#you unlocked the theo ramble

[pain-is-forever]

"Huh?" He gets down from his step stool with a couple of granola bars. "Well, maybe later. They're kinda mean right now... I think. I'm not sure when they get their treats."

He hands the kids a granola bar each. "This should be bland enough...? I'm not a flavor expert." This is actually the first time he's been asked about how he got his scars, hell, these kids are way too adorable to tell them no.

"Well- monster attack, monster attack, stitches, someone tried to take off my hand here, pretty sure that one's from a knife?" He says pointing to the scars on his hands, then moves on to his face. "Glass, glass, glass... that one's probably from something clawing at me, monster attack... yeah. There's also one on this shoulder from a bite, and one on the other from a psycho. Couple slashes across the chest- from fighting with... let's just say a deity possessing someone and what could technically be described as a werewolf?" He touches his forearm. "Got my own sword pierced through here recently."

two random children, around 10 years old break down his window EY FUCKER,ARE YOU MY BROTHER?? STOP SWEARING YOU LITTLE SH- WAIT NO, DAMNIT.... FUCK! you're so dumb. SHUT UP WE CAME OUT THE SAME BRAIN!

@imperial-thought-kids

"Agh what the fuck-" He instinctively reaches for his sword, gods he hates yelling so bad. The voices of the ghosts don't make it any easier. He curls in on himself a little. "Everyone shut the fuck up-"

A ghost of a woman in her 20s appears, looking at the scene as she wraps an arm around Theo. "He has no long lost siblings."

[nottsdarling]

Drunk Rambles

: ex!bf theo x reader

: word count ; 706

: cw: MNDI!!!, smut, drunk!theo, sexual languages, praise, body worship (f receiving), oral sex (f receiving), face riding, rekindling

: a/n! this is my first fic ever so I’m sorry if there’s any errors etc ^_^

┈┈・୨ ✦ ୧・┈┈

The soft blankets fell against your legs as you got out of bed, investigating the continuous knocking and thumps at your dorm room door. Slender fingers reached out towards the brassy doorknob, twisting it with a slight creak. Your mouth fell agape. Standing (well rather swaying) infront of you was Theodore Nott, a man you swore to never interact with again. With a quick look, you slammed the door in his face just about when he was going to speak. Your almost limp body slide down the wooden door, unable to think straight.

Do I let him in? What do I do? Fuck, fuck, fuck!

Slowly pushing your body upwards, and straightening out a few strands of hair, you unlocked the door again. Theodore fell into your arms, slurring his words to the point where you couldn’t understand.

“I miss hic you… p-please… I- I need to-“

He spoke, mumbling and wiping his salvia all over your chest. Letting out a pitiful sigh, you dragged him towards your bed, pushing him underneath the covers.

“I… I need you… I need to tell you…”

Theo began speaking again, trying his best to coordinate his words together so that you would understand. His body instinctively scooted closer to yours, gravitating towards your touch. Burying his face in the crook of your neck, his breathing becoming uneven. He inhales deeply, savoring your scent. Oh how he loved how you smelt, your touch, everything. He eventually pulls away, mumbling something incoherently against the soft skin of your neck.

“What did you say? Theo?”

You whispered, your voice trembling ever so slightly. Your heart pounds in your chest, as his touch sent a shiver down your spine. Pushing his hand away from your thighs, you shook your head.

“You’re drunk. You’re drunk Theo, no.”

He nodded, acknowledging that he was in-fact under the influence. A drunken smile spread across his (handsome) face.

“But that doesn’t make anything… hic… less true, principessa.”

He mutters, his hand traveling down to your thighs again. You blushed, squeezing your thighs together against his large hand.

“You’re so beautiful… so hic pretty… I need you, bambina.”

Theo whispered, his voice an octave lower as his index finger began to rub your clit through your soaked panties. Letting a small moan slip, Theo felt his cock instantly harden. Slipping a finger into your wet hole, you let out a small whimper.

“You’re so fucking perfect… you always have been, so pretty and your body così bello.”

He spoke, his voice ringing out through your eardrums. Softly pulling down your shirt, he exposed your boobs. He almost came on the sight of them. Pulling his hand back, Theo sucked on his index finger, devouring the taste of your cunt. You didn’t know how you got in this position, but you didn’t care because it felt so fucking good. Slowly rocking your hips against Theodore’s mouth, you swore that it felt better than it used too.

“Ohh fuckk,”

You moaned out, your hands supporting your body by pressing up against the wooden headboard. Maybe because you were so pent up, or maybe you missed his mouth, but he had made you cum in under 6 minutes.

“T-Theo! Holy fuck… fuck fuck!”

Almost screaming out his name as you felt the knot in your stomach snap, letting all your juices and cum be licked up like a hungry man by Theo.

Letting Theo rest on your bare chest was something else. The spark between you two had been relit, emerging into a new flame of love and forgiveness. You missed him, just as much as Theo had missed you.

“You did so good, cara bella,”

Theo murmured into the skin of your left breast, his other hand resting on the right. You blushed, your fingers entwined with his soft locks.

“I missed you… I didn’t know what to do so I turned to drinking again… I’m sorry, forgive me,”

He begged, his eyes showing genuine emotion. You felt your heart throb, you had missed him too. It somewhat hurt to realize that this breakup was for the worst, and not the best.

“I’ll always love you, we’re soulmates, tesoro…”

To which you agreed with a gentle kiss on his forehead.

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Reblogs, follows etc are appreciated!!!

Please do not repost my work on any platform w/o permission + credits.

Have an amazing day and/or nights my angels mwah!

┈┈・୨ ✦ ୧・┈┈

[talkingaboutwhatiwant]

Got any cool Nevermore theories?

Using this question as an excuse to continue theorizing/mindless babbling.

"you'll be bones by sunrise" is a yummy little quote from our favorite apathetic bird. While for quite a while I was under the impression that Lenore wouldn't get her specter until the end of the series, but unless the entirety of S2 will consist of the one night, she might get it earlier. I have a hard time believing that the raven will be proven wrong in some capacity, so I see this as us being told that Lenore will get her specter, perhaps the raven's quote directly telling us she'll be a skeleton of some sort.

The passage to the land of the living. I'm not entirely sure why the gang can't just use their spectres to make the journey, maybe they can and they haven't thought about it (especially considering our heroine hasn't gotten hers yet) but nevertheless it seems like a good plot point and the rational way to get to the end.

I also wonder if any students have "recharged" enough to use their spectres, and if that'd help then against the wild hunt. Annabelle is shown in the finale very much so I'm danger, and Lenore wasn't exactly in a position to swoop in and save her.

The Curse

I've seen a lot of people theorizing that the stag is Leo, more specifically his spectre, so most of this ramble is going to be based on that idea. First off, if the stag is Leo's spectre, he likely has to constantly be in that form to keep from being eaten (to go with my assumption that spectres can't be eaten by the creatures running about) so ... how? The deans vaguely put out this idea that they and Nevermore as an academy are the ones that give the students the ability to "unlock" their spectres, but I don't support this idea. It's possible that the academy actually dampens the abilities of spectres, explaining how Theo could retain his for so long. The raven says something about the passage into new life being safe in the past, but also correlating to the creatures starving now, which seems to contradict as we don't know what the creatures eat, besides half-dead humans. Somehow the academy ruined the ecosystem, but only left predators? I don't know. I like to assume that the ecosystem involved the creatures feeding off of the traveling spirits, but not the ones who developed their spectres. The orbs present at the beginning of the series can't ALL be from Nevermore mishaps of past, right? Perhaps the reason Leo even is living as a spectre is he found out something about the deans and fled, perhaps growing enough strength with his spectre to retain it long enough to learn "the good old fashioned way" if you will, how to permanently retain it.

Another Leo theory is that he won the new life (as the deans said he was at the top of his class), and came back as one of these creatures. We're under the impression with the "second chance at life" statement that it means picking up where they left off in a Ride The Cyclone-esque way, but I don't like that idea so I'm choosing not to believe it. Besides my hate for the trope, the history of the dead traveling to the land of the living implies a reincarnation system, otherwise there'd be centuries of immortals to speak of. Perhaps Leo won the second chance, and had the rotten enough luck (perhaps from the "curse" that I don't really believe in but that's a different rant) to come back as one of these nightmarish creatures.

Annabelle and her spectre!!

I have a LOT of feelings about Annabelle and her spectre, so I'm going to try my best to make this readable.

First off, I don't believe that one can have a fake spectre, and while Annabelle had a memory planted that caused her to get hers, there must be enough truth to it. The deans are powerful, but I see spectres as an ancient mechanism, older than the Raven, (Supporting my theory that spirits used to develop their spectres on their own) and impossible to fake. Annabelle was killed before she was to be wed (the only way a lady in white can be) maybe she and Lenore got found out and were killed together, or something happened and they made a suicide pact of sorts (this one I'm not super fond of, but it makes some sense to me so I'm putting it in). It's also possible that in her spectral form, she has a deeper understanding, whether a subconscious thought, feeling, or something else entirely. Her and Lenore's situation is so unique and complex that many things are possible here, we just don't know.

It's important to note that these are loose theories without research, just my mind making connections for entertainment. Let me know if y'all agree, disagree, or have something to add on! Thanks for reading this far

[lilacsbeeswax]

Could i request a story where Lorenzo and reader are siblings? And the slytherin boys are also like brothers to her. Except Theodore because he and reader are dating.

But like forgot that they had a date that evening and reader stood in the cold at hogsmead for almost 2 hours and came back to thr common room crying and Loreza askes her whats wrong and she tells him??

You can continue the stoie from here :))

Pairing: Enzo x sister!reader - Theo x reader

Notes: Gotta love 2 months of not posting 💀

Masterlist

——-

Hours. It has been hours since the time Theodore had told me he would arrive. Two to be exact, sitting on a cold bench waiting for him to come and say all the right things as usual.

It’s the dead of winter yet I can’t bring myself to leave. My fingertips turned numb a while ago and my nose had begun to run.

How could he forget? Am I that disposable to him? Am I not worth the effort? The thought alone caused hot tears to roll down my cheeks. The insecure questions kept racing back and forth through my mind. My breathing sped up and my brain felt as though it was rattling around my skull.

“Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.” I repeated, hugging my arms around my chest to self-soothe. It calms me enough to pull myself to my feet. Shakily breathing and still sobbing, I walk my sorry self all the way back to Hogwarts. Taking the most abandoned route I knew.

——-

By the time I made it into the Slytherin common room, I had hoped I’d be calmer, but tears still poured from my eyes regardless. I rushed through hoping to make it to my dorm without being seen by one of the boys.

I knew my plan had failed when I heard my brother’s voice calling me. When I didn’t stop he rushed over and stood in front of me.

“Y/n, why are you crying? What happened?” He asked.

I looked around the common room that was teeming with people before responding, “It’s nothing, Enzo.”

I tried to squeeze past him, but he blocked me. “It’s definitely not nothing.”

“Look, if we’re gonna talk about this can it be somewhere more private?” Tears continued to glide down my face. There was a massive pit in my stomach and I thought I might’ve thrown up.

Enzo led me up to my dorm and sat next to me on my bed. He wrapped his arm around and shoulder and squeezed me. “Now can we talk?” He asked.

My voice shook as I explained Theo not showing up to our date. I rambled until I ran out of tears, Enzo just sat there listening.

When I was done he hugged me closer and kissed the top of my head. He released me and announced, “I’m gonna go give Theodore a little visit.”

“Do you even know where he is?” I asked, standing and blocking Enzo’s exit.

“I know exactly where that nitwit is, come on.” He said, shoving me gently out of the way and rushing out the door. I scrambled to keep up as he half ran to their shared dorm.

Enzo sighed as he unlocked the door to reveal Theo passed out on his bed. Relief flooded through my chest, he hadn’t maliciously missed our date, he was just dead asleep. Annoyance replaced my sadness, as Enzo stepped aside and let me walk in closing the door behind me.

I gently sat on Theo’s bed before aggressively shaking him. He shot up with a gasp. “Good afternoon, jackass.” I smiled.

He rubbed the sleep from is eyes and half groaned, “What’s wrong baby?”

“I’ll give you a little refresher; you and me at Hogsmeade about 2 and a half hours ago.”

He sat still for a moment, before his eyes widened. “Oh shit! I’m so sorry Y/n!”

“You better be I stood outside in the cold for almost 2 hours waiting for you!”

“This isn’t an excuse, but I had fallen back asleep after quidditch. I wasn’t thinking and I’m sorry, amore mio.” He stood up and walked to me, grabbing my face and cradling it gently. “I would never purposefully stand you up.”

“I know. It made me really sad when you didn’t show up though.”

“And I’m sorry I made you feel that way. I love you, principessa.” He wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me into a hug and a kiss.

“I love you too, idiot.”

——-

Masterlist

[junglefurytrash]

>Climbs through window >Falls over

Hello Jungle Fury Fandom (all 10 of us) I come baring gifts of ramblings and headcanons!

So I believe that the three stripes of Pai Zhua represent the three core traits that help with determining (partially) what makes a Pai Zhua Master (which also helps to explain why the trio jump to concluding that about themselves in Welcome to the Jungle Part 2, because this was in their teachings). - Casey is the Strength, an important trait in a leader. He's able to take hits for his teammates, he's able to get back up and keep going even when getting hardcore beat (he's the first to get up and unlock Jungle Master Mode in Ghost of a Chance Part 2, and also shakes off Stingerella's poison oddly well), and he has the strength to see his own desires come true (like being a Master and saving Jarrod). - Theo is the Brains, though I'd honestly more say he is both that and Courage. As much as he is greatly intelligent and skilled, a good planner and multi-tasker, a lot of his arc involves him needing to find courage to face his own flaws; Being able to accept defeat/failure, being able to focus on the present and his own self-worth, accepting that he can't be good at everything he does, and stepping out of his brother's shadow. - Lily is the heart, kind, empathetic, and grounded in her humanity. She's always looking out for the others and showing concern for their health and wellbeing, she (unknowingly) hears Camille out and gives them an outlet for their distress, and always does her best to see the good in people when she can. She wears her heart on her sleeve for the world to see and even when it gets hurt she doesn't stop having faith and compassion in her friends.

This is our trio who eventually were the Chosen Protectors, the Chosen Trio "who are the only ones that could defeat Dai Shi".

BUT!

I would like to make the argument that this trio can be completed by other characters.

I raise you: Casey, Camille, and Jarrod.

