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melloraconteur · 5 months

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That boy is a monster! (Destruction is in his nature) | Zane Ro'Meave

Cont. Child abuse (Implied and mentioned), Character death (mentioned), Reader is called "Crane"

Synopthesis-> And the boy wondered, what is a monster to do when backed into a corner? what is a monster to do when his birds want to spread their wings. Says the storyteller, their voice becoming mournful, He had decided to do what monsters do best, destroy. The boy didn't know what would become of them, of himself...

Zane has always hated his brothers. He hated them with everything he had and would ever be. That's what he whispers at night, with Crane, the daughter of the nobleman curled beside him, her warm soft hands wiping away the tears that wet his cheeks.

He hates his brothers with everything he is and will ever be.

-?-

Confession: Zane doesn't hate his brothers but wearing your heart on your sleeve is asking someone to stab it.

-?-

Vylad used to be his, one of Zane's people despite the jealousy the arose in him whenever their mother made it clear on which child she loved.

(That was before Zane was the one to find his brother, assassinated in his own bed. That was before Zane could see his brother's mangled corpse when he was too tired, when the shadows played mind games and played him like a puppet.)

(Zane doesn't acknowledge that he is now the eldest of his brothers at age 19. He doesn't acknowledge that his brothers, Garroth and Vylad, will never age past 17 and 15 respectively.)

-?-

He has a favorite memory of the three of them. When Garroth isn't raging, when he and Vylad aren't the objects of his ire. When they were just that, brothers.

It goes like this.

They are in Garroth's room, Zane on Garroth's bed with Vylad curled up beside him. The two of them are waiting for Garroth to finish up his classes with the other school boys.

He looks over to Garroth as he enters, not expecting to see his brother look so lost with his hand poking at his cheek. His eyes turn icy when he sees the hand-shaped bruise that mars otherwise perfect tan skin.

He is quick to unravel himself from Vylad, the younger boy making a sound of protest only to be hushed by Zane.

Zane pulls Garroth into his bed, being gentle as he wipes the tears that wet Garroth's cheeks. Vylad moves to the other side of Garroth to comfort him. Zane lets him cling to his clothes, lets him cry softly though it is unbecoming of the Ro'Meave heir to cry for so little.

A spark of anger makes itself known inside of Zane, that he cannot do anything to ease his brother's sorrows aside from offering his room as a sanctuary. He loves his brothers, loves them with his bleeding heart despite the difference love they receive from either parent. He loves them enough to burn the world to ash for them, just so that they would be warmed by the flames.

For now, he lets the anger slide away and focuses on Garroth, who has fallen asleep from crying though it is the middle of the day. He looks over to Vylad, wondering if he should teach him the lesson they have known since they could talk.

(Vylad has not yet learned this skill that his older brothers have known since birth. He will learn by the time he is ten how to obey a heavy-hand just like they had to.)

-?-

Love will kill you, love is giving someone a blade and turning your back to them. the voice hisses in his ear, reminding him of what he has to lose

Zane has always wore his heart on his sleeve, he gave people the blade and hoped it wouldn't kill him.

(Zane is tired of rotting from the inside out, he is tired of being a monster, a weapon. (He wants to rest where he won't taste blood and earth in his mouth, where the sun will be loving instead of painful)

(He wants his Crane, his best friend to be his place of rest.)

-?-

By the time Zane is 19, the amount of people in his corner had dwindled down to one.

Crane, the daughter of the nobleman who stood by his side for the last 8 years.

He will not let her be taken too, he refuses.

(So, the boy in the body of a monster does a thing, a terrible thing to the girl with the soul of a bird.)

(He chains her to the earth, where her wings cannot be spread to take flight.)

Zane sends a marriage proposal to her father. He will not let his Crane leave.

Not when he loves her, needs her.

Remember, ten steps ahead is how you win. the voice reminds him, arrogant like his father.

Careful, do not push too far. another voice warns him, sounding gentle and warm (almost like his mother.)

-?-

And the boy wondered, what is a monster to do when backed into a corner? what is a monster to do when his birds want to spread their wings. Says the storyteller, their voice becoming mournful, He had decided to do what monsters do best, destroy. The boy didn't know what would become of them, of himself...

#Mellostories #zane ro'meave x reader #zane ro'meave #zianna ro'meave #garroth ro'meave #vylad ro'meave #Reader is female #tw: child abuse #tw: child death

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coderiderr · 2 months

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9, 22 and 27 for you good friend!!

09. personal bias aside, who do you think is the best written character and why?

regarding MCD oh katelyn absolutely no question. plot threads and arcs can get a little all over the place but katelyn has a consistent motiv/arc she follows through on s1-2 with her defection and everything, we love you katelyn <333 ugh queen

For mystreet well tbh. uhh. s1-3 zane is the only one who had a solid like. arc (?) about opening up and making friends. (not that he should be opening up to these ppl theyre all assholes to him lmfao) so much happens in mystreet and the quality, ranges. s1-3 was like a sitcom but then s4-6 were so much idk.

22. who's the character that you most identify with and why?

i dont think i identify with any of these guys honestly. theyre all very different from me,. mystreet liochant ig, bc he does nothing <3

27. what's something really interesting that you wished canon decided to explore more? alternatively, what's something interesting that you wished the fandom acknowledged more?

OH THERES SOSOSSOSOSOS MUCH goign on mystreet concepts first uhm s4-6 i dont like ghost but her concept is so insane but the fucking execution but like she literally cant remember anything about her life other than the name zane & like love. which she interprets as oh he must be the love of my life or smthin so shes obsessed with him but extremely strongly implied (or outright confirmed id have to rewatch) this is the ghost of emmalyn from mcd and the reason she remembers zane is bc MCD zane literally killed her husband in front of her its so crazy. thinking the reincarnation of the guy who killed your soulmate is your one true love bc you cant remember why you know him AHHHHHHH

s1-3 mystreet im blankin on a lot of it. idk garroth repsect ur brothers boundries more or smthin </3 wish they leaned more into the hilarity of zane being part of the homeowners association. wwe only got the ep where he judges christmas decorations for a competition. ohhh wait they shouldve leaned more into zane being an outcast and why bc theyre kinda like hes a dick ig? even tho like. he reasonable defensive and shit bc the people around him are like. constantly making fun of him. i think he deserves to be a little bit of a dick.

MCD JUST LIKE>> TRAVIS IN GENERAL HIS CONCEPT GOES SO INSANE AND THEN THEY JUSARGHHH like his dad is the demon lord and he grew up solely with his mom and is extremely outcast at the village he protects FROM HIS DAD bc of his parentage and the dude literally spends all his time alone after his mother died he has so much compassion for people who hate him it goes so crazy. and hes so ashmed of his demon side im ahhhh. hes always lurking in ym brain

and dante and gene dante and gene. pov youre orphans and your big brother is doing something terrible so you report him and he winds up being hanged for it and he comes back as an undead monstrosity and kills literally everyone in your hometown ((i realize i have misremebered it was a memory wipe not killing but so many village wipes happen in this series can you blame me)) but you and you are haunted by the guilt you feel. its hard but you end up finding a new place to call home and new people to call family until one day theyre gone and you do your best to help your little struggling village and you perservere until one day 15 years later theyre back and havent aged a day. you thought they were gone.

also just fucking getting to see dante age and get married and become a father while gene is stuck in the same 20 y/o body goes crazy. what happens when you outgrow your big brother

also hmm i dunno. i think we should all aprreciate brenden more. also kiki & zane are so we need to talk about that more

#asks #THANKY OU AIDEN!!!!!!!!!

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pheonixdrop · 1 year

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I have some details but like What do you mean “The Curse” what do you mean EVERYONE has amnesia it houfht it was only aphmau i’m going to. Cry. - dante anon 🟦

The Shadow King (Shad) had the goal of halting the growth of civilization. To do this, he creates and sends out Shadow Knights to kill their lords/leaders destroy their community achievements. After that, he places The Curse; wiping their memories and trapping them in a trance where they have limited free will, canonically referred to as “non-sentience”

The only villager of Phoenix Drop resistant to this is Garroth, presumably due to his Divine Connections. Everyone is stuck in this trance until Aphmau comes in and starts affecting things, which slowly helps the villagers regain consciousness and ROYALLY pissing off the Shadow Lord.

Even after that, they can’t remember ANYTHING about the Old Lord, Malik, his wife Milfina, or anything he did as lord. Which was, by the way, at least FIVE FUCKING YEARS.

