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judesmoonbeauty · 10 months ago

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2024 Villain's Festival - Team Villain's Story ♛

Fan translation only. Not 100% accurate. Please expect grammatical errors. Cybird owns everything. Feel free to re-blog, but please do NOT post my translations elsewhere. Also, feel free to ignore my random commentary.

Translation notes are marked with *** Alternate translation is marked with///

The condition for receiving the entire bonus from Her Majesty, is to steal Kate’s heart.

When the battle begins, three shadows with villainous expressions appear in Crown Castle.

Alfons: Such rowdy party. Let’s enjoy it to the fullest!

Roger: If I collect the full bonus, I can use it toward research and alcohol expenses. I’ll have to go all in.

Alfons & Roger: Ah!

Alfons: Oh, Roger. What a coincidence to run into you here, please move aside.

Roger: I've got business up ahead, too. You get out of my way.

Jude: Don’t block the way. Your both huge and your in the way.

Jude: Oh?

Jude: What do ya guys have there?

Roger: A sack.

Alfons: Does it look like anything other than a rope?

Jude: So, you'll bag her, tie her up and kidnap her....

Alfons & Roger: Please don't ask if you already know.

Alfons: You're so evil, Jude, to immediately notice what we're trying to do, aren't you?

Jude: Thanks.

Alfons: This game is about capturing Kate’s heart.

Alfons: In short, the winner is the one who takes the necklace that Kate has!

Alfons: In that case, any means are fine.

Jude: These guys are bastards.

Roger: I think you were the one who was going to kidnap Kate, weren't you?

Jude: You'll know it when you see it.

Roger: That's surprising. I thought you'd just say it's rubbish and not get involved.

Jude: You know the rules, you just take the woman’s necklace and the money rolls in.

Jude: It's rags to riches business in terms of cost-effectiveness.

Roger: You're pretty much a bastard yourself. Well, I guess fighting the good fight doesn't suit us.

Alfons: Let's fight fair and square until there's only one left standing!

Alfons: That's what I was thinking until just now, but when I thought about it, aren’t we at a disadvantage?

Roger & Jude: Disadvantage?

Alfons: Each of us cursed ones has our own special abilities….

Alfons: Isn’t our self-righteous king William, a bit of a cheat?

Roger: The "do as I say" is definitely a cheat.

Roger: If he uses that, it's game over in an instant.

Jude: It's hard to tell what he’s thinking. It’s really creepy.

Alfons: Therefore. The clever Alphonse came up with an idea.

Alfons: Why don't the three of us join forces?

Alfons: It's what we call a joint front.

Roger: Certainly, the three of us working together would be more efficient than working alone.

Roger: Fine, I'm in.

Alfons: You are indeed an efficiency-oriented muscle man. How about you, Jude?

Jude: Yeah. I'm in. “While we're on the same side.”

Roger: Wow, I'm surprised you agreed so readily. I wonder what's going through your mind.

Jude: How dare the treacherous cursed man put himself on a pedestal.

Alfons: Yes, yes, now that we have formed a joint front, let's get along.

Alfons: So, the most wicked team is now complete.

Alfons: Let's go and kidnap Kate quickly!

Harrison: Kate, you are being targeted from all sides.

Harrison: But we'll protect you.

Liam: Yeah, all we want to see is your smile, Kate.

Ellis: Kate, leave it to us.

Kate: Thank you, Harrison, Liam and Ellis.

Kate: Behind you!

Harrison: When did you guys!

Alfons: “Kate, is invisible to you.”

Harrison: …….

Jude: Ellis, you're not getting enough sleep. Why don’t you sleep a little.

Liam: Jude….ah.

Liam: Harry, Ellis! Damn it, disappear.

Roger: Liam. Your abilities are not the best match for mine.

Roger: Even when you disappear, my ears are still picking up your heartbeat. …..Right here?

Liam: Oh!

Jude: You should sleep too.

Roger: Ok, everyone’s sound asleep like good boys.

Alfons: Normally, we don't get along well with each other, but when it comes to deviousness, we are united, which is a strange thing.

Roger: Because bad people can understand how bad people think.

Jude: If we have time for idle chit-chat, then let’s get out of here before the nobles launch a surprise attack.

Alfons: Yes, yes. Well, Kate, please let us kidnap you.

Kate: What? Oh, hey!

Jude: You'd be smarter to stay quiet, princess.

Jude: I hope you locked the door properly.

Alfons: Yes, of course.

Alfons: This is the perfect guest room. Whatever happens here, only the four of us will know the truth.

Alfons: A secret only for us. Hehe, I'm so excited, Kate.

Roger: Sorry to tie you to the chair, missy. It would have been troublesome if you'd escaped again.

Kate: So the three of you formed a joint front.

Kate: But still, of all people, these three?

Alfons: What do you mean?

Kate: No, nothing.

Roger: You're trying to say that three people without a shred of conscience got together.

Alfons: I'm honored that you appreciate my reputation for lack of conscience.

Alfons: Now, as planned, Kate belongs to one of the three of us.

Alfons: Let's start the finals here.

Jude: Oh?

Jude: Why are you trying to touch the nape of someone's neck, you talking piece of shit?

Alfons: Jude, you're the one who tried to poke me in the forehead with your finger.

Roger: I thought it was funny how easily you agreed to a joint front.

Roger: Your plan is to make it look like a joint front so that you could outflank us at the end, right?

Jude: It's a matter of course. It is a basic business practice to decide whether to use or not to use a contract based on who you are signing it with.

Jude: That fighting pose is proof of that. You traitorous quack.

Alfons: The lowest! Are you planning on hitting us even though you are a former doctor?

Roger: Don't make false accusations. I just thought I'd let you guys have a good night's sleep, since you usually don't get enough.

Jude: I’ll put you to sleep. I’ll comeback and bury you accidentally in a graveyard.

Kate: This is a picture-perfect clash of friends!

Alfons: Oh dear, the joint front is destroyed. It's no wonder it's come to this.

Alfons: Let's play it out in a no-holds-barred match.

Roger: That’s great, I won't complain even if I lose.

Jude: If there’s any mouth left to complain about it, sure.

Kate: STOOOOP!

Roger: What's the matter, missy? You’re being loud.

Kate: As you can imagine, we can't afford to a situation where any of the crown is missing!

Kate: Violence. No. Absolutely not. Anyone who touches me will be considered disqualified and will not be given the necklace!

Jude: Wow, you've become quite the big talker haven’t you?

Jude: Isn't it okay if I take it away by force, princess?

Kate: If you try to take it away from me, I will run away as fast as I can, even if I have to drag a chair with me!

Jude: Ha, she's still as stubborn and obnoxious as ever.

Alfons: Kate has a point. If we were to die accidentally, it would be a national disaster.

Roger: But then, how do you settle the matter?

Roger: Kate, any good ideas?

Kate: Oh, I've decided! Just now!

Kate: The "best and kindest" of the three will receive this necklace.

Alfons & Roger: - The best.

Jude: That's a lukewarm criterion, isn't it? It's the kind of thing you would think of as a child.

Kate: If I don't give it to someone nice, that's when I’ll get in trouble again, right?

Kate: I think it's a good idea and a peaceful solution.

Alfons: That's a very Kate-esque, typical suggestion...shall we try it?

Alfons: Kate, Kate, you must be cramped tied to that chair.

Alfons: I'll let you go. Here you go.

Kate: Oh, thank you very much, Alfons!

Alfons: I'm a gentleman, kind, and handsome, a national treasure, right?

Roger: Hey, back off, you frivolous man. I guess I'm the one who's kind.

Roger: Kate, there's no one as sweet and loving on you as I am, right? Leave it to me.

Jude: There's no way this masochistic pervert would be satisfied with you just being nice.

Jude: I'll be nice to you after I torture you a lot. You like this kind of thing, don't you?

Alfons: I don't think Jude is being nice. He is a villain, this president.

Alfons: I actually saw it…. the other day.

Alfons: Jude threw the fatty part of his steak onto Ellis' plate!

Jude: What's wrong with sharing something you don't like with others? I'm just giving them a hand out.

Roger: It's not nice to force something you don't like on people, is it, Jude?

Jude: How dare you put yourself in someone else's shoes?

Jude: The other day you guys worked together to put Elbert to sleep with a drug that you don't understand, right?

Alfons: There are various things that I would like to clear up without Elle knowing about it, so I have no choice.

Roger: I just want to be able to experiment with new drugs.

Alfons: It's just that my interests coincided with these muscular glasses.

Roger: That’s right.

Jude: All of them are a bunch of bastards.

Alfons: Oh…

Jude: Yeah?

Alfons: Where is Kate going?

Jude & Roger: ………

Roger: When did you do this, missy?

Jude: How fast are you running away?

Alfons: Aha!

Alfons: Disappointing. Now the game is back to square one.

Roger: Haha, that's good. It's more fun when you don't know what the game is. Hey, Jude?

Jude: Stupid.

[Master List]

#Ikemen villains #ikevil #ikevil translations #cybird translations #ikevil spoilers #ikevil jude #jude jazza #ikemen jude jazza #alfons sylvatica #ikemen alfons #roger barel #ikemen roger #ikevil roger

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steddieas-shegoes · 1 year ago

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Request: Steve being a hidden nerd in certain ways (ei: sports, camping, outdoor stuff like camping & vegetation/botony, bugs, animals & shit) the kids losing their collective mind as Steve tells them about it. Maybe on a camping trip or something???? I especially want Hop to be impressed.

This is maybe my first request that didn't have some kind of romantic relationship Steddie. They do have a little flirty moment, but beyond that, I liked the idea of just everyone loving Steve and being so intrigued by his knowledge of all of this random nature stuff. Also, no research was done here. Like, zero. I don't know what is true and what isn't so assume none of it is. This is fiction based on fiction and we're here for a good time. I've never been to Yosemite, but it is on the list for me and Liam to go! - Mickala ❤️

----------------------------------------------------

No one expected Steve to actually want to go camping. Sure, he wanted an RV, wanted to go to National Parks and see mountains and lakes and rivers, but they assumed he’d just want to stay in the RV.

They hadn’t expected him to bring tents.

They hadn’t expected him to suggest sleeping in the tents.

“But…we have an RV,” Mike said, suddenly no longer interested in their trip to Yosemite.

“To travel in. But we won’t all comfortably sleep in it. It’s made for five people at most.”

And that was that. The only people sleeping in the RV were Hopper and Joyce and Max and El, and everyone else was sleeping in tents.

The entire drive there was filled with arguments over music, arguing over who got to sit where, and Steve’s “fun facts” about the land they would be staying on.

He had apparently done quite a bit of research, or he had been hiding a whole wealth of knowledge from everyone.

His fun facts were actually interesting, and everyone quickly tuned in when he started telling them about how the mountains could be dated because of the type and color of the rocks, and how much of the sequoias had been destroyed over the last couple of decades and what they were doing to preserve what was left.

When they arrived, everyone stared in wonder at the meadow in front of them, the mountains as the backdrop to a beautiful sunset.

It would still be light for close to two hours, so they didn’t rush to set up the tents. They went on a short walk along the road they took to the campsite, Steve pointing out different types of plants and birds as they went.

Everyone was in awe of his information, but no one was as surprised as Hopper.

“Where did you learn all this?” he asked on the way back to the campsite as the kids raced each other ahead.

“I went to camp once when I was seven and then I was obsessed with nature. My parents wouldn’t let me go back to camp, but they let me get books and movies about plants and animals. In high school, I took geology and almost had a perfect grade. I just like this stuff,” Steve shrugged.

“So you only went to camp once? Is this your way of going to camp?” Hopper asked casually.

He didn’t usually ask questions that didn’t tell him something he absolutely needed to know.

“I guess. And to spend time with everyone. I like when we can all be together without hell surrounding us, ya know?” Steve admitted.

Hopper’s hand rested on his shoulder and squeezed in silent agreement.

Putting the tents up had been relatively easy, especially when Steve managed to show them a trick he taught himself when he was young and wanted to set up a tent in his backyard but never had anyone there to help him.

No one commented on how sad it was, but Steve realized it after he said it.

As everyone got their sleeping bags and lamps set up in their tents, Steve found a large rock along the edge of the creek in the meadow and sat on it, watching as the sun finally sank behind the mountains.

“Hey,” a voice startled Steve.

He relaxed when he turned to see that it was Eddie.

“Hey.”

“Mind if I sit with you for a minute? Kids are being a bit too much right now.”

“Go ahead,” Steve gestured to the spot next to him. “Not exactly a comfy seat, but the view can’t be beat.”

“Oh, so you’re rhyming now?” Eddie teased as he nudged Steve’s shoulder.

“Not on purpose,” Steve laughed. “It’s pretty great out here, though.”

“Yeah it is. You did good, Stevie.”

Steve looked over to see Eddie already smiling fondly at him.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. And, for what it’s worth, I think it’s pretty fucking cool that you love nature so much. Nature isn’t really a good friend of mine, but it’s pretty nice to hear about it from you.”

“I’ll make an explorer out of you yet, Eds.”

Eddie looked at him with a look he hadn’t seen on anyone before, at least not towards him.

“Maybe you will, Stevie.”

Eddie only sat there for another minute before excusing himself to check that none of the kids touched his brand new acoustic guitar.

Steve sat there until it was completely dark around him, watching the land in front of him shift ever so slightly as the breeze picked up and the cicadas started their nightly song.

Robin sat down next to him, rested her head against his shoulder and sat with him in silence for a few minutes.

“It’s good to be out here. I don’t think Max ever expected to see mountains like this. She keeps asking when she can climb them,” Robin whispered.

“She does remember her legs aren’t at 100% yet still, right?” Steve asked.

“I think she’s willing to give it a go anyway. What’s the point of being here and surviving everything if you can’t even try?”

Steve nodded.

“Wanna come tell us more about the trail we’re taking tomorrow?”

“You guys wanna hear about it now?”

“Yeah. We like that you’re passionate about it.”

Steve felt his cheeks heat up at the words.

“Okay then. If you guys don’t mind. There’s supposed to be a specific type of rabbit who burrows along this specific trail during the summer and they can grow to be nearly two feet long.”

“That sounds terrifying. Come tell everyone about it,” Robin said as she got up and offered him a hand.

He took it and made his way back to the group.

Everyone listened to him talk about their plan for tomorrow, not interrupting when he got sidetracking talking about the type of trees they would see and what kind of flowers tended to bloom during this particular time of year.

When Steve and Eddie slipped into their tent an hour or so later, they could have stayed in their respective sleeping bags.

But Steve was still too eager to talk about things, so Eddie sidled up next to him in his sleeping bag and held his hand while he talked for another hour about the waterfall they’d be seeing and the type of fish that would most likely be in the river.

#steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things #request #ficlet #secret nerd steve harrington #the party #jim hopper

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harruandlou · 7 days ago

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✨Writing Self-Evaluation 2024

thank youuuu @red-pandaaa for tagging me 🫶🏻

1. Number of stories posted to AO3: 4 this year! (10 total!)

2. Word count posted for the year: 262,441

3. Fandoms I wrote for: One Direction

4. Pairings: Louis Tomlinson/Harry Styles

5. Story with the most:

Kudos: i would know you from touch alone

Bookmarks: sunshine, baby! (literally 1 single bookmark more than iwkyfta or this would be a clean sweep)

Comments: i would know you from touch alone

6. Work I’m most proud of (and why): I think sunshine, baby! I did a lot of research for that fic into swimming and law school (and the olympics) and it's the longest thing I've ever written on my own.

7. Work I’m least proud of (and why): I'm really proud of all of them, but probably your brightest star only because I wasn't in a good place writing and pushed myself through most of it. I think it could have been better if I hadn't been so strict on myself for posting time, etc.

8. Share or describe a favorite review you received: I got so many really wonderful comments this year and every single one makes me go mush inside. In particular anytime someone says I'm one of their favorite authors or my fic is one of their comfort fics I just want to cry lol.

9. A time when writing was really, really hard: I started slipping into a rut in like May and didn't really claw out of it until October. During that time I wrote ybs and about 25k of a wip I've since put on the shelf. The whole time was such a struggle.

10. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you: Louis' roommate Mina in sunshine, baby! surprised me a lot this year. I added her in a scene because I wanted Louis to say something in particular, but fully expected her to show up once. But I really loved writing her and then she ended up bring the kick in the ass he needed more than once and i love her so much.

11. A favorite excerpt of your writing: this is from i would know you from touch alone. I added this scene in editing and it's one of those moments that it seems impossible now for the fic to have existed without it. I love it not necessarily because of how its written, but it like such a good reminder that editing a million times can be really important to shaping the fic 😂 (I need that reminder for the next time I edit something to death)

Hours passed, the night crawled towards dawn, but still Harry and Oli sat diagonally to each other. At some point Liam came in. He had Harry’s broken phone in his pocket and a sad look on his face. Oli eyed him warily, but Liam just clapped a hand on Harry’s shoulder and sank into the chair next to him. Some time after that another Tomlinson came over and sat next to Oli. Harry didn’t know his name, but he’d been at the warehouse. Harry could so clearly picture him glaring at Harry over the barrel of his gun. Before long there were a handful of them who had migrated around Harry and finally he realized what it was. He was surrounded on all sides. He was protected.

12. How did you grow as a writer this year: I got really good at outlining this year! And being a bit more strict on myself about making sure I have things properly planned before I start writing (can you tell I've had problems with this in the past lmao). I also picked back up something I'd put aside that I was really afraid to try to rework and had convinced myself wasn't worth the effort. So I think trusting myself and the process more in general.

13. How do you hope to grow next year: I think maybe be a bit more risk taking lmao. I tend to play things safe or overthink everything, but I think some of the best stuff happens when you let yourself get a little silly.

14. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc): 2024 was the year of @red-pandaaa saving my ass every 5 minutes lmao. We started working together at the end of last year and they helped with everything - beta reading, cheerleading, listening to me bitching and moaning. Oh and the friendship was nice too 🤣

15. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year: Oh for sure, always. A lot of Louis in sb! was based off a friend of mine (actually a lot of sb! I pulled real life experiences for). I'm always putting places I've been, food I've eaten, weird personality quirks I have or friends have in fics.

16. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers: Always know the ending before you start. You don't always need to know how to get there, but at least know where you're going.

17. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year: I'm really excited to get back to the fic I put on hold in the summer. I think I'll start working on that in January (once edits for you're all i ever dreamed of are finished!!!)

18. Tag some writers whose answers you’d like to read.

@blueskiesrry @petitommo @wishingforloushair @28goldens @lunarheslwt @larry-hiatus

#writing eval

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hlficlibrary · 4 months ago

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what are you three favourite best written fics?

Where the sentences and the writing style is just incredible? :)

Hi, anon! This was very hard to decide, but these are three that came to mind immediately. All incredible in different ways!

No One Like You by myownspark / @myownsparknow

Dear Niall,

I was glad to have the chance to talk with you again at the AHA conference. Your idea that the Musee D’Orsay Tomlinson painting is in fact not a self-portrait is an intriguing one, and I may have discovered something that will have a bearing on that theory.

Some background: as you may remember, I’ve been researching for a book I’m writing about Harry Styles. I’ve been in communication with Styles’ last living descendant, who is in possession of a trunk that her family believed to have belonged to Styles himself. It held some personal items she presumes to be his, including two unmounted paintings and a small collection of letters.

Upon spending the last few days in Provins studying these items, I believe there to be a connection between Tomlinson and Styles, and I would very much like your opinion.

Are you up for a trip to France?

Sincerely, Liam Payne

Where Liam and Niall are art historians discovering the truth about two nineteenth century painters on opposite sides of an artistic divide.

Emperor's New Clothes by sunsetmog / @magicalrocketships

The fact that Louis’s most precious belonging was a cat with a face like thunder and an uncanny ability to cover every single inch of Louis’s clothing with cat hair was something that Louis chose not to think about too much.

or: Harry’s a pop star and Louis isn’t, and there’s a non-disclosure agreement where there used to be a relationship.