Initially my brain went to this sort of "layout" for lack a better term. - Casey instead is now Brains/Courage. As the Red Ranger he's needed to think quickly and efficiently, come up with strategies, and take gambles he predicted would pay off. But alongside that intelligence he's also needed to be brave and have courage, most notably facing the monster in his closet as a child (which you can also read as him finding the courage to come out the closet), and finding the courage to chase after Jarrod and save him. - Jarrod is the Strength. Probably the obvious place to put him in this trio, he's the Lion, the strong one, the king of the jungle. Dai Shi chose him because he was powerful, and he proved he could be; Even before gaining any of his later powers while possessed, he defeated his opponent and was able to knock down Mao in Welcome to the Jungle Part 1. When it comes to his own metaphorical strength and self-resolve, the guy was able to eventually face his own demons, expel Dai Shi from his body, and fight back against him - He needed a support system to build up that strength, but he found it and found himself. - Camille is the Heart of the trio, again a bit of an obvious initial choice placement. While she can come off as cold to some, she always seeks for her feelings to be reciprocated by somebody, to love and to be loved. It was her who refused to give up on Jarrod first, and it was her who's love and dedication (first to Dai Shi, then to Jarrod) that allowed Jarrod to gain a foothold in getting out of Dai Shi's grasp. She was to him, above all else, loyal, doting, and compassionate, the only one beyond Lily she dared show her Heart to.

But then I realised, that these three can be swapped around and can fit all three of these core traits!

Jarrod remains the same in his position as Strength, while Casey and Camille can be swapped. - Casey needed to learn to love himself for a majority of the season, learn that he WAS a good leader, that he couldn't be replaced, and that he was his own strength - Ultimately, it was him listening to his heart that made him go after Jarrod, and him listening to and understanding Jarrod's own heart and what the man was going through when confronting Mao. - Camille meanwhile was the strategist of Dai Shi's people; She was the one who came up with nearly all the plans against the Rangers, even if they never properly succeeded. Hell, her own Animal Spirit trait is that she is "Cunning"; She's crafty, able to deceive and trick, and that takes intelligence (also she does the newspaper crossword, which is equal parts point proving and amusing, and the fact she can understand cloning and genetic engineering during Maryl and the Monkeys indicates she is highly intelligent). But Courage also applies to her as well, as she had to learn to be able to take a stand against her own side, the people who were very abusive to her, and leave a toxic environment to be with people who loved her. Plus, she chose the Phoenix Spirit as her Phantom General upgrade, and what did Casey himself call the Phoenix Spirit in Super Megaforce? Brave and Resilient.

Another switch up I found worked was Casey remaining Strength and Camille remaining Brains/Courage, but Jarrod being the Heart. He is a man capable of a great amount of love and good morals; As a child he refused to cheat, he refused to fight back and break code, and he refused to let The Fishers lose their farm and did his best to help them. And though his heart became tainted enough to let Dai Shi in, he never lost it; Just as Camille reached out for Jarrod, Jarrod reached out for Camille, able to break through Dai Shi's stranglehold to be able to save her when she was going to be destroyed. Dai Shi always taunted and convinced Jarrod that he had the Strength, but not the Heart of a Lion, and Jarrod was able to prove him wrong and prove to be a noble and good man.

Additionally, what about Camille being the Strength of the Trio? While she wasn't the strongest of the series, she proved to be a great force in her own right. She was always striving to be stronger, always striving to prove that she was capable, protecting Dai Shi from the likes of Naja; That eventually was REWARDED by Dai Shi by giving her the Phantom Beast General position. If she had been weak, she wouldn't have been his right-hand woman in the heirarchy of the temple to begin with, much less be able to reach General. And in terms of personal strength, she learned to find the strength to stand up for herself and make her own decisions, predominantly in trying to help Dai Shi by reviving Jellica on her own accord and standing up to the Overlord (she only caved when Jellica was directly hurting Dai Shi/Jarrod, her Heart's key weak spot), but more importantly when Dai Shi was siphoning Jarrod's power and hurting him, and Camille found the strength within herself to finally stand up to Dai Shi and follow her own path (to the point she absorbed and reflected an attack back AT Dai Shi in the final battle, more on that later).

And then what about Jarrod as the Brains & Courage? When it comes to smarts, Jarrod & Dai Shi were always looking for ways to become one step ahead of whoever was opposing them: Using Naja's life talons to revive the Overlords, seeking out ways to master Zocato and then immediately remembering and seeking out the Rhino Nexus upon Master Mao saying just a word, creating a test for the Phantom Beast Generals to prove he wouldn't be backstabbed agan, and immediately knowing that Scorch was c ompletely bullshitting him when they said they didn't know where Camille was nor what happened to her (that is especially key for Jarrod). His Courage is partially tied to his metaphorical strength in how he fought off Dai Shi and eventually expelled the Spirit - Namely the fact that he had to find the Courage within himself to stand against him for a final time, and take the gamble that he trusted would pay off in weakening the Dragon and surviving.

It was never about just one trio of "Chosen Protectors". It was about two intertwined trios of Chosen Protectors, one able to make the cracks in the stone wall that the other could then take advantage of and destroy.

If anything, though, I think there was never a definitive "Three Protectors". I think they ALL played a part in Dai Shi's defeat. It always confused me why 10,000 years ago they needed seven Masters (Mao, Guin, Lope, Rilla, Finn, Swoop, and Phant) to SEAL Dai Shi, and yet they needed only the Chosen Three Protectors/Masters to DESTROY Dai Shi forever??

But then I thought about it, and. It wasn't just Casey, Lily and Theo who destroyed him. They FINISHED him, but they didn't do everything. RJ and Dominic attacked in the Wolf Pride and Rhino Warrior Mode Megazords. Camille struck at him when Dai Shi went to attack Casey, Lily and Theo, absorbing and sending back his own power against him. And Jarrod launched himself at Dai Shi and blasted him with his full power from the inside.

Casey, Lily, Theo, RJ, Dominic, Camille, and Jarrod. Seven.

Seven individuals with enough Heart, Strength, Brains, and Courage in their Spirit to vanquish the Dragon.

Feels poetic, in my opinion.

[cowboybrunch]

Saaaav <3 I do not know if this is considered an STS question I just have a mighty need for more Az lore. Like what did he do to get stuck with babysitting duty? Did he want the job bc he still has a burning need to be a father, or was that an unexpected perk of a punishment assignment?

jamie hi!! <3

oooh you have no idea what you just unlocked >:) to get into Az's motivations, we need to bust open some Mortae lore. because this guy is old. like, old old. like, the second Mortae that was ever created old.

Morrigan is referred to as the First (Mortae) but that's not really true because she's not technically a Mortae, she's Death. so who was the first? Uriel! (we learn more about the mess that was his death + resurrection in act 3 but yea, he's been around for a while which is why he's Morrigan's right-hand man)

Az was resurrected shortly after, and for a long time, he was hopping around with Uriel. they were new, they were testing the limits of their immortality and what Morrigan would let them get away with, they were the only two of their kind. in the early years, they had little purpose besides finding souls to slurp on and not upsetting Death (which was pretty easy because at this point, nobody was opposing her)

he wasn't exaggerating in Judas Wept when he introduced himself to Theodore as "a friend of [his] mother." he and Uriel are probably the closest thing that Morrigan has to friends. even tho Az isn't directly working for her anymore, he's been loyal for long enough that he remains one of her most trusted allies.

SO. back to the actual question you asked lol. when Theo was being held captive at the end of Judas Wept, Az spent weeks with Morrigan convincing her to let him give it a shot, let him look after her son, he'll set the boy right, etc. he absolutely wanted the job. and yeah part of it was because he wants to be a father, but he also saw that Theodore was suffering and knew that he was maybe the only person that could remove him from the situation and offer him something better.

because unlike Uriel, Az still holds on to some of his humanity (see: the painting of his wife which was created with materials that only existed long after her death. see: the preoccupation with rituals like having dinner together every night)

Az doesn't remember his real name. he doesn't even remember what he looked like when he was alive. but he does remember how to care for others, which is arguably the most human trait of all

and he's successful enough at keeping Theo in one spot and out of trouble (a herculean task) that he becomes a daycare for errant Mortae that don't respond to violent punishment (hi Marcella)

the caveat is that he's still bound to obey Morrigan (and somehow get her wet rat of a son to obey her, too) so he's forced into some decisions that make Theodore vewy angwy

thank u for letting me ramble about this man!!! i hope u have the best day <3

[scorpiongrassfield]

You Decide To Tell The Truth 

Start | Prev

You tamp down the fluttery panic that’s rising from your stomach and into your throat. 

“Well. I’m pretty sure Theo’s been possessed a few times,” you admit. 

Pat stops walking. 

“What?” they say. 

They think about it a little. 

“What do you mean you think he’s been possessed, what makes you think that?” 

You stop walking and turn back to face Pat. 

“Well. There have been a few times. When you aren’t around. Sometimes he seems like a completely different person. And this different person has been warning me about Ametrine since before she attacked me. And Theo doesn’t seem to know Ametrine at all so I thought. Maybe he’s possessed?” you ramble. You aren’t sure why your heart is pounding. 

Pat takes a long slow breath. “Kid, you are absolutely killing me,” Pat says. 

They’ve propped their sunglasses up on their head, which means they can rub frustratedly at their eyes as much as they want. 

You start to say more, but Pat holds up a hand to stop you. 

“No, no. Before you get yourself worked up, I’m not mad at you. Just frustrated. But that’s okay. Adults can be frustrated with each other sometimes without it being the end of the world,” they say measuredly. 

“We can talk about why you didn’t tell me about this sooner… some other time. Let’s stick to going over the facts right now, okay?” 

You nod, but you’re not sure Pat can see the gesture in the dim non-moonlight. 

“Okay.” 

“Good. Now what exactly makes you think this person wasn’t Theo?” Pat says. They start walking again, and you join them. 

You think about it. 

“Well. His voice was different, sort of. It was still his voice coming from his mouth, but the cadence, tone, and manner of speaking were all different. Not-Theo seems very confident and self assured,” you say. 

Pat snorts. “So the opposite of our usual Theo then?” 

You feel a little bad talking about Theo behind his back, but you still agree. “Yeah. I guess so.” 

“Is that the only reason? Because that’s a bit of a leap,” Pat says, sounding unimpressed. 

“Umm… That same voice also came from my shadow a few times?” you say. 

“You think the shadow is possessing Theo?” 

“I think it’s possible? I wouldn’t be able to rule it out, and I don’t have a better explanation,” you say. 

You’re feeling a little calmer now. 

Pat hums thoughtfully. “Guess that’s a fair way to go about it. Can you remember exactly what this “Not-Theo” said to you?” 

You think about it. 

You are briefly distracted as you wonder at how the walk seems so much longer coming back than it did going, but you brush it off. You need to focus. 

While mentally running over what Not-Theo has said to you, a realization strikes you. 

“Wait a minute,” you say out loud. 

“Hm?” 

“You did see Theo when he was possessed once. Not-Theo was the one that made me tell you about when Ametrine attacked me,” you say. 

“Was he,” Pat says. It’s not a question. 

“And he called me Myo accidentally. Even I didn’t know I used to go by that,” you point out. 

“Shit, I didn’t even notice that. Good catch, kid,” Pat says. 

Having Pat’s approval is nice. 

The motel isn’t far ahead of you, its vacancy sign like a beacon in the night. 

Pat yawns. “We might have to table this conversation for now. We’ve got a long day ahead of us tomorrow. Lots of research to do,” they say. 

The two of you dart through the parking lot of the motel, and Pat unlocks the door for the two of you. 

Pat doesn’t talk much as they carry out what you assume is their night time routine. You figure they have a lot to think about. 

You also get ready for bed. 

It strikes you that this is the first time you can recall doing this since you woke up in the field. And that you aren’t sure you’ve truly slept since then either. 

You’ve been conscious more or less the whole time. 

That’s probably not very good for you. 

So you lay down in your bed and try to drift off to sleep. 

You end up in the Woods instead. 

Surveying your surroundings, you find that a big patch of the trees that had been growing in so nicely have been burned again. 

So has the Cabin. 

You head over there as fast as you can, worried about Theo, and Concrete. And the Shadow. 

As you get closer to it, the Cabin looks much the same as it did the first few times you saw it. Burned and looking like it will fall down around you if you go inside. 

But you have a reason to go inside now. 

The door provides no resistance as you throw it open. No stairs greet you. Only the living room, which is scorched in a pattern moving outwards from beneath the area rug.

Next

[bluejaysandblackbats]

The Brother Trap

Fandom: DC Comics, Flashfam

Summary: Owen wants to connect with his half-brothers for the first time. Luckily for him, they all go to the same university. Will bad blood between twins keep Owen from the family of his dreams, or is he the missing piece they've always needed?

Chapters: 9/?

Characters: Owen Mercer, Axel Walker, Thad Thawne, Bart Allen, Meloni Thawne, Deborah Morgna, Preston Lindsay, President Thaddeus Thawne Mention

Relationships: Owen Mercer/Axel Walker, Thad Thawne/Deborah Morgna, PrestonBart

Additional Tags: POV Third Person, College AU, Angst and Fluff, Family Dynamics, Family Issues, No Powers AU

Chapter Nine: Sweetpea & Sunshine

The twins got home late, and their mom lay on the couch, fast asleep. Pictures of their father lay strewn across the table while a home movie played on the tv. Bart couldn't look at the home movies. It made their father too real. He went out to the car to get their laundry out of the trunk, but Thad stood frozen, watching the screen. Don played with them when they were babies on tv. "Where's my squish?" Don asked as a young Thad grabbed his face and kissed him. "I love you too, Theo."

"How do you know he's Thad?" a voice in the background questioned.

"Theo's a daddy's boy... I wonder if Dawn and I were like this," Don chuckled as he pulled a young Thad into his arms. Bart stood up and reached for Thad, and Meloni gasped in the background. Don looked over at Bart calmly and grinned. "Well, would you look at that."

The video stopped, and Thad wiped his tears away and sniffed. "How was the party?" Meloni asked, still half-asleep.

"Bart was the designated driver... I'm a little drunk," Thad mumbled. Meloni sat up and leaned over the back of the couch. Thad swallowed hard, and he walked into Meloni's open arms.

"What's the matter, Sweetpea? And before you answer, I love this new color on you," Meloni whispered in a sweet voice as she messed up his hair. Thad let out a broken laugh as he cried. Meloni knew what was bothering Thad, but she wanted him to say it.

"I miss him," Thad answered with a broken whisper.

"I miss him too, but he left me the two most important parts of his life... He left me you and Bart," Meloni reassured him, "Did you have fun tonight?"

Thad nodded. "Bart brought his own bag of pizza rolls, and there was a girl from—. I have a date with her. Bart sat with our friend, and we took him home and his boyfriend-. I think that's his boyfriend. We took them home. I think you'll like my friend—. Our friend. He's Bart's friend too," Thad rambled. Bart came back in with the laundry basket.

"Hi, M—."

"Can I hug both my boys or is it too soon?" Meloni asked excitedly. Bart and Thad embraced her. "I love you both so so much."

"Love you, Mom," they whispered in unison. Thad went upstairs to shower and get ready for bed, and Bart stayed behind.