#[my post]#aphblr #aphmau #minecraft diaries #aphverse #mcd #my post #[ asks ]#aphmau mcd #Pheonix Drop #shadow knights #dante anon 🟦#garroth ro'meave #garroth #[old lord tag]

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vyladromeave · 5 years

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Mr. Zvahl has updated!

Chapter 5: Growing

(Read the full thing on AO3!)

FUCK cannon, dale and molly stay in phoenix drop, kiki would too for now but i think she would move to scaleswind later so there's still a bit of cannon continuity there. Brendan still lives out by meteli ruins but he visits town often. Also I dont think i wanna write his wife in cuz she had like No character or relevance?? Also gay rights. Luca (Donna and Logan’s youngest kid) is Babie years old by the start of S2, so i dont think she exists yet right now. Half of these notes aren’t even relevant to this chapter whoopsies.

It had been a week since his conversation with Levin. And he had stayed. He still wasn’t quite sure why- he promised himself he would have no attachments, that is the only way to stay sane as a Shadowknight after all. But he had stayed. And he had a new list of observations to add to the town.

1: Many of the children of the town had stayed, save for one named Brian, who was apparently a traitor. He hadn’t been seen since the day Aphmau disappeared. Many of the children had grown up and taken up jobs in the town, despite being all too young in Vylad’s opinion. Levin was apparently only 17, and had already taken up position of lord. Levin’s brother and assistant was also apparently 16, but he gave off an odd air that made Vylad think otherwise. He had only passed by him once or twice, but he didn’t give off the air of a Shadowknight, and he didn’t seem to be immortal due to any elvish heritage, so Vylad had no clue what his deal was. (He did approve of his sense of style though.)

2: Many of the guards were teenage as well, save for Dante and the ex-guard Dale who assisted from time to time. He wanted to have faith in the safety of the town, but he knew it couldn’t be too reliable judging by the durability of the wall, and the qualifications of the guard. Many of the houses that he assumed were just abandoned at first glance, he now knew were most likely ransacked too. If he was really planning on staying, town security would be something he would need to focus on. (Vylad considered becoming a guard for a split second, but decided against it. He wasn’t cut out for the job. Not that he wasn’t qualified, he figured he was much more qualified than the many children who were recruited to guard it. But his talents lied better used elsewhere.)

3: Some of the older residents had actually stayed, or at least stayed nearby. Kiki, the local animal expert and now farmer, stayed on the edges of town. Not a very safe place to live, but apparently the only place with a big enough building to house her animals. Brendan, her brother, lived a bit further away, but came in to visit often. Dale and Molly had stayed to take care of their daughter, who had refused to leave the town she had grown up in. Donna and Logan had a large family that seemed to only be getting larger, with three sons, two of which were twins. The eldest seemed to often be out on business, and the twins were convinced he was part bird. (Long story. They had spotted him in an odd part of the large tree in town, and yelled up at him for hours trying to ask how he had made it there. It was a bit annoying, but it reminded him of Garroth and himself as kids, so he tolerated it. They seemed like good kids.)

4: In better news, Vylad had found a decent place to live. The Yggdrasil tree in town was absolutely huge, and even better, nobody dared climb further than the already established paths up it. Vylad did though, and he’d found a nice, (mostly) quiet spot in the branches. He basically lived up there, he “slept” there at night, and went there when he was tired of the town. It reminded him of his days spent camped in the woods outside Phoenix Drop, except with a much… much larger tree. He was sure many of the town residents thought he was odd, although he didn’t particularly care. He liked staying in the tree much better than staying in an abandoned, ransacked house.

And so in the tree he stayed. He wasn’t particularly busy, just looking out over the town like how he’d done in the good old days. The view from his perch was nice, much better than any view he’d gotten from his early days of spying from outside the town. From up here, the town didn’t look as bad off as he’d originally thought. Sure, the wall was a bit ruined, there was no way around that, but the houses were mostly just empty, not broken, and the overgrowth had a certain charm to it.

He heard an odd shifting in the leaves, and a creaking from the branches closer to the trunk of the tree. He looked over to see Dante, shakily making his way towards him. He stared curiously, climbing wasn’t his greatest forte. He tried his best, but the tree groaned precariously whenever he tried to make his way out too far.

“That… miiight be the closest I can get. This armor isn’t meant for climbing.” He laughed awkwardly, although after a bit of struggling in the branches, he wasn’t too far away.

“That’s alright. Did you need something?”

“No, not particularly. I just wanted to chat.”

Vylad raised an eyebrow. “I’m not exactly the ‘chatting’ type.”

Dante laughed. “A bit blunt, but I gathered that. I guess that’s why I wanted to talk, if that makes sense.”

It didn’t really, but Vylad didn’t say anything.

“Like uhh… I dunno. Where are you from?”

Ah. So that’s what this was about. Luckily, a week of free time gave Vylad time to make a workable cover story, though he really didn’t need to change much. The best lies are built on truth, after all.

Vylad shrugged. “O’khasis.”

Dante seemed a bit shocked. “Really?”

“Yeah. Grew up there.”

“... And how do you feel about it now?”

“Well, I don’t live there anymore and don’t plan on going back, so I think that’s clear enough.”

The tension eased.

“What about you?”

Dante blinked. “I’m sorry?”

“I answered your question. So what about you? Where did you grow up?”

Dante paused a moment, then laughed a bit too stiffly. “Middle of nowhere, really. The town’s probably been wiped off the map by now.”

Something about it seemed off, but maybe it was just a bad memory of him. Vylad had no intention of judging. (For all he knew, it could’ve been him doing the wiping. His early history as a Shadowknight was not the brightest. He swallowed hard at the thought.)

Vylad paused a bit too long, so Dante butted back in. “Ok, my turn again.”

“What? That’s not how this works.”

“That’s exactly how this works! That’s what you did.” Dante continued. Vylad was wise enough to know that there was no winning an argument against a child.

“Aaaanyways. Why’d you leave?”

“I… well I used to work as a guard there. But it wasn’t for me, and I got sick of it. One day I just… packed my bags.” A bit bland, but it seemed realistic enough of a lie to him. Strangely enough, it was much more believable than the truth.”

“A guard, huh? So you’re combat-trained?”

“Hey, it’s my turn.”

“You said you didn’t like to chat.”

“I don’t, and it’s my turn. Anything else you’d like to add?”

Dante scoffed, but remained silent, so Vylad continued.

“Why’d you stay here? I mean no offense, but the town has seen better days. Why not just get up and go?”

Dante sighed. He took a moment to think on this one. “This town… means a lot to me. The place it used to be, the people who used to live here… it all means a lot. I think even if I did move, it’d still come back to haunt me.” He laughed hollowly.

“Besides, I’ve got a family here. Wife and kid. And the people who are still here, we might as well be family too. We’re happy here.”

Fair enough.

Dante cleared his throat. “So. Combat-trained? Wouldn’t mind a little help with the guard. Or a spar sometime.”

“I haven’t picked up a sword in a long time. Besides, I’m better with archery, and I haven’t done that in years either. Too rusty for a fair fight, probably.”

“Ah, oh well. Keep it in mind, I’d really appreciate the help with the guard sometime if you ever felt up to it.”

“Mm. I’ll be sure to do that.” He did not plan on doing that.

~~~

Mr. Zvahl had begun to look a bit bored. He’d began to pick at the bark next to him, and seemed more focused on the tree than the conversation. Perhaps Dante had overstayed his welcome. One more question each, then he’d get out of his hair.

“Why do you call me Mr. Zvahl?”

“...Zvahl is your name, is it not?”

“No, not that. What’s with the ‘Mr.’ title.”

“Oh. I guess it’s just formalities? I can just call you Zvahl, if you prefer that.”

“Formalities were never my thing either. Go ahead.” He gave him a slight nod.

“Alright. One last question and I’ll quit bothering you for the day. Why do you stay up here so much?”

He shrugged. “Dunno. I’ve always liked nature. Plus its quiet, and the view’s nice.”

“You know, you can get just as good a view from the guard tower, and you don’t have to worry about falling off constantly.”

“The guard tower? You mean the one that’s so overgrown that you can’t see out of it?”

“I… You get used to it.”

“Mmm. I think I’m good up here, thanks.”

Dante sighed. “Fair enough. I’ve got work, so I should probably go. I’ll see you around, Zvahl.”

He awkwardly scooted back to a platform built into the tree, and walked away. It hadn’t gone as bad as he thought it might, they’d actually managed to have a conversation. This one wasn’t even steeped in tension and mistrust! Definitely a success in Dante’s books. Maybe he could grow to get used to him.

The next day, before Dante went on his morning guard duty, he couldn’t help but notice that the overgrowth on the main guard tower seemed to be gone.