Black with Autumn Rain by whimsicule / @baroness-elsa

“Thank you,” Geoff says, taking a sip of his tea. “What did you tell him?”

Louis has a sip as well, lets the tea burn down his throat too quickly, too hot, and he feels it all the way down to his stomach. “The truth. Essentially,” he replies after a moment, licking his lips, relishing the slightly bitter taste of the brew that’s never quite strong enough for Louis’ liking. At least it’s not decaf. “That my dog scented it. That I didn’t touch the body. That I came here first thing.”

Geoff nods pensively. “Did he believe you?”

“Probably not. There’s only so many people who can drown on dry land before it gets fishy.”

or: Harry is a journalist, Louis has lots of secrets and the moors aren't exactly the ideal place to rekindle a lost romance.

#ask #anon #ficrec #minificrecs #favorites #sunsetmog #whimsicule #myownspark

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so-long-soldier-writes · 3 months ago

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Anchors

liam dunbar x theo raeken

summary: the end of the war brought a slew of changes to the lives of those left in beacon hills. unfortunately for liam, that includes taking his medication again, since telling his mom about the supernatural didn't go exactly as planned. now, he battles a retake of his senior year, the side effects of his medication, and a desire to keep the good things he has in his life, all while trying to keep himself afloat.

tags: angst & feels, hurt / comfort, post-war, implied / referenced s3lf h4rm, mild blood, dread doctors mentioned, protective!theo, theo lives with the dunbar-geyer family & he also works in the hospital bc i can see it, forehead kisses (so many), mentions of past abuse, relapsing, beowulf references, found family, touchy-feely

word count: 7.4k

a/n: So a big chunk of this is about Theo's past with the doctors, and growing up with them, and I'm pretty sure I got most of my facts right, but if something's totally off-canon, my bad. Season 5 is honestly quite confusing to me, and I'm trying to rewatch it to understand better. Anyway, I also did a lot of research on antipsychotics, because that's what Liam said he used to take. I struggled a bit, because a lot of the medications used to help IED also reduce sh urges, but we know Liam struggled with that throughout the show. Ugh, I love him so much. Comfort character <3 I want to give him a hug. Third thing, I haven't read Beowulf in like, six years, so all of my references are from SparkNotes, Quizlet, and a vague, vague, memory of it from the last time I touched a copy of it.

Also, greatest apologies for being absent / not posting for just about an entire month. I'm trying to reclaim my life; I've lost myself a bit this year. I did put in a three weeks' notice for my job, so I hope I can be active again soon.

One last thing, I'm still writing for Kai, I just have had this idea lodged in my brain for a while. I have a lot of stuff to write for a lot of different characters, i just have to get the gears turning again. ily all <3

“I hope loving me isn’t the hardest thing you’ve had to do.”

It’s spoken out in a whisper, but is heard loudly. It rings like a bell in the ears, and makes Theo sigh stressedly before he brushes his hands on his pants. “Clearly you don’t remember the things I’ve been through,” he starts.

“I’m serious. It hasn’t- I haven’t been easy lately. You shouldn’t have to deal with it.”

“I’m here by choice.” Theo rinses the rag under warm water, then crouches back down to Liam’s level. He takes each finger gently, easing the blood out from underneath his fingernails. “I never had a say in anything that happened in my past, but I have a choice here, with you, and I choose to be with you.”

“Aren’t I making your life harder? You should be out in the world, exploring things you’ve never seen or done. Not stuck in Beacon Hills, babysitting me half the time.”

“I’m not babysitting you, I’m dating you. And I’ve chosen to stay here regardless; I’ve learned I like it here. I like my job, and your parents, and you, and even though I could go out, do something else - and still date you - I don’t want to.”

Part of Liam’s brain knows he’s being ridiculous. Theo’s told him a thousand times how much happier he is now. He does like his job, and he does love Liam and his parents, but he can’t help the insecure feeling that he’s holding him back. “But-”

“And you’re not hard to love. You never are.” He pauses, but when Liam opens his mouth for what he’s certain is a rebuttal, he continues. “Now, the doctors,” he chuckles, “they were hard to love. When they tried to act parental, it was awful. But then I felt guilty for not seeing them that way, because as much as they were killing me, they were also keeping me alive.” Theo tries to bring his attention to the scientists that Liam’s so keenly interested in. Ninety-nine percent of the time, the distraction works, but Theo can tell from the frown on his face that this time is part of the one percent.

“I’m no better than them; I’m hurting you now.”

The smell of fear still lingers in the air, mixed with fresh blood and the undistinguishable scent of pain. Theo had all but kicked down the door ten minutes ago, leaving it unable to be locked until it’s fixed, but he much prefers it that way.

“You’re nothing like them. Are you forgetting you saved me from death? From hell? You brought me back, and we fought for each other, almost died for each other, and survived a war thanks to the unspoken trust that that act gave us? I love you, Liam. My stubborn heart can effortlessly say that, because I know you aren’t going to hurt me. I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you. I’ve never cared for anyone since Tara.”

Liam’s heart softens. The stone walls he tries to put up crumble down into dust. Theo shares so comfortably because Liam’s given him the time, and space, and love to do so. He hasn’t forced or rushed him; he makes him feel safe, and listens, and speaks, reassuringly, when Theo needs it. He loves him wholeheartedly, and makes sure he knows it.

A deep sigh makes Liam slump forward, posture horrible, but neither comment on it. He watches as Theo cleans the last of the drying blood from his nails and arms. The slowly healing wounds pick up their pace with his care, and eventually, not even scars are left.

“Sometimes I wish the scars would stay,” he mutters. “I think it would help me do it less.”

Theo understands. But at the same time, he knows it’s better that they heal. “I think your mom would catch on if they did,” he reminds gently.

Liam’s eye twitches. The painful reminder seems to do the trick. “Can I see yours?”

Without question, Theo lifts his shirt, revealing the small mark under his heart that never fully healed. Liam runs his fingers along it immediately, feeling the bump of raised skin permanently changed from an invasive surgery he had as a child. The doctors, he said, promised it would heal. It never did.

Theo watches Liam suck in a breath as he trails his fingers down his body, causing him to drop his shirt and chuckle. “You just wanted me to take my shirt off.”

A blush rises to the younger boy’s face. Truly, he did want to see the scar, but it’s easy to get distracted by his boyfriend’s beautiful features. “No-”

He laughs. “Sure-”

“No, I’m serious!” He puts his pointer finger on the scar again, this time over his shirt. The smile from his blush is gone from his face, the somber mood returning to the room. “Thank you, Theo.”

“You aren’t hard to love.”

“I just feel like a burden sometimes.”

“And I love being the one to remind you that you’re not.” Theo kisses his fingertips individually. Liam’s so full of love he might explode. He sighs, eyes fluttering.

“I’m tired.”

“I know you are.”

“Can we lay down?”

“Of course.”

Theo tucks Liam into his bed and changes into something more comfortable before joining him. As soon as they returned from work, Dr. Geyer fell into bed, exhausted from the day. Jenna won’t be back for another couple hours. They have time for a nap.

⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆

That evening, when Theo hears the crackling sound of food cooking on the stove, he untangles himself from Liam’s sleepy grasp and tiptoes downstairs. Jenna smiles at him as he joins her in the kitchen.

“Hi, sweetheart, how was work today?”

Theo can’t help but smile. Those are two words he’d never thought to be combined in a nickname talking about him, but Liam’s mom calls him that almost every day.

“It was good. David had a surgery, so he’s napping, but nothing too heavy.”

“Awh, good. And where’s Liam?”

“Also napping.” He frowns, but doesn’t quite have the words yet, so he asks, “how was your day?”

“Busy, but alright.” She stirs something in the skillet, then tilts her head at him. “You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, I’m…” he struggles, again, for the right words. It isn’t his place to comment, but he’s willing to cross the line if he thinks it’s necessary. Right now, remembering the scratches on Liam’s arms, he knows it’s definitely necessary. “I don’t know how to say this…”

Jenna nods for him to speak, his worried look quickly betraying him. “Talk to me. What’s up?”

“Liam…” he starts slowly, “I don’t think the meds are helping him. I think he needs to come off them. He’s been extremely tired lately, and…” he doesn’t finish the sentence. He isn’t sure how to tell her the rest; the concern Theo has for his safety.

“Sweetheart, the meds are good for him. They help with his condition, and especially knowing… what I know now… he needs to be in control of himself so something doesn’t happen.”

A month ago, Liam had finally told his parents about the supernatural. The news came with some shock, but they took it well otherwise. The lupine gene didn’t make them love their son any less, nor did they express any fear, but it did cause them to worry about his I.E.D. worsening. Heightened strength and emotion could lead to more outbursts. So, worried for him and the people around him - if he were to get angry - they refilled the prescription they’ve ignored for two years. Ever since Liam’s been taking it again, he’s been subdued. His parents only see him more tired, though, and assume it’s working. They don’t see the side effects that Theo sees, though, the stuff he desperately tries to hide.

“I understand, but isn’t there another medication he can try? Or something natural?”

“Like a therapist?”

“I don’t know, but something else.” He wets his lower lip with this tongue, catching the skeptical look on her face. “I just… he’s so tired all the time, almost too tired, I just, I don’t know, it’s changing him. He isn’t as happy anymore.”

“He’s only been taking them for a month, he’ll get used to it. Just takes some time.”

“No, there has to be another way,” he argues, insisting she listens. Hoping she senses the urgency in his tone. “He barely has enough energy to play. He told me that’s why he stopped taking them in the first place.”

Jenna shakes her head. “He’s going to have to get used to it. It’s the safest thing for him. I don’t want-”

“But it’s not!” He interrupts. “It isn’t safe! He hasn’t been himself. He’s- he’s-” Theo stops at the disappointed look on her face. Jenna isn’t one to re-interrupt back, but instead wait patiently with an eyebrow raised, which, he’s finding, is way worse than being scolded. “I’m sorry.”

“My husband is closely monitoring his state and dosage. If we determine something needs to be changed, we will make that change. Honey, I know you care about him, and I know he doesn’t have the same energy he used to, but this is necessary, okay? I don’t know much about this werewolf stuff, so this is me doing my best to keep my son safe. Please respect that.”

Theo bites his tongue. He doesn’t want to push Jenna any further. He doesn’t want to hurt Liam - either of them - by telling her the truth of how the medication’s really affecting him, so he stays quiet. Upstairs, he can hear Liam shuffling. “Okay. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. Thank you for understanding.”

That is not the word he would use, but Theo doesn’t argue further. When Jenna turns back to the stove, he heads back upstairs to check on his little wolf.

He isn’t okay, and he doesn’t know how he’s supposed to tell her that.

⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆

The next morning brings the usual hustle and bustle as the found family gets ready for a long day of work. Liam’s waiting for a ride from Mason, since on days Theo works at the hospital with his dad, the two drive there together. His dad, at the moment, is in the kitchen greeting his mom, as Liam lazily hugs his boyfriend. As they separate, he drops something into Theo’s scrub pocket, making him narrow his eyes.

“What’s that?”

“Gift.”

He digs out a little folded paper heart and smiles. “Where’d you get this?”

“I made it in math class. Couldn’t focus.”

The cute gesture makes Theo kiss him on the forehead, but then he shakes his head. “You do realize you’re retaking senior year to learn this year, right?”

“You do realize I’m retaking senior year because I couldn’t learn last year because half the town was erased by Ghost Riders, and then a war broke out that was led by one of the teachers, right?” Theo gives him a look, causing Liam’s shoulders to slump. “Sorry. I know. I’m trying to focus, but I’m too tired.”

“I know, Little Wolf. It’s okay.” He plops the heart back into his pocket. “Thank you for the heart.”

Liam smiles, but before he can say anything, his mom calls for him across the room. His daily reminder, every morning, at seven sharp.

“Hey, Li, remember to take your meds, okay?”

Both look over to see her insistent face, and Liam sighs before grabbing the prescription bottle off the table. Theo takes in a sharp breath that doesn’t go unnoticed by Jenna. She turns back to her husband, whispering.

“Theo started a little argument about that yesterday.” She nods to her son, who’s popping a capsule into his mouth.

“That’s unusual for him.” Her husband squints.

“Mhm. Let’s keep a closer eye on Liam. He was saying it’s doing more than just making him tired. Asked for an alternative, but I assured him it’s the best option.”

“Okay. Maybe I’ll make an appointment with the psychiatrist again. That might help.”

“Yeah, that’ll be nice.”

“Alright.” He kisses her, then returns to his normal voice. “I’ll see you later, okay? I love you.”

“I love you, too. Have a good day at work.” Outside, Mason honks loudly, and Jenna turns to the boys. “Liam, time for school. I love you.”

“Okay.”

“Theo, I love you, too. David’s about ready to go.”

“Okay, I’m coming.”

He turns to the younger boy. “You gonna be okay?” Liam nods. “You have an issue, you call me. Alright?”

“Okay.”

“If I can’t pick up, what are you gonna do?”

“Make more little paper hearts.”

Theo half smiles. “Okay. Or text Mason, right?”

“Yeah.”

“And I’ll call you back as soon as possible.”

“Okay.”

“Okay. Good. We’ll be back around six today, hopefully.”

“Okay,” he repeats. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, wolf.” They share a quick kiss, interrupted by Mason honking again, and then Jenna hurrying them both out the door. “You be good. Pay attention in class. The goal is to graduate this year.”

“Shut up, Theo.” He smirks. “I’m kidding. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆

Most of the day goes by alright. Except… alright is the only thing Liam’s felt since his mom hurriedly forced him back on antipsychotics after learning about his supernatural status. She was understanding of the news, really, and didn’t mind the fact that he’s a werewolf, but he thinks the only reason she possesses a little bit of concern is because of his I.E.D. If he were a normal kid-turned-werewolf, it’d be no bother, but his condition has always made her worry.

Jenna loves her son to death and will do anything to protect him. She allowed herself to be an outlet for her angry ex-husband, but the moment she realized he’d also been hurting Liam, she sent him out the door. Finalizing the divorce with the narcissistic man was almost as difficult as being married to him, but it was all worth it once he was finally out of their lives. Despite his lack of presence though, the pain still lingered. The abuse he’d delivered left a mark on them; it left Jenna fearful, and Liam volatile. Letting David into their life was a big step for both of them, but it’s made them better.

The medication, however, has never helped. Liam tends to get the worst of the side effects and little of the actual relief that the chemicals are supposed to give. He stopped taking it for a reason before, and now… well, he’s lucky Theo’s already seen him at his worst, so he doesn’t have to hide his pain from him like he does with his mom.

He’s struggled with it before, but it manifested itself differently. Liam always remembers the time his stepdad told him, “people deal with anger in two ways: they hurt others, or they hurt themselves.” He used to always hurt someone else first, the way his biological dad taught him, until he turned. Then, every effort became protecting others. And if that meant hurting himself to do so, that’s what he did.

Now, Liam still struggles with it. The Urge. The urge to do something, anything with your pain. Having no idea where to put it, so you put it on yourself. You dig your nails into your arms, extend your claws and bury them in your skin, scratch until all the pain is no longer emotional, but physical, and visible, and out in the open. Bleeding, because it’s easier than crying. He’ll heal faster from open wounds and scars than he will a face red and puffy.

Liam hasn’t told Mason about the hurt. He knew about it the first time around, but he can’t bear to see his disappointed face if he tells him about the three-year-clean relapse.

Theo, though, has seen every inch of Liam’s soul, even the icky bits. He’s seen him full of love and full of hate. He’s seen the bits Liam’s tried - and failed - to hide; the shame that you can hide from a best friend but not a lover. Besides, nothing can hide the smell of blood to another werewolf, especially not one you’re living with. Liam wishes he thought twice about that before doing it the time he got caught.

The Urge returns in English class for no particular reason. That’s the thing about it: you could be having the worst day or your life or the best, it doesn’t care. The voice is always in the back of your mind, telling you you could feel a hundred times better if you’d relapse again. Liam bites his cheek, trying to fight it off, and then tastes blood and realizes that’s just as bad. He raises his hand.

“Yes?”

“Can- May I use the restroom?”

“Sure. Only since you used the correct word.”

“Thanks.”

He calls Theo the moment he locks himself inside a stall. The bastard misses the first call entirely, but Liam calls again anyway.

Theo feels his phone ringing in his back pocket, but he’s in the middle of taking a patient’s blood and can’t exactly stop right now. Within a minute, the call disconnects, but the caller tries again. Theo hands Dr. Geyer the vial and excuses himself.

“Can I take a call?”

“Yeah, be quick.”

Beyond the curtain, he panics at Liam’s name on the screen.

“Li? Are you okay?”

“I’m in the bathroom.”

“Okay? Can you expand on that a little?”

“I’m trying really hard not to do something stupid. I’m really bored. We’re doing absolutely nothing in English class, and my brain is screaming at me.”

“Okay, okay. Hey, take a deep breath. Get your mind on something else. Think about… What were you doing in your English class, hm? Tell me about it.”

“What were you doing in the hospital? I’d rather hear about that.”

“Well,” Theo hesitates, not sure if he wants to talk about it while Liam’s fending off urges about the same thing.

“C’mon, I’m curious. Your hospital stuff is way more important than Beowulf and the stupid creature he’s trying to kill.”

“Ah, you want to know a fun fact? The Dread Doctors made me read that book.”

“Wait, what?!”

“Part of them trying to be ‘parental,’ like I mentioned before? Yeah, it was a ‘kill two birds with one stone’ kind of thing for them. Read about this giant beast - kinda like the one we’re planning - and get some education in at the same time.”

“Wait, did they make you read a lot?”

“A lot of stuff I read by choice, just to keep busy and feel a little less alone, I guess, but they did make me do some school-like things. She did, I should say.”

Theo’s talked about her before, The Geneticist, out of the three. A woman was under that mask, and it could be said that she cared more about him than the other two. She saw him as a boy, under all the experimentation. A child, who needed to be raised and taught, despite the environment in which they existed.

Of course, though, she was as dedicated to the cause as the men were. She bonded to Theo - though it was mostly one-sided - and taught him what was necessary for him to grow up into an intellectual man, just like how he was as the boy they’d stolen.

She was also the one that selected his fake parents, whenever Theo would need to blend into a new town. She’d study them for weeks before the doctors imposed on their lives. Then, if they failed in any possible way, she would be the one to handle their fates.

“Wait, so how did that work? In between torture sessions, was she like, ‘hey, and this is the wrench I’ll be using on his teeth. You might use it someday to change a tire’?” Liam asks, then curses himself for being insensitive.

Theo snorts, unbothered by Liam’s impulsivity. He can’t help his curiosity, nor the speed in which he blurts out questions. “I mean… to an extent? She’d explain the tools they’d use and the science behind their experiments. But like, not every minute was spent torturing kids, so she had some time to actually sit me down and make me learn.”

“So you’ve technically graduated, but through the school of Three Mean Doctors in Gas Masks.”

“I guess so. But remember they’re from 1700s France, so… there’s a disadvantage there.”

“Oh. Oh my god, I forgot about that part.”

“They stayed somewhat in the loop of modern times. Enough so that they could blend in and continue their work. Plus, outside forces coming in exposed them to more present events. Garrett, in the 1940s. Malia’s mom, mid 2000s-ish.”

“Right. So-”

A knock on the door startles both of the boys. Before Theo can call out, Dr. Geyer’s voice comes out clearly on the other side. “Theo? You almost done?”

“Shit, is that my dad?”

“Yeah.” He lifts the phone away for a second. “Yes, sorry. I’ll be out in a moment.” Turning his attention back to Liam, he sighs. “Okay, Little Wolf. How are you doing?”

“Fine. Honestly, I forgot why I called.”

A wave of relief washes over the older boy. “That’s alright. I’ll see you soon.”

“Okay. God, school is so boring. I can’t wait for practice.”

“Score a goal for me. I lo-”

“Wait, Theo?”

“Hm?”

“I remembered why I called.”

“Are you okay?”

