#i need her to come baaaaaaaack

[cameoutstruggling93]

I love my boss....but if she cancels one more meeting that is about training I'm gonna lose my mind

#i need her to come baaaaaaaack #like i get it #she had a baby at the end of february and was away #and is only here part time and remotely #but there's sooooo much that we need her for and it's fucking annoying #and the resident clown that doesn't do anything is annoying and just #NWKJEFHLEIURHFIEUQPRHIPEQRHFUIQEPRGHUIQEHGFUIQERHGEPIURERUIPHGE;

[what-the--curtains]

Fire & Ice

Chapter 6 - Dances & Diatribes

(Robb Stark x f!Targaryen!Reader)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Summary: Tenuous bridges are built with the arrival of a wedding present from across the Narrow Sea. Bridges that are tested by a visit to the Vale

Authors note: She's Baaaaaaaack (by unpopular demand) Let me know if you want to be untagger I know I've been gone a while!

TW: Fighting, Swearing (maybe?), mentions of blood, hallucinations, alcohol

Taglist: @kittykylax @winxschester @mihrimahsultan03 @stargaryenx @the-desilittle-bird @roselibrary @luxlisbonlover @r1dd1kulus

Word count: 5.1k

Playlist

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Snow dusts the foliage around you. The quiver hangs on your back, reigns grasped loosely. A hushed barter with a stable boy allowing your escape for a few hours most mornings. ​​The woods are silent this hour. You basque in the quiet knowing the men would soon return from the front. The sky glows copper as the sun rises, blood has been spilled. 

You slow your horse to a walk stopping when tracks appear in the distance. Three pronged digits jut out from a large base, the prints were uncanny, unfamiliar, distorted. The air goes silent as you raise your bow. No birds chirped above, no crunch of the frosted ground beneath you, no wisp of the wind. 

Nothing. Not even the sound of your own breath reached your ears. 

Something is watching you. 

 You turn and a chill shoots down your spine, every hair on your neck lifted. Your heartbeat fills the empty space as cold breath hits your neck. You grab an arrow and drive it backwards, but it falls to the ground imprinting in the snow that dusted the remaining grass, the sound of the forest returning. 

Your hand reaches back again and you fire into the nearby bush pheasants flocking upwards and you shoot two down.

You were spending too much time alone, too much time with your head buried in books full of tales meant to scare children. The chilling legends that had always managed to find themselves lodged in your head.  These occurrences were the last thing you needed, a senseless distraction. 

You prayed Jorah's return with the rest of the men would settle you, though you hesitate to share your visions with him considering your lineage. Unless it progressed further, it was best kept a secret. 

In addition to the sense of comfort you hoped Jorah would provide insight into Talisas departure, you had your suspicions but you weren't one to breathe life into rumour before it was fact. The thoughts are fleeting and they dissipate as you dismount inside the stable. Coming forward to thank the mare for her efforts.

“Thank you for lending her to me, and for your discretion,” you say to the sable haired boy appearing from the shadows of a stall he was cleaning. He smiles, but it drops slightly as footsteps approached. Had it followed you back from the woods? You look over your shoulder to see Robb freshly returned from war, unwashed and bloodied. 

“Fear not, he is not nearly as ferocious as he looks, and he only turns into a wolf on the battlefield” you whisper to the boy who smiles. 

“You ride?” Robb asks, rinsing his hands of blood in a nearby barrel. 

“A long time ago, in another life,” you admit, your wedding gift from Drogo passing through your mind. You hand the saddle to the boy who runs off as quickly as he came. 

“You're working in the stables now, is he sharing his pay with you?” Robb asks. 

“Yes, and you should pay him more, it's hard work. Do not blame him I am very convincing,”

“Seems people find you impossible to refuse,” 

“I can think of at least one person always ready to refuse me,” 

“Your lack of broken neck suggests you ride well, you should take your pick'' Robb states, “save for the white mare, she's mine. ” he relays storking the creature's speckled face, one of his fathers final gifts to him.

“She’s beautiful, do the rest not have owners,” you ask, hanging the pheasant on the wall as the boy leads the horse back into the stable, you hang them on the wall as you wash your hands of the mud. 

‘Four in the back lost their riders, they would do well to have someone keep them in shape, try them, choose your favourite. Did Ser Darrion shoot these?” he asks, before you have time to thank him.

“I shot them, your Grace.” His eyes flit to you then back to the birds “they go to the boy, he takes them to his family, that was part of our deal,” you relay pulling them down off the wall “He wanted nothing of course but I told him to never do anything for free, especially if the person asking is wealthy,” Robb’s laugh catches you off guard 

“Aren’t you angry,” you ask, turning to make sense of the lightness you felt in the conversation. 

“Quite the opposite. You’ll have to teach my youngest sister, Arya when… if we find her,” he relays, stone faced. “She would like you,” he admits. 

“I look forward to meeting her,” 

“His family must be well fed, you're a good shot,”  Robb says, looking the birds over. 

“I've been hunting for a long time your Grace, though Visery didn't think it a very lady-like hobby so naturally…” 

“Well my mother would agree, but if it keeps you out of my hair for a few hours I see it as a benefit to our union,” 

“Did you come here to land an insult or was there something else you needed?” you ask 

“I believe I just paid you a compliment,” he states

“What was your intended purpose here then?” 

“A gift arrived late last night, a wedding present for you,” he says as you re-don your cloak. 

“A compliment, a horse and a gift. Seems a very fortunate day for me. Why haven't you opened it yourself?” You ask, looking down in confusion at his arm extended to you.