~~~

#minecraft diaries #mcd #vylad ro'meave #aphmau dante #dante aphmau #dante #Mr. Zvahl #aiki writes #lmao nobody rbs these if i dont put the full fic on here so i guess im gonna try doing that and hope tumblr doesnt kill me

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queendeanofpie · 6 years

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Calling out ~ Einna (MyStreet)

AGAHSHBDBEEJDB my babyyyysssss

Little one shot of my oc and her hubby (well hopefully future hubby, and hubby in every other universe in the world.

I love these two so much, idk wat it is, but Even though Ein sucks, he just . . . He becomes good around her. It's so weird.

But anyways I love them, and I couldn't resist this Cus they so sweet! And it's angsty which I love with these two also.

Micheal plays a big part in their stories, and how everything went down with her past ;3

Enjoy!

~~~~

He tossed and turned, drowning in the mass of his blankets. Something was whispering around him, and he flinched every minute or so shuddering. Sweat collected as he got hotter, the whispering and murmuring growing, until he could just barely make out the words. it got fuzzier and louder and then suddenly stopped as he finally woke, staying still, as he breathed heavily eyes wide.

Ein

He jumped up throwing off the covers, a thud echoing from how hard his feet hit the ground. He quickly threw on a navy T-shirt, rapidly looking around to see if there was something different, before a tugging sensation in his gut told him to go out into the hall. He halted spinning around in the foyer, unsure where to go from there.

Ein . . .

He charged out the door onto the beach, the door swinging and slamming into the house with a loud bang, staying wide open as he ran for the voice looking everywhere he could finally stopping on the beaches edge, where it met with water.

I'm here Ein

He spun met with a sight that stole his air away, gazing at her. It was her, the voice, he reached for taking in the sight of her in the pale lilac shimmering dress, and her curls eloquently halfway put up, some still curling down her back.

He took her hands in his smiling slowly reaching up as their lips connected sending a surge of emotion into him, he never thought he'd feel from anyone ever again.

Love.

~~~~

Ein slowly woke up finding his blanket wound around his waist. He sighed sitting up shaking his head. There was a shuffle and someone knocked on his door.

Alpha?"

"what is it?" He mumbled running a hand through his hair closing his eyes.

"it's Daniel he wanted to talk to you . . . . .alone" Dottie's voice hesitated on the last part and Ein raised an eyebrow.

"Let him in . . . . ." He nodded and there was a click as Daniel shuffled in keeping his gaze away from him.

"I still hate you" He muttered looking up to glare at him with a fire in his eyes that Ein recognized

"Good to know" he laughed smirking and standing up "What did you want little runt"

"Don't call me that!" Daniel blurted, halfway growling at him Don't ever call me that please . . . anything else is fine He mumbled looking away wincing

"Alright you little brat, then what did you want." Eins voice got darker as he glared at Daniel for growling at him like that.

"I . . . I wanted help" he muttered gritting his teeth looking down "You already enslaved my friends . . . . But maybe you can at least figure out out to help jenny."

Ein stared at him raising an eyebrow "Who is this Jenny?" He crossed his arms thinking as he stared at him

"I thought you would have known, since her picture is all over the island" Daniel huffed "Jenna, she's sick . . . We didn't really know with what, but she hasn't woken up for a day, and one of our friends said she's been out for almost 5 days now"

"Daniel, is this a trick?" Ein growled slamming his hand down his end table "I don't know any Jenna, I have seen the pictures however, blond werewolf right?"

"Yes you do!" Daniel blurted snarling wolflike at him this time, the resent shining in his eyes "You ruined her life, she went to prom with you and then you broke her heart and her parents died!"

"No I didn't Daniel, I never went to prom in high-school, now where is she?" Ein growled in frustration, his words stirring something in the back of his mind.

"Fine! One more thing for you to lie about" Daniel snarled in his face before backing down sighing "She's in the other room . . . . The one you haven't checked"

Ein nodded glaring at him, as he followed him out the door, waving off the few who tried to follow them. Daniel opened the door revealing a small storage room with a cot against the far side of the wall.

Ein paused seeing the girl laying there, flashes of his dream coming back to him. "Daniel get out"

"No, I'm not leaving her to the hands of you, she's like my sister, Im not letting you hurt anyone else" Daniel growled stubbornly

"Fine but at least pretend not to be here then" Ein huffed ignoring him as he moved closer putting a hand on her arm checking her pulse

Ein almost flinched from the moment he first touched her, something like little static shocks going up his fingers. He eventually ignored it crouching to face her better staring at her in confusion, something beginning to stir in his mind

"What is her name?" His voice came out much softer than he liked but he didn't move as Daniel grumbled behind him.

"Jennabeth argentum"

" . . .Jenna. . . ." He sat thinking before, a green light shone in his eyes flashing before it disappeared. He stayed still shocked before suddenly it all came back. The prom night, fighting to see her in the hospital, thinking it was his fault. Even the lodge, wanting her by his side, keeping her in his control, something in her making him want to keep her close.

"Jenna?" He stared at her softly, remembering the dream clearer now. He had forgotten everything about her, it was as if he never met her.

Stop that . . .you don't deserve to say it like that" Daniel said his voice growing emotional suddenly as he tried to keep up a brave appearance, tears instead shining in his eyes.

"Leave . . . I swear I won't hurt her or do Anything Daniel" He sighed "I swear on my life that I wont . ." He added seeing his hesitation

"I shouldn't believe you . . . But I'll wait outside the door" Daniel growled before sighing heading out the door, discreetly wiping away the tears in his eyes.

Ein watched him leave before he turned back to Jenna taking her hand in his "How did I forget you . . . . It seems impossible" Ein looked down before his eyes caught sight of an empty potion bottle. memories of laying in the snow hitting him "Unless . . . . ."

"All you have to do, is drink these two little potions . . .They'll help you"

He growled shaking his head as he looked down slowly rubbing his thumb over their entwined hands thinking. Something flashed in the light and he frowned lifting her wrist, stunned to find a single silver pawprint imprinted on her skin.

"She's a white wolf . . . . ." He breathed "She . . . . She . . shes been chosen? and out of all the times now?" he looked down at her in shock, suddenly taking in the steady rise and fall of her chest, noticing that it was getting faster

Jenna slowly opened her eyes, Ein going still as he stared at her with a wide look. She blinked her eyes adjusting to the light before she looked over sitting up when she caught his eyes. Ein immediately let go of her hand backing up gulping.

"You . . W-Where am I! Where is Garroth, and the others!" She growled sitting against the wall on the cot as he shook his head.

"How . . . how the hell are you even here!" He growled turning defensive, starting to doubt everything that had happened, or that she was real. "This cant be . . . .I . . .I didn't remember you, you cant be the White Wolf"

"Well I am, and you should have remembered what you did to me you bastard!" She snarled

Ein, not having time to register what happened, was suddenly pushed against the wall and bright golden light was in front of him filling his eyesight. He went limp against his hold on the wall staring, almost mesmerized, as the golden light stared back blinking. The whispering suddenly came back full force, along with a high-pitched ringing that broke him out of his haze making him grit his teeth.

It slowly got louder and his ears began to hurt, a deep pain that ached and rang through his head. His hands covered his ears as he doubled almost holding his head groaning against the pain squeezing his eyes shut. The hold let go and he fell forward onto his knees bending over trying to block the sound causing him so much agony.

"Ei . ."

"E . . wha, . . . on . . .is happe . . ou?"

"Ein . . . can . . . me?"

A voice hovered on the edge of his hearing, a soothing sound compared to the agonizing screech echoing in his ears at the moment. He shook his head rapidly as he finally let out a whimper, and hands were pressed against his forehead.

He dropped his hands going limp as his forehead was pushed up a cold soothing sensation filling his head, getting rid of the agonizing ringing pain that had been there only a few moments ago. He fell forward once the hand disappeared, someones soft skin pressing against his as he was lifted into their arms, a small fever beginning to settle across his skin.

Images began to flash and Ein watched, as slowly, memories played over and over. Prom night, and then leaving, getting in a car. Tears and an aching pain in his heart. Then it was fire, and hot metal digging into his arm, twisting it desperately even with the pain. Then darkness, before light flooded his vision. It all started spinning, him at the lodge, her pale violet eyes tainted green, the strange feeling of hurt when it was gone and she fought him.

