Can u Imagine the wedding? The absolute chaos?? If you think the ghosts aren’t crashing the party or even demanding to hold a ceremony in the zone u are a FOOL.

bECAUSE If DanNo is theIr HighKING, Guess who is their MoTHErFUCkING PRINCESS.

It’s what she deserves.

My god, Jazz would look so pretty in a wedding dress.

I’m crying.

Danny would definitely sob.

Send tissues.

-.-.-.-

Great.

Now I want to write about the wedding and they haven’t even met in here yet.

*wishful sighing*

The struggles of a shipper-

-.-.-.-

These goddamned endnotes are getting bigger and bigger.

-.-.-.-

I’m still thinking over Danny’s SO. Guess who. Yes. You are right. It’s the Demon Spawn. You KNOW who I mean. I didn’t make them be a year apart in age just for the giggles. Like, I was aiming for Bros Wreaking Havoc when I started this but then The Shipper Feels struck me dead plus-if-Jazz-is-getting-a-wedding-out-of-this-then-why-the-fuck-not and here we are. What do u think?? Because it’s most likely happening. Though, this one is going to burn slowly, because these boys.

And, wtf. Why didn’t anyone tell me Bruce and Selina almost got married?? I don’t know what happened to prevent it but I cAlL foUl.

Who wants a wedding. I want a wedding.

-.-.-.-

Me: Writes like 40 pages of this fic Also me: They are random scenes in different chapters and I’m still struggling to wrangle everyone into some sense of order and coherency.

The first twenty-something chapters already have titles and brief summaries so that’s something?? I can’t see the light at the end of this tunnel.

If you have ideas about things you would like to read about? Between the Bats and the DP Characters? Interactions and blabla? You can write them in the comments and I will see if I can fit some in :D

I have more or less decided where this is going, but I still need to enrich the chaps, SO, this might take a while. The good thing is that they will probably be way better now that I have Some Plot and I’m not just running blind all over the google doc.

-.-.-.-

Really, tho, if you have some headcanons about the characters? Bless. I need help with Steph and slightly less with Cass.

I have some plans for Cass. Steph is the one worrying me.

-.-.-.-

Chapter 9 will be their arrival to Gotham! I. am. happy.

[flowerpowell]

Unexpected (Drake x MC)

PART TWELVE

A/N: Characters belong to PB (except for my OC). Feedback gives me a lot of motivation and I’d be very grateful if you leave me some ♥ 

Rating: PG (WARNINGS: Madeleine, also, if you like Kiara you won’t like her here)

Word count: 2713

Tagging: @gardeningourmet @delightfullypinkglitter @hopefulmoonobject @desireepow-1986 @dcbbw @kingliam2019 @the-soot-sprite @mskaneko @thequeenofcronuts @badchoicesposts @burnsoslow @annekebbphotography @alesana45 @addictedtodrakefanfic @walkerduchess @ao719 @texaskitten30 @lodberg @cordonianroyalty @emichelle @siriusxxvideos @i-bloody-love-drake-walker @samihatuli @choices-lurker @i-miss-trr​ @drxkewalker​ @nikkis1983​ @innerpostmentality​ @msjr0119​ @bascmve01​ @mind-reader1​ @edgiestwinter​ @drakesensworld​ @queenjilian​ @princessleac1​ @saivilo​ @yukinagato2012​ ♥

“Oh, wonderful, you’re here!” Liam smiled as Dani entered his office.

“It’s only seven, why did you want me to come here so early?” she asked trying to stifle a yawn.

“Because... today is your lucky day,” and mine too, he thought to himself.

“My lucky day wouldn’t start before ten,” she smirked and he let out a laugh.

“My apologies. I just wanted to have a whole day.”

“For what?”

“I was thinking about what you said last night, about your parents and childhood and... I thought we could this day to do all these things we wanted to but couldn’t because of our parents. Just one day pretending nothing is limiting us.”

“Your Majesty...” Dani started.

“Liam,” he corrected her.

“... Liam,” she smiled, “I appreciate the offer but how exactly are we going to do that?”