"Were you waiting for us?" Bart asked. Meloni nodded. "I saw a picture of Grandma today... Your mom." Meloni turned back toward the tv and shut her eyes as if the mere mention of her mother caused her pain.

"You can use my bathroom... We'll talk tomorrow after cards, Sunshine," Meloni whispered. Bart went upstairs to use his mom's shower, and both boys were in bed within the hour.

Meloni turned the tv off and went upstairs to check on them. When she was sure they were asleep, she went up to the attic. Meloni opened the armoire and pulled out a small locked box. She unlocked it and sifted through the pictures and keepsakes inside until she stumbled upon a photo of herself in the delivery room with her firstborn son. It was the only picture Meloni had of Owen. She held it to her chest as she wept.

Sometimes she felt guilty as a mother for not raising all of her sons together, and she felt even worse for concealing her past. Bart came up to the attic, rubbing his eyes. "Mom?" Bart mumbled. Meloni closed the box and turned to him. "I'm gonna make some warm milk. Do you want some?"

"Um, no," she sniffed, "No, thank you."

"What are you hiding?" Bart asked.

Meloni tried to stop crying long enough to answer, but it only made her feel worse. "Can we talk about it some other time? I'm sorry," Meloni wept. Bart embraced her.

"See you later, Mom," Bart whispered.

He left her alone in the attic, and she went through her little box alone. She kept all her secrets in that little box. Everything she couldn't say or admit to out loud went in the box. The only other person that knew about it was Don. Finding Don's sweatshirts reawakened old memories. Her childhood, her young adulthood, and the loss of her eldest child all bubbled to the surface, and it made her feel more alone than she'd ever felt.

Meloni decided she'd tell the boys once they were old enough, but they argued so much. Now that they were getting along, it seemed like the perfect time to talk to them. That scared her. She could hear Thad and Bart's voices downstairs. She heard a loud thud and got up to see what was happening. Before Meloni could get to the door, Thad and Bart started laughing. Meloni let out a sigh of relief and pressed her forehead to the wall. She pulled herself together before going downstairs to their room. Thad and Bart sat on the top bunk together, whispering, using words only they knew. "Everything okay? I heard a noise," Meloni asked.

Thad and Bart chuckled. "I fell up the ladder," Thad explained. Meloni smiled.

"Mom, do you wanna sleep in here? You know? Like when we were little," Bart offered. Meloni nodded. She didn't realize that Bart told Thad that she'd been crying.

She climbed into the bottom bunk and drifted off to sleep, and Thad lay on the other side of Bart's bunk. "Bart?" Thad whispered. Bart made a soft noise. "I'm sorry about what I said this week..."

"It doesn't count. I said something just as bad," Bart whispered, "Besides, I can't remember what you said."

Thad chuckled and closed his eyes. He knew Bart was lying, but he loved him for it. Bart never forgot anything. An 'I forgot' was just as good as an 'I forgive you' to Thad.

[traekenimagines]

Not Yours: A Theo Raeken Imagine

Request from @ayyes​​: hii ,i wanted to request one where the boys have to deal with the girls all drunk and loud ,and theo has to constantly tell reader to behave ,and on the way home reader keeps flirting with theo like they are not couple already and trying to get in ,in her bed like they dont sleep together already thank you so much !!!!

Hope this is okay for you lovely, and enjoy x 

Theo could hear Y/N from across the room. All of the girls were drunk, but she was by far the worst, by far the loudest. But he wasn’t the only one who had noticed, and all night, he had been throwing glares at guys that thought she would be an easy target.

The state she was in she would have jumped into the car of any of them happily, and he couldn’t let that happen.

As Scott suggested that they get the girls home before things got out of hand, Theo was more than happy to oblige. He knew he would be taking Y/N home – she was his girlfriend after all.

He walked over to her, and she smiled drunkenly. “Hey, Theo!” She shouted at him. “Guys, it’s Theo!” She threw her arms up in the air, as if to celebrate his arrival, before wrapping them around his neck and stumbling into him. Theo inhaled, as he did every time Y/N showed him affection. He grabbed her arms, reluctantly pulling her away from him, when all he really wanted to do was hold her tight.

He sighed, looking into eyes that looked at him like he was everything. “It’s me. I’m going to take you home, okay?”

Y/N walked over to him again, stumbling as she did. She trailed a finger down his cheek. “You’re so pretty.” She turned back to her friends. “Pretty Theo’s going to take me home!” A cheer went up from the rest of the girls, before Y/N turned back to him. “We’ve been talking about you all night. I really wish you were my boyfriend.”

Theo looked at Y/N, trying to hide his smile. “Sweetheart, I am your boyfriend.”

She looked at him, confused. “You’re not my boyfriend, you’re Theo.” She playfully hit his chest. “Theo!” Theo caught her as she nearly lost her balance. Again. “Theo’s taking me home!”

“Come on you.”

Y/N giggled as she followed Theo, muttering to her friends behind her about how much she wanted him to be her boyfriend. He rolled his eyes, trying not to laugh. The car journey was no better, Y/N constantly flirting with Theo as he drove, her hand trailing up his thigh from time to time.

“Hey, stop that. I need to concentrate.”

Y/N slumped back in her chair, arms folded as she sulked. “You’d be saying something different if you were my boyfriend. But you’re not. I’m not your girlfriend, not yours.” Her drunken ramblings replaced the music on the radio, and when Theo finally parked up outside her house, he couldn’t stop her from leaving the truck without his supervision.

He watched on with fascination as she stumbled up to the front door, fiddling with the keys. He watched as she slumped against the door when she gave up, and he couldn’t help himself anymore as he jumped out of the truck to help her.

When he was standing in front of her, Y/N seemed to remember him. “Hey, Theo! Finally decided to take me up on my offer? Can’t – ” she tried to stand, before falling back down onto the floor, laughing. “Can’t resist me?”

“I’ve never been able to resist you, Y/N.” Theo grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. “That’s why I’m your boyfriend.”

“Shh, you’re not.” Theo rolled his eyes before unlocking the front door.

“In you go.”

“Only if you do too.” Y/N’s voice had returned to its drunken flirtatious nature, and she winked at Theo as she entered her house. He made the decision to follow her upstairs, knowing that she would definitely hurt herself if he wasn’t there.

Once in her room, Y/N turned to him. “It’s rude to enter a lady’s room without an invitation, you know.” She kicked off her shoes, and pulled her shirt over her head. “But for you, I’ll make an excep, expec, ex – ”

“Exception?”

“That’s it!” She pulled off her jeans, looking at Theo with wonder. “You’re so smart. And so sexy.” She patted the spot on the bed next to her, and Theo almost laughed. He had slept in that bed more times than he could count, but according to his girlfriend, he had never done such a thing. “Come on, you know you want to.”

Theo didn’t seem the harm in indulging Y/N for a moment. He rolled his eyes dramatically, pretending as if sharing her bed was an arduous task. “Fine. But only for you.” He kicked off his shoes, and climbed into the bed with her.

“Knew you couldn’t stay away from me.” Theo could smell the alcohol on her breath as she cuddled up to him. She closed her eyes, and he held her tight, enjoying the feel of her in his arms. “Theo?”

“Yeah?”

“I really wish I was yours. It sucks that I’m not.”

Theo made to reply, but one look at Y/N, and he could see that she had fallen asleep. He would tell her that she was his in the morning, when she was sober.

He would tell her that she was his, and that she always would be.

Masterlist

[samueldays]

Thea: The Awakening guide to the Piece of Cake achievement and AAR, part 1/2 (turns 1-99)

As this is written on my personal blog and not GameFAQs, I'm going to indulge in some rambling alongside the guide, for the benefit of followers who have no idea about this game but might be vidya-curious.

(Continued in Part 2.)

Thea:TA is a pretty good Slavic-fantasy post-apocalyptic game about gathering survivors to build your village, hunt monsters, raise children, collect resources, craft gear, do quests, and save the world. It's somewhere between CRPG and 4X -- maybe a 3x, there's no "Expand", you just have the one village and perhaps explorer parties. Difficulty is adjustable. Today I'm going to talk about turning the difficulty almost all the way up.

"Every Decision Counts" is the hardest achievement shown by default. "Piece of Cake" is a hidden achievement that I'm going to describe how I get here as I play along and explain. I had it already; this is a repeat for demonstration.

The maximum difficulty rating with everything turned up is 350%, so the first question is what you most want to turn down to 300%.

It's tempting to turn off "Bloodbath" (stops characters from going below 0 HP, vastly increasing their survival chances after a hard fight). But that eats your entire budget, and you're still going to be getting into lots of hard fights due to the combination of world progression speed, high monster aggressiveness, and small groups of villagers. Better to win the fights by a large margin, by having larger groups with better gear.

Here's my setup for 300%:

World Size: Small (0%)

World Progression: Normal (10%)

Group Limits: 16 (10%)

Other items as in screenshot

If I were to suggest something else, it would be reducing Realism for the gathering carryover.

Once the game starts, there are three strategic points to keep in mind:

Keep ahead of the difficulty curve. Thea has a little bit of rubberbanding in that your population growth decreases with your population, but if your gear is trash, or you haven't got advancements, or you haven't got resources, the game is not going to hand them to you. Tougher monsters will show up over time.

Keep gathering. This ties into the first point for gathering the resources that will provide your gear and advancements, but also means that your expedition should know when to not move. It's easy to get distracted picking a little shiny here, a little shiny there.

Know the game. You should be aware of the important quest components, like leshys, dragon, avatar, zmey, and which can be dealt with how. You should be familiar with the tech trees and the build requirements. You should know not to burn rare woods for fuel. Thea has enough randomness that you need to be able to adapt based on your situation, which requires an understanding of what your options and tools are. Imitating me is nowhere near enough to get the chievos.

And one technical point: you can use the autosave feature to reload -- this does not require crashing the game or file editing, so I consider it merely very cheesy as opposed to outright hacks. "Saves Off" disables the normal Save and Load buttons, and restricts you to one savefile. The autosave function saves to that file every 5 turns, not after every action. You can still use the Load Autosave button, and the Save And Exit button which also uses the autosave slot. If you save and exit at the start of a turn, load back in, and fight a battle, then loading again will take you to the pre-battle start of turn, so you can retry it.

For patron deity, I suggest a L3+ Perun, L5 obviously preferable. Perun is best god, but also the hardest to unlock. If you don't want to slog through all that yet, L5 Morena for the advancement points is second best. Failing that, L3+ Mokosh for the extra food. You'll be sitting in the village gathering a lot, and rerolling several starts with this approach, and food variety provides important buffs. Suggested village focus: Gatherers.

Start the game, skip Theo's Tutorial, put your starting advancement points (assuming Perun) into Wicker, Elfwood, Monsterbone and Quartz to unlock the maximum amount of visible resources. Move your starting villagers around, and check if you have good resources within 3 tiles of the village. 3 tiles is the gathering range after building upgraded Blessed Paths. You also need to have at least one craftable resource within 1 tile that you can use to generate advancement off the bat. Nice bonuses: 2 food so you can get a variety of cooking going, coal, resources within 2 tiles to get midgame.

If your start is good enough, use the Load Autosave command to un-move your villagers and un-spend your points, returning you to the start of the turn. If not, reroll! And look for the resources that let you build Blessed Paths.

Blessed Paths is important to my strategy - it lets you sit in the village and grind the gather -> craft -> advance cycle more without having to risk splitting the party or going outside the walls, if you have relevant resources nearby. It's found in the east branch of the Construction tab, behind Watchtower and Palisade. Here are its construction requirements:

Something that's not obvious from this screenshot:

The "Dryadwood" slots accept only Dryadwood. Not Ancientwood.

The other slots accept the shown resource or better of same category. "String" accepts any thread. "Silver" accepts silver or mithrill. "Amber" accepts any gem.

Dryadwood + Ruby + Dryadwood is probably the cheapest way to get +2, but it depends on what you have nearby.

Here's the start I'm going to be using for the example run:

Advancement points after the reset: Spidersilk, Quartz, Granite, Light Armor Crafting. (I'm going to ignore the vines, they're entirely surplus.)

That means I can grind spidersilk armor, netting (ha) better equipped dudes and more advancement points. But first I'm going to check starting gear and explore the surroundings a little more - if I find Coal nearby, I would have everything I need for Blessed Paths +1.

A child grows up while exploring and I pick Gatherer class. We need to be harvesting wood and food to keep the village warm and fed, we want to be harvesting spidersilk and crafting armor, and the village started with 2 Gatherers 1 Craftsman, while the expedition started with 2 Gatherers 1 Warrior 1 Hunter.

Exploring shows Clay, Steel, Obsidian to the east. (All locked.) I wipe out the easy monsters en route, and find Coal further east. The little problem is, Coal takes 414 gather points for one load, and I have skill 4 + 4 + 3 = 75 gather points in my current exploring group. What I could really use now is a wicker or cane resource to make gathering baskets. Failing that, Amber + Coal as a fallback to make gathering jewelry.

Theo shows up with the tutorial hints once I've cooked food, awarding some random resources and asking me to make a village building. Since Perun starts with village buildings, Theo shows up again the next turn, awarding more random resources. I got some Clay, but sadly, no wicker, so I call the exploring party back and go west, stopping at the village to deconstruct spare loot and exchange food.

Let's talk about food a bit.

This screen and subsystem are a pretty good piece of game design, IMO, because you can entirely ignore it and still complete the game just fine. Entirely optional subsystem that you don't need to interact with or think about. Nor does it gate any gameplay content.

At the same time it shows a clever, sensible mechanic to encourage you to interact with the cooking system for buffs, instead of just hammering "gather more mushrooms". Every variety of food your party has available gives an incremental buff up to 10 kinds, shown on the right. In this case I started with meat in storage, picked mushrooms near the village, picked fruit and seaweed on the expedition, and cooked some stew to get up to 5 kinds, giving the first bonus movement point.

Also, cooking meat + mushrooms to get Bigos produces more units of supplies than just eating the ingredients raw. Cooking is great!

The exploring party randomly looted many fine sandstone blocks from a group of skeletons (don't think too hard about it), so bringing them home makes it easy to start constructing a proper pasture without consuming precious wood needed for fires in this cold, post-apocalyptic age.

Also, a proper crafting tool[kit] from Iron and Clay for my crafter.

The exploring party finds Cane to the west, so that is going to be my next advancement point use, which will be coming up soon thanks to my crafter work. On Turn 20, the advancement point rolls in, I unlock Cane, the crafter at home starts a cane+clay gathering basket with the freebie, and the explorer party starts gathering more cane. Current status: 8 people, 5 researches.