“They are not addressed to me” he states, “And we may as well look the part” you link your arm in his and exit the stable. Appearances were crucial now, and any effort on his part at this point seemed miraculous.  “You’ve grown more accustomed to the cold, last I saw you wore three cloaks when you went outside,” 

“We run warm, I just needed some time to adapt,” You explain, though the heat radiating from your arm was welcome as days grew colder. 

“Blood of the dragon, I almost forgot,’ Robb states. 

“Was that a joke your Grace,” you ask looking at him. 

“Was that a compliment?”  he replies, mouth cautiously upturned. 

“I don't recall saying it was funny,” you remark dryly as he pulls the tent flaps open. Perhaps there was a reason his men followed him to death after all, now he was no longer blaming you for his anguish; he was, dare you say it, tolerable.  Your heart skips seeing Darrion inside, and you instinctively drop Robb's arm. 

“Ser Darrion, Ser Jorah,” you address “It does my eyes good to see you both alive and unharmed,” your eyes trail down to the chest before them. 

“Thank you Ser Mormont for delivering this to us, safely and for ensuring it is not tampered with,” Robb states, so Jorah had brought them back. 

“Who are they from?” you ask 

“An Iilyrio Mopatis, you stayed with him a while as a child after the maesters. I told him you were married and he said he had been saving it for the last true dragon,”

“Rheagar was the last true dragon,” you reply, “but I will not refuse a gift from someone who cared for me when the rest of the world would not. I will entrust you with a letter of thanks that is to be delivered to him, I will write it myself,”

“Yes, your Grace,” Jorah replies

“You may leave us,” Robb finishes throwing his gloves down on the desk. Your eyes involuntarily stuck on Ser Darrion as he bows, his own eyes trailing up your body causing a heat to flush throughout your inside. 

“Are you going to open it?” Robb mutters, removing his blood stained linens and rinsing himself with the water from the basin, warmed by the hearth burning beneath it.

“Have you always been so impatient or are you just used to getting what you want?” you prod playfully, looking over your shoulder quickly. 

“I have always been good at getting my own way,” he relays

“Privilege of being the eldest,” you replay, kneeling before the chest on the floor. 

“Topped only by the preference for the youngest,” he counteracts, watching your hands ghost over the box, hesitantly.

“It has been checked, both by Jorah and Darrion, though I can open it if you…” 

“I am fine your Grace, just admiring the craftsmanship, appears to be welded in Dothraki gold,” you click the latches open slowly pushing the wooden lid eyes widening as the contents are revealed. 

“What has he sent?” Robb asks, unable to hide his curiosity, noting the look on your face your hands reach in, pulling out an egg, the size of a man's head, a bright gold. 

“Dragon eggs,” you reply breathlessly, wonderment plastered on your features as your hands trace down the scales, warming them.  “Three of them.”

“All gold?” Robbs queries, watching  you intently as you carefully place the first down on the hearth. 

“No. It’s rare any within a brood are remotely alike,” You lift the other two together, one black and one green reuniting them with the gold on the hearth. 

“Dragon eggs have to be kept warm if you want them to hatch, they cannot survive in the cold and before you start I know they are decorative in a likelihood, but you have your gods and we have ours. To leave them in the cold would be disrespectful,” you explain looking up to meet Robbs own gaze of bewilderment at the mythology placed before him. 

He pulls a clean shirt on and sits down in his chair rolling up his sleeves before decanting wine into a glass, watching curiously as your hands gently stroke the scales of the matte coloured eggs illuminated by the embers.

“I realise now I know nothing about you, or your family or your beliefs. Well apart from what I assume are the most horrifying details and some of which I assume to be less than true,” 

“Whose fault is that?” you counter eyes still on the eggs, hands trailing across them. 

“Must you always be so difficult,”

“Me?” you begin, but when you turn towards an argument he's smiling at the wall, so you forgo it. It was the first time he had asked you a question about yourself, the first time either of you had to be fair.  “Well some of the atrocities are certainly elevated though many I fear to inform you are true. Tell me then, your highness, what it is you wish to know,”

“Is it your highness now? Is that better or worse than your grace,”

“I am only trying to uphold the standard of address you set for me when we first met,” 

“Tell me about the dragons. They were the only part of my lessons I could focus on from what I remember,”

“Oh I find it hard to believe you were anything but the perfect student. Would you like to hear the truths or the myths?” you ask and gently stroking the tops of the eggs, the scales lining the shell shine in the flames, and for a moment you swear you feel them beating.

“Are they different?”

“You have much to learn your Grace,” you replay standing, brushing off the ash from your skirts. 

“Then teach me, perhaps some of your ability to perceive strategy will rub off on me,” 

“As much as it pains me to say, you would survive without me, most of my conclusion are easily found once you know what you're looking at,” 

“Yet none seem to find them,” he replies 

“Was that another compliment? Two in one day, have I strayed into a dream?” you joke  

“Eye for an eye,” he replies, a playfulness playing off you both, previously unknown. 

“Very well, I concede, what would you like to hear about the dragon's your highness”, you ask, curtseying, causing Robb to shake his head. 

“Where did they come from?” he asks as you pour yourself a glass of wine. It was bitter compared to that you'd had in Dorne, but you were growing accustomed to it. 

“Depends on the source. Some say they were born from deep beneath the mountains. When Westeros and Essos parted and the earth cracked open, ash and fire rained down from the sky as dragons crawled out from the centre of the world. Others say they fell from the moon, a gift from the gods,” 

“Why was your family so favoured by the gods,”

“The gods simply placed the dragons on this earth, the Targaryens learnt to train them,”

“How did they manage that?” he continues. 