“I think you’re forgetting that I am a King.” He heard a sigh in response and he went on, “Just tell me what your parents forbade you doing and we’ll do that. For me, I was forbidden to eat too much baklava. Or missing important meetings. Too bad I’m going to miss one today.”

“Oh, you’re bad,” she laughed. “Okay, I’m in. My list is much longer though. I can’t eat in bed, walk into the water fully clothed,” she shrugged when she sad Liam’s confused look, “talk to strangers, eat too much sweets so I don’t get too fat, have a dog, ride a motorcycle, the list goes on.”

“Well,” Liam took her hand leading her out of the office and then out of the palace. The first thing she saw was a motorcycle, as if ready for them. She looked at Liam and he smiled. “As I said, today’s your lucky day.”

~~~~

Riley opened her eyes feeling a warm ray of sunshine on her face. She stretched a little as she remembered the events of last night. Drake wasn’t in bed anymore and her clothes were folded neatly on the chair nearby.

Drake, she thought to herself, smiling at the thought. It was surprising to her how a mere mention of Drake’s name made her smile. They’d come a long way and after yesterday there was no turning back. At least she hoped so.

She stretched her legs and arms and she felt her body aching a little. But she liked that, it was a nice ache. She felt warm inside at the thought what she and Drake did last night, of how vulnerable and gentle Drake was with her. How assuring and caring he was.

She closed her eyes in hopes to relive what happened. The sunshine was warming her naked body from the outside but the memories made her feeling warm inside as well.

Finally, she decided it was time to get up and find her husband. She wasn’t sure where exactly they stood now and she knew she needed answers. But breakfast first.

The first thing that hit her when she entered the kitchen was the smell. Riley was aware Drake wasn’t the worst cook but whatever it was that Drake was making smelled delicious. So delicious that even her stomach decided to loudly express its approval, causing Drake to turn.

“Good morning, I’m making breakfast,” he said while mixing something in the bowl. As Riley tried to peek inside, Drake kissed her quickly and looked at her, as if not sure if it was okay. She smiled at him as she leaned in and kissed him back.

“No one’s gonna believe us when we say it was a fake marriage,” he laughed when they finally parted.

“Is it though?”

“No... at least not for me. I think,” he said and looked at Riley. She nodded.

“Not for me either. Not anymore. I think,” she smiled. “What are you making?”

“Oh, well, it’s not as good as your pasta but it’s the omelet my Dad used to make on Sundays. He called them rich omelets because there’s so much stuff in them.”

“Intriguing. Maybe I should put them in the menu when I open my restaurant?”

“I’m afraid it’s too basic for your amazing cuisine,” he laughed as he kissed her nose.

“There’s nothing bad with basics. Not everything has to be elaborate,” she explained and Drake felt she wasn’t just talking about food. And somehow it made him fall for her a little bit more.

~~~~

“Oh my goose, this place is beautiful!” Dani exclaimed when they reached their destination. She was still a little bit dizzy after the motorbike which Liam claimed to have borrowed from his brother.

“It’s one of my favorite places,” he admitted realizing he never brought anyone there with him. “Forgotten Falls is so beautiful this time of the year.”

“It is! Wait, why are we here? It’s not so I could swim in my clothes, is it?” she asked but his smile left no doubts. “Is it?!”

“It’ll be fun!”

“I’ll be wet and cold! And this dress was pretty expensive and--”

“Danielle,” he said softly and she took notice of how nice it felt when he was using her full name. “You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to, but only if you don’t want to. Not your parents or anyone else.”

She looked at him confused, as if he just tried to explain some physics laws to her. She wasn’t used to doing things she wanted.

“I’m really sorry if it was a stupid idea, Danielle,” she turned to Liam who had a concerned look on his face. She glanced at the water and she walked towards it.

“It’s really okay if you don’t--” Liam started but heard a loud splash before he finished. He turned around surprised to see Dani laughing in the water. He walked closer to her and noticed how happy and beautiful she looked. So carefree, so--

“Hey!” he exclaimed when Dani splashed him with water, “Getting my suit wet was not a part of my list!”