Once the exploring party has harvested cane twice for 12 units, they head back, drop off the cane to be turned into 3 new gathering baskets (oddly, cane+clay is better than cane+spidersilk), pick up the premade basket, join the village for a turn to assist the gathering, and leave again to gather more cane until everyone has superior baskets. Cosmic Tree quest appears during this time, and I'm going to be ignoring it. Getting the baskets is far more important to get the economy going.

With a pasture up, I'm pulling in Mushrooms, Meat, Fish regularly, and cooking more foods. I get another advancement point from basket spam on turn 35, and unlock Cabbage Patch. (This is where babies are found. I figure it's a Slavic equivalent to the stork.) More children means more villagers eventually, now I have baskets and spidersilk, so I'm going to be heading for the Blessed Paths next. On turn 40, a random crafter joins my village, not from a child growing up but from the pasture's "Attract Humans" modifier. He'll sit at home since crafting on the move won't be implemented until Thea 2: The Shattering. On Turn 41, the Hangedman appears to curse my people, and I do my first savescum reload (not counting the initial map rerolls) to avoid that since I don't want his curses, taking me back to 40 still with the crafter.

My expedition leaves again to acquire Granite for a better cabbage patch, while my village is getting food and spidersilk clothes. A lot of End Turn happens with only minor adjustments to optimize gathering under realism constraints. By turn 50, I've gotten the Cosmic Tree, Divine Quest, Herbalist, Dziody, Smith locations popping up and ignoring all of them.

Then another kid matures enough to undergo the rites of passage into adulthood, and I wonder for a while between my class options: Crafter, Warrior, Gatherer, Medic. Eventually I settle on Gatherer, but I'll want a Warrior next - tougher fights are starting to appear. Still there's spidersilk needing 360 gather points for one bag (6 units). She joins the expedition, so now I have 5 at home and 5 abroad.

Some random events occasionally provide more resources.

One of the many tiny optimizations for high difficulty is that this bird meat should immediately be restricted and then cooked to provide both more food and more varied food.

Bandits show up. I track them down and beat them up for my stuff back. Some spider nests have spawned to the west, and I aggressively hunt down spider packs (on the offense you can use Hunting instead of Combat, which doesn't sap real HP) while leaving the 2-skull nests to spawn more spiders that are relatively weak and provide good drops (more spidersilk). While the expedition is out, I visit the Smithy with the lovelorn dwarf and then go to see the Rusalka about some children, picking up whatever resources I can gather in 1 turn on the way when the expedition camps.

The names are so I can easily keep track of who belongs at home, who belongs abroad, because the expedition rejoins the home village often to do a little work and then split again.

Orcs are easy enough to take down with Social Combat, picking up 4 human(ish?) kids and red ribbon. One of the kids matures while traveling, and this time I promote to Warrior, and promptly equip him with the gear I get from the dwarf smith. At this point my explorer group is up to 11 food types, zipping around the map with +2 move, taking fights easily with the +5 health +3 damage benefits of a varied diet and good morale.

Palisade researched on turn 80. The Attract Human %chance buildings draw another Warrior to sit at home defending the village, and I'm up to 12 people. A child matures and I take the rare chance at a Sage, hoping for magic skill - nope. Did have medic skill though. The Sage Borzymir is given a gathering bucket and set to gather.

I roll a Crow joining my group from a random event. I split it off from the group and send it to go die alone. This is because Thea has rubberband mechanisms: your population goes up slower when you have more people. The cute crow that can't wear armor or weapons, and has crappy HP and skills, counts as a people.

I go to see about the next step of Cosmic Tree quest. Leshy 1 has an elf and wants me to go kill the allegedly corrupt Leshy 2. When I find him, Leshy 2 says "no u" and offers me a payment of Ancientwood to take a few flakes of his tree and lie to the allegedly corrupt Leshy 1. I accept the payment and a social blessing, and set off to lie -- a funny thing about the Social Combat implementation in this game is that you lie better with more people in your party, even if they are individually unconvincing. So I move a Sage and Warrior from village to adventuring party temporarily. Leshy 1 is suspicious, but eventually accepts that I killed Leshy 2, and hands over the plot-relevant elf with the infodump.

The elf starts explaining, then offers me the option to skip the textual cutscene. Thank you, developers, thank you kindly!

I get a random loot drop of enchanted bone and use it to start a spidersilk+bone vest that gives +magic for my sage, which will let me access several useful options in encounters.

The expedition comes home to help gather and craft a bit. Blessed Paths is unlocked on turn 94 and I start construction with spidersilk + granite + coal. This only provides +1 radius, but it's a good start. +2 radius requires one of Nimblewood, Diamond, Ruby or Mithril in the construction. I don't even have the prerequisites unlocked to see those, much less gather them, since I rushed BP so hard. It's going to take a while to build. My traveling expedition goes to hit up a few more sidequest sites meanwhile. The next steps in the main quests are facing Perun's Avatar and the Dragon guarding the cosmic tree clue, neither of which I am even vaguely ready at this stage, the explorers being seven guys with pointy sticks.

I get lucky and have another Sage join me in a random event of an old man at a campfire, this one with native magic skill, so now I have two!

Continued in part 2 due to post image limit.

[redhairedwolfwitch]

Spirit of the Ocelot - Power Rangers Jungle Fury x Hanson!Sister!Reader x Lily Chilman

Idea: Tori Hanson’s sister, training at Pai Zhuq, ends up training with RJ when the three chosen appear, works at Jungle Karma Pizza with Fran, eventually becomes a ranger?

It seemed like training at hidden martial arts academies were becoming genetic in the Hanson family.

Tori Hanson, your older sister, attended the Wind Ninja Academy, specialising in the water style and becoming the Blue Wind Ranger for a time.

Then there was you, Y/n Hanson, attending the Pai Zhuq Academy, the Order of the Claw, eventually Master Mao sent you to another Master, RJ.

Your sister didn’t know you were a student of Pai Zhuq, she just thought you worked at Jungle Karma Pizza.

You always had the suspicion that Tori’s animal spirit would be a dolphin or some other aquatic creature.

You, on the other hand, kept what your animal spirit was to yourself. 

An ocelot.

Either way, you lived in the upstairs of a pizza joint, which you worked at when you weren’t training with RJ, but RJ had been working on something else, leaving you to work more in JKP.

You were removing the used plates from a table when the three Pai Zhuq students walked in, not noticing you watching them as you began to clean the empty tables.

You were laughing into the mop handle you were holding as they approached an elderly customer who quickly asked you for the check.

Had you have known RJ was working on his Mount Kilimanjaro pizza experiment, you would have asked for the day off, but RJ had his gaze between the three students in Pai Chuq pyjamas, and you, as you mopped the floor around them.

You watched as the three ran out to face the trouble outside, leaving you to continue to mop the floors as you waited for RJ to intervene.

“Y/n, it is time, I believe we must hustle.” RJ stated, gesturing for you to follow as you hung up your JKP apron haphazardly, in your haste to grab your Pai Zhuq jacket.

///

Whilst RJ stood infront of the three students, you slipped in behind, helping them up.

“Time for your first lesson: can’t judge a book by it’s cover.” RJ stated, revealing his Order of the Claw master status tattoo.

RJ nodded to you, leaving you to stand up to fight the Rinshi trying to get close whilst the other students watched RJ fight.

“You’re him, you’re our master!” Casey exclaimed as the three of them went to bow, much to RJ’s alarm.

“Uhhh uhh, just call me RJ, that’s Y/n... now my students, the real journey begins.” RJ grinned before he suddenly began to walk back to the pizza parlour.

“Wait, what about you?”

“Fellow student. Nice to meet you three.” You replied with a smile before the four of you headed back to the pizza parlour.

///

“Where was everyone? Y/n? You disappeared? The door was unlocked-”

You zoned out as Fran began to ramble, your eyes on the blonde who grinned at you when she realised you were staring.

“Fran, this is Theo, Lily and Casey. Fran is our best customer, she’s here every day!” RJ cheered, leaving you to just smile before you slipped into the kitchen.

“Ah, follow me, Y/n, you should come too!” RJ interrupted your stock taking, leaving you to put down the list as you followed them up the stairs.

“This is where you will be living, training, playing and working. Everything is yours, but that chair, my chair, it’s my chair, got it?”

“Looks like our friends are up to no good again. Let’s get them.” Theo announced, leaving the three to leave before they stopped, looking at you and RJ.

“Ah no, I have a pizza store to run and Y/n-”

“I need to take stock, maybe next time?” You asked, leaving RJ to just shrug at you as you frowned, heading to leave as RJ changed the subject.

“I got a gift for you three, to even out the odds. They’re not just sunglasses, they’re solar morphers? You ever hear of the Power Rangers? Well guess what? You. Be. Them.” RJ grinned at the three, leaving you to sigh before heading down the stairs.

///

“You will learn the growing technique once you master your assigned weapons, that reminds me, can someone go get Y/n before the after school rush?” RJ asked, the boys automatically turning to Lily who just rolled her eyes.

Lily found you mopping the floors whilst dancing to music in your headphones, the parlour empty as you moped up, performing a kung fu move that shocked Lily as you dodged the mop bucket.

“Wow... uh, hey, Y/n, RJ needs you upstairs-” Lily ended up having to wrap her arm around your waist to remove your headphones.

“Whoah, uh, hey?” You flustered, leaving Lily to grin before she remembered.

“RJ needs you upstairs.” 

“Oh right, uh, you can let me go now, yellow.” You chuckled, following Lily back up the stairs.

“Ah, Lily, Y/n, here are your assigned weapons.” Lily smiled as she was passed the bo staff.

“Sweet, I’m a pro with a bo.” She replied, demonstrating her skills as you as Casey watched with wide eyes.

“Casey, the ancient and I may probably say, most dangerous, nunchaku-”

You winced as you barely were able to dodge Casey swinging the thing around, wincing again as he hit himself in the arm with it.

“Y/n... your sai...” RJ quickly changed the subject, passing you the two sai.

///

“Look at Casey. When it comes to tossing pizza dough, the guy’s a pro, but he’s all thumbs when it comes to handling his own weapon. Y/n-”

“We’ve not really seen Y/n in action yet, weapon or no weapon. Also, not too long ago, you were a cub too.”

You were in the kitchen as Theo and Lily were talking, prepping a pizza since you knew Fran’s order by now.

RJ ringing a bell had you hurrying to get Fran’s pizza out of the oven and onto a board.

“Everyone to your stations, the 12:32 lunch rush is about to-” RJ was cut off by people walking in, leaving you to hurry out of the kitchen, dodging the shoulders of customers with a dramatic spin to save the pizza, dropping it off at Fran’s seat.

“Your pizza.” You grinned, winking at Lily who just laughed at your spin, leaving Theo to smirk.

“At least she seems well trained defensively. If saving pizza was the goal-” Theo was cut off by heading over to Casey to go to training.

“Who’s going to help me serve all these people?”

Fran grinned as she jumped up, volunteering herself as you high-fived her.

///

It was way after Mantor had been defeated that the rangers had returned to Jungle Karma Pizza. Fran was mopping the floors as Casey was teaching Theo about pizza tossing as Lily and RJ watched.

“I’m more worried about Dai Shi. Where is Y/n anyway?” RJ enquired, glancing at Lily.

Lily found you upstairs, wearing a silver version of the training gear that RJ gave her, Theo and Casey as you were training with your two sai.

Lily gasped as a silver energy began to emerge from you, flowing from your body and to the sai as you channeled your animal spirit.

“Lil, we’ve got the 5 o’clock rush coming- whoah...” Theo gasped, confusing Casey as he followed “what do you mean, whoah? Ohh!” Casey exclaimed, realising as the three of them watched you training.

“Y/n isn’t a cub, is she?” Theo theorised, not realising that RJ was behind him.

“Y/n clocked out, but we still need you downstairs. But to answer your question, Theo, Y/n Hanson is almost on the same level as the three of you. Ah, the rivalry of sisters, so strong as it pushes you to strive higher. Further. Faster... faster in our return to serve the lunch rush, we must be.”

///

“What do you think RJ meant by rivalry of sisters?” Casey asked as he was shredding cheese, leaving Lily to pause.

“Y/n probably had a rivalry with her sister and it pushed her to become stronger as a student and as a person.”

The serious conversation dropped as a ingredients based food fight between Lily and Casey occurred, leaving you to cover your mouth as you walked in behind Theo.

Seeing them all run off to face another monster, you didn’t expect RJ to call you upstairs.

“The others are going to need your help with this one. Take this, your morpher... I took inspiration from your sister’s Wind Morpher when yours was being designed. You’re finally ready.” RJ explained, passing you the silver morpher as you attached it to your wrist.

“Of course. Thank you.”

///

The Five Fingers of Poison were no joke.

By the time you reached the other rangers, they were demorphed and battered.

Camille, the Five Fingers of Poison and someone you’d seen around Pai Zhuq were there too, but only then did you hear what was going on.

“The one you called Jarrod is gone. I am now filled with the evil of Dai Shi.”

“I need to get down there-” You realised, turning on your morpher.

“Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleashed!”

“With the soul of the ocelot, Jungle Fury Silver Ranger!” You spoke mainly to yourself, nobody heard you as Casey was now fighting Dai Shi Jarrod on his own as his tiger spirit was fighting the lion spirit above everyone.

Casey was losing.

Badly.

“Too easy.” Dai Shi growled, about to blast Casey with another attack when a streak of silver caught everyone’s attention.

“What?!”

The only people who knew what your animal spirit was, were the Masters who taught you.

Meaning the other rangers were clueless at this new arrival.

“Whoah!” Casey yelled as you managed to shove him out of the way of Dai Shi’s attack, dodging it with him.

“I thought ocelots were solitary creatures. No matter, you’ll fall as well, Silver Ranger!” Dai Shi taunted before sending another blast that sent you and Casey flying.

Casey saw Stingerella coming but you didn’t until intense pain washed over you, demorphing you as Casey yelled out in anguish.

“Her poison is in your bloodstreams, it is not fatal, but the pain will be punishing.”

///

Casey was in a hammock in the main room, being flocked by Lily, RJ and Theo whilst you were curled up on the futon in the garage under the blanket your sister gave you during the holidays last year.

Dai Shi was right.

Ocelots were solitary animals.

That didn’t stop Lily checking on you when she had a nightmare though.

She didn’t realise you were awake until she heard metal hitting metal.

“Y/n?”

She walked in on you practicing with your sai, even as you winced in pain. Casey seemed unaffected by the poison but it was hitting you with it’s full fury.

“Y/n? What are you doing up?”

Lily’s voice made you tense before you turned to face her, the pain in your softening eyes visible as you put down the sai.

“Something I have in common with my animal spirit. Both more active at night. It’s why I do the morning shifts at the parlour, then train after. I sleep in between, usually. Then RJ gave me the morpher and I messed up in the first fight. I, I just wanted to help.”

“Y/n, you went up against Dai Shi. You should at least be asleep... in your room, not the garage... c’mon.” Lily replied but you didn’t move, just taking her offered hand in your own as you stared at her.

