#who gets an allowance as a teen (which i didn’t get) but to be fair

[aiura-stan]

tbh i think it’s so funny that if Kusuo were real, he’d be a year older than me

[dumbkiri]

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕎𝕚𝕗𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝔾𝕠𝕛𝕠 𝕊𝕒𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕦 『3』

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ: ꜱᴛᴀʏ ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛɪꜰᴜʟ

ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢ: ꜱᴘᴏɪʟᴇʀꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀɴɪᴍᴇ ꜱ2

The night of the Shibuya Incident has pushed [Name] to do the extreme; consuming Nami's soul to inherit the full power of blessed energy. Everyone will feel her presence even the King of Curses, Sukuna.

Leave a request in my inbox, comment down below for more! Also if you see misspelled names like Kenjaku...take it up with Google.

“Good morning, pretty girl.” 

The sun’s bright light was the thing to actually wake her up besides the voice of her loved one. His voice was so soothing and his smile could rival the stars twinkling at night. 

“Come on, open your eyes and let’s get our day started.” 

His warm touch sent shivers down her arms as he caressed her shoulder blades. He fixed the loose strap of her shirt  hanging off her shoulder back into place. Then she felt her small bed dip knowing that he was sitting next to her slumped body. 

“One of your rose bushes-”

“What’s wrong with them?” [Name] jumped out of her bed wearing a tank top and pajama shorts. She didn’t even bother to brush her messy hair, instead she bolted to her closest and put some sandals on in a hurry. 

“One of your rose bushes is blooming faster than the others.” 

The male teen on her bed finished with a jesting smile on his handsome face. With this information, [Name] pouted and said to her friend, “Suguru, that was really messed up. You made me worried there.” 

“So worried that you jumped up to examine your rose bushes rather than getting ready for the mission we are sent on?” Suguru asked and pushed himself off her bed. He walked over to her and brushed her hair down to make it look somewhat presentable. 

Then someone else barged into her dorm with a loud greeting, “Good morning, earth worm! It’s time to go on a mission with your best friends!” 

[Name] yawned and stretched her arms out, “Ah~ Good morning, Toru!” Then she focused back on the black haired male, “I’ll meet you guys out there, I need to prepare some tea for us and we’ll be on our way.” 

She made her way to her closet and picked out her uniform while Suguru pushed Satoru out of her bedroom. Her door closes with a soft click and their footsteps fading away. [Name] looked at the closed door and sighed, “Geez, there’s different ways to wake me up. Next time they barge in, gimme some flower seeds or something.” 

……

“It’s been awhile, pretty girl.” 

Pretty girl…[Name]’s eyes blurred with sad tears and her hands trembled by her sides. Suguru Geto was standing right in front of her as well as a captured Satoru Gojo. 

“Not going to greet me back? Did you forget who I am?” 

She looked at Satoru and he stared back at her in clear surprise. He didn’t think she could actually cross the veils that blocked other sorcerers out. Sure, she had blessed energy, but only he was allowed in. Her blessed energy really defied all odds against her. This is what she meant back then when she spoke about her unique technique.

[Name] swallowed the lump in her throat and she wiped her tears away with a shaky breath. She had to pull this off, her domain expansion could save these people still. With Nami’s soul combining with hers, she had every ability inherited. Including the Domain Expansion: Heavenly Garden which can only be casted by Nami. 

It completely erases cursed energy from anyone captured in it. It heals all afflictions and wounds; internal, physical and mental. It makes every negative emotion disperse and is replaced by kindness for everyone. 

That being said, if the cursed spirits get captured in it, they immediately perish. 

“Su..Suguru…” [Name] stopped crying and her act of benevolence made Satoru worry for her,“I can never forget you.” She removed her hands away from her eyes and she stamped a smile on her face, a chuckle of relief heard from her. 

“You should know that I consumed Nami’s soul to save my husband and the people in Shibuya. I am granting you this fair warning, Suguru. If you are caught in my domain expansion, you along with-”

“Boo!” The cursed spirit known as patchface appeared from behind [Name] and he jumped right at her without taking her warning from earlier seriously. She stated that she consumed Nami’s soul meaning she has complete control over the blessed energy Nami was providing her with. 

But she didn’t want to dispose of this curse yet. She wanted to speak to it first and then kill him for good. With incredible speed and strength that matched Sukuna’s, [Name] spun around and smacked Mahito’s hand away from her face.

“Get away from her, Mahito!” Suguru shouted, he didn’t want to lose Mahito. His technique was valuable!

[Name] smacked her right palm into Mahito’s face then slammed his whole body onto the floor with a neutral look on her face. “So you do have a name,” [Name] hummed and began squeezing his face in her grasp, “but why should I care? The people you killed had names, families, lives to live at their own will. You killed them all for the sake of fun, didn’t you?” 

Mahito was struggling to get out of her hold. His legs kicked haphazardly underneath her body and he squirmed like a worm.  “I don’t like seeing people around me suffer, not even a curse like you. But you caused suffering for my favorite student. You laughed in his face in his tormented moment.”

Jogo took a step forward to the woman and Mahito, ready to help the childish cursed spirit. Yet Kenjaku stuck his hand out and instructed the hothead to stay in place. He spoke with his face scrunching up in anger, “We don’t stand a chance against her. Mahito is finished and we need to leave.” 

[Name] heard the rising anger in that spirit that took over her loved one’s body and she crushed Mahito’s head with ease. Mahito was successfully terminated, never coming back into this world. “I was going to have fun tormenting him, Suguru~” [Name] softly sang and pushed herself off of Mahito’s disintegrating body. 

Jogo watched in fear as he saw no blood around her hand or the existence that Mahito was there. Instead Mahito was gone without a trace. “Oh?” [Name] wiped the dust off her beige slack and rolled the sleeves of her [f.color] cardigan up to her elbows, “Don’t tell me you don’t know how blessed energy works.”

“W-what did you do to him?” Jogo stuttered out and took one step back. 

[Name] kept her straight face and sighed, “I got rid of him for good. When a curse is exorcized by me, they don’t come back at all. Your friend, Mahito has been on my list for a long time and he really thought he could fight me.  A foolish mistake, don’t you think, Suguru?” 

Kenjaku’s eyes narrowed a bit and he looked over at Gojo to see the blue eyed male have a smirk on his face. This whole situation was getting out of hand. 

“Gate: Close.”

“Satoru!” [Name] shouted in surprise of her husband getting sealed. A bouquet of flowers appeared in her right hand and she threw it at the white haired male. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. She cursed herself for prolonging the conversations, her first priority should have been Satoru. 

Another person woke up from the trance of Infinite Void and [Name] had no choice, but to flee. She could exorcise them all in Heavenly Garden, although her body was getting extremely exhausted. From consuming Nami, to getting here and passing through the veils that wanted her out, to killing Mahito. She didn’t let herself rest after binding her soul to a goddess. 

“Blessed: Sun’s Warmth,” [Name] casted out her technique and each non-sorcerer was enveloped in a golden bubble of protection. “I’m coming back for him, fake.” [Name] declared and with that all the bubbles that had the entranced people in them popped. The humans were gone as well as the reborn goddess, Nami. 

“I’m going to find Sukuna’s vessel and give him the rest of the fingers,” Jogo looked up at Kenjaku and before the black haired male could respond, the prison realm slammed itself on the train platform. 

“It seems the prison realm is still trying to figure out what Gojo Satoru is. We’re lucky [Name] didn’t stay long enough to see this.” 

“Don’t you mean, Nami?” Jogoi questioned and watched Choso leave the floor. He knew he was also after Sukuna’s vessel, but only to kill him. 

Kenjaku shook his head and plopped himself on the floor next to the box, “No,  I mean, [Name]. She ate the flower that held Nami’s soul and usually the stronger one, which would be Nami, would be in control of the body. Yet [Name] continues to surpass her limits and consume Nami’s soul, taking all of the blessed power for herself. She’s now the Goddess of the Flowers.” 

“Well this is just great! We need to get Sukuna to do something about her! She’s going to-”

Kenjaku chuckled and stared at the box, “What makes you think Sukuna wants to get rid of Nami?” 

“Huh, but you said that Nami wasn’t-”

“I did say that Nami was gone, but Sukuna will be fooled by her god-like presence inside of [Name]. And being the pretty girl she is, [Name] is going to fool Sukuna like she fooled me. She knew I wasn’t Suguru Geto the entire time. Those tears were just for show to catch us off guard.” 

Jogo became his usual grouchy self and slouched some more, “Why do you keep calling that woman, pretty girl?” 

Kenjaku shrugged his shoulders with that same smile on his face, “Force of habit!” 

…..

Meanwhile Satoru was in the realm sitting on top of bones with a smile on his face. He plucked a petal of the rose and dropped it on his tongue. This bouquet [Name] threw at him was grown by blessed energy and he was eating it like it was normal. 

“Satoru, you have to try this for me, please!” 

[Name] ran into the house with a giant grin on her face. A rose was in her hand free of thorns and it looked super pretty. He could have sworn it sparkled under the kitchen light. 

“[Name], it’s two in the morning. Are you seriously gardening right now?” He chuckled and took the rose from her excited hands. 

“I waited for you to come home and your mission took longer than it normally does. Anyways, my project is finished! I can now give people a bit of blessed energy! Girls, come in!” [Name] walked down the hallway and pushed her small servant girls into the kitchen. 

“Don’t tell me you force fed them petals,” Satoru laughed again and set the rose onto the kitchen counter. 

With a roll of her eyes, [Name] presented the six year olds and instructed Satoru to take his blindfold off. “Okay I did anyways, can you tell the difference between the girls?” She asked in anticipation and Satoru hummed as his six eyes took in the energy around the trio. 

“Wow,” He whispered and he crouched down to be their height, “Why does the middle one have more of a range and it’s thicker than the other two?” The blessed energy around the middle one was amazing to see especially since she isn’t a part of the [L.Name] Clan. 

“Because she ate three flowers! And this was from yesterday’s lunch!” [Name] jumped in the air with joy. After years of trying to experiment on blessed energy and trying to protect her peers, she finally succeeded.  Satoru was super proud of her for reaching this point. 

“Don’t you know what that means? It means people can use blessed energy and use techniques! They can do Sun’s Warmth, Fallen Petals, Wisteria’s Sway-”

Satoru stood up and smiled, putting his blindfold back on, “Okay, okay, I hear you. We should let the girls sleep though then we can discuss tomorrow's day. We’re both free of missions and I really want to spend time with you.” 

The servant girls left with a few giggles seeing the lady of the house blush furiously. “Satoru, you can’t talk like that in front of the girls!” She whined embarrassed and walked into his open arms. “They already tease me saying I have a crush on you.” 

“Well you had a crush on me for a while now, don’t you think?”

“Anyways~” [Name] sang and breathed in his cologne,  her face snuggling closer to his chest, “Imagine what you can do with blessed energy. Nothing would touch you, you’d be unstoppable.”

“I already am,” Satoru confidently said and kissed the top of her head. “Also if you’re going to feed me flower petals, I want honey with mine.” 

“You got it, Toru!”

Satoru smiled fondly at the memory and took the plastic bear full of honey out of his pocket. “No matter what she does, she’s always catching my attention. Ah~ I miss her already” Satrou looked at the roses and sighed, “Stay beautiful, my earthworm, I’ll be out soon enough.” 

[bokettochild]

for semi conscious how about wind and legend?

i just like giving suggestions ^^

I love getting suggestions!

This one was fun to write, so thanks for the request! I never get to write Legend and Wind bonding or hanging out very much, but I love their dynamic so much!

Rating: Teen

Wordcount: 7,385

Summary: The Chain experiences the delight of dungeons, which of cours ehvae Warriors in shock and wonder, Legend running about like a giddy school girl, and Twilight and Wild acting like the gremlins they really are. Well, that is, until they get split up by a particularly challenging room, leaving Wind and Legend to fend for themselves until the rest can find them, but it's fine! Legend's an expert and Wind's no rookie either! They got this!

-

Puzzles, by nature, attract heroes like bait. 

Wind was never particularly keen on them before starting his adventures, but in the midst of all of the sailing and fighting and worrying, they’d become something of a balm; forcing his attention to focus fully on what was directly before him, on things that had logical answers that were achievable with just a little work, and results that granted a little piece of satisfaction that most other things in his life at the time didn’t. Logic, reliability, and visible results for given efforts, yet still with the thrill of a challenge, of just enough struggle to keep him at it until he’s done, determined not to fail, it’s nice. 

With two adventures under his belt, Wind’s solved and enjoyed his fair share of puzzles. With more adventures than he’s willing to let on, it’s little wonder that Legend seems to show a similar fondness for puzzles too. What had been a tired scowl had quickly faded from the older boy’s face the moment they’d found the hidden entrance to what Hyrule had quickly announced was a dungeon, and the vet’s eyes were glinting eagerly as he’d pushed to the front of the group to get a good look at what they had before them. Now inside, even Wind and Time, who both have more experience than most of the others, are left more than just slightly impressed as the vet quickly solves the various puzzles and riddles within the sprawling chambers.  

If farm life shows them Time’s natural home, and sailing brings out his own, then dungeons definitely are the natural environment of their collector and scholar. Wind doesn’t think he’s seen the vet’s eyes shining nearly this bright ever before in all the time they’ve known him! It’s pretty cool to watch actually. 

He’s a decent hand at puzzles, and even though Legend’s a whizz at them, even the vet still gets stumped or second guesses himself here and again, which allows him to offer his own suggestions and try things. At first, the others had tried to tackle it themselves as well, but by now, they’ve given up offering their opinions, letting their brother take the lead with bemused smiles as they hang back with the captain and champion, who regard everything about them as though seeing it for the first time. He can’t speak for Wild, but the sailor knows that Warriors has only ever been in the prison sort of dungeon before, and this is definitely his first time seeing most of the mechanics of these places, and the threats that they conceal. It’s kind of funny really! Legend’s darting all over the place like a particularly eager piglet and Warriors is just gaping at it all, at how it works, and he doesn’t think Twilight is ever going to stop laughing and chuckling at the shock and awe on the face of their brother as he discovers for the first time what most of them simply consider part of life. It reminds him of when he first started teaching Aryll how to fish and make things, but funnier because Warriors is old enough to be teaching children of his own. 

“You might want to close that maw of yers,” Twilight nudges the captain as the vet starts moving towards the next chamber, “a keese might mistake it fer a cave.” 

Where usually the other would roll his eyes, shove the rancher back, shake his head, or just scoff at the mockery, Warriors doesn’t even seem to notice, instead still staring at the carefully arranged statues in the room. There hadn’t even been a guide or a riddle, just a room of statues. He’s not sure how Legend knew to move them here, there, and the other way, but the moment the vet had stood back, dusting himself off and wiping away sweat with a wide grin, the walls had trembled, and the ground shook and the stones of the north wall had fallen away to reveal another opening. “How on earth does it do that?” 

“Do what?” Hyrule asks. He’s been keeping close to the captain as of late for some reason or another. 

Warriors nods to the door, the one Legend’s already darting through. “Does it repair itself later? And how does it make that particular part of the wall fall away without jeopardizing the entire structure?” 

He’s not sure himself. Wind’s never really wondered before. Once the puzzle is solved, he doesn’t tend to think about it again later, just what comes after and maybe taking a nap or eating something. The others seem to have some ideas though, and a few of them move to answer, only to be interrupted by Four. 

“Puzzle gods.” 

He turns to stare at the smithy. “What?” 

“I believe,” Four pronounces, stopping to look at them all, “that there must be some sort of deity or spirit that goes around building places like this, just for the sheer joy of seeing little mortals like us try to solve them.” Four kindly ignores the pointed remarks and chuckles that follow his adjective choices, which Wind thinks is rather grand of him because he certainly wouldn’t. “Every hundred years, some hero type or daredevil comes through, solves the puzzles and wins the prize, but then it all gets sealed up again and there’s another prize the next time someone comes through.” A shrug of the shoulders signals the decision to start moving again. “It really is the only explanation.” 

He’s being silly, Wind thinks. Fac-facetious? Is that what Legend calls it? Anyway, Four’s messing with them, messing with Warriors, and its beautiful watching realization dawn on the captain’s face only to be quickly replaced by a sharp little smile and a headshake that’s half warning, half repressed laughter. Time used to get that one all the time when they were kids. “You ass.” 

“Our ass is currently up ahead.” Four retorts, smirking over his shoulder. 

“Your ass is currently getting his ass whooped!” Legend’s voice yells from the doorway they’ve yet to cross. “Get in here!” 

They hurry, but there’s no panic. Legend is short-spoken when he’s actually worried, and the clear humor in his tone was obvious enough that they know not to worry too much. They don’t need to anyway, it turns out. Legend’s foes are a bunch of chu-chus and like-likes, which are annoying, yes, but hardly worse than an annoyance all said and done. Once they can clearly see the door on the other side of the room, Wild tells them to book it across, a glowing bomb lifted high and attracting the monster population’s attention long enough for them to obediently book it. Wild joins them on the other side a moment later with a sharp grin as he taps his slate, spinning to catch the glow of the blast. His eyes shine like lanterns.  

“Sick,” Wind laughs. 

Legend, leaning against the wall next to him, stares. “What does that even mean?” 

“Who knows,” the captain sighs, long since having given up decoding the slang that some of them use, (probably because he knows full well how quickly he’ll get hooked once he knows what he’s saying), “kids these days say weird shit.” 

Their leader smirks. With only one eye, it’s hard to tell where Time’s looking, but it’s over the heads of Wind and Four, so it’s not at them. “I believe it’s similar to ‘groovy’.” 

Wind has no clue what ‘groovy’ means. Legend and Hyrule, on the other hand, nod sagaciously, exchanging a brief look of understanding. 

“Groovy,” The vet snorts. 

“Groovy,” Hyrule answers back, grin wide. 

“Good grief,” Warriors declares, sweeping past them with barely disguised laughter. 

There’s some varied laughter and jostling of each other as they set out again. The room they’ve darted into holds very little, just a chest with a key and some dark inky looking blobs that the vet warns them to avoid, only to step on himself. It’s because his magical boots protect him, he says, but Wind sort of doubts that; he thinks maybe Legend just likes stepping on monsters sometimes. He can’t blame him, considering how fun he finds it to watch enemies be plowed over by Tetra’s ship, be he in it or not, so he doesn’t exactly have room to speak here. 

They move on from the key room, back into the chu room, which is now void of anything save some wobbly chunks that Sky screws up his face at the sight of and Twilight and Wild gather up as though they don’t stick to their fingers. The sailor follows Legend as he moves to the locked door on one side of the room, well aware of the fact that once the chu jelly is gathered, Twilight and Wild will be looking for something to wipe their hands on, and if it doesn’t end up being the captain’s scarf, it will be one of the rest of them.  

Warriors knows too, and is already bundling up his scarf, Warning Glare already activated.  

Four’s hood is very much in danger now (everyone respects the sailcloth too much and Hyrule gets snappish when touched unexpectedly). 

Avoiding the issue entirely is in his best interest, and the vet seems to think the same, sniggering a bit into his hand as he steals a look back at the rest of them, who stand about like sitting ducks, as though unaware they can now actually escape gooey hands and wolfish grins. “Who’s getting gooed, d’y’think?” The vet whispers to him, violet eyes sparking as he pauses just inside the wide arch of the door, but not yet into the other room. Somehow, apparently, that stops monsters being able to reach him, although how, the sailor has still yet to figure out. 

He shrugs back, risking a glance just as the two finish their messy work. “Don’t now, but I sure as stone don’t want it to be me!” 

Like silly toddlers, they’re fighting back laughter, ducking out of sight as Twilight springs towards the group, Wild on his heels. Getting out before someone notices them watching is the best way to avoid getting caught in the crossfire or being selected as a far less dangerous target. Good as they may be in battle, Twilight is still stronger than either of them, and Wild is scary fast; there’s no avoiding getting slimed once those two have chosen you as their target. Not even Legend’s Death Kicks or a spell would be enough to dissuade Twilight once his mind is set on being the worst big brother in the world.  

It’s a big sibling thing. 

Instead, they hide away, Legend pressing a finger to his lips and Wind nodding as they listen to the shouts of the others, exchanging a look and a silent laugh before the vet turns to look through the other side of the doorway. When he does, his smile falls. “Shit.” 

Not a good thing to hear, especially since Legend’s been rather in a good mood all afternoon because of finding the dungeon. He stares at the other for a moment before daring to glance out into the next room. “What?” There doesn’t seem to be any monsters within sight, although it is pretty dark ahead. That said, other than the fact that he can’t see much of anything, it doesn’t look nearly as bad as the water filled chamber at the entrance of the dungeon, the room where various aquatic monsters lurked, and they’d been swimming and fighting in the dark. It wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t nearly as fun as the puzzles, not by a long shot. 

“Look at the floor,” the vet sighs, slumping a bit. 

Wind looks. “There isn’t much of one.” 

A nod. “Yeah. A thin path with precious few safe spaces, lighting that goes out within a few minutes, and, of course, the floor disappears as you walk on it.” 

Of all the things Legend’s showed them in the dungeon, this is definitely moving to the top of his list of things he doesn’t like in land-dungeons. His own are odd in their own ways, but rapidly disappearing flooring is not preferable. “What do we do?” Because asking Legend is always the best option with dungeons, or so he’s finding. Warriors is the battle master, Time the most lived, Hyrule and Wild best with travel, but Legend is definitely the one you ask when it comes to anything unnatural or excessively confusing. Dungeons, magic, and history are the vet’s expertise, and if the vet doesn’t know it, it’s probably not worth knowing anyhow. 

The older boy scrubs at his face with his hands. “Run.” 

“From what?” The others have joined them again. 

“The floor.” 

“The what?” 

“The floor,” Legend repeats, motioning out into the room before them. “It’s going to drop out from underneath you as you run across it. We won’t be able to make it in one go, just two at a time until we’re all across.” 

“I can’t see,” Sky isn’t pouting, but he looks very aggravated. There’s slime in his hair. “How do we know where to go?” 

The vet shrugs. “We guess.” 

There’s a pause, and then, “What? You have tips and tricks for everything else, but when the floor falls out from underneath you, you just guess where to run?” 

Violet eyes glint, a snort and half-smile appearing again. “Got a better idea?” 

“We’ll live,” Hyrule is the one speaking now, pushing past the others to look out into the new room. “I think these things usually respawn after ten minutes or so. So even if we take a wrong turn, we can go back, it just...” 

“It takes a bit,” Legend finishes, snatching his cap off to ruffle at his hair in agitation. “And longer if you don’t have a hook-shot ready. If you drop, you’re probably going to fall back to the first room.” 

“How?” Warriors doesn’t sound bemused anymore, just confused. 

He hears Four snort more than he sees it, what with the smallest being at the back probably due to hiding behind Time. “Puzzle gods.” 

The comment goes ignored, and any serious answer to the captain’s question never comes. Instead, the vet sets out onto the temporary path, striking ahead like he tends to in unfamiliar territory, and simply by virtue of already being there, Wind is the first to follow. He’s not sure if he likes it or not that the captain, who’s behind him, doesn’t follow immediately. Not having his back guarded all of a sudden isn’t very pleasant, but the path does, indeed, start falling away not long after their feet leave it behind. 

Legend darts. Wind follows.  

Corners are tricky, and the vet seems to cut them altogether if he can, sprinting along while casting fireballs out into the darkness, just long enough to show the way before they dissipate. It would be easier to light a lantern, but it’d leave one hand busy, and neither of them can risk that, not without backup as they dance out into the darkness. There really is no rhyme or reason to their path, just wherever they can manage, and when the sprint is starting to get to him (he’s a sailor, not a landlubber, he doesn’t run much), they finally pull off to a small floating island in the middle of the room, and though the path falls away before them, they're left stable. 

The vet heaves a breath, flames licking off his fingers to fill a sconce set on the little isle of stone. “Well, having fun yet?” 

He just groans in answer, earning a snort and a hair ruffle in return. 

“Come now, Maliit, where’s your sense of adventure?” 

“Above ground?” He tries, smiling through now very messy hair; whatever damage running did is now made so much worse by bejeweled hands. “Maybe with Hyrule, I think he stole it.” 

His answer is a scoff as Legend darts his own hair out of his eyes, nose wiggling some with silent laughter as he shakes his head, much like Warriors usually would. Their traveler’s light fingers are no secret, unlike the captain’s. Hyrule’s propensity to pluck things from their possession without their knowledge, especially when he’s mad at them, is something of a joke by now, and watching Time returning the favor is hilarious as they battle it out until the captain will force them to stop. Warriors, in contrast, rarely employs his own skills, but there have been times, and he’s good. 

It’s unlikely that either can actually steal an aspect of someone’s personality though. Still, Wind knows better than to presume; for all he knows, maybe there is such a magic that one of them have!  

The vet doesn’t push the matter though, just cracks his back and rolls his shoulders a bit, staring into the area around them, occasionally letting off a flame into the darkness, peering and squinting to try and see a path. Wind would do the same, but he’s only of use for that sort of thing above ground. Sailing, he can spot land faster than most of the older pirates, but in caves? Tunnels? He’s no good to anyone when it comes to seeing. Legend says that that’s to be expected though. Apparently, his timeline has evolved so hylians have much better dark-vision and hearing, something Hyrule and he display quite clearly. Twilight is the same, but they think that’s part of the whole wolf-deal, since the rest of his era doesn’t have the same blessings. Anyways, Wind doesn’t have them, so he sits and catches his breath and watches the vet until at last the other turns and offers him a hand. 

“Path is back.” 

“Here we go again,” he sighs, smiling up at where the vet’s eyes glint in the already dying firelight.  

Legend waits until the flame in the sconce dies, which as he warned, happens quickly. It’s lighted again quickly with a snap of the fingers, and then they’re off again, darting down the path that collapses even out from beneath them as they move. 

Somewhere, out in the darkness, he hears shouting, hears what sounds like Warriors, or probably Sky with how loud it is. 

He waits until they reach another stopping point, flames licking life across the vet’s features before his face, before he asks a thought that’s suddenly come to him. “You think Sky can handle all this running?” 

There’s a snort in answer, a tremble of the shoulders in a laugh that isn’t set free but plays in eyes that flicker red in the firelight. “He’s fast, even if his stamina is shit. I think he’ll live. At worst, Twilight can just carry him around.” The image is sort of ridiculous, and it makes him laugh. A knee-slapping, shoulder shaking laugh that echoes back in a wiggling nose and creasing eyes as barely contained cackles tremble through his brother. 

- 

They make it through the dark room eventually. The sounds that ring and echo through the darkness have Legend despairing that the others will be along at any time soon but considering he’s the one doing all the puzzle solving anyways, he apparently decides there’s no reason to wait up. Instead, when they reach the ledge at the end, one that has a door and a passage onwards, he sets a lantern in the doorway, lit and capable of holding his flames longer than the little beacons they’d run across on the path. Beside it, he settles his blue cap, a quickly written ‘catch up already’ scrawled on a note he pins to the soft fabric. 

“They’ll know we went this way when they see it.” He tells Wind, and the sailor nods back. It’s a good plan. A lantern could be a sign of a new puzzle. Legend's lantern, Legend’s hat, are a way to say that Legend is here, that he’s ahead, but didn’t have the patience to wait for the rest, something which Wind quite agrees with. 

As before, Legend pauses in the doorway to the next room, staring out into the new chamber and assessing its contents before he ventures forwards. He’s done that with most of the rooms in this dungeon so far, the only exception being the key room, where they were too eager to escape Wild’s bombs to care about what stood on the other side. Wind’s sort of glad they’ve stopped too, because inside the room, wispy figures appear and disappear without any rhyme or reason, waves of magic and piercing screams emitted from their flickering forms just moments after they appear. 

“Wizzrobes,” the vet hums, brow furrowing. “Fought those before?” 

He stares. “y-yes...?” 

Twin red flames, because the vet’s eyes glint red in the darkness, the only clear feature on his face as it’s turned on him, stare into his eyes. “Is that a question or an answer, sailor?” 

“I’ve fought them, but...” he glances back at the ghostly looking figures with wide-brimmed hats, “mine are very...different.” 

“Do they appear and disappear at seemingly random and attack you with magic?” 

“Yes.” 

“Then there’s no real difference,” the vet proclaims. “Just don’t get hit, and strike them after they attack, because there’s not much time before they do. Hit hard, hit fast, and keep light on your feet. You can do that, right?” 

He nods. He can. He's a sailor, he’s good at darting around and avoiding random things trying to hit him. Ust because these wizzrobes don’t look like tropical birds in long robes doesn’t mean they’ll be any harder to fight! Although, it is going to be weird to try and connect what he knows about the enemies to his experiences with their counterparts in his era. Still, he can do this. 

“One more thing,” Legend adds, shield lifted and sword ready, “the doorway is an option. If you need a breath, cover, or a moment to assess your foe, don’t be afraid to lurk in doorways. They’re life savers.” 

“Got it.” 

And just like that, they set upon the enemy. Legend really does dance across the room as he works. Darting and spinning and plunging through the enemies. Avoiding this blow and that, even as the five different foes all try and take aim at him. It’s like he can predict where they’ll appear, and it’s like he’s waiting for them when they do, sword flashing in the light of the enemy magic as he dispatches them. 

Wind holds his own rather well, he thinks, downing two of the five. Again, the vet has been doing this far longer and knows much more than he does, but he’s not a beginner himself either. They make it through the room with nothing more than a little damage; a little curse that Legend plucks off of them and dissipates with a glinting of golden magic and a disgusted expression that has the sailor sniggering to himself. “Wish I could do that.” 