"Ein!" He was jumped awake suddenly aware that he was cold pressing against the warmth holding him, as he started shaking

"What . . what hap'nd" His words slurred as he felt a dizzy spell.

"Ein what are you doing?" Her voice drifted to him and he suddenly realized something. The memories, prom and the crash . . . those weren't his. He shook his head as fear took over, unsure what was going on as he shook his head choking on his words

"What . . what is happening to me?" his voice was small, and cracked with fear as he shook more "Why didn't I remember you, I never wanted to forget you"

"Real nice to know" She muttered "What do you mean you didn't remember me?"

"Didn't remember . . . . j-just . . . everything came back . . .prom night, there was a crash, I never wanted that" He choked out tears starting to fill his eyes "What happened to me . . . ."

"Ein . . ." He felt her stiffen "What . . . . what are you saying?"

He swallowed closing his eyes trying to think "There . . I was . . I got in a car . . .and I was crying, my heart hurt so much . . . and it was dark, then it turned to fire and everything was flipped . . .a-and then I was twisting my arm, the metal was so hot, it hurt so bad" He whispered slowly trying to recount the details.

"E-Ein . . .that . . . that was me" Jenna's shocked voice rang out and he nodded slowly

"I-I never wanted that . . .I tried, seeing you . . . wouldn't let me . . .snuck in when they weren't there . ." He breathed ". . . the lodge . . . you . . . you made me . . .made me . . . I needed you. . . it hurt, when you changed . . . fought me" He shook his head trying to clear the bout of dizziness that hit him

"I wanted . . .wanted you there, with me, didn't want you hurt"

"You . . . . did hurt me . . you turned me against my best friend . . .all my friends" She said bitterly

"I didnt want it . . . .I never wanted it, I wanted to get back . . . . I was given orders .. . . couldn't . . .couldn't follow though . . . did things my own way, never meant to hurt . . ."

"Orders? . . . you . . . you mean Micheal dont you?" Jenna said shocked

"Wanted to kill you . . . .didn't want it . . . .still wants it . . . I didn't remember . . ."

"How come you couldn't remember?" She asked softly

". . .potion . . . he . . he used a potion?" Ein became confused as the words from earlier came drifting back for the second time

"All you have to do, is drink these two little potions . . .They'll help you"

"Why . . .why would he want me to forget you . . . . you never hurt me. ." He whispered shaking his head ". . . .what have I done . . . . what happened to me, why do I care . . .caring just hurts me in the end"

". . . .because a white wolf can sense a heart in you" was her reply as she sighed pulling away from holding him keeping him upright, and putting her hands on his shoulders ". . Ein . . . . Lutimas give second chances . . . . why do you think caring hurts you in the end?"

"Cared . . . .cared too much about my friends in the pack . . . and they called me soft . . . parents abandoned, killed . . . . . . Everyone resented me for being an orphan, caring always hurt me . . . Michael gave me a way not to care" He mumbled looking down.

"That doesent make sense . . . . if Aphmau . . . if I had never cared . . .why would we have become friends with you in highschool . . . . why would I have gone to prom with you?" She asked swallowing the lump in her throat trying to sort all the information he had given her

". . . . she . . she pitied me he said . . . you . . . why . . . .why you?" He became more confused staring up at her as he tried to think.

". . .Ein . . . I actually cared . . .I-I liked you, there was no reason I would have had otherwise . . ." She said her eyes watering at the memories

"You . . . . you cared?" He echoed her eyes going wide, as he thought back to the dreams, the pale lilac dress shimmering, and her warm violets, and the way her curls cascaded over her back and shoulders in a way that stole his breath. To the way her eyes had shined just before the final dance, when he held out his hand to her, and her smile, the one that made his heart swell.

Ein finally found something that made sense, with all the craziness that had just happened to him. He stayed silent relaxing as it kept echoing in his head, making his heart speed up in his chest.

She cared . . . .she cared about me.

Impulse took over, and before she could react he grabbed her face with his hands leaning forward as he smashed his lips with hers, sparks crawling up his skin as his mind cleared all of his thoughts disappearing, as the only thing he became aware of was her.