Liam takes a shaky breath. “I think so. Your voice- hearing it- talking to you helps.”

“I’m always here for you.”

“I know. Thank you.”

“You gonna be okay if I go back to work?”

“Yeah. I love you.”

“I love you too, Li.”

“Have fun listening to people cough.”

“Have fun reading about Grendel.”

⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆

Liam begrudgingly drags his feet to his appointment. His dad didn’t even bother to tell him he made one until an hour to time, interrupting his midday Saturday catnap to do so, and quizzing him on useless biology facts the whole way.

“C’mon, I know you have a test on Monday. Let’s go.”

“Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.”

“Liam. That is not what I asked.”

“I don’t know anything about blood pH or whatever you said.”

He sighs. “Why are you being so stubborn lately? You don’t put up a fight when Theo quizzes you on homework.”

“That’s because Theo rewards me with-” he stops suddenly, shutting his mouth.

“Don’t even finish that sentence,” his dad says anyway.

“I was gonna say with candy.”

“No you weren’t.” His tone is joking, but Liam’s not in the mood for it, lighthearted or otherwise. He hates the medication and his parents know that, and now, they’re scheduling him appointments again? The only thing worse than dealing with his anger is talking about it.

“Hey,” his dad nudges him gently. “It’ll be okay. Just a check up. Nothing major.”

His mom asked Theo to stay behind and help prepare for dinner, separating them at the time Liam needs him most. Whether she did that on purpose or not, he isn’t sure, but it sure feels like it was.

They pull into the parking lot and Liam already feels his blood pressure rising. He needs Theo to anchor him - that’s all he needs, not this stupid medication. It only makes him worse. They don’t understand. He’d be totally fine if he could just talk to-

“Liam, c’mon.”

He takes a deep breath and exits the car. He swipes the nail bed of his pointer finger under his teeth, cleaning out a bit of dried blood he’d missed earlier.

“Liam.”

“I am.”

He digs his best smile out from the vault - the one for his therapist, that he hasn’t used in years - and participates just enough to fool her that everything’s fine.

⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆

“Did you tell her about the… y’know?”

“Of course not. I don’t want to go to Eichen.” Theo sighs. “What? Do you think I should’ve?”

“No, but I think you should mention it to someone… your mom?”

“Oh, hell no. She’ll worry. And clearly, she’s already worried enough with the werewolf stuff. I can’t freak her out more.”

“Li, I’m worried. I don’t like the way this medication’s making you feel. I think you need to get off it-”

“No shit-”

“-and telling her will get you off it.”

“With my luck, they’ll up my dose even more.”

“Liam, please.”

“I can’t hurt her!”

“You’re hurting yourself!” Liam was going to say more, but Theo’s words cause his own to die in his throat. “This medication is literally causing you to hurt yourself because it’s making you so depressed, you’re having trouble coping with it. I know bad coping mechanisms, Liam, I’ve been there. I can’t sit by and watch this happen to you, knowing a huge contributor is that medication, and I know if your mom knew that, she’d do anything to help you get clean again. Just trust her! She cares for you, Li. Like I do, she loves you. Your dad loves you, and Mason, and Corey. None of us like seeing you in pain, and everyone can tell you are, even though I’m the only one that knows the extent of it.”

Liam stuns. His words have so much weight. Theo’s right, as much as it breaks his heart to hear. He isn’t only hurting himself, but those around him, too. Theo, the boy he always swore to protect. Mason, by keeping him in the dark this whole time.

“I’m not saying this to make you feel guilty,” Theo continues, responding to his silence. “I don’t want to make you feel that way at all. I just want you to know you have people who love you and will listen. Because, I love you, but I can only do so much. I can comfort you, I can clean your hands, and ease you into sleep, but I can’t get you off those meds, okay? You need to tell your parents.”

“Okay.” He finally agrees, hands trembling. Theo grabs them, and like before, kisses his fingertips gently, lovingly. “Can you help me?”

“Of course I can help you.”

⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆

The next evening when both his parents are home, the boys come down together from a ‘study session’ and take to the two chairs they usually occupy in the kitchen. Their knees touch slightly, anchoring each other in the time of uncertainty, and wait for Jenna’s attention to be available. She turns off the stove, then faces them.

“Hey boys. Studying going well?”

“Y-yeah.” Instead of studying, they’ve been going over this plan for the last two hours, but yeah, he guesses it went well, considering they’ve found the confidence to address the issue.

“Good, good.” Her eyes bounce between them. “Everything okay?”

“Um-”

“You didn’t break up, did you?”

“What?! No!”

“Oh. Thank god. I got worried for a minute.”

“Nothing like that. Mom, can I talk to you and dad both for a minute? It’s kind of important.”

“Of course, honey. David? Come here for a second, please.”

Liam knocks his knee into Theo’s, who smiles at Jenna for a moment before looking back down at the table. His sudden silence, despite encouraging Liam to talk about this in the first place, is not appreciated.

“Yeah, on my way,” David says, getting up from the couch in the living room.

“You’re an ass,” Liam mutters to Theo.

“I didn’t say anything!”

“That’s exactly why!”

“What’s up, boys? Everything okay?”

“Um, yeah-” Theo bumps his knee into Liam, who stutters, “-actually, um, no. Not really.”

“Okay, what’s wrong, sweet? School alright?”

“School’s fine. Everything’s fine. Ish. I-”

“Liam,” Theo urges.

“I’m trying!”

David and Jenna grow concerned by the minute. Both have their eyebrows furrowed and their full attention on the couple. Theo’s tempted to jump in and start for him, but fears Jenna’s reaction if he does.

“I, um, I guess, it’s-”

“Liam,” his mom sighs. “Are you okay? Did you remember your-”

“Yes, I took my meds today,” he interrupts, receiving the same stare Theo got about a week prior. “And that’s kind of the problem.”

Jenna sighs. She looks to Theo, then back at her son, head shaking in disapproval. “Liam, you agreed you’d take them again, for your safety, since we don’t know much about this supernatural stuff.”

“That’s the thing, though. The meds don’t help. They make it worse. I mean, not worse, really. They make me tired, so I don’t really have the energy to be mad, but lately, I don’t have a reason to be mad, so I’m tired for no reason.”

“Okay, I get that. I totally do. But it’s more of a preventative measure than anything else. What if something happens at practice? Or at a game?”

“Well that’s why I have Theo. Well, not the whole reason, obviously, but a large part of it.” He makes the mistake of glancing over at the boy, who’s now chuckling and gently shaking his head. It makes him smile. “Werewolves have these things called anchors that help them control their turns. I mentioned it awhile back, before the meds.”

“Yes, I remember.”

“Anchors can be anything from an object, or a mantra, or even another person, and Theo’s that for me. Whenever I’m angry, or at risk of turning, all I need to do is call him, or hear him, or frankly, just think about him, and I can control it. Or, if I’m struggling, he can always bonk me over the head, which has happened, but only in an extreme situation, where-”

“Liam.”

“Sorry.” He thanks Theo for the mini anchor right there - bringing him out of his rambling and back to the present. He looks to his parents again. “I don’t need the meds when I have Theo. He helps me with my anger more than any chemical drug ever could.”

Jenna shakes her head. “I’m glad you two have that trust in each other, but you have to take them, Liam. Your I.E.D. put you at enough risk without the extra strength of being a werewolf. I don’t want to take the chance.” She turns to Theo. “Did you put this in his head? That he doesn’t need it?”

“I-”

Theo starts to defend himself, but Liam cuts him off. “Mom. He only helped me admit what I couldn’t bring myself to admit. The meds didn’t help two years ago, which is why I stopped taking them. They’re doing more harm than good, and I don’t want to take them anymore.”

“What’s that mean? They help you, Liam. That’s what they’re for.”

“But they don’t.” He sighs. “Mom, you can’t freak.”

“What’s going on? What’s wrong?”

“I-” Theo nudges his knee gently, urging him on. “I don’t like the way they make me feel. I’m tired, too tired to play lacrosse, too tired to focus in school.”

“You’ve only been on them for a month. You’ll adapt.”

“You’re not listening,” he snaps, looking to his dad for direction. His understanding expression helps a little. He’s pro-medication, obviously, but also knows not every drug works for every situation. Jenna knows this, too - Liam knows, deep down - and she just wants the best for him, but it’s hard for her to understand this route isn’t the best. He knows the next thing he has to say will be even harder to hear, but he knows he has to say it. He has to come clean. It’s the only way to help him find what’s truly best for him.

“This medication’s messing with my head,” he continues. “I don’t have proof, but it’s bad for me.”

“What does that mean? ‘You don’t have proof’?”

“I… it’s been making me depressed, and I haven’t really been dealing with it in the right way.”

“What are you talking about, Liam?” His dad asks, concern etched on his face. He knows, Liam knows he knows, he’s just anxiously waiting for his worst fear to be confirmed.

“I, um,” he glances at Theo. “Dad?”

“Mhm?”

“Remember when you told me that people either hurt others or they hurt themselves?”

“I do.”

“Well, before, when I couldn’t control my anger, I took it out on others. But ever since turning, I don’t anymore. Unfortunately, that kinda only leaves me with the other option.” He pauses, avoiding eye contact with his mom who’s slowly realizing what he means. “And a lot of the time, Theo helps me control the urges, and I can fight it, but sometimes, I’m too embarrassed to admit it even to him, but he’s the reason I’m telling you. He’s given me the confidence to tell you. I just… I don’t want to keep hurting the people I love, and he’s made me realize that by hurting myself, I’m doing exactly that, and to be honest, I hate doing it to myself, too.” He looks at Theo, again. “Was that okay?”

The older boy rubs his back comfortingly. “Yeah, little wolf. You did a good job.”

He nods, turning his head once more. “Mom?”

Her eyes are watery as the truth sinks in. The words are like a hundred bricks sitting in her chest. “Show me your arms.”

Liam outstretches his arms, skin clear of any scars or blemishes. “We heal really quickly. Honestly, that’s part of the problem. If I had a scar to show for it, it’d probably be easier to stop, but…”

Jenna takes both of his wrists and examines closely. His skin is as soft as always, not a scar in sight. “Where did you do it?”

“Along here,” he points to the underside of his arms, elbow to wrist.

“With what?”

“My claws, mostly.” Jenna stifles a sob. “Are you mad at me? I didn’t mean to make you mad.”

She shakes her head. “No, baby, I’m not mad.” Jenna quickly makes her way around the counter to embrace him in a hug. “God, I’m not mad. Oh! Baby. I’m so sorry I didn’t realize sooner.” She kisses his head, once, twice, three times.

“You can’t blame yourself,” Liam says, “I hid it on purpose. I didn’t even mean for Theo to find out, he just… did.”

“Oh!” Jenna’s crying. He can feel her tears on his cheek. Her hands cradle his wrists as if they could shatter. Out of the corner of his eye, Liam can see his dad offering a sympathetic look. He waits for his wife to let go of their son, then gives him a hug of his own. Jenna then wraps her arms around Theo, kissing the side of his head. He freezes from the unexpected contact.

“Mom,” Liam calls for her attention, sensing his change in heart rate.

“I’m sorry. Thank you for being there for him. For paying attention to things we didn’t notice.” She lets them both go and circles back around the counter, though reaches across the granite to hold Liam’s hands in her own. She rubs his palms, softly massages his skin, and he can’t help but melt into her touch.

“Liam’s my anchor as much as I’m his. I mean, my… species, I guess, differs in that we don’t turn on full moons, but he helps whenever I’m angry or upset. Helps ground me back into a normal resting heart rate.”

Liam notices he doesn’t say something self-destructive like, Tara’s resting heart rate, and smiles. He’s healing, and learning to accept himself, and Liam’s helping him do that.

“So the anchor stuff you were talking about is really effective? If you’re feeling angry, Theo can calm you down?”

“Yeah.”

“What about before? You said you were turned at the start of freshman year, but you two didn’t start to get close until midway last year.”

“Before then, I had a mantra that Scott taught me. And then for a while, nothing worked, and I was struggling a little, but then, against my will, it became Theo.”

“Against your will,” Theo mutters, shaking his head but smiling.

“Yeah, you were a rat back then. I was so mad when I realized your dumbass calmed me down. And the fact that you already knew made it so much worse.”

“You’re easy to read, Dunbar.”

No, you’re just… overly observant.”

“Yeah, but you’re also easy to read. Especially when you’re angry.”

“Can you tell you’re making me angry right now?”

“Yeah,” he says, matter-of-factly.

“Yeah? Well what are you gonna do about it?” Theo stares at him. His parents watch in silence, not sure how to intervene or if they even should. “You just gonna stare at me?” Liam eggs on. “Really? You’re just gonna watch. Do nothing? I’m gonna go- I’m gonna go break that lamp over there, you see it?”

“Sure you are.”

“I am.” Liam starts to get up, but then sits back down. “Stop watching me.”

“Can’t. Sorry.”

“I’m gonna break your face.”

“Go for it.”

“You’re so annoying.”

“You’re a little drama queen sometimes.”

Liam rolls his eyes, then shifts to sit with his leg tucked underneath himself. Theo chuckles, but says nothing.

“Today Coach asked me if I had a twin and if we’d traded places, ‘because I was unusually slow and looked like I’d just crawled out of a rabbit hole’.”

“I’m gonna break Coach’s face.”

“Scott would kill you.”

“Scott doesn’t have good odds against me.”

Liam laughs, but then his eyes go wide at the memory and he covers his mouth in embarrassment. “Okay, topic change.”

“If you were a twin, the doctors might’ve taken you,” Theo continues, completely immersed in his banter with Liam and forgetful of the adults’ presence.

“They did take me.”

“They returned you for being annoying.”

“You rescued me, dumbass.”

“Oh, right. Wonder if I have a receipt.”

“I hate you.”

“Okay, boys,” Jenna interrupts. She can’t help but smile at how such a serious conversation has turned into a playful argument between the two. Maybe Liam will be okay without his meds. He has been for three years, without her knowledge. Maybe she overreacted a little too much. “Liam? I’m gonna need you to promise me something.”

“Mhm?”

“If we take you off the meds, you promise to get clean again? Come to one of us if you’re having trouble. Let me know if you do relapse again. Let me know when you’re feeling upset, if Theo’s not around, so I can help you get a hold of him.”

“Okay. I promise.”

“Okay, and let Mason know, when you’re ready, just so he knows.”

“I know, I just didn’t want to disappoint him. Plus, the less people that know, the better.”

“I understand.” Jenna squeezes his hands again. “Oh, baby. I should’ve listened to you about the anchor thing. I just didn’t understand at the time. I especially shouldn’t have upped your dose, but was afraid the typical dose wouldn’t be enough, but it just made everything worse!”

“It’s okay, Mom.”

“It isn’t okay! And you tried to tell me, and I wasn’t listening.” She nods at Theo.

“Well the important thing is that we all know, now, right? Liam can get off those meds and play without Coach throwing insults at him that might be incidentally risking his life.”

“Exactly right.” She smiles at the older boy. “Thank you.” Jenna then chuckles at the second part. “Thank you for protecting him.”

“We protect each other.” It’s cheesy, but it means the world to all of them, Theo included.

“And this time, you were protecting us, too,” David nods to him. The talk may have ended on a light note, but if it was never addressed, it could’ve had a very dark ending. David’s seen dangerous scars. He doesn’t know the depth of his son’s, but with claws, he knows the damage could’ve been worse than anything he’s seen. As for Jenna, he can’t even imagine how she feels. She’s probably wishing she argued to hug Theo for longer.

Theo smiles, but he clearly doesn’t know how to answer that. He isn’t used to being praised, despite hearing it quite often from Liam’s parents. This situation, though, is new. This is emotional. This affects more than just him and the person he’s trying to protect.

“You’re a good kid,” David continues.

Theo just nods. Liam leans over quickly and presses a kiss to his forehead. His parents smile at his inner conflict to accept the praise, while trying to give him more without it being overwhelming. He doesn’t counter it, though, which is progress from last time, so they leave it at that.

⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆

That night, with everyone off from work, the found family takes to the living room for a movie. The married couple make themselves comfortable on one couch, and the boys curl up on another. Liam’s heavy school binder, flipped to his English notes, sits between his legs - his dad and Theo both are forcing him to study during the intro credits, making him groan with annoyance.

“Alright, riddle me this-”

“No-”

“What weapon did Beowulf use to kill Grendel?”

“Nothing. He just used his hands, or whatever.”

“Right, good. And how many geats did Grendel kill?”

“Just the one.”

“There you go. And this woman, Asc - crap - Ace-”

“Aceshere.”

“Thank you. What’s her role in the story?”

“She’s kidnapped and killed by Gretel’s mom.”

“Grendel.”

“Oops.”

“It’s okay.”

Every time Liam gets the question right, Theo praises him and kisses the back of his head.

After two more, his arms snake up to rest around Liam’s neck to pull him closer. He points to another question on the study sheet. “That guy, what’s his name?”

“Hrothgar.”

“Yeah. How did-”

“I thought you’ve read this book. Why can’t you pronounce anything?”

“I read it when I was, like, eleven, Liam. Give me a break.”

“Oh.”

“From whom did that guy descend? And how did he know Beowulf?”

“Sheepshear. And he knew him because he was friend’s with his dad, or something.”

“Close enough, yeah. Shearson, I think.”

“Wait, but wouldn’t the doctors not like this book because the dragon’s defeated?”

“See, I asked that, but she said no, because the Beast had been defeated similarly, and so it was kind of a lesson for them to not repeat old mistakes.”

“Oh. I guess I see that.”

Jenna and David listen carefully to their chatter. They know the basics of Theo’s past, but he hasn’t told them as much as Liam obviously knows; they have no idea to whom she could possibly be referring, but whomever she is, Theo’s grown comfortable talking about her, and Liam listens intently, so that’s good enough for them.

They’re proud of them both, for surviving the things they have, and for coming out of them stronger. They’re proud of them for learning to rely on each other, through war and after it.

Liam knows it, that they’re proud, but they can tell Theo still has trouble processing it.

He’s a work in progress, but Jenna has to admit, so is Liam, and they’re dedicated to both.

They’re especially proud of them, now, handling not only supernatural threats, but those that threaten them much more personally. Theo has obvious trauma, and Liam’s battled his IED for years, but they help each other through it.

When the last commercial plays on the old DVD, the cheery music that opens the movie begins to play. Jenna sighs a little, enjoying watching the boys interact more than she likes to admit. She likes seeing them happy and healthily co-dependent.

Theo acknowledges the change in music faster than Liam does. He prods him on the shoulder and kisses his head at the same time.

“Alright, movie’s starting, you can stop now.”

“Thank god.” Liam closes his binder and drops it on the ground with a thud that makes his mom jump.

“Liam!”

“Sorry,” he says, without much apology in his tone. “What are we watching, again?”

“The Conjuring,” Theo jokes.

“What?!” Liam whips his head around in distress, eyes wide.

“I’m kidding! It’s The Parent Trap.”

“God, I hate you!” He turns back and slumps his chest against Theo’s hard, making the boy short with breath.

“Jeez, Li.”

“Sorry.” There’s a little more sympathy this time, considering Liam can hear the lack of air in his lungs from his small voice. “I love you, actually.”

“I know.” Theo finds his hands from underneath the blanket and pulls them up to kiss his fingers. “I love you, too. Actually.”

“Shut up.”

#liam dunbar x theo raeken #liam dunbar x theo raeken fanfic #thiam fic #thiam fanfic #teen wolf fanfiction #tw: sh #tw: implied s3lf h4rm

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gayuu-the-necromancer · 2 years ago

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William Rex

Chapter 2

｡⋆｡˚🦋˚｡⋆｡

William: "Ahahaha! You're the unluckiest person I've ever met. To think that in the end you were forced to say yes to teaming up with a person you're most wary of."

Kate: "Um..it's not like that...."

William: "It's fine, you don't need to deny it. It's not like I'm particularly offended or anything."

Right when Victor proposed the idea of teaming up with Master William, the man himself showed up. There was no way I could have said no.