“My fore-bearers knew of their breeding grounds, before kings and kingdoms existed, before Targaryens and Starks and Lannisters and Baratheons. We lived alongside them in trust until a rule was broken. An egg stolen, dragons devastated bruning the land before them,”

“Creating the red waste,” Robb finishes, enraptured in your words glad for your immersion in tale lest you see his stare, one he could not seem to deter as the warmth of the light illuminated your features drawing him further in. 

“See, the perfect student,” he chuckles, “ Well the dragon went into hiding as the kingdom of men grew, and relationships strained. It became a tradition, a ritual, a rite of passage; it was the entrance into Targearyn lineage. Before the incest and the inbreeding a Targaryean was any who would be bold enough to survives the dragons nest and return with the eggs. Then it became a customary practice of marriage and engagement, and eventually even a gift for children, but populations dwindled. The dragons became few and populations inbred shrinking them making them vulnerable and weak in the mind, an easy correlation perhaps to my own family history,” you admit sadly, swilling your wine around in the glass. “You know, we once rode them to war,”

“I have heard that tale, They said your forefathers would ride to war a back them,”

“It is not merely a tale nor was it only the men. Women rode alongside their husbands; you'll find that in any book you read.”

“Will I,” he challenges 

“Are you calling me a liar,” you press 

“Perhaps I'll believe it if I ever see it, for now the hour grows late, so I must call a truce,” he states, weary from battle, your tales having entranced him into a state of relaxation he rarely felt. 

“I accept,” you reply, placing the glass down, going once more to the eggs to bid them goodnight. Your arm reaches down but they are caught before they make contact. You look up to Robb whose thumb runs gently over your wrist. “You’ll burn your hands beyond repair touching those now…” he drops your wrist, realising the intimacy of the moment “ without gloves at least,” words fail you, but he clears his throat. 

“There is another piece of business that demands a truce,” he admits and you look at him. “ We are stopping at the twins. My grandfather survived another year, he is to celebrate his name day at the Vale, and my mother demands our attendance. I agreed with her on the sole condition that more support is needed if we are to win. While you need not attend, I believe you would be an asset,” 

“Truly,” 

“Yes,” he confirms. 

 “If you believe I will be useful, then we shall attend,” 

“Be warned, since her husband's death my aunt has gone somewhat mad, try not to take offence,”

“Salt helps well with the blisters,” he says, nodding down to your hand “They stop forming once practise with the blade is consistent, they should heal up by the time you meet my grandfather, I do not know what kind of chastising I will get for allowing you near a weapon. Also, it may also be best if you address my by my name when around family,”

“Is your grace giving me permission to forgo his initial request?”

“Robb, is very much indeed asking that of you,” 

“Very well, if your grace demands it, who am I to refuse,” the haze of the wine had seeped into the surrounding air, the whole room slightly out of focus when you blew out the candle and pulled the furs over your shoulders. “Goodnight, Robb,” 

“Goodnight Rhaeanya,” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Vale

Light blue garments adorned your body, intricate silver clutching around your waistline flowing up into trees and woodland scenery and downwards into roots, starks colours for the night. 

“You look well,” Robb says, offering his arm as you meet him by the base of the stairs. 

“As do you,”  you reply, taking it, you had arrived a few hours ago from the front, Cat had arrived early in the morning.  The ride to Riverrun was silent for the most part, Robb having fallen asleep, saving you the need for unnecessary small talk, less chance of irritating the other. 

“The celebration is due to begin shortly but I will first introduce you to my aunt ,nephew and grandfather,”

“Lysa, Robyn and Hoster,” you list

“Very Good, my Uncles will likely be here as well, The blackfish and Edmure. The former is interesting and the other is relatively useless but harmless.”

“Lots of family, once again my job is much harder than yours. I only had one and that proved so difficult for you to remember you killed him,” you state, relieved by Robb’s huff of amusement.

“Best behaviour, just for Lysa and my grandfather, the rest well they are easier to converse with,” your feet almost trip over one another when you enter the large room, taken aback by the woman sitting high atop a throne nursing what appeared to be an eight year old boy. 

“Lady Arryn,” you curtsey  “I wish to thank you for your hospitality, your home is truly a work of fine craftsmanship, and its upkeep impeccable,”

“The last time I saw a Targaryen here was when I was a few years younger than you, I believed you all dead,” she states, a carelessness that implied neither malice or hatred, neutrality was better than you had expected. 

“We are sturdy folk, hard to be rid of my lady, and my lord. Your son looks well, may I ask his name”

“Robyn,” she replies, the boy looked sickly with large eyes and runny nose perched atop a somewhat frail frame. 

“Robyn Arryn, a gentle name, but a strong one as well. One of good fortune and friendship, it is a name as high as honour one that carries the Tully spirit with the Arryn name,” she smirks. 

“And your name,” she asks

“Rhaeanya, my lady,” 

“Flowing with grace in the common tongue, we shall see if that holds true,” she replies, sushing Robyn who had begun pulling at her hair. 

“I hope it does, my Lady“

“And what of you my beloved nephew come forward you need not stand in her shadow of all places. The king in the north , avenging your father and your uncle against the evils birthed of lannister incest.”