This made sense.

~~~~~~

#queendeanofpie #queendeanwrites #aphamu #mystreet #mystreet season 6 #mystreet when angels fall #Ein #Jenna #werewolf #The White Wolf #Micheal #magic #wolf #forever potions #lost memories #prom #car wreck

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manicfangirlsyndrome · 7 years

Text

Over Time, Chapter 4 - A Hand to Hold

About: A year and a half. 18 months. More than 550 days. Enough time to change your mind about the people you call your friends. Enough time to change your mind about the ones you don’t. And in a blink of an eye, it all disappeared.

Rated: M for mature themes.

Previous Chapter: One | Two | Three

Word Count: 4,181

Zane hated the smell of hospitals. The deep breaths he always seems to take after getting off the elevator filled his nostrils and left a disgusted look on his face. He couldn’t understand why they didn’t give the hallways a small scent of a fruit to help make it a little less depressing.

The comfortable scowl he had perfected his whole life was once again gracing his facial features. The nurses and doctors around him paid him no mind, having grown used to his daily presence in their halls.

He didn’t want to be here. Not like this. However, he couldn’t but think back to the last time they were this formal with each other. Kawaii-Chan had just been fired from her job and was down on her luck getting a new one. She had been so cute coming to him for help. Zane had almost agreed to it at first, too. As much as it had annoyed him to endure her running them to Aphmau to make her force him to help, he was surprised that the sugary sweet Meif’wa even had it in her to be that determined.

He round the corner to the same familiar side hallway where they kept the head trauma patients. Hearing the same noises coming from many of the disturbed patients she shared her hallway with upset him. When Kawaii-Chan had originally been brought in, she was in an older room with another patient who couldn’t remain quiet. The doctor that had been assigned to her at the time seemed too aloof for his liking.

After a call to his mother, Zianna, he was able to pull strings to get her moved into the more exclusive area of the hallway for patients that required private rooms and peaceful environments. She was the only coma patient in the section. Garroth and their father, Garte, had negotiated with the staff to give her one of the larger corner rooms, making sure she had plenty of space for her friends to visit her.

He approached the secured double doors at the end of the hallway and entered the entrance code into the keypad. Growing tired of having to let him in 3-4 times a day, the staff gave him the code and permitted the others to use it as well.

“Mr. Ro’Meave! Good morning!”

Doctor Flora appeared from out of the nurses’ station to greet him. The scowl on his face never weavering. Flora seemed to be unphased by his behavior.

“Doctor Flora,” he nodded.

“I trust you’ll be accompanying Miss Chan during her MRI scan this morning?”

“Yes, will that be an issue?”

“Oh, no⎼”

“Good. If that’s all, Doctor Flora, I’ll be on my way.”

He knew he was more short with her than she should have been. He could feel the ghost of who Kawaii-Chan was reprimand him for treating her that way.

“Yes, of course, Mr. Ro’Meave. Miss Chan is still asleep. You don’t need to wake her until 30 minutes before her appointment. I will be in there to retrieve her for her appointment.”

Zane resumed his path to the far left corner room. Ghee coils feel his heart beating harder in his chest as he walked through the doors and saw her peacefully sleeping on her bed. It wasn’t like before when she had laid stiffly on her back. She had seemed so uncomfortable and unnatural laying like that, that he would occasionally move her head to one side or the other to make her seem more alive than she acted.

No, this time she was curled into herself on her side. Her black fur ears relaxed on top of her head. They gave a twitch or two whenever he stepped too hard on the ground on his way to the chair beside her bed, but she remained otherwise asleep.

Zane let out a heavy sigh as he relaxed into the chair. He pulled out his cell phone from his back pocket and checked the time before placing it on the side table. He had another 45 minutes until he needed to wake her up. Remembering how greatly she cherished her beauty sleep, he allowed himself to arrive only slightly early so he could rest his eyes in this very chair.

He had forgotten how easy he found it to drift off when around her. Hearing the steady rise and fall of her breathing gave him peace. Her breathing meant she was still alive. Zane thought about his dream from this morning. The events that had unfolded thereafter provided him a friendship in which he would come to depend on and cherish.

At times like these, when the comfort of her conscious presence was unable to console him no matter how big or small the issue, the memory of the first time she was there for him rang like a bell throughout his entire being. He couldn't help the upward curvature of his lips and he reminisced on that evening.

Zane jolted awake, sweat soaking his hair and tears slipping from his eyes. ‘It was just a dream,’ he tried telling himself. ‘Everyone’s home and safe. It was just a dream.’ Zane brought the bed sheet to his face to wipe away as many tears and sweat drops as he could.

His movements were filled with frustration as he struggled to rip the comforter and sheets off his body. He was so close to having made it a full week without a nightmare this time. He inwardly cursed his brain.

His legs were already swung over the edge of his bed. The street outside his window was dark except for the streetlights glowing in the distance. He was fully prepared to make his way to Garroth’s room when he remembered the lack of sleep Garroth had gotten himself the night before. One would quietly sneak into the other’s room and bunk there for the night when they had nightmares. They knew they were building unhealthy habits by relying on each other so much, but they didn’t really care.

No, tonight he would let Garroth get the rest he knew his big brother desperately needed. Garroth’s nightmares didn’t come nearly as frequent as Zane’s. The feeling of loneliness started to weigh on him as he realized he would have to deal with this alone. ‘Crap.’

“If you need to talk, Kawaii-Chan is here,” her voice echoed in his head. “Please promise Kawaii-Chan that you’ll call or text her if you need to talk.

Zane took a deep breath and glanced at his phone on his nightstand. He grabbed his phone and selected Kawaii-Chan’s number from his contact list before he had a chance to talk himself out, excuses of it being too early in the morning or his fear of talking about anything starting their fluttering in the back of his mind.

It only took three rings before an adorably groggy girl answered the other end of the line.

“H-hello?”

“Kawaii-Chan, it’s me,” his own voice was harsh and deep from sleep. “I-I’m sorry to bother⎼”

“Zane-kun? Is everything ok?” Her voice gained a tone of alertness and concern.

“Yes! I-I mean, no! Sorry, I,” he hesitated. “I had a nightmare.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Zane-kun. Did you want to tell Kawaii-Chan about it?” Her tone softened and quieted, making him relax as the sound floated into his ear.

Zane’s eyes glanced out his window again, his car slightly in view giving him an idea.

“Actually, I was wondering if you’d like to go for a drive.”

His own suggestion surprised him, but it felt like a good idea. A nice night drive with the company of someone outside the Emerald Street group felt like it was just what he needed.

“Right now?”

“Y-yeah, unless you’d rather not⎼”

“No! No, I want to,” she gently reassured him. “Kawaii-Chan will meet you at your car in just a minute, ok?”

“Yeah. Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll see you then.”

Zane ran his fingers through his hair as he ended the call on his phone and reached for his face mask. He was excited to get out of his room, suddenly feeling slightly closed in. He slipped his feet into the slipper shoes his mom had given him for Christmas. Zane took a deep breath before standing up. His need to escape grew by the second. Light, gentle steps down the staircase turned urgent as he rounded to the front door. He grabbed his keys and zip-up hoodie as he exited his shared home, locking the door behind him.

Another deep breath. He was out. Zane slipped his hoodie on as he shuffled down the two front door steps and passed the hedges. His car hadn’t been pulled fully into the carport that day and he was slightly grateful for this. Garroth’s room sat in just the perfect location to hear all the noise that reverberated throughout the carport and he wanted as quiet an exit as possible. A flash of pink caught his eye as he looked down for the right key.

Zane glanced up at her as he moved around his car. She had a sleepy look about her, but her gentle smile said more than she needed to at that moment. He blushed behind his mask at the sight of her clad with her pajama shorts and tank top, a zip-up hoodie the only thing to keep her warm. It made him smile to think about the little adventure they were both going on, both of them dressed in nothing more than their pajamas and slippers. It seemed absolutely ridiculous to Zane, but he couldn’t help but think that ridiculous was what he needed right now.

They both wordlessly climbed into the car and buckled themselves. Zane moved the gear to Reverse, but halted his actions as he felt a small hand sit upon his own. His blush returned as he turned to look at her.

“Kawaii-Chan is really happy you called her,” her smile as gentle as the words she spoke to him.

“I am, too, Kawaii-Chan. Now, let’s get out of here before anyone notices we left.”

The ride out of Lover’s Lane was quiet. Neither occupants of the car spoke as Zane drove through the quiet streets of Phoenix Drop. The radio had remained off the entire drive. The sky was still dark and filled with stars and the streets lightly illuminated with streetlights and porch lights. It wasn’t until they had found themselves in the shopping district, passing near where Kawaii-Chan and Aphmau’s maid cafe had once stood, had she finally broken the silence.

“Zane-kun?” Her voice was still gentle, but no longer heavy with sleep.

“Hmm?”

“Where are we going?”

Zane slowed the car for a four-way stop sign. With no other cars in sight, he figured it wouldn’t be too problematic if he sat there idyl for a moment.

“Honestly, I’m not sure, Kawaii-Chan.”

“That’s ok,” she assured him, resting her small hand on his upper arm. “Just drive until you feel like stopping, ok? It’ll be like a surprise for us both that way!”

‘Ever the optimist.‘

Zane merely nodded and trekked forward.