“It’s exhausting,” comes the answer, “I’m going to sleep like a log once we get out of here.” 

He has been using rather a lot of magic, what with the fireballs and everything. Does he run out eventually, or will they be alright to keep going? “Do you need a green potion?” 

“I need a nap,” Legend snorts. “Although yes, if you have one, that would be nice too.” 

He does, but only for a moment or so more, because it’s gone the moment it’s in the scholar’s hands. Bottle carefully tucked away to give back to Wild to be refilled at a later date. “Thanks.” 

“Of course.” He might not be able to use much magic, beyond the Wind Waker, but that doesn’t stop him carrying magic potions for his brothers. Wild had laughed a bit when he’d asked the older boy to teach him to brew them, and while he’s not very good at it and actually needs Wild to do most of the work, he does make an effort to have most potion types on him at all times. He doesn’t need anything for heat or sun, doesn’t have much magic and rarely uses strength, stamina, or defense potions, but the others need them, so he wants to have them on hand. Sky needs stamina potions and never has them. Hyrule and Time frequently exhaust their magic, and goodness knows all of them are constantly downing health potions after battles or skirmishes with various foes. He'd done the same thing during the war, and Midna had taken to calling him “Bottle Boy” as a joke, because when Warriors eventually was on the edge of collapse or someone else needed something, he always had what they needed. She’d say it like it was a mockery at first, but he sort of misses hearing the tease each time he hands one of his brothers the potion they need. Time still says it though, grinning and winking, and even Warriors will repeat it on a rare occasion, relieved and warm and fond. 

Legend doesn’t know about it, but in many ways, the older boy reminds him a bit of that blasted imp, especially with how much he likes to tease and ruffle up Wind’s hair. He wonders if the other two see it as well, or maybe they’ve forgotten. Time probably has, what with how old he’s gotten since then. 

“What now?” he asks, looking around the room at the fallen magic staves and hats. He’s a bit tempted to put one of the hats on, but he’s also got the feeling that that may or may not get him cursed somehow. Legend just removed a minor curse, and he’s not asking for a repeat because he’s being stupid. He'll ask the vet what would happen if he did, but later, once the other doesn’t actually think he will do it, or that he even can. 

The lights have come on now that the enemies have fallen, something Warriors would definitely be gaping at if he was here and puzzling, yet again, on the ‘how’ of it all. With the aid of said light, he can properly see the vet’s dark eyes roving over the room, now violet again as they search for some key or puzzle that will point the way forward. “Not sure yet.” 

It takes a moment, some darting around and looking here and there, but at last the vet finds the way forwards, pushing a large stone block one way to reveal a hole in the floor. 

“Sky’s not going to like this,” he observes, crouching to look down into the darkness below.  

Legend. Leaning against the just moved block, snorts his agreement. “Wars either.” 

He, however, is not scared of the dark, even if he can’t see well in it. Still, he lets the vet take the lead, because quite frankly he doesn’t think Legend ever lets himself follow others into danger, or the unknown. No, he lets Legend go first and then drops down after him, only after they’ve made a very obvious arrow shape on the floor with the magic staves to point towards the hole they’re plunging into. The others do still need to be able to find them eventually, after all! 

Dropping into the hole though, he sort of regrets not waiting for them. 

There is a door in the room, but it’s locked, and there’s no key in sight and the little ring the vet keeps on his belt, apparently expressly for dungeon keys, is currently empty after opening the way to the room with the falling walkways. The one the others may or may not still be stuck inside of at the moment. So, unlike before, there’s no doorway to hide in at the moment, and the very large gleeok that takes up most of the chamber definitely makes that a very big problem. 

“Oh, come on,” Legend doesn’t look worried so much as tired as he lifts his shield, just in time to block them both from the first burst of flames, “seriously? No warning? No boss key? No crazy fancy door? This is just breaking all the laws of dungeon etiquette!” 

“What?” he stammers, unashamedly hiding behind the other as the flames sputter out. 

“Dungeon bosses are always marked, and if this isn’t even the main foe, then I dread to think what the ‘puzzle gods’ decided to put in the boss room. Gleeoks are overkill to begin with!” 

He’s handling this a lot better than Wind was expecting. Like it’s a nuisance rather than an actual threat, which, for the vet, is kind of unusual. Legend always takes things seriously on the battlefield, at least as long as their enemy is something more threatening than a blob with teeth. Gleeoks sort of fall under Wind’s ‘extremely dangerous, do not engage’ list, and he’s rather certain it’s the same all around, except with Sky, who thinks they’re friendly for some reason. 

“Plan?” he asks, already grabbing for his own sword again, and wishing, not for the first time, that he had more spirit power. Stopping time long enough to get some heavy hits on their new foe would be pretty convenient, even if it wouldn’t let Legend help him at all. Still, he can take on foes without the others, so he wouldn’t need the vet’s help, although it’s nice to have; Legend treats him like a competent equal on the battlefield, and other than giving advice on how to take on foes or tricks the other uses himself, he’s mostly left Wind to do his work without interference. It’s nice, and a pleasant change from having the older ones always trying to protect him. 

The vet puffs, mind whirring so loud he can almost hear it. “Kill it? Weakness is probably it’s eyes.” 

“It has three heads.” 

“We each take on one and tag-team the third.” 

“Got it.” 

Uncomplicated but also very vague. Still, Legend’s a scholar, not a tactician. He’s good at killing things and he’s fast on the field, but the vet doesn’t tend to do the strategizing in their group, or the commanding, unless of course the others are losing focus and need someone to remind them that they are, in fact, in the middle of a battle. Even then though, legend’s plans are on the fly and generally rely on them all being actually competent enough to think for themselves on how to do what they’re told. Like now. 

Take down one head, join Legend for the other one. Easy to say, but not nearly as easy to do. 

He wishes gleeoks had a limit on how much fire they could produce at a time. It would make fighting them so much more fair. 

As it is, there’s so much fire in the room it’s sort of hard to make out where, exactly, legend is at any given moment. He keeps having to duck behind his shield too, and dart away as the beast thunders across the floor. Getting close is a nightmare, but once he does, managing to climb up between the two giant wings, he finds himself face to face with his companion again. 

“Long time no see,” Legend smirks, and then springs across the scales to his side, lowering his shield to offer something to him. “Forgot to give you this.” 

He takes it without question, because he rather doubts a prank is incoming considering they're in the midst of a fight, and he’s pleasantly surprised to find a red ring in his possession, one that makes the heat around them a fair bit less painful as he slips it on. Flame protection, he guesses, watching the vet spring along the neck of the beast, the other two heads turning towards him as the tempered blade lifts to take a plunge at one of three giant eyes. 

Well, best cover his brother’s ass! He follows suit, jumping up and climbing the neck of the wriggling beast, catching its attention as well, just as Legend’s sword plunges home, once, twice, and a burst of flames explodes around them. 

It’s hard seeing, smoke overtaking his vision and, again, his eyes aren’t the best in dim spaces, but he plunges where he thinks the head is. 

The gleeok shakes him off before he can be sure of the damage he’s done. He manages to tuck and roll as he hits the ground, and his shield arm takes most of the impact. Pain explodes from his shoulder down, but he’s still able to stand again, sword still in hand as he turns again to face the three great eyes that now fix on him, one of them, and only one, leaking blood profusely. 

Well shit! 

A clawed foot swipes at him, and he has to roll again to get away, shield up and arm screaming. He's probably sprained his wrist or shoulder or something, something that’s going to make this unnecessarily hard, because of course that’s how this works.  

He hears Legend yelling from the other side of the room, but the gleeok doesn’t turn, and a wide sweep of the wings sends the sailor skidding back, feet fighting to stay upright, and shield still raised as the force sends him flying backwards and into the wall. The impact hits after than he was expecting, and his guard falters just a bit under the force of it, leaving him open to the next burst of flames. Sages bless Legend for giving him the ring. He can feel the flicker of flames over his skin, but the effect, while painful, isn’t anything close to what he’d seen the same sort of attack do to the captain so many months ago. His skin bubbles and sleeves burn, but it’s no worse than sticking his hand into a fire for a moment, and the flames die suddenly with a scream from the monster as Legend’s blade must find a home in it’s tail or some such. 

Suddenly, he’s free to breathe again, a doorway of opportunity giving him a moment to muster himself and fight down the pain surging up his arms and across his face. His feet falter some on the floor, even without the force of the wings blowing him back, but he finds his land legs again after a moment, and then he’s headed back into the fray. 

Legend’s hissing insults, shouting things to keep the focus of their foe on himself, and while it definitely does nothing more than agitate the creature, it gives Wind opening to dart along towards the tail now turned to him. 

He doesn’t manage to climb on top, because a head comes rolling down his way, forked tongue still sticking out, and the vet’s shout to “hit the head!” distracts him from joining his brother on top of the thing. He does as ordered though, pouring his pain into a strike that has the thing splashing blood up and over him, one glowing yellow eye fading to grey as he hacks and stabs until the thing stops rolling and bouncing across the floor. 

One head down, two to go. 

Legend’s mounted the monster again, but it’s caught on, and the head he’s not standing on is snapping at him, large teeth closing just short of pink hair as the man darts and dances out of reach, sword plunging up towards the attacking beast, balance somehow unfaltering despite how the creature beneath him bucks and writhes, shaking to try and dismount him but only succeeding in foiling the attempts of the other head as its target is lifted and dropped and sifted out of reach of snapping teeth. 

It’s too much movement to let Wind get ahold of scales or spikes and pull himself up, and even trying sends the harsh texture of the hide scraping over fresh burns, a shout of pain catching in his throat as he immediately pulls his hand back. Instead, he determines to hack away at the sweeting tails and stumbling claws, doing at least some damage until at last the head snapping at the vet turns to him, a snort of ire signaling the shift of attention and giving him enough time to lift his shield and dart back from the next wave of flames. 

The flames die again with another blow to one eye, but the head doesn’t fall. Instead, the spattering blood makes feathered boots slip, and Legend’s shout rings out beside the roar of the gleeok as he plummets to the floor. Like Wind, the vet tucks and rolls, but unlike the sailor, he doesn’t land on his shield arm. 

Legend lands on his head. 

As though he actually has phantom powers, time seems to slow for a moment as he watches the tight all of his brother uncurls, limbs and sword clattering against the floor, violet eyes fluttering briefly. 

“Legend!” 

He’s not sure, exactly, how he manages to climb onto the monster that’s still writhing in pain from the latest blow, but he does. He does and he manages to get himself atop the singular uninjured head, slashing away at the scales by his feet until they give way to flesh and bone, and then finally the head falls away altogether, leaving only the one sightless one instead as the second head plumets down to the floor where Legend is still lying. 

The vet’s trying to move, but a faint cry of pain, bitten off but heart-rending sounds with the motions, and considering how he’d fallen and how heavily, Wind doesn't think it’s likely a good idea at all to let Legend move. 

He jumps. Rolls down the scaly back and popping up again just a short distance away from the head that bounces up again from the force of its fall, black and crimson ichor and blood spattering everywhere with the motion. It takes more effort this time to keep after the head, the eye still glowing in a signal that it can and will return to its body through whatever twisted magic it is that keeps this thing alive. 

He thinks he hates the puzzle gods. 

The head is just beginning its returning path to the body that writhes and snarls with all the force left in its remaining, blinded head, but he manages a blow. It roars and hisses, but a plunge into golden sclera stops that, and a second one, just to be sure, because being certain never hurt anything when fighting monsters, ends the things motions as it dissipates into a cloud of miasma. 

One head remains, flailing around as fire spills from its open maw, filling the room with smoke and flames. 

He wants to look over to Legend, making sure the fire isn’t touching his fallen brother, but he can’t risk taking his focus off the foe. When its head lowers, wings raised as it blasts fire forwards, he springs, rolls out of the way, feet slapping the stone beneath as he darts in while its neck is lowered enough to sever, and with a mighty shout, a shooting pain up his arm and as much force as he can muster, the phantom sword plunged into the scales. 

Flames die with a cry, the beast rearing up, his blade still imbedded in its flesh and his hands holding tightly, feet sweeping off the ground as wings sweep out with a blast. 

He hears another pained cry, a shout of agony as the bet’s body is sent rag-rolling across the floor. 

Oh sages, his spine! You shouldn’t move people who might have hurt their spines!  

The gleeok’s roar of agony matches in pitch to the cry of the fallen hero, and Wind’s own brain is screaming in kind as he wrenches himself upwards, swinging his feet up to mount the final head, blade tugging free only to plunge again, force sending shockwaves up his aching arm and definitely screwing it up more than it had been initially. Wars is going to chew his ear off for this one, he knows it. Still, the head falls free, and again, he manages to roll down the spiney back, across the floor, body sore all over as he darts like a mad thing across the stone to the final head. 

When the last golden eye goes dim, purple smoke rising, his whole body feels like one giant bruise. 

He doesn’t have time for that though. Doesn't even bother to try and clean his sword, something that will earn Four on his ass as well as the captain, but that doesn’t matter nearly as much as hauling ass to the form of the vet who lies on the floor, breath shuddering and hands still somehow gripping ahold of the faintly glowing tempered sword.  

“Legend?” His knees sting as he sinks down onto them, hands hovering as he tries to assess his brother’s injuries without moving him. He shouldn’t move him at all, and much as a red potion would help, it never does anything for broken bones if they’re not set properly first, something he is definitely not qualified to do. They need Warriors. Seven Sages, where are the others? How are they taking this long? “Vet, come on, can you hear me?” 

There’s a puff of breath and a gritting of teeth, but long ears flick, responsive even though no verbal answer comes. 

“Stay with me, Ledge,” he pleads, trying to peer through the soot to see if blood is stemming from anywhere. There's no large puddle of it or anything. Although, like himself, burns do stretch over any exposed skin he can see. “Just stay awake. Wars will be here soon, and we’ll get you all fixed up.” 

“’kay.” It’s more gasp than speech, but it’s an answer. 

He reaches for one of the vet’s bejeweled hands. Moving those, treating the burns at least with the salve he’s carried with him since the captain’s battle with Volga, won’t jostle his brother enough to do more damage than what’s already been done. 

Long fingers squeeze around his own, but he doesn't pull away, just lets the vet grip as tight as he needs as he wipes the ash and dirt away with a cloth wetted with his canteen, cleaning and applying what knowledge he has about burns to treat the injuries before wrapping them. 

He talks as he works. He doesn't know how much Legend’s actually listening, but the vet’s long ears follow him as he talks, twitching occasionally at what he says. There’s the occasional attempt at a smile on cracked lips as he recounts one or another of his adventures with Tetra, and while they're pained, the smiles are undeniable as he talks about Aryll and Granny. 

The others still haven’t joined them by the time Wind’s exhausted his knowledge of wound care and run out of burns to tend, both on the vet and himself. He feels like a jerk, downing a potion to tend his own injuries and not granting one to the other, but he can’t risk having any damage done become permanent from the potion’s magic, so instead he holds Legend’s hand in his own and keeps talking. By nervous habit, he starts toying with pink hair, just like he’d do with Aryll at home when he’s nervous, braiding and unbraiding and stoking silky hair to calm his own mind. Legend doesn’t tell him to stop either, and while the tension and pain that lines his body doesn’t go away, it’s clear that the comfort is appreciated as they wait for the others to join them. 

He checks in every few moments, reminding legend to stay awake, to keep his eyes open. It works for a while, but eventually long lashes flutter closed, despite his every warning and plea, and they don’t open again no matter what he says. The only assurance that the vet isn’t fully unconscious is the flicker of his ears as Wind speaks, so he keeps talking. He keeps his eyes fixed on long ears, and hands soothing silky hair as he rambles about anything and everything he can think of, trying to keep going at least until the others arrive. 

When at last he hears feet overhead, voices echoing down into their chamber, Wind could nearly cry from relief. Based off the tears that streak ash covered cheeks, Legend does. 

[deathnguts]

This might be crazy but I think that Rabastan and Regulus’s first massive fight that set the tone for the rest of their fights as a couple was because of Bartylus. Hear me out.

So, rabastan is way older than regulus we’ve already been over this. When regulus was five years old Rabastan was graduating hogwarts, or high school if you wanna view no magic AU which we do a lot. Rabastan was also a rebellious lad who did what he wanted especially in his teens, the time when he wasn’t close with regulus yet beyond like just being regulus’ favorite person that wasn’t Sirius yknow. Speeding this up, Rabastan did not save himself for marriage like he was supposed to via traditional marriage rules he was raised with. Rabastan was 100% sexually active in his teens and his twenties because why wouldn’t he be? It’s not like anyone got pregnant why does it matter? He didn’t love regulus yet so it’s not cheating, who cares?

Fast forward to when regulus is like fifteen, him and Rabastan consider themselves a couple now just counting down the days until Regulus is legal so they can get married and oops Rabastan lets it slip that he’s not a virgin. He didn’t think it mattered and he doesn’t like lying to Regulus so he didn’t think to hold it back or keep it a shameful secret. Regulus doenst like hiding things or keeping secrets from Rabastan either so he says he isn’t either pretty easily. Suddenly Rabastan cares a little, because what the fuck did you just say? He wants details, he wants names, he wants to know what there is to know and regulus is affronted because why does it matter you said it doesn’t matter! Rabastan wants to know who and regulus says he’ll only tell if Rabastan says who his first was and Rabastan says he doesn’t know because he doesn’t it was a one night stand he doesn’t even remember the name of it didn’t matter and that breaks Regulus’s heart a little but because isn’t this supposed to be sacred and that makes Rabastan even madder because if it’s so sacred why’d you do it with someone else?! Rabastan says it’s not fair because he was a different person ten years ago, Regulus says that’s not fair because why is Rabastan allowed to just break the rules he has to follow just because he’s older, just because he was born a man.

Again, speeding it up, they give each other the silent treatment for a while. It’s easy to do with regulus in school, they just don’t write. It’s been a few months and rabastan is starting to think the fight was actually stupid because he misses regulus and he’s willing to get over it in a second if they’ll just talk again so he goes to pick regulus up from the station with that sort of thinking and- who is that.

Barty’s always been touchy with regulus, he’s always been affectionate and open with him even when they’re not romantically interested in one another because the Bartylus bond persists in every universe. They’re just close beyond belief so it’s hard not show that. Rabastan has never seen it before because well barty really only sees regulus at school while Rabastan only sees him out of it. Rabastan hates it. He hates it a lot. Is he supposed to just be fine with another man cradling his wife (not yet) like he owns her?! And barty isn’t like subtle at all, he’s like waist grabbing and burying his face in regulus’ neck, it’s a hard watch for sure.

So naturally Rabastan forgets he wasn’t angry anymore and the fight starts again immediately. Who is that? What just because you’re not a virgin you’re just close with every guy you see now? Regulus is appalled, he’s my best fucking friend if anyone’s a fucking whore it’s you you don’t even remember how many people you’ve slept with- gab gab gab they fight a lot, truth slips out, regulus admits his first time was with Barty because they’re just Like That but not like that, rabastan admits has really only slept with people he doesn’t care about before which is why he’s upset regulus has only slept with one person and he cares about them a lot and it’s not him. They’re still kinda mad because you can’t just undo anything they said or did, Rabastan asks for regulus to stop talking to Barty and regulus says no. Rabastan rolls his eyes and regulus stiffens up, he says he needs a drink and regulus says he’ll pour it and Rabastan says No I need a drink away from you and regulus says please don’t and there’s an anger in the room but it settled like a fog and it feels so thick it’s like they can’t move through it and regulus gets on his tip toes to kiss Rabastan, just missing his lips because he’s not quite tall enough even at his tallest and Rabastan sort of stews with that for a moment before bending down a little so they can kiss properly. They’re not at the hate fuck point in their relationship yet, they definitely want they’re first time together to be softer than that, but you can see the seeds of that future planted here because there’s definitely over the clothes stuff happening within the next two hours of this kiss.

But yeah, both Barty and Rabastan’s life before he loved regulus remain sore subjects for the rest of time, and are both brought up in every fight when they’re angry enough.

[writtenonreceipts]

a/n: Bonus points if you can point out where one of my (many) mental breakdowns occurs.  She’s a bit of a disaster.  I literally don’t know where this came from…

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas @aelinschild!  Written as part of the @rowaelinscourt secret santa exchange. Thanks for putting up with me and my myriad of asks.  It’s been wonderful to get to know you these last few weeks! <3<3<3<3

Find the companion Elorcan piece here! Set just a few months before the main events of this story.

AO3 Link here

Warnings: nothing major, non-explicit/passing mentions of trauma/abuse, very brief mention of drugs ~25k words

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

Until the Dust Settles

A golden sun set behind the Oakwald Mountains, casting long shadows across the long stretch of land that made up Whitethorn Ranch.  The acres were a makeup of subtle rills and hills where horses could run for ages and the flatter earth where a decent sized garden yielded a fair amount for the farmers market in the spring and summer. 

The land had been in Rowan Whitethorn’s family for over one hundred years—it was the only home he’d ever known.  He’d grown up racing horses through the vast fields or spending winter chasing down animals that had gotten loose in a storm.  He would admit that sometimes it was a hard life to live—the constant work, the fear for the animal’s safety.  But it certainly had its benefits.

The spring and summer that actually made the land worth having.  Not only because there in the farther outreaches of the countryside, things seemed untouched by society—which really was the only thing worth mentioning.  But it also allowed for the most tourism and when most people came to visit that ranch.

For nearly twenty years now, Whitethorn Ranch was mostly known for its outreach program for troubled teens.  When kids needed time away from home where it was for depression, anxiety, trauma, misbehavior—they came to the ranch.  

It had started ages ago when Rowan’s great-grandfather came to own the land and took on the runaways who were escaping bad situations.  His great-grandparents accepted anyone who came by the ranch as their own and the attitude extended through the generations.  By the time Rowan’s father gained the land, things had turned to be more professional.  

The ranch used a mix of therapy modems and simple outreach to help those who needed it.  They offered day visits for schools, riding lessons, even month-long visits and stays for extreme cases.  It was careful water to tread sometimes.  Recently, Rowan had been more conscious about making sure the kids who came felt safe and wanted.  He never accepted anyone who was forced to come, unless he could talk to the kid first.  Even then, he knew that help only helped when someone actually wanted it.

But now as Rowan stared over the golden horizon, he wondered how anyone could turn a sight like this down.

He tightened Goldryn’s reins and clicked his tongue, directing the horse back to the stables.  It had been a long day of checkouts and clean up.  This late in the fall, most people only came by for tours or field trips.  Business wouldn’t pick back up until May at least.

For now, the ranch would rely on its usual borders.  There were a few families that owned horses but didn’t have the land to keep them, so Rowan rented out stalls and charged for care.  It kept him busy enough in the slower months.  Him and Lorcan, his best friend from college, made things work though.  It had taken a great deal of convincing to get Lorcan to come out here, but the grumpy bastard enjoyed being outside and this job presented plenty of opportunity.

It certainly helped that Lorcan had recently started dating Elide Lochan, who was a staple to the small town.  And Rowan had to admit—they were good together.

As he rode down a worn path along the paddock fence, Rowan could see a shape waiting for him in the distance.  He grimaced.  There was only one person that would be so intent on talking to him.

He slowed Goldryn to a trot, knowing he couldn’t avoid the inevitable.

Leaning against a fence post with her arms crossed and golden blonde hair hanging in loose curls was Aelin Galathynius.  Brilliant, beautiful, and a pain in his ass.  She had come to the ranch almost six months ago after graduating from a top university specializing in trauma.  She was exactly what he needed for what he was trying to accomplish here and exactly the right person to drive him insane.

Rowan pulled Goldryn to a stop at the fence gate and stared down at Aelin.  Her cold blue eyes stared right back up.  She’d long since traded her fancy clothes and high heels out for jeans and t-shirts.  She even wore a baseball cap on occasion.  And yet the change of close did nothing to diminish her looks.

“I need to talk to you,” she said.  She didn’t flinch when Goldryn stamped her feet with a loud snort.  Another thing Aelin had improved upon, not being jumpy around the animals.  Though, she did eye the mare with a bit of distrust.

“It’s outside of my office hours,” he replied.  “Try again tomorrow.”

Aelin scowled at him.  It was the same excuse she used on him when he needed to talk to her, he didn’t see why she should be so upset to have it thrown back in her face.

“That’s what you said yesterday,” she said.

“I know what I said.”  He adjusted his hold on the reins and shrugged. “It’s been a busy few days.”

He jumped off of Goldryn’s back, landing in the earth with a soft thump.  He could just as easily have Aelin open the gate for him, but he was convinced she would have tried to scratch his eyes out if he’d asked.  Keeping one hand in the reins, Rowan unlatched the gate and swung it open towards him.  Goldryn snorted again, huffing as she backed up a few feet to make room.  

Aelin too had taken a step back but she didn’t go far.  She was several inches shorter than he was, even in the boots she wore, but still taller than the average woman.  She had a lean, athletic build Rowan had seen put to good use.  When some of the kids got restless on their extended stays she would workout with them, go for runs, turn hay bales, the whole nine-yards.  She wasn’t weak by any means.

“What do you need, princess?” he asked as he led Goldryn through the gate, locking the paddock again behind him.  He kept himself between Aelin and the horse, mostly because he knew she still wasn’t comfortable around the larger animals and even he wasn’t that cruel.

Still, Aelin almost stalked off right then.  Rowan could see it in her eyes, the tilt of her chin.  It wouldn’t have surprised him if she had.  Hell, he’d never met anyone as stubborn as Aelin Galathynius.  Not even one of his horses had as much attitude.

But he knew she needed something and even though it killed her, she uncrossed her arms and kept pace with him as he set off toward the stables.

“Don’t call me that,” Aelin said flatly.  She flicked her hair over one shoulder as she kept her steps purposeful, even when she stepped in a small hole and nearly went careening forward.

Rowan tried to reach out and steady her as he kept Goldryn reined in, but Aelin waved him off.  She straightened herself out and got on even footing before she continued to scowl at the ground.  She’d always been like that too—refusing help and insisting she could manage things on her own.  She was damned near worse than Farasha.

“Easy,” he said.  He was talking to the horse, who was yanking on the reins a bit too hard.  Aelin of course would never miss an opportunity to glare at him.

It was a shame they hated each other; Rowan decided.  Because try as he might, he couldn’t ignore the fact that she was one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen.  Between her blue eyes, the golden waves of hair, the mischievous tilt of her lips—he’d be a fool not to acknowledge it.  But Aelin was also impossibly stubborn.  She fought him on everything.  She was opinionated.  She was selfish.  She was—

“I want you to open up another week for kids to come and stay over Christmas and New Years,” Aelin said.  She adjusted the yellow and black flannel she wore, eyes straight forward.

She was going to drive him to an early grave.

It was Rowan’s turn to stumble as he spun to look at her. “You what?”

Goldryn snorted, pulling on the reins again.  Oh she was mad at him.  They were a few minutes late to dinner now and she knew it.  Damn horse.

“An extra week for kids to come stay over the holidays,” Aelin repeated.  She didn’t flinch from the way he turned his own glare on her, only kept walking with that insufferable tilt to her chin.

“Why?” he asked.

Christmas—any of the holidays this time of year really—always made for a quieter time on the ranch.  People were more content to stay at home and put off their problems a little longer.  It wasn’t until after that people realized how much they hated their circumstances.  Even then, they didn’t seek out his ranch for anything more than daily horse rides.  Nothing to actually problem solve.

“It’s a hard time of year for kids,” Aelin said.  

They reached the stables and she helped slide the great door open.  Immediately, the heating system blasted them with a warm gush of air accompanied by the scent of hay, manure, and feed.  It was a scent Rowan had grown used to and, strange as it was, he took comfort in.

Rowan handed Goldryn off to one of the stable hands who took the mare to her stall.  Turning to Aelin, Rowan crossed his arms over his chest, taking her in.  She had a fiery determination about her and he knew he wouldn’t be able to brush her off easily.

“Open up an extra week so these kids can have a safe place to come,” Aelin insisted. “There’s a program with the city—”

“Please, Aelin, I know what that means,” he said, already walking away.  She could trail him and make her case if it was so important. “I won’t actually get paid for the extra costs.  The city pretends to take care of all the funding but doesn’t actually give me what I need.”

“I’ll take care of it all,” Aelin said, indeed following right after him as he moved to the feed barrels.  She even managed to dodge the droppings from the lone pig that wandered the stables. “I’ll keep up the communications with the program.  I know the director, she’s not a flake.”

Rowan had heard things like this before.  Sellene had tried to get him to take state funding before too, all that resulted in was mounds of paperwork and audits.

He opened the feed barrels and started scooping portions into waiting buckets that would go to the various horse stalls.  Aelin took one of the buckets as soon as it was filled, her manicured fingers wrapping around the handle.  

“The Cavarre Foundation wants to help kids,” Aelin continued.  She grabbed another bucket. “They’ve already got a list of kids they can send over.”

“Then they can wait til after the holidays,” Rowan said.

He hefted his own buckets and went to the first stall.  A yearling named Quinn was already waiting for his feed.  His owners were aiming for the colt to be a stallion and show for congress.  Quinn had a bit too much attitude to take to that sort of training, he’d be better as a rodeo horse or in the fields, but Rowan wasn’t being paid for that commentary.

“Watch it buddy,” Rowan warned the colt as he opened the stall and eased toward the trough in the corner.  Quinn nickered and pranced a bit, but ultimately didn’t give him any issues.

Aelin waited outside the stall, the tension in her body obvious.  She should just go and catch up with him later.  He would have suggested it too if she didn’t immediately start talking again.