“Cute, but you need to sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.” Lily replied, leaving you to sigh as you curled up under your silver blanket again, closing your eyes as Lily left to go back to bed.

///

You didn’t see Lily the next morning like she said.

You were too busy trying to wrangle the pizza parlour together with Fran and RJ as Casey, Theo and Lily had all disappeared.

You assumed they were fighting something but right now, you were fighting with the lunch rush.

///

You were sat at the top of the stairs as Casey walked in to help Lily with the washing up.

“It’s obvious you have a little thing for me.” Casey remarked, making Lily laugh. “Casey! You’re a great guy, but you’re like a, little brother to me, that’s why I worry so much!” Lily admitted, noticing how you were watching.

Lily smiled as she noticed your facade break, a smile on your face as she and Casey began to flick dish suds at each other.

“There’s that smile!” Lily grinned, resulting in Casey turning to spot you, flicking some suds that went onto your nose.

“Oh, it’s on!”

///

You knew your sister was busy being a master ninja at the Wind Academy alongside running her surf shop in Blue Bay Harbour. 

You were in Ocean Bluff.

So you never expected your sister and her friend Dustin to be sat in a booth in JKP as you were training with Theo upstairs. 

Until he remembered the time, saying something about it being the second Tuesday of the month as he ran off. 

This left you at the punching bag until RJ was satisfied.

Even as Lily and Casey were dancing around, you were working on your punches.

“C’mon, Y/n, dance with me!” Lily tried to pull you away from the punching bag but you shook your head.

“Save me a dance later, kitty.” 

“I’ll hold you to that-”

“Like you hold yourself to our lunch... appointment?”

You zoned out, continuing to punch as you watched Lily from the corner of your eye until the alarms went off, signalling Rinshi and Stingerella were in the city.

RJ nodded to you, gesturing for you to go with them.

///

“Oh great, dancing devils.” Theo remarked before the four of you began to try fight the dancing Rinshi.

“Anyone else struggling to match their rhythm?” You asked as a Rinshi hit you in the face and another got you in the ankle, flipping you whilst the others dealt with a massive Toady.

“Did Toady just run away crying?”

“Stingerella and the Rinsi danced away!” You exclaimed over the comms, trying to follow them but they disappeared out of sight.

///

“I think it’s time to fight fire with fire, I want you to teach your new dance to Theo, Casey and Y/n.”

“Oh god, I’m going to fall on my butt.” You grumbled under your breath as Theo complained and Casey smirked.

“And, 5, 6, 7, 8...”

“Why is Y/n the only one picking it up?” Lily began, making you chuckle.

“Because I’m actively avoiding crashing into those two. Let’s call it a defensive technique.” You joked, following as Casey and Theo began to go over the dance moves.

“Alright, you three got it!” Lily cheered, noticing you checking your phone in confusion before the alarms went off and the four of you were morphed and heading into the city.

///

“What? Oh, so you think you can dance? ATTACK!”

You grinned inside your helmet as the Rinshi started to go down, even using a balance technique your sister taught you when she tried to teach you to surf.

“Nice moves, Y/n!”

“Hey, where’d you learn that?” Lily asked, leaving you to glance at her before kicking a Rinshi in the head.

“My sister taught me.”

///

Casey’s refusal to use the Claw Cannon meant you had to fire it, but by the time you reached Lily and Theo, they were already fighting, leaving you to try pick the cannon up yourself to fire it.

“Can somebody get over here and help me? The Claw Cannon needs three people and it’s kinda heavy!” You exclaimed before you were launched backwards by Stingerella, the Claw Cannon falling to the ground.

“You need to sort your stuff out.” you spat as Lily helped you up, noticing how you were grimacing.

“You okay?” Lily asked, leaving you to sigh.

“Just needed help and it wasn’t there.”

///

“Oh, hey, Y/n! There’s two customers who have been waiting for you all day!” Fran exclaimed as Theo and Lily returned from their lunch appointment.

“Oh?” You hummed, turning around to where Fran was gesturing.

“Y/n? You okay?” Lily began, about to step forwards but you were just staring at the two in the booth.

“Tori? Dustin? What- what are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in Blue Bay Harbour!” You exclaimed, leaving Tori to frown.

“What? I can’t visit my baby sister at her workplace?”

[farfromharry]

always (part two) | harry holland series

summary: you finally find out why you were feeling so sick and tell Harry everything

word count - 2.5k

warnings - language, mentions of pregnancy

“i missed you so much, where have you been all week, are you okay?” he rambled, overwhelming you with questions. It’d been a week since your breakup with Nate, and a week since you had broken down to Harry on your bathroom floor. You had gone slightly MIA, but Harry has given you your space like he knew you needed.

So when you texted him, asking him to come over out of nowhere, he happily complied, walking into your flat with a loud ‘honey, i’m home.’ The cheesy phrase made you giggle, which you greatly appreciated after a hard week.

You practically threw yourself in his arms when you saw him, leading you to where you were currently.

Harry clinged to you, his arms around your neck and his cheek mushed against yours. This is how he was trying to convince you to come to the pub with him and his friends. His methods didn’t seem to work on you at all, much to his dismay, and yours, because he didn’t tell you he already had plans.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come?” You nodded your head, turning around to face him with a small smile. You hugged his waist tightly, hiding your face in his chest.

“We can wait for you to get ready.” His eyes were pleading with you, just wanting to spend time with his favourite girl, but you knew he’d understand.

“I still don’t feel good, ‘m sorry.” He nodded, placing a friendly kiss to your forehead.

“s’okay, i understand.”

“maybe another time.” He nodded.

“Am I okay to come here after?” You nodded, flashing him a smile. He thanked you, saying one last goodbye before leaving your flat to go and meet his friends. You sighed loudly when he was out of the door, grabbing your phone off the sofa and pulling up one of your contacts that you knew you could trust with your life.

“hello?” She asked.

“hi um, do you think you could come over, i really need you right now.” You received an ‘of course’ and a promise of her being no longer than 10 minutes. In that short amount of time you did your best to tidy up your living room as best as you could, giving up halfway after realising she wouldn’t care after you told her what was wrong.

A knock on your door startled you, even though you were expecting it, opening it to see Nikki standing there concerned.

“what’s happened hun?” You collapsed into her arms with a cry, her hands coming up to stroke your hair as she tried to calm you down.

Nikki had been like a mum to you ever since you met Harry many years ago. Always helping you with things and secretly rooting for you and Harry to get together; not that she’d tell you both that though.

Nikki instructed you to breathe deeply, the flow of your tears slowly coming to a halt.

“what’s wrong?” You took a deep breath, looking into her eyes as more tears built up.

“i think i’m pregnant.” Even if Nikki was shocked, she tried to hide it for your sake, knowing being calm in this situation would be more comforting.

“you stay here darling, i’ll go buy some tests and we’ll figure this out together.” You thanked her, offering some money that she straight up refused before she left.

Being alone meant you were thinking deeply about your current situation, absolutely scared to death. You were only 21, recently single and had no idea how you mother a child, especially alone. It’s safe to say you were panicking massively.

Thankfully Nikki was back in no time, handing you a bag and tightly clasping your hands in hers.

“so just, go into the bathroom, take a few of these and i’ll wait with you for the results, okay?” You nodded slowly, trying to process all the information at once. You did as she said, taking a few of the tests and setting them on your bathroom counter, letting her in afterwards to sit with you.

You sat on the edge of your bathtub, Nikki’s arm around you while your head rested on her shoulder.

“there’s lots of options if you are pregnant, we can sort this sweetheart.” You nodded, tearing up again.

“i’m so scared.” She placed a kiss on your head, just like Harry had done earlier, stroking your arm to comfort you.

“i know, but it’s all going to be okay.” Those 2 minutes were the scariest minutes of your life. they seemed to last an eternity. When the timer on your phone finally went off you took a deep breath, pushing yourself up and moving over to the counter.

“you got this.” You encouraged yourself. you looked at the test, seeing the two pink lines that made you let out a sob. Nikki came up behind you and pulled you into her arms, glancing at the tests to see what you were crying at, even though she could’ve taken a guess for herself.

She stayed to comfort you for a while, promising she’d leave before Harry arrived so you could tell him in private. She got you a hot drink and a warm blanket, helping you relax on the sofa, wiping any remnants of any tears away.

After Nikki left, you couldn’t force yourself to even get up from the couch, not even to go to the bathroom or put your mug down, sitting and just thinking about everything.

Finally, your door unlocking caught your attention, Harry entering with a smile, walking in a near straight line, which meant he was mostly sober.

“hey.” You hummed in response, watching as he made himself at home, collapsing on the couch next to you.

“how was your night?” He asked, unknowingly. you thought about how to answer, knowing this wasn’t the right way to tell him the news. You’d get there soon enough.

“strange, how was yours?” Harry’s eyes lit up as he threw his arm around you. For the next half an hour he ranted and laughed about the multiple things that had happened with his friends on this ‘crazy’ night out. He reiterated some of the jokes, managing to make you quietly laugh at times, but you nodded along anyway, only partly listening.

“Harry.” he didn’t even notice you had mumbled his name.

“it was hilarious, i wish you’d have come, you wo-“

“i’m pregnant.” The words died off on his tongue. His eyes widened and he looked at you in a mix of confusion and fear.

“what?” He asked, hoping he’d heard you wrong.

“i’m pregnant.” You didn’t even try to hold back this wave of tears, Harry taking the empty mug from you and placing it on the table before letting you bury your face in his hoodie, letting all of your emotions out. He wrapped his arms around you, stroking your back as your heart wrenching sobs filled his ears.

“how?” He asked.

“i-i don’t know, we always used protection.” He grimaced, hating picturing the idea of you having sex with Nate. However, he pushed that to the back of his mind to focus on you in the moment.

“I need to tell him, don’t i?” He shook his head.

“no, if you think it’s best he doesn’t know, then don’t feel like you have to say anything.” He brushed some loose hair behind your ears, wiping your tears with his thumb.

“i know you probably don’t want to, especially not with the way things ended but-“

“he has a right to know.” As much as it pained him, he nodded. You picked up your phone from the coffee table, pulling up the contact you thought you’d never have to dial again.

“should i call him?”

“It's whatever you think is best, I'll give you some privacy.” You thanked him, although you weren’t sure you even wanted him to leave.

“hey.” Harry couldn’t help but feel protective over you after what had happened with Nate, not even a week and a half ago. So even though he knew he probably shouldn’t have, he stood in the doorway of the kitchen, listening just to make sure you were okay.

When Harry re-entered the room a while later, he noticed you sitting in the same position you were in when he left.

“what happened?” You looked up at him and sighed.

“said he’s not ready to be a dad, blamed it all on me pretty much.” Harry scoffed, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

“do i need to beat the shit out of him, cause I will.” You laughed, shaking your head.

“you couldn’t hurt a fly.” He gasped in offense.

“that is not true.” He let you lay your head on his shoulder, throwing some of the fluffy blanket over his lap so the two of you could cuddle together.

“I think you’d be a great mum, you know.” He said, out of nowhere.

“really?” You asked insecurely, receiving a confirming nod. You smiled and nuzzled your cheek deeper into his chest, fighting off sleep so you could finish your conversation.

“how come?” His fingers in your hair paused their movements, a whine of protest coming from you.

“I've seen how you are with Theo, how protective you get over Paddy, it comes naturally to you.”

“that really means a lot, thank you Harry.” Your eyes had teared up at some point in the conversation, your heart warming knowing your favourite person thought you’d succeed in this.

“always.”

—

For the next few days, Harry had been spending time at his family home, wanting to bond with his twin for a little bit after not seeing him for a while. You didn’t mind in the slightest, except you were starting to get lonely, missing your curly headed friend, more than you’d be willing to admit to his face.

So when you received a text Friday night telling you Sam was going out, you instantly took that as an invitation to come over. Although you probably shouldn’t have been so quick to assume, you just missed his freckled face.

So that’s where you ended up, knocking on Harry’s door after 3 or 4 days of not seeing him, as well as the week after your breakup too, knocking on his door.

“i feel like all we’ve said to each other these past few days is i miss you.” He rambled as he opened the door. you thought about it before nodding your head.

“you’re right, but I did miss you though.” You confirmed.

“missed you too.” He kissed your head, letting you follow him to the kitchen where he already had your food for the night set out.

“got you your favourite.”

“you’re an angel, sir.” You sat down across from him.

“with the way you’re eating, you look like the pregnant one.” You joked, taking note of his cramped plate. Harry ended up cracking another joke on top of yours that had you both bursting into laughter.

After the laughter died down there was an uncomfortable silence lingering in the air, one that neither you or Harry were used to when it came to each other. Of course you didn’t want to say anything, worried it was all in your head and you’d offend the male if you said anything.

However, you didn’t have time to ponder that thought for long, Harry practically reading your mind for you.

“this is weird right?” He asked. You nodded.

“why does this feel so awkward?” you asked, Harry's head snapping up and a blush coating his cheeks.

“i-i don’t know how to act around you now you’re pregnant.” He admitted.

“seriously?” You asked with a laugh. Harry’s embarrassment getting worse.

“I'm still me, Harry, just can’t drink alcohol anymore.” Harry took a deep breath and nodded, rising from his chair and heading to his fridge.

“Guess I'll have to drink for both of us then.” He winked and you rolled your eyes, watching him pop open a beer and instantly taking a gulp.

“you’re so mean.”

“What did i do?” He teased, a smirk on his lips.

“rubbing it in that i can’t drink.” You pouted, Harry laughing when glancing at your sad eyes.

“I mean, you came to see me, can’t really complain now.” You rolled your eyes.

“i’m actually only here for paddy.” Harry gasped, feigning offense.

“you don’t mean that.” You heard the front door open, Nikki and Paddy’s voices echoing through the hallway. Paddy practically ran to you when he saw you, wrapping his arms around you in a hug.

“oh, but i do.”

After Paddy had left the kitchen, claiming he was going to play some game with his friends, Nikki made her way over to you, surveying the mess Harry had made while eating and scoffing at her son.

“how have you made such a mess Harry?” Ye looked at his mum sheepishly, shrugging his shoulders, being let off with an eye roll.

“and how’s the mother to be?” You smiled at Nikki, accepting her side hug.

“hungry.” You whined, eyeing part of Harry’s food that you’d been dying to try.

“you’ve got enough food to feed four of you Harry, you’re never gonna eat all that, let her have some.” She hit him up the side of the head, making you giggle as he looked almost offended at his mum’s betrayal. He glared at you playfully, ignoring your innocent smile as you stole some of his food off his plate.

“thank you Harry.” You teased. He mimicked you, a snort leaving your mouth that then made Harry laugh loudly. The two of you ate with minimal conversation,a few jokes thrown in here and there. Both of you seeming almost equally as hungry, despite only one of you being pregnant, which you definitely kept teasing your best friend about.