“Thank you aunt, your husband gave his life for my family, that will not be forgotten, but I must see the guest of honour before the festivities begin,”

“He is with your mother, and Edmure no doubt gossiping without me,” 

“It was lovely to meet you lady arryn and you as well lord robyn,” you smile at the boy whose brown eyes stare at you as if you were an apparition. Though your features were likely obscure in the north especially to a boy who hardly left the tower walls. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Please my lord do not rise on my behalf,” you begin

“Fear not you grace, I am old but I am not dead yet,” 

“You have her likeness, your mothers,” he says sitting down at the dresser, and your heart drops 

“I am glad to encounter one who knew her, though I warn you I may bore you with many questions now we are acquainted,”

“Tales I am happy to share, none find my words interesting these days, not since they were children, and I am always happy to share the past especially with one so full of beauty,”

“I see Robbs charm is not merely a product of the Stark lineage,”

“The Tullys were always less serious my dear,” 

“Where on earth would you get the idea Robb was serious?” you joke opening the door allowing his dressers to enter. 

“Speaking of serious,” Robb interjects, “There are matters I hope to discuss,not tonight grandfather not on your name day but there are things that need seeing to before we depart,”

“Of course, my boy, tomorrow we will discuss before you leave but tonight we celebrate. Rhaeanya, a pleasure to meet you, and what a joyous thing for you to be apart of our family,” 

“It is my greatest joy to have found family here, I thought it lost to me forever,”

“Well you shall have children soon enough, I hope to meet them,” your chest tightens, your throat closing as you swallow your panic, fear of being caught for the fraud you were. Unable to complete what was needed to ensure a war won. 

“Well my aunt only slightly insulted you, and my grandfather seems to want you for a son, so  all in all its going quite well,”

“Had you not prepared me for the breastfeeding that would have thrown me, how old is the boy?”

“Must be nearing 8, and for once you are speechless. I suppose we should make our way down to the festivities am I still presentable,”

“Are you asking if you appear kingly,” 

“Yes,” he replied, his earnestness catching you off guard, you refute the joke sitting behind your teeth and take a step back. You move forward, hands reaching up, his gaze following you as you shift the crown on his head just to the left. 

“It's never quite fit right,” he mutters,

“It fits, and more importantly it suits you, shall we,” you ask. There is a steadiness to him as you enter the hall, despite the eyes and the whispers, the paranoia you felt entering a room was absent in him. You wonder if he felt through your facade. You watch intently as he pulls out your chair waiting for you to sit before taking his place next to you taking up conversation with his grandfather. 

“And you must be the new bride,” a rough voice speaks out. 

“Perhaps the old bride now, but yes, no longer a Targaryen by name,”

“But in appearance, the lineage is unmistakable”

“You must must the Blackfish,”

“Aye your Grace, I see my reputation precedes me, I hope you don’t think too ill of me,”

“Well, hard to pass judgement while rebelling against a kingdom that deemed my entire family an outcast. Perhaps we are more alike than you think,” 

“And how does Westeros compare to Essos,”

“Essos is warmer, the wine is sweeter and it smells less of piss and more of flowers,” you relay, causing the Blackfish to cough into his drink caught off guard. “Apologies my lord, but I assumed you of all people would forgive such low language. Now tell me for I must know, what was he like as a child, I imagine he came out stern faced and serious, shouldering the weight of the world before he knew it,”

“In ways he was, but unlike now it was attributed to an almost unbelievable shyness,”

“Shyness,” you respond, shocked at the revelation. 

“I believe so, but duty always prevailed and he always did what he needed to,”

“Well that what not nearly as fun as I had hoped, nor did it provide me with any such ammunition for teasing,”

“He use to be funny, though now I fear joy may be lost on him, make sure he finds some,” 

“I will try, though I do admit I may not be the best candidates,”

“Well you made me laugh, and that's a victory in itself these days,” he nods his head back and you turn your attention to where your name had just been called

“Rhaeanya, when may I expect a great grandchild, I will be first in my family to see such a sight,” Hoster states loudly, Robb seemingly gone white

“Soon, we hope, I pray everyday” you say, taking Robbs hand in yours. 

“Unfortunately the situation with the Targaryen lineage,” Lysa chimes in from further down the table, “they are mad and rumours say their offspring have been born deformed and scaly, monsters. You should have found better breeding stock for your eldest son, such a fine young man surely others would have been willing,” Lysa shouts loudly, words clear over the crowds clamour, you feel Robbs hand tense as your eyes glaze over. 

“Lysa,” Catlynn warns, but she doesn't let up, and you feel your demeanour shift, cowering inwards at the fear of being found out. An uncharacteristic meekness that caught the attention of another. 

“Your highness,” Ser Darrion interrupts, you release Robbs hand and tune back into the crowd  “may I request a dance with your wife,” 

“It is her decision, though I encourage it. Conversation here has grown tiresome, she has my permission if she wishes to leave,” you feel his eyes on you

“Thank you Ser Darrion. I would be glad to leave the scene,” you state standing from the table and making your way to the floor. 

“Her stock is higher than any I am aware of, she's the only with a true claim to the iron throne, and in addition to that she is invaluable in the war room. She does the work the Lannisters entire counsel cannot. As for scaly children, perhaps you have fallen victim to propaganda dear aunt, ” Robb defends. “A war your father supported,” Lysa fires back

“A war that saw her entire family slaughtered, and would have seen her dead had my father not intervened,”

“Enough, no more of this on my name day, celebrate, the night is young and I am old, I do not wish to spend my last days listening to family squabbles,” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Apologies for interrupting your conversation,” ser Darrion whispers.  