No longer able to handle all the silence, Kawaii-Chan finally reached for the radio and turned it on. Zane smirked behind his mask knowing what he had been playing and how loud he was playing when he drove his car last.

The loud screaming and violent guitar assaulted both of their ears making Kawaii-Chan jump and scream in surprise. She scrambled to turn it down or off or anything other than what it was now as Zane tried as hard as he could to contain enough of his laughter to drive straight.

“Zane! Help me!” She cried, dropping her formalities and third-person speech as she desperately tried to figure out the old radio dials in his beat-up sedan.

Finally controlling his laughter enough to help her, he turned the radio down to a low volume and decided it was time to pull into the nearest parking lot he could find.

“That wasn’t funny, Zane-kun! That really hurt Kawaii-Chan’s ears!” Unfortunately for her, his laughter only increased as he pulled into a space and parked.

“Well,” she resigned, “I guess it was a little funny.” She smiled and giggled a bit at him before looking at their surroundings, curious as to where he had ended up placing them.

“Oh!”

Her surprise gave him pause and slowed his laughter into chuckles. Zane followed her line of sight and was shocked to see Phoenix Drop Academy’s dilapidated building before them. Most of the windows of their former high school had been boarded or broken, the paint worn to weathering and lack of upkeep.

“Kawaii-Chan hasn’t been here in so long.”

“Yeah, me neither. I’ve tried pretty hard to forget about this place, to be honest.”

A slower, calmer song played softly from the speakers. The pair sat back in comfortable silence, once again lost in their thoughts. Memories of somewhat simpler times flooding the back of their minds. He heard the scratching of fabric on fabric as Kawaii-Chan shifted in her seat to look at Zane.

“So,” she started, unsure of how to continue. “A-are you ready to talk to Kawaii-Chan yet about your nightmare?”

Zane took a deep breath. He learned a while back that pausing to breathe gave him just the right amount of time to collect himself and his thoughts.

“I just keep hearing her screams. I keep reliving that moment over and over again.” He knew Kawaii-Chan would be confused by his words, but Zane knew she wouldn’t mind. “She had just snapped out of the potion, but Aaron was already out cold on ground. A-and she just, s-she just kept screaming.”

It wasn’t until he felt her hand on his that he realized just how hard he was gripping the steering wheel in front of him. He couldn’t let go, though. It was the only control he felt he had left.

“I try closing my eyes, but I’m just frozen there and there’s nothing I can do to help them. S-she just keeps screaming. She’s my best friend and t-there was nothing I could do to help her. I-I just stood there and watched. And she just kept screaming.”

For the first time, Zane finally let go of his control and cried. He cried for Aaron and the suffering he knew he must be enduring if Zane himself is suffering this much. He cried for Aphmau and Lucinda, and the guilt he knew they unnecessarily carried on their shoulders things they couldn’t prevent. He cried for poor, innocent Kim who was unwillingly dragged into all of this and continues to host a ghost she’s convinced she can help.

And he cried for he and his brother, for the pain he knew they're both in having to endure watching their friends suffer so much with no end in near sight, and for the guilt he carried for not being able to save his best friend from all of this in the first place. If not for him, Aphmau would have never been at the lodge on Emerald Street and would never have had to go through this pain in the first place.

“No, Zane,” he heard her exclaim through her tears. “You can’t think like that. None of this was your fault! There’s no way you could have known that any of this would have happened.”

Zane had realized that he hadn’t just thought those feelings, he had cried them out loud. His throat felt harsh from the screaming and crying he hadn’t realized he had just done.

Kawaii-Chan wrapped her arms around Zane’s neck, holding him in a tight hug. Zane wrapped his arms around her and tried to slow his tears. The scent of her berry shampoo tickled his nose as he buried his face into her neck. He didn’t want to let go. She was safety and warmth and love and happiness. He prayed to the gods that she would never go through anything like what they went through, if anything so he could be selfish and have this one good and unbroken human in the world that he could turn to.

Zane caught a brief glimpse of himself in his rearview mirror. His eyes were puffy and red with emotion, and the dark circles under his eyes were darker than normal. He knew she could tell that these nightmares were happening more often than he led on.

His face mask was an uneven color of black. His tears had soaked most of the fabric up. He watched unmoving and willing as she moved her hands to the sides of his face to unhook the mask from his ears.

“You shouldn’t keep these kinds of emotions bottled up, Zane. It’s not good for your health.”

Her voice seemed like a whisper to him. He didn’t respond, instead he just continued to look at her. He was tired, and a little afraid of what else he’d say if he opened his mouth. He’d already said so much today.

Even when she grabbed his hands to hold it and smiled her big, bright smile, he remained eerily still.

“It’s alright, though. Zane-kun has Kawaii-Chan now to come to when he’s feeling sad! Zane-kun isn’t alone anymore!”

‘Isn’t alone anymore!’ Her words echoed in his mind. He had felt so alone with his emotions, so scared to share them with the others because they had all been through so much and their focus this whole time had been on Aphmau.

“Not… alone…” The words felt weird rolling off his tongue.

“That’s right! You will never be alone again if Kawaii-Chan has anything to say about it, nya!”

Zane watched as her ears perked up at her own notion and a smile tugged a corner of his mouth. Her head shifted around to take in her surroundings once again.

“Would Zane-kun like to go for a walk outside? Kawaii-Chan thinks it would be good for her and Zane-kun to get out of the car for a little bit.”

“I think I would like that.”

The pair didn’t arrived home from their late night adventure until close to 4 o’clock in the morning. Their walk around the school hadn’t been too long, and their constant yawning forced them to admit defeat to their own exhaustion. Zane killed the lights to his car before pulling into his own driveway. He had insisted on walking Kawaii-Chan back to her home across the street, but she had made him go inside his own home and get some rest. Truth was Zane just wasn’t ready to leave her presence.

“It’s just across the street, Zane-kun,” she quietly giggled. “You’re a gentlemen, but Kawaii-Chan prefers you just go get some sleep and not worry about her.”

Zane had taken extra care to be as silent as mouse as he navigated through his dark home back up the stairs to his room. Unfortunately, Garroth still managed to scare him half to death when Zane found him staring out his bedroom window at Kawaii-Chan’s retreating form.

“I’m glad you’ve made a friend with Kawaii-Chan, baby brother,” he said, his voice low and serious. “But I hope you didn’t tell her too much.”

Zane could feel his fists clench at his side. Deciding it wasn’t worth a fight, he simply stepped out of the doorway and held the door open.

“If there’s anyone I trust as much as Aphmau, it’s Kawaii-Chan,” he replied with gritted teeth. “Goodnight, brother.”

Garroth nodded and made his way out of Zane’s room, leaving him alone in his room to watch as the light in the pink window across the street went dark.

Kawaii-Chan’s featherlight touch to wake him up for her appointment had terrified him so much he yelped and promptly fell out of his chair onto the hard tile floor below him.

“Ow,” he groaned.

Her giggles lit the fire back inside his chest.

“Are you alright, Mr. Zane?”

And in one sentence, she had the ability to take that flame and burn his insides with her words.

Zane stood from his spot on the floor and turned towards her. He had to put this to an end now. He couldn’t recall exactly how he and Kawaii-Chan came to the agreement to end their formalities towards each other, but he knew it had been simple. Of everyone, her lost of memories had effected the two of them the most. Garroth was right. It was up to him to help her.

“Kawaii-Chan,” he said as he straightened his shirt and jeans. “Look, I know that there's quite a bit you don't remember, but we were… “

Zane stumbled on his words. How could he describe to her what they were? So much context missing behind words.

“Close…” is what he settled for. “And it would mean a lot if you would just called me Zane.”

He looked back up as her surprised look merged back into it's usual smiling state. He could have sworn her golden-hued eyes sparkled the way they used to…

“Of course, Zane! I’m happy to hear that we became close friends!”

Doctor Flora entered into the room, knocking only as she was entering and had her head buried deep in Kawaii-Chan’s charts.

“Good morning, Miss Chan!”

“Good morning, Doctor!”

“Let's get you down for your MRI, then, shall we?”

Another nurse followed in behind the doctor with a wheelchair. Zane watched as Kawaii-Chan. She was already sitting up and had moved the covers off her pale, bare legs. He reached has hands out to her, offering them up as means of support. He could see the hint of a shy smile on her lips and a blush forming on her cheeks as she placed her tentative hands in his.

Zane was patient with her. Standing up was something she needed to do on her own and at her own pace. She was still a bit unsteady on her feet, but shifting of her legs on her bed had helped rebuild a small amount of strength in them over the last 24 hours and it showed. Her cat-like grace on her toes was still evident even if there were small shakes in her step.

He did his best to guide her slowly towards her wheelchair and help her lower down into the seat. Once she was perfectly situated, her nurse took her position behind her chair and started their journey out of the room.

Once out of the room, Zane made sure he stood directly next to Kawaii-Chan the entire way. He checked on her occasionally, suspicious of her silence. He knew doctors made her uneasy, and that having people fuss and worry over her made her uncomfortable. Her fingers fidgeted more and more with her hair, twirling it at times around her finger so much he saw the color begin to drain, that she had moved to braiding the very ends of it.

Instinctively, Zane reached over and grabbed her hand, locking it into his own. Her eyes went wide and the blush began to creep onto her cheeks again. He could feel her watching him as they went on. He refused to look at her though. She was able to read him so well back then, and he was sure she’d see it in his eyes if he looked now. Eventually, Kawaii-Chan’s hand relaxed into his, only to tighten its grip as more and more signs appeared for the MRI room.