“And what are you going to do with it, your Majesty?” she raised an eyebrow. He narrowed his eyes before jumping in right beside her, splashing her even more. She looked stunned for a second, before she finally bursted into laughter.

“So, we’ve covered the motorcycle and clothes in water. I also brought lots of baklava for later so we both can cross that out of our lists. What else did your parents forbide you to do, miss Brooks?”

“Failing an exam. Sleeping with random guys and getting pregnant before I’m thirty,” she shrugged, “he wanted to make sure I have a career first. Having my own company because he thinks I’d need a man to be my boss, not answering my phone when he calls, date whoever I want. Disappearing for a day without telling him where I’m going,” she looked at Liam knowingly and he laughed.

“What would he say about jumping off the waterfall?”

“He actually never mentioned that but I can call him and ask if you want to,” she teased. “I think he’d hate it.”

“Let’s go then. It’s safe, I promise,” he added when he saw her terrified face.

Liam took her hand as he led her. He didn’t want to tell her about the legend and the meaning behind it, thinking it wasn’t true if he brought her there only as a friend. Besides, he didn’t want to scare her off. She was leaving in a few weeks anyway.

“Ready?”

“Umm, no?” Dani looked down and felt that she was going to be sick.

“It’ll be fine. I promise. I’ll hold your hand this whole time,” he said and she nodded.

“3...2....1 jump!” he jumped, taking Dani with him and a few seconds later, they both were safe and sound in the water.

“Okay, it wasn’t that bad and my father would certainly not approve of that,” she laughed nervously as she realized how close Liam was. He watched her curiously and she swallowed hard. She was pretty sure her father would hate that too.

“You know,” she started, her voice so quiet that Liam had to guess what she was saying. “My father also told me to never ever kiss Kings, especially after jumping off the waterfall with him.”

Liam chuckled and Dani felt his breath on her face.

“That’s a very specific rule.”

“Yeah, you know, he’s just very strict. And imaginative. And--” she didn’t finish as Liam kissed her hard. She retured the kiss with just as much passion as if that kiss was the answer to all her desires, if that kiss was a means of breaking free. His hands were all over her body, her blazer dress sticking to her skin, and the water from his hair was dropping on her neck. When they pulled away, both were panting as if they were underwater for several minutes.

Liam looked at her trying to catch her breath and mentally scolded himself for kissing her. That was not what friends would do. He lost his chance at love long time ago and it was time to start controlling his feelings. Wordlessly, Liam helped her out of the water and back on the motorcycle. If they were to carry on with their plans for the day, he needed to contain himself.

~~~~

Riley and Drake were walking in the woods near his cabin to get some fresh air. Every once in a while, they would stop for a quick kiss and throughout the whole walk they would steal glances at each other. They probably looked like silly teenagers falling in love for the first time but it didn’t matter. Besides they were in the woods, the chances of someone seeing them were very--

“Drake?”

Drake closed his eyes recognizing the voice and it took everything in him not to take Riley’s hand and run off. Instead, he turned around and plastered a smile.

“Kiara. How nice to see you... in my neighborhood.”

“Ah, oui. I was in need of some fresh air and I remember when you told me about this place,” she smiled sweetly at him and he rolled his eyes.

“It must have been ages ago. Anyway, Kiara, meet my beautiful wife Riley,” he looked at Riley with admiration in his eyes. “Riley, this is Kiara, one of Liam’s suitors.”

“Nice to meet you, Kiara,” Riley smiled but didn’t extend her hand for Kiara to shake it, neither did Kiara.

“Enchantée.” Kiara’s smile faded a little, “Liam’s never been for me anyway,” she looked knowingly at Drake before turning to Riley. “It was nice meeting you two. Congratulations on votre mariage.”

Riley nodded in reponse as Kiara walked away. She turned to Drake, her eyebrows furrowed.

“Have you two ever...?” she asked and Drake shook his head.

“She had a crush on me at some point, or so I’ve been told. I never really paid too much attention to her.”

“Hmpf,” Riley nodded as she resumed their walk.

“I promise nothing ever happened between us,” he took her hand and kissed it. “Do I need to prove it to you?” he asked and from the mischevious smile she had on her face he guessed that the answer was ‘yes’.