“Is that what it was, felt more of personal attack from a woman who still breastfeeds her son,” you mutter

“I have missed you,” 

“And what about me is it that you have missed,”

“Every aspect, you face,  your voice, your laugh, your stories,”

“Enough of my stories, I need a few of yours,”

“Anything you request,”

“You have known Robb since childhood”

“I have,” 

“Was he always so… well… him,” you chuckle 

“Yes, but infinitely more reserved. He never danced, hardly laughed, was always shy, and very serious. Keep to himself, drove most of the girls to him of course, man of mystery and all,”

“Is that jealousy I sense in your voice,” you joke 

“I’d like to say I’ve gotten over it,” 

“Oh i'm sure you did just fine,”

“Well I was able to make them laugh, does he make you laugh” the lightness of the conversation shifted. 

“He is my husband,” you reply, hoping to avoid broaching an intimate topic so publicly. 

“If I was your husband I would ensure your happiness,” he whispers  “My hands would never leave you, there would not be a day that went by without my love for you being expressed,” 

“Ser Darrion,” you whisper

“Rhea,” he replies seriously, 

“You forget yourself,” you mutter sternly,  eyes boring into his, resisting every urge in your body. You stare over the shoulder to see Robb staring directly at you grey gaze amber under the light as the music ends

“Thank you Ser Darrion, but you should be on your way,” you reply, and he kisses your hand.

“If you ever wish to leave this behind you need only ask,” he states, and your stomach drops, heart racing.  Your eyes watch as he leaves the floor, ignoring the women walking towards him. 

Your heart flutters, beating up into your ears. Against better judgement you lift your skirt and follow him, but by the time you reach the outer room he’s gone. You walk off into a hallway looking around when you turn to go back you see Robb. Concerned at the look in your eyes during Lysas trade, seeking you out as another olive branch, only to see you following another. He had not been concerned with the dance, not until he saw you rushing out after Darrion.

“What do you think your doing?” he asks

“I… I was… what was I doing with what?” you stutter. 

“Don’t act stupid, we both know you are not,” he relays, and you shift into defensive mode. 

“So you get to go gallivanting around into every whorehouse in Westeros, but I am not allowed to walk in the same direction as a man?”

“I will not have an uncertain heir, I cannot, do you understand,” he states firmly

“Are you jealous,” you ask, echoing back words he had once shouted at you. 

“Of what? I seem to remember getting an earful about making you out to be a fool. You dancing closely, so closely with your guard makes me look foolish. Do you understand that? They will not follow a man they do not respect. If you cannot see that then perhaps I overestimated your intelligence,” he scolds. 

“Do not mock me,” you reply evenly, feeling smaller than you expected

“You do it so easily for yourself in your hypocrisy,” he digs further into you.

“You are being unnecessarily cruel,” you snap. 

“Perhaps you bring it out in me,” he states

“Apologies, your highness have I awoken the dragon,” you shoot back.

“Do not compare to that man,” he states, anger now evident in his features. 

“Then stop acting like him,” you state clearly

“Perhaps if you were not such a spoiled brat…”

“Me?” you laugh, “ I am not the one currently in the throes of a tantrum. You have had everything handed to you since the day you were born, the perfect prince, beloved by his kingdom, adored by all. Well perhaps not so perfect considering your failures of late,” there it was. The dagger behind your teeth sharpened to a point, always ready to strike, always to kill, never willing to only wound. 

“I am well aware of my failures, I know my fathers death , and my sisters' continued torture falls into my hands. So yes I am a failure to them. I need not have a stranger remind me of this,” You feel the truth in his words and guilt washes over you. 

“Tonight by all accounts has been a success. So we will go back inside, we will dance, we will drink, we will stay a night then we shall return to a war I'm failing to win. Join me once you have composed yourself,”

“Robb,” you call and he turns around

“Save it, I do not care to hear anymore from you tonight besides what is owed to my family.”

#robb stark au #robb stark fanfiction #robb stark x oc #robb stark fanfic #robb stark fic #robb stark x reader #robb stark x you #robb stark x y/n #robb x reader #game of thrones fanfiction

[forensicated]

Not really a Smiffina update but worth mentioning to fill in the blocks becaaaaaaaause The Radfords have arrived which means a lot is about to happen which is and the back info will be important.

Recently in The Bill.. (Episodes 214 to 235)

Cameron and Kerry are engaged.

Gabriel showed his true colours and raped Kerry, knowing she couldn't speak out without it looking suspicious because of what happened with Smithy.

She tells Cameron after visiting the rape clinic and there's a big back and forth over whether he believes her or not depending on the weather.

Gabriel has a gang of vigalantes on the Coal Lane Estate that he presides over, dealing out justice that the police can't. Their first 'job' is beating up a paedophile who is getting close to a neighbours grandchildren.

One of the residents of the Coal Lane Estate, Laura Bryant, becomes key in Gabriel's group, but thinks he's crossed the line eventually and reports him to Rob Thatcher.

A major crime family have arrived on the scene, headed up by Irene Radford. She's awesome. I know you're not supposed to like the baddies but yeah. She's awesome. She and Gina have big history. So do the family and Rob as his father was killed, he suspects by Len Radford (the father) who was also killed that night. Irene enjoys toying with Rob and Ken.

Jonathan has taken Gina away on a safari. She's terrified of spiders but went because everyone expected her not to go. "Me [Gina] Tarzan, you Jane"

Cameron is in turmoil because of the Gabriel stuff, because a kid jumped off a balcony after he'd had a ruck with Gabriel and was worked up and because 2 children died by drowning after he and Honey couldn't get them out the car.

There's a serial rapist about that Sam and Hugh are profiling. Smithy being a gentleman and despite everything going on asks Kerry to take a taxi home because the rapist is still out there. (see top picture).

Kerry thanks him and goes to find Cameron to see if he's coming home with her that night or not. She finds Cameron and Honey in a compromising position as they 'comfort' each other.