The nurse slowed her pace in front of a large, blank door at the end of the last hallway. Zane let go of Kawaii-Chan’s hand as the nurse parked her wheelchair against the wall. Doctor Flora used her keycard to open the door for the nurse and held it open for her.

“We’re going to go ahead and get everything set up for her inside,” she directed at Zane. “Unfortunately, you’ll need to wait out here, Mr. Ro’Meave. We’ll bring her back out shortly, though.”

The pair watched as the medical duo disappeared into the room.

“You’re going to be fine, Kawaii-Chan.”

His words had been meant to aim themselves at her to help reassure her that everything would be fine, but he knew they were more for him. He forced himself to not think about what they could possibly find in the results. Her head injury had been so bad. Zane could still recall the sound of her skull cracking and it made his stomach churn.

“Thank you for coming with me, Zane. I know you were probably busy⎼”

“N-no, Kawaii-Chan. I’m happy I could be here for you,” he interrupted.

Her smile was large, but didn’t quite reach her eyes. Though she tried to put on a brave face, the alert twitching of her ears gave her away without her even noticing.

The door before them swung open suddenly, diverting their attention from each other. Doctor Flora stood in the doorway wearing a different coat and had a new chart in her hands.

“Alright, Kawaii-Chan! We’re ready for you now.”

Follow on Wattpad, too: https://www.wattpad.com/story/111727148-over-time

Disclaimer: Characters and some quotes used by Aphmau. Most of the situations the characters find themselves in all my fault.

#zanechan #zane-chan #Zane #kawaii-chan #zane ro'meave #Aphmau #MyStreet #fanfiction

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undercovermcdfan · 7 years

Text

the right impressions | vylance

summary: Dad AU. First introductions is everything. Vylance. Ensemble piece.

a/n: so y’all know the Dad AU—either from my own yelling/fics or @crybabytime’s beautiful comics (click here to go through her tag!), and honestly? I want to make a full-fledged, multi-chaptered fic of it one day. For now, here’s a fic featuring Laurance reintroducing Vylad as his partner to the kids and their reactions. Lowkey, I’ll probably will write a drabble about Zenix & Laurance’s talk

warning(s): divorce ment.

Laurance’s reassuring voice did little to ease his nerves.

“Just act as you normally do—Vylad, they love you,” Laurance said, albeit a little distracted as the clanks and shuffling of the kitchen in the background, “Maybe even more than me.”

Normally, the little statement at the end would make him chuckle and rolled his eyes affectionately. Though the sincerity of Laurance’s tone tempted him to believe in it, believe his reassuring lie… Vylad felt his cynical side jab at the misuse of love in this situation.

Did Laurance’s kids like him? Maybe. But love, he wasn’t sure.

They saw him now and again, though his travels thanks to work kept him from being a constant visitor in the household. They knew him as Uncle Vylad—to the three younger children, he was called this because he was a friend of Laurance; Zenix, the eldest, knew he was their other father… ex-father…? err, Garroth’s youngest brother and was their actual uncle. The friendly face who helped occasionally and had dinners whenever spare time allowed it; he honestly wondered if they could see him as something, something more.

Travis’s eyes always lit up joyfully when he came around, but curiosity and soft-hearted was his nature.

Isabel, while warming up to him slower than Travis, looked to him with admiration and didn’t hesitate to greet him now with open arms.

Malachi was only a baby, and he wasn’t sure if babies really have the “hate” and “love” idea down pat; but even with his little experience, the mild-mannered child still smiled and felt at ease with his presence, so that must’ve meant something.

Only child who looked to him with suspicion, keeping his distance… was Zenix. Though the nature of his and Laurance’s relationship wasn’t revealed yet, with how Zenix acted around him almost made Vylad wonder—did he know already? When the other children expressed their approval in their own way, Zenix’s judgmental eyes were the ones who reminded Vylad that the statement of ‘They love you’ was faulty.

But he couldn’t drag his feet forever.

This was long overdue— and it would be a strange to admit to his boyfriend of the past year that the only reason he’s having cold feet was thanks to his perceptive son.

If it weren’t for genuine nervousness and anxiety feeding thoughts of ‘is this too big of a change? Maybe it’s too soon.’, he’d almost laugh at the absurdity—wasn’t it in most relationships, the parents were the nerve-racking obstacle one would fret over? Not a seven-year-old child with eyes that almost feel although they could pick apart his weakness.

He breathed in, shifting the flowers in his hands as he reached to press the doorbell.

He breathed out.

Laurance’s voice echo in his mind: Just act as you normally do.

Safe to say the flowers didn’t lasted so long.

Travis and Isabel immediately asked for them after they shouted hellos and hugged his legs, nearly knocking him over; they greedily reached up, blues and greens brightly shone with wide smiles—and in truth, Vylad was a weak man and quickly conceded the flowers to the kids.

The house was filled with a delicious smell—which meant, as usual, the dinner won’t disappoint. Eventually, Laurance poked his head into the hall way, hair tied into a bun and bangs pushed back by a headband as he wiped his hands onto his apron; his face, similarly to Travis and Isabel, lit up, though with a little relief mixed in.

“Always one for punctuality, huh,” Laurance mused, stepping into the hall and halfway meeting Vylad for a tight hug, “I’m going to put the finishes touches to dinner—make yourself comfortable, the kids already set the table.”

“Oh, I-I’ll do that, um,” Vylad then sighed, “I’m sorry, though.”

“Hm?” Laurance pulled away, brows furrowed.

“I brought flowers but…”

Laurance nodded in understanding, “You let Isabel and Travis bully them away from you.”

Vylad wrinkled his nose, his frown turning into a slight pout as he muttered, “I wasn’t bullied… they’re simply convincing.”

Laurance laughed, almost leaning in to press a kiss to his forehead but a sudden ringing sounded and he straighten. “That’s dinner timer— can you tell Isa and Travis to wash up, and head for the table after?”

Vylad nodded, faltering slightly as he watched Laurance disappeared back into the kitchen with hurried steps. I wonder which way those two we—

His eyes locked onto another gaze, one that was watching from the stairs. No, not just watching. Glaring. Zenix, who pressed his lips into a thin line, sat on the stairway with arms crossed. Like his siblings and father, he was dressed nicely in a clean button up and black pants; he didn’t say anything and continued to glare for another moment.

“Um, hello Zenix,” Vylad started awkwardly, offering a small smile, “I… um… You should probably head to the dinner table. I’ll handle Isabel and Travis.”

Nothing.

Zenix simply avert his eyes to his feet, brows furrowed and simply ignoring him. Vylad sighed.

He didn’t know what to say—what could he say? He could only leave Zenix to his thoughts, making a mental note of the behavior. While Zenix never expressed overt liking of Vylad’s presence, the upset sight of him was… worrying and maybe his theory of the eldest already being aware was true.

But he can’t dwell on it for now.

Tracking down the little rascals was easy, as the two didn’t go far—they took apart the bouquet in no time, so that was a lost cause. He found Travis and Isabel giggling as they slowly bending the stalks of the flowers into a flower crowns (or rather, attempting to). Vylad smiled and patted their heads as they proudly showed off their half-made crowns, but the two hungry enough to abandon their project when he said Laurance wanted them to wash up before dinner.

Zenix wasn’t on the stairs when the three walked by again. Instead, Zenix was waiting at the table, a seat closest to Malachi’s highchair as the elder fussed over the baby’s bib… and acting a little more subdued than usual. Vylad’s eyes narrowed for a moment. Strange.

He didn’t meet with his eyes, hopping off to the kitchen without even a word. Vylad tried to search in recent memory—either from his own actions or events that Laurance told him, what would be upsetting Zenix.

But as he tried to get Travis and Isabel settled, he came up with nothing.

Dinner with Laurance was always an eventful fare—but with his children, it went from a sweet gesture they rarely could took delight in to a display of what a warm family was.

From Travis’s need to tell Vylad everything about what he missed since the last his visit and what his best friend from next door, Katelyn, showed him recent, to Isabel proudly showing off the fact she could count farther than her brother despite being the younger of the two, to Malachi’s babbles and absolutely destruction of his food as he mushed it against his face (which got the entire table laughing).

Even Vylad told some stories, interrupted every few minutes about questions of the places he visited and sometimes going off in tangents such as: “Wait, they have elephants in Asia too?” “But he said they’re itty-bitty small kind.” “So, like baby elephants.” “No, no—they’re not babies!” “I feel like I know what itty-bitty means; they’re baby ‘phants!”.

Yet Laurance nor Vylad missed the fact there was one voice who didn’t join in the conversation as much as the rest. Zenix sat at his seat, pushing around the food quietly—and though Laurance kept the smiles up, it would slip away every now and again, a worried gaze landing on the quiet eldest.

Eventually, dinner wrapped up and the table was cleared with the help of Vylad—it was a few moments they had, while Laurance told the kids to wait at the table rather than running off immediately for their hour of freedom before bed.

“Are you ready?” Laurance whispered to him, taking his hand gingerly and Vylad intertwine their fingers, giving the hold a squeeze.

“Yes, but,” Vylad frowned, “Do you think they’ll understand?”

“Well, we waited a year… and I know neither of us think this is a fling, Vylad,” Laurance softly smiled, placing a kiss on his knuckles, “Relax. They’re smart cookies—they’ll understand.”

They returned, hand in hand, neither Travis or Isabel noticed at first… but Zenix did, and frowned immediately.

“Da-ad, can we go?” Travis, slouching and slowly slipping out of his seat, started to whine.

Isabel shushed him, with a quick berate, “Don’t sit like that, you goof!”