I ended up accepting to work with Master William.

(....As the 'Fairy tale master' I have to win the trust of these people, so that I can go back to my normal life)

(If keep being vigilant and don't go off on tangents, I'll be fine)

Kate: "So...Master William."

William: "William."

Kate: "....William, what are your plans for today?"

(What if he's going to take me to another blood-soaked arena....)

Opium dens, East ends slums....

I asked all the unsafe places I could think of and all he did was...

Laugh funnily.

William: "Sorry to disappoint you, my lady. But we don't kill people every day and night."

-----Options-----

I don't know what to expect.

Sorry.

Thank god.

--------

(No matter how terrifying last night was....me asking that is still rude)

Kate: "........Sorry, that was rude of me."

William: "No. It's a natural reaction. Besides...."

William: "I quite like that honest look on your face and the fact that you ask so many questions."

William: "To tell you the truth, I don't have any plans for today."

William: "I guess, maybe, going to town for a bit to gather info..."

At that moment, a bright voice flew in close by.

Liam: "Good morning Will! Oh, you too, Kate."

(Oh, that voice is...)

Kate: "Good morning, Li......um?"

Kate: "Mr. Roger....I didn't know you were good at mimicking other people.....?"

Roger: ".....It's not me. Liam, stop pranking everyone with your ability, will you?"

Liam: "Ahaha, sowwy~"

Kate: "HUH!?!?"

With a light giggle, Liam popped out of thin air.

Liam: "Haha, that's a fresh reaction. Did I surprise you that much?"

Kate: "Aha....so 'disappearing' is your special ability?"

Liam: "Yep. I guess the correct way of saying it is to 'become invisible' to the eyes of people at a certain distance. Fufu, is quite convenient, is it not?"

William: "You look happy. Are you having fun experimenting with Roger, again?"

Liam: "As expected of you, Will. You know everything."

Kate: "Experimenting?"

William: "Roger, himself is a cursed 'traitorous hunter', and is researching about the curse."

Liam: "He's an oddball who joined the Crown because he wanted samples other than himself."

Roger: "I do human experiments all the time. Liam here is my cooperative test subject."

(Human experiments.....)

Roger: "That's right. I'm also planning to do some comparative testing with the general public."

Roger: ".....Young lady, do you want to cooperate?"

｡⋆｡˚🦋˚｡⋆｡

Roger: ".....Young lady, do you want to cooperate?"

Kate: "Eh...?"

(I don't know what he will make me do. I'm scared)

I swallowed my fear that welled up.

Kate: "If that's within the scope of my duties as a Fairy tale master then.....""

William: "......."

Roger: "....Heh Hahaha. Didn't think you'd actually take it seriously. My bad, I was joking."

Kate: "Eh....O-Oh....?"

(Well.....thank god, I guess)

Liam: ".....Will? What's wrong?"

William: ".....No, nothing."

.............

We parted ways with Roger who went straight to his lab, and Liam joined William on a walk to our unknown destination.

(Hm...? What is that?)

As we approached the entrance hall, I noticed what was not there last night piled high in a voracious pile in the center of the hall.

A frame wrapped in fine cloth, a coffin with a design of obvious historical value.

Necklaces with gemstones larger than a fist displaced on a torso mannequin....

Other beautiful things are lined up in a narrow space.

Alphonse: "Haa...El did it again."

Liam: "Good morning, Al. Did you just come home?"

Alphonse: "Yes. My friends....wouldn't let me go last night."

As Mr. Alphonse approached our direction, he had a languid atmosphere and I smelled the muddled sweet scents of multiple perfumes.

(It would be wise not to ask....what he had been doing until morning)

Alphonse: "Let's have these taken to El's room."

Alphonse: ".....At the end of the day, it's probably destined to be thrown away again in the room like a piece of junk."

Alphonse: "Anyways, goodnight everybody."

Mr. Alphonse, with a theatrical lament, left for the back of the castle.

Liam: "Master El is cursed with the curse of the Queen of Greed."

Liam: "He is looking for the 'most beautiful thing' in the world....that's why sometimes he can be like this."

Kate: "So all of that was Master Elbert's belongings?"

Liam: "Yep. I heard that the Queen from Snow White is based on this curse. Also, not to forget, Al's curse is of the 'Magic Mirror."

Jude: "Tsk...What the hell is this? I can't walk."

｡⋆｡˚🦋˚｡⋆｡

Jude: "Tsk...What the hell is this? I can't walk."

Mr. Jude appears with a swear word and stomps over the coffin with his foot.

(It's like he's punishing...)

Ellis: "Good morning, William, Kate, and Liam. We're off to work. See you later."

Behind him, Ellis jumped over the coffin, like it was nothing.

Liam: "Have a nice day~ .....Their curses are 'the 13th Wizard' and the Thorn."

Liam: "Do you know about the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale?"

Suddenly, Ellis, who was about to leave the castle, looked back at us as if he had just remembered something.

Ellis: "I see that the newspapers have already reported about last night's incident, Will. They say the Queen of Hearts is out."

William: "It's earlier than expected. Seems that there is an excellent reporter. Thank you, Ellis."

(Queen of Hearts...?)

I nod my head as I watch his back as he leaves the castle.

Liam: "It's from Alice in Wonderland, published decades ago. 'The Queen of Hearts."

Liam: "Off with his head!' is what she always says, right?"

Liam: "That's why the newspapers write funny things like Will's tricks."

Kate: "I see...."

Liam: "Roger says that the Queen of Hearts itself may be based on the curse of the 'Self-righteous King."

Liam: "I don't really know if that's true."

I wrote down every piece of knowledge I received one by one in my notebook so as to not forget.

Kate: "Saying that 'the Queen of Hearts is out' means that William's assassination is famous?"

Liam: "Of course. Will is one of the founders of the Crown."

Liam: "It's is said that the Crown was created as a result of an incident that Will caused, right?"

William: "Yeah. You remember it so well. My cat is listening to me."

(....I see)

So, it was before the Queen gave the order.

William may have 'conquered evil with evil' in some cases.

(...And that there was a reason for her Majesty to think it should be continued)

(The Crown...William, what are they all fighting for?)

William: "Speaking of which, Liam, how was your stage practice today?"

Liam: "The show is this afternoon! But the action scene is pretty hard."

(Stage...show....)

Instinctively, I reacted to those words.

In the end, I ended up not receiving my paycheck for the month, so my dream of getting a ticket with my night shift paycheck was no more.

On the contrary, I won't be able to say anything about the theater for the next month.

(....I wish I could see it)

William: "......."

William: ".....I've decided my plans for today."

Kate: "Eh!?"

William: "Let's go see the play."

｡⋆｡˚🦋˚｡⋆｡

(My job should be to observe William and note his sins, not to enjoy watching the play with him)

William: "Rain rain go away, come again anot her day....♪"

(The person singing in a good mood next to me is the one who should be monitoring me)

(Not a gentleman who will go out of his way to please me...but)

Kate: "Um...Since this is a popular show, we might not get tickets if we unexpectedly go on the day of the show!"

William: "Don't worry. I got it."

Liam had me dressed up with gusto, and I was standing in front of the theater, escorted by William.

William: "Where do you wanna sit?"

When asked, I reflexively think of the area in the front row where I can have a good view of the stage.

(I like watching it there the best. I will be able to see the expressions on the actors' faces when they come out on stage....)

(...But it's too extravagant to order so much)

Kate: "As long as I could see it, I would be happy with any seat."

William: "Hmmm?"

After climbing the stairs and walking to the reception area, William said his name and for some reason, the manager jumps right out.

Manager: "Master William, how may I help you?"

William: "I need two seats for tonight's show."

Manager: "Sure."

(Huh....?)

William: "As one of the supporters of this theater, I have some flexibility."

The manager and William proceeded to talk familiarly, despite my lack of understanding.

Manager: "Is it your usual seat?"

William: "No. Are there any seats in the front row?"

Kate: "Eh....!?"

When I started trembling with joy but also holding back from jumping with excitement, William's eyes softened gently as if he could see through me.

William: "Heh, if you are this happy, you should have told me you wanted to sit in the front from the very beginning."

Manager: "Thank you for your patience. We have your seats ready."

(Ready....? That means I can finally see it)

William: "Thank god. Let's go then."

(It was something that I'd had to work hard for months and also I have to be so lucky to get it so easily....)

(Life is so unfair.....)

(....But, I'm still happy)

..........

Entering the theater, my buoyant mood was immediately blown away.

(It's not a level that stands out)

Even in the front world, William seems to be a celebrity, from the aristocrats in the royal box seats to the commoners on the second floor.

On top of that, all their gazes seem painful, like knifes being thrashed on my back.

(Is it because it's unusual for him to be seating in the front row....or is it because he has a lady with him?)

I was terribly nervous because I had never been exposed to such stares, but more than that....

(Isn't it kind of bothering?)

I glanced to the side and my gaze tangled with William's streaming eyes.

William: "Don't worry, I'm used to it."

Kate: "....Oh, I see."

(I'm slowly getting used to his mind reading)

William: "By the way, I also know what happens when I look back at the person who stares at me."

Kate: ".....What happens?"

William: "50% - will look away, 40% - will smile at me."

Kate: "....And the remaining 10%?"

William: "Raises their middle finger and say 'I hate you.' Mostly men of course."

Kate: "Fufu, what's with that?"

I couldn't help but feel the weight of my shoulders being reduced.

(.....Seriously, what a strange man)

It's obvious, but I, or anyone else besides the Crown, have been involved with him and have liked or disliked him.

Realizing that....I felt for the first time that he was the same person living in the same world.

William: "You are finally smiling."

Kate: ".....Was I not smiling that much?"

William: "Yeah, and even now, you're laughing to your heart's content only half of the time."

Kate: "Eh...."

William: "Oh look, the curtain is about to open....the show is gonna start."

I was tilting my head at the meaning of his words, but the stage, which began immediately, took my attention away.

By the time it was over, I had forgotten all about it.

｡⋆｡˚🦋˚｡⋆｡

Kate: "I thought he was really stabbed with a knife in that scene! How could he act like that?"

On the way home after the play, my excitement of seeing the play so close up was too hard to shake off.

William: "Have you never really been stabbed before?"

Kate: "Eh....that's unexpected. Isn't it obvious?"

William: "Why not? Nowadays, anesthesia and suturing techniques are more advanced and he could have been stabbed by someone he knew for acting."

William: "And he had a habit of dragging his left leg a little."

William: "It's common for nerves to be compressed by an open wound during suture surgery, leaving the lower extremities paralyzed."

Kate: "Oh....really?"

William: '....What do you think?"

(If it's true....that's a hell of a passion)

I can't see myself giving my life at the risk of possibly dying.

(Is that what love does to you?)

Thinking with a straight face, William burst out laughing.

William: "AHAHAHA! What's with that face?"

Kate: "Eh.....?"

William: "It's just my speculation, Kate."

William: "You trust my words too much, even though you think you should be wary of me."

I suddenly got embarrassed when I realized that I took his words too seriously.

Kate: "Seriously...please don't make fun of me."

I reflexively retorted and covered his mouth with my hand.

(I shouldn't...from earlier)

(I was excited by the play and emotionally moved)

William: "....Kate."

But, William gently removed my hand that was covering his mouth.

William: "You have a habit of taking people's feelings into consideration, but you try to push your own feelings into the background."

William: "It doesn't seem like it's because I was the main killer."

William: " 'I'm afraid of working with you', 'I don't want to be a part of your human experiments', 'I want to go see the play', 'I want to sit in the front row."

William: " 'I don't want to be teased'....."

William: "They are all genuine feelings. Why hide them?"

(Why....?)

The question was asked so curiously that a strange feeling welled up in my heart.

(I don't know...why)

(But...I just)

(I felt like I shouldn't....voice my heart as it is)

Kate: "I don't have any...particular reason as to why."

William: "You could have cursed me. Like calling me a murderer or selfish."

Kate: "It's just...I don't know you so well enough to curse you, and...."

William: "That's absolutely right."

William: "If so....would you like to know more?"

I was perplexed by that question.

(Why are you asking me that?)

(I know that I need to understand his sin...to be able to return to my normal life)

(It shouldn't matter to me....whether I intend to know or not)

Kate: "....it's for my goal."

William: "Mmhmm."

William simply smiled and looked at me.

(Why is smiling so much when looking at me?)

Ever since I met him, I'm at the mercy of his smile.

(....Even right now, he's not looking at me)

(He's trying to see what's in my heart....and it makes me restless)

Kate: ".....Thank you for bringing me to the show today."

William: "You're welcome. I was originally planning to come to town anyways, so don't worry about it."

William: "So, where shall we go next?"

Kate: "Hm? Aren't we going home....?"

William: "Haha, Why? Is it your bedtime, already?"

William: "Don't worry, for the next month, your life will be far from modest."

William: "Oh, I know a place. It's safe and fun. You'll love it."

Big Ben is showing at 9pm. Just watching the play is enough, I'm full.

Besides, it doesn't feel right to go to a 'fun place' alone....that too with an assassin on a night like this.

(But....)

But, today he was there for me. He saw what I wanted and gave it to me.

Was it a trap to get me to nod to this invitation, or was it his true kindness?

Once that was clear, I felt I could understand just a little bit more about who he was.

William: "Come, let's go."

There is only one way to know.

Chapter 3

#ikemen series #ikemen villain #ikemen villains #ikemen villains william #otome #cybird #cybird ikemen #cybird otome #ikemen mc

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bea28 · 6 months ago

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i just finished Iron Flame and there are theories ☝️🤓

⚠️ this is your only warning, there WILL be SPOILERS for both books ahead

SO.. i’ve been watching theories on tiktok about violet’s second signet and saw someone talk about this one (and in my opinion i think she already manifested it, she just didn’t notice it yet)

bare with me…

You know how Andarna had her own little secret revealed at the and of IF right? how she is her own “type” of dragon and is basically able to “change colors” as we’ve seen when she was hiding in the rocks, she basically “morphed” into the rocks to hide. So with that, i think her power for violet (or violets signet from her) will be crazy unique and rare. Keeping that in mind let’s proceed.

another little thing that was just thrown out there is how Andarna is always saying “i’ll be where i’m needed” or “im where i need to be” anytime Violet or Tairn tells her to stay safe, and she’s ALWAYS there when needed, she’s always there to help violet (aka saving her life many many times). And thinking about how Rebecca likes to basically hide things in plain sight, just like the fact that Xaden could read violets mind and would sometimes even respond to it and violet wouldn’t notice, i think we shouldn’t ignore Andarnas comments.

we also know that signets are what a riders need the most, just like Xadens need for secrets (shadows)

SO ive been thinking about what violet needs most or moments where she needed something specific, and turns out she needs a lot of things, like when she needed liam to help hold herself together during interrogation (talking to the dead) or when she needed to jump from one dragon to the other during the final war (speed) or how she constantly needs people to tell her the truth so she can make her decisions (truth sayer) or how she constantly needs mending (mender) or how she ran so fast to raise the wards, that someone even said “oh i’ve never seen you run so fast” (speed again)

(i honestly think this are the moments where she has used her signet already ⤴️)

and thinking about the future, she will probably need to talk to the dead again because her parents are dead and they have information she will for sure need, like her mom researching about a cure for venin or her dads research about feather tails, this information won’t be written anywhere, only the people involved will be able to tell her about it (but they’re dead). She will also need the truth now more then ever to be able to save Xaden, no more secrets or lies (i’ll just put it here about how there’s theories that her brother is venin or a traitor, which i kind of believe)

so i think her signet is just like andarna’s color.. changing and based on need

i think she will be able to manifest any signet as long as she NEEDS it (just like the rune xaden used on one of her daggers) and will be able to switch between all signets depending on her need at the moment, i think she’s been doing it since the interrogation room, she just didn’t notice, since every single time she did, she was in desperate need and just did things and kept going, never stopping to analyze anything further.

and since andarna apparently refuses to tell her things based on “if you didn’t figure out yourself, you wouldn’t be worthy” i think andarna is just waiting for violet to figure it out herself while giving little hints with the “i’ll be where im needed”

Also, let’s not forget that Andarna has been waiting hundreds of years to hatch, she’s been waiting for violet “the weaker Sorrengail that has the mind of a scribe and the heart of a rider”

PLUS i cant get Tairns line out of my head “i know exactly who and WHAT you are, Violet Sorrengail” this with the knowledge that her mom has been researching about a cure for venin since before everything happened, i honestly think her mom or dad was venin and Violet is a kind of half blood or something. I really think her parents knew it, given her moms research and the fact that her dad had the ONLY book about venin and wayverns and made it a point to read it to his kids.

thinking now…. “magic always balances itself” what if violets fragility is all about that, magic balancing itself, making her body weaker because her magic or power is too strong.

anyways… that’s it, that’s what i’ve gathered from all the videos i’ve watched on it, and what i think is more likely to be. i wrote this all from memory so im sorry if there’s anything not accurate or if you’ve already thought about this lmao. i’m just writing it here so i can come back to it after Onyx Storm.

i tryed to simplify it the most i could here, so there’s a lot more details to it if we just think about little things that maybe went unnoticed in the books, like how violet seems to always “hear had dads voice” when se needs any information he knew, or how liam taught her that she could show Dain what she wanted him to see in her mind even tho he couldn’t possibly know that, or how she’s always making herself a silver crown with her hair, or how xaden gave her so many daggers with runes we still know nothing about… i don’t know there’s so many things and i’ve only read the books once so i didn’t even notice everything

#fourth wing #iron flame #violet sorrengail #xaden riorson #rebecca yarros #fan theory #onyx storm

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queenmiarys · 2 years ago

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A/N: hello everyone, this wasn't my intention to start writing then put things off , plus with this I tried to do my research and I asked a few of the ladies here some advice, a few weeks ago I called my uncle who's a doctor and asked him, so if any advice please just inbox me, I know no one who's even been shot before so here's what I came up with.

A/N please excuse any errors or misspellings, I did very little editing, this has been sitting in Google docs a while waiting on an end to be added. I want to thank anyone who reads and like my story. Any feedback is welcomed trust me I would not be offended, this is a learning experience to me, I wrote somewhat in middle school, I read others work and be like some of you could be professional writers.

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ENVY

Book: The Royal Romance

Paring: Liam x Mia

Summary: Summary: This takes place 2 years after meeting Riley, Liam meets 24 year old Amelia Ramos and starts a new relationship.

Rated R

Most characters belong to pixelberry

Warning: Gun violence, some profanity, 18+

Chapter 3 Disaster strikes

New York

"Liam needs me, it's a big night, so Maxwell told me Liam has met someone he spent a lot of time with while he was here."

"Yeah Drake told me about her, but do you think he's over Riley?"

"The way Max tells it he is, he said has the same look for Mia he used to have for Riley.

"Oh interesting but what about the situation?

"That's not our place, but thank you for being there for her, I love you."

"I love you too Olivia." He pulled her close and showered her with soft kisses

"Leo, you'll make me late." I need to Shower and get dressed."

-------

Cordonia

Liam spent most of his day in meetings. He made it back to his quarters at 3pm, he knew Mia would be up around 7am to get ready for work.

She answered on the second ring. ”Hello beautiful, how is your morning going?"

“It’s okay I just really miss you a lot, " I was just having coffee and doing a little online grocery shopping before work." Liam hit the FaceTime button

I miss you too, my love. I've closed the deal I was working on, so after this fundraiser, I can come visit for a few days. I know you have work and you planned to come here in 2 weeks." A knock on his door. "My love someone is at my door, can you hold for a moment."

"Sure."

“My son, we need to talk."

“Okay father give me a minute I was on a call, I’ll be right back."

“My love It’s my father he needs to talk with me, I’ll call you when you get off work.( Kisses)

" Okay lo, I mean kisses talk to you later." Oh boy I almost told him I love him, good save I hope, you know it's too soon for that she said to herself.

"Yes Father?"

"May I come in?"

"Sure father"

"Son, you know I'm getting up in age, it's time I stepped down."

"When?"