Honey and Cameron have a fling once he and Kerry have split up but he still involves himself in Kerry's life heavily, assaulting Gabriel in the canteen. Gabriel wants Cameron's job for it.

Gina and Jonathan return happy and tanned from their safari.

"I'm baaaaaaaack."

Sam and Hugh track down a name and suspect for their serial rapist - Alan Kennedy. Turns out Jonathan represented him in a sexual harassment case that he won for him... he recalls how Kennedy loved all the detail, the loop holes and humiliating his victim in court.

Kerry threatens Gabriel with a bottle, telling him she can't be pushed any further, she's already at the very bottom, drinking herself to sleep at night and hoping she doesn't wake the next morning. She tells him if he comes near her again, she will kill him.

Gina starts to manipulate Gabriel into dropping the threat of having Cameron arrested but he drops it instantly - scared Kerry will talk.

Cameron leaves for Australia, but not before begging Kerry to come with him - she turns him down, saying he and Australia are too good for her and they have an emotional goodbye.

Tony accidentally knocked June down with the Area Car and almost killed her. Thankfully she recovered and Jim and June got closer again. Jim and Tony were rocky for a while but they made their peace after June forced them to. In the process of Jim repeatedly sitting at June's bedside and them reuniting, they get engaged. Tony is going to be their best man.

There's a summer party at a pub for the relief - only for a bomb to go off and almost kill Adam. Gina sits at his bedside as he's critical and eventually as he comes round he gently mocks her for being able to tackle dangerous criminals like they're nothing but not be able to tell Jonathan that she loves him. She assures him that the bomb has shown her she needs to make more time for things for her - and that she's going to tell Jonathan she loves him. Unfortunately before she can, Jonathan breaks up with her, telling her that he can't play second fiddle to the station (she ran straight off from him arriving at the aftermath after a hug to go see Adam, she had to speak to Lance before she could tell Jonathan, she didn't ring him the night she'd sat at Adam's bedside as she was there till the early hours and didn't know he was sat up waiting for her etc). It doesn't last long though thankfully but when they do reunite she's so openly and obviously happy that she starts to worry that she's losing the respect of the relief. I am actually sad that Smithy is not in most of the Gina/Jonathan eps as he'd have loved teasing her!

Gina is however not a fan of Kerry in the early to mid 230's ep and it shows...big time. (You don't mess with her boy and then cheek her!)

Kerry: Ma'am, can I have a word? Gina: You can have two actually. The second one is off.

Gina: Can't you follow orders....? Are you that stupid?

Kerry starts to feel even more disillusioned with the job with everything that has happened to her and she starts to act out and under the radar, starting to get mixed up in an unofficial undercover obbo with Rob against the Radfords.

#dale smith #cameron tait #alex walkinshaw #smithy #dan macpherson #kim tiddy #honey harman #beth cordingly #kerry young #gina gold #roberta taylor #jonathan fox #larry lamb #the bill #smiffina #smiffinalong #episode 214 #episode 231 #episode 230 #episode 220 #episode 221 #episode 223 #episode 224 #episode 222 #episode 225 #episode 226 #episode 232 #episode 233 #episode 235 #episode 234

[stupid-stew]

Separate Tides

yknow what? frick you. *writes down my own version of the season 2 premiere that i've already written in my head because i'm impatient*

Luz was guilty. No matter how many times Eda told her that she shouldn’t take the blame, she just couldn’t stop herself. If she just hadn’t gone that day and stayed to make sure Eda was ok…

“Luz?”

Luz sat up from her position in her sleeping bag on the floor, “What is it King?”

The small demon looked at her, his silhouette backlit by the light from the hall, Luz’s room was dark, she’d been too mad at herself when she woke up to even begin thinking about casting light glyphs.

“Eda wanted me to come tell you to get up for breakfast…” King gave her another glance “but if you aren’t up for it I can make an excuse for you.”

Luz realized she must look a mess, still covered in dust and scratches from her fight with Belos, still wearing her cat hoodie, and probably had one of the worst cases of bed head in history. “No, that’ll only make her worry more, I’ll be down in a minute, ok?”

Her face must have given something away because King still didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t push the matter any further and left her back alone in her room.

I’ve gotta fix this.

Luz got up, well she got up as far as she could before her arms gave out, Huh, she thought to herself, I guess getting thrown around by an evil emperor leaves you a little sore in the morning, who woulda thought. She stayed there for another minute before trying again, Eda is gonna be worried if I don’t head down soon, she doesn’t need any more on her plate, not from me.

This time, Luz mentally prepared herself before deciding to get up, it must have worked because she was able to get all the way to her knees before having to take a break. It was at this point Luz saw herself in the mirror for the first time. I see why King was worried, she really did look awful, not even when she was going through her awkward hair stage had she ever looked like this. Her hair stuck up every which way, down her forehead, up towards the ceiling, that one on her left was almost perfectly perpendicular to her skull. After she finished admiring the true wonder that was her hair, she got a chance to look at the rest of her appearance. It wasn’t as bad as she was expecting honestly, a few scrapes and bruises were visible along her face and arms, but that was the worst of it, her hoodie definitely needed a wash.

Better get this over with.

**********

Where is that kid? Eda thought she had sent King up the stairs long enough in advance for Luz to be down the stairs in time for breakfast, had she fallen back asleep?

Just as she was going to get up to go see if Luz was alright, the human appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

“Yikes, what happened to you?”

“Good morning to you too Eda” Luz responded, rolling her eyes at the older witch’s comment and moving to go grab her plate from the counter.