“What if their home lives aren’t the best?  These kids have been selected from a few of the foster homes in the area and recommended by psychiatrists that this would be a beneficial healing opportunity.”  Aelin dodged around a worker moving hay, this time landing one foot in a pile of pig dung.  She didn’t flinch. “Isn’t that what this ranch is about?”

No it wasn’t.

Rowan opened the door of Hessina’s stall.  The mare was pregnant, due in late February, and had to be the sweetest horse he actually owned.  Rowan offered her a nose rub that she eagerly accepted.

“Are you even listening to me?” Aelin asked as Rowan closed the stall again.

“Hard not to when you won’t shut up,” he muttered.  He couldn’t tell if she’d heard him or not--her scowl remained perfectly etched on her face and she betrayed nothing as she walked with him to the next two stalls.

It didn’t take long to get most of the horses fed and ensure they had plenty of water.  The night wasn’t set to get too cold, so they wouldn’t bring out the blankets.  The heating system worked well enough to keep things warm but not freezing and these horses were all conditioned and bred for the chilly winter weather as it was.

By the time Rowan was ready to head back to the main house it had almost darkened completely outside.  Another long day done only for it to continue tomorrow and the day after.  He’d only been officially running the ranch for five years and he was ready to be done with it.

After making sure everything was set for the night, and checking in with the shift leader, Rowan decided he could leave everything as it was.  Lorcan would be in tomorrow to do a once over.  As the lead stable manager, he oversaw the functioning of the workers and the horses.  He even did a bit of training on the horses.  Not that Lorcan would ever admit to doing so.  

“You still here?” Rowan said to Aelin as he headed back to the cold night.  It was a twenty-minute walk, but the weather had been decent enough that he hadn’t wanted to bother with his car. 

“You never gave me an answer,” she said.

They walked across the long drive that led straight to the main house.  The road wasn’t paved, only gravel packed dirt that wound it’s way around the property.  When kids were staying in the cabins, Aelin had a room designated for her in the house, but she usually just went back into town where she rented an apartment.  As far as he knew, she was still planning on leaving when they reached her car.

“I already told you no,” he said.

It wasn’t an easy decision to make; opening the ranch up for a week.  Especially over the holidays.  He knew that Lorcan didn’t care about this time of year and there were a few ranch hands that wouldn’t mind the extra time to work.  But if the city program never paid him, he could never pay for the extra work.  And while he knew he could handle the work on his own if necessary…well, Rowan just didn’t see the point of approving this.

“It’s a lot to take on without much warning,” he added, before Aelin could rise up in a defensive retort. “Give me a day, alright?”

They finally reached the main house with its large wrap-around porch, the whitewashed wood, and three-story windows.  His cousin was probably inside already cooking up a meal that she’d filmed for her Instagram page.  It was the kind of house for a family, for someone with more to their name than Rowan did.  Sometimes he really hated coming home.

Aelin car, a small two-door Audi, waited from where she’d parked it that morning.  Rowan would be very interested to know how she planned on getting around once the snow started.

“I’ll take on any extra work you need,” she said, “cooking, cleaning, I’ll care for horses—”

“You hate the horses,” he said.

Her mouth twisted to the side. “I’ll do what I need to do.  Please, Rowan.  I think this would be a really good opportunity.”

Rowan didn’t know what surprised him more: the fact that she said please or used his first name.  He made the mistake of meeting her gaze, the gold undertones of the blue bright in the porch lights.  Shaking his head, Rowan muttered a curse.

“I’ll let you know in the morning,” he told her.

Aelin nodded once. “Thank-you.”

It was the most civil they’d been to each other in a long time.  Usually their exchanges ended in accusations, shouting, and name calling.  Aelin too seemed caught off guard by it.  She stepped back, digging for her keys in her pocket.  She nodded again before returning to her car.

Rowan remained outside as she made a quick U-turn in the large gravel drive.  She disappeared into the night quietly, the taillights soon lost as she curved down a bend in the road.

“Dammit,” he muttered.

Rowan already knew the answer he would have to give Aelin.  It was one he’d have to give his entire staff.  And he knew no one was going to like it.  Come new year he was going to sell the ranch to someone new.  And just like that the legacy his family had left him would be gone.

…

As she drove down the highway into town, Aelin found herself wringing the steering wheel of the car while imagining it was Rowan Whitethorn’s neck.  She knew, she knew, he was going to tell her no.  He would text her first thing in the morning and tell her that her request would be denied.  That the thing she actually cared about wouldn’t see the light of day.

He was a bastard.

She’d known it from the first day she’d met him so many months ago.  

It was her first full day in Oakwald, having left everything behind in Terrasen, and she was ready to start anew.  She’d expected things to be hard.  But she hadn’t expected Rowan Whitethorn to look at her with such contempt and tell her that she really had no business being there in the first place.  As if he hadn’t hired her just a week ago to fill a vacancy in his staff.

Not to mention the look he’d given her clothes, her car, everything about her was some big cosmic joke.  

Aelin sighed and turned off the highway to the bar where her one real friend worked.

Her little Audi was out of place among the trucks and SUVs.  She just needed to make it another two weeks without any bad weather and she’d have access to her new car.  Locking up, she hurried into the bar, already relishing the warmth awaiting.

In the span of one minute, the cold November air nearly sucked the life out of her.  The bar was a welcome reprieve as it was always kept at a decent heat.  Even with the scent of cigarette smoke lingering in the air, it had a comforting air about it.

Aelin went to the counter and slipped into a stool right next to Lorcan Salvaterre.

“Seriously?” he growled at her with a malicious side eye.

“It's the best of both worlds,” Aelin said with a cheeky smile. “You don’t like sharing your girlfriend, but she’s my best friend.  You still can talk to her and freely ignore me.”

Lorcan was not impressed by the explanation.  Back in the city, Aelin would have done everything in her power to avoid a man like him.  He was massive with long black hair and enough scars to indicate bad news.  His leather jacket strained with his broad shoulders and thick muscles.  And while Aelin would admit she had a thing for guys of a certain physique there was something dark about Lorcan that she couldn’t explain.  Which made it all the more surprising that he and Elide had started dating.

“Hey, Aelin!” Elide appeared from the swinging doors that led to the kitchen, carrying a tray of appetizers for another table.

“Hey!” Aelin called back.

Just a few months ago, Elide had told her about the confession she’d overheard where Lorcan admitted his feelings for her.  It had led to a heated kiss and a night that Elide said was the best of her life.  It was the only explanation Aelin needed or wanted.  She was glad her friend was happy, even if it was with Lorcan Salvaterre.

“Glad to see you’re still grumpy as ever,” Aelin told Lorcan.  She snagged a few pretzels in one of the many bowls set up along the bar.  She’d long gotten over her germ contamination worries.  

Lorcan grunted and sipped his beer.  Aelin rolled her eyes.

“You’re just like Whitethorn,” she said.

Another grunt.  Well, it was better than utter ignorance she supposed.

Elide appeared a minute later.  She leaned against the counter and raised a brow.

“Wow, you actually chose to sit next to Lorcan,” she said, “I’m proud of you.”

“I figured it would be better than making the old man upset that you would choose me over him to talk to,” Aelin explained.  “Besides, I think he’s warming up to me.”

Lorcan cut her a look that only had her grinning.

Elide snorted a laugh. “Yeah, besties the two of you.  What would you like to drink?”

“Just a coke,” Aelin said, “I should get home soon.”

“Coke and mozzarella sticks coming up,” Elide said with a wink.  She glanced at Lorcan. “Babe?”

Lorcan stared at his girlfriend for a long moment before registering what she said.  The corner of his mouth picked up in a smile and he shook his head.  

“Nah, I’m good.”

Elide only smiled fondly as she got Aelin her coke and went to put in an order for mozzarella sticks.

It was strange to Aelin just how enmeshed she’d gotten into this small town just in the past few months since arriving.  She never thought she’d find a place to belong more than in Terrasen, but there was something about Oakwald that she couldn’t deny enjoying.  It certainly helped that she and Elide had become such quick friends.  

But really, Aelin was glad to be out of Terrasen.  She needed a new start.  A new life.  Here, no one knew her history, her parents, anything beyond the fact that she was the new therapist on Whitethorn Ranch.  And she liked it that way.

Elide returned a minute later, her thick black hair piled in a new bun atop her head.  She often worked doubles all week long without much time for herself, let alone to date anyone.  But Aelin had learned a long time ago that Elide was as good as they came.  She worked hard, cared harder, and was one of the most genuine individuals she’d ever met.

“How was the ranch?” Elide asked.  She set another beer on the bar for Lorcan without his needing to ask for it.

“Good,” Aelin said, “it’s been slowing down.  But if Whitethorn wouldn’t be such an ass, it would pick up.  I pitched him my idea for the extra week over the holidays.  He’s just going to say no, though.” Beside her, Lorcan made a noise.  She shot him a glare. “What?”

“Nothing,” he said, “it doesn’t matter.”

He looked up when the bar door opened and a few of his friends came in.  He rapped his knuckles on the counter before standing to go join them.

Aelin looked back to Elide. “How can you like him?”

“Because I do,” Elide said simply.  She leaned across the counter with a sigh. “I’m sure Rowan will approve your idea.  It’s a good one and he knows it’s what his ranch is for.  Take him the numbers and notes you came up with.  He can’t say no to concrete evidence.”

Aelin nodded absently.  When she’d come to Oakwald it had been in part to get away from Terrasen.  But it had also been a beckoning call from her cousin and his wife.

Lysandra Cavarre-Ashryver had been a close friend of Aelin’s for years when they’d grown up together in Terrasen.  They’d lost contact when Lysandra’s foster family took her across the country.  Aelin too had lost contact with her cousin after a series of messy family drama.  It was only after Aelin’s…accident a few years ago that they’d slowly reconnected.

And to be honest ever since talking with Lysandra and Aedion again, Aelin had slowly started feeling like herself.  It had only taken six years.

“I just…I really think it’s a good plan, especially for those kids,” she said.  This entire thing was the only thing keeping her afloat right now.  A job that gave her purpose, a chance to reunite with her cousin…it was better than being left with the reality of potentially going back to Terrasen.

Aelin shuddered at the thought and sipped her coke.  The carbonation danced on her tongue as she swallowed.

“He’s going to say yes,” Elide said.  She gave Aelin another look of assurance before going back to the kitchen to check on orders.

Aelin didn’t know what to think.  Elide had to be on her side, that’s what friends did.  But Elide was also not the kind to cling to false hope.

“Yeah,” she said to herself.  She had to believe that this would go right.  Because the alternative…well she didn’t want to think about that.

…

“What do you mean no?” Aelin asked.

She stared across the desk at Rowan who looked utterly passive as he sat in his chair, fingers steepled before him.

They were in the office of the main house where most of the “on paper” business of the ranch was taken care of.  Aelin had spent a bit of time here over the last several months.  Mostly to force Rowan to listen to her on a subject.  And just like all the other times before it was proving to be hostile and unproductive.

The office was simple in decoration with only a few framed pictures of Rowan’s dad, granddad, and great-granddad, a few knick-knacks on the shelves, and medals and certificates of recognition that the ranch had received over the years for various horses that had made nationals and other such things.

 Aelin didn’t like the room very much.  The rest of the house had a homey feel, but she believed that was because Sellene lived on site while she went to school at the local community college and hosted an online cooking show with Instagram.  It was Sellene that added the feminine touch to the main concourses.  Rowan hardly seemed like the domestic type.  If things were his way the entire house would be empty save for a display of guns.

“I mean no,” Rowan said.  He didn’t even look apologetic as he delivered the news.  “It’s too much work for the ranch in this season.  Most of the workers are already leaving until things pick up in the spring.  And if you can’t guarantee payment then I’m not putting in the risk.”

She pulled out the binder she’d curated with Lysandra and dropped it on the desk with a thunk.

“I have the costs and benefits listed, what the program will offer in payment before and after, they have releases all lined up, the programs director is willing to come down and help with whatever is needed supervision wise for the kids.”  Aelin flipped the binder open to the different graphs and spreadsheets. “If you’d just look it over.”

She was trying desperately to keep her voice even, to keep from shaking and revealing too much, but Aelin could feel a familiar sense of panic rising within her.  This was happening.  He was going to turn her down and she would be left with the solid evidence that she couldn’t even do something as simple as start a therapeutic program on her own.

“Aelin,” Rowan said.  He leaned across the desk and placed a hand on the open binder.  He didn’t even bother to look at the pages of carefully crafted data.  Instead, his stupid green eyes bore into her with what Aelin could only describe as pity.

The bastard was pitying her?

She slid the binder away from him, protective of it and all the work she’d put into its contents.  

“Fine,” she said.  She shouldn’t have been surprised.  In the last seven months of knowing him, he had always been cold and heartless. The kind of person that Aelin should have known better than getting into business with.  He wasn’t any better than—

“I have three conditions,” Rowan said suddenly.

Aelin snapped her eyes back to his.  He couldn’t really mean—

“First, you’ll be expected to pick up extra slack from the workers who already have approved time off for the holiday,” Rowan said, “and you’ll have to convince Lorcan to work over time.”

Aelin blinked at him. “Seriously?”

“Yes.”

“No strings attached?”

“Well, I doubt you’re going to get Lorcan to help.” Rowan shrugged, leaning back in his chair. He paused as if considering what his next words would be. “He doesn’t like helping people very much.”

“I know he doesn’t like me,” Aelin said, her body still thrumming with excitement. “No need to sugar coat it.  What was your third condition?”

Rowan adjusted the cuff of his shirt. “The program director needs to have at least a quarter of the payment to me by tomorrow afternoon.”

“She can have it to you by today,” Aelin said automatically.  She knew that just like her, Lysandra had been waiting for an opportunity like this to come along and had made sure she had sufficient funding all lined up.  Plus, there was Aedion who would go to hell and back if it meant getting Lysandra something she wanted.

Rowan didn’t seem convinced that her words held much weight but he only nodded. “Alright.  Then from the twenty third to January second you’re in charge.”

“Deal.  Done.”  Aelin agreed automatically.  She would have given him the twenty in her wallet and her library card if it would make a difference.  Which it should.  Her library card was worth gold.

Despite his agreement, displeasure was plain to see on Rowan’s face.  He still didn’t like this plan.  Well he could just suck it up.  By the time Aelin was through and was able to execute all the ideas she had—he would see.  This was going to be a brilliant idea, one that could easily become a new tradition for the ranch.

He held out a hand toward her and Aelin stared.  Did he want to shake on this?

“The binder,” he said, one silver brow raised.

Aelin felt a bit of heat rise in her cheeks, but she forced it back.  This binder was her baby.  Quite literally the thing that had pulled her through her master’s program, and hopefully to a doctorate.

“You’re going to be mean to her,” she said.

“It’s a binder.”

“It’s my child.”

Rowan’s lips parted in surprise.  Well, it wasn’t the first time she’d caught him off guard.  It was his turn to stare at her, those green eyes boring into her with such intensity Aelin would have thought he could actually see into her soul.

“I need to know what you’re going to put my ranch through,” he said.

Aelin pursed her lips.  She knew she’d have to relent, but handing over the binder felt like handing over a piece of her and she didn’t think she was ready for that.  Rowan’s hand still wanted expectantly and she glanced down at it.  His palm was upturned and she could see the roughhewn calluses on his fingers and knuckles.  His skin was clean though, the nails neatly trimmed and no dirt tucked in the nail beds.  She’d never quite realized just how big Rowan actually was, in all these months.  And here he was holding out a hand to her and all she could do was stare.

Like a maniac.

She dropped the binder into his hand.  He barely twitched.

“I’ll just wait to hear from your…friend?” he asked.

“Lysandra Cavarre,” Aelin said.  Technically Lysandra Ashryver, but Aelin really didn’t want to go into the complications of last names and what they meant.  She’d made it this far without any association to her past, she could keep it up a while longer.

“Lysandra,” Rowan repeated, committing the name to memory.  He nodded and accepted the binder onto his desk. “I’ll leave you to it then.  You’ve got a lot of work to do if you think Lorcan’s going to agree to this easily.”

“Oh, he’s even more of a bastard than you,” Aelin replied quickly.  She smiled as sweetly as she would if she were talking with someone she liked. “But I’m best friends with his girlfriend.”

With that, Aelin rose from her seat, collecting her bag as she went.  When she reached the door, she turned back and smiled again.

“You won’t regret this.”

Just as she was pulling the door of his office shut behind her, she could have sworn she heard the soft murmur: Mala save me.

Aelin smirked to herself as she walked back through the house.  If she was adding just a little bit of extra misery to Rowans day, she didn’t suppose that would be an issue.  The grumpy buzzard deserved it.

She passed the kitchen where Sellene was sitting at the counter, a pile of books for school in front of her.  Pausing, Aelin rerouted to just say hi to the Whitethorn cousin.

Sellene, a few years older than Aelin’s twenty-five, had always been a staple of the ranch.  Even when she was doing her schooling, she’d taken time off to help raise her younger brother Endymion after their parents passed, she was almost always at the ranch.  Now that Endymion had gone to his own college of choice, Sellene was now able to pursue her own desires.

“Hey, Sel,” Aelin greeted.  She went to the fridge and grabbed a water bottle.

“Hey Aelin,” Sellene said. “Rowan giving you a hard time?”

“Has he always been so cranky?”  Aelin asked.  She sighed and leaned against the counter as she rested her elbows on the granite.  

Across from her, Sellene chuckled. “I guess you could say that.  Just be glad he likes you.”

“Please.” Aelin rolled her eyes. “He hates me.”

“If he hated you, do you think he’d keep you around?” Sellene raised a brow in question. “He’s an ass, but he knows you work hard.”

Aelin wasn’t so sure of that.  Really, she was convinced the only reason Rowan didn’t kick her off the ranch was because there were no other options for therapists to come out into the area.  It had only taken half a day for Rowan to call her in for an interview when she’d first applied.  The job offer came the next day.

“Whatever you say,” Aelin said. “You want to help me piss him off even more?”

Sellene sighed. “I would love to, unfortunately I am going to be headed out to visit Endymion during his break.  It’s harder for him to leave his job.”

Aelin shouldn’t have been surprised.  In the few months she’d been a part of the homestead she’d learned quickly that the Whitethorn cousins were a tight knit group.  Still, it would have been fun to pit Sellene against Rowan at least for a little bit.

“That’ll be fun,” she said.  “I’m sure he misses you.”

“Oh, I plan on embarrassing him to no end,” Sellene replied seriously. “He’s eighteen and thinks he’s the smartest person alive.  The boy’s gotta learn some humility.”

Aelin snorted a laugh.  Honestly, it was the same thing her own cousin would have said about her. 

Sellene shut down her computer sighed. “But I am going to miss this place.  It’s always the best being here during the holidays.  It’ll be weird not to see it all.”

It was a strange sentiment to share and Aelin didn’t quite know how to respond.  But she didn’t have time to ask about it.  It was already getting late in the day and she needed to call Elide to enlist her help.  And then tell Lysandra to send a deposit Rowan’s direction.

“Let me know if you need anything,” Aelin said, she’d have time to get more information from Sellene later.

“Yeah, good luck, Aelin,” Sellene said, smiling softly.

Aelin offered a wave before she hurried out of the house, phone in hand.  

It only rang once before Elide answered.

“Elide?” she asked. “I need your help.”

…

For some reason, Rowan had thought that Aelin wouldn’t succeed in meeting the three conditions he’d set out for her.  Because, really, how would she be able to convince Lorcan of all people to work over time?

He supposed this was his first lesson in not underestimating her because not half an hour after Aelin left his office the morning, he’d approved the project then he got a call from one Lysandra Cavarre asking for routing information that she could send money to.

By the end of the day, he’d gotten a text from Lorcan.

Your girlfriend’s a menace.

Rowan had stared at the message for entirely too long.

Not my girlfriend.

Lorcan’s brief response said more than anything else could: right.

The brief exchange caught Rowan off guard.  Not only for the fact that Lorcan didn’t insult Aelin, but the mere idea of calling her his girlfriend.  She was the bane of his existence.  In the entirety of her time on the ranch she’d demanded change, created chaos, and riled him up with all her little remarks.

Aelin Galathynius sought to drive him insane.  Even when he tried to return the favor, nothing he did seemed enough to deter her.  She only rose to the challenge.  He guessed he could respect her for that.

Three days after striking the deal with Aelin, Rowan woke early, as he usually did, and headed to the stables.  They still had two weeks of preparation before the holidays but there was still plenty to do.  

Rowan dressed quickly before heading to the kitchen where Sellene had left a smoothie and protein bar in the fridge for him.  When there were kids or other guests staying in the cabins, there was a bigger fanfare made for breakfast.  For now, this was usually what he got.  He’d much prefer making his own food, but he always appreciated the effort from Sellene.

He grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl as well and headed out to his truck.  It was barely four-thirty in the morning but that was the life he’d set out for himself.  He’d barely made it down the deck stairs when he noticed the other car sitting in the drive next to his.

Aelin was leaning against the side of her tiny car, wearing a large flannel and jeans tucked into a pair of boots.  In her hands she held two thermoses.  

“What?” She called out to him. “Did you sleep in?”

Rowan crossed the yard toward her. “The sun isn’t even up.”

“Yeah, I hate it.” She took a long sip from one of the thermos’ before thrusting the other at him. “Here.  Black like your soul.”

Rowan stared at the thermos for a minute before he accepted it. “Thanks?”

The morning was dark, not even the horizon had started lighting, yet Rowan could still see the amusement playing in Aelin’s eyes as she watched him.  Her hair hung in a long braid over one shoulder, a few tendrils escaped around her temples.  She didn’t wear any makeup and still there was something so striking about the way she looked.

“It’s not poisoned,” she prompted.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, taking a sip of the coffee.  It was strong and bitter, just as he liked.

“You said I’d need to help pick up the slack,” she said, following him as he walked to his truck. “So here I am.”

If he were being honest, Rowan was surprised.  Aelin had never stuck him as the type to do manual labor.  Or really work for that matter.  Her wealth and status had been obvious the first time he’d met her.  Then there was the car, the designer clothes, the manicures.  When he’d hired her, all he’d received were glowing referrals.  Another surprise.  Even now he was still trying to reconcile his initial impressions of her to who she really was.

“Here you are,” Rowan agreed.  He gave her another once over, unable to help but notice the curve of her hips beneath the open flannel.  Dammit.

Shaking his head, he unlocked the truck.  He could practically hear his mother yelling at him for not opening Aelin’s door for her, but his hands were full.  Besides, Aelin didn’t seem to notice.  She hopped up into the front seat.  Her movements were graceful and easy as though she’d done so a hundred times before.

Rowan settled into his own seat and started the truck up.  There was a small layer of frost on the windshield waiting for them.  His least favorite part of the day was waiting for the heater to get into gear and finally warm up.

“Are you always up so early?” Aelin asked suddenly.  She was huddled in her seat, staving off the chill which was the only thing about the early hour that seemed to be bothering her.

“Yeah,” Rowan said. “Unless Lorcan’s going to be in early.  But I told him to take the later shift until he comes in for your event.”

Aelin hummed at that as she took a long sip of her own coffee. “Interesting.  You should get more sleep.  It’s good for you.”

“I’m in the wrong business for that, princess,” he muttered.

“Don’t call me that,” Aelin said.  She cut him a glare, her lip curling slightly.

“Why not?” he asked.

“Because.”  Another sip of her coffee.

Rowan said nothing and tried clearing the windshield.  It cleared well enough.  He at least wouldn’t be out on the open road, so a few skiffs of remaining ice weren’t the end of the world.  Putting the truck in gear, he backed up a bit before turning.

“Are you always such a morning person?” he asked as they headed down the long drive.

“Hell no.” Aelin made a face. “If I had it my way I wouldn’t get out of bed until noon.  This is my second round of coffee.  Do you have any idea how much I am not looking forward to today?  It’s going to be miserable.  The worst.  I hate mornings.”

She spoke with such vehemence that Rowan wondered if there really was a way for morning to be such a real entity for someone to hate.  It was also amusing, especially the way her nose crinkled in disgust.

“It’s a beautiful morning,” he said, clearing his throat. “You can’t hate that.”

“It’s pitch black and I can see my breath,” she deadpanned.  Sighing she adjusted in her seat. “C’mon, buzzard, you wouldn’t rather be in bed still?  All warm and snuggled up?”

“No,” he said.

Aelin chuckled in that nonsense sort of way she had. “Hmm, right.  Even you have to admit a lazy morning in is fun.  With the right company.”

Rowan stared staunchly forward.  Though, he could still see that insufferable grin of Aelin’s out of the corner of his eye. 

“Ignoring me now?” she pressed.

The sight of the stables had never been more glorious.

“No, you’re just impossible.”

“Thank-you.”

Rowan parked the truck in its usual spot and tried hard not to smile.  He settled with an eye roll.

“Let’s go buzzard,” Aelin said.  She threw the door open and hopped out of the truck. “Show me the ropes.”

If there was one thing Rowan knew to be true—it was going to be a long day.  Though as he clambered out of the truck himself, the thought didn’t seem as heavy as it once may have been.

…

In the end, the day wasn’t bad.  In fact, things ran far smoother than Rowan had been expecting.  He’d thought that by having Aelin shadowing him things would go a lot slower and he’d have trouble getting everything done, but she was a ready student.

She handled feed buckets with ease, tied perfect knots on the first try, she even mucked stalls without complaint.  If Rowan didn’t know any better, he’d have said she’d spent time in a barn before.  A lot of time.  She seemed to know her way around the equipment, knew the terms, and sometimes reacted before he even needed to give instruction.

When he tried to ask her about it, she told him he was insane.  

It wasn’t the first time someone had lied to him, but he figured it wasn’t worth trying to needle the information out of her.

The routine continued for the rest of the week.  Aelin would be at the ranch first thing in the morning with coffee and they’d work all day together until dinner when they’d return to the main house.  

“You know you still have a room in the house, right?” Rowan asked one morning. “You don’t have to do this back and forth.”

“Oh,” Aelin looked out her window as they passed familiar pastures. “I guess…I figured you wouldn’t want me there?  Sellene’s gone and all, why not have the place to yourself?”

It was true, Rowan often enjoyed his time alone unless he went into town to have a drink with Lorcan, Fenrys, and Connall.  A recluse, Aelin had called him on occasion.

The strange thing about it was…Rowan didn’t think he would have minded Aelin being around more.  She drove him mad, more often than not, but even in the last few weeks (days really) there had been a subtle shift.  One that he didn’t know how to identify.

“Your friend is coming with the new group of kids, right?” Shifting the conversation seemed the safer option so he didn’t hesitate.

“She and her husband,” Aelin agreed, he didn’t miss the look she gave him. “They were planning on staying at the house, if that’s still alright?”

“Yeah, we’ve got plenty of space,” Rowan said.  The house was enormous with five separate rooms and four bathrooms.  His great-grandfather had always wanted a home to welcome as many guests as possible so new additions were added on continuously in the early years.  His own parents had hoped to keep the house full of children.  In the end, it was only Rowan who waged war upon the floorboards.

Aelin nodded absently, her fingers drumming on her thermos absently. “I’ll come up with them and stay the week before and during.”

“Alright,” Rowan said.  The drive to the stables that morning was the same as ever with only another light dusting of snow falling from the sky.  As late December encroached, it wouldn’t surprise him if they were due for a storm.

“They’ll be coming tomorrow, I think,” Aelin said, “Lys and Aedion.”

Rowan started. “Aedion Ashryver?”

In her seat, Aelin visibly flinched.  She covered it almost seamlessly as she tossed her hair over her shoulder and sat up a little straighter.

“He’s an ass,” Aelin told him. “Though, very good looking.”

Rowan could only stare.  The Ashryvers were practically celebrities in the world of horses and ranch work.  Evalin and her sister Andra made waves when they were young for their work in showing horses, not just in contemporary riding, but racing, and rodeo.  They’d set a standard for those that would come after as they changed the equestrian world for years to come.

He didn’t know much of what had happened to either woman after they’d aged out.  Only that they continued to run a ranch out in the countryside of Terrasen for breeding and training.  He knew there had been a scandal of some sort five or six years ago involving a rider and a trainer, but the story evaded him.

When they got to the stables, Lorcan’s own truck was already there and he’d turned on the floodlights to help beckon in the rising dawn.  They were still a week out from when the Christmas group of kids would come, so Lorcan shouldn’t have even been there.

Rowan glanced at Aelin who didn’t seem the least bit surprised at the sight.

“How did you get him to agree to this?” Rowan asked.

“I can be very convincing,” Aelin replied simply. “And Elide.”

Not sure he wanted to know the full details in that, Rowan let the rest of the conversation drop.

As always, Lorcan remained in his quiet way.  He went about his usual duties without comment, only nodding in acknowledgment as Rowan and Aelin entered the stables.

“Shouldn’t you be sleeping in?” Rowan asked.  He rested his keys on the rack beside the doors, not yet ready to take off his coat to the morning chill.

“Couldn’t,” Lorcan replied with a shrug.  He nodded to Aelin. “Regretting your choices yet?”

“Nope.”  Aelin smiled brightly.  She took a long sip of her coffee and went to the row of shelves reserved for personal items.  

Lorcan shot Rowan a look that he ignored.  They’d had plenty of conversations about Aelin and the week she had planned for the holiday.  Besides, if Lorcan couldn’t say no to Aelin (even if Elide wasn’t a factor) they were both idiots.

Knowing better than to try and tease Lorcan about how quickly he’d fallen for Elide, he crossed the stables to where his friend was working on preparing some equipment.