"At the end of the next social season, William, I need you to find a wife. Madeleine is my first choice, but I can understand you looking elsewhere, but to reality secure that you choose a good queen,Princess Francine Hassan of Morocco, or Princess Alana of Norway, either woman would be a wonderful choice for Cordonia for different reasons and I met the princess of Norway she's so beautiful."

"Father, I will not be in some loveless marriage or marry for Cordonia, I will find my own wife, someone I love and care about."

"All I have ever tried to do is protect you, from getting hurt, from experiencing the pain I was caused when someone took your mother, the only woman I've ever loved away from me, you are all I have left of her.

He felt bad for his father, but he still wanted love and if he was granted a second chance, he was going to grab it and hold on for life.

"I understand, but I'm a man you must trust that I'll make the right decisions regarding my love life." He finally said

"Son, your enemies will use the people you love against you and that will hurt you more than anything, remember I love you son, and only try to protect you."

" I love you too father, but if you'll excuse me I gotta go, I take it you can see your way out."

He walked into the hallway, he took a deep breath to try calm his nerves before he called Drake.

Hey Li."

"I really need to relax before this Gala, are you guys for a spa day?'

"Sounds good buddy." Max said

"Yeah count me in." Drake said

They were all relaxing when Max brought up Mia.

Liam smiles at just thinking of her. " I am falling for her, I mean she could be the one, I don't know what about this woman that makes me so happy but I believe that we belong together, I mean she's beautiful, smart, caring and she smells absolutely amazing all the time, guys I so wish she were here tonight."

" Buddy I'm so happy to see you happy again, you deserve it." Max said

"And so do you Drake, you'll meet someone, who will make you happy."

Liam Studied Maxwell for a moment, " My friend, so do you, are you still dating that Mark guy?"

Max,was looking down avoiding eye contact, Drake turned to look into his eyes "Okay Beaumont spill it, what are you hiding?"

"I was on a date with Ava and Mark ruined my date, he caused a scene, both broke up with me.

"Why didn't you talk to us?" Liam asked

"Really, it's no big deal."

"I'm assuming this happened around 2 weeks ago? Drake said"

"How did you know that?"

"Well Beaumont you were in an unusually bad mood,"

Drake laughed. "Oh my God Beaumont, I just realized all the women you've dated are red heads."

Maxwell smiled. "So what about it?"

“So you do have a thing for Liv?"

"I never thought of her that way, sometimes she can be kinda scary and sexy at times." Desire crossed his eyes for a moment

“I don’t know you all made me think how hot she can be at times, but she probably would never date me

"Never know until you try Max, Liam patted him on the back

“Let face it Max said, she always had a thing for you Rys men.

"What do you mean men? I only knew she was kind of into me."

“Max and Drake laughed, kind of, she's been in love with you forever man."

“ But after she found out your feelings for blossom, I saw her making out with Leo ."

Both Drake and Liam's mouths hang open.

“My brother always gets what he wants but just plays with women's feelings too much, I hope he's not going to hurt my friend."

They all made it back to the palace and went there separate ways to get ready for the Gala, it was now 7pm, Liam had the chef to prepare him dinner, there would be food but they served dinner really late at this event.

He ate, then showered and got dressed, it was 9pm time for the Gala. Mia was just getting off work, he faced her, she picked up on the first ring, “Hello beautiful how was your day?"

“It was nice, I just miss you like crazy, I have been thinking I own my own business and Jennifer is reliable, I want to come to visit you."

“My love, that sounds wonderful, but I didn’t want to pull you away from anything important, you told me your work was very important."

“It is but in a short time you become important to me too, you told me you had a ball to attend right?".

“Yes a fundraiser to help families living on the streets of Cordonia, we give them a home and see if we can help them get on there feet, we only help them for a year, we support them either till they find a job or they opt out of the program, we hate to see that happen, we start this last year we helped 10 families get on their feet, last year we only raised 6 million."

“I will ask my dad to put in 6 million for me, I’m sure once he sees why I’m asking he’ll have no problem with it, we've been talking for 30 minutes and you have a ball to attend."

“I'd rather stay in my suite talking to you all night, a knock on the door, he let out a sigh sorry my love It’s my guard (Kisses) call you once I am done."

————————————————————–

He mingled and worked the room, he knew his smile could get him just about anything he wanted, he had already raised 10 million dollars this year, he thought about Mia 16 if her father gives, an older lady walked up that he had never saw before, she offered 20 million if I spent one night with her, I had to decline, after all she to old and I have a girlfriend.

I worked the room more, Drake and Maxwell and Rashad, come over laughing, I see you sent Mrs. Ferguson."

“Neville actually slept with her for her 30 mill for his father's charity event." Rashad said laughing.

“So gross I couldn’t imagine being with someone who could be my Nanna, come on I am only 26 and that lady is like 60/70." Liam said as he laughed.

——————————————————————————-

Mia had hung up and went and showered, she hadn't washed her sheets yet that still smelled of him, she only slept on his side of the bed, he had left a bottle of his cologne behind and she would spray a little in the air before falling asleep

She slept for about an hour before she heard banging on the door, it was almost five, they came in with wine coolers and food, Jen looked around. " Is your man back already?"

“I wish, sit guys I want to talk to you, Jennifer I need you guys help, I want to visit Liam, but I need someone I can trust with my baby, you both know how important my career is, but I got to be honest in a short time I’ve fallen in love with Liam .

“Love is big Mia, you just met him." Jen said.

“I know but I have never felt this way for anyone before, sure I have loved guys but I was never in love with them."

Her friend's mouth hung open, the sex must be good if he got you all in love, she didn’t look up at her, so you haven’t had sex?" Oh my God you really are in love."

“ Let's take your mind off this call my brother Amy, let’s play cards, Daniel came over.

“So Dan, who's your new boy toy this week?

“Are you staying with mom again?"

"Jen, please I'm fine, and God no I'm not staying with mom."

“I was just checking on you, I wish you would settle down and pick one guy, we all worry about you"

“Jen you start this every time you are drunk stop it, I am fine."

She didn’t say anything else, she took her phone out texting her mom.

The announcement caught Mia's attention. "Turn that up.

"This is Craig Shyster reporting from Corodia General hospital, we got a tip that Prince William Rys, was shot in the shoulder doing a Gala fundraiser last night and the person who shot him was shot dead on scene, right now we have no further information about the Prince condition at this time."

It was like someone punched me in the gut , I got dizzy, I was losing my mind, all flights were canceled to or from Cordonia, I got myself together, I called my father.

He could hear my voice trembling, asking what was wrong.

“Father, did you see the news about Prince William Rys?"

“Yes I saw it but what does that have to do with you?

“He’s the guy I was telling you about."

"No flights are going in or out. I need your private jet.

“Mia, that might not be a good idea, the prince just shot you in danger.

“Please father, I don't care, I need to get to the man I love."

“But you haven’t known him long and you believe you love him?"

“Yes and he may be dying thinking I didn’t care enough to come be at his side, father please I’ll do you want even let you put me back under your protection, I will follow whatever you want to get me to Cordonia please."

—-------;--

2 hours earlier

Olivia and Penelope made their way over to Liam smiling, “ we made 4 times the amount as last year,

Him and Olivia walked across the room. “So I hear you met someone"

“Who told you this?

“I can’t reveal my secrets, but if this Mia woman is what you want I wish you all the best."

“Can I ask you something Olivia?

“Sure you can."

“Why didn’t you tell me about you and Leo?"

“Well we didn’t tell anyone it just happened."

"I assume my father doesn’t know, and how do you feel about Leo?

“I love him, and Con knows they had a big fight about 6 months back, we were at Leo’s in California when your father visited him, but don’t worry me and Leo will handle it."

A man walked over and handed Liam a note saying his father needs to speak with him, unknown to Liam his father had got a similar note saying Liam needed to speak with him, excuse me lady Olivia

————————————————————–

Drake went along as security, they entered the room and it was dark, “I guess my father hasn’t arrived yet, they turned on the light and one of the head guards, Damien, had a gun pointed at Constantine's head.

“Dammit what are you doing Damien?"Drank asked

“ avenging my parents death, see along with Olivia parents, my family should be on the throne, my brother may have failed but I won’t."

"Your old man ordered my parents alone with Olivia parents to be assassinated for fighting for what was rightfully theirs, the Rys family should have never been on the throne

"Gentleman let me tell you, your father is not a good man

Drake's eyes went wide,giving an annoyed look. What the hell is he talking about your father.

Damien could see Drake trying to figure out what he was talking about

"Oh my Mr. Walker I assume that King Constantine has never told you he’s your real father?" Am I right?" He laughed."

“What? He’s not my father you fucken psycho and never will be!"

“Drake my boy I have documents that say otherwise, the birth certificate you have is from America but see you were born here, your father the king arranged it all, for Jackson to adopt you and legally become your father go on ask him to tell the truth ?'

Tears were running down Drake face, "TELL THIS SONOFABITCH YOU ARE NOT MY FATHER GO ON CON FOR ONCE IN YOUR MISERABLE LIFE TELL HIM HE’S WRONG."

“Son I can’t do that, it’s all true your mother was my mistress and she got pregnant, she didn’t know who your father was me or Jackson, but the test come back 99.9 that I was your father, so I paid off American doctor to say you were born in the US, were only a week old."

Drake fort Back his emotions, he knew he had to sort out whatever feeling he had later, right now he had to stay in professional mood and dispose of the situation at hand

"Who dies first?" they head Damien ask

"I volunteer, please just let my boys go they haven't done anything but be born into the Rys family but they are innocent."

" I love both of you and only try to do whatever is best for you."

"How touching." He pulled the trigger and Liam leaped in front of his father getting shot In his Left shoulder, both Constantine and Liam hit the ground, at this time Drake has managed to get his spare gun and shooting Damien dead.

Drake took off his dress shirt asking Constantine to apply pressure to the wound, until he can get some help

Once the EMT arrived, they were led in and out through a secret tunnel, they got him to hospital quickly.

#Liam Rys #liam& MC #envy #trr #DrakeWalker #cordonia #NewYorkCity #gun violence

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jgmartin · 1 year ago

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MISTER GALLOWS

[TW: child abuse]

"I don't like him," Liam says, staring a hole into the ground. "Mister Gallows hurt my sister, and he tried to hurt me too."

The kid's young, younger than most subjects I've dealt with. He's witnessed an Event, and not just any Event, a serious one. It's something that could have massive implications. My bosses are calling it a situation, and they're telling me that I need to get his story, and I need to get it quickly because people's lives are on the line.

I'm an Interviewer for an organization known as the Facility. I specialize in working with juveniles who have crossed paths with the supernatural. Liam Hanesworth is one such kid. He's just shy of twelve years old, but he looks worn down. His eyes are framed with heavy bags, and his skin is tight to his cheekbones. He's also missing at least three of his teeth.

"How did he hurt your sister?" I ask. The room we're in is brightly lit, with cartoon animals nailed to the walls and faded imprints of Looney Tunes on the carpet. It's designed to calm kids down.

"He pulled out her teeth."

I write down his words on my clipboard. As I do, I record details about Liam. His expression. His tone of voice. It's all important in some way or another. All of it swims together to build a picture of whether what he's saying is true or false. Sometimes it's both, and the minutia helps determine where reality ends and the lies begin.

"Why did he do it?" I ask.

Liam shrugs, rubbing his arm. It's an expression of discomfort, of nervousness. He's not sure he should be talking so much. He's not sure it's safe to say. "You want to know why he pulled out her teeth?"

"That’s right." I already know Liam’s sister is dead. She’s been dead for several months, so it seems strange that he would fixate on the monster pulling out her teeth, as opposed to the murder. “Do you know why?”

He shakes his head. There's something there, though, in his eyes. There's something that says he isn't telling me the full story, so I press him. "Does he ever talk to you, Liam, this Mister Gallows?"

He nods. He still won't look at me, but that's okay. Kids are nervous at the best of times. After what he's been through, I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't look another person in the eye for years.

"What does he say when he speaks to you?"

Liam opens his mouth. His lips are pale, and they tremble. "He tells me I can't talk about him."

"It's okay," I say. "I'm one of the good guys." I pull out my badge, with the howling wolf inlaid in gold, and I show it to him. "See? I'm like a police officer, except for kids dealing with scary things. I can make that stuff go away."

It's a line I've used a hundred times before. I'm not sure it's ever worked.

"I'm not a kid," Liam says, folding his arms. "I'm almost twelve, and I don't think anybody can make him go away."

Liam's smart for his age. Top of his class. According to my preliminary research and the discussion I had with his father, he's never felt at home around other children. 'They bore him,' his father said.

"What if I can make Mister Gallows go away, though?" I lean back in my chair, and its legs creak under my weight. "Don't you think that's worth a shot?"

There's a moment of silence between us, and I let it stretch into eons. Time works differently for kids. It feels longer. More tiresome. Soon enough, it stretches on long enough that it wears on Liam too.

"I guess so," he says at length.

"Good," I reply, swallowing my smile of satisfaction. "I'm here to help, remember. It's my job."

He chews his lip for a second, and behind his mop of black hair, I catch sight of him glancing at me. "Okay," he says. "I just want him to leave me alone."

"Me too." I run my pencil down the sheet on my clipboard, pausing under the heading that reads ORIGIN APPARATUS. "When did all of this begin?"

"A year ago… pretty much. I was ten and a half."

"That's a long time for a young man. How often does he visit?"

"Lots. Almost every night."

Almost. I make specific note of that term. It's a throw-away line, but one potentially valuable. "The first time he visited you, what happened?"

"I was sleeping," Liam says. His hands are tugging at the strings of his hoodie, and he's staring at a smiling ostrich on the wall. "It was winter. I remember feeling really cold. I had all of my blankets on, but I was still shivering. I got up to turn on the heat, and I noticed my window was open."

I nod along with his words, my pencil scribbling across the form. The cold could have been a ghost or a spirit, but the open window is the more likely culprit. I try not to cast judgment quite yet. After all, my bosses seem to think this kid is the genuine article, and his mutilated mother does a good job supporting that.

Still, I didn't get this far by cutting corners. "Did you leave it open when you went to bed?" I ask.

"I don't think so."

I make a note on my clipboard. "Please continue."

"I walk over to close it," Liam says, and his voice starts to stutter and die. "… And I see something on the other side. Somebody's out there, watching me, far away by the fence."

"Is your bedroom on the ground level?"

"The house is just the one floor," he explains. "My bedroom faces the backyard, and I see a man out there, just past the garden. He's waving at me."

"Waving at you?"

"Yeah, just like this." Liam raises his hand and slowly moves it side to side. His expression is deadpan, and his lips are twitching. "It makes me uncomfortable, so I go to lock the window, and then the man shuffles forward a bit. I realize there's something weird about him. It's dark, so it's hard to see, but it looks like he's hunched over on all fours."

"Like a dog?"

"Yeah. As he shuffles forward, he calls out to me. He tells me to wait. 'Don't close the window,' he says. 'I have something for you. Then, I want something for me.'"

Something moves across Liam's face. Disgust, maybe? Self-loathing? It's quick, whatever it is.

"I listen to him," Liam continues. "I don't know why. I think it's because I realize he isn’t human, or maybe I'm in shock. All I know is closing the window feels pointless now. It feels like it's more likely to piss the thing off and make it want to come in even more."

I listen to Liam's words intently. His story is compelling enough, but his vocabulary is more impressive by far. It's no wonder the kid skipped a grade.

"Understandable," I tell him. "What happened next?"

Liam squirms in his seat. "As he gets closer to the window, he reaches out a long, skeletal hand. There's blood on his boney fingers, and now that he's only a few feet away, I notice he's wearing this burlap sack over his head, with a little hole cut out for his mouth. Except his mouth doesn't have any teeth. He tells me he's hungry. He says he really needs something to eat.

"I'm scared. I've never seen anything like this before, and I don't know what to do, so I tell him I need to ask my mom. I tell him we have some leftover turkey in the fridge, and that I'll be right back." Liam pauses, and it's like his world is falling around him. His eyes are bloodshot, and I wonder when he last blinked.

"The man grabs me by my arm, and it hurts. He tells me my mom doesn't need to know. He says he came to my window for a reason. He pulls me closer, and his grip really hurts, and when he whispers in my ear, it aches. It feels like it's cutting the inside of me. He says I'm special."

My eyes glance up to the camera in the corner of the room, and I raise an eyebrow. I know my supervisors are watching. "Special?" I repeat. "Why?"

Liam shakes his head. He's back to tugging at the strings of his hoodie. "I don't know. He asks me again if he can come in, and I tell him I have to ask my mom, but at this point, I'm not planning to ask her anything. I'm just going to tell her there's a psycho out there, and we need to call dad and the police and wake the neighborhood up.

"He tells me if I don't invite him inside, though, he's going to add my blood to his hands. Then he runs a finger across my cheek, and it's cold, searing cold. He asks me if he can come inside again. He says he's hungry, and he just wants a bite to eat, and then he'll leave. 'Promise,' he says."

Liam takes a shuddering breath. His eyes are closed. The smiling animals aren't working anymore-- if they ever did. He's alone with his thoughts now. They're tearing at him, picking away at his mental state, and in his expression, I see the grimaces of grief and regret.

"You aren't to blame for this," I remind him. "What happened was going to happen whether you were there or not."

When he opens his eyes, they're soaked with tears. "No, it wasn't!" he snaps. "It happened because I let him in. It happened because I told him he could get something to eat."

I open my mouth and realize there's nothing to say. There are no words that will take away this boy's pain, so instead, I look back to my clipboard. I busy myself writing down the details of the man's request and the boy's reaction. When I'm finished, I have to ask him to continue. I hate myself for it. I always do.

He does.

"I tell him he can come inside, but he needs to be quick. I tell him not to steal anything, either." He shakes his head. There's doubt in his eyes; disbelief. "I thought he was telling the truth. I didn't think…" His words are lost in sobs. “I thought he would leave.”

"It's fine," I say in a soothing voice. I reach out a hand to touch his knee, to comfort him, but he winces, so I pull my hand back. "You're safe now."

"She's not," he says. "She's not, and she'll never be safe again!”

I take a breath. It's hard, these interviews. They always are. Children are supposed to be the pieces of the world that are pure and untouched by the horror that humanity perpetuates. They're meant to be idyllic. Fantastical.

Too often, they're not. "I'm sorry to interrupt," I say. "Go on."

Liam's sobs taper off into a frown and then a snarl. Rage replaces despair. "That's when he told me his name: Mister Gallows. He tipped his top hat to me, and said 'Nice to meet ya,' and then he crawled up through the window."

Liam reaches up a hand, wiping away the evidence of tears. "It was gross looking. His bones were snapping and twisting as he hunched over, lurching through the opening. The window’s not that big. Maybe large enough for me to fit through, or another twelve-year-old, but not a full-grown man, and Mister Gallows was much bigger than anybody I'd ever seen."

"Mister Gallows," I mutter, staring at the name on the sheet. It's not an entity I'm familiar with. My preliminary research didn't come up with any leads either. Whoever this legend was in life, he certainly didn't make much of a name for himself. Once more, I raise an eyebrow to the cameras and my supervisors watching from the other room. I wonder why this Event is so important to them.

"How tall was he?" I ask.

"Tall enough that even on all fours, his back scraped along the ceiling. He had to crane his neck down to look at me, and I could just barely see his eyes through the burlap sack he wore over his face. He asked me to show him to the kitchen.

"So I did. I walked him to the fridge and opened it, and when the light came on, I saw Mister Gallows was wearing this old, raggedy suit that looked like something from the 1800s, covered in dust and moth holes. My hands shook as I pulled out the leftover turkey, but Gallow’s didn’t notice. He was too busy humming. It sounded like an old song, a really old one. I don't remember the tune.” Liam pauses before adding, “I'm sorry."

"That’s fine,” I say, jotting it down onto the clipboard. “These are interesting details.” The intense cold, antique apparel, and out of date song certainly lead me to believe we're dealing with a ghost. "Is the food to his liking?"