“d’you wanna watch a film?” You shook your head.

“I should be getting home, I have work tomorrow.” Harry pouted, stating that he just wasn’t going to let you leave him.

“i have to go, ‘m sorry.” You kissed his cheek, grabbing your jacket off of the back of your chair.

“just promise we can hang out again soon.”

“we will.”

“I mean really soon, miss.” You nodded.

“of course.” You slipped on your shoes and placed your hand over your belly, out of a new habit you’d developed rather quickly. Harry noticed, smiling at you as you already began proving his point of how good of a mum you’d be.

“thank you for tonight, i really appreciated the distraction.” You said, hugging his waist tightly.

“it’s my pleasure, but at least let me drive you home.” You shook your head, denying his offer.

“I'm fine Harry, I'm pregnant, not dead.” He rolled his eyes.

“I just worry about you.” He whined.

“i know, but i’m a big girl.”

“whatever.” He wrapped his arm around your shoulders, finally agreeing to let you go.

“goodbye Harry, i love you.” You sang. He shook his head in amusement.

“i love you too, and i’ll see you soon.” You waved before heading to your car, a content feeling in your stomach as you thought about tonight’s events.

“the things you do to me Harry Holland.”

harry holland + always taglist - @euphorichxlland @theliterarymess @drie-the-derp @sunkisseddreamer @call-me-baby-gir1 @fallinfortom @hollandbroz-n-haz @hopelessly-harry @icyhollands @iwearheadphones @thevelvetseries @minejungwoo

[ellewritesathing]

Ten Things    VII

Summary: If there’s one thing you have to know about Harvey Kinkle, it’s that he rarely thinks things through. So when he meets (and falls for) Sabrina Spellman on his first day of Baxter High and finds out that she can’t date anyone until her tempestuous sister does, it seems like the obvious solution is to get someone to date her so he can go out with Sabrina. A not so obvious choice for the challenge is Caliban, but, hey, it’s not like Harvey thought that far.

Masterlist Prev. | Part 7

Word-count: 3k+

A/N: before you read, i would just like to say, from the bottom of my heart, yikes 💕

For the most part, you rejected cultural, social, and gender norms - being raised by Zelda and growing up with Ambrose had pretty much insured your rebellious streak - but there was a part of you that had always wanted to go to prom. 

It was cheesy and lame, and a huge part of you still hated school dances thanks to Nick, but there was always a small, tiny part of you that craved the experience. You wanted to buy a tacky dress that you’d never wear again, dance with a high school sweetheart that would feature in all your stories, and just - for one night - be like everyone else. 

Now that you were sitting in the parking lot in a tacky dress you'd never wear again and staring at your reflection in the rearview mirror while you waited for your high school sweetheart, you were starting to have your doubts. 

Sure, Sabrina had helped you pick out a dress, Ambrose had done your makeup, and Hilda had twisted your hair into a style that made it seem far less unruly than it usually was, but that didn't change who you were underneath it all. You looked as close to perfect as you’d ever been on the surface, but underneath you just weren't sure if people like you got to be like everyone else. 

“Hey.” Sabrina reached over and touched your arm lightly. She looked as perfect as she always did, somehow more so with the annoyingly kind smile on her face. People like Sabrina were built to go to prom. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” you lied with a smile. You twisted the bracelet that was just too big for your wrist. “Just wondering how Ambrose is coping with the tragic loss of his prom date.” 

Sabrina laughed, leaning back in her chair and tilting her head up to the roof. “I’m sure he’ll find some way to go on.” 

You gave her another smile and then the car fell into a familiar silence. It was slightly different than usual though. Ordinarily, it was because neither of you had anything to say; tonight, it was because you had too much to say. Anticipation and nervousness hung in the air. 

You looked up from your bracelet to find Sabrina watching Nick go into the school. With a sigh, you asked, “Did he ever tell you that we dated?” 

“What? No way!” Sabrina spun around to see if you were joking. Her surprise crushed any nervousness in the car. Her wide eyes narrowed as she took you in. “But you hate him.” 

“I didn’t always. I mean, he was so totally dreamy and, like, did you know he does modeling on the weekends?” Laughing off your impersonation of Sabrina’s cronies, you shook your head and picked at the details on your dress. “He was different back then. I was still figuring things out. We just kind of … made sense at the time.” 

“What happened?” Sabrina asked, concern taking over in the absence of surprise and suspicion. 

“Homecoming. He didn’t really respect that I wanted to take things slowly,” you said evenly. “It ended in this huge fight and he threatened to tell people we slept together anyway. I told him if he ever did that, I’d tell everyone that he made me wear his mother’s clothes first and that those swimsuit photos were, uh, very heavily edited.” 

Sabrina laughed and leaned back in her chair again. “Wow, you and Nick …” She let out a long breath and shook her head. Then she frowned and shuddered. “Gross.” 

It was your turn to laugh and sink into your chair. You grabbed hold of Sabrina’s hand and looked over at her. “Yeah, it is pretty gross.” 

The two of you were quiet again and anxiety filled up the space between you. Neither of you had ever been in this position before. Neither of you had ever been speechless before.

“Are you nervous?” Sabrina asked quietly. It felt like the slightest noise would shatter the air you breathed.

“A little,” you confessed. Light from one of the lamposts filtered through the windshield and hit your intertwined hands. It was hard to believe, when the two of you sat like this, that you hated one another six months ago. “I really like him, Brina.” 

“Me too.” 

“I keep feeling like I’m gonna mess it all up somehow.” 

“Me too.” 

You turned your head to look at her, maybe to tell her that she was crazy if she thought she could mess anything up or maybe to tell her to say something longer than two words, but you didn't get the chance to say anything or confess any more secrets.  

Caliban and Harvey knocked on yours and Sabrina’s windows with three quick blows and the two of you sprang apart. You cursed them out with some very descriptive and lengthy profanities, but unlocked the doors for them anyway. 

Instead of yelling, Sabrina laughed, stumbled out, and wrapped Harvey in a clumsy hug. 

While you were marveling at how easy it was for her to be, Caliban opened your door. He hung in the frame, the smell of ocean-scented shampoo and reckless ambition filled your lungs and washed away your anxieties. “You look lovely,” he said with a quiet smile. 

How you responded would define your night. Could you be like everyone else for a night or were you simply not built for that kind of easy lightness?

Deciding to leave the anger in the car for the night, you gave him a playful smile and tugged on the edges of his jacket. “You’re not so bad yourself, Sparky.” 

Before Caliban had the chance to respond, you smoothed your hand along his jacket and settled your fingers lightly on his neck. Your other hand held onto his shirt as you pressed a kiss to his lips. 

"I should get dressed up more often," Caliban murmured when you pulled away. You gave him another smile and he stepped back and held a hand out to help you out of the car. 

The two of you made your way into the school without a single witty one-liner escaping either of your lips. 

--- 

Harvey had heard of people who got quiet when they were nervous and about how, even when they felt like they were going to explode, they appeared cool and calm to the untrained eye. Unfortunately, he realized he would never be one of them. 

From the moment he and Caliban surprised the two of you in the parking lot and Sabrina nearly toppled him over with that hug, he had been unable to keep his mouth shut for more than thirty seconds.

It wasn’t like he wanted to make Sabrina’s ears bleed with bad jokes and unclever observations about the dance around them, or ramble on about his history assignment and how Theo finally worked up the courage to ask Robin to be his date. If he had it his way, he would be as charming and cavalier as Caliban was when he was with you. 

But he wasn’t. Harvey was anxious to every eye, trained or not.

Sabrina, thankfully, seemed to find it cute. She’d kiss him whenever he needed a distraction and even managed to convince him to dance. Granted, he would have done anything to make her smile but still. It’s not like he was any good at it. 

Harvey would step on her feet at times and go left when he was meant to go right, but Sabrina didn’t mind. She’d laugh and lead him in the direction. She was perfect. 

If all dances were like this, then Harvey was starting to think they might not be so bad, anxiety be damned. 

Looking over at you and Caliban, he figured you guys were thinking something similar. Caliban had given you his jacket and the two of you were holding onto one another and dancing in place. It was a very sweet scene, made funnier by the fact that Harvey knew the two of you were probably scheming something terrible instead of whispering ‘sweet nothings’ (as Ambrose called it). 

---

"You can't tell me you don't know any dances," Caliban said, an amused smile on his lips. "I've met your aunts and I don't believe they wouldn't teach you at least one formal dance."

"I know one," you said. Before he had the chance to ask which, you rushed to add, "But it's not really something you can break out at a school dance without looking like an asshole," you told him. 

Caliban laughed and shook his head at you. "I hate to break it to you, love, but everyone here already thinks we're assholes. So, just tell me what it is so we can stop swaying in place."

Begrudgingly, you dropped your gaze and mumbled something into Caliban's chest. 

"Sorry, what was that?" Caliban asked. 

You sighed and looked up at him. He could have sworn that you almost looked nervous. "Ambrose taught me to lindy hop before he figured out that Sabrina was a much more agreeable partner," you said. 

"The lindy hop," Caliban repeated. As he said it, an image of you and Amrose swirling around the living room with all the furniture shoved up against the walls popped into his head. It was sweet. "We could try it, if you want." 

"It's been years," you said quickly. "I- I don't even know if I still remember how to do it!"

Caliban knew that arguing would get him nowhere, so he let go of one of your hands and twirled you out instead. When you spun back into him, muscle memory had the two of you bouncing around and stepping in sync in no time. 

Soon, you were laughing and twirling and looking as carefree as Caliban had ever seen you. And then the first punch was thrown. 

---

Before all hell had broken loose, Harvey had spent his time talking nonstop and keeping an eye on you guys as well as watching over Nick. He’d been moping for most of the night, just drinking from a flask while some girls tried to flirt with him, but Harvey knew better than to underestimate him. Nick could be a loose cannon.

Although he stayed away for most of the night, Nick eventually got rowdy and staggered over. His speech wasn’t slurred but alcohol tinged every word. 

He pointed a very accusatory finger at Sabrina. “You’re supposed to be here with me,” Nick snarled.  

“I’m not supposed to do anything,” Sabrina said. “Nick, you should leave.” 

“What? Am I ruining your perfect night?” Nick looked over at Harvey. He wasn't sober enough to glare, so it was a sloppy, angry look. “You screwing the new kid now?” 

Harvey let go of Sabrina to take a step closer to Nick. “You are way, out of line, man. Just get out of here before I kick your ass.” 

“Oh, please. Save the knight in shining armor crap for someone who gives a shit.” 

Some other words were said, but they all led up to the same thing: Harvey punching Nick just above his jaw.

--- 

Though Harvey had a pretty decent left hook, Nicholas appeared to be a bit of scrapper, sloppy as he was. Caliban didn’t have the chance to say anything before you’d torn yourself away from him. Not a single beat was skipped before the two of you went to break up the fight. 

You’d pulled Harvey back at the same time that Caliban pulled Nick back by his wrist and pinned it behind his back. Caliban gave you his best smile - the two of you made a good team. 

“Oh, of course, you came to the rescue,” Nick spat, craning his neck to scowl at Caliban. “Caliban. What kind of name is that anyway? Actually, I don’t care. I want my money back.” 

Your hold on Harvey faltered. Both he and Sabrina were frozen next to you, and Caliban just knew you'd pieced it together. “Your money?” you asked.

“Awww, didn’t anyone tell you kitty cat?” Nick asked. He laughed as Caliban twisted his arm to make him shut up. “Your boy here is on my payroll. He only asked you out because my buddy Ben Franklin asked.”

Something inside you clicked, anger replacing the momentary shock, and Caliban knew there was no going back. You pushed Harvey away from you and scoffed. “Unbelievable.” 

“It’s not what you think,” Caliban rushed out. 

“Actually, it’s exactly what I think. Isn’t it, Nick? You wanted to go out with my sister and paid him to get me out of the way?” you asked. Your voice was shaking even though you were remarkably composed, but Caliban knew the rage that must have been under your skin. He’d never meant to hurt you but it was too late for that now.

“Exactly,” Nick said. 

You shook your head and stormed past them, knocking your shoulder into Caliban’s on your way out. Sabrina called out to you but you ignored her cries, Nick’s laughter, and everyone else. 

As much as Caliban wanted to punch Nick’s face in, he’d never forgive himself if he didn’t go after you. He shoved Nick down to the ground and raced after you.

---

You’d been angry before. Anger was when Sabrina borrowed your favorite shirt and ruined it, or when Billy said something ignorant and/or offensive. That's how you knew that this wasn’t anger. This was a blind fury mixed with hurt and betrayal, accompanied by some very stubborn tears. 

Your first instinct had been to hide in the bathroom and clean yourself up, but you ran the risk of someone finding you if you did that. So, instead, you made a b-line for your car. Harvey would take Sabrina home, and you were too pissed at both of them to care if he didn't, anyway. All you needed was to leave before you blew up. 

But Caliban wasn’t making your escape easy for you. He rushed after you and grabbed your hand just as you got to the sidewalk that led to the parking lot. “Look, I can explain-” 

“No!” You spun around and pushed him away from you. He looked hurt and confused but he had no right to be. He used you. He knew how you felt and he used you anyway. “I told you to tell me,” you said, hitting his chest weakly and struggling not to cry at the sight of him. Your voice shook. “I fucking told you and you just-” 

“I couldn’t tell you!” Caliban’s voice wasn’t shaking but it definitely wasn’t his usual cool tone. “I couldn’t, okay? I had feelings for you long before Nicholas was in the picture and-” 

“I don’t care! You lied to me, Caliban,” you said. You couldn’t yell at him anymore; it hurt too much. “I trusted you and you lied to me.”

Caliban couldn’t yell either. His voice was raw and shaking when he spoke again, but he reached out and touched your face gently before he tried. He wiped away one of your tears with his thumb. “I’m sorry.” 

“I hate you,” you lied, voice trembling. 

“I know.” Caliban's voice was quiet as he pulled his hand away. He hadn't looked away from you once. “I should go check on Harvey.” 

“Then leave.” 

Caliban gave you a solemn nod and turned to head back inside. The doors swung shut behind him and you started crying. Ugly, broken, and embarrassing sobs. When your hands went up to your face, you felt Caliban’s jacket brush your skin and your anger flared back up again. 

You ripped your hands away and tore the jacket off, throwing it to the ground as hard as you could. Something clinking inside caught your attention. Warily, you bent down and felt for whatever it was, eventually pulling out his car keys. 

You got to your feet and pointed the keys towards the parking lot. Somewhere in the distance, his car beeped and a terrible, impulsive idea started forming. 

---

There were a lot of things Sabrina could put up with, but Nick Scratch was not one of them. She picked him up off the floor after Caliban threw him down and then she punched him in the gut. It was a lot more painful than they made it look in the movies, but man, did it feel good. 