“What’ve you already taken care of?” He and Aelin had gotten a slightly late start for the day--a mix of him waking up late and the frost and Aelin needing to steal breakfast from him. 

“Not much,” Lorcan admitted, “everything’s pretty much good.  The vet’s coming around for check-ups this afternoon.”

“Do you know how the cabins are looking?”

Lorcan shrugged. “Probably about the same as when the last group left.”

That shouldn’t have surprised him. “We’ll go take a look then come back to help prep for the vet visit.”

“Sure,” Lorcan said.  He glanced to where Aelin was kneeling before the ranch pig, dubbed Ex because it had been Endymion’s turn to pick a name.  The finalists of names fell between Frank and Excali-wilbur and Endymion did not disappoint.  “Have you told her yet?”

Rowan scowled. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Sure,” Lorcan said, scraping off a bit of dirt from an old bridle set. “Keep telling yourself that.”

The words sat heavy with Rowan the rest of the day.  He knew that Lorcan just liked screwing with him on occasion.  But there was also a part of him that worried if there was truth to Lorcan’s ominous words.  He really didn’t see what it mattered though--whether he was going to sell the ranch or not was his own business.

He really didn’t see what the difference was if he continued to owned the ranch or not.  Sellene and Endymion hadn’t expressed any in taking the land over for themselves and they were the only living relatives Rowan knew about.  Theirs were the only opinions that mattered.

Still, by the time he and Aelin finished getting the cabins ready for the guests in the coming weeks, he couldn’t help but feel a niggling sense of guilt.  He kept tamping it down of course.

It wasn’t until mid-day that the vet came around that Rowan was finally able to turn his thoughts in different directions.  They had two pregnant mares in the stables that year which was the biggest concern Rowan had.  They’d both foaled before but there was still plenty of room for things to go wrong.  Besides them, there were six other horses to be looked over.  It was usually a two-day affair, especially when weather got a little dodgy, but the vet seemed confident they’d finish up by the end of the day.

While the vet was in with Farasha, Rowan realized he hadn’t seen Aelin for a bit.  He might have had his misgivings about her, but she’d proven herself to be responsible and attentive in all her recent duties.  Even if she didn’t like horses.

Rowan glanced around the main floor of the stables before heading to the back stalls where the two pregnant mare’s were settled.  It was the warmest part of the large barn with the largest stalls.  His boots scuffed in a bit of hay as he went and he almost missed the soft voice talking to the horses.

Diana and Hessina, thankfully got along alright.  Sometimes pregnant mares could get a little feisty with each other, but the two had been inseparable when they’d been born the same season almost six years ago now.  Rowan remembered the day.

He stopped just outside Hessina’s stall and what he saw made him question just about everything he thought he knew.

Standing in Hessina’s stall with a set of brushes and other items was Aelin.  She carefully ran a curry brush over Hessina’s coat in methodic movements.  All the while she continued to talk softly to the mare.

“Alright, mama,” Aelin said, “let’s get you cleaned up.  You deserve it don’t you?  Especially before baby gets here, huh?  Look at you so pretty standing here for me.”

For a minute, Rowan thought he’d wandered into an alternate reality.  In all the months of her being on the ranch, Aelin had never approached one of the horses so willingly.  She’d kept her distance from the barn and the animals beside the pig and the goats.  He’d never have expected her to spend time with any of the horses, let alone grooming them.  And doing so with obvious practice and ease.

“I thought you hated horses?” he found himself saying.

Aelin froze.  It was the first time he’d ever caught her off guard.

“I never said that,” she replied.  She traded out brushes and ran a shedding blade over Hessina next. 

“You’ve never spent more than a minute with any of the horses in all the time you’ve been here,” Rowan said.

He entered the stall and grabbed a brush to use on Hessina’s mane.  Somehow, no matter what he or any of the stable hands tried, the long hair always got tangled even if they were careful to brush it the day before.

“That doesn’t mean I hate them,” Aelin said.  Her voice was soft, lilting in that way she’d used when she was addressing Hessina specifically. “Not when they’re such pretty girls.”

Her long fingers ran over Hessina’s sides, pausing over the swell of the mare’s belly.  It seemed as though she knew exactly how to handle a horse.  Or at least where to massage a pregnant mare’s muscles effectively or how to run a flat brush over the coat to leave it gleaming.  Truth be told, he’d never seen Hessina looked as relaxed as she did now under Aelin’s ministrations.  No matter what Aelin said, she was a natural.

Rowan tugged at Hessina’s mane with as much care as he could.  But he noted the twitch of her ears.

“Sorry,” he murmured, knowing he’d pulled too hard.  He glanced back to Aelin. “Seriously, you’ve never spent this much time with the horses before.  You know how to care for them.  And you can make a decent knot.  I thought you were a city girl?”

Aelin shrugged, walking to Hessina’s other side. “I am a city girl.”

“No.” Rowan shook his head. “There’s more to you than that.”

They stood across from each other now, more or less.  And Aelin wouldn’t meet his gaze as she brushed out Hessina’s other side.  Her lips thinned and Rowan knew she was thinking deeply on something.  

“I used to read all the horse books I could,” she finally said, “made my mom buy them all for me.  I had a whole bookshelf devoted to them.  And then I grew up.”

Her hands paused, fingers grazing over a few stray bits of Hessina’s mane.  A stray thought took her mind far away from that place.  Far enough that she stopped brushing entirely.  Hessina took offense to that and nickered, dipping her head back towards Aelin.

Chuckling, Aelin reached out and scratched the mare’s nose before she continued brushing.

“What about you, Whitethorn,” she asked, blue eyes sparking with delight as she finally looked at him. “Were you always in a horse boy phase or did it come suddenly?”

He rolled his eyes. “I grew up on this ranch, it’s all I know.”

Aelin paused at his words.  She looked as though she wanted to something, but the words were lost on her.  Instead, she shook her head and nodded at his work.

“You’re making that worse, aren’t you?”

“No,” he said defensively.

No matter what he said though, Aelin came over to take a look at the work he was doing on the mane.

“A girl’s pride is in her hair,” she said, whether to him or Hessina, Rowan had no idea.  

He could only watch as Aelin took over detangling and brushing.  Her hands were soft as she tugged and brushed.  Occasionally she would murmur something and give the mare an affectionate pat on the neck.

What he didn’t notice was how close he and Aelin were standing, not at first.  But the second he realized it; it was all he could think about.  He could feel the warmth radiating off of her and he could still smell the lemon verbena of her shampoo in her hair.  Even with the bit of sweat and dirt that lingered on her skin.

There was something about watching the methodical way she worked that was mesmerizing.  Nothing seemed to frustrate her as she went even when something didn’t detangle immediately or if she had to make a bigger mess in order to get things right.  She would only hum under her breath and continue.

“Do you—” she began to speak and spun almost directly into him.  She made a small noise of surprise and stumbled just a bit before Rowan reached out to steady her.  “Hell.  Sorry.”

She blinked up at him with those bright blue eyes and he noticed a ring of gold around the pupils adding to that light that always seemed to illuminate her.

Gripping her arms, he waited until she regained her footing before slowly pulling away.

“You good?”

Aelin nodded; mouth parted slightly as though she were about to say something.

The illusion shattered when Lorcan called out from the main stable.

“Whitethorn, get out here!”

It was probably better that way—for Rowan to leave Aelin there.  She turned back to Hessina and kept talking with those soft words and gentle inflections.  Whatever spell had been over them was long gone.  Though that was for the better.  Rowan didn’t need to get close to Aelin.  Not now.

So, he tried to forget about the last ten minutes and went to help Lorcan with whatever it was he needed.

…

When she was eighteen, Aelin had her first serious crush.

It was different than all the other little sparks she’d ever gotten before.  It was different, new, and completely reckless.  Oh, she’d never acted on it, not exactly.  And maybe it was better that way.  Because in the coming year (and several years after) Aelin would come to realize that boys, men, would never treat her well.  Especially not the ones that had country written into their bones.

So when she came to Whitethorn ranch at the beginning of the summer, she’d told herself it was for the experience.  It was for the work she loved.  It was for the kids who needed help.

And then there was Rowan.

They’d clashed the entirety of their working relationship and Aelin really didn’t know how she’d lasted as long as she did.  And here she was now, on the brink December and the New Year right around the corner.  

She sighed and straightened the small room designated for her at the main house.  Rowan had let her off for the two days leading up to the main camp days when Lysandra and Aedion would be arriving.  

The room was the next biggest aside from the master suite that Rowan slept in.  With its own bathroom and the large window that overlooked the back western side of the ranch with the mountains in the distance—Aelin loved it.

It was already decorated with a few things of the Whitethorn family.  A few black and white photos from the early days, hand embroidery frames, and a few porcelain figures in the inlaid shelving.  It was simple and homey and for whatever reason, Aelin didn’t feel the need to change anything.  Except for the piles of books and a few pictures of her own family.

As she straightened things up, and prepared the bedroom across the hall for Lys and Aedion, she couldn’t help but think of the last few days with Rowan.

She didn’t know how it was possible, but they hadn’t killed each other.  There weren’t even any attempts.  Sure, their words held just as many barbs as before, but it felt different.  Or maybe she was just hoping there was something different.  

For as much as she complained about how small Oakwald was and how difficult working on the ranch and the therapy work here was--she wanted to make this home.  She wanted this to be a place she could put down roots.  Here, no one knew her past.  No one knew who her family was.  No one knew every little detail about who she was other than simple being Aelin.

Her phone started ringing at the same time a series of honks echoed from the front of the house.  Grinning, Aelin answered the phone already knowing who was on the other line.

“Are you here?” she demanded.

“Bitch, what do you think?” Lysandra said on the other line.  In the background Aelin could hear Aedion: stop honking the horn, Lys.  She knows.

“I’ll be down in a second,” Aelin chuckled.

She flew from her room and down the stairs of the house.  She barely bothered with the slippers waiting by the front door before she threw the front door open.

The SUV hadn’t even come to a full stop before the passenger door opened and Lysandra got out.  Her long dark hair hung loose and she wore a simple gray sweater and jeans.  She screamed when she saw Aelin and ran across the yard toward her.

Aelin met her halfway, pulling her friend into a hug.

“I’ve missed you so much!” Lysandra was saying as she continued to hug Aelin. “It’s been so boring without you.”

“I’m sorry I left you alone with Aedion,” Aelin teased.  She pulled back, grinning.

Aedion huffed as he came around the SUV.  His blond hair, so similar to Aelin’s, long enough to just barely fit into a low tie, his handsome features slightly distorted with a scowl.

“I love you too, Aelin,” he said, trying and failing to hold his disapproving look.

Aelin launched herself at her cousin.  It had been a while since they’d seen each other between work and distance.  But she was grateful he had chosen to come and help both her and Lys.

“You do love me,” she insisted, “I introduced you to your wife, after all.”

Aedion pulled back with a roll of his eyes. “Yes, I’m forever in your debt.”

“I know,” Aelin said seriously.  She then turned and linked arms with Lysandra. “C’mon, I’ve got a room ready for you.”

Her friend didn’t immediately follow through, instead turning in the cold morning air, taking in the sweeping blue skies and acres and acres of land surrounding them.

“Seriously, Aelin, where are we?  This feels like a step out of time.”

She’d thought the same thing when first arriving. “It’s better in summer and you're not freezing your butt off.”

Indeed, during the winter the sun could be out and bright and happy like it was now, but it was still cold enough to want to literally crawl into a fireplace and never come back out like some sort of dragon.  

Aedion offered to get the bags, letting Aelin and Lysandra head up to the house.

“So,” Lysandra said as they went to the kitchen. “Where’s Rowan?”

Aelin rolled her eyes. “He’s at the stables finishing things up.”

“But he’ll be here later?” Lysandra pressed; one brow raised.

“Yes.”

“And you’ve been sleeping under the same roof and nothing’s happened?” Lysandra scoffed and accepted a proffered glass of water.

“Please, Lys, he’s my boss.  And an ass.” Aelin turned to find snacks or something else to offer while her cheeks flushed at Lysandra’s words.

“Mm-hm,” Lysandra hummed with obvious doubt.  “I’ve looked him up, he’s hot.”

“Lysandra!” Aelin spun on her friend who let out a cackle. 

“You should see your face,” Lysandra laughed. “You know I’m right.”

“He’s made my life miserable,” Aelin said, “and, like I said, he’s an ass.”

“Right.”  Lysandra merely sipped her water and sighed. “You keep saying that.”

Much to Aelin’s appreciation, Aedion entered the house, bags in hand.  She left Lysandra in the kitchen and showed Aedion to the room she’d set up for the two of them.  It was the one room just a little more isolated than the others, but that just made it feel a little cozier.  Which she didn’t think they’d mind.

From there, the rest of the day was relatively nice.  Even with Lysandra’s continued teasing about Rowan.  Thankfully, she kept most of it up when Aedion wasn’t around.

Aelin gave them a tour of the house and immediate grounds before heading out to the cabins reserved for the kids that would be arriving in the next several days.

She and Lysandra were able to go over the various activities and group sessions and plan out where each would take place and how transport would work.  Thankfully, the main house was a good central point and should the weather stay nice, walking wouldn’t be an issue.

“There’s supposed to be a storm,” Aelin said at one point, “but they’ve been saying it would happen for two weeks now, and nothing.  I think it’ll just hit Denver and move on.”

That was the hope.  But Aelin wouldn’t let herself worry about a snow storm right now.  They had a contingency plan in place, but the weather had been cooperating thus far that she doubted it would be an issue.

Later that night as they were fixing dinner, Aedion broke out his excellent cooking skills with a chicken and vegetable skillet, Rowan finally returned home. 

“Welcome back, Buzzard!” Aelin called when she heard the door open and shut.  She also heard the way he paused while trying to decide if he could get out of being social. “We just made dinner, come join us.”

Lysandra shot her a look, but Aelin ignored it.  Instead, she got an extra plate ready as Rowan slowly trudged into the kitchen.

“This is Lysandra and Aedion,” Aelin said, “Lys founded the group that we’re hosting next week.  And her husband, Aedion, is the muscle.”

She didn’t know why she didn’t mention that Aedion was her cousin, but the admission just felt off.  Aelin had spent so long distancing herself from her mother’s name and the attention that it got that it just felt natural not to bring it up.  Besides, that wasn’t the point of this visit or the event they’d worked so hard on.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Rowan said, he didn’t smile, but Aelin supposed him joining them all for dinner was good enough.

“We’re just running through the week,” Aelin said.  She handed him his plate which he accepted. “Is there anything you wanted to talk about with the itinerary I gave you?”

Rowan didn’t answer immediately.  He settled in his seat next to her and took a bite of his food, thinking.  Or just avoiding talking.

“Nah,” he said after a minute. “Everything looks fine.  There’s going to be ten kids in total?”

“Maybe eight,” Lysandra spoke up, “it’s a little hard to get exact numbers right now.  Some kids are being shuffled so close to the holidays and their guardians are being…difficult.” She made a disgruntled sort of face. “But I know for sure eight of them are ready to go.  The other two we’re waiting on some consent forms.”

It wasn’t anything surprising to Aelin. But they would make the best of it and hopefully all the kids they’d planned for would come.

“There’s plenty of room no matter who chooses to come,” Rowan said, “so that’s not a problem.”

“You said you’re not going to be around on the Friday after Christmas though, right?” Aelin asked.  He hadn’t told her why or what he was doing, just that there was business on the ranch that needed taking care of.  She thought better than asking for more details especially when he was so guarded about the affair in general.

Rowan paused for a heartbeat in his ravenous eating and Aelin almost wouldn’t have noticed if not for the way his eyes skirted to hers and dipped away just as quickly.

“I’ve got a meeting planned most of the day,” he said, “but if anything goes wrong—”

“They’ll be fine.” Aedion spoke up with a wave of his hand. “If there’s anyone who knows how to embrace chaos to her advantage it’s Aelin.”

Aelin rolled her eyes, passing the water pitcher around the table. “I stole my dad’s truck once and it worked out fine.”

“I’m talking about the time you set off all those fireworks and nearly set the house on fire, but thanks for proving my point.”  Aedion grinned at her glare.

Rowan only shook his head from beside her. “What the hell kind of childhood did you have?”

“Normal, perfectly normal.” Aelin said.  Desperate to keep the conversation moving and away from any revelation of how she and Aedion were related, she kept talking.  “Besides, none of that will be happening this week.  I didn’t have time to find any fireworks.”

“Please,” Lysandra said, “you don’t even try not to cause problems.  Remember in college you stole that frats keg?”

“Because Archer Finn plagiarized my report on Edgar Allen--you know, he was an ass that’s all that matters.” Aelin had done a lot of questionable things in the name of justice.  But stealing that keg was damn near the top of the list considering the fact she nabbed it in the middle of the biggest party of the semester.  Truly remarkable. “So it was less of a problem and more karma calling his name.”

“So,” Rowan said, glancing over at her, “you really have been a menace all these years?”

She should have been affronted by his teasing but with the way he was actually smiling with amusement burning in his eyes and the levity of the night—Aelin found she couldn’t be mad.  Because here, for this small moment, Aelin wasn’t scared about what the future might hold.

…

Despite the teasing of her cousin and Lysandra, Aelin really did exist best in chaos.  She wasn’t at all intimidated when the week officially started for the outreach program.  She didn’t even have panicked stress dreams about it either.  Everything had been planned out in detail.  It was going to be a success.

And everything her friends had done to help make it possible just warmed Aelin all the more.  Between all that Lysandra and Aedion did on their end, to Elide volunteering her days when she wasn’t needed at the bar, and Lorcan willfully helping out (through whatever bribery Elide had offered), everything started off without a hitch.

The thing about therapy that Aelin loved the most was the breakthroughs.  The understanding that came with trauma and healing.  It was often a long hard journey, but it happened.  And when you worked with kids?  It made the work all the better.

The week wouldn’t be focused on the talk therapy of it all though.  Mostly they’d be going on hikes, cooking in the main house, learning about the horses and caring for them, and then a little of the therapy side.  This week was about feeling safe and finding joy in an otherwise hard spot of life and Aelin was determined to help offer that bit of peace.

After all the kids arrived, twelve total and ranging from twelve to seventeen years old, everything continued as expected.  The kids were paired off closer to their ages into the two different cabins and it all seemed to be working for the best.

Aelin found that two of the younger kids, Evangeline and Luca, were the more hesitant of being there.  Despite Luca’s outgoing nature, Aelin could tell there was a bit of worry in his attitude as he always seemed to look to her for approval in any of the activities they did.  Evangeline always sidled over to Lysandra.  It wasn’t a strange occurrence, just one they needed to be careful with.

Though, if Aelin knew Lysandra like she did, her friend had done work with Evangeline before and was fiercely protective of her now.  

“How many s’mores can these kids eat?” Rowan asked one night.

They were having an outdoor campfire with s’mores and other treats while Elide of all people told scary stories.

“Sugar is an essential food group, buzzard,” Aelin reminded him, “especially for teens.”

They stood just a bit away from the fire pit outside two of the cabins, just far enough away to not be distracting.  It was Thursday meaning the week would officially finish out on Monday and the ranch would be able to return to its usual winter hours and day to day functions.  Aelin was a little upset by the idea, but she was sure Rowan was as giddy as he could be over the prospect.

“I thought that was just you,” Rowan said.

Aelin kicked him with the toe of her boot.  If her hands hadn’t been stuffed into the pockets of her coat, she might have flipped him off.

“Ha, ha,” she said. 

“Seriously,” Rowan continued, “I’ve seen the stash you think you’re hiding in the kitchen.”

“Chocolate is good for the soul,” Aelin sniffed, “and I recommend the occasional indulgence as a therapist.”

Rowan shook his head, looking out over the fields behind them.  A ghost of a smile fell across his lips and even in the flickering shadows of the fire, Aelin thought it was the most beautiful sight.

“Occasional indulgence, sure,” he murmured. 

“We can’t all love kale as much as you do,” Aelin said.  She’d seen what he came home with from the store.  Kale and zucchini and any myriad of health foods.

He only smiled at her and Aelin felt it like a punch to the gut.  She had no idea what had happened in the last few weeks, but somewhere along the way the loathing had simmered away to…appreciation?  Admiration?  Whatever the feeling was, she didn’t know where it came from, but it was here all the same.

“Thank-you for agreeing to this Rowan,” she said, before she could lose her nerve. “For agreeing to let us host this week and letting these kids come here.  I know it’s not the most convenient thing.  But I know it means a lot to them.”

And me, she added silently.

His smile fell just a touch. “Aelin—”

Whatever else he was about to say was swallowed up by Lysandra announcing it was time to head off to bed.  The quiet contentment of the night disbanded as the kids all voiced their complaints and pleads for another story.  Apparently Elide’s tales about bloodthirsty witches were all the rage.

But it was well nearing eleven and they’d all been up late enough as it was and Aelin herself was exhausted.  They rounded everybody up and had them filter off to their cabins.  Elide and Lorcan would serve as chaperones that night, giving Lysandra and Aedion a break.

Hopefully it would put a stop to a small issue growing between Luca and one of the other boys, Aelin didn’t know all the details as Luca refused to talk further about it, but she was worried nonetheless.  And even if she wasn’t sure about the idea of Lorcan as a chaperone, Rowan assured her that he was surprisingly good with kids.  Aelin decided she would trust Rowan on that front, and let the issue slide.  For now.

…

Friday dawned dark and chilly.  The sky was full of gray clouds that stretched as far as the eye could see.  It made Aelin feel boxed in even if there was still just as much open air as before.  But those clouds hung low and didn’t budge.

She tried to not let it bother her, it was bound to happen eventually.  And in this area the weather was always changing.  By the afternoon there would be a break in the clouds and the sun would return.  Or else they’d just get a light skiff of snow.

The day was being treated as a small rest day, of sorts.  The kids had helped cook breakfast for everyone, played a few games outside, and they were now headed out to the stables to help build a shed for the goats.  

It was less of build and more of a supervision.  If the kids wanted to help they could, if not, Aelin had it on good authority the goats enjoyed chasing people as a game.  Plus, one of the stable hands that had volunteered to help out was a master sling-shot expert and could take the kids to the side of the barn to practice their skills (on non-living targets).  

They got to the stables just after lunch and clean-up.  This was going to fill most of the rest of the day and then lead into a few individual sessions with the kids.  No one had mentioned that it was Christmas or anything of the sort and none of the kids seemed to be having any major issues.  But Aelin wanted to have a chance to talk with them and see if this week had helped them at all.  From what she could tell it hadn’t done any irreparable damage, but kids could be excellent at masking their emotions if they really wanted to.

As the building commenced, Aelin took note of Rowan’s truck outside the stables in its usual spot.  Beside it was another car, a Tesla of all things.  She’d thought Rowan was supposed to be in a business meeting, not at the stables.

She made sure the kids were all occupied doing what they were supposed to, or at least just having fun, before she walked over to where Lorcan was exchanging water for one of the troughs.

“Is Rowan here today?” she asked without preamble.

Lorcan raised a brow and leaned against the fence, balancing the empty blue water barrel beside him.  “What?”

“Rowan,” she said, gesturing to his truck. “I didn’t think he would be on the property today.”

Looking away from her, Lorcan ran a hand over his jaw.  It was obvious he was trying to decide what to say exactly and that made trepidation rise in Aelin’s throat.

“He’s here, I can’t tell you more than that though.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means,” Lorcan said, pushing off of the fence, “that you can talk to Rowan about it.”

He walked away then, leaving Aelin to mull over the words that she already didn’t like.  She watched him trek back to the stables and a part of her expected to see Rowan walking out as though waiting for that exact moment.

It was foolish, she knew.  Whatever worry was gnawing at her gut was unfounded and she didn’t need to get caught up on this.

Aelin forced herself back to where the kids were helping out with nails and plywood, a few had wandered off to stack crates together which the goats started climbing on with ease.  She came to a stop beside Lysandra, stuffing her hands into her coat against another stiff breeze.  The air smelled cold, if that could even be a scent.  But she didn’t know how else to describe that stiff, clean sterility.

“What’s up?” Lysandra asked, leaning into her.

“Nothing,” Aelin replied, glancing one more time at the stables.  “Nothing, it’s fine.”

Lysandra didn’t look convinced.  She remained quiet though as she returned her attention out to the paddock of goats and kids.

Aelin did her best to try and pay attention to the kids and offer encouragement and commentary where needed, but her mind was elsewhere.  Which, she knew was stupid.  She shouldn’t be thinking about Rowan and what was going on with him and his “business meeting” if that’s what was really going on.  And she shouldn’t even care whether or not it was for business.  Right?

A part of her did care though.  A part of her wondered what his meeting was about and why he hadn’t gone into detail about it with her.  She knew they weren’t technically business partners, but she did a lot of work for him all the same.  And the things that she did were specific to the business and therapy modem that Whitethorn ranch was known for.  Shouldn’t she be at least a little involved?

Half an hour later, Aelin had almost completely distracted herself until she heard the sound of Rowan’s low voice.  She spun towards it, already knowing what she would say to him.  But the second she turned it wasn’t Rowan that caught her attention.  It was the well-dressed man walking beside him.

Aelin felt her entire body seize up as a cold numbness swept through her.  Static crackled in her ears and her mouth went dry.

Because there beside Rowan was the man who had ruined Aelin’s life.

With auburn hair hanging loose around his face and gray suit that never seemed to wrinkle or stain--Arobynn Hamel looked the same as the day Aelin last saw him.  She still hadn’t been released from the hospital after the accident, still unsure if she’d be able to walk again, and still unsure what her life would look like.  But she’d held on to hope.  She’d held on long enough for him to come and place blame directly on her shoulders before sauntering away as though he couldn’t have cared less about what happened to her.

She’d been nineteen then.  Nineteen and convinced that he was supposed to be the answer to all her problems.  That was the thing about glorifying people when you were a kid, you never understood just what a dangerous game that was.

She tried reaching out for Lysandra, but her friend had entered the goat paddock to help hold a few boards in place.  She was alone.  Alone and watching the second Arobynn saw her.  He immediately made a b-line towards her.

“Well, well,” Arobynn said as he approached.  Just as he’d always been, he had that cold arrogance about him.  It was the same sort of swagger than everyone in their circles had.  The kind of money and stature, that he was better than everyone else around him.  He had to be in his mid-thirties now.  Though, he didn’t look it.  He was just as handsome as ever. “Aelin.  What a pleasant surprise.”

Aelin had to swallow before she could answer.  Swallow and look past that perfectly charming smile he wore. “Hamel.  What are you doing here?”

Arobynn merely smiled, stretching his arms. “You don’t know?  Rowan and I are in the midst of a business deal.”

Behind Arobynn, Rowan appeared.  He looked just the same as he always did: brooding, stoic, and pissed to hell and back.  His green eyes flicked between Aelin and Arobynn, scowl deepening.

Aelin felt the pit in her stomach grow and she swore she was going to vomit.  She did her best to remain in control of her emotions as she looked at Rowan.

“What deal, Rowan?” she asked.  Though, she already knew the answer, didn't she?

“I’m buying the land,” Arobynn answered before Rowan could. “I’ve been expanding my business, didn’t you know?”

No, she didn’t.  Because Aelin had done everything in her power to avoid anything that had to do with Hamel in the last several years.  

As though sensing her distress, Arobynn flashed another sharp smile. “I look forward to working with you again, Aelin.  Just like old times, isn’t it?”

There was nothing she could say.  She couldn’t trust herself not to yell or scream or cry or any combination of the three.  That would be showing weakness.  And she was not weak.

“I’ll have my attorney look over your offer,” Rowan said quietly, drawing Hamel’s attention again. “We’ll be in contact.”

“Good,” Arobynn said, “I’d rather see this done sooner than later.  Whitethorn.”

Without any semblance of pleasantries, Arobynn left them and returned to his car.  That stupid silver Tesla that looked like a box and had no business being out on a farm.  For all Aelin cared it could go crash in a borough and get waylaid by hay and snow.  It wasn’t until the car silently pulled away and back down that Aelin felt her own voice return.

“You’re selling?” It was more of an accusation than anything.

Rowan straightened; arms still crossed over his chest. “Yes.”

“Why?” At least her voice wasn’t shaking.  At least she still sounded somewhat in control.

“Because I have to,” Rowan replied, but he looked away from her and Aelin knew that wasn’t the truth of it. “The why doesn’t even matter Aelin, you wouldn’t understand.”

A laugh escaped her.  Of course she wouldn’t.  Because she’d only been here a few short months, she wasn’t really a part of the life here or any of where the ranch had come from.  But she’d still put her blood, sweat, and tears into the ranch.  She’d wanted to see it succeed, that’s why Rowan had even hired her as a part time trauma specialist, wasn’t it?

“I know enough about this place,” she said, “it’s a staple of the community, of honest good work that no one else does, Rowan.  I know that much.  I understand that much.  That it’s helped more people get unstuck from life than just about any other program I’ve seen.”

He only shook his head, hand running through his hair.  The silver locks fell over his brow and for a moment, for one brief moment, Aelin thought she saw a part of him that she could reconcile with.  A softer allusion of the hard contours that Rowan often displayed.

“My reasons are my own,” he said firmly.  His eyes sparked with anger as he watched her. “And it doesn’t really matter beyond that. I can't keep doing this.  And--why do you even care?  It won’t even affect you that much.  Hamel’s going to keep it as a horse ranch mostly, and agrees with the work going on.  I don't think he'd change much.  He obviously likes you, so you can do whatever you want.”

Aelin couldn’t hide her flinch.  She tucked her arms around her middle more as an effort of protection and hiding than anything else. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Please, Aelin.  You don’t need me here,” Rowan said, “this place will do well enough without me.”