Liam shrugs. He looks uncomfortable again. He's shaking. Shivering. There's something about him that's different, like he's having some kind of reaction. "Are you feeling alright?" I ask.

He nods furiously. "Yes, I feel fine. I um– I give him the plate of turkey, and the man asks me how he's supposed to eat it. I tell him I don’t know, can’t you just swallow it? He snarls, clacking over the kitchen tile and putting his face right next to mine. He tells me there's more room for blood on his fingers, lots more.

"I'm whimpering, and I tell him I don't know what he wants. He tells me he wants some teeth so he can eat. He opens his mouth and shows me his empty gums, swishing his tongue around some. Then he reaches up a hand and forces my mouth open. 'You've got a nice set,' he says.

"I’m starting to panic. My legs feel wobbly, and my head is spinning. I think maybe if I change the subject, I can bide my time long enough for my mom to wake up, and then she’ll see what’s going on and call the cops or dad. I don't want to scream, though, or be too obvious, because I think this guy– this creature doesn't have any qualms about murder. So I keep my mouth shut, mostly. I stick to safe topics."

"Like what?" I ask.

"Like what he had for me."

Ah, yes. ‘I have something for you. Then, I want something for me.’ They were among the first words Mister Gallows spoke to the boy; a bargain, one innocent enough.

Of course, to entities like Gallows, such deals are usually deceptions or a means to an end. They allow the creature to broker for horrors too terrible to put into words.

“What did he have for you, Liam?”

Tears slip down the boy's gaunt face. He raises a sweater sleeve, wiping them away before sniffling. “He had a message.” Liam’s nose is running, and he looks sickly. Unwell. “He said it was from somebody he never wanted to meet.”

How curious. "What was the message?"

"Just some words." Liam’s eyes stare at the floor, and he crumples into a ball of hoodie and jeans. He wipes his runny nose on his knees and makes himself small. “I um, I didn’t understand them.”

Some words. I let that roll around in my head for a while. It doesn't mean much now, but when you've been doing this job for as many years as I have, you learn pretty quickly that strange words aren't to be dismissed. Words have power.

“Were they in another language?” I ask. “Or were they too quiet to be properly heard?”

“A different language,” Liam says. He’s squirming like crazy now. I’ve scarcely seen a kid look so uncomfortable in my entire career. “Maybe Latin?” He shakes his head. “I only know French.”

“That’s alright. What happens after he says those words?”

“Mister Gallows gets angry. He tells me now that I’ve gotten what I’m owed, he wants what he’s owed. 'I gave something to you,' he says, 'and now I want something for me!’

"I ask him what he wants, but I already know. He opens his toothless mouth, pointing at his gums with a long, skeletal finger. 'I'll take some of these, I think.' He laughs a bit, and tips his tophat again, adding, 'Please and thank you.'

“He crawls up in front of me and pushes me against the wall. ‘Open up,’ he says. I try to keep my mouth closed, but I can’t. He’s too strong, and he forces it open. Then he reaches in and…” Liam gets quiet. His mouth hangs open, and he reaches a hand up, feeling where three of his front teeth should be. “He pulls them out.”

“He just wanted three of your teeth?” I ask.

Moments pass, and Liam’s face looks tortured. His mouth is being pulled in every direction, oscillating between frowns and grimaces, and his eyes are blinking erratically. I nearly call a break to the Interview, but he starts talking before I get the words out.

“He reaches back inside my mouth to pull out more, but the kitchen door opens. It’s my little sister, Lacey. She’s bleary-eyed and yawning, and then her eyes adjust, and she realizes what she’s looking at. She realizes the nightmare she just walked in on.”

Liam swallows. “She screams for mom. In the blink of an eye, Mister Gallows stampedes across the kitchen and wraps a hand around her mouth. 'Shh, little girl,' he says, using his other long arm to pet her hair. Then he puts his face close to hers, and he opens his mouth again, showing those toothless gums. He whispers to her to be quiet. He says as long as she doesn't scream again, he won't kill her."

My pencil flies across the clipboard. This is likely the defining moment of the Event, the moment that Mister Gallows murders Liam’s sister. I keep my ears open and brace for the worst.

"He moves his hand from her mouth,” Liam continues. "Lacey’s silent, and so am I. Part of me is hoping that mom heard Lacey’s scream, but another part of me knows better. I think Lacey does too. Heck, even if dad were home, I doubted it would make a difference. Mister Gallows was too big. We needed a SWAT team.”

I offer a consoling smile. “It’s likely a SWAT team would have been equally ineffective. You did what you could, Liam, with what you had. You didn’t want anybody to get hurt. That’s very brave.”

He looks down. His expression is despondent, but he doesn’t wait for me to prompt him. He keeps talking like I never said a thing.

"Mister Gallows opens Lacy’s mouth. He slips a finger inside of it and feels her teeth. He's looking at her through that burlap sack, and he's mumbling to himself, but I can't make out what he's saying. Eventually, he turns to me and asks, ‘These are new, aren't they?'

"I know he's talking about her teeth. She's a year younger than me, but she's gotten most of her adult teeth by now. He taps on them, and it makes a clicking sound, bone on bone, and then he pulls away. He looks back and says, 'These will do,' and then…"

Liam goes quiet. His body quakes, his eyes bulge. It's like he's trying to contain something, whether it's a furious rage or tumultuous despair. Whatever it is, it's desperate to get out. He doesn't want it to.

"Mom appears in the doorway, wearing her nightgown. All the color is gone from her face. She’s looking from me, with my mouthful of blood and three missing teeth, to the monster standing over Lacey. She snaps, snatching a knife from the kitchen counter, and runs at Mister Gallows.”

I chew on my pencil eraser. It’s a foolish gesture, but one I can understand. As a new mother myself, there’s very little I wouldn’t do to protect my baby. “Your mother attacked Mister Gallows?”

Liam nods. It takes him a while to get the words out, like he’s trying to do it without letting something else slip. I feel for him. It’s difficult for children to keep their emotions in check, particularly when recounting traumatic events.

“She runs at him and starts slashing and hacking at him, screaming at him to let Lacey go or she’ll call the police or the church or the FBI. Mister Gallows grabs her by her hair and smashes her head down on the floor. It hits the linoleum with a thud, and then she gets really still.

"I remember thinking she was dead. Then he picks her up again and smashes her down a second time, and I hear something crack, and blood starts pooling on the floor. Her leg is twitching.”

Liam takes a shuddering breath. I want to reach out and give him a hug, but he’s already responded adversely to being consoled. Instead, I pay him a look of understanding. Talking about these things is probably tearing him apart inside. His mother survived, of course, but she was irreparably damaged.

“Mister Gallows turns back to Lacey. She’s crying and shrieking, and he puts his hand into her mouth, and she starts gagging. He starts pulling out her teeth, jamming them into his gums one by one, humming as he goes.”

Liam leans forward and retches, vomiting onto the floor. Yellow-brown bile splatters my shoes. I shoot up out of my chair, indicating to the cameras that we need a cleanup crew in here and that the Interview is on hold.

Liam hurls again, and more throw-up spews from his mouth. I crouch next to him, placing a hand on his back. "It's okay. It's okay. You're safe." I say the words, but I don't know what they're supposed to do. How do you make a kid feel better after witnessing his mom’s skull split open on the kitchen floor? How does anything make that go away?

I whisper affirmations into his ear for what feels like hours but must have only been minutes. “It’s not your fault,” I say. “You’re a good person.”

A knock on the door interrupts me. I rise, unsure why anybody would be knocking. All employees with access should already have a keycard granting them entry.

"Hello?" I call out.

"Cleanup crew," a muffled voice calls back through the thick steel. "Can you let us in?"

I frown, looking from Liam to the door. I move toward the video communicator on the wall, activating it and seeing two janitorial staff on the other side. One of them holds up a mop in exasperation while the other flashes her ID.

"Our keycard isn't working," she says. "Can you open it on your end?"

Something about the situation unnerves me, but I shake it off. We're in a secured government compound. Facility agents are swarming the premises. We're as safe as can be, so I disengage the manual lock.

The door won't budge.

I try again, repeating the process, making sure I did it correctly—still nothing. I press the communicator. "Sorry," I say. "It looks like this room's malfunctioning. Can we get a tech team down here to look at it? I can't open it manually."

They grumble and turn away, leaving their mop and bucket behind them.

I look back to Liam. The smell of fresh vomit is thick in the air, but my focus is singular, on him and him alone. He said Mister Gallows had visited him almost every night for the past year. That had only been the first day.

"Liam?" I say in a small voice.

He's sitting in the chair, head in his hands, weeping with bits of puke still dripping from his chin.

I take a step forward. "If Mister Gallows gave you his message and then got his teeth, why did he keep coming back?"

Liam looks up, and his eyes are murky. Clouded. "He wanted to say sorry." He lifts a sleeve to his mouth, wiping some of the bile off of his face. "He kept apologizing. 'I'm so sorry, kid,' he'd say. 'I didn't know.' "

“Sorry for what?” I ask. “Killing your sister?”

A howl envelopes the room, and Liam breaks into quaking sobs. The lights in the room flicker. There’s a clatter to the right of me, and I look down and see toy building blocks shifting across the floor. On the wall, the cartoon animals aren’t smiling anymore. They’re slowly melting away.

Liam's face is ugly now, and he's crying as hard as I’ve ever seen. "He didn't know who I was,” he chokes out. “He thought I was just another kid." My heart races as steam hisses from Liam’s eyes, and I realize the tears are evaporating even as they form, dying in the smoldering blaze of his pupils.

A wind picks up in the room, and it tugs at my blouse, whipping about in a gale that tears the posters from the walls and casts toys into a tornado of color. Hands behind me, I stumble backward and try the door again. It won't budge.

I'm trapped.

My eyes drift up to the camera on the ceiling, but the red recording light is off. I'm alone. It's just me now. I take a breath, inhaling the fumes of vomit and sulfur, and I wonder if death is going to be half so bad as all these monsters make it seem.

"Who are you?" I ask, and I'm unable to keep the terror from my voice. “Are you Mister Gallows?” Perhaps the kid is possessed. I’ve seen it before.

"No," Liam whimpers. "I’m a bad person, though. I'm an awful person."

"Why did Mister Gallows--" I'm almost shouting now, as the tempest rocks the entire room. "Why did he feel the need to keep apologizing?" Learning blocks and toy trucks ricochet off the wall, narrowly missing my face.

"He was scared," Liam bawls. "He was scared I would hurt him if he didn't."

"Why?" I scream.

The gale stops. The toys fall with a clatter, and the animals on the wall aren't melting anymore. They’re beaming with the same, fake smiles they’ve always had. My breath heaves in my chest, my legs quiver, and my hair is a mess, but I’m alive. I’m okay.

Liam sits quietly in his plastic chair. He’s staring at Bugs Bunny on the carpet. His small hands are clenched into fists, and whatever fire once burned in his eyes is now extinguished. He’s just a boy again. The broken, trembling boy I promised I would save.

I’m no longer sure I can.

“Liam?” I say, taking a nervous step forward. “Is it okay if we talk?”

He doesn’t say anything, but he nods.

“Why was Mister Gallows afraid of you?” I do my best to maintain a calm tone, but my voice is all over the place. I can barely keep myself from stuttering. “Did it have something to do with what just happened?”

Silence. He’s whimpering again, and his hands are tugging at the strings of his hoodie like his life depends on it. Tears litter the carpet around him. “I’m sorry,” he says. “I didn’t mean to.”

“It’s okay,” I say, moving closer to him. My legs feel like jello, and my mind’s still untangling itself from what it just witnessed. “I can tell you’re a good person, Liam.”

Liam turns to me, and there’s fear in his features. He closes his eyes, clenches them shut, and he winces in pain. "It's hard," he says. "It gets harder every day."

I take a few more steps forward, and I'm back to my chair. I sit down in it, brushing frizzled hair from my face and taking a deep breath. My eyes snap up to the camera. It's recording again, and I know they're watching. I wonder if they witnessed the scene that just unfolded.

They probably already knew, I decide. They were expecting it.

"Liam," I say, in a careful tone. "Why was Mister Gallows afraid of you?"

His blue eyes appear, one blink at a time. He looks small in his chair, and when he speaks, his words are faint. I barely hear them.

"He’s afraid I'm here to kill him." A smile plays at the corner of his lips, and he grips his face with both hands. Agony fills his eyes, and his next words leave a mark that no response can fill. They crash around me like a carpet bomb. “I’m afraid I’m here to kill all of us.”

Once more, my eyes dart up to the camera. Is this what my supervisors were after? Is this the real Event? Am I the one experiencing it?

"What makes you think that?" I say, and my words are clipped, breathless. Fear has wormed its way into me.

"I'm one of them," Liam says, clutching a fistful of hair. His eyes pulse with blood, and he groans. "They told me so.” His voice strains against something. It's jagged. Sharp. "They told me I was one of them, that I was born to cast the earth into flame and ash."

"Who?"

"Them," he says, raising his eyes to my own. "The Gods Beyond the Veil." He’s different now. He’s not the boy I knew, and I’m not even sure he’s human. There’s a darkness to him, a suffocating, mighty abyss that’s pulling at me, begging me to join it. “The Eldritch,” he says, and his eyes are crackling again with dancing flames.

I want to run. I want to get out of here, but I know better. The only way out is through. “Your sister…” I say, in an uneven voice.

Police had found Lacey Hanesworth in six pieces. Her arm on one side of the house, her leg on the other. The home was a bloodbath. Liam’s mother had witnessed all of it from her wheelchair, and the scene had driven her mad. ‘A monster,’ she had repeated. ‘A monster killed my baby.’

“Did Mister Gallows kill her?” I whisper.

Liam's eyes flare. “You tell me,” he says.

Agony replaces everything I’ve ever known. I feel my arm lurch to the side, and something invisible is pulling at it, heaving while some other force holds me in place. I shriek for help. I scream at Liam to stop. I do everything I can to move and run, but I’m stuck in place.

There’s a horrible sound of tearing flesh, and my world goes black. I come to a second later, and blood is pouring from a hole in my torso where my arm used to be.

The door crashes open, and six people in robes rush in, casting warding charms and backing Liam into a corner. Somebody jabs a needle into me, and another person starts wrapping me in gauze.

Somebody shouts. "Keep him back! She's in critical condition!"

A blinding flash fills the room, and then the world fades away. Darkness envelops my thoughts, my memories, my mind. There’s nothing to see or hear or think about anymore. It’s just the Void. Unending. Ceaseless. I call out, but I have no voice. I’m drifting, senseless through infinity.

It's wonderful. It's terrifying.

I open my eyes to the bright lights of the medical bay. I’m in a hospital bed, my body is covered in bandages, and there are doctors and people in suits discussing something near me. They don’t seem to realize I’m awake. I try to open my mouth to speak, but it’s too hard. So I just listen.

“He’s the one then, The Conclusion?”

“Seems like it. Didn’t expect him to go nuclear back there, though. Talk about teenage angst.”

A laugh. A woman.

“No kidding. Honestly, it’s a wonder this lady survived. Word is she was right beside the kid when it went down."

"Looking at her, I'm not surprised." Another voice. Male. "I've never seen so much necrosis."

"You remember Jacob? The dickhead from Public Affairs?"

"Oh, yeah. Don't get me started on Jacob."

"Well, he was by earlier giving us all the rundown. 'If anybody asks, the damage was caused by a gas leak, that's all.' But he let slip a few extra details."

"Oh, spill the beans!" There's a clattering sound. Steel on steel. Surgical instruments being sifted through. I'm still too weak to speak. Too weak to move.

"Apparently, they sent in warlocks to deal with the kid, and all of them ended up piles of salt. Now the compound's just a few bricks and a cloud of asbestos."

A woman snorts, then laughs. “What were they expecting? As if warding charms could hold off an Eldritch God.”

“Technically he’s not a god, only a harbinger." A different man. This voice is casual. Teasing. I strain my eyes and see the blurry outline of a black suit. "The Gods come later, Cheryl.”

More laughter.

“It’s a damn shame. I read our patient's file here and if you can believe it, she was the one who sorted out The Boundless Whispers! Smart lady. Great with kids, too.”

“I suppose she wasn't smart enough." The first man again. A doctor, maybe. "It's just like I've always said: most people at Compound 7 are inept."

“That's not fair, Dave." The woman tuts. "They had some duds over there, same as we do here. They were doing important work, though. Pass me the scalpel, would you?"

"Of course."

"Thanks."

Steel cuts into my flesh. It hurts, but I can't move. I can't speak. I'm too weak, too absent.

"I should let the two of you get back to it, then." The man in the suit.

"Don't sweat it, Ryan! We're nearly done here anyway."

The steel digs deeper. A piece of me comes free.

"Anyway, I'm not surprised Compound 7 fucked everything up all over again. With The Conclusion’s power, we had a real shot at ending this invasion before it started, didn't we, Ryan?”

"We really shouldn't be talking about this out in the open, Dave. I shouldn't even have mentioned it."

My brain feels mushy. Slow. More pieces of me are sliced free. I hear the wet slap of my flesh dropping into a metal pan.

"This is hardly 'in 'the open,' Ryan. We're well enough alone. Now the kid is too. He's lost in the wind, apparently. Oh, she’s--”

“Jesus, she’s awake!”

There's hurried movement around me. I see the blur of a face, the white of a surgical gown.

Figures swim in front of me, two of them, a woman and a man. Doctors. Surgeons. They’re saying things. They’re telling me I’ve had a bad accident and that I’ve suffered terrible wounds. They’re telling me they’re going to give me some more morphine so I can get some sleep.

I try to tell them no. I try to tell them I want to know what’s going on.

My world goes dark.

The next time I wake up, I’m alone. The hospital room is empty, save for a desk in the far corner, and the buzzing fluorescent light above. I feel stronger now, more conscious. I sit up with some struggle, and my body feels different. Alien. It’s as though pieces are missing.

I glance down, and memories flood me. My arm is missing. It feels like my legs are gone too. I wiggle and squirm, using my other arm to prop me up into a seated position. Weak-eyed, I look around for my belongings. For my phone.

It’s there, on my bedside table. I reach for it. It's too far.

“Erin?” A groggy voice says from behind me. “Oh, sweetheart, you’re awake!”

I glance back and see my mom, her gray hair wistfully dancing in the air conditioning. She puts a hand on my face, and her eyes are filled with tears. She keeps telling me she loves me.

“I’m sorry,” she says. “I’m sorry this happened to you.”

I tell her it’s okay. I tell her I need her to hand me my phone.

“Why?”

“Because,” I tell her. “I have to tell the world what I just overheard. I need to dictate all of this before I forget it.”

She’s confused, my mother. She’s asking if I’m feeling okay. She keeps talking about things that don’t matter.

“Mom,” I say. “I heard something earlier that I wasn’t supposed to.”

She gets quiet. She recognizes my tone, and she knows I’m not feeling loopy or out of it. She listens.

“I need you to give me my phone. There’s a boy out there with messy black hair, pale skin, and a blue hoodie. He’s the most important person in the world right now, and if we don’t find him, the world might not be around for much longer.”

She passes me my phone. I tell it my story.

Now, I pass that story to you. I’m asking you to keep an eye out for a missing boy with black hair, a blue hoodie, and crackling pupils. His skin is pale, sallow and his body language is small and nervous. He might be upset. He might be agitated.

If you see him, don’t approach. Call the police. Contact me here. Tell an elected official you need to get in touch with the Facility. The boy is important. He’s The Conclusion to everything, and he’ll write the ending to our story one way or another.

Just know that if we don’t find him, it won’t be a happy one.

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pastara-cell · 5 months ago

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DAY 13 💪💪💪

Jomies headcanons! (Maria included, 10 head canons for each of em! I’ll try not to do repeats of past head-canons I’ve shared)

——————-

Lets start off with good ol jakey boy!

-Jake definitely has imposter syndrome, 100%

-His pink tips are natural!! Like how people’s hair colour may fade when they get older, his pink tips are actually just the last bit of pink hair thats faded out as he’s gotten older. He had a full head of pink hair in his baby photos!