“That’s for breaking my sister’s heart,” she told him matter-of-factly. He was still in the process of recovering when she hit him again and burst a vein in his nose. “That’s for Harvey.” She kneed him in the one spot she knew he definitely didn’t want to be kneed. “And that’s for me.” 

Ignoring Nick's broken wails, Sabrina stormed out of the dance. She blew past Caliban and a dozen confused freshmen, and went to look for you. Your car was still in the lot but she couldn’t see you anywhere. She tried calling multiple times but there was never any answer. 

She’d just about given up when Harvey showed up, but then you picked up before he could say anything. 

“Oh, my god. Are you okay?” Sabrina rushed out, clutching Harvey’s hand. 

If there was one thing you hated, it was dumb questions. Your annoyance was evident when you snapped, “I’m just peachy.”

“Where are you?” Sabrina asked.

“Can you pick me up on the other side of the mines?” you asked. “Give me half an hour first.” 

“Anything you need,” Sabrina said. “I love you.”

“Yeah, I love you, too.”

Sabrina held onto the phone even after you’d hung up. She felt sick to her stomach at the thought of what you were going through. Because of her. Taking a deep breath, she let go of Harvey’s hand. “I need to go.” 

Harvey’s face was full of concern. “Can I come with you?”

“No. I need to talk to my sister,” she said. She leaned up and kissed his cheek. “Thank you. I had fun before …” 

Before she crushed you. 

Part 8

Tagged:  @t-a-i-l-o-r-m-a-d-e​  @miss--moose​  @marrypuffsstuff​  @harryscarolinaa​  @igorsbby​  @foji2000​​  @hxlalokidottir​  @artaxerxesthegreat​​  @thxmagic​​  @strawberriesandknives​​  @xealia​​  @hotmessindisguise​  @acciomaximoff​  @reheated-coffee​​  @shelby-x​​  @perseny-blog​​  @millie-753​​  @luneerius​​  @shizzybarnaclee​​  @lettherebelovex​​  @throughparisallthroughrome​  @ietss​  @thebookwormlife​  @mechanicalanimalz​  @mariamermaid​  @nqbmf​  @caliban-is-my-girl  @shephard17895​  @andie-kathleen​  @clockworks-world-to-fandoms​  @luquincy  @marina468​  @olivia-west-allen  @drrramaaaqweeen​  @roxytheimmortal​  @blondeeee-e​

[howtobeapersonwithfibro]

Disability Sci-Fi: Alternate Universe Theo

Finally continuing my Disabled Sci-Fi series. Here’s one about Theo, an amputee who gets sent into an alternate reality by a meddlesome young witch. Enjoy! I’d love to hear what you think.

***

The first thing he notices when he wakes up is that the window isn’t in the right spot in his room.

The second thing he notices, as he swings himself to the edge of the bed and looks for his forearm crutches, is that he has two legs.

And then he freezes. For a solid three minutes. 

When Theo went to bed, it was in a small bedroom in a shoebox apartment he shared with his boyfriend in Pittsburgh. The walls were beige, not this clean white. Their bed was nestled beside the room’s one window, the only place it could logically go. 

And he had one leg, courtesy of an accident that occurred a few years before. 

This morning, everything felt wrong. He stood up, unaided--a feeling that was odd but that he vaguely remembered--and approached the window that was in the wrong place. He recognized the view from the one time he’d been there on a college tour. 

Harvard. He was in a dorm at Harvard. Once upon his time, this was his dream school. 

Then the accident happened, his mental health went to shit, and he decided to stay closer to home where his family could support him better. Ultimately, it had worked out. He’d taken a year off after high school, went to University of Pittsburgh, met Xavier, came out to his parents. 

So what the hell was this? Some kind of lucid dream?

He grabbed his phone from the side table and opened up Contacts, looking for Xavier’s name.

It wasn’t there.

Theo dialed the number he’d memorized months ago, and breathed a sigh of relief when he heard his boyfriend’s voice on the other end of the phone. “Hello?”

“Hey, it’s me. Something… weird is going on. Where are you right now?” Theo paced as he talked, an old nervous habit that kept reminding him of his two feet on the floor.

“I’m sorry, who is this?”

He shook his head. Xavier was always full of jokes, but now was not the time. This weird alternate-life dorm room was freaking him out. “Don’t be a smartass. It’s Theo.”

“Sorry, dude, I don’t know a Theo. You must have the wrong number.” Click. Call ended.

Theo stared at his phone. What the hell was going on? It’s like he’d woken up in a different version of his life, one that didn’t belong to him.

He didn’t know what else to do. He dialed Mom. She should be the same no matter what, right?

“Hi honey, what’s up?”

“Mom,” he breathed a sigh of relief. At least she was right. “The weirdest thing has happened. I woke up at Harvard, and my leg--”

“Oh, Theo. Slow down. This must be one of your panic attacks. Do you have your medication?”

Panic attacks were something he’d struggled with since the accident in his world, too. That happened when you were suddenly hit by a car, and the car drove away as you bled onto the blacktop. 

“But mom, the car accident--”

“Just breathe, Theo. It’s over now, remember? The doctor said it was amazing you only needed stitches.”

His mom was still talking, but he set the phone on the bed. He drew up his shorts to look at the spot above his knee where his leg was supposed to be amputated.

There was just a scar, fairly faded, a few inches long. 

He picked the phone back up, and found his mother still rambling. “Honey, why don’t you take a clonazepam and take the day off from classes? You’ll feel much better after some rest.” 

Clearly, she was not going to be much help in the “what the hell is going on” department. So he just said, “Okay, I’ll do that,” tolerated a few more reassuring comments, and then finally hung up.

Left without any other ideas, Theo got dressed and left his room to go wander around campus. He didn’t know what classes he was supposedly attending or who his friends here supposedly were, but it didn’t matter. He was looking for something, anything to tell him why he was suddenly here, in this life. 

Could that other life have just been a really detailed dream--and the accident caused just a mild, now-healed injury? But why couldn’t he remember anything about this place? Why didn’t it feel like his? He pinched his arm experimentally, but no magical awakening happened.

He found himself missing the muffled clacking sound of crutches that usually accompanied him as he walked. Who was he if he wasn’t Theo, the amputee? The anxious U of P student dreaming of vet school? Xavier’s boyfriend?

This was all wrong.

He was wandering uneasily down one of the paths when someone caught his eye. A girl with purple hair and piercings who had a mischievous, observant air about her. Not exactly Harvard’s type.

And he remembered her. Not her name, but her face. 

He’d met her yesterday. The real yesterday, in his world, which he was now certain existed.

He all but ran up to the picnic table where she lounged carelessly. He found himself wordless, but she simply quirked an eyebrow at him and said, “What’s up, champ?”

“Sorry, I’m, uh, having a bit of a weird day. But… do we know each other?”

She smirked knowingly, but said, “I don’t actually know a lot of Harvard boys.”

“Yeah, see, the thing is, I’m not…” He ran his hands through his hair, trying to figure out how to sound even relatively normal. In the end, he decided not to bother trying. “This is going to sound crazy. I think I met you yesterday, but… somewhere else. I was in Pittsburgh, and I lived there, and my life was different…” 

She stared at him a while, letting him think for a few minutes that he truly was crazy. Still somewhat amused, she finally admitted, “I remember you. I... may have come here to visit you today. To… check on my handiwork.”

“Your what?”

She hesitated a moment, then sighed. “Okay. See, like, I’m part of this... witches’ coven. Not, like, brooms and cauldrons and shit, but like, real spells and magic. And I’ve been wanting to practice this one spell I found, but my sisters told me not to, and you can’t just go around telling people you’re a witch and asking if they want a spell… so I just sort of picked someone. And it was you.”

So much for being sure of things again. Theo blinked. Several times. Took a few breaths. Found some words. “So,” he ventured, “Let’s just pretend for a second that magic is real and I’m not having a fever dream right now.”

“Sure.” She leaned back against the wooden table, as if this was an average day for her. 

“You… made this happen? Put me in this alternate life? But why?”

“Yes. And, honestly... I had to find someone the spell would work on. It involved finding a pivot point in someone’s life--a point that could have gone one way or the other, like, deciding whether or not to take a job, have a kid, or spontaneous accidents--and making it flip the other way. The overall world stays the same, but the ripple effect of the pivot-point moment is applied and the person’s world changes.”

He just stared at her.

“We have the ability to sort of… read people. So I saw you, struggling to carry a bunch of shit down the street with your crutches, and I got your vibe. A bit of your history. Bad accident, took your leg, now it’s mighty inconvenient for you. So I wondered if I could just… flip the pivot point and see if it fixed you.” She shrugged. 

“You didn’t fix anything, you crazy… witch,” he finished lamely, struggling for a more accurate word. “My whole life is wrong now. I’m at the wrong school, away from my family, my boyfriend doesn’t even know me…” 

“But you’ve got your leg, yeah?” She stood up from the table, as if she was satisfied with this conversation and ready to move elsewhere. She had a new excitement flowing through her expression. “So it worked! I can’t believe I did it.”

“You. Are not. Hearing me. I didn’t ask you to do this. I didn’t ask for my leg back. I want my life back, the way it was.” 

“Look, even if I could… it would take some time. Recharge my magic batteries or whatever. Find my focus for the spell. It’s not like I can just snap my fingers. Can’t you just stay here? I mean, shit, you’re at Harvard, and healed, for one.” 

“Being able-bodied is not a replacement for a happy life that I already had.” He shook his head. “Why can’t people understand that not every disabled person is inherently miserable?”

It seems to sink in, because the purple-haired girl is starting to appear guilty. “I mean, you looked pretty miserable carrying those bags down the street. I just thought--”

“I know. You looked at me and thought, what a poor crippled soul, he must have a terrible life just because he’s struggling with grocery bags for a few minutes. Right?” Theo didn’t think of himself as intimidating, but his anger made him bigger, somehow, as he loomed over the girl. Theo thought of Xavier, of their crappy little apartment and long nights spent studying for pre-vet program exams. And he wanted it back. Needed it. 

“I mean--” she started.

He cut her off. “I need you to undo this. Today.”

She was breathing quickly. She took a step back from him. “The best I can do is tonight. Six hours or so. We’ll meet back here.” She bit her lip nervously. 

“You better not be messing with me.” 

“No, I swear,” she said. “I’m really sorry. It was stupid of me to try the spell without your permission.” She paced a bit. “I’ll undo it. I just need a little time.”

***

Theo spent the rest of the day wandering around the campus, poking around a little out of curiosity to see what this Alternate-Theo’s life was like. He was sure about wanting things to go back, but he had time to fill, and when did anyone else get an opportunity to see what their life could have been like? 

He managed to find the way back to his dorm, following a peer through the locked door and stairwell. He eventually found the door number he remembered, 410, and pushed open the door he’d left unlocked in his earlier frenzy. 

The room was a single, so no roommate. Everything in here belonged to this Theo. 

He poked through some papers and textbooks. It looked like he was pre-med, and making decent grades--that was his old dream, of becoming a doctor for people, not animals. But after the accident, he’d wanted to spend as little time in hospitals and doctors’ offices as possible, and found comfort in his pets. The solution seemed obvious, once his anxiety went down and he was clear-headed enough to see it.

He scrolled through his phone. A couple casual texts to friends about homework and such. No boyfriend or even super close friends, it seemed. There were some texts and calls to his parents--one text from his mom said Meet any nice girls lately? ;). So he hadn’t even come out to his parents yet? What about his so-called “friends” here? To Theo, it looked like this life was pretty lonely. 

This whole snooping process took up several hours, and he spent the next few eating snacks he found in his room, pacing the Harvard grounds hoping the witch-girl would return sooner, and, briefly, taking a run. It wasn’t as fun as he’d imagined it would be on the rare occasions he did miss his leg.

Finally, as the day grew cooler and a little darker, the purple-haired girl approached him where he sat at the same picnic table he’d found her at earlier.

“I think I’m all set.” She sat down next to Theo with the same nonchalance she had earlier. “I just need a minute to get relaxed and settled here. Are you sure you still want to undo this?”

“Yes,” he replied, without hesitation. 

“Okay.” She closed her eyes, breathing evenly. She held a few objects in her hands he couldn’t see. 

“Am I going to rememb--?”

“Shh. Trying to focus here. And to answer your question, I don’t know. Now be quiet.”

***

Theo woke up in a tiny beige bedroom in a shoebox apartment in Pittsburgh. Beside him, the sheets were ruffled; typical for Xavier to get up early for rowing practice. Leaning against the wall by the bed were a pair of forearm crutches. 

A sticky note in Xavier’s messy scrawl was on the side table next to the bed. See you for lunch? I’ll text you. Love you. -X

Theo held onto the note and let himself fall back into the pillow with ease. He did remember the crazy alternate-life day he had, but couldn’t entirely be sure whether it was a dream or not. 

But he could relax and be happy now. He was back where he belonged.

[hereticpriest]

Powdered Sugar Chapter 1

Polar AU

After retiring, Duncan runs into a young woman who has just moved into a house down the road from his. Her behaviour makes it clear she’s hiding something, or at least hiding from something. The question is, what?

Margaery ‘Minnie’ Davis hooks her thumbs in her belt loops as she surveys the state of her new property, occasionally blocked by the movers carrying her furniture into the house. She will have to do some heavy maintenance on the yard come spring, as it is absolutely overrun with dead and dormant plants. A loud bark draws her out of her thoughts, and she smiles at the massive leonberger running out of the trees.

“Hello my little lion cub. Did you finish your run around the property? Do you like our new home, Theo?” Minnie asks, squatting so she can kiss his forehead and ruffle his ears. She takes a second to remove a tag from his collar and replace it with a new one, then stands and encourages him to go continue exploring. She fetches a duffel bag from her black Jeep Wrangler, hooking it over her shoulder, then picks up a large gun case sized for a rifle and a smaller gun case more along the lines of a handgun size. The movers are carrying her gun safe into the house, and she asks them to put it near the door, keeping herself several feet away from the men at all times.

Once the last item is in the house, she places a couple of rolled bills on the back of the moving truck, then skirts around the men to head into the house. She puts her guns in the safe first, then sets her ammo safe in the front hall closet shelf. A titanium baseball bat is mounted beside the door, and a roll of hunting knives are dispersed around the house. She takes out a box with tangled wires and panels in it and begins to move around the house, setting up window alarms on each window, a security camera on the front porch, the back patio, and one to cover the main area of the cabin. She wires it all to a security panel, programs it, and finally collapses into one of the chairs set in her ‘living room’ area. Theo paws at the front door a few moments later, drawing her out of her stupor, and she crosses to it to let him in.