“So you’re giving up?” She could only stare at him.  This wasn’t the Rowan Whitethorn she’d come to know, the one that she fought with on a daily basis.  This was someone else entirely.

“It’s none of your business, Aelin.”

“I’m a part of this ranch, aren’t I?  I’ve been here for months, and for what?”

“I never asked you to stick around.”  Rowan let out an exasperated huff. 

“He’s not a good man, Rowan,” Aelin said.  Most of the fight had gone out of her, replaced with dread and pain. “You don’t want him buying this land, your home.”

“He’s rich, what does it matter?”  Rowan pressed. “He’ll be able to do more with this place than I ever could.”

Aelin could only shake her head.  Yes, Arobynn was rich.  Rich enough that he could whatever he wanted, consequences be damned.  She tilted her head up just in time to catch a snowflake on her cheek.  The small chill was electrifying on her hot skin.  Slowly, more flakes continued to fall, fat and thick it looked like the forecast had finally chosen to be right.

“I can’t do this,” she finally said, “I’m going to check on the kids.”

She didn’t wait for Rowan to try and call her back.  She didn’t realize until she was entering the goat paddock that she had wanted him to.

…

It wasn’t until later that night as the kids were eating that Aelin had a moment to talk with Lysandra.  The snow had picked up and continued to fall throughout the afternoon driving them all inside, which after a week full of activities and being outside continually--it was a welcome break.

They were inside one of the cabins, pizza and soda spread out for the kids to enjoy.  Almost everything about the day had gone well.  If you didn’t count the Hamel matter.  The distraction and reality of what her life was spiraling towards wasn’t the best way to head into individual sessions, but Aelin had learned long ago how to compartmentalize.

Now, she was able to feel a little more relaxed as she and Lysandra were able to sit back while the kids started a terrible round of UNO.

“He’s so lucky I didn’t see him,” Lysandra said around a mouthful of pizza. “I would have kicked him in the balls then dragged his ass around from the back of a tractor, you know I would’ve.”

“I know,” Aelin assured her.

She picked at her pizza, appetite long since gone.  All she could think about was the fact that she’d seen and spoken with Hamel.  And she’d survived it.  

It was strange, being faced with a reality you thought was finally put behind you.  But that was life, wasn’t it?  You just kept learning the same lesson over and over again.  She just wondered what she was supposed to learn this time around.

“Did he say anything to Rowan?” Lysandra asked. “Does Rowan know anything?”

“I hope not,” Aelin said.  That would just be icing on the cake.  

Her past was a mess as it was.  Rehashing it and telling her side of things after someone had already been exposed to the lies of the story—well it wouldn’t do any good.

Still, Aelin didn’t want to think that Rowan knew about what had transpired.  Or if he’d think any different about her over it.  Most people did when they learned the truth and even if she was mad at him, Aelin didn’t think she could bear Rowan looking at her any different.

The story began back when she was sixteen.  Sixteen and in the throes of series equestrian training.  And she wasn’t the type to show in the dressage.  Aelin was a competitive rider in barrel racing, jumping, and the grittier events.  Her former trainer had just moved and who was to fill the position than Arobynn Hamel.

His methods were brutal and his words were cruel.  But young as she was, Aelin could only see what he could make of her.  And her parents had been none the wiser either.

Even after the drugs and borderline abuse.

Aelin shook off the memories. “It doesn’t matter if Rowan knows or not, does it?  He isn’t going to stick around.  He made that clear.”

“Are you going to stay,” Lysandra asked.  Her voice was painfully soft and Aelin had a hard time meeting her friend’s eyes.

“No.  I can’t…I can’t be around Hamel again, Lys.”  Aelin set her uneaten pizza aside. “After everything…I thought I finally had a place, you know?  That this was a good fit for me.  Even if Rowan’s an ass and doesn’t like me.  I liked the work.”

“Maybe if you talked—”

“No.” Aelin shook her head, cutting Lysandra off before she could even begin. “Rowan won’t talk it out.  He’d just sell the place faster if it meant getting rid of me.”

Lysandra sighed. “I don’t think you’re giving him enough credit.”

Aelin narrowed her eyes. “Whose side are you on?”

Lysandra didn’t answer, instead waving as Elide walked through the door, leaving a blistering trail of snow outside behind her.

“I hope it’s alright to stop by,” Elide said with a smile.  She grabbed a piece of pizza and settled between Aelin and Lysandra. “Lorcan’s still finishing up at the stables.”

“Good,” Lysandra said, moving over so Elide had plenty of space. “We need to talk sense into Aelin.”

“I’m not a miracle worker, you know,” Elide replied.  She grinned all the same and nudged Aelin’s leg with her foot. “What kind of sense are we talking?”

Aelin groaned, shaking her head.  One of the counselors took a few of the kids to the other cabin to prepare for bed.  It was nearing that time where they would all turn in.  The growing storm outside made the night feel sleepy and dark.  Not that Aelin minded.  Sometimes a lazy night was just what she needed, especially when she could curl up with a book.

“Lysandra thinks I’m being too hard on Rowan for deciding to sell the ranch,” Aelin told Elide, careful about how loud she spoke.  She didn’t want to risk upsetting the remaining kids or the other counselors.

Elide’s eyes widened at the news.

“You can’t tell—” Aelin said quickly.  She shouldn’t have even told Lysandra about Rowan’s plans.  Even if Lorcan already knew about Rowan’s decision, it was just in bad form for Aelin to be gossiping out it.

“I won’t,” Elide assured her.  “I promise.”

What Aelin had done to deserve friends like Lysandra and Elide, she didn’t know.  As she tugged on the end of her braid she didn’t know where to begin.

“I know I don’t really have a hand in this ranch or can’t tell him what to do,” Aelin said, “but I’ve put so much work into it that…”

Aelin let her words trail off.  Did it really matter what she’d done?  He obviously didn’t care enough to listen to her.  She couldn’t care.  She shouldn’t.  Because in the end, she always came out alone.

She was going to tell her friends that she was fine and it didn’t matter when the shouting started from the other cabin.

--

Back at the main house, Rowan and Aedion were settling everything in for the night.  After baking four giant pizzas for the kids (delivery drivers refused to drive all the way out to the ranch and the weather had taken a bit of a chilly turn) they settled in to watch the latest football game.  

What he didn’t expect was for Aedion to strike up a conversation.  

“You know,” Aedion said as a commercial break started, “I’ve never seen a place like this ranch before, it’s pretty remarkable what you’ve done.”

Rowan really didn’t know if that was true.  All he’d done was come in after his grandparents and parents established everything for him.  The last few years it felt like he’d barely been treading water.  Until the last few months when Aelin had swept in with her binders and her plans and damned conspiratorial smile.

“I haven’t done much,” Rowan replied.  Mostly kept everything afloat as best he could. “It’s mostly been Aelin bringing things back to life.”

It really was an apt description of the woman.  She was vibrant in the way she approached everything she did.  Never did she let anything pass by that was half-hearted or untended.  Rather, she made sure it was taken care of properly.  It was probably what made the fall season so successful.  No…no probably about it, it was what made the season one of the best in several years.

“She does tend to do that, doesn't she?” Aedion laughed. “It’s annoying as hell, because then she thinks she’s always right.  Which, I mean, technically she is always right, but she can’t know that.  She’d be insufferable if we told her.”

Rowan shook his head in agreement.  Though, if he thought about it, Aelin had enough confidence that even if she were wrong about something she would make things work in the end.  She had the faith and the sheer force of will to see something accomplished that an obstacle was merely a stepping stone to what she wanted.

“So,” Rowan began, a thought occurring to him as he thought about his own understanding of Aelin. “How do you know Aelin?  I never got that story?”

That earned him an amused look from Aedion who sat up straighter.

“She’s an Ashryver, you know,” Aedion said slowly, “as in Rhoe and Evalin Ashryver Galathyinius.”

Rowan froze at the pronouncement and slowly, painful understanding washed over him. “What?”

In the chair across from him, Aedion shook his head, blond hair falling in his face.  

“Doesn’t surprise me that you didn’t know,” Aedion chuckled wryly. “She doesn’t use her mom’s name very much, considering...But yeah.  Ashryver-Galathynius.  We’re cousins, were raised together through just about anything.  I was there in all of Aelin’s training when she really got into the horse scene.  She was the national champion in racing and show three years in a row until the accident.”

Rowan could only stare blankly at Aedion.  He didn’t know how he’d missed the similarities, hell, their eyes were even the same.  Why wouldn’t Aelin say anything?  Especially when he had given her so much crap about being a city girl.  She could have shut him up without any effort.

Though, at Aedion’s mention of an accident, he remembered something vaguely happening in the world of showing and competition.  That side of the horse world was something he’d never stayed completely caught up in.  Especially not years ago when he’d been so busy with taking the ranch over.

“She was nineteen, it was going to be her fourth year in a row of winning that championship,” Aedion explained, “and she’d put herself through hell for it.  She kept herself in the best shape, hardly ate.  Was always training.  Her trainer—” a sour look flashed over Aedion’s face— “her trainer wouldn’t leave well enough alone and always pushed her further than anyone should go, not at that age.  It was never proven, but I’m pretty sure they slipped her drugs and the horse too because they were racing barrels which is Aelin’s best event and next thing you know the horse gets spooked and Aelin goes flying.”

Aedion paused, running a hand over his jaw as he stared into the fireplace. “It’s a miracle she wasn’t paralyzed.  Or worse.  Arobynn never even got a slap on the wrist for it.”

Rowan’s gut churned in a sickening way.  “Arobynn Hamel?”

The dark look in Aedion’s eyes was answer enough.

Rowan remembered all the times in the last several months of how he’d berated Aelin for her lack of knowledge on a ranch, how she shied away from the horses.  He’d accused her of so many things that he just hadn’t known about.

“She recovered eventually,” Aedion said, “but I don’t think she was ever the same.  She never got on a horse again after that.  But she volunteered a lot at various stables back in Terrasen or at those camps for kids with autism, y’know?  Kinda like what you do here.  And then she got her degree and has talked about applying for a doctorate.  Damn.  She was always going to become something.”

“I didn’t know, about her past, I mean,” Rowan murmured.  His fingers tightened on the drink in his hand, long forgotten in the conversation.

“It’s why she tends to drop her mom’s name,” Aedion said, he shot Rowan a wry smile. “She doesn’t want that to be all people associate with her.  Her parents love her, don’t get me wrong, but they always put so much pressure on her.  Rhoe and Evalin practically raised me too and I got the same treatment.  The Ashryvers aren’t known for weakness.”

If there was anything Rowan had learned in the past week, it was the truth of that sentence.  Aelin was so much more than the city girl he’d first thought her to be.  Everything she had done in her time on the ranch had been to help the kids and families that came through.  She had worked so hard to turn this place into a functioning therapy ranch and she’d done a damn good job at it.

And he’d gone on to sell the ranch.

Not that he really owed the explanation to anyone.  Sellene was guilt-tripping him enough as it was.  But he’d found the last few months to be more bearable.  Somehow.  Impossibly.  Even with Aelin being as difficult as she was sometimes.  But that was what he liked about her.  She challenged him.  She made plans and got things done.  She was fearless.

And he’d gone on to sell the ranch.

The one place she’d said made her feel like she was coming home.

“I need to--” Rowan began, already reaching for his phone so that he could call her.

He didn’t get far though when the front door opened with a loud thud.  Rowan was on his feet in an instant, for some reason thinking it would be Aelin.  Instead, it was Lysandra and Elide with a very distraught Evangeline.  The young girl had tears streaming down her cheeks and snow was still melting in her hair from the storm raging outside.

“What happened?” Rowan demanded, already sensing the trouble afoot.

Evangeline shrunk back into Lysandra, shaking slightly.  Rowan doubted it was from the chill.  He cursed himself for adding to the girl's distress.  If he remembered correctly, Evangeline was in between foster homes as the last place was unsuitable.  That scar on her cheek was fresh enough that Rowan could guess what unsuitable meant.

He softened his voice. “Is everyone alright?”

Evangeline squeaked, her hair falling in her face.  Behind her, Lysandra made a soothing sound as she gently brushed Evie’s hair back.  Her glare cut right into Rowan making it clear what she thought about him.

“It’s alright, sweetheart,” Lysandra said, “you’re not in trouble.  Just tell Rowan what happened.”

Evangeline sniffed loudly and nodded. “It was Luca.  He and Derek got in a fight when we were playing a game and Luca left and I told him not to but—” Evangeline forced a shuddering breath “—but he left anyway out in the snow.  So I went and got Aelin and Lysandra.”

“Aelin went out looking for him,” Lysandra finished quietly.  She gave Evangeline’s shoulder a tight squeeze.  “But it’s turning into a blizzard out there, I don’t know how far either of them will get.  We left one of the other counselors to keep an eye on the rest of the kids.”

All Rowan could register in that moment was Aelin is out in the blizzard.  It took his remembering that they were all looking to him for answers for him to snap to attention.  He turned to Elide.

“Lorcan?” He asked.

“Finishing up in the stables,” Elide said, “he’s probably still there.  And probably let her take a horse.”

Rowan doubted that.  Even if Lorcan wasn’t fond of Aelin, he wouldn’t let her go out in this weather.

“Try calling him,” Rowan said, “see what he knows.”

When Elide nodded and stepped away, he looked back at Evangeline who was still shaking against Lysandra.

“It’s alright, Evangeline,” he said, “you did the right thing by letting us know what happened.  Are you still cold?”

“N-no,” the girl stuttered softly.

Rowan held out a hand to her anyway. “Come have a seat by the fire, I’ve got hot chocolate in the kitchen too.”

Hesitantly, Evangeline accepted his offer.  He got her settled in the chair he’d vacated and found one of the many fleece blankets Aelin had left lying around.  After wrapping her up, Aedion had his phone out and played a Disney movie to distract the girl.

The adults huddled together in the kitchen while Rowan readied the promised hot chocolate.

“Lorcan said that Aelin took off on one of the mares,” Elide said quietly.  She still held her phone to her ear, the call with Lorcan active. “He wants to know if he should go after her.”

“I’ll come out to the stables now, have him wait for me,” Rowan replied.  He pulled a freshly heated mug from the microwave and dumped in a cocoa packet.  It wasn’t the best but it’s do in a pinch.  Besides, knowing that Aelin spent so much time up here there was bound to be whipped cream in the fridge and marshmallows in a cabinet.  “I’ll ride out with him.”

Lysandra took the mug from him. “Then go.  I’ll finish this.  I don’t know about riding horses.”

Rowan looked at Aedion who shrugged.

“I mean,” the other man said, “I know how to stay on.”

“Good enough,” Rowan said.  He turned to Elide next. 

“I’ll wait at the barn with blankets and flashing lights,” she said before he could get a word out. “Now let's go, the snow is only going to get worse.”

It was more than enough to kick the rest of them into action.

After finding all the spare coats, socks, and blankets they could, they piled into Rowan’s truck and made the quick trip across the drive to the stables.  All Rowan could focus on was the snow.

It no longer fell in thick innocuous fluff, rather it had turned to tiny flecks of ice that could cut skin.  The heavy wind didn’t help anything either.  The weather had quickly dissolved from mediocre to abysmal in the span of an hour.  The snow was no longer sticking to the ground, instead billowing in icy white clouds all around them.  Any semblance of being on an actual road was lost.

Rowan tried not to let it bother him.  He tried to remind himself that Luca wouldn’t get far in this weather.  Aelin was an experienced rider…even if she hadn’t been on a horse in nearly ten years.  His gut still churned in trepidation and a mild sense of panic set his heart to racing.  It was fine.

They reached the barn to find the side door open and Lorcan’s outline waiting with two horses already geared up and ready.  

Piling from the truck, Rowan threw on his coat and grabbed the thick goose down parka for when they found Luca.  He wrapped a scarf around his face as best he could to protect from the wind.

Aedion had the same idea.  He’d also found a hand to pull down over his hair and ears.

“No,” Lorcan said as soon as he saw Elide’s smaller form emerge from around the truck. “Absolutely not.  Go back to the main house.”

Had her arms not been full of blankets and spare coats, Rowan expected Elide would have flipped her boyfriend off.

“Make me.” She gave him a look that offered no room for argument and slipped into the stables.

Lorcan turned to Rowan, fury clearly written in his face.

“She’s going to stay back and keep the lights on for when we make our way back,” Rowan told him.  “She’ll be fine.”

In any other situation, Rowan was sure Lorcan would have argued further.  Instead, he passed off the reins to Goldryn.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” he said.  He then turned to Aedion to offer the other horse.  Rowan had no doubt a third was already saddled and bridled just inside the doors.

Rowan made no promises as to what sort of decisions he would be making.  He merely got one foot in the stirrups and hauled himself up.  They’d wasted enough time and he wanted to get out there and find both Aelin and Luca.

“Rowan!” 

He turned to see Elide running towards him.  She waved an object in one hand, a flashlight.

“Phones will be useless,” she explained. “And I can’t find any walkie-talkies.  Morse code, yeah?”

Smart.  He accepted the light and clicked it on and off again. “Thanks.”

“Just find them.” Her dark eyes were pleading but nothing else about her smaller stature betrayed any of her worry.  When Rowan nodded in assurance, she turned back to the stables.  Rowan tucked the flashlight into the front of his coat before finally turning towards the direction he thought Luca would have gone from the cabins.

As the wind picked up and sent another cloud of snow to wash over them, Rowan tensed for a moment before urging Goldryn on.  They had some ground to cover before they made it to the cabins.  But it had been at least twenty minutes since Luca had run off.  Even with the terrible weather, a determined kid on the run could do a lot of damage.

“C’mon girl,” Rowan called, nudging Goldryn into a canter.

He knew this land better than anyone.  And he wouldn’t let anything happen to Luca or Aelin if he could help it.

…

Ice cut into Aelin’s skin as she and Farasha continued through the snow.  She hadn’t thought to grab a scarf or face covering, hadn’t thought to find a thicker coat.  The best she’d grabbed was a thin lap blanket.  All she’d heard was that Luca ran off into the storm after an argument with one of the other kids.  She would have thought about strangling Luca if she weren’t so worried about him.

“Luca!” she called out, wincing at the cold wind nearly choking her own voice.

She hadn’t even let her own panic take over at the thought of riding again.  She’d saddled up the large horse in record time and told Lorcan to ready two other horses for him and Rowan to come search with her.  It hadn’t even occurred to her that Rowan may not come, may not care as much as she did.  But even if she was pissed off at him, she couldn’t imagine that he would stand idly by when a kid was caught out here in the weather.

Her fingers were stiff as she gripped the reins, grateful at least for that bit of distraction.  It had been ages since she’d been on a horse and ridden.  After breaking her back in a nasty fall and dealing with the repercussions from Hamel, she had sworn she would never get on another horse.  She had sworn she would never return to this life.  But here she was because all she wanted to do was help the kids who needed it.

She shuddered and not just from the cold.

The terrain wasn’t terrible, even with the way the rolling snow covered the ground and how dark the night had gotten.  Even in the last seven months Aelin had grown used to the land.  She’d spent hours walking, running, and just enjoying the ranch.  Between walks with the kids she worked with or helping with moving the small herd of goats from pasture to pasture—Aelin felt like she knew the ranch as well as anyone.

Yet, as the wind continued to howl and the snow beat relentlessly against her side, Aelin had the sickening feeling she was getting lost.  She fumbled for her phone and pulled up the flashlight.  It hardly made a difference, in fact, the light was swallowed up almost as soon as it left the phone.

Aelin bit her lip to keep from cursing.  She didn’t want any more cold air in her mouth finding its way down into her lungs.

How long had she been out here?  An hour?  Two?  How long would Luca last with just his pajamas and simple coat?  

Beneath her, Farasha grunted.  It would only be a matter of time before the horse had had enough and would insist on turning back.

With numb fingers, Aelin patted the horse’s neck.  They would find Luca.  They had to.

The only logical direction Luca could go from the cabins was the main house.  But if he were too embarrassed or upset, he may just go in the opposite direction.  But all there would be was darkness.  Empty and heavy.  Or…or maybe…

Aelin thought back to the first day Luca had arrived and when she’d showed him the old homestead.  It was an old cabin that Rowan’s great-grandfather had first lived in upon buying the land.  She’d told Luca the same story Rowan had told her: with hardly any money his great-grandparents made that tiny cabin a home until they could till the land and make a living come spring.  They’d survived against all odds and used it as a sign of a new beginning.

Spurring Farasha on, Aelin took off for the cabin.  Luca had been enthralled by the story, asking question after question, he even asked to visit the cabin a second and third time.  

Okay, okay, okay. It was the only thing Aelin could think that wouldn’t send her into a different sort of plummeting thoughts.  

Even as the icy wind and sharp snow continued their assault, she told herself that everything was okay.

Aelin was beginning to lose hope, letting the soul wrenching feel of dread rise up within her.  It had been too long.  There was no sign of the cabin nor of Luca.  

This was her fault.  It was all her fault.

A flicker in the distance caught her attention.  A shadow mingling with the already thickly cloying shadows and manipulations of the storm.

“Luca!” Aelin yelled.  As Farasha continued diligently on, the small old cabin came into view and there, trekking towards it was a small hunkered shape. “Luca!”

The shape stopped and Aelin heard a voice in the wind.  Hope rose within her, beating against the dread and panic.

“Hold on!”  Sensing her urgency, Farasha pressed on, though Aelin could tell it was with reluctance.  

It took several agonizing minutes to move the few yards closer to the cabin but they made it.  And there, trying desperately to reach the old cabin was Luca.

Aelin let out a string of curses as she slid off of Farasha.  She gripped the lap blanket in one hand, keeping it close as she ran to Luca.  The boy couldn’t reach out to her, his arms wrapped tight around him.  His coat was too thin for this weather, his old boots unlaced.  Aelin swore his skin was blue, not just his lips.

“A-a-aelin?” he stuttered, the sound of her name was too soft from his mouth.

Aelin threw the blanket around him.  She pulled him against her and wrapped her arms around his middle as she tried to rub warmth into his limbs.

“What were you thinking?” she asked, unable to curb her own panic.  “Luca.  Luca.  Luca.”

The boy trembled against her.  He was trying to talk, to apologize, but Aelin kept him tugged against him so tight his words were muffled.

Ice stung Aelin’s eyes as she pulled away and knelt before him.

“Are you okay?” she asked, speaking over the sound of the wind.

He nodded even as his body still shook.  Hell.  

Aelin drew Luca back against her side. “It’s going to be fine.  I’ve got Farasha and we’re going to get back to the house.  Everything’s fine.”

She wasted no time in leading Luca to the horse.  She boosted him up into the saddle, helping him scoot as far up as he could.  Aelin braced herself as she scrambled up on the horse behind him.  The motion wasn’t as smooth as it could have been.  Combined with lack of practice, cold, and, admittedly, fear, Aelin didn’t let it bother her.

Once settled, she pulled Luca against her chest and reached for the reins.

“We’re alright,” she told him.  What else could she say?  “We’re going to go back to the house and get you warmed up.”

“I-I’m sorry,” Luca chattered. “I knew I shouldn’t have left.”

Aelin shushed him gently. “It’s okay.  Everything’s okay.”

Luca trembled against her chest but fell quiet as he tucked his face into the blanket, she’d given him.  The wind had picked up and snow swirled around them.  Aelin squinted, trying to keep ice from pricking her eyes.  It only made tears start to well and track down her cheeks.  In a matter of seconds, she could feel her skin freeze.  Aelin dared not blink for fear of her eyes freezing shut.  Instead, she tapped her heels against Farasha’s side.

Even with the added load of Luca, the horse surged forward.  Aelin had no idea if they were headed in the right direction.  All she could do was hope that the horse had a better sense of where they were than she.  But with how dark the night had fallen and the increased snowfall, Aelin couldn’t help the panic welling within her.  She had found Luca, sure, but that was only half the problem.  

Now they had to trek back through the storm to the stables.  Aelin guided Farasha as best she could, but the sheets of snow that swirled around them certainly didn’t help.

To ease her own worry, she wrapped an arm around Luca, keeping him close.  He was still conscious, which was good.  She tried asking him questions to make sure he stayed that way but after a few rounds of feeling like her throat was freezing and Luca’s continued shudders--she stopped.  

Come on, she thought to herself.  She was strong enough to do this.  Strong enough to get Luca back safely.  Even if no one else thought much of her--she could see this through.

And then what?  She’d be out of a job.  Likely forced to move back to the city and she didn’t want that.  She didn’t want to stay here either if what Rowan said was true.

If Arobynn Hamel took over the ranch Aelin knew she couldn’t stay.  Hamel was cruel to say the least.  Vindictive, arrogant, abusive.  He had pushed Aelin beyond her limits and was the reason her life had changed forever.

She wanted to hate Rowan for what he had planned.  But how could he have known?  She never talked about her past as it was.  It wasn’t even any of his business if she did leave.

Damn him.  Damn him for giving up on this place in the first place.  And damn him for making her think that she almost had a home here.

A shiver rolled through Aelin’s body.  How could she still feel the cold?  Everything was numb at this point.  She didn’t even know how she could remain upright in the saddle, let alone hold the reins.  But the cold had settled in so deep that it was simply an extension of who she was now.

They passed by a fence post that Aelin didn’t recognize.  Or did she?  Was it the one along the easter paddock?  That meant they were near the stables right?  

The top of the post only had a thin layer of snow on top, the barbed wire extending along to the next post already had icicles forming.

As if sensing her unease, Farasha moved a little faster.  But, really, there wasn’t much the horse could do.  Not in these conditions.

Aelin tilted her face up to the sky, as though that would do anything.  All she could see was the mass of snow and ice continuing to fall.  The gray sky overhead a mass of terror and pure power.  Never had she felt so insignificant until that moment.  She was a small speck in comparison to the universe overhead.  

She dropped her head again and stared forward, willing herself to see some chance of hope.

There was nothing.  Nothing but white.  Nothing but gray.  Nothing but--

A flash of light.

Aelin straightened in the saddle and stared at where she’d seen the flash.  She hadn’t imagined it.  She couldn’t have.

There it was again!

A quick flash followed by a longer one.  The flashes continued in somewhat the same manner, like morse code.  

Aelin’s fingers were too stiff to try for her phone.  She would have dropped it before managing to get it unlocked.  All she could do was guide Farasha towards the light.  Aelin had never learned morse code beyond SOS.  But she’d been out on this land plenty of times and she knew there weren’t any strange flashing lights around.  And these flashes seemed too deliberate in any case.

It was the only reassurance she could hold on to.  That and keeping Luca in one arm.

Another few minutes passed on until Aelin could hear a voice on the wind.  She didn’t register it at first, but it was familiar.  The shout came again; long and steady.

“Luca!  Aelin!”  Their names were drawn out into multiple syllables but it was someone shouting for them.

Not just someone.  Aelin would have recognized that voice anywhere.

The flashlight beam grew stronger the closer they got and Aelin could soon make out a shape sitting astride a horse.  

“Rowan,” she whispered, more to herself than anything.  Because who else could it be. “Rowan!”

It was only a minute later that had Goldryn loping toward them with Rowan.  He still had the flashlight in one hand, beaming brightly against the night.

“Aelin!” he yelled.  He drew in close, close enough to grab her shoulder.

The flashlight helped illuminate him enough that Aelin could see the taut lines of his face, his eyes wide in panic.  The scarf around his lower face had fallen away and snow was building up in the creases.  But it was him.  He was here, staring at her like she was the greatest damn thing he’d ever seen.

“We’re fine,” she said, loud over the storm. “But we need to get Luca warmed up.”

Rowan dropped his gaze to the boy who was still pressed against Aelin’s chest.

“Let's go,” he said, “it’s not that far.”

Aelin could only nod as he turned Goldryn and led the way to the stables.  Farasha, blessedly brilliant beast that she was, followed without any prompting.  

The tightness in Aelin’s chest loosened with each step made.  They had made it.  It really was going to be alright.

Quicker than Aelin realized, the stables came into view.  Bright light from the floodlights broke through the storm and she could see the doors were cracked open just a bit.  Two other horses were by the doors being tended to.  It took Aelin several moments to realize it was Lorcan and Aedion waiting there.  They soon disappeared into the barn, taking the two horses with them.  

When Rowan and Aelin reached the stable doors, both men had returned.  Lorcan wasted not time in coming to Aelin’s side.  He grabbed Luca from the saddle, hauling the boy into his arms and taking him inside.  Aelin could only stare after.  She had no idea if she could move, let alone blink.

It wasn’t until Rowan appeared in her line of sight that she did blink, miraculously without frozen eyes.  She had no idea when he’d gotten off his horse but here he was right beside her.  He reached out, one hand going to her side as he gently tugged her off of Farasha.

She fell into him.  It was an accident, really.  But her body was still numb and she might have been in shock, but she went tumbling off of the saddle in as inelegant a dismount as could be imagined.  Rowan’s arms stayed around her, keeping them both upright.

“I got you,” he murmured into her ear.  He kept a firm hold on her as she slowly regained her balance.

Somehow, he still had warmth to share.  As he kept her tight in his grasp, Aelin could practically feel her own body leeching it off of him.  She was desperate to feel anything other than the raging cold threatening to freeze her entire body.  

Lorcan appeared in another minute and helped with Farasha, Aedion took control of Goldryn.

Rowan led Aelin into the stables that were already infinitely warmer than the storm outside.  There seated on a few bales of hay was Elide, well at work with getting Luca wrapped in a fresh blanket and tugging a hat over his head.

“You’re half frozen,” Rowan said.  He kept walking Aelin away from the opened doors of the stables.  “What the hell were you thinking?”