-I have adhd and I’m officially diagnosing him with it, mhm, yup. Its canon now/silly

-shakes his leg under his desk to stim

-really likes mac n cheese. Like, REALLY likes mac n cheese. Would eat it every day if his mum didn’t force him to have variety in his diet

-He has Eczema, As well as being super reactive to rashes. Avoid poison oak at all costs

-Is a big dog person, but used to own two canaries when he was younger named Jimmy and Lizzie (/ref)

-His favourite colour is Yellow!!

-freezes up when overstimulated

-He does makeup occasionally, golden shimmer eyeliner i’m looking at you

Next is Liam!!!

-he’s a scene kid at heart

-Based on @lettuce-theory ‘s first theory, I’m a whole-hearted believer that Liam did NOT, amd will not forgive Jake after the drake fight.

-Liam and Stacy are great friends on Instagram (gachagram, was it?) and stacy constantly dms him to stop liking her mums pictures. He does it purely to piss her off and plays along with the bit, even with the jomies, so well that he’s convinced everyone except for stacy that he’s actually got a thing for her mum

-His yee yee haircut is quite beautiful, he just never fucking styles it so his bangs part farther apart than drew and jake after episode 10.

-guys. He doesn’t have brown hair…He’s just a really dark red head.

-The most chill guy ever, you could tell him you murdered someone and he’d just be like “…So…You need me to help you hide the body? Orr….”

-Has an older sister, Doesn’t really remember her. She ran away when Liam was 4. He doesn’t really feel anything towards her, but he looks a lot like her. He thought for a while, after he learned about it, that he was his parent’s replacement for his sister, so his parents often reassure him that they love home for being him, and that he’ll always be their liam. Unless he deadnames 👍

-As you can probably tell by the last headcanon, his parents are wonderful people trying their best to keep liam happy and stay stable. They’re middle class, both teach at the local community college, and have a small, nice house. They’re supportive of everything he likes and does. They do miss their daughter, but they’ve put it behind them and do their hardest to focus on liam

-I suppose the last two are more or so just random character story bits I made up, not headcanons, so actual headcanon: He has a calcium deficiency 100%

-he rollerdisco-skates guys you can trust me im his yee yee ass haircut

Then Drew Ofc

-He’s left handed! (pretty sure this is canon because Dosh said so and everything that dosh says is canon, but take that with a grain of salt cause I may be wrong)

-he stops henry, liam, and jake very often to fix their shirt collars or pull down their sleeves. Just a pet peeve of his

-Drew goes to country clubs, He tried bringing henry and liam, but they got kicked out for running next to the pool and knocking a lady in. Jake, on the other hand, is beloved by all the elderly women, who sit around and listen to him talk about whatever. Drew has to drag him away

-small waist, (Put this in my drafts and came back and rosypenguin’s thing came up, Good to know other people agree LOL) but is incredibly insecure about it, cause yknow, slight internalised misogyny.

-Not gonna diagnose him with anything, Especially BPF since I don’t know how to properly portray it accurately to peoples with BPD’s experiences, however, I think he shows a lot of signs of BPD from my research

-has definitely had/is having sal thoughts. In the past, they were more intrusive, but after the drakeup and with what happened with zoey, I think he’s really hanging onto Drew and Henry at the moment.

-He has indeed taken a drink or two out of his parents alcohol cabinet while henry and liam and jake were over. Drew’s clingy when he’s tipsy, but he has terrible full-body migraines during hangover, so he hasn’t done it in a while

-had a bayblade collection when he was younger. Keeps it in his closet now, but he’s super fucking proud of it

-Completely immune to poison ivy, poison oak, And poison sumac.

-Used to be apart of a boyscouts troop, left after he figured out he wasn’t allergic to poison oak by accidentally eating it

Henry my BOYYYY

-Rewatches the entire original Pokémon series atleast 3 times a month

-His teeth were so crooked as a child that he couldn’t talk. He had headgear (Braces that go all around your head) on up until 7th grade, he started in 3rd grade.

-Bruises super easily on ththe slightest taps. Has had to explain to cps multiple times that his parents are not mistreating him

-wanted to learn how to skateboard, could indeed not skateboard

-listens to the living tombstone, Ghost and pals, and Jack stauber

-Had a raging fnaf phase when he was an early teenager

-Adhd as well, Very visibly shakes and gets overwhelmed

-can quite literally read liams mind, same with liam reading his, they finish eachothers thoughts.

-His love for lettuce is genuine, because he grows his own lettuce in his backyard. Lots of lettuce.

-His eyes are actually NOT light green, they’re continuously shifting through every visible colour on the spectrum

Lia!!

-like jake, MASSIVE imposter syndrome.

-Regrets leaving hailey, too deep in to go back.

-she’s got a lovely tenor singing voice, But doesn’t sing. She’s not interested in it

-Can do card tricks

-Half of her skirts are stolen from Zoey, which zoey doesn’t mind as long as they get washed properly

-She listens to Olivia rodrigo 100%. Sour album specifically

-Her favourite colour is purple!

-Her favourite flowers are alliums and lilacs, although she hates the smell of both

-Very frequent user of bath and body works’s cherry blossom fragrance

-other than olivia rodrigo, she listens to Pink pony club and ONLY pink pony club. No other songs

Zoey >:)

-her pink tips are not natural, they’re dyed by Maria!

-Her family Is rather middle class, but they’re still not always there. She has two older sisters who give her advice on high school. She greatly misinterprets that advice

-she’s into crystal/gem collecting, mostly because they’re pretty!

-She and drew once bought a couple geodes and spent 3 hours breaking em all open as a date, she’ll never admit it, but it was her favourite one.

-Got the gold digger mindset from social media (probably TikTok and instagram), as well as misinterpreted advice from her older sisters (such as “High school is hard, you dont have to spend it in one relationship.”)

-However, despite getting the mindset from social media, she was too deep rooted in it to feel anything but sorry for herself when she was caught, not for drew. She knew it was wrong

-Does love Lia and Maria though, and very often would take them on girls days with drew’s credit card. This included spa days, and grabbing coffee, and probablya bit(LOT) of shopping

-her favourite character in mean girls is Gretchen

-Her favourite drink is Shirley temples!!

-Went through a horse phase as a child

Maria!!

-Canadian!!! 🇨🇦 🍁!! Moved to the US when she was 8.

-She used to live in Québec, so they can speak french canadian!

-Dyes zoey’s hair tips pink for her, uses the leftover pink dye on her own hair! Her hair is light enough that it tints the bottom pink ^^

-Befriended Zoey in Preschool, but they’re just friends, not best friends.

-Big believer in Rosianity

-Tomboy!

-Uses She/they pronouns

-Can skateboard, learned it just because she wanted to rub it in henry’s face (he hates it)

-Listens to Chappel Roan 🔥🔥🔥

-has drew saved as ‘My wive’s boyfriend’ in her phone. Zoey doesn’t question it

#tmf #freakblr #the music freaks #tmf drew #31 days of freakblr #drew tmf #tmf liam #freakblr month #tmf zoey #tmf lia #tmf maria #tmf henry #headcanons #tmf jake #tmf jomies #plus the gals!#this took me like 2 hours to type what the bluey

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thru-the-looking-glass-caroline · 8 months ago

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I hate when people ask when I am having kids [it's complicated]

⚠️Preface/warning: the content of this post will touch on issues having to do with infertility and having or not having children so if that is a sensitive or upsetting topic for you I would ask that you please take care of yourself and do not continue reading this. And as always I want to be clear I am not a doctor or nurse or mental health professional so everything posted here is purely my experience and opinions with the input of people I know personally and from doctors and therapists I see currently or have seen before. I do some research on my own but again I have no degree! You've been warned ⚠️

Some of you might be aware if you follow my main Tumblr page that on April 2, 2024 my sister in law, Caitlyn and my brother Liam welcomed their daughter and son into the world (they are twins). I can't tell you how much my niece Marley and nephew Pressley mean to me...they are so loved by the entire family! With the joy of the new additions to the family comes well-meaning (for the most part) people who use the opportunity to ask when am I having kids and when I say simply that I am not having kids because I don't want to people like to almost argue with me to get me to change my answer. Now, is it true that I don't want kids? Yes, from the time I was a little girl I knew I did not want to be a mom and that has not ever changed. I think 'I don't want to' should be reason enough but what many don't understand is there are many reasons for me not having kids...

I am not and can not have kids because I am completely infertile/sterile. Anorexia and orthorexia caused a lot of damage to my body. I struggled with these eating disorders from about the age of 6 or 7 all the way until I was 15. I am 18 now and have not ever had a period. my reproductive organs are, for lack of a better word, broken. They called it quits. It is doctor confirmed that I can not have children. I think this is a big reason why broaching the topic of children with women should be a topic left for the woman to bring up because infertility is very difficult for women. There are so many woman who struggle with the desire for children but are not able to have them. I wish infertility only happened to someone such as myself who already didn't want kids of her own. I hope if you are reading this and struggle with infertility you know how much I would like to take that for you so that you could have the children you want!

My health issues also would make it very risky for me and baby if I were able to get pregnant. I have hyperthyroidism and malabsorption syndrome and among other things that means my body does not process and absorb nutrients correctly. With out medication I could eat and eat and still literally waste away and die of starvation. Pregnancy poses a huge risk because my body would then need to also provide nutrition to baby and odds are me and baby both would become extremely ill, malnourished, and vitamin and mineral deficient and one or both of us could die. There is also the issue of medication that complicates things if I were able to get pregnant. At least one of my thyroid medications I could not take while pregnant and my heart medication I would not be able to take while pregnant. I simply would not survive without the medication and therefore I can not have kids.

The final reason is a lot to do with my mental health and how that effects my relationships. To put it simply I struggle with relationships of any kind. I struggle with showing and expressing affection of any kind. This is at least in part because of my struggle with reactive attachment disorder and post traumatic stress disorder. I am better in relationships with my parents, brothers, my aunt and 2 cousins than I use to be and that was after a lot of work and treatment and family therapy and home visits and all kinds of things. I do not want to bring an innocent child in to the world and potentially mentally and emotionally harm them because I don't connect well and I don't show affection. A child deserves parents who nurture and hug and love and adore them. I am not the kind of person that could consistently give those things to a child...it sounds horrible and I work and receive therapy and support to continue to improve these issues but that is where I am at. I'm NOT saying that everyone with reactive attachment disorder or PTSD is unfit to be a mother or parent. I am only saying that for me and me alone I don't think I would be the mother a child deserves.

So there you have it...

Those are, in short, my reasons for not having kids but again I feel like I don't want kids should be reason enough. It really gets under my skin when I tell people I am not having kids because I don't want them and they say "oh you'll regret not having kids when you're older." Or "Don't you want to give grand babies to your parents?" And "Oh but don't you want to be a mom?" As if my gender and being female means I simply can't be happy or live a full filling life if I don't have kids. What if I went around telling pregnant women "you'll regret having kids when you're older" simply because I personally don't want them? That would be terrible, rude and insensitive right? So why should the opposite be acceptable? Guess what? My parents are totally fine with the fact that I won't be giving them any grand children... it's fine.

Anyway I am sorry if this is a little bit more like me ranting because I don't believe people have any bad intentions in asking me and making some comments. My heart goes out to anyone who does want children and struggles with infertility...I so wish I could take that for you. I hope this post didn't cross the line...I am not trying to upset anyone at all!

Thanks for hearing me out.

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lunar-lattice · 1 year ago

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alrighty fellas thoughts on the fnaf movie under the cut

its everything i wanted!! such a love letter to the fans too without coming off as too much. i was rly worried it was gonna be too egregious with the fanservice. the story went and did its own thing but it preserved the basic story beats as well as making it coherent and i appreciate that a lot

i know ppl will be disappointed mike is not an afton but i like that. the connection to william was obvious but i still enjoyed it (tho i feel its a bit shoehorn-y but oh well. aint the first time a story has asked me to just accept a story beat). also i just love his characterization? totally my fav archetypes of 'good guy but hes a bit of an asshole' and 'good older brother'

(also he reminds me of my liam so double points)

the afton reveal we did get was so obvious that i discarded it in my 'trying to figure out vanessa' thinking but it worked. kinda sad tho this not only did 'afton kid fights against dad' better than the games but also just made vanessa more interesting than sb did

the animated intro was delightful and one of the things where you can tell they did their research

almost missed the matpat cameo bc he rly just looked like A Guy, mad at how natural it was (not rly, im glad it wasn't very egregious)

was very startled by the girl getting chomped, i was so sure the trailers were setting her up to get her head chomped but nope! get bisected

the animatronics were uncanny but in a good way! uncanny bc they look like theyve been pulled straight from the game files but like. theyre real. they move!

on that note, the lighter scenes with them delighted me so. i told a friend i rly hoped they would really lean into the tragedy of the children and it did not disappoint. i see ppl didnt like them but i think theyre important both to show theyre just kids as well as making the violence afterwards even scarier

golden freddy was…. suspiciously underused

id say william was too but no. it was the right amount of william afton. any more and he'd be running away with the whole movie

the climax was exactly as i expected but still surprised me. in fact i straight up forgot about the most iconic line in the series and was SO excited when it dropped

what can i say but I was so excited abt the credits song. it felt too fanservicey to actually happen but yet….

I wish i could go back to 2013 and show this to my younger self

and now. some theories and other speculation

obvious move for next movie is 2 but i honestly think its gonna be 3 with flashbacks to 2. the sequel hook was too damn obvious and tantalizing to fans to not get Right to it. also the 'COME FIND ME' in the credits works with this idea

…that being said, using the puppet's music box in the credits. maybe its the puppet that we need to come find

who exactly is william afton in this universe? i think its going with modern canon and that he was a owner/co-owner of the pizzeria. the way he talked about the owner being sentimental? felt like he was sharing a private joke with himself

#just wildcat things #fnaf #wrote this a few days ago just forgot to press post outta my drafts lmaooooo #didn't even mean to press post now but oh well

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unclecrumbs · 10 months ago

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I’ve played a few more games and done heavy lore searches for stuff. Rouge was actually the first AC game I’ve 100% completed so I’ve read just about all of the information you can get in that game.

Here’s what I’ve picked up from playing and I tried to stay in order of what you mentioned.

1. Shay has no real motivation for joining the brotherhood. If you read his character file it explains he was kinda just told to by Liam.

2. Achilles did not know what would happen and just thinks Shay is blaming him for the mistake of not getting the POE.

3. Both were grieving. Achilles his wife and son, Shay the lives lost at Lisbon. Both blame themselves for it so we’re supposed to have that parallel between them but it doesn’t come across very well.

4. Shay is being used as a tool for both sides and Shay is not aware both times. With the brotherhood he’s kept in the dark so he doesn’t realize it and with the Templars they make it seem like his idea so he’ll go through with it no questions.

5. The women talk was mainly to show how childish and “human” Shay is compared to the other Assassins. It also makes me very uncomfortable too. You can also see during the training how they treat Shay as a child with backhanded comments about his skill and how he isn’t very serious.

6. The shaving of his hair I think is a “hair holds memories” thing to show that he’s not going to go back to the Assassins.

7. The whole point of rouge is to help set up the idea that the Assassins and Templars are two sides of the same coin. Neither is good or bad but you can’t see both sides of a coin at the same time thing. Both are trying to “help” the populace but the ways that they do that are questionable for each.

8. The fascism point is a good one. The mustache man was a Templar and is the technical founder of Abstergo within AC. He’s also the reason that the Animus exists because he tried to use an Apple to travel back in time.

9. You’re also supposed to draw parallels between Shay and Numbskull (Modern Counterpart/Animus User) to see that in the beginning Numbskull thinks that they are helping with research and fixing the servers only to be forced into being a Templar. It very much seems like Shay had a choice in the matter but with how he was treated by the Templars it’s very easy to tell that they were grooming him to think that joining them was the best choice while Numbskull is told join or die kind of thing.

10. I could go on but I think the point is made. It took me replaying memories and rewatching the modern cutscenes to realize most of this.

Assassin’s Creed Rogue Thoughts As I Go!

-did not realize this game is so short, woah

-I got spoiled about this game in a YouTube comment section which made me really not want to play it😔

-but I still am because I own it cuz it came with black flag haha

-right off the bat, I wish I knew why Shay joined the brotherhood in the first place. Why is he here? Why does he want to be an assassin? Personally if I was his mentor his way of going about things would indeed worry me

-what happens in Lisbon is horrific. I think they did a really good job of portraying that and feeling that fear and also helplessness that you can do nothing and your actions caused it.

-I think Shay should have actually tried to talk to Achilles first and I think Achilles should have tried talking to Shay as well- I’m frustrated because we don’t even learn if Achilles knew that would happen or not. And also why tf would this device do this? That’s extremely different from any other device from Eden that we have yet to see.

-I do appreciate Shay’s anger at what happen, it makes complete sense to me. However it’s like? He’s just like oh I’m a Templar now I guess. What? Like maybe no side is the good option here? Or maybe, idk, see why this happened???

-people might jump me for this and idk maybe im being to extreme, but this game……is not doing good for repping poc. I mean, yeah this is Ubisoft. And obviously people of color can be morally gray, can be antagonists, they are not a monolith, however I feel like they made Achilles the man in charge of the colonial brotherhood which is so dope and then now they choose to question the brotherhood’s actions? Have him be all about people following without asking questions?

Painting Shay as the one in the right here, the white man, in comparison to the black man? Idk it’s just not sitting right with me. (This is also taking place in the same game you kill that man’s father, the one black man protagonist this game series has had thus far)

-and going off of that, I think it is an important point to show that the assassins are not this beacon of virtue, which I feel the Ezio games and even AC1 taps into. And that not all Templars are nefarious villains. But I feel like isn’t the whole point of the conflict about how ends don’t justify the means? How both sides want peace, but what differs them is what they’re willing to do to achieve it? how the assassins focus on freedom and the Templars focus on control? It doesn’t matter how pure your motives are if you take away peoples freedom to achieve it?

Also looking at who holds power in the world, in our world, how that aligns with who are Templars. The Templars line of thinking is a slippery slope to fascism. The top dogs are fascists, I feel like this game is forgetting that? Maybe that’ll be different by the time I finish playing it. It’s just important to remember what side the maroons were on and what side the plantation owners were on. And to be fair, the Governor in Black Flag was anti-slavery, but did he truly see Black men and women as his equals? My guess is no.

I just feel like “Templars aren’t actually the bad guys!” Is not the nuanced take it’s being painted as.