Good, she’s joking around, that’s good, right? Eda had been up late last night worried about Luz. If she knew one thing about the kid, it was that she had a big heart, and that meant she was probably going to blame herself for everything that had happened, and Eda didn’t want that for Luz, in fact she had gone out of her way to make sure and tell Luz how much of her fault it wasn’t.

“More like good afternoon, you were really asleep huh?” It was a little past one, breakfast was an arbitrary term in the owl house, especially since Eda had a habit of sleeping like a rock for days after an especially bad curse incident.

“Yeah well I had a long night, you did too.” Something in Luz’s voice was off, Eda just couldn’t quite tell what it was.

“What’s in this anyways?” Luz asked, gesturing at the meal in front of her, if you could call it that. Eda didn’t have much in the way of food around the house, she had been planning on making money over the weekend with the human collectables stand and then going shopping early next week, but getting captured and almost petrified had thrown a wrench in her plans.

“Ah, well I was going to make money this weeken-”

Luz cut her off “But now without the portal…”

“No money.”

“No food.” Luz looked into her dish with guilt painted all over her face.

“But not to worry kid! We’ll figure it out, I made out just fine before I got my hands one the portal” Eda said, trying to cheer Luz up, truth was she didn’t have a plan, sure now she wasn’t as wanted of a criminal, but she doubted there were many witches in town willing to offer her a job.

“Yeah but even then you had your magic.” Luz muttered just loud enough for Eda to hear

“Kid we talked about this, it’s nothing you need to worry abo-”

Eda was cut off by a quiet cough from the doorway, both her and Luz turned their heads to see Lilith standing in the hallway.

“My apologies, I don’t mean to interrupt but the small demon told me to come to the kitchen for breakfast, though I think he meant lunch, regardless, I’m more than happy to take it and leave.”

The three of them stood there for a moment, Luz was visibly uncomfortable with Lilith’s presence, but Eda just looked confused, she hadn’t asked King to get Lilith. As far as she was concerned Lilith could figure out her own meals.

“You can have mine, I’m not hungry anymore.” Luz spoke, breaking the silence. She placed her untouched breakfast on the counter and moved quickly back up the stairs, shutting the door to her room.

That can’t be good

“I’m sorry, I’ll just go.”

Lilith started to turn before Eda stopped her, “No, don’t let it go to waste.”

The elder Clawthorne hung her head and occupied the place where Luz had been a moment ago.

“What is this?” Lilith asked, looking at the plate in a mixture of confusion and disgust.

“Oh I’m sorry your highness, we seem to be all out of elegant food at the moment, so sorry we won’t live up to the expectations of the ex leader of the emperor’s very own coven.” Eda mocked, putting on her worst posh accent and accenting her mention of the coven with venom in her voice.

Lilith’s face dropped at that and she turned to start eating, but she barely got the food next to her face before the smell hit her and she dropped the fork, and in trying to catch it managed to knock the whole plate face-down on the floor.

Eda looked at her and scoffed before walking out of the room, leaving Lilith by herself to clean up the mess in the kitchen.

**********

By the time Eda walked past Luz’s room, Luz had already made up her mind, she was going to help Eda. There were things she couldn’t fix, she couldn’t cure Eda’s curse, she couldn’t get rid of Lilith, she couldn’t repair the portal, she couldn’t do anything about Belos, but there was one thing she could do. Her mother had never really supported Luz in her fantasies, she had never been mean about it, she tried her best, but if there were bills to be paid or groceries to be bought, that’s where the money went. Not towards Luz’s interests. If Luz wanted a new book, poster, dvd, cd, action figure, anything like that, she had to get her own money. Only problem was, Luz was barely 14, not a lot of places hired kids younger than that, but she had managed to get money, she’d done it before for herself, but now she was going to do it for Eda.

She’s already sacrificed so much for me, I can’t let her go hungry too. Luz thought as she packed her bag. Maybe they wouldn’t hire me in the human realm, but this is the boiling isles, everything is dangerous, hiring age is probably the least of their worries. Luz was determined, she was going to help Eda.

She almost made it out the door, Eda was in her room, Lilith was nowhere to be seen, Luz was almost in the clear, until

“HOOOOOOOOOOOOOT”

Hooty.

“Hey Hooty,” Luz replied through gritted teeth, “could you keep it down a little bit there buddy?”

“WHERE ARE YOU GOING LUUUUUUUUZZZZZ”

So he wasn’t going to keep it down. Great.

“I’m just heading into town to help out Eda, can you not tell anyone where I went? It’s a secret mission.” Luz was certain Eda didn’t want her going into town after last night, especially not by herself, but she also didn’t want Eda to worry about her while she was gone.

“ONLY IF YOU BRING ME SOMETHING BAAAAAAAACK” the house demon replied, rotating his face a full 180 degrees.

So creepy Luz shivered. “Alright, but only if you don’t tell anyone I’m gone or where I went” she whispered while shutting the door softly.

“OKAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY” the owl dragged out his words, following Luz several feet into the forest before returning to his place on the door.

That was close. Luz sighed before shaking out her hands, refocusing her mind, right, gotta mission, time to make it up to Eda.

**********

“KING? COME UP HERE” Eda yelled from her nest.

After a couple moments, she could hear the demon’s tiny footsteps scampering up the stairs, “What?”

“Why did you tell Lilith to come eat with us?” Eda asked, voice slightly muffled by the fact she was laying with her face buried in a pillow.

“Eda,” King said carefully “you can’t just let her starve y'know, where else was she gonna get food?”