Aelin could only stare at him.  

The familiar scowl was in place and his brow was furrowed as he worked to get her out of her wet coat.  A thin and useless coat, he pointed out.  He replaced it by draping a thicker one over her shoulders, holding it in place when she didn’t take it herself.

All she could do was stare at him.  He had come for her.  He had gone out into that storm and came to find her.  Luca too.  But with the way he was staring at her and brushing the messy strands of hair from her face--all Aelin could really process was that he was here for her.

“You’re fussing,” she managed to whisper.

“Of course I’m fussing,” he said, incredulity spreading across his face. “Aelin, you’re freezing.”

Of course she was.  She’d spent the better part of an hour (more?) searching through a blizzard on a horse looking for Luca.  Her entire body shook with cold and a mild panic of what she’d just accomplished.

Rowan tugged the coat tighter around her as he kept talking.  But Aelin couldn’t hear what he was going on about.  A shrill ringing started in her ears blocking almost everything else out.  And then the shivers wouldn’t stop.  Her entire body was shaking and it was all she could do to stay on her own two feet before she pitched forward straight into Rowan, vision going black.

…

When Aelin woke, she found herself surrounded by a thick warmth that engulfed her.  It was far welcome from the dreams of freezing snow and wind that she’d had all night.  Grateful for the thick blankets tucked all around her, Aelin snuggled in deeper, breathing in a familiar scent of pine.

Her eyes snapped open with sudden awareness.

She wasn’t in her own bed.  

Pain lanced through her head as she tried sitting up.  The sheer weight of the blankets piled on top of her was enough to keep her down though, for at least a minute longer.

What the hell had happened?  Her body ached as though she’d run a marathon and she was certain her toes were frozen solid and—

And there had been the blizzard.  And Luca.  And she’d gotten on a horse and rose out into a blizzard to find him.

That thought alone spurred her on.  She shoved the thick quilts aside, pausing only at the patchwork of the top blanket that was a blend of greens and silvers in a pattern she couldn’t quite make out, but it was handmade.  She could tell that much.

Aelin then realized that she was in Rowan’s room.  If not for the scent of pine and the obvious splashes of green throughout the decoration, then the picture on the bedside table.  It was of a boy no more than ten with a shock of silver hair standing on a dock that overlooked a lake.  In one hand he held up a fishing line with a giant fish dangling from the hook.  Beside him was an older man, his father, who had a proud grin on his face as he wrapped an arm around the boy.  And there was another picture of a woman with tan skin and brilliant green eyes smiling down at a bundled baby in her arms.

She was in Rowan’s room.

The thought shocked her enough that she remained seated on the edge of the bed right up until the door opened.  Mind still reeling, Aelin could only watch as Rowan himself slowly stepped into the room.

He stopped immediately upon seeing her awake and sitting up.  Dressed in his usual attire of jeans and flannel she almost would have guessed she hadn’t been asleep that long.  If it hadn’t been for his disheveled hair or the stubble on his chin and cheeks.

“You should be asleep,” Rowan said.  He held a cup of water in one hand and slowly walked it over to her, setting it on the bedside table she’d just been examining.

“I was,” Aelin replied, even with the short words her voice rasped with disuse and exhaustion. 

Rowan who now stood just before her, his knees brushing hers, reached out and brushed a few messy strands of hair from her face.  His fingers were warm against her skin and the calluses rough as they scraped gently along her cheek.  The expression in his eyes held something Aelin wasn’t sure how to read.  She’d thought she’d gotten decent enough at interpreting Rowan that it unsettled her just a bit.  

Instead of the depthless sea of green she was so accustomed to, he was now guarded and hesitant.  Compared to his usual assurance and confidence--Aelin was at a loss of what to say.

“Drink this,” Rowan said, filling the silence.  He pushed the glass of water into her hands along with a few pain pills and the granola bar. “And eat.  The pills will settle better with something in your stomach.”

Aelin set the items aside. “I’m fine.”

“Aelin.”

The warning in his voice had Aelin’s hackles rising.  She set her jaw and glared right back at him.

“I’m fine.” 

They stared at each other, neither budging.  And they could sit there all day for all Aelin was concerned.  She wasn’t sure how long she’d been asleep or of any of the other details of her passing out, but she did know she was still pissed Rowan and she would hold out for as long as--

“Please,” Rowan said, voice uncharacteristically soft, “just eat something.”

The breath stilled in Aelin’s lungs.  When had she ever heard him say please?  It was such a strange word coming from him that Aelin automatically reached for the granola bar and unwrapped it.  She took a few bites before swallowing the pain pills with some of the water.

“Happy?” she asked, placing the water back on the bedside table.

Rowan, as expected, remained silent.  When he turned aways from her, Aelin thought he was going to give her some peace and quiet, but he was only putting a little distance between them. Which was probably for the best considering Aelin was having a difficult time breathing normally when he was so close.  She would blame it on nearly getting hypothermia.  That was it.

“Do you have any idea how stupid it was for you to go out like you did?” he demanded.  He’d stepped back closer to the window, pale light filtering through the thin curtains to illuminate him enough that Aelin could better see the outlines of his face and the stiff way he held himself.

“I was trying to find Luca,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “What was I supposed to do?”

“Get help,” Rowan said, “it was a blizzard Aelin, what if something had happened?”

“Exactly.”  She rose to her feet, blinking back the fuzzy blackness along the edge of her vision.  She wasn’t going to let him berate her. “I couldn’t let something happen to Luca.  He was my responsibility.  It’s a miracle I found him at all.”

Aelin waited expectantly for him to say something else.  To continue to tell her how stupid she was, how upset he was.  That she’d made mistake after mistake.

But he didn’t.

Rowan stood before her, hands on his hips and lips pressed tight together.  Silent.

“I wasn’t going to leave him,” Aelin said, and she was shocked to find emotion beginning to clog her throat. “I couldn’t.”

And then Rowan did the absolute last thing she expected.  He hugged her.

One moment he was two feet away looking as mad as she’d ever seen him, the next he was pulling her into a bone crushing hug.  His arms wound around her, one hand buried in her hair to keep her close.  It took Aelin a few seconds to reorient herself but she carefully returned the hug.

Several different questions and emotions swam through Aelin’s head.  Most of which dealt with the variety that Rowan was actually displaying affection of one sort or another.  He wasn’t a stone wall of silence in that moment but someone who cared.  At least, that was how she chose to interpret this display.

“It’s alright,” she found herself murmuring. “Everything’s fine.”

She realized belatedly that the anger she’d felt rolling off of him was actually fear.  That he’d been scared for her.  She marveled at it really, that Rowan Whitethorn would be worried about her.  

Aelin gently eased back, just enough that she could look at him with a bit more clarity.  Her entire body was still brimming with exhaustion, she could feel her own tiredness thudding through her bones with every beat of her heart.  It was only a small, dull ache though in comparison with the unyielding depths of Rowan’s dark eyes.

She didn’t go far though.  The warmth radiating off of him was welcome, feeling almost as though she were back in bed and wrapped in the many blankets.  Being so close to him was strange, different.  She’d never allowed herself to get so close to him before that now, being held by him--she couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so safe and secure.

“Sorry,” Rowan said, though he didn’t release her entirely as one hand trailed softly along her side.

Not knowing how to navigate any of this--Aelin avoided a direct response.

“How’s Luca?” she asked.

“Fine,” Rowan said, “he woke up twenty minutes ago and is perfectly fine.”

“Good,” she said, genuine relief flooding her. “That’s good.”

“We had him and Evangeline stay in the house, Evie stayed in your room,” Rowan went on to explain. “Because the weather was so bad, Lorcan and Elide stayed the night too.  They’re with the rest of the kids down at the cabins.”

“Rowan, I,” Aelin began, knowing that she did at least owe him a little of an apology.  In part for her recklessness (though they would both know she wasn’t really sorry) and for the way she acted after learning about Hamel. 

“Don’t,” he said, quick to cut her off.  His fingers dug into her sides grounding her right where they stood. “You don’t need to say anything.”

“I’m sorry,” she said anyways, he gave her an exasperated sort of look that made her smile. “Not about Luca, I stand by going after him, but Hamel.  There’s more to that than I’ve told anyone.”

Rowan cleared his throat, eyes flicking away for a brief moment before resettling on her. “Aedion might have told me a little about that.  And about…”

He trailed off when Aelin turned away.  She didn’t know why she did, why she wanted to ignore her past and lock it back up again where no one, not even she, could find it.  But she did.  Because she knew how it sounded, how it looked.  The spoiled rich girl from the good background with everything at her beck and call falls into a mess of drug use.  Even if she hadn’t known about it.

When the backs of her knees hit the bed, Aelin collapsed onto the mattress.  She was exhausted anyways and really just wanted to sink back into the blankets and fall asleep.  Maybe pretend none of this had ever happened.

“I ended the deal with Hamel,” Rowan said.  “Literally just got off the phone with him to tell him I wasn’t selling anymore.”

Aelin felt her jaw fall open as she stared up at him. “You what?”

If there was anything he could have said to shock her, that was it.

“I’m not selling,” Rowan repeated.  He looked as serious as he ever did, not a fleck of emotion on his face.  It was a strange beauty he held, Aelin thought at that moment.  The hard planes of his face, his sharp jawline, and the full curve of his lips—all of it combined together in such a way that nearly stole her breath away.

“Why not?” she whispered. “Not to him or not at all?”

He swallowed, throat bobbing.  Aelin thought it curious, why would he care about this so much to end the deal that, as he’d said, would bring in a great deal of money?  And why would he care enough to not want to talk about it further?

“No deal at all,” Rowan said, “my attorney’s processing a formal citation for it now.”

“Why?” she asked again.  Why did she care so much?  Was it her own love for this ranch that has somehow developed over these brief few months?  Was it no more than the desire to know that Hamel was getting screwed over? 

This time when he came towards her, Aelin didn’t move.  She only watched as he slowly drew closer until once again, his knees knocked against hers.  He hovered over her, his broad frame blocking out the light from the window.  But he wasn’t imposing, wasn’t a cruel thing engulfing her.  It was just Rowan.

“I couldn’t do that to you,” he said. The admission sent shivers running along her arms, racing down her spine. “Not after, everything.”

“Everything,” Aelin repeated, trying hard to ignore the way her heart was hammering in her chest and how her stomach dipped at the low timbre of his voice.  “It was the binder, wasn’t it?”

She couldn’t help the teasing words.  The binder that had outlined this week of kids coming to the ranch had included a brief plan of continued action to take on seeing more progress made for various revenue opportunities for the ranch.  Really, Aelin hadn’t expected Rowan would read much into it.

Rowan snorted a soft laugh, head tilting up as though he were looking to the heavens for help.

“Yeah, I guess that was it.” His words weren’t convincing.  Not even in the slightest.  Especially not when Aelin saw that small spark in his eyes, the way he was so close yet still so far.  And Aelin, despite everything that had happened, wanted him closer.  Rowan, she knew, was too chivalrous and wouldn’t do anything to push her over whatever line they were toeing.

She reached up, fingers grazing the hem of his shirt, the fabric soft against her skin.  

“I told you it was—” Aelin never had the chance to finish teasing him further when he swept in to kiss her.

It was a soft brush of his lips against hers, barely anything at all.  And still it made her breath catch, caused goosebumps to race over her skin.  She arched into him, eagerly seeking out of his touch.  She couldn’t remember the last time someone had made her feel so wild in her own skin.

Rowan cupped her cheek with one hand as he drew her closer. The deepening kiss nearly drowned her.  He paused only once, hovering before her in a silent question.  Aelin responded by fisting her fingers in his shirt and dragging him to her.  His lips turned insistent against hers, drawing a small sound from her throat.

In all her time at the ranch, Aelin had never known Rowan to be so gentle or careful.  But the way he treated her as though she were something to be cherished, something to be loved—it had her heart seizing in her throat.  

She wanted more, needed more, and given the way Rowan’s hands ran through her hair and down her sides she knew he did too.

Which, of course, was when a soft knock came at the bedroom door.

“Aelin?”  It was Lysandra come to check on her.

She and Rowan broke apart, putting just enough distance between them.  There was no guilt or regret in Rowan’s eyes, rather a promise just for her.

Aelin straightened, adjusting her mussed shirt.  “Come in.”  She reached for the half-eaten granola bar and started to finish it off, just so she could have something to do with her hands and maybe detract from what she and Rowan had been up to.

The look on Lysandra’s face said she wasn’t convinced.  She raised a brow, fixing her look solely on Rowan before turning to Aelin.

“I told him not to bother you,” she said.

“I was already awake,” Aelin said honestly.  

Lysandra hummed, her mouth curving into a smirk. “Sure.  Well, there’s a real breakfast downstairs.  And Luca wants to thank-you in person for finding him.”

“Thanks, Lys,” Aelin said.

Her friend waited a moment longer before turning to leave.  She left the door open behind her.

Aelin waited until Lysandra disappeared down the stairs before she rose to her feet.  She was tired and still a bit achy but she knew that if she and Rowan remained up here any longer it would only result in an embarrassing call out.  That or Aedion would be sent to collect them.  And for her cousin's health and Rowan’s own sanity, Aelin thought it best not to avoid the inevitable.

Automatically, she reached out for Rowan and took her hand in his.  She laced their fingers together and gave him a small squeeze.

“I never did thank-you,” she said, stepping closer to him, willing to snatch just one more moment.

Rowan arched a brow. “For what?”

“You came to find me,” she said, “even after everything.”

His face softened and Rowan brought their clasped hands up between them, brushing his lips across her knuckles.

“I’ll always come if you need me,” he promised.

Aelin smiled, unable to help it.  For the first time in ages, she felt a small bit of joy begin to kindle deep in her chest.  Where once it might have scared her, now it was a welcome feeling, one that she would keep close deep within her.

“C’mon, buzzard, before she sends Aedion up to get us.”  She tugged him to the door with her so they could join the fray awaiting downstairs for them.

And over the next few days, Aelin wouldn’t know what the future would bring.  She didn’t know if anything would happen between her and Rowan or if this was some strange moment shared together.  She didn’t even know what would happen with her career.

What she did know was that she wanted to fight for it, whatever may come.

…

Epilogue—Six Months Later

It was the howling of a dog that woke him at six in the morning, not his usual alarm.  At first, Rowan was keen to ignore it and instead try to fall back asleep.  But the dog howled again, mostly out of need for attention than anything else.  He rolled over in bed, one arm reaching out to the warm body beside him.

“Your child is calling,” he grumbled.

Aelin cursed from where she was tangled in the blankets. “You’re the one that bought her.”

Indeed, Rowan had purchased the dog that let out another howl outside.  He’d figured if he were going to keep the ranch, they should have a dog.  What he hadn’t planned on was the little demon to end up being almost exactly like Aelin.  He should have known.

Snorting a laugh, Rowan tugged her closer, ignoring the way Aelin’s blonde hair was splayed out messily, nearly engulfing him.  He wrapped a hand around her waist, keeping her close.  She was soft against him; curves and angles fitting perfectly with him.  No matter how many times they woke like this, he didn’t think he’d ever get used to it.

Aelin rolled over in his arms so they were face to face and she could hook her leg over his hip.  Already she had one hand buried in his hair as she settled down again.  Rowan cracked an eye open to watch her.

Eyes closed and a look of contentment on her soft features, Aelin still remained the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.  The nightgown she wore was a poor excuse for covering.  The thin straps had fallen down her shoulders and left her chest almost perfectly exposed.  The hemline rode up far along her thighs.  And he was well aware she wasn’t wearing underwear beneath.  

He had no idea how they’d come to this point—no idea how he’d managed to not screw things up beyond measure.  Given the way they’d started—they by all means should still hate each other.  But here they were, tangled together in a mess of limbs.

He realized too late that she’d opened her eyes.

“Staring?” she asked.

“Always.”

Aelin grinned in that delightfully bright way she did.  It was enough to strike any man dumb.  Taking advantage of his distraction, Aelin swooped in for a quick kiss.

“I’ll take care of the dog if you make me pancakes,” she said, already climbing out of bed.

Rowan, however, had another idea.  He snatched a hand out, catching her wrist to pull her back down on the bed.  Aelin yelped in surprise, nearly falling on top of him.  She caught herself though, one hand braced on the mattress next to him.  Golden hair fell around them as a curtain, a tangled, messy curtain.

Leaning up, Rowan caught her mouth in another kiss.  This one far more than a simple peck.  Aelin sighed against him as one hand trailed along his bare chest, her fingers working in soft caresses at his side.

As he deepened the kiss, Rowan sat up and wrapped an arm around Aelin.  He pulled her fully into his lap, fully intending to have a proper morning together when the alarm clock finally went of and that damned dog started another round of howls from outside.  Groaning, Rowan tried keeping her close for just a moment longer.

“Sorry cowboy,” Aelin said breathlessly as she pulled back. “Our child is calling.  And you’re going to be late.”

She brushed her fingers through with a fond smile before getting out of bed.  This time Rowan let her go, though he wasn’t happy about it.  

Aelin threw on a pair of shorts and a sweatshirt before she ran downstairs, calling for Fleetfoot the entire way.

In the six months since the blizzard that brought them together, many things had changed.  Normally Rowan would have shied away from it all.  Change never meant anything good.  It meant things would be different, that there was a new reality set forth before him.  And, always one to stay the course, he’d never pursued much beyond what he already knew.

But he supposed the change Aelin wrought within him was just what he needed.  And not just in keeping the family ranch.  But she made him want to be different, to be better.

After he changed, Rowan headed downstairs.  Aelin was outside with Fleetfoot, the golden lab that was supposed to be a herd dog but much preferred human company than goats.  He watched them through the kitchen window as Aelin threw a ball for Fleetfoot to chase.  

The golden sun already illuminated the sky setting everything alight.  Spring came swiftly and full of new opportunities.  And for once, Rowan didn’t dread it.

Even though he was running behind, Lorcan would kick his ass for it, Rowan whipped up a batch of pancakes and already had a few on the griddle by the time Aelin and Fleetfoot scampered back inside.

Fleetfoot pranced around happily and dashed into the kitchen to make sure Rowan knew she was there.

“Yeah, yeah,” Rowan said as the dog rubbed against one of his legs. “Go ask your momma for treats.”

Aelin instead fixed Fleetfoot’s food dish with the allotted portion of kibble.  Though, Rowan knew the dog would get at least one treat before the hour was out.

While Fleetfoot attacked her breakfast, Aelin came and wrapped her arms around Rowan’s middle.  She pressed her forehead into his back and sighed as she rested against him.

“You didn’t have to make pancakes,” she told him quietly.

Rowan flipped the few that were on the griddle before turning to accept a full hug.  He brushed the escaping bits of hair that flew from her bun out of the way and shrugged.

“I wanted to.”  

“Hmm,” Aelin hummed and pressed up onto her toes to kiss him.  Chaste and sweet, the kiss still held a lingering promise of what exactly she wanted to do to him. “Well, thank-you.  But you should go.  Lorcan’s going to be pissy enough as it is.”

“Yes dear,” Rowan said.

He let Aelin take control over the pancakes and grabbed a protein bar from the fridge before heading out for the day.  He paused when he reached the door looking back at Aelin as she pulled the batch of pancakes from the heat.

“I love you,” he said.

She looked up, blue eyes dazzling with her smile. “Love you, buzzard.”

The door closed softly behind him as he hurried down the porch to his waiting truck.  Beside it was the SUV Lysandra and Aedion had left behind, taking Aelin Audi with them once the snow let up.  The chrome silver was spattered with mud and dust looking as though it perfectly belonged where it was.  The sight brought a small smile to him.

His truck rumbled down the road to the stables where they would already be preparing for the first spring camp of the season.  They were expecting fifteen kids in total with another week planned for the wait-listers that hadn’t gotten in the first time.  

The day after the blizzard, Rowan officially terminated any agreement with Hamel that had been talked about, just as he’d promised Aelin he would.  They’d faced some backlash, but it was remarkable just what a few loyal names could do to help make things right.  Though, Aelin’s own determination in not letting the man have any more control over her said enough.

Now she worked in town at the singular therapy office, providing help to those who wanted.  When she wasn’t there, she was at the ranch helping him and continuing to plan and host events for more kids and individuals seeking help and comfort for their traumas and other mental health concerns.  Just like she’d always wanted.

Rowan drove past the wide-open field of the ranch his family had called home for over a hundred years.  And when he glanced in the rearview mirror at the ranch house fading into view behind him, he hoped that it would remain that way for a few more generations after.

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

<3 reblogs appreciated.

[writing-rat]

The Secret Admirer

Pairings: Tori x Jade

Content: Just fluff

Summary: Tori has a secret admirer but she doesn't know who it is fully until the date...

It had been 5 months since Tori had entered Hollywood Arts and she couldn’t be happier. She had a few new friends too which she loved. There was Cat, Jade, Beck, Robbie (Rex included), Andre and even Sinjin. She didn’t mind that. In fact, she loved it. Beck and Jade broke up too but no one knew why. Beck wasn’t saying anything and neither was Jade.

Tori was currently with Beck and Andre as they were smoking weed together in Beck’s RV as they were all on the couch, Tori in between them. They were watching ‘The Breakfast Club’ as they were all passing a blunt between each other, each teen having a Dr Pepper as they took a sip too. “God, Allison is so hot. I would do anything for her,” Tori stated after a few minutes of her just being on screen. Andre smirked while Beck just laughed. “Fair enough Tors,” Andre spoke as he leaned back. “So, if I can ask, what is your sexuality?” he asked curiously. “Lesbian,” she spoke with a shrug. “So we can talk about girls? Nice,” Beck responded and Tori smiled. She felt validated. 

That’s when they continued to watch ‘The Breakfast Club’ before they all decided to nap right there.

-

“Beck! I need your ad-” Tori heard before she woke up. She yawned as she opened her eyes, looking over as Andre was still fast asleep, Beck waking up at least. “Oh. Hey Vega,” Jade spoke, crossing her arms. “Get out. I need to talk to Beck alone,” she added. Tori nodded, shrugging. She understood. That’s when she stood outside, wondering what was going on inside. She wouldn’t look, however. She was respectful like that.

Eventually, the door opened and Tori was allowed inside. She was thankful for that as the 4 of them were also soon hanging out.

-

It had been a week after that incident and Jade was being… nicer? Tori honestly thought she was sick because of how she was acting but decided to not dwell on it as it wasn’t really her business. She had opened her locker when a note started to fall out. Tori was confused as she picked it up, soon reading what it read. ‘Meet me at Nozu at 5 pm. From your secret admirer’ it read. She sighed as she walked over to the lunch table, mulling it over. She was unsure if she should or not. It could be someone dangerous or a creep. Since it was only Monday, she had the whole week to dread it.

“Hello,” everyone said at the table as she arrived. “Hey,” she spoke, tired as she was getting her lunch out, ready to eat. 

“What’s got you so tired?” Andre asked. “Because I got a secret letter and I don’t know who from,” Tori responded, practically groaning, before she laid it out to rest. “What sort of loser would do that?” Jade commented, being her usual self. “Thank you,” Tori responded sarcastically.  Jade just sent a sassy smirk, not missing the look that Beck gave her. Tori did miss it though. 

“Well, if you go, we can help you out, we can watch from a distance,” Beck spoke. Tori nodded and concluded she would go then. 

-

Tuesday and there was another note. It read ‘You know me. You don’t know what I am like really. I love the way you act so confident, that you don’t need to put on an act’ the note read. Tori sighed as she read it before she started to put the letter in her bag, trying to think of who it could be now that she read it. She honestly couldn’t wait for the next one, not that she would say.

-

Wednesday and another note as expected. She was noticing a trend though, giving information about a certain person and then what they love about her. ‘I am a female. I like your comedy and how you can act like anything.’ Tori was trying to think who it was. Jade had also been acting nicer to her that lunch, teasing her, sure but not in a mean way. It was confusing. She shrugged it off though. 

-

Thursday and she was excited for her note again, this time Beck was with her. She opened her locker up and a note fell out. She immediately grabbed it as Beck read it from her shoulder. ‘Black coffee is life and I will always want it. I like how resilient you are’ the final note read. “Who do you think it is?” Beck asked, looking at Tori. Tori groaned and shrugged.

“All I can think of is Jade but she doesn’t like me at all!” Tori whined. Beck just chuckled. 

“Fair enough,” he spoke before he went to lunch with her. Jade had gotten Tori’s lunch which Tori was surprised and suspicious about it. She was shocked, however, when nothing was wrong with it. Jade also had a black coffee, not that Tori noticed. 

-

It was the final day and she finally got the final note and was meeting up with the girl later where she conveniently had the date with Jade previously. ‘We previously went to Nozu together. I like your locker, and I love whenever we talk’ it read. Tori was biting her lip, thinking about who she went with. The only people she could think of were Cat and Jade but she couldn’t see Cat liking her. She had gone with Jade and was forced when she last went on a date. That’s when it all clicked. She would not confront yet however, she would see at Nozu but she was 99.99% sure it was Jade.

After a few hours, it was an hour to the date and she was nervous, considering what to wear. She still wanted to look nice, but casual after all. That’s when she decided to wear a skirt and a nice crop top she owned. Eventually, she went down, seeing how Trina was away. She was doing god knows what, but she was doing something. She didn’t care, however. She just wanted to make Jade blush as well. She started her walk to Nozu, happy it was only a 15-minute walk. She had on some trainers though. She had put on some headphones and listened to some punk music before walking over however, not liking silent walks. She always needed music on after all. 

Eventually, she arrived and walked in, spotting Cat, Beck, Robbie, Rex and Andre as well as Sikowitz? She would ask later. Jade meanwhile was at a separate table and waved over Tori. Tori walked over immediately, putting her phone and earbuds into her bag before she sat down. “Hello,” she spoke. “You are the sacred admirer I assume then?” she spoke with a smirk. 

“Yes, I am. So what?” Jade spoke, not letting her walls down. “Well… I want to know the real you then,” Tori spoke, crossing her arms. “You said it yourself. I don’t know what you actually are like,” Tori added. Jade was shocked before she nodded, thinking. She trusted her more now. She was happy enough.

“What would you like to order?” the waitress asked.

“Spicy tuna roll,” Jade responded.

“California roll please,” Tori spoke with a soft smile. “And drinks?” she asked. 

“Pepsi,” Jade spoke, still monotone.

“Lemonade for me,” Tori spoke and the waitress nodded before leaving. “So… what do I not know about you?” Tori asked, smiling at her. “By the way, you look nice. You should wear ripped jeans more,” she hummed out. She saw Jade visibly blush before she responded. “You don’t know about my pet snake, Moxie,” she spoke. Tori smiled.

She was eager to get to know her more…

[yakumtsaki]

Oh yay, our first thunder fire in the new house, wonder how long before someone dies again! Also love how you can see our old house in the background, a reminder you can run from your past but you can’t escape it. 

I am of course talking about this family’s past of semi-acceptable interactions between family numbers, because from now on is where things really go off the rails in this department. Allow me to introduce you to..

..Julian and Stacy’s daughter, Sunset Tinker-Union! (Because her parents wear pink and purple, get it? Get the name origin?) So the minute Bartholomew brought Sunset from school I knew it was over for me, as we’re now far enough removed from the other branches of the family tree that not even the extended family mod can save us from all those third cousins being fair game.. and you all know full well that if there’s one thing this family knows how to do, is be attracted to their distant cousins-

-I held out to one tiny hope that maybe Barflina will continue being socially incompetent losers and Sunset will hate them, but no, the minute a distant cousin enters the building it’s clearly time to turn up the charm. So first Bartholomew goes and smustles with Sunset, which, Barth, I didn’t know you were even like, biologically capable of having fun in any way-

-and then Felina (who I keep forgetting is SHY LOL WHAT) goes over to ADMIRE HER. BRO. I have never seen Felina do anything remotely nice her entire life, KILL ME.

But don’t worry, Sunset clearly takes after auntie June! She’s into it! She follows Barth to the toilet for no clear reason! WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME

So you at this point you might be like ya ok, calm your tits, there’s no guarantee anything will even happen. To which I reply go back and read, not even the whole thing, just our college runs, and then get back to me. We’ve been knocking on semi-incest’s door since generation 1 and now we don’t even have to knock, I mean the door is wide open! FML

ANYWAY, all this to say, it’s time to extremely focus on finding these two flops non-related-to-us people to date before we fuck off to college, and this is ALL I’m gonna be doing this update- 

-Like haha oh man Cyn and Sandy are starting a rock band, there’s def jokes here, NO. NO TIME, DON’T CARE, HAVE TO AVERT DISASTER.

-Failina, hold your goddamn notebook closer so I can copy, it’s hard with my eyepatch! -It’ll be even harder when I take your other eye out!

Alright you two.. uh.. awesome kids, let’s go out! 

-Go out where. -And WHY.

So you can have fun, meet people, maybe sing some karaoke or play bowling! You’ve seen how much fun your ancestors have had as teens out and about, driving drunk, being hoes, committing various crimes, you wanna miss out on that experience? It’s even how grandma Shajar met grandma Sophie and that marriage could not be stronger!

-Ugh ok, I guess I do need to get started on the spouse hunt. -And I would like to get drunk in a different setting than our library.

Perfect! Who knows, by the end of the night, you might even be besties singing duets like Jojo and Gunther!