“I’m not a goof! You are!” Travis immediately retorted, an offended look written on the child’s face.

“Nu-uh! You’re the one who’s sitting like that—Dad said we have to wait!” Isabel chided him.

“Goody two-shoes!”

“Goofy bad boy—“

“Isabel, Travis—please. What did I say about calling each other bad names?” Laurance looked at the two, who immediately lowered their eyes in guilt, “This is a special night— one that’s almost finished. So please, say sorry to each other.”

Both glanced at each other, shoulders slumped, as they give a unison “Sorry.”

“Hmm, we’ll work on apologies later—both of you owe a hug to each other for the bad names,” Laurance mused while the two kids nodded, pouting a little now but their mood not completely soured, thankfully; instead they turned their eyes to their father and himself, curious.

Laurance shifted back into a bright smile, “I have special news,” he wrapped an arm around his shoulders, carefully looking from child to child—both Isabel and Travis met with their father’s eyes while Zenix distracted himself while holding Malachi. Laurance paused at this, only for a moment, before he pushed on—“You know, Uncle Vylad is a really good friend, very nice and sweet one at that.”

Travis nodded, while Isabel tilted her head. Vylad carefully watched Zenix, who tensed a little as he frowned, keeping his eyes on Malachi.

“And… well, for a while, Uncle Vylad been more than that. I love him a lot—“ “—And I love your father—“ “…yes. We love each other very much, and we been more than friends. A special friend, even.”

Isabel immediately raised her hand, calling out excitedly, “So you’re dating?”

Laurance’s brows raised immediately, his voice not hiding his surprise, “Isabel, where did you learn that word?”

“From Granny Zianna’s TV shows!”

Travis then raised his hand, interrupting Laurance before he could think twice about that statement. “Does this mean Uncle Vylad is our papa too?”

“It’s complicated… but…” Laurance glanced at Vylad, who returned his searching look with a soft smile. “I’m fine with it. But I’m okay if you still want to say uncle as well.”

“Do you kiss?” Isabel called out, squinting at the two.

Laurance sputtered, “Isabel, no. I’m going to have a talk with Granny about what you’re watching, missy.”

Vylad chuckled, winking at Isabel as he nodded. “Your dad is shy, forgive him.”

Travis then waved his arm excitedly, “Will you get married?”

There’s a pause. Laurance glanced at him while Vylad’s brows immediately shot up; well… the question wasn’t a new one, when they passed the one year mark, his own mother asked curiously if they were. But before either could open their mouths to answer, Zenix spoke up finally.

“They can’t!”

The table fell silent as all eyes were on Zenix, who bristled under the attention. “Dad can’t! He has us—he doesn’t need to get married again, or need you!” His arms shifting Malachi, pointing an accusing finger at Vylad, and though the kid’s words stung, nothing was worse than the glassiness of Zenix’s gaze, his voice shaking a little, “Dad is just fine, we’re fine! We don’t need a second dad, w-we already… have…” Zenix’s voice started to die, and Isabel’s hand reached out in concern but he jerked away. Sliding out of his seat and placing Malachi on the floor (who let out a whine), they watched Zenix dart despite his siblings and father called out for him.

“Vylad, I—“

“Go. I’ll watch the kids, don’t worry.”

Laurance shot him a thankful look, before removing himself and chasing after his eldest. Travis and Isabel looked worriedly in their direction while Vylad picked up Malachi, rocking the gurgling child with a sinking feeling in his stomach.

Despite the fact… he didn’t have anything to feel exactly guilty for, part of him thought: I should’ve guessed what Zenix was moody about.

He was a smart kid after all—smarter than most would give the child credit. Ushering the kids upstairs, they changed into something more pajamalike and settling in Malachi’s room, as they wait…

Vylad sighed, watching the clock pass the twenty-minute mark. The children—apart from Malachi, of course—were as antsy as him, because Laurance or Zenix haven’t made an appearance.

Zenix’s outbursts weren’t a common thing seen by Travis or Isabel; at least to a serious degree, where he was driven to tears. But then again, Vylad was perfectly aware the tough and protective big brother role the eldest inhabit.

He put Malachi down into his crib, as the child started to drift while an hour almost pass; and when he turned, there stood Travis behind him, slightly hiding behind a big picture book in his hands as he nervously looked up.

“Um…” Travis turned to him, holding a book in his hands, “Dad usually reads but... could you?”

He smiled a little, taking the book from his hands. “Of course,” Glancing at the cover, he recognized the familiar tale, “The Ugly Duckling?”

“Yeah. It’s my favorite,” Travis answered, settling on the floor and Vylad sitting down beside him, “I like the ending.”

“He likes happy endings,” Isabel corrected, abandoning the toys she was playing with and settling on one side and Travis shot her scowl.

But before he can retort, Vylad interrupted the brewing fight with a “Well I like happy endings. There’s nothing wrong with liking them.” Travis gave a look of triumph and Isabel shrugged, looking rather unbothered.

“So I’ll read this and you two promise to go to bed after? It’s almost your bed time.” Both children nodded, snuggling closer to get a good view of the pictures. Vylad began the tale, letting himself get lost in the fairy tale as well.

It was only when Vylad came down, after putting Isabel and Travis in their respective beds, did he find Laurance and Zenix.

Or rather Laurance and fast-asleep Zenix, held by his father.

Both look drained, but when Laurance caught his eye, he gave a victory look as he rubbed Zenix’s back. “He doesn’t hate you.”

Vylad nodded, sitting down beside him on the couch. “I know that.”

“He’s just confused… he’s not as open to the idea because he remembers Ga.. your brother as his other dad,” Laurance said softly, “And he’s afraid.”

Vylad scooted closer and leaned against Laurance as he shut his eyes. “Afraid?”

“He doesn’t want me to get hurt, if you want a summary,” Laurance mused, looking down at Zenix with a gentle expression, “He acts carefree, but deep down he’s soft-hearted kid.”

“Like father, like son, I suppose?”

Laurance chuckled, nudging Vylad slightly before leaning his cheek against Vylad’s head. “I’m not that soft.” Vylad’s brow twitched for a moment and Laurance laughed again, insisting now, “You see me get emotional one time—“

“One?”

“A couple of times, and now I’m stuck with these labels,” he sighed mockingly, “Even though I let you get away with it every single time.”

“It’s because you’re soft,” Vylad pointed out, and Laurance’s nose wrinkled as he frowned.

Silence fell, though comforting and only sounds was the occasional mumbles from Zenix’s sleep.

But it didn’t last long, Laurance’s tone changing to worry as he absentmindedly rubbed soothing circles. “He needs some time, Vylad. He gone through a rough two years and… it being hard for me, I can’t imagine what he’s feeling,” Laurance softly said. “Garroth hasn’t been keeping up lately with his end of the deal, now this? It’s overwhelming.”

“…Should we… you know?” Vylad felt his heart tighten for a moment, his eyes opening and he started to pull away but Laurance’s hand stopped him.

“No! No, no—I’m not going to break up with you,” letting go of his arm and instead touching his cheek, Laurance’s eyes had determination in them, “Zenix is afraid but we just need to reassure that this change isn’t bad.”

“What if he doesn’t… well, like me?”

“He likes you, he’s just… shy about it,” both glance at the sleeping boy, and Laurance pressed a kiss to his forehead, “He always been a grumpy child, but I know him and he talks about you when you’re not here.”

Vylad pursed his lips, the corners curling up, “I hope good things.”

“It’s good things,” Laurance nudged him again, “He likes your pancakes. And your cool hair.”

“Don’t you like those things too?”

Laurance laughed, “Well, maybe you’re just a cool hair and pancakes kind of guy? It’s a very charming point, I must say.”

Vylad then laughed. “Of course you would.” And Laurance joined him.

Maybe they don’t have everything figured out now—but a step forward was a step forward. And surprisingly… he wasn’t discouraged.

“You know, I do have a question.”

Vylad hummed, prompting for Laurance to continue.

“Are you really alright with the kids calling you Dad too? I know you said it’s okay but… if it isn’t comfortable…”

Vylad lowered his eyes, feeling his cheeks grow warm—well he almost forgotten he gave his okay to that. “It’s… nice. I don’t mind,” he admitted, “They’re good kids, and if we’re taking this further… it’s a logical next step.”

“Vylad, technically they don’t have to call you dad unless we’re married. You’re skipping a few steps,” Laurance gave a teasing grin, “Unless you were planning on purposing right this moment.”

There’s a pause. Laurance’s smile faded for a moment, him fully turning to face him properly but then huffed when he noticed the sparkle in Vylad’s eyes.

“Vylad.”

He chuckled as Laurance pinched the bridge of his nose, heaving a sigh. “I’m sorry. But… it’s reassuring to see you a little excited.” Laurance shot him a side-long glare, shifting Zenix in his arms. “That was a mean-spirited joke,” Laurance whined, standing up, “I know I said it was too soon for marriage… I wouldn’t have... um…”

“You wouldn’t have turned me down?”

Laurance avoided his amused stare, and stammered out, “I-I’m going to put Zenix in his bed. You earned yourself dish duty for that joke.”

“Alright,” Vylad stood, rubbing his neck, and Laurance shook his head, turned to head up the stairs; he smiled, “I wonder if it’s a joke if a part of it was true.”

The stairs creaking stopped for a moment. Though Vylad couldn’t see his expression, he knew Laurance heard him. And he knew Laurance wouldn’t want him to see the fact he gotten him, as he hurried up the rest of the steps.

Truthfully, if Zenix didn’t have the outburst, a part of Vylad knew he would’ve answered Travis’s question Will you get married with a “I hope so.”

Because he did.

Just as he worried over the kids liking him, not as an uncle, but as a potential person to… well… join their family, Vylad saw marriage was already on the table. And as he headed to the kitchen, with Laurance’s reaction… it’s reassuring to know it was on his as well.

#aphmau #minecraft diaries #minecraft mystreet #vylance #ahhhhhh i wrote this between classes-- that's why it's kinda rushed?#istg one of these days I WILL right a fic that does this au justice #dad au #dads au #<-- the fact this au has two tags bc my dumb ass forgets which is the write one kills me #my writing

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