~~~~

“Oh my goose, how come I never had that?” Dani asked with her mouth full of baklava. Her stomach would hurt tomorrow but who cared.

“Told you,” Liam answered in between bites.

“It’s all over my dress, my father would hate that,” she laughed cheerfully. It was pretty adorable how she was so happy breaking the rules her father set, Liam thought to himself.

Contain yourself.

“So what’s your craziest dream?” he asked taking another portion of baklava. When he order the treat from the local bakery, the lady working there thought he was having a party.

“Honestly?” she asked as he nodded. “Having a family. Good husband, kids, home. It doesn’t sound crazy, I know but it is crazy for me. Because my father pushes me to focus on work till I’m at least thirty something and only then can I think of having children. Or rather a child, he says there’s too many problems with more than one child. And also because he said he didn’t want to have too many grandchildren. Did I mention he said he wanted to choose a husband for me?”

“What?” Liam almost choked on his baklava.

“I told you it was a crazy dream. But it’s my biggest one. I just... I really want that,” she saddened for a moment and Liam’s heart broke a little. Maybe he was a King but there was nothing he could do about her dream.

At least that only proves you can’t be with her. You can’t give her children. You’d only ruin her dream.

Liam swallowed hard realizing that it was true. That despite everything he still had hope but now... it was gone completely. He didn’t want to ruin her dream.

“I’m sure... this dream will come true... if you really want that,” he tried to sound supportive but he felt empty. Which was weird considering he ate so much baklava.

“Are you ready to move to a different place?” he asked after a moment. It was already getting late and he wanted to take her out for dinner before they had to part. And despite everything, he really didn’t want to part.

“Sure.”

The ride back was rather quick and quiet. When they parked in front of the palace, Liam run his hand through his hair nervously.

“There’s something else, one more thing from your list. But we, ah, need to go to my room,” he blushed slightly.

“Color me intrigued,” she tried to sound normal but in fact she was internally freaking out. She was just about to go inside the King’s bedroom. She never was in a King’s bedroom. Did he have a throne in his room? Was the whole room painted gold? She was positively surprised when she noticed that the room despite looking regal wasn’t too ostentatious. It looked even cozy. Except for the paintings of different people, they looked creepy.

“So... you said you couldn’t have a dog and I obviously can’t give you a dog because your father wouldn’t let you keep it but I thought... Maxwell has a dog, a Corgi, and he actually gave me and Drake a little Corgi plushies for Christmas. And I thought I’d give it to you. As a symbolic dog and a something you can remember this day by.”

“Liam...” Dani looked at the toy with tears in her eyes. “This is the nicest thing someone ever did for me. Thank you, I love it so much.” She squeezed the dog. Then she quickly pressed her lips to Liam’s, catching him off guard. When she pulled away he smiled at her nervously.

“Don’t understand me wrong but... Would you like to eat something in my bed?”

~~~~

Madeleine was pacing back and forth in the living room. She didn’t like not being in control and that exactly what was happening right now.

“I’m telling you. I thought it was a fake marriage as well but apparently it’s not,” Kiara said, which only made Madeleine more angry. She didn’t believe that Drake married Riley for love and she wanted to use that fact in court. But when Kiara filled her with what she saw, which was a very-in-love Riley and Drake taking a stroll in the woods, she knew she had to come up with something else.

“Then we need to make them want to divorce,” she finally said.

“Mais... Madeleine, I don’t think Drake will want to divorce her... Especially now that he has a chance at winning the custody.”

“No...” Madeleine smiled as she opened the drawer and took out something. She took Kiara’s hand and put the content of her hand onto her palm. Kiara’s eyes widened and she met Madeleine’s eyes. “He won’t. But she will.”