-so idk i appreciate Shay being a literal human being and being angry about what happened but i question his choices

-also when he’s on the ship and tells Liam about …the women 😀 around the world I was really grossed out. (Also his dialogue is a great example of the Madonna Whore complex!! We love to see it!) (we don’t, that was sarcasm)

-so um he lost some major points from me due to that convo

-he looks better with less facial hair and a ponytail tho

-and I really like Liam! Please don’t make me kill him😭😭😭😭

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upsidedowngrass · 2 years ago

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on that topic actually, heres some fun details abt my one character design interpretations!!! not gonna go into full detail on my interpretations of object biology bc then id get off topic :)

(ALSO. i hc that while the waiting room heals injuries, it still acts as if the injury healed! so if it wouldve scarred, it scars, if it wouldve caused permanent dmg after healing, that still occurs, etc)

Liam:

limbs are VERY kangaroo like, but with many hints of cat like structure

digitigrade when walking, but will usually stand the same a plantigrade would since it takes less energy for the leg shape. he cannot walk the way a normal plantigrade would

after getting back home, he stands with digitigrade footing more than plantigrade bc. stress

he walks like bipedal digitigrade, but the walking cycle i specifically lean to is emus! (since kangaroos walk using their tail and liam Doesnt have that)

he CAN jump like a kangaroo though. if its funny

he also tends to sit like a kangaroo and it is EXTREMELY silly

shoulder can move more than a humans can, but its restricted to the side pockets

his limbs are around average length and a bit wide!

not gonna go into complete detail for reasons mentioned earlier, but while his torsos(?) (aka his object!) fabric has a set 'max length', his limbs have longer 'fabric' (same material. its BASICALLY fur or hair? idk man objects arent normal animals)

his limbs' fur DOES stand when he is angry/scared/similarly agitated

his top handle is basically like a fucked up antenna type thing. as a result, it moves in conjunction w his expressions the same way many animals' do

his hanging straps are something of a somewhat vestigial structure, but they CAN move a little. not much, though

teeth are a bit more cat like than kangaroo. like theyre a mix of the two but more slightly more cat like, because i am not drawing him w kangaroo teeth im sorry

hands have retractable claws a la cats! the claws themselves are the same material as his zippers :)

paw pads are the same light green as the top of his front pouch!

has dew claws!

after ep 13, his left hands claws are basically impossible to retract

after ep 6, he has scars on his left leg from where it was broken

he has a lightning scar on his left arm, and the fabric around the shoulder has burn damage. once the fur grows back in this is a bit harder to see, but its easiest to see on the hand, where the paw pads were burnt

he has a few smaller scars here in there from his Adventures in ep 14. there are two easier to see ones around his pouch, and a fairly small one near the top of his object

after ep 18, he has scars on his right leg from where it was broken. there are more on this leg, as the leg was crushed rather than snapped

there is more damage to his right leg in general. the left was able to be healed after he died, albiet the damage was still done, but his right leg is more prone to pain and weakness

after getting home he uses a cane!

the fabric under his eyes is a little discolored :( his face area also has some desaturated fabric akin to grey hairs. he has some gray hairs on his arms too but theres more sparse (same way as like... irl hair and fur generally discolors near the head first)

Bryce:

fairly human like bone structure/limb positioning(?)! plantigrade and bipedal so

shoulders can move a good bit similar to liam, but the shoulders are inherently attached to his label, and theres a certain radius they cant exceed. its probably roughly 5-6 inches if i had to give an estimate?

his limbs have web/fin things from the inside of middle upper arm and middle lower arm, and the back of his knees. they are the same color as his label (YES i miscolored them in that one post. whoops)

he contains a lot of air, making him buoyant. he also has organs. no you cant see them

crocodile teeth kinda, but a little shorter!

arms have(?) scutes . i dont know how to describe this and looking it up isnt helping, but think like. crocodilian limbs basically!!! in terms of texture at least. its also somewhat dimilar to his caps texture!

crocodile claws :) these are made of the same type and color plastic as his cap, but without the ridges

no paw pads for bryce!

(debating if his hands n feet r webbed? thats subject to change)

his limbs are just slightly transparent! but not as much as, say, amelias. still very reflective, though!

long and thin arms, also!

after ep 13 his right arm has a lightning scar. his label is burnt near the shoulder. the plastic near the label is slightly 'melted,' sort of?

has some scattered scars from episode 14 as well! a noteable one of these is his impalement scar

Amelia:

arguably has one of the weirder limb structures?

her arms have a general standard human like structure but with kinda paw like hands

her legs are cat legs, but the front legs rather than the more typical back legs

kind of has fur, but its kinda quill like! like sonic..

her fur can also stand, but her fur doesnt get particularly long so its not that noticable

cat teeth :)

ironically her claws are NOT retractable. they r simply out at all times!

her claws are also almost the same texture as her arms, but much darker

DOES have paw pads!

has dewclaws, but only rly has 2 toes i guess?

mirroring this, her hands have 4 fingers, but her pinkies are MUCH smaller than the rest

her limbs are VERY transparent! but get darker farther down the limb. VERY reflective!

has visible wax in her upper arms (all four!)

leg arms are about average length, and arm arms are a bit longer! both are slightly thin but wider at the end. her limbs are fairly flexible!

sits weird bc shes got 4 arms basically, but basically imagine half of a cat sitting for her legs

her ARM arms' shoulders can move a good bit, but only as high as her wax goes, as they are attached there. width wise they can probably slide around 4 inches in either direction?

after ep 1 she has multiple cracks, as well as a missing chip at her top. the cracks look like when glass is re-glued together!

after she gets home, her wax is a little sun damaged!

Charlotte:

limbs are very reminiscent of big cats!

her arms are standard arms and her legs are lion/tiger/whatever-like back legs

has lion like teeth! her fangs overhang a little bc she does not have a lion muzzle

her arms are attached at the crust and are confined to the crust. her shoulders can slide up probably arouuuund 6-7 inches maybe?

her arms are about average length and width, but she has thr power of Being Buff

she has freckles :) and these extend to her limbs, as well!

fur is very reminiscent of a big cat on her limbs, with fur longer than amelias but shorter than liams! it can also stand similar to those two

has light fur on her hands and feet, like when cats have little mittens!

lacks claws entirely, and also lacks dew claws

but she DOES have paw pads! they are coarse like a dogs' paw pads rather than smooth like a cat's, however

after ep 16, she has a scar that goes from the top of her left eye, to somewhat above her right leg. its darker than the inside of her objects color, but lighter than her crust

after getting back home, her right arm is amputated and the top right of her head/object is removed (which includes her eye, but i dont know what verb to use when her head is bread?)

Taylor:

ok hers are like. some Amalgamation of pangolin and horse?? idk man

on the top of all her limbs, shr has rectangular scale like things? like pangolins have but less layered. they are made of glossy kinda paper, and are much thicker than her objects paper, kinda like when u stack a bunch of sheets of paper

her limbs are fairly long! but their width is JUST slightly thinner than standard. like a wider version of bryces legs basically?

her arms attach at... some point on her object? they cant slide TOO high, maybe just about 4-5 inches up or down, but i will admit im a bot stumped wrt the left and right movement. never ask me about that again (unless u have a solution. im just Stuck bc she can UNROLL? and her limbs will b at her side)

has ungulate legs

instead of hooves its like... two big claw things?

she has similar structures for fingers on her hands, but they are more articulated! 4 on each hand :)

these claws are made of paper, but thr glossy kind seen on the front pages of magazines? think of when you fold paper into a cone and thats basically what you have here, but a bit more layered

behind her knee(???) is kind of a spike of one of these? i dont know what thats called and dont know what words to use to search that and find out

she doesnt have paw pads per se, but she has like. smth akin to the scale things earlier? but its much thinner and more flexible, on her palms

her hands are also fairly flat on her arm, kinda like an elephant?? i dont know how to describe taylor im sorry

her arms themselves are more similar to the texture of loose paper!

pretty normal human like teeth i guess?

no fur!

Charlie:

bug like in nature :)

limbs are like grub limbs basically! but a bit more human like in terms of bone structure

his fingers are kind of stem like?

no paw pads

has mandibles

DOES have scars from being crushed, but theyre fairly subtle. like ... many long thin lines

#hfjone #hfjone spoilers #ask to tag #broken limb mention/#broken leg mention/#burn mention/#amputation mention/#infant death mention/#you can tell i did the most research on liam #but in my defense. i spent hours working on him and wore myself out and im trying not to do that again LOL #but i still want to develop the others as much as possible >:) its fun!!!!#anyway im tired of working on this post so im jsut gonna post this :)#if anyone reads this whole thing i think youre incredible and wel get married next week ok.#(/j (: )#ALSO only batch one bc this post is 1700 eords long and i think if i add anything else to this ill die

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emkay512 · 2 years ago

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Show You Off

Set at Liam and Riley’s first wedding anniversary, and they are trying to come up with ideas to celebrate each other. - Another OUAT one shot

Song inspiration: Show You Off by Dan + Shay

A/N 1: This is participating in @choicesflashfics week 8 and I’m using prompt 3: “I’ve never done something like this before.”

A/N 2: I’m grateful for this prompt cause it got me to actually want to finish this by the end of the prompt week. And I want to thank @queenrileyrose for pre-reading this, just earlier today!

I’m also including the designs that I also created, just cause… I had fun making them and wanted to include a visual, as basic as it may be 😅 I hope it’s not too off putting!

Warnings: Tiny bit of language and just a mention of 🍋

Word Count: 2,445 (my longest yet! 😬)

Tags: Sorry if I missed anyone, let me know if you want to be added or removed @queenrileyrose @burnsoslow @bbrandy2002 @ao719 @kat-tia801 @sincerelyella @charlotteg234 @neotericthemis @kingliam2019 @iaminlovewithtrr @amandablink @iluaaa @jared2612 @sfb123 @twinkleallnight @tessa-liam @secretaryunpaid @ladyangel70 @gkittylove99 @texaskitten30 @shanzay44 @ofpixelsandscribbles @sarcastic01lily

The king and queen of Cordonia were enjoying a peaceful breakfast together in their personal quarters at the palace. Their first wedding anniversary was fast approaching, and they hadn’t discussed any plans. Riley was a ball of excitement for their upcoming milestone, but to her surprise, Liam hadn’t brought it up at all. She knew there was no way he’d forgotten, but she couldn’t hold in her excitement a minute longer.

“So..” Riley, broke their comfortable silence, “A pretty big day is coming up for us..”

Liam looked up at her with a smirk on his face, “I must say, I’m very impressed with you.” Riley had a very quizzical look on her face with his response. “I’ve been waiting for you to bring it up, here I thought you would have been talking of nothing but our wedding anniversary for the last month.” Liam smiled very brightly at the topic. Riley hurled a piece of toast at him for picking on her.

“Well excuse me for not interrupting the king’s schedule.” She laughed, completely relieved for his playful response. “So, tell me, what should we do? I’ve been dying for you to tell me there’s some great Cordonian tradition that we mustn’t be the first ones to break.”

“Heh, you always have been one to catch on quick, haven’t you, Love?” He reached over to grab her hand and peck it with a quick kiss. “Well there is one tradition, but it’s not centuries old or anything, and most certainly not something we have to do.”

“Please tell me.” Riley replied with wide excited eyes.

“It’s simple. It’s the idea that we exchange a sort of gesture rather than a gift. Like planting a tree or something of the sort for your partner.”

Riley instinctively scoffed, “I think I can do better than planting a tree for you!” Liam laughed at her instinct to declare she could do better than a tree for him.

“I take it you like the idea?”

“I love it, let’s do it.”

Liam stood from his chair and leaned down to Riley to seal the idea with a deep kiss. “Yes, let’s.”

The next day, Liam found himself in his study, wracked with thoughts about how to fulfill his end on this grand gesture tradition. He had a specific idea in mind. Something very un-Liam and the more he researched, the more he liked it. He knew his wife would be filled with shock and delight over it. He was quickly becoming more convinced on it, but he just needed to find the right design.

Suddenly, there was a quick knock on his door, and Liam called for them to enter. Drake walked into Liam’s study to catch up and check in on his best friend. Upon his entrance, he noticed Liam had laser focus on his computer screen. Liam glanced up, and once he recognized Drake, he adjusted his attention back to his desk. “Oh, hey Drake. Come on in, make yourself comfortable. What can I do for you?”

Drake did just that, but he couldn’t ignore his instinct to inquire on Liam’s current fixation. “Uh, well, you can catch me up for starters.” Drake had no idea what had him looking so serious. Liam didn’t respond assuming Drake would have no trouble helping himself to whatever he needed. “Dude! What’d you got porn on there or something? I’ve never seen a man stare at a screen so hard.”

“What? No!” Liam snapped his head up at Drake with the slightest and feigned look of offense at the comical suggestion. Drake had poured himself a finger of scotch from Liam’s bar cart and motioned, asking Liam if he’d like to join, which he did. Drake handed Liam his drink and sat down opposite him willing Liam to explain. “Well, Riley and I have our first wedding anniversary approaching, and I’m trying to figure out what to do.”

“Uh, huh. And so you’re.. online shopping? Doesn’t seem like you to simply buy something.”

“Astute as ever, Drake. I’m not online shopping. Riley has decided she wants to keep with tradition and exchange gestures instead of gifts.” Drake was interested and still curious where this was going. “I have an idea in mind, but.. it’s very permanent and I’m struggling to find the just right design.”

“Ok, so just exactly what is this very permanent gesture you are so unsure about?”

“Oh, I’m sure about it. I just want it to be right... Let me just say this, what is the one dare Leo gave me that I could never actually do?”

Drake shot straight up in his seat with immediate understanding and total shock. “No way! You want to get a tattoo!?”

True to form, Riley had enlisted Maxwell to help her plan this gesture gift exchange that she and Liam had agreed to. When they came up with the idea, she thought it was the brightest and best idea ever, but now here, in her own private study, she was struggling to come up with an idea. Even Maxwell had completely gushed over the tradition when she told him, but now even his over the top brain was drawing a blank. “And you’re sure you’re totally against the crotch-less panties idea?” He asked very seriously.

Riley side eyed him hard, but after a minute long stare, she shrugged and replied with a sigh, “I’ll call it plan B.” Maxwell nodded at her with pride that she put the idea on the table. “I just.. want to do a huge gesture, but also subtle.. something eternal.”

Maxwell slapped his hand and arm down on the table in a stroke of genius. “I got it!” Riley looked up at him with intrigued eyes. “You should tattoo his name on you!” Her eyes fell immediately with disappointment.

“Maxwell, I’m not even allowed to wear colorful nail polish. There’s no way I could get a tattoo.”

“Well then, get the tattoo on your ass.”

“Honestly, what am I going to do with you?” Riley said although she was secretly letting her mind wander. It’d be kinda perfect. The ass placement would be a little less than romantic as she wanted. But, his name permanently inked on her, she actually liked it. “So… just exactly where would we get all the bodily image regulations, anyway?”

Maxwell clapped his hands in excitement, “I sure as shit don’t know the official rules, but I can bet we know who does!” The next thing they knew, Riley and Maxwell found themselves in front of Bertrand.

“My dearest brother, I don’t know why, but I have always dreaded this day. Somehow, I just knew you’d lure our queen Riley into some drastic shenanigans. Little did I know you’d encourage her into a tattoo!”

“But it’s a gesture of love! And a Cordonian tradition! It’s their first wedding anniversary. And our queen wants to permanently honor our king. Hello, it’s true love!”

With Maxwell’s over excited attitude, Bertrand could only concede. “Lady Riley, if you wish to proceed, I must tell you, there are actually no restrictions on Royal bodily tattoos. You are permitted to a subtle ink job.” Riley couldn’t stop from withholding her excitement. She’d get Liam’s name tattoed on her as soon as possible, she loved the idea. She just needed to put a plan in motion.

For Liam, his plan fell into place quite easily. With Drake’s help, they found a tattoo artist that was more than willing to discreetly meet the king at the palace to get the job done. The timing worked out perfectly, three days before their anniversary date, Riley was due in Valtoria for a ribbon cutting ceremony. A usually quick appearance, but she very conveniently announced she’d stay overnight to prevent exhaustion from the quick travels.

She even assured him she’d take her time in Valtoria, and include time to make casual appearances around the area to visit the residents. It gave Liam more than enough time, it was perfect.

For Riley, she quickly finagled a side quest into her already existing planned visit to Valtoria. Maxwell was already scheduled to attend the event with her to continue with House Beaumont’s standing alliance and connection to the crown. He would help find a local shop for Riley to discreetly dip into.

Liam had already agreed to her extended stay under her guise of visiting the residents. Sure she would, including a visit to a well kept tattoo parlor. It gave her more than enough time, it was perfect.

On the day of Riley’s trip, she hastily began her travels after exchanging her affectionate goodbyes with Liam. Once Liam felt like a comfortable amount of time had passed since Riley’s departure, he had Bastien contact Mara to confirm their safe and steady passage. All seeming to be part of normal security protocol, which was of course part of Liam’s intention, but he also wanted to get started on his appointment.

Liam had decided to use his office for his in-home tattoo parlor. Drake was there to offer his moral support, and to actually see this take place.

“Are you nervous?” Drake asked, he was still in disbelief this was happening. Any time Leo wanted to win a good ‘dare-off’ with Liam, he’d end it by daring Liam to get a tattoo. Any tattoo. But Liam would never take that dare. To him it was too reckless to permanently modify his body on the whim of a dare.

“Not at all,” Liam answered with a smile.

They were cut off with a knock at the door, and Bastien entered with the tattoo artist in tow. The man was covered head to toe in ink and was extremely professional while he set up his designated station and sanitized his tools. After a while, Liam provided the design he created and showed where he wanted it placed. Liam positioned himself in the chair and the artist began his work.

Riley had finished her appearance, and she and Maxwell started to wander down the beaten path in Valtoria. Riley was relying on Maxwell to lead the way as he assured he found an appropriate place and made arrangements with the owner to accommodate the queen.

“I have the address, but aren’t we supposed to find some bright neon sign that says tattoo? I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled for it”

“I wouldn’t know, believe it or not Maxwell, I’ve never done something like this before.” Riley answered with no surprise that he would be looking for something as ridiculous as that. Once Riley stepped in with navigations, they quickly found the parlor that was eagerly awaiting her arrival. The staff greeted her and directed her to the booth and artist that would be working on her. She handed over the final draft of what she wanted and laid out where she wanted it and they got started.

Liam and Riley each woke up the next morning, missing each other, but grateful for the night apart to keep their tattoos under its covering without having to explain it. Liam went into the bathroom to clean his hands and carefully uncover his tattoo with plenty of ointment available to keep the area from getting too dry. He was ecstatic with the finished work and now just had to think of how to conceal it when his wife returned home.

Riley couldn’t wait to uncover her fresh ink. She sat up in her bed in Valtoria and quickly peeled off the covering. She loved it and gently touched it to make sure it was real. In the thrill and excitement of getting the tattoo, she had momentarily forgotten what to do next with it and surprisingly, it was Maxwell that reminded her of the needed new tattoo care.

To both Liam and Riley’s surprise, it was fairly easy to conceal the gestures they created for one another. The two were usually unable to keep off each other and they both worried that their singular desire for a little more distance would raise an immediate red flag. But neither said a thing, not wanting to encourage an annoying line of questioning.

The night of their anniversary date had arrived and they enjoyed a very romantic and intimate dinner out in the capital. They were both eager to finally reveal their gestures, and Riley insisted she go first. For some reason, she was a little nervous.

“Ok, I wanted to do something to show you how proud I am of you, to be your wife, your family, your queen. I want to be with you for forever, and I want to show you that you’ll always be with me.” She raised her left hand with curled fingers up to cover her mouth. “Ready?” She asked, and then she slowly twisted her wrist outward to display the fresh ink in the form of a beautifully scripted and ornate “L.R.” on her wrist.

Liam’s eyes went wide with utter shock and delight, the very reaction he expected out of her. He was already moved with her touching declaration and his heart was bursting with affection at his initials adorned on her body. “Do.. do you like it?”

“Like it!?” His eyes darted from her wrist to her eyes, “I absolutely love it, Riley, I never imagined someone doing something like this for me. I am in awe of you.”

Riley was thrilled with his elation, but now it was her turn. “What.. do you have for me?”

“Heh, well considering what you did for me, I think you’re gonna like what I did for you.” He removed the oversized watch he had been wearing on this left hand, and set his elbow upright on the table, displaying the fresh tattoo on his wrist that read “Riley” with a gold crown just above the name on the end.

“Oh my…. Oh my God, Liam! You didn’t!” Riley couldn’t stop from covering her mouth with her hands in complete and total shock. She grabbed his wrist and pulled it to her face. “How did you…. How did you know!? Was it Maxwell, did he spill my surprise? Liam how did you possibly know? This is amazing, look at us! We match! I love it!” She was squealing with joy and excitement.

Liam laughed heartily, “I promise I did not know, it seems we share more than just a heart, we share a mind as well.” Liam got up from his seat and pulled a hefty load of cash from his wallet to drop on the table to tip the staff, and he reached and pulled Riley from her chair. “Now, we are getting out of here, and I am putting a baby in you tonight.” He said with the most devilish grin Riley had ever seen.

#choices trr #king liam #choices #the royal romance #trr #liam x riley #choices trh #choices flash fic #liam rys #cordonia

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