“Hello little lion.” Minnie hums, letting her dog into the house, shivering at the rush of cold air, and closing the door behind them. The fireplace is clean and usable, but she hasn’t lit it yet because she hasn’t got any wood chopped. Theo lays on the plush rug, wiggling against it, then relaxing. His fur will keep him warm, but Minnie doesn’t have the same luxury.

“Damnit.”

Minnie heads out to the wood pile with her axe, swinging it lazily with one hand, though she drops at when she hears the soft bang of a cabin door opening in the distance. She twists, black curls bouncing around her head, and meets the eyes of a man at the cabin next to hers. Even across a good half-acre distance, she could see the cherry of his cigarette and his dark, sad eyes. Minnie swallows, takes a deep breath to steel herself, then lifts the axe out of the snow and places a log on her chopping block. She grunts as she slams the axe down, splitting the wood easily. Practiced. The next log goes up, another grunt, and the log splits. Minnie begins to sweat, and she shrugs off her thick wool coat, tossing it onto the stairs to her porch. Underneath, she wears a black, cotton, ¾ sleeve shirt that stretches to cover her ample chest, and a pair of simple jeans that cling to her legs. Her hiking boots are black and worn with age.

From his cabin nearby, Duncan watches the woman as he has been since the moving trucks pulled up. She slams the axe into the chopping block, loads her arms with wood, and walks up the steps to the house. A pause, and then she’s back outside to put her coat back on and light a cigarette. Her dog follows, circling her once before running off to frolic in the snow. He can’t say he doesn’t want to meet the woman. She’s beautiful, capable, and she’s going to be his neighbour so he might as well get to know her. So, when her dog begins to jump in snow piles, progressively getting closer and closer to him, he moves to sit on the stairs of his porch and wait patiently.

The massive dog takes out a pile of snow near his truck on the way over, then runs up to sniff him and lick his face. The woman notices and immediately says something to herself before heading over.

“Theo, down!” The woman shouts, and her dog immediately obeys, resting at Duncan’s feet and leaning against his legs to get pets. Duncan obliges, looking the dog over appreciatively while he waits for his new neighbour to approach. She stays a few feet away from him when she walks up, and Theo pads over to her when she stops.

“Hi… er, hello. Uhm, sorry… about Theo. He’s very friendly with people he likes. Good judge of character.” The woman steps a bit closer, like her dog’s opinion of him means that much, “I’m Margaery Davis. I-I just moved in, today… well, I’m sure you saw.”

Duncan offers her what he hopes is a relaxing smile, and her face softens into a smile of her own. He notices her cigarette is burnt out from her running and thumps one out of his pack for her, holding it out for her. “I’m Duncan. Duncan Vizla.”

“Duncan Vizla. It’s nice to meet you. We’re… uh, neighbours, so… I suppose we’ll see a lot of each other.” Minnie says with a nervous smile. She takes the cigarette with a quiet thank you and lights it up, taking a deep drag off of it. Her lips are a deep pinkish red, almost like she just finished sucking on a candy, and Duncan finds himself wondering if it is natural or not. Her skin is white in a slightly unnatural way, like she’s been deprived of the sun rather than naturally not having much pigment to her skin.

“Snow White.” Duncan murmurs to himself, and Minnie raises her brows. She takes another drag before speaking.

“Sorry, what?”

“I said Snow White. You… look like her.” Duncan says a little louder, and Minnie feels her cheeks flush.

“Oh… Uhm, thank you?”

“You’re welcome.” Duncan eyes her for a moment, and Minnie swallows, petting Theo’s head.

“I… I should leave you be.” She says, hesitating before holding out her free hand to him, “I… I hope I’ll see you again soon. Call me Minnie, by the way. Margaery is an old lady name.”

“Minnie…” Duncan takes her hand, shaking it, his thumb running over her knuckles briefly before he lets go. She offers him a small smile, lifting the cigarette to her lips once more, then turns on her heel and heads back towards her cabin. Theo follows along behind her for a moment before running ahead to dive into another snow pile. Duncan watches her go, eying the slow sway of her hips as she picked her way through the snow.

Two days later, he heads into town and sees Minnie in the grocery store just in time to watch her flinch away from another customer that steps too close to her while passing her in the aisle. He eyes her for a moment before entering the store, tracking the way Minnie’s eyes immediately flick to him. Assessing her situation. He offers her a small nod, and she nods back, then continues to where to noisy owner Martha has the liquor just out of reach.

“Bourbon, please. And vodka. The bigger bottles, please. I’d like it to last.” Minnie murmurs, her shoulders tight. Her basket is laden with groceries and essentials, and she spends some time picking out different candies to add to her basket. As she’s choosing, he can see her worrying her lip with her teeth. Oral fixation, if he had to guess. She pays cash, bagging everything up while Martha counts her change. Duncan makes sure his footsteps up to her are loud enough that she isn’t frightened by his appearance in the queue.

“Oh, and here’s your neighbour. Have you two met yet? Margaery here was just telling me that she’s happy to have moved here. Duncan will be a good neighbour, honey.” Martha rambles while Minnie puts the last of her candy in her bags, save for a lollipop. She unwraps it, pops it in her mouth, and stuffs the wrapper into her pocket.

“Thank you kindly, Martha. I-I’ll see you later.” Minnie offers Duncan a small smile, then heads out the door and across the street to the rental machine. Duncan pays for his purchases while Martha babbles on about Minnie being such a pretty girl to be living out on her own and wonders why she doesn’t have a man looking out for her. Duncan looks at her blankly through it all, taking his bag when he’s done and heading out into the cold again. Minnie is still across the street with two DVD boxes in her hands, shuffling her bags in her arms. Duncan crosses over to her, steps loudly crunching in the snow, and takes the bags from her carefully.

“Oh, thank you Duncan.” Minnie offers him a shy smile, putting the DVD boxes into one of the bags, “I was just… picking up some entertainment. The, uh, internet connection isn’t great out here.”

“Not a problem. Where are you parked?” Duncan asks, and Minnie reaches for her bags.

“Oh, no, Duncan. I’ve got it, it’s fine, I don’t want to inconvenience you.”

“You haven’t.” Duncan replies, stepping out of her reach and looking around until he spots her Jeep. He walks towards it, and Minnie sighs, following after him.

“Thank you, Duncan. You’re too kind.”

“Just… being neighbourly.” Duncan replies, putting her bags in the back seat once she unlocks her car, “It was nice to see you again.”

“You too.” Minnie tenses slightly, then touches his arm gently, “You’ve made me feel very welcome. I appreciate it.”

Duncan nods, covering her hand with his, then walking back to his truck with his bag. Minnie watches him go, licking her lollipop, then gets into her Jeep and begins the drive home. Theo nearly breaks the door down to get out when she arrives, and she giggles as he begins to run in zigzags around her yard.

The next day at around noon, Duncan hears a gentle knock at his door not long after he’s gotten out of the shower. Wearing only his trousers and carrying a sweater, he heads to the door. When he opens it, Minnie stands on his porch holding a tray in her hands. She blushes at the sight of him and takes a half step backwards, but he notices her eyes roam down his chest and feels proud enough about that. He pulls the sweater he’s holding over his head, and Minnie watches the motion, then holds out the tray.

“I-I uhm… I made… some… I’m a baker, I don’t think I mentioned that. I-I’m not anymore, you know, since I moved. But, uhm, anyways… I made some pastries. Baklavas, strawberry-basil macarons, jalebi, truffles and beignets. I… I made some for you, a-as a thank you for being kind to me.” Minnie rambles, her cheeks pink and dusted with powdered sugar.

Duncan takes the tray, his eyes widening just a little. He moves out of the way to let her in, feeling his mouth watering already at the smells coming from the tray.

“Thank you. Come in.”

Minnie smiles, stepping past him and closing the door, then leaning her bum against it to she can bend to untie her boots. She steps inside, looking around his cabin with a warmth to her face that he was growing fond of.

“The jalebi is best warm. You should leave the macarons, as the filling will flavour the shell over time and taste better. The truffles you can freeze, the baklavas are fine to be eaten cold or reheated, and the beignets… well, you should eat those warm as well. They’re fresh.” Minnie informs him quietly, lifting the lid from the tray when he sets it on his counter. She grabs the plate of jalebi and offers it to him.

“Tell me what you think. They’re a common Indian dessert.”

Duncan takes one and pops a piece off, humming as he puts it in his mouth. Minnie smiles as he pops another piece off for himself, though her cheeks grow warm when he cracks off a piece and holds it to her lips. She takes it delicately, but still manages to brush his fingers with her lips, though she suspects that may have been his fault. He smiles slightly, bringing his fingers to his lips to lick the sugar from them.

“Delicious.” Duncan comments, watching Minnie smile in response, “I’ve had jalebi before, but never so good outside of India.”

“You’ve been there?”

“I’ve done a lot of travelling.”

“Oh, wow. I wish. I’ve been to France and half the states, but that’s about it.” Minnie offers him a small smile, “Do you live alone up here? No family?”

“No family. It’s just me.” Duncan watches Minnie, “This is my retirement.”

“Oh, wow, that must be nice.” Minnie looks him over again, and he observes, “How old are you, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“50 as of last week. And you?”

“Oh, uhm, I just turned 30 in January.” Minnie replies, “I’m… Are you busy this evening? For dinner? I’m making lasagna and I’ll have leftovers. So… you could… I mean, if you’re not busy.”

Duncan looks her over for a moment, trying to work out why she’s so nervous, but also why she keeps reaching out to him when she’s clearly scared. He nods after a moment of thought.

“Thank you.”

“Uhm… yeah, no problem. I’m… going to head back to my place. Theo’s probably anxious to go outside and I promised him we’d scout a good hiking trail.” Minnie worries her lip for a moment, tucking her raven hair behind her ear, though the curls fight their way loose a moment later, “Uhm, anyways, I-I’ll see you later. Dinner will be ready at around 6, but we’ll be home before then. We meaning me and Theo. The dog. Theo the dog.”

Duncan watches her flounder, nods, and then helps hold her steady while she puts her boots back on. She ties them loosely, in a hurry, and then she’s gone, leaving only the pastries and the scent of sugar and cinnamon to show she’d been there at all. He watches her walk to her house through the window, then fetches a couple beignets and goes to sit in his chair and put something on to occupy his time. His chest feels warm, and the beignets taste like heaven, and he wonders briefly if he can work out the puzzle that is Margaery Davis.

[erinych]

Eddie Brock/Venom x Theo McCall(OC) <Lot's of GIFs in beginning>

This was written in a day so plz bear with me

Ik I'm not funny

Anyway shall we continue???

Yes! Well then, welcome to Eddie Brock x my OC Theo McCall.

Like I said, it probably sux. Plz don't kill me

Anyway..let's begin

The streets of San Francisco, Chinatown were bustling with joy. It was really the only life Theo knew. Everyone was preparing for the parade passing through Chinatown in a few days. People who didn’t look anything like a human freely roamed the streets. They called things like Theo and those inhuman peoples HYBRIDS and the things they stemmed from CREATURES. Theo stopped and appreciated his surroundings. Shops were bustling on a bright afternoon as people, HYBRIDS and CREATURES flooded in and out of house parties, having the time of their lives. Theo began to casually walk the streets of Chinatown again but collided with something that should’ve knocked him over. Obviously, being more powerful than any other CREATURE or HYBRID had its perks. The CREATURE tried to attack Theo, being the average thug, but he bared his canines and made his Klyntar half show, becoming a 16 foot tall monster. He had a freezing cold outer surface that seemed almost like slime or ooze, though it didn’t drip and didn’t necessarily move that much. He was completely dark grey and kind of looked like a werewolf from that movie he had once seen. Van Helsing was it?? He’ll have to figure that out. Either way, he had a massive mouth lined by horribly sharp teeth with an added extendable tongue. His snout was long to match a wolf’s and atop his head stood long and very tall, bat-like ears. His body was kinda like Venom’s, though not as bulky. He was slimmer and, very obviously, taller than Venom, had a nice muscle mass and his arms were longer. On both hands sat long, sharp claws, perfect for ripping a disrespectful bitch like the one he collided with to shreds. He walks on his soles like a person, rather than walking on his toes like a canine. His tail, which consisted of no fur at all, was slim, long and flexible as well as very, very strong. Instead of any of this being a suit, he actually shifts to become this creature. In this form, he was referred to as Gene by everyone, a name he truly cherished. The way he looked instantly showed the 7 foot tall CREATURE who he was trying to attack and made them scamper away. He returned to his normal size, eyes no longer interested in the things around. He neared his apartment after a few more minutes and pulled his lanyard out from inside his sweatshirt so he could unlock the door and trudge in. As he walked in, an amazing smell wafted through the room. He hurriedly closed the door and went to find the source, shoes discarded already. He walked to the kitchen. Nothing. The dining room. Nothing. Bathroom and bedroom. Nothing. Closets. Nothing. He finally made his stop in the closed off living room and found the sweet smell of victory. His once dull eyes became brighter as his lopsided smile met his eyes, fangs slightly poking his lips. Sitting on the couch, smiling back at the excited male, was his boyfriend, Eddie Brock, with their favorite Chinese takeout. The HYBRID swiftly made his way over to hug the smaller male, enjoying the warmth that spread through his cold body. He felt himself beginning to fall forward and soon enough he was on the couch, head resting on Eddie’s chest just above his heart. He felt Eddie’s hands start messing with his hair only to start tugging lightly on the male’s soft, chocolate brown locks. A few beats of silence passed before Eddie spoke up.

“Your little sister Nikki called, said you had a shitty day. She called pretty much the rest of your family. Your friends, too, and they each left something for you. Heck, she even called Mrs. Chen. You have 20 free and very extra boxes of Hershey’s Bars to pick up tonight.” Eddie stated, amused at his family’s desperate actions to keep one of their few boys from his generation happy. He laughed at the look of disbelief on Theo’s face.

“No way!! You’ve gotta be lying!!” Theo whisper-yelled.

“I’m not. Have you taken a look at the corner of the living room.” Eddie stated, gesturing towards the corner with about 50 different boxes and bags in it. Eddie looked at Theo’s pale face and laughed again.

“Does that one say Nikolai Smirnov? Is my cousin Niko seriously in town? What if he’s gonna try and poison me? Oh my God, he probably sent a Ghost Pepper? Wait...that one says Alianovna Ivanov! Oh my god!!! Alia probably sent a rat!!!” Theo rambled about how he got stuff from all of his international cousins that hadn’t been in the house that same morning. Eddie just laughed at his boyfriend's antics and hugged him, letting Venom loose to hug the tall male. At the sensation of the sticky, warm tentacles wrapping around him, he calmed down and plopped his head back on Eddie's chest. It fell silent, with the inaudible voices coming from the TV in the background. Eddie felt Theo stiffen in his embrace, causing him to smirk. A low voice interrupted Eddie's success, signalling to something much, much more.

“Eddie...Is that tendril being put down my pants by you or Venom?”