Oh my- WE LITERALLY JUST GOT HERE. WHAT CAN YOU TWO POSSIBLY BE FIGHTING ABOUT

-SCREW YOU, DAVID OTTOMAS IS MINE -NO, HE’S MINE, HE’S THE ONLY TEEN SIM IN THE LOT AND I HAVE SENIORITY -THE HELL YOU DO

OK LET’S GO HOME

-SCREW YOU, I WANNA OPEN THE GARAGE DOOR -THE DOOR IS MINE, YOU CAN’T EVEN DRIVE YET

OMG LITERALLY STOP. I LEARNED MY LESSON, I’M NEVER MAKING YOU INTERACT AGAIN

Once again, I’m crawling back to Lakshmi! Finally she has returned to us! As you might recall I had to deal with her understudy, Margaret, and frankly she was better than Lak at her job but it just wasn’t the same. Lakshmi and I have HISTORY. We have a deep, dark, beautiful relationship-

-I’m not giving you a discount. 

UGH FINE. Take 5k of our last money (I forgot to mention the new house somehow cost 500K, we legit have like 20k left)-

-and hit us with your best shot!

-Oh, I will! 

Ok but you’ve said that before and I’m still not over the time I paid you 5k for June and you gave us iVan. 

-No, this time I mean it! The path is clear! 

The ‘path is clear’?? The path for FELINA’S love life is clearer than it was for June the literal model-hot genius???

-Indeed!

I gotta say, Lakshmi, your mouth better not be writing checks your crystal ball can’t cash.

-It is not, I promise! 

Alright, I’m waiting, do it to us-

OH

MY

GOD

IT’S MEADOW

THEY HAVE 3 BOLTS THIS IS ALREADY HILARIOUS. LAKSHMI YOU ARE FORGIVEN FOR ALL THE SHIT YOU’VE EVER PULLED ON ME

Bro this pairing is KILLING ME. Like I get it on paper since they’re both family sims and I guess their chemistry panels and zodiacs must insanely match too, but I thought Felina would get with someone like idk. Gvaudoin? Alegra Gorey? Klara Vonderstein? Maybe the Diva or a vamp NPC? Like you know what I mean, someone that makes sense with the whole dark queen powerful dynasty blabla she has going on. But no, she’s gonna start this house Lannister bs her LTW is about with.. MEADOW THAYER. I love it so much, Felina please don’t ruin this for us!

FELINA WTF DID I JUST SAY

-Sorry, but I don’t know you well enough to accept you touching my shoulder, huhu!🌞

-But if you want to tickle me again, that’s somehow more acceptable to me despite it involving way more touching!🌞

Alright, as I suspected, not a lot going on upstairs with dear Meadow, but it’s ok, I’m just glad to have a huhuing sim around again, Cyn is like 80yo :(

Ah, the tickling of love! Good job, Fel, now we can work our way up to flirting-

-Or I can just not be a turbocuck AND GO FOR IT

Man, the Sophie genes kicked in! Good for you, Fel!

Backyard karaoke time! Seriously what song could these two possibly BOTH like, please comment or msg me your guesses. 

So at this point I’m already 100% sold on Meadow as a spouse as I don’t think it’s humanly possible to come up with a funnier pairing than what fate dropped in my lap, but I’d also like to point out that Felina is so into Meadow that she’s already rolling fears of falling out of love with her, despite not even BEING IN LOVE WITH HER YET. Family sims are a fucking trip. 

CUTE. Alright Felina, you’re set, we got it in one, semi-incest avoided, yay us. Now I’m gonna leave you to your dream date and focus on Barth-

-who is gambling by himself. Guess I don’t need to ask who’s drunk again!

-That’s one safe bet, haha! 

Good Lord. Alright, get up, let’s find you someone while Lakshmi is still here, I’m sure our amazing luck will continue-

-OH FUCK IT’S TIAVE TEENS, HE HAS THE DON BROKEN FACE THING. ABORT ABORT

Oh good there’s nothing to abort, because it turns out Bartholomew is a COMPLETE FAILURE OF A ROMANCE SIM. Observe and keep in mind THEY HAVE 3 BOLTS:

-LALALA LALALA NOT LISTENING TO YOU INSULT MY SPATULA, FUCK OFF

LOL NO @ THE NOOGIES RETURN. FUCK. So clearly Felina has grandma Sophie’s chadly genes and Bartholomew has grandma Shajar’s noogiesexuality, except he’s a romance sim with a 20 woohoo LTW. College with this guy is gonna be UNBEARABLE. 

Alright, Barth, let’s try this again, don’t be discouraged! Ignore our lack of cash!

Ignore that Felina got it right on the first try and is still on her endless dream date!

PATRICK TEENS?! LMAO. Bartholomew is so committed to going through family trees, like if it’s not gonna be his own it’s gonna be SOMEONE’S, he doesn’t care! Unlike Don-clone Tiave, Patrick is cute tho, let’s give it a try-

-Ya, let me stop you right there, buddy, not into it but best of luck in your future endeavors!

Bruh. Let’s extremely call it a night, Barth.

-Oh hi, huhu!🌸 -Hi hi, huhu!🌞 -I feel like I know you?💗

Ya Cyn, if I didn’t have photographic proof that it’s not true I’d legit think she’s your long lost daughter. Man ACTUALLY how much sense does it make that like people tend to seek out partners that remind them of their parents and Cyn was always such a maternal influence on Felina??? Holy hell this game has so many layers. 

Clearly inspired by seeing her younger self in Meadow, Cyn finally finds it in her to woohoo again after Don’s passing! It’s legitimately crazy to me how loyal she was to him in death, like I can’t get over it, she never extended that courtesy to him while he was alive!

-𝚁𝙴𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚁𝚃 𝙼𝚈 𝙵𝙸𝚁𝙴.𝙴𝚇𝙴

It’s ok, Barth, you sleep off the romantic flopping and that tray of whiskeys and we’ll try again tomorrow.

-Ya, make sure to call us over when he ‘tries again tomorrow’ cause we don’t wanna miss it HAHA -HAHAHA boy did I screw him over by passing down my personality points! -You sure did, my little turbocuck! Let’s sleep in the same bed tonight, I can’t get into this one anyway with this flop sleeping there! -That’s what everyone is gonna be saying to him in college HAHAHA -HAHAHAHA oh Shaj, I love you, let’s work on our marriage! -I love you too, we’ll overcome our issues!

Awww, see Barth? Love wins❤️

[cadybear420]

Cadybear's Reviews- Murder at Homecoming

Welcome to the thirty-seventh official Cadybear's Reviews! Today I'll be talking about Murder at Homecoming, which I have ranked on the "Platinum Tier" at 9 stars out of a possible 10. My last and only playthrough of this was during September-December 2022.

This is definitely one of the better, if not the best release, of 2022, and it’s easily among my personal faves. 

A MC who is proactive and gets shit done, multiple LIs, highly compelling story. How can I not love that? All three of the LIs are amazing characters– and Tyler especially is just precious. I think he’s the first love interest I have ever adored nearly as much as I’ve adored Aiden. I miss when we had male LIs that are just so babygirl. 

The incorporation of mature topics and queer themes was especially excellent. MTFL, take notes! Because THIS is how you write a teen story that talks about queer sexuality and mature behaviors. Besides maybe BiBound I mean BloodBound, this is probably the first book in Choices where each LI has some degree of confirmed sexuality outside of their LI option status for the MC. 

One thing that’s especially notable is how Tyler will talk about how he used to think he was straight if you romance him as a male or enby MC. I normally don’t mind much when LIs in GOC stories are made with the “playersexual” style of writing, but these sort of little changes are a good show of effort and give Tyler more character.

But of course, it’s not without a handful of problems. 

Like COP (1), the story is incredibly linear and none of the clues or choices really affect your story. Sure, they give you a bit of extra background, but that’s about it. 

The only choices that really have any impact are the stuff related to the queer discussions, Tyler’s romance route, and how the options for how your MC can talk about their queer experience can change based on your MC’s gender and romance choices. Which is still highly praiseworthy, don’t get me wrong, but I’d have loved to see some variation in the other elements of the book too.

And as much as I did enjoy this MC and do consider them one of the more refreshing ones, they were also a bit too rigid and pre-set for me at times. I get that some MCs will need to have pre-set details about them, and to some degree that does apply to this MC, but it was a bit much at times. Like, there was especially no need to give them a default first AND last name. I do like the aspect of MC preferring to go by their middle name, but we still could have been allowed to change their first and last names too, to be honest. 

I found it really hard to feel for the loss of Perdita for this reason; the traumatic event backstory didn’t feel as well established, compared to that of ILITW and ACOR MCs. Though to be fair, I do remember there being a handful of premium scenes to see a memory with Perdita, and I do remember skipping all but two of them. 

But even then, I never felt she had quite as much importance as the writers clearly wanted her to have? Outside of being a motivator for MC to solve Gabbie’s case and allowing MC to connect with Donovan better. Maybe my opinion on this might change after I give it a replay, though. 

That being said, I’m actually fine with the story not telling us what really happened to Perdita, as much as I’d have loved a continuation for this book. MC not knowing what happened to Perdita is what motivated them to solve Gabbie’s case, and in that regard, the two cases kind of juxtapose one another. Whereas MC is able to get closure for Gabbie’s case, they don’t do that for Perdita’s case.

That makes the ending a little more nuanced in my opinion. Sometimes, we don’t always get closure for these kinds of things. While I’m still mixed on how well the story integrated Perdita, this message was handled decently and didn’t feel like it was in bad spirit. 

So if there were a continuation for this story, I wouldn’t mind it being centered around MC finding Perdita, motivated to work on that case more actively after their success with Gabbie’s case. But rather than having them solve the case, it can mostly center around them struggling between whether they should keep up that search, or leave it as a cold case and move on. 

Overall, definitely a higher-tier and very respectable story that definitely deserves a replay. 

[spotsandsocks]

The Answer I Needed

The Answer I Needed 2.4k Teen 5 plus 1 written for @putijeansdiaz-ronordmann reverse prompt challenge. Thanks Ro for inspiring me twice 🥰.

Fine times Eddie needs to know where Eddie is and one time Buck needs to find Eddie.

“Where are you?” 

The words come out hushed but urgent. He’s not panicking, that would be ridiculous he doesn’t panic but this is Christopher’s first birthday party in LA and he’s screwed it up so he's allowed to be a little concerned. He checks his watch, he’s running out of time.

“Hey, don’t worry I’m ju..” Buck’s voice breaks up on the other end of the line which settles Eddie’s nerves a little,  Buck always gets bad reception when he’s just  … 

There’s a knock on the door. 

Outside. 

Hit by a wave of relief Eddie heads over, maybe he should give Buck a key, it might come in handy one day. 

A tug on the door and he’s blinded by a beaming smile just before Buck breezes in, brandishing the birthday candles Eddie had forgotten to get and only realised were missing 20 minutes before Christopher’s party was due to begin.

“I didn’t think you were going to make it!”

“Hey,” his newest friend pulls an offended face “have I ever let you down?”

Eddie frowns, he’s not known Buck very long but he can’t think of anything right now, just the opposite really.

Buck looks smug. “Exactly. Seems to me I’m always saving your arse Diaz.”

Eddie swipes the candles from his hands.

“Yeah, yeah you're amazing” he says it casually, wraps some sarcasm round it for safety but he’s beginning to think Buck might have a point.

“Where are you?” 

The words are harsh, angry. He’s angry; seems like he’s always angry these days. He might as well pour some of that anger into Buck's answerphone.  

“Why won’t you pick up?! Damn it Buck.” He hangs up. It’s pointless Buck’s not answered his calls in weeks, why would tonight be any different?

Maybe he wouldn’t be quite so furious if Buck would just talk to him. If Buck wasn’t suing everyone, if Eddie… no if Christopher could see him. 

Eddie knows he’s particularly upset tonight because Buck broke a promise. Not to him, well maybe tangentially because of something about having his back, but that’s neither unexpected nor his real problem, after all when has anyone ever really been there for him. He was stupid to expect anything better from a man he’s only known a year or so.

So it’s not because he’s hurt, it’s not. He’s just in the fallout zone of his son’s disappointment. Experiencing collateral damage that’s all. It’s Christopher who's upset, Eddie’s only upset with Buck because Christopher is sad. Sad because weeks ago Buck had promised to help with his next science fair project and it’s due soon. Now, with no Buck to be found anywhere Eddie is going to tell Chris that his best friend can’t help this time and it will be just them working on the project. Chris would never say so but it's Buck that has the ideas and it’s Buck who makes it fun, ‘Dad’ just isn’t quite as good at that kind of thing as Buck is. 

Damn him. Eddie’s  still fuming about it when there’s a knock at the door and maybe he walks over quickly and maybe he’s half expecting to be met with blue eyes and an apologetic smile because Buck doesn’t do this to him… to Christopher but there’s no one there. He ignores the swoop of disappointment his empty porch brings, the bitterness that twists his stomach and leaves a sour taste in his mouth but then he spots it. His porch isn’t actually empty after all. There’s no Buck on his doorstep but there is something there. 

At his feet waiting to be discovered is a box, he crouches down to examine it and once he’s worked out what it is he doesn’t know if he’s more or less angry with Buck.

Either way it’s just what he needs so he picks it up and brings it inside.

Further investigation into the contents only confuse his feelings more. It’s obviously taken some time and thought to assemble. The box contains all kinds of things that could be used to create a science project, included with it is a handwritten list of ideas and a typed out set of links to websites and YouTube videos to help. 

Eddie stares at it. At least he won’t have to tell Chris Buck forgot about helping him.

Something pained and jagged inside him eases, just a fraction. He’s still mad, at so many things, but now he knows that although Buck might not be where he’s supposed to be wherever he is, he’s thinking of Christopher.  He’s still helping Eddie out. It’s not nearly enough but it does mean something. 

Carry on reading on AO3

[zeestarfishalien]

Part 8: I Never Wanted to Sleep

First | Previous | Next

Danny doesn’t think someone should be able to forget how to open their own eyes, but he’s been a special case ever since his original half death.

Even with the excitement that freedom brings, he can’t enjoy it. He’s not strong enough to form and

He doesn’t remember how to open his eyes

It’s instinct to block the probing reaches of foreign magic. Magic has so often led to trouble in his half life.

If the word “wish” weren’t such a taboo, Danny would make one. Whether it be to be able to hear what is going on around him or open his eyes is a toss up. Both would be great, but wishing for both would definitely get twisted around on him.

Back on task Danny.

It’s all well and good that The Man, the one like him, is here but that doesn’t mean it’s safe. Them opening his cage doesn’t mean he’ll be set free. Danny doesn’t like the way the magic users’ spells feel. He can hide in his core, use its powers to create a barrier to protect him from their prying poking magic.

~*~

Moving scared him. He didn’t know where he was and The Man was gone. He’s back now and everything is finally quiet, but Danny did expend a little too much energy in his panic. It’ll take longer before he can maintain a form once more.

A part of him hates that he doesn’t know how much time is passing. What if it’s months or years and The Man gives up on him? It shouldn’t be, but Danny doesn’t know how long it has been since he was buried in the cemetery. He is careful to not think about before, it is better to leave those old memories as hazy impressions, the good and the bad.

It’s harder now. He’s not able to form and his comatose body is no longer entombed in the cemetery. It’s almost enough to convince him to allow himself to dwell in memories.

Almost…

Danny is scared though. He’s scared of the pain and the fear and the oh so sharp burn of betrayal. Worst of all, he’s afraid to hope.

Ridiculous...afraid of rejection and afraid to hope for acceptance. Danny really can't win, can he...

~*~

Observing himself from outside his own body is a strange experience and oddly enough it's one that feels vaguely familiar. It’s especially strange when he realizes he’s more used to the four legs of his current form than he is to the two legs he has supposedly lived his whole life with.

His ghost form is still almost exactly the same as when he died. He certainly looks less human, but still that fresh-faced nearly 15 year-old boy. "Changes to this form will be slow," a voice from locked away memories echoes. It's a voice with a bitter chill but it's comforting in a way that speaks of trust. Danny trusts that being. He can trust their words.

It's a little odd how his body has remained perfectly preserved. No sign of hair growth or decay. He was certain he'd been trapped for a long long time. He's not sure anymore.

He’s not sure of anything anymore.

That is, until he sees The Man. Danny remembers the small teen who crawled in a panicked haze from his grave, more animal than human. He is big now. Tall and broad and so solidly alive in a way that Danny longs to feel again.

It’s not fair.

Danny squashes the little voice in the back of his mind saying that. He just needs to remember.

He wants to remember.

The Man, fumbling over himself is such a human reaction. Was Danny like that before?Can he be like that again?

Human…

Human.

Human.

He’s not human. He can’t be human anymore even if he only vaguely remembers why, but maybe… just maybe, he can be something close to human again someday.

First | Previous | Next

If anyone else has any church grim danny au ideas or wants to write stuff, ABSOLUTELY go for it! I love seeing everyone’s thoughts and emotions about it and I would adore seeing other people’s takes on this idea. Wow, what a time to be alive. Just a reminder, this fic is also on AO3. The link is on the original post which is linked as “First” here. Danny’s chapters keep ending up rather short but ya know, that’s just how it be sometimes. The human mind is incredible the way it can dull or fully block out memories in order to help cope with trauma (apparently it's not normal to remember almost nothing of your childhood but that's old news for me *shrugs*). Danny boi is trying his best poor laddie.

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@akintoabitch @snowblub @isaactheautobot @jaguarthecat

[lansplaining]

Ugh, nothing makes me more uncomfortable in a danmei fandom, or any adult oriented fandom, and seeing literal teens trying to interact. I get it, I used to look at stuff I shouldn’t have too, but I didn’t advertise that I shouldn’t be allowed in. It’s an automatic block from me, especially if they’re complaining about ‘gross’ aspects of fandom.

yeah i mean listen, i started doing fandom stuff when i was about 13 and i knew perfectly well some of my mutuals at the time were college students at least (ancient, to me). i'd been lying about my age to sign up for websites since i was 8 (i remember this specifically because i remember the year i had to say i was born in order to get to 13, and for some reason in my head it was... less lying...? if i went for exactly 13 rather than any older).

BUT! i would never have dreamed of policing what other people did, especially when i was in spaces in knew perfectly well i technically wasn't supposed to be. given CQL and the donghua exist, and also the fact that obviously teenagers are going to read books with sexual content if they want to and they should absolutely be allowed to do imo, i don't think it's totally fair to say that CQL/MDZS fandom especially is an "adult" space (which i know you didn't say, but you're writing to me, a narnia blog, etc)-- but overall i have to say i agree that teens/younger fans who are uncomfortable with adults engaging with adult content need to be more rigorous about curating their own fandom experience, not trying to police others'. but luckily, i have to say, this is not something i have ever encountered personally!

[allaboardsubmas]

Bound by Choice - Chapter 5

A/N: Been a hot second, but as always I hope you enjoy!

Fandom: Pokemon (Black & White, All Media Types, Legends: Arceus)

Characters: Original Character, Kudari | Emmet, Nobori | Ingo

Rating: Teen Audiences

Summary: Andy has always been afraid of pokemon and what it is that they’re able to do, which makes their life rather hard considering they’re twenty-two, live in Unova, and work in Nimbasa City; which is known as the battle capital of their region. Their closest friend and semi-adopted mother being a former gym battle leader also didn’t tend to help matters.

A panic attack on a subway car they thought was empty, however, leads to them meeting the infamous Subway Bosses and learning that pokemon, while terrifying, weren’t the monsters they had grown up believing them to be. Getting sucked up into the lives of the two Subway Bosses and their best friend Gym Leader Elesa might be even more terrifying than the pokemon, however.

AO3 Link: Bound by Choice

Chapters 6 and 7 Immediately Available on Patreon

—

If you enjoy this story then check out my Writing Commissions.

…or, if you prefer, you can just buy me a ko-fi! ☕ …or, if you have a nice allowance, support me on Patreon! 🪶

—

Chapter 5 - Andy

“You are very, very lucky that I never throw anything out,” Andy said, arms crossed and wearing nothing but a tank top and some boxers as he stared down at his pokemon. The two of them were seated on the floor of his kitchenette with the little bug munching on some generic poke-pellets on a paper plate that Andy had once bought in order to feed Lenora’s Watchog when she had shadowed him for a week when he was sick. The food was luckily still in date, but there was only about a cup’s worth left. He would need to go shopping. Fuck. He would need to do a lot of things.

Andy took a breath and rubbed at his face, knocking his glasses off before he fumbled to catch them, wipe them off, and re-affix them to his face. The Joltik was chirping and Andy narrowed his eyes before he could help himself, “If that’s you laughing at me, then you’re going straight back to that crazy train conductor.”

The Joltik looked up at him, silent before his eyes did a little squint that made it look like he was smiling, little fang-like things doing a little wiggle and waving in the air and okay- Okay. That was actually really cute. “That’s not fair,” Andy muttered, shifting to lay on his stomach and stare at the small bug pokemon as it — he — began eating again. “That’s super not fair.”

Twenty-two years of being terrified to death of pokemon, but all it took was a fuzzy yellow bug smiling at him to make him feel even stupider than he ever had before. Thankfully, he was alone in his little studio, so the only one that could really judge him was the Joltik currently stuffing his face with almost out-of-date poke-pellets. 

“Alright,” Andy said, sitting back up and clapping his hands together. “Research. If I’m going to take care of you I can at least look up what I need to buy- And hey, lucky for you that’s kind of my job!” The Joltik squeaked — squeaked! — and Andy nodded as if answering a question. “Yeah, my job is data entry for the National Pokedex, so my whole job involves learning about pokemon. You know, one of those whole ‘try to work past my fear’ type things- Hm.” Ten minutes.

One night of sleep and ten minutes with his new pokemon and already he had become one of those crazy old lady type people who did nothing but talk to their pokemon like they were a person. Looking around his studio, and reassuring himself that he was alone, Andy looked back to the bug. The Joltik squeaked at him again. “You know what? At least I’m not talking to my stuffed pokebuddies again.”

Andy looked to where a dozen pokemon stuffed toys were scattered around his bed and couch. His sister and Lenora’s attempts to ‘make him less scared’ of pokemon had only ended up giving him an addiction to buying anything that was cute and soft. Damn them both. 

“Alright, little guy,” Andy sighed, standing up and heading for the couch and his laptop. “Let’s see what my top-notch researcher skills can do before I get hungry enough to go out and order something.”

Crashing onto the couch, Andy started by searching up Joltik in general, quickly looking up the most pressing matters and making mental notes as he discovered what he needed to. 

“Alright, so your arm-fang things are called pedipalps, and they’ll grow into something that looks more like arms when you get bigger or evolve,” Andy ‘explained’ as he watched his new Joltik scuttle around the couch, seeming to sniff things out- Could Joltik smell? A quick look showed yes, they did smell- And through the pedipalps! The more you know, Andy mused. “Also, apparently it is safe to give you batteries to suck on, but you’re not allowed to eat them. Sound good?”

Andy looked down to see the Joltik was now crawling up the couch- Nope, on his back, crawling on his back- Ah. Creepy. Creepy, creepy- Rubbing up against his cheek. The Joltk was rubbing against his cheek and making a cute little rumbling noise that had Andy melting. “Fuck. You’re hard to be scared of for more than a minute or two at a time, you know.” He got a chirp of acknowledgement, Andy unable to stop himself from mimicking the sound back as best he could. That earned him even more excited squeaking and chirping. “You’re so cute, dammit, I’m going to have to actually be thankful to that bastard train man if I ever see him again.” Huh.

He wondered if he ever would see those two again- Ingo and Emmet, if he was remembering the names right. The Subway Bosses. Dragons, how many people fought to reach them every day and Andy had just stumbled across them- Actually, they had stumbled across him while he was crying and having a panic attack. Not his best moment. Maybe he should thank those two with a gift card or something? He would at least thank Ingo. Ingo seemed nice. Maybe- Hm.

Squinting at the images of Joltiks on the screen, Andy looked to the one resting on his shoulder. In the pictures the bug pokemon was an electric yellow with blue eyes and leg tips — claw tips? Either way, his had purple eyes and claws and was a slightly different shade of yellow. Andy looked between his new pokemon and the pictures on his screen before blurting out a startled, “Fuck.”

His Joltik was shiny. Emmet had given him a shiny pokemon. Louder, with more emphasis, he repeated his, “Fuck.” 

He would need to bake a cake, now.

⁂

“I’ve learned something about myself today,” Andy said seriously, waiting for Lenora to give him a speck of attention so he could continue his dramatics. He took the quick glance over at him as permission to continue. “I’m really bad when it comes to spoiling pokemon.” His Joltik, now resting in his hoodie pocket, let off sparks from where he was sucking on a rechargeable battery Andy had bought earlier in the day.

Lenora, for all her kindness and motherly affection, could be a cruel creature — as proven when she laughed in his face. “I take it you two are getting along well, then?”

“He’s so cute,” Andy complained, collapsing into the armchair in Lenora’s office at the museum and taking a moment to breathe when her Herdier gave a little bark of greeting from under the desk. Lenora’s pokemon were really good about greeting him quietly, which helped. It helped a lot. “And I’m finding it’s kind of hard to be afraid of a pokemon that’s smaller than the size of my hand.”

“Maybe we should have gotten you a Joltik years ago,” Lenora joked, Andy sensing the undercurrent of guilt there, as if she had anything to be guilty about.

“Definitely not,” Andy settled on, carefully petting Watchog when she came over to check on him. “I was even worse back then. It’s only ‘cause of you and these two that I’ve gotten as good as I am.” Watchog gave a soft croon under his touch, Andy feeling a little more of his fear chipped away. 

When he looked back up he saw Lenora’s look had gone softer, a smile on her face, “It did use to be worse, didn’t it?” Mm. Three years ago Lenora’s Herdier had run up to greet him and Andy had started crying. It definitely hadn’t been good. “Have I mentioned how proud I am of how far you’ve come?”

“Not today,” Andy snorted, shuddering as Joltik crawled out of his pocket and started scaling his arm. “Yep- Okay. Yeah, just- Getting used to that, still.” Lenora’s laughter made it a little amusing, at least. 

“You said you were spoiling him, then?” Oh! Oh, yeah! Andy sat up better to nod vigorously, even as he searched in one of the bags at his feet. 

“Yes. It’s awful, Lenora. I’ve spent way more than I thought I would because I wanted to get him some good food, you know? Joltiks don’t eat much in a day, so I wanted to get him something good quality, and then I picked up a few potions, because, you know. What if a wild pokemon attacks him? He’s so small- and then there was this cute little pokemon bed that had a train on it-” Alright. Lenora was laughing. That was fair.

“You sound like Emmet! That boy spoils all of his Joltiks, not to mention he’s even worse with his Galvantulas.” Emmet. That was right. Lenora knew them. “I still can’t believe those two… they have no sense of slowing down.”

“Full steam ahead?” Andy joked, laughing at Lenora’s dry look. “Sorry, it was right there. But you… know them. How long have you known them?” As he asked, he finally found what he was looking for, pulling out a few fresh berries that his little Joltik should like. Going by how he was scarfing them down, it seemed he did. 

“Oh, let’s see… I first met them when they were challengers on their journey, and that was when they were around twelve.” Twelve? Andy shot his head up, eyes wide. Lenora just laughed. “Those two didn’t know the meaning of staying still even back then. They probably would have started out sooner if their Uncle hadn’t tied them down.”

“So you were still running the gym, then?” The two had looked to be a little older than Andy, but not much. That meant they had challenged Lenora when she was still running the museum as a gym, too. Maybe Andy had seen their match since he had visited the museum a lot back in the day… although, he had avoided watching any gym battles. 

“I was! The gyms have changed a lot from the old days, and this was before those three triplets were running their own gym, so I ended up being first in the circuit a lot since I use normal types as well.” As Lenora explained, attention back on whatever she had been writing, Andy carefully snuck a few berries to her Watchog. When Lenora’s Herdier looked at him with wide eyes, Andy dug out more berries. “I’ve told you how gym battles work?”

“Yep,” Andy responded as normally as he could, freezing and feeling a bolt of fear as he held out berries to her Herdier. All of them were frozen, not moving until it was clear Lenora wasn’t going to look over. Yet. “Challengers don’t always need to win against a leader to get a badge, they just need to show that they understand their pokemon and have a good understanding of strategy. Winning is the quickest way to get one, though.”

“That’s right,” Lenora nodded, her Herdier scarfing the three berries down and then running to hide under the desk again. “It’s not often I faced challengers so young, back then, but those two… Ingo beat me in three rounds and Emmet in two with one pokemon a piece.” 

Andy snapped his head up at that, eyes wide because that was… impressive. That was impressive because Lenora wasn’t a pushover, and for that to be their first gym? And that was when they were twelve. No wonder they ran the Battle Facility at Gear Station- “Wait, so they’re really good at battles, okay, got that. How’d the whole train thing start?”

“If you ask me, pokemon battles come in second compared to their love of trains,” Lenora snorted, sharp and extremely amused. “Even back then they dressed like little conductors. They were so cute! All train lingo and gestures and matching outfits…” Lenora’s nostalgic smile dropped for something a little more tense. “And then they wiped the floor with us.” Ah. The look of a trainer’s destroyed ego. 

A few seconds passed before Lenora shook her head, looking back to him and his berry-stained hands. She raised an eyebrow, but decided to show some mercy. “Have you taken that little fella to the Pokemon Center to register him?” Ah. “Andy-”

“It was on the to-do list!” Andy defended himself, gathering his things together quickly as he stood up, his Joltik scuttling from shoulder to shoulder depending on how he moved. “C’mon, little guy, pick a shoulder and stick there, I know you can.” A few seconds passed, the Joltik staying still on his right shoulder. “Thank you.” 

“Make sure you get a full health report when you go in,” Lenora lectured, Andy nodding as he made sure he had everything, Lenora’s Watchog getting the door for him. “And get a Trainer ID while you’re there, that way he’s registered to legally use his moves in battle or in case something happens while you’re in the city. And don’t forget to see if he has all his shots! And-!”

“Goodbye, Lenora,” Andy cut in with a laugh he couldn’t stop. “I’ll see you for my shift tomorrow!” Rushing out of the library, and shouting a quick greeting to Hawes, Andy glanced at his Joltik at his little chirp. “I work in Nimbasa during the week, but on Sundays I volunteer at the museum and help Lenora, mostly with tours and the de-extinction program she runs.” Andy had made his peace with the fact that apparently he was the type to converse with his pokemon like they were a fully fledged person asking him what he did for work.

“Okay, we’ll drop these off, grab a bite to eat, and then I’ll take you straight to the Pokecenter!” Thankfully, since Nacrene City was a decent size and had at one point been home to a gym, there was a Pokecenter right in the middle of town. It was a building Andy had never gone in except maybe once or twice and it took more effort than it should have to force himself into the building once he was finally in front of it. 

“Welcome!” The Nurse Joy at the counter called out in greeting, Andy staring at her before attempting his own greeting.

“Does your name have to be Joy to work here or do you change it once you get the job?” Andy slapped a hand to his face, so beyond grateful that he seemed to be the only one in the main lobby at the moment and that the only ones to witness his shame was the Nurse Joy and his new Joltik. 

Luckily, blessedly, Nurse Joy laughed, Andy peeking through his hand to see she was smiling, “Actually, the ‘Joy’ is a part of the title. It’s easier for younger kids to remember when they’re on their journeys and makes each Pokecenter feel safe and familiar!” Oh. That was… kind of sweet and even a little cute, actually. “Speaking of, do your pokemon need healing today?” Okay. He could do this.

“Sort of. I’m, uh, not really a trainer, but I just got this little guy and he needs to be registered,” Andy explained, walking up to the counter and gently prying Joltik off his shoulder and setting him on the counter. 

“Of course, I can help you with that no problem,” Nurse Joy smiled, looking down at her computer as she began to type. “Can you give me your name and date of birth?” Andy did so, glancing down to cut the little bug off when he started trying to scuttle off the counter and back onto him. “Hm, I don’t see you in our system… Have you ever registered a pokemon before?”

Ah, and here came the embarrassment. “Not, uh- Not really.” Nurse Joy looked up at him, Andy ready to grab his Joltik and flee out the door to never be seen again due to his shame when she simply smiled. 

“That’s alright, I can get you set up right now. Would you like to register for a full Trainer ID?” There was no way it was that easy, right? Some part of what he was thinking must have shown on his face, Nurse Joy smiling. “In the Kanto region children go on their journeys at ten. The usual age here is around fifteen and sixteen, but the minimum requirement is twelve. We try to make it simple.”

“Oh,” Andy said softly, thinking back for a moment to old, familiar words from his mother, lecturing him because, You can’t trust anyone who helps with that Gym Challenge. Not the leaders, not the trainers, and not even those nurses. They’re all eager to rush children like you into danger! They make it so complicated and hard to understand and then kids get hurt!

Andy swallowed, shaking the thoughts off and aiming for a smile, “Yeah, actually, a full Trainer ID would, uh, that’d be good.” 

“Alright, while I get started on that, if you could return your Joltik to their pokeball then I’ll get them checked out and registered.” 

Overall, it wasn’t as complicated and hard to understand as he thought it’d be. It took about half an hour to get through everything, but soon enough Andy was looking at a printed out version of his ID and a quick page summary of his Joltik and what he could do. Even Nurse Joy seemed surprised. 

“Wow! Still on his first level and already he knows so many moves as well as Cross Poison. Someone must have worked very hard to breed this little one!” Cross Poison. Andy knew that move after having registered it at work one day. It was not a move a Joltik naturally knew, as far as he was aware. “Have you decided on a name for him?”

“A name?” Andy blinked because that- He should not have just realized he had not yet named his Joltik. Then again, he had been a little caught up on ruminating on just how many cakes he now owed Ingo and Emmet for giving him a shiny Joltik with Cross Poison. “I, uh- Can I think on it a while longer?”

“Of course! You can register his name from your personal device, as well, whenever you’re ready to decide. Until then, is there anything else you need help with?” 

“No,” Andy said after a moment of thought. “I think we’ll be good.” The Joltik gave a sudden jump, sparking a little as if in agreement before settling back down. It was as startling as it was adorable. “Alright, little guy, we’re going, we’re going. Thanks for all your help, Nurse Joy!”

“Of course! Have a good day and we hope to see you again!” Waving goodbye, Andy quickly left the Pokecenter, glad he was able to get out before any traveling trainers had emerged with their pokemon. Andy was just fine dealing with his Joltik. He’d rather not look over and see a giant Onix in his face anytime soon, as far as he was concerned. 

“Okay. Okay, that wasn’t so bad,” Andy mumbled to himself, looking back down to the sheet of paper in his hand. “I really should have tried to give you back, I think,” Andy said softly, reading over the moves of Cross Poison, String Shot, Spider Web, and Leech Life. “This is the type of set up battlers use, isn’t it?”

The Joltik gave off a few sparks, nuzzling at the spot between Andy’s shoulder and neck and sending him laughing before he could stop himself. When he managed to hold the little guy still after shoving away the paper and his Trainer ID into his bag, he was still giggling even as he pouted, “Okay, okay! You made your point. I’m stuck with you and you’re stuck with me.”

Andy stared at the pokemon in his hands, hardly more than five inches long and not even two pounds and yet already knowing a powerful poison move. “Jeez… a bug type with a poison move. You’re everything she told me to be afraid of.” The Joltik twitched his little fangs — pedipalps — and Andy tried for a smile. “My mom was… complicated.” Silent, he shook his head. “I should be scared of you. You’re a bug type with a poison move. You’re supposed to be terrifying, and dangerous, and everything else she told me.”

Instead he was warm. He was warm and soft and when Andy looked at him he remembered a steady voice asking if he was alright and a lively voice telling him a stupid pun. “You know you won’t ever be doing any battling with me, right? I can’t even handle a stray Purrloin walking by me without getting scared, so if you’re here to battle… It’s like I told you last night. It won’t work.”

The Joltik nuzzled at his thumb, eyes squinting up as he made more of those rumbling little chirrups that were almost like purrs. Andy blew a puff of air down at him. “Alright, no need to be so smug, you made your point. On to more important matters, we should really think of a name for you-”

Barking. Loud barking was cracking through the air and Andy shot his head up to see a Herdier running straight for him, not slowing down and Andy had seen what Herdiers could do and Lenora’s had the power to take out fully grown pokemon bigger than humans so what could one do to him- 

Tripping. The Herdier was tripping over the sudden appearance of white string around its legs before it was falling to the ground and coming to a stop. Andy couldn’t do anything but stare because he realized that wasn’t white string. That was webbing. That was the move String Shot. 

Andy looked down to his hands, still cupped and held in front of him, to see his Joltik was puffed up and giving off sparks as it squeaked down at the Herdier, who started whining softly. It looked like the little guy was lecturing the other pokemon. 

“Okay,” Andy said when the lecturing seemed to stop. “No battling, but maybe it wouldn’t hurt to see just what all it is you can do.” Starting to walk again, heart pounding and racing in some mix of terror and relief, Andy took a breath. “You’re also getting a lot of batteries when we get home.”

The squeaking was adorable. The uncontrolled sparks that had him fighting to not drop the little guy were less so.

[bagadew]

Tagged by @vonlipvig

Last song I listened to: We Like to Party (aka The Vengabus) by the Vengaboys. This damn song arrived inexplicably in my head this morning and WILL NOT leave. In an attempt to exorcise it like the demon it is, I listened to this song in its entirety. Unfortunately this didn’t work, and I now know more words to The Vengabus (it’s coming and everybody’s jumping, New York to San Francisco an intercity disco)

Last book I read: Which Way to Anywhere by Cressida Cowell, the writer of How To Train Your Dragon, doing a sci-fi story, of course I read and enjoyed this. I loved the dynamic between the siblings, the cool morally grey space teen, and watching a small magic baby forcibly adopt the space equivalent of OG Alvin the Treacherous. There were other less funny things I enjoyed (like the neat way it conveyed the fact that Daniel is living in a house that is effectively being haunted by his wife’s ex husband) but to be honest I don’t have the time to really go off on one, and this only makes sense to like 1% of you anyway.

Last film I watched: Oh jeez, it’s been a fair few weeks since I watched a film, and I sort of fried my brain with my own filming schedule. I’m 75% sure it was Kill Bill part 2 though, cos my brother and I realised we’d never seen The Kill Bill films, and it seemed like it would be our jam (and it was).

Last TV series I watched: Shogun. I’ve been watching it with my family every week, starting because Dad had read the book and wanted to watch it. As someone who knows basically nothing about that period of Japanese history, I’m finding it very interesting, and I feel like, weirdly, I’m getting a better understanding of some of the cultural influences behind some of the Japanese fiction I already know and enjoy.

Last video game I played: Trauma Center Under the Knife. Both a bastard game that I hate and a brilliant game that I love. The characters and story are great and I love them, but I’m pretty sure surgery is the thing I am worst at in this life and I should be struck off and never allowed in an operating theatre again. I am currently trying to kill an evil spider that lives on the heart of a child experiment (because this game is wild) and I am slightly scared that this isn’t the final boss of the game. In a thousand different universes that child has died of heart spider, but heart spider has to get lucky a thousand times… The Flailing Muppets Who Possess Derek Whenever He Does Surgery only has to get lucky once!

Last thing I googled: Trauma Center Savato strategy. Look The Flailing Muppets Who Possess Derek Whenever He Does Surgery needs all the help she can get, ok?

Last thing I ate: 3 packets of mini eggs. I got a lot of Easter chocolate to eat through.

Sweet, savoury or spicy: I alternate between preferring sweet and savoury dependant on an unknowable force beyond my control or understanding. Right now I like sweet things the best (hence the chocolate eggs).

Amount of Sleep: Full 8 hours baby! I finally fixed my sleep schedule out of necessity of not dying last week!

Currently Reading: Gideon the Ninth! Turns out this book is really good, I can see why you guys like it so much.

Currently watching: A documentary on Honey Ants, these creatures are cool and fucked up in a way I would love to apply to humans in a work of fiction. Living larders for instance are an incredibly messed up idea.

Tagging: @thelastlivingme @bluejaybytes @lightflame @saltykrispycake and whoever else wants to do it!

[charlescoded]

i found some of my ideas and writing for day 7 so i thought i might as well share them! 8 ideas as well as 2 small snippets of other concepts!

Evil competitive henchmen?? Jealous max because Charles flirted with some good guys?? 

Spy!Charles who can seduce anyone + max as his target, who either doesn’t realise he’s being flirted with, or doesn’t believe it

Future fic where Charles is announces his retirement (somewhere in the 2030s) from f1, or has done it already, and then announces that he’ll be driving for verstappen racing in Le Mans??

Teen lestappen first kiss, max proposes they kiss to pass the time

Truth or dare: closet edition 

Never have I ever: jealousy edition

Covid neighbours

Hades!charles au or sculpter!charles??

-

“Nooooo,” Charles groans loud and dramatical. “How are you this good at this? It is not fair.”

Max chuckles. “You just suck, mate.” She says smugly.

He tries not to pout, she can see, but he sighs and drops the controller on the couch with a bounce anyway. “I give up,” He declares. “You win.”

“Of course I did.” She shrugs.

Charles scrunches up his nose in distaste. Then, he shifts and leans forward slowly. She knows what comes next, it’s been building for a while now. Max braces herself when their lips meet and he slowly kisses her. She parts her lips and allows him to deepen the kiss, his hands cupping her cheeks. 

-

Charles stares at the fabric in his hands. It’s black, completely plain, and the elastic gives way nicely when he stretches it. They’re his size, he bought it, he knows they’re fitting. It’s just.

It’s a skirt.

He didn’t realise it was a skirt when he bought it. Technically, he surmises, they’re probably some shorts-skirt combination. Which, well. Charles wanted nice, fitting shorts for when he went out to jog. He might have gotten that, just with an extra layer covering them.

When he checks his order, he knows he didn’t get the wrong thing either. He bought the shorts in a dark blue, and a dark green as well, and they are just that. Shorts. When he looks at the website, he finally realises where he went wrong. There are two options for every colour, one with the skirt, and one without it. He ordered the black ‘shorts’ without checking which one it was.

He is stupid.

Charles is also curious. He knows they’re his size. So.

They fit perfectly, smooth over his skin, and they hug his thighs and ass in all the right places. The mirror agrees with him. Which. Huh. The skirt covering his junk is also a pleasant surprise. It’s just a thin, loose piece of fabric to keep his private parts hidden, but it works better than expected.

He gives the skirt a swish in the mirror, then, when he’s pleased to see that it flows quite pleasantly, he swirls around and watches as the fabric twirls around him.

It’s pretty, he’ll give them that.

Still, he takes them off and they disappear back into the box they came from.

[bluejay-writes]

Mystictober 2023 - Day 3: Potions, or Poisons?

You can read this fic on Ao3 if that’s more your speed!

Rating: Teen, for swearing and drug use.

Prompt: Potion

Characters: Saeran, Mint Eye OCs, (Hints of Jumin, 707)

Wordcount: 2081

Summary: Believer C-128 runs the elixir lab at Mint Eye. Mr. Saeran wants to know about her experiments, and tests one without asking.

“What’s with the colors over here?” 

The believer turned, taking in the man in the crisp black suit with a glance. She was clearly not expecting anyone to be in the room with her, least of all him. To be fair, he basically never came into the elixir lab, as the Savior had all of his doses delivered to him while he was too busy hacking to notice.

“Test batches, Mr. Saeran.  I’ve color coded them so I can keep track of the changes I’ve made when testing.”

“What are you testing?”

“The savior requested I make new formulations for specific situations.”

“And who are you testing these on?”

She bit her lip. “Myself, sir. Per her request.”

“Must be hard to get good data while the elixir does its job.  Let me test this one for you.” He reached out and picked up a vial full of a magenta-colored liquid, tossing it back and handing her the empty. “What’s the difference?”

She froze, and Saeran watched as she tried to come up with an answer that would please him. He knew that whatever she said would be at least partially untrue, but he still waited to hear her answer, regardless.

“C-128?” he said, taking a step towards her. He didn’t mean it to be menacing, but it was clear that it terrified her, and she just said the first thing that came to mind.

“It-it’s a booster for long-term elixir use.  Taken on top of your usual dose it helps keep clarity of purpose. Or, well, that’s what I designed it to do… I haven’t tested it yet… how do you feel?”

“No difference, yet.”

“Well, ideally it’s meant to be taken directly after your usual dose of Elixir, so I don’t know that you’d specifically notice the effects yet.”

“Make me another vial of this - I’ll take it next time I take my elixir, and let you know.”

Her eyes widened, but she turned to do as he said. As she was mixing up another of the magenta potions, without the pink dye this time, she dared to ask her question.

“Sir?”

“Yes, C-128?”

“Why are you here? N-not that you can’t be, just, have I done something wrong?”

“No, I was just interested, and I needed a break.”

She took a deep breath, and then handed him the vial of mint liquid that looked very similar to the standard Elixir of Salvation.

“It’s not Magenta.” he said, skeptically.

“Savior said the other colors were only allowable in the lab. If you’re leaving the lab, it has to be mint.”

“Ah. Sensible. Wouldn’t want anyone knowing about the differences.”

“Well, you do now.” She chuckled. “Please don’t tell the Savior you’re testing for me. I fear she’d be angry with me, and…”

“It was my choice.” He said. “Would you tell me no?”

C-128 shook her head. “Of course not, Mr. Saeran.” “Good.” he said, leaving the room. “I will be back tomorrow to tell you my experiences.”

After that day, Saeran regularly stopped by her lab for his “booster” as he called it. She’d been tweaking the formula to work better on him as he told her his experiences, and every day he felt even better than the last.  He wasn’t sure what the mixture was actually supposed to do.  Her lie had been thinly-veiled at best, and mostly spoken out of panic. He didn’t know if he’d just been testing her initially, but after that first day of clarity after an elixir dose, he just couldn’t stop wanting the booster to accompany it.  Regardless of its purpose, it was making his job so much easier.

He knew that per the Savior’s instructions she had been creating a much stronger version of the elixir, which would work as a booster to hypnotic suggestion receptiveness in small doses, but that didn’t seem to be what this was doing for him at all.

Saeran had never felt so capable and in control with the Elixir than he did with the boosters that C-128 developed for him. He’d been managing to stay three steps ahead of that traitor, and the savior had even decided they didn’t need to get someone into the apartment to distract the RFA - she was content with his progress as it was, and he’d never been more proud.

So, when C-128 didn’t bring his next day’s booster vials, Saeran was immediately worried. Not only would it affect his progress but it could get her in trouble with the Savior as well.  He’d have to go pick them up himself, of course. It’d give him a chance to check in and see if there were any new updates she’d made, or if it was just the same not-Magenta mixture.

When he got there, he found the door shut and locked, with another Believer standing in front of the door. Immediately, Saeran was on guard.  What was going on with the Elixir lab?

“Believer, Report.”

“Ah! M-Mr. Saeran! Believer A-230 here. The Savior is waiting for C-128 to finish testing something, and no one is allowed in or out until she’s completed it.”

“And you’ve kept watch the entire time?”

“Yes, nothing has changed. It’s been quiet in there, though.”

“Understood. I’m here to relieve you, Savior’s orders. Go back to your usual duties, A-230.”

“Yes, Mr. Saeran.”

The believer nodded to him and walked off.  Once he was sure the man was gone, he unlocked the door and slipped inside.  As the door shut behind him, he froze in shock. C-128 was laying on the ground with a broken flask and a puddle of bright blue liquid nearby.

“C-128. Are you alright?” He crouched down next to her, noting the flicker in her eyelids that he was used to from a cleansing gone bad, and checked her pulse.  It fluttered weakly against his fingers, and he would swear the rhythm was erratic.

She looked up at the tone of his voice, squeezing her eyes shut before staring imploringly at him. “No. Magenta…” Saeran grabbed the vial of magenta liquid from his first visit to the lab, and tipped it down her throat.  She coughed, but seemed to breathe a little bit easier almost immediately. “Won’t be enough. I need… Hospital... Bring the… red bag.” one shaky hand pointed to where the first aid kit was attached to the wall.  Why would she need the first aid kit if she was going to the hospital?  

There wasn’t time to ask these questions, not with C-128 passing out again. Saeran didn’t argue, couldn’t argue with an unconscious woman. He lifted her up over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry, and grabbed the large kit she’d pointed at.  He may have been practically skin and bones before, but with her booster he’d been putting on muscle in ways he hadn’t been able to before, so lifting her wasn’t an issue.  

Believer and her first aid kit in hand, Saeran made quick time to the garage, where he buckled her into his personal vehicle.

Fifteen minutes into the 40-minute drive at breakneck speeds to the nearest hospital, Saeran’s phone began to ring. He tapped the button.

“Yes, Savior?” “Ray~” Her saccharine-sweet voice rang over the car speakers, and Saeran had to suppress a shudder. “Where are you going?” “I am taking C-128 to the hospital. She’s catatonic.” “You can’t do that, Saeran. She will ruin everything for us.” “I must. She’s a genius, and we can’t afford to lose her.” “She was a lost cause the moment she started giving you that ‘booster’.” Rika’s voice was bitter, suddenly. “But the booster that C-128 gave me vastly improved my performance. You said so yourself.” Rika made a disgruntled noise. “You must turn around and come back, Ray.” “No. I will not. She needs help.” “Ray. This is an order.” “Too bad.” He said sharply, and hung up.

Next to him, C-128 stirred. “She’ll cleanse you for that, Saeran.”

“I’d love to see her try.” He said, roughly. “You’re awake. What’s in the kit? I peeked, it’s not bandages and ointments.”

“All of my samples. My legal identification. Incriminating Evidence.”

“How do you mean, incriminating evidence?”

“Savior had me keeping track of the cleansing deaths, and I have her initial elixir trial notebook.”

“This will bring down Mint Eye.” Saeran growled. “Why would you do this?”

“She intends… to give them all what she made me take.  The Eternal Party… it’s going to kill everyone.”

Saeran went silent. C-128 wasn’t lying to him. She sounded certain, in a way she hadn’t when she’d told him about the ‘booster’. He’d known she was lying about the magenta vial when he took it, and especially when it’s what she reached for when she was in trouble.

“What does the magenta vial you’ve been giving me for the last few months actually do, C-128?”

“It’s a nullifier.” She said, resignedly. “I designed it to... purge the elixir’s effects... from my system.”

“You’ve been giving me anti-elixir this entire time?”

“Y-yes.” She stuttered, and Saeran just blinked.

“No wonder the Savior was so upset with you.” He sighed. “Thank you, C-128, but you did not need to do that for me, not at this cost.”

“Hey, you took it first. I didn’t really… do… anything…” She muttered sleepily, and Saeran looked over at her in a panic. “C-128. Stay with me, we’re almost there.”

Whatever she tried to say didn’t resolve into words as her head lolled against the headrest.

“Fuck.” Saeran said, and drove faster.

“The toxicology on this woman is insane.” Saeran heard the nurse say. She probably thought she was being quiet enough that he wouldn’t hear her. She was not. “The ingredients in the test vials are unbelievable. How they got their hands on some of these things is beyond me.”

Saeran thought back on some of the things he’d done at the Savior’s direction and knew exactly how they’d come by the trickier parts of the elixir’s ingredients.

“Excuse me.” He said, standing up from C-128’s beside. “Is she going to recover?”

“Ah, Mr. Choi. Yes, Thanks to her own notes your wife should be awake in a few hours, once the sedative wears off, and then we’ll likely be able to discharge her tomorrow.  You are aware that the police would like to talk to you both?” 

He nodded, and stepped out to make a phone call. Wife. Her identification card had said ‘Eunji Choi’. Sure, there were a lot of Chois out there. He could have said they were siblings, but they looked nothing alike. And he had to give them some kind of relation, or they never would have let him in. He hoped she’d forgive his subterfuge. However, with a potential release day of tomorrow, he was going to have to take a risk. With his heart in his throat, he tapped a contact on his phone, and let it ring.

“Who is this? How did you get this number?” “Saeyoung. It’s Saeran.”

True to their word, C-128 blinked her eyes open just a few hours later.

“Mr. Saeran?” She asked, blearily, as if to confirm he was still there.

“Just Saeran is fine - I told them we were married so they’d let me stay with you. What should I call you?”

“Oh. Anything but my wallet name.” Her cheeks pinked, but if she had any thoughts about being called his wife, she didn’t share them.  He made a split-second decision, and smiled down at her.

“Okay, Princess.” he said, brushing her hair back off of her forehead, just in time for the doctor to walk back in and check on her due to the change in her vitals from the machines she was hooked up to.

“Ah, my apologies for interrupting. Mrs. Choi, welcome back to the world of the awake. Thanks to your detailed notes, we were able to promptly flush your system of the poison, and you should be back to functioning normally shortly.”

She nodded, and the doctor sighed. “The police will want to speak with you as soon as you are able.”

“They will have to wait until the Family lawyers arrive.” A voice said from the doorway, and Saeran looked up to see one Jumin Han, a man he had previously only seen in photographs, looking stern. Behind him, a mop of red hair Saeran would know anywhere.

[bylertruther]

Do you think Will could have blocked some memories of what happened during his time in the UD, like El did with what really happened in the lab? And how likely do you think it is that the duffers could bring that to the story?

confident yes + highly likely to both. this is going to be a long response, because the evidence in its favor is abundant.

the details of what happened to will in the upside down were never plot relevant before and we know that canonically everyone treated will like he was gonna break, like he was a baby, and like he couldn't handle things on his own (his exact words). given that, i doubt they were asking him about what happened even if they were curious. they only learned about what it was like to be possessed because that information was necessary in both season two and three.

now, in season four, we and the characters learn many things:

henry was a child when he first became a predator, started "reaching into others, into their minds, into their memories", "became an explorer", conceived his plan to "restore balance to a broken world", and grew the hive mind.

when henry first lands in the upside down, it does not resemble upside down hawkins at all. it's its own golden world with seemingly peaceful life forms.

henry is the one that shaped the particles, that has used its power, and that has been behind everything we've seen so far. ("it was you. always you." + the demodogs only attacking when invaded by dark particles.)

the teens learned that the upside down is stuck in time on the day that will went missing.

there are light particles which "feel good" and allow you to communicate with the other side.

will confirms that he is still psychically connected to henry directly.

season four focuses on truths, lies, and their consequences. we see that the only way to move forward, become stronger, or be saved is by uncovering and accepting your truth. not only that, but we get a hefty amount of unreliable narrating. there are some things that this season tells you and others that you have to work to discover yourself, just as the characters have. there are also some very fascinating lines about this and examples:

"I’m sorry, Eleven. You’ll have to find your own way out. Leave your train station. Stop waiting. Focus. Listen. Remember."

not to make everything about will byers, but considering the fact that the duffers didn't shoot down the idea that everything is related to will byers...

consider this: henry keeps coming back year after year, because they're all relying on eleven to fix it, but she can't. she isn't the cure, no matter how many people keep trying to force this on her. in fact, will's the one that we're shown standing in front of a "the cure" poster. this is further implied by dustin rolling an eleven against vecna and losing. the day is saved by a pair of siblings & will tells her in that same episode "it's gonna be okay, it's not that bad. we'll fix it together, okay?"

will needs to find his own way out of this neverending story. he needs to think back to what happened in that shed and directly after. he needs to remember the lights, the phone, and the stereo. he needs to recall how he managed to survive staying in that house when the demogorgon knew he was there and would appear seconds after right where he was, and why it never went after him but went after joyce instead. he needs to recall who took him and what he saw at the library. there's so much that only will knows. he just needs to remember.

"There are good people, brave friends, who have helped you fight your battle in the past. But they alone can’t win this war, not without you. I know it’s not fair to ask more of you, but I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think this was the only way, if I didn’t think you were the only one who might have a shot to hit this thing so hard it can’t get back up."

dr. owens is known to be an unreliable source (in my eyes). he didn't trust will at first in season two, he wasn't there for season three, and then he gets it 100% wrong in season four.

eleven hit henry and he got right back up.

they didn't win the war, even with her help.

the group has helped eleven in the past, yes, but, barring season three, everyone has banded together to help save will's life twice.

eleven "started this war" by creating henry, but she's always been removed from it. will was the one fighting to survive in season one & will was the one that got possessed in season two. she helps, but the war was only centered on her in season three because henry switched objectives and sought her power instead.

like... he's literally talking about will lol. he doesn't mean to lie, but this is a lie that has consequences. hawkins falls, max goes missing, and henry has won. will is the only one that can tell them how this story begins, who is still connected to him, and who needs to join the fight for once. will is the only one that knew how to defeat henry in season two and he's the only one that'll be able to tell them how to defeat him in season five.

(also, it's interesting how eleven's decision to "conform" by "doing what she's told" (as owens says) ends up "killing the kids" aka max. not her fault, though—max's fate was inevitable.)

"But there are others who don’t believe in you, who think you are the cause. I believe they’re wrong. I believe you’re the cure." [Cuts to Jonathan saying, "The reservation’s under 'Byers.'" as the camera then moves over him, Mike, and lands on Will who then looks up.]

will is someone everyone feels they have to protect; he's the damsel, never the hero. he's also the beginning of this story—he's the first and last bearer of his curse, the one he came back for and has not let go of still. he's the one related to "the cure". the scene literally cuts to him before going back to owens and eleven, so i'm filing that as "proof" that owens is incorrect. she isn't "their only hope".

Owens: “We should’ve just told her the truth.” Brenner: “And risk everything? She’ll find out soon enough.”

this one's funny. it explains why we and the characters don't know why henry and will are still linked, and what happened in the upside down. it would compromise everything.

"The truth is, you're regressing, Eleven. You're going backwards. [..] I know you're frightened. You're terribly frightened by what you've seen. But it's this very fear that's now holding you back. If you want Nina to succeed, you cannot hide from the truth, no matter how frightening it may be."

this one applies to many characters. will seems to have made progress in lenora, but he regresses by lying to mike and hiding from his truth. he veils his confession, pushes mike in eleven's direction, and dooms them all for it. addressing his trauma and being honest about his feelings isn't going to be easy, but he needs to do that to help them win this war.

i feel like there are more lines from this season, but this post is already long enough lol.

in addition to canon s4 evidence, it already is established that will doesn't want to revisit those experiences and whatever memories he has of them unless absolutely necessary.

in season three, when recounting having sensed the mind flayer's return at various times, will says: "I didn't think it was anything at first. I mean, I think I just didn't want to believe it."

also, did everyone forget how henry already blocked will's memories once? that was a key point of his possession, the reason for the shed scene, and joyce's biggest worry ("What happens when he can't remember anything? When there's nothing else there? What happens when my boy is gone?")

that, along with everything presented in season four, tells me that will is the missing piece. all of them fought alongside eleven and it wasn't enough. dustin said they needed will and he was right. henry is said multiple times to be a mind explorer that toys with people's memories. the duffers have ALREADY done this twice now. "every ending has a beginning." the teens figured things out, but not all of it and it contradicts what will experienced in the upside down. will is henry's perfect character foil. he's the last curse left. the show begins with the vanishing of will byers, but we don't actually know what happened to him. it literally all points in this direction.

season four was all about lies, whether intentional or not, and season five will be based on the truth finally coming out.