“Why should I care?” came an exclamation from the witch who was now rolling over onto her back, “not like she thought about me when she was cursing me, what did she think the owl beast was gonna eat? Not like she thought about Luz when she threw her off a bridge, human ghosts don’t eat, what did she think Luz was going to do without me? She can’t survive on her own here! She’s a kid, King, I was a kid when I got cursed, so no I don’t care what she eats.” Eda exhaled, dropping her gesturing hands to the bottom of the nest with a thud.

King sighed and was about to leave before Eda sat up and looked at him, “speaking of which did Luz seem off to you this morning?”

“Yeah actually, she looked really sad when I went to grab her this morning, I don’t know exactly what happened last night but I think she’s taking it really hard.”

That made Eda’s heart hurt, did I not talk to her about it enough? Doesn’t she know it isn’t her fault, maybe I need to tell her again. “Could you go grab her for me please?”

King nodded and headed off down the hall, Eda heard him knock a few times, and the lack of response made her nervous, maybe she just fell asleep again, wow she must be wiped after last night, Eda chuckled a little bit at that before getting up to help King wake Luz.

“Luz?” she asked, knocking on the door, “can you wake up please?”

Nothing.

“Luz I’m coming in.” Eda stated while reaching for the door handle. When she opened the door all the way, she couldn’t see anything, the kid must have fallen right back asleep if there weren’t any glyphs or candles lit up.

“Luz?”

It took a moment for Eda’s eyes to adjust to the lack of light, but when they did and she saw the empty sleeping bag on the floor, her heart dropped.

Oh no.

**********

Lilith didn’t know how she had gotten there. Not even 36 hours ago she had been in one of the highest possible positions of power on the boiling isles, a part of Belos’ inner circle, and now here she was. In a shack, her dress in tatters, half cursed, covered in rancid food, sewing herself new clothes from dusty blankets she found under her cot. Oh how the mighty have fallen.

Just as she had finished putting on her new clothes, and was planning on burning the old ones, Eda busted in the, admittedly shoddily attached, door to her makeshift room.

“Edalyn?” Lilith’s eyes needed a moment to adjust to the sudden bright light coming from the outside world.

“Lilith- what are you weari- no nevermind there’s no time, have you seen Luz?”

The panic in Eda’s voice had Lilith more concerned than she was willing to admit.

“No, not since this morning, why? Has something happened?”

“Shit” Eda murmured “She wasn’t in her room and she isn’t in the house, I haven’t seen her and neither has King, are you sure you didn’t see or hear anything?”

“No, I’m sorry I haven’t,” Lilith replied, now just as worried as Eda, she might not know the kid that well, but Luz was still a kid, and Eda’s fear was intoxicating.

“HOOOOOOOOOT”

If there was one thing Lilith hated more than herself, it was that infernal house demon.

“I KNOW WHERE SHE WENT”

Eda’s face visibly lit up at that

“Really? Where?” Lilith had never heard her sister that relieved, not even after she’d almost gotten expelled for some of her more… elaborate pranks.

“I’M NOT SUPPOSED TO TELLLL YOUUU IT’S A SEEEECREEETTTT”

Any sign of joy that had been on Eda’s face disappeared almost immediately.

The next few seconds happened in slow motion for Lilith, first, Eda’s hand shot out and grabbed hooty by what Lilith assumed must have been his neck, whatever she had a grip on was making it hard for the owl tube to breath, then her other hand came up and bashed him in the beak, how that seemed to hurt Hooty more than it did Eda’s fist was beyond Lilith, then Eda had him pinned up against the wall of the shack.

Eda stared into Hooty’s eyes, and asked in a voice that was somehow calm yet conveyed the rage and power that Lilith knew was yet to be tapped into “Where. Is. Luz.”

The demon was wriggling like crazy, but to Eda’s credit, she didn’t show any sign of letting go until she got her answer.

“SHE- WENT- IN- TO- TOWN-” Hooty managed to cough out, Lilith knew her sister had a strong grip from years of grudgbey, so how he was even managing to breathe was beyond her.

Eda released him from the wall and turned to Lilith, who met her eye with a matching stare of concern, they both knew how dangerous it was for Luz to be out in town by herself. Eda might have been pardoned by the emperor but Luz hadn’t.

“We have to go”

**********

Luz was utterly defeated. She’d been at it for hours, going from business to business asking if they had a position for her, not even bothering to look if they had a help wanted sign in their window. The thing was, most of them were hiring. They were even hiring teens, they just weren’t hiring humans. Humans aren’t fireproof, they can’t survive dismemberment, they don’t have any magic, great, just another thing I suck at, I can’t even help eda properly because I’m a human. Just as Luz was about to leave Rot Alley, a cloaked figure appeared around the corner.

“Hey kid.”

The voice that called out to her was raspy and creepy, and Luz had seen enough horror movies to know that logically, running was her best option in this situation, running far far away, but before she could even get her feet to move, a gloved hand shot out from the white fabric of the cloak and grabbed her by the wrist.

“Hey! Let go of me!” she protested, trying to yank herself out from the stranger’s grip.

“Calm down, I’m not going to hurt you.” the voice replied, letting go of her arm.

Yep, creepy voice is still creepy the second time it speaks

“What’s a kid like you doing out all by themself?”

Luz’s mom had told her time and time again not to talk to strangers, but this one seemed nice, right?

“Well, I was looking for a job, but nobody wants to hire me.” Luz admitted while staring at the ground and kicking the toe of her shoe into the dirt.

“You seem a bit too young...” the figure paused, craning their neck to look at the side of Luz’s head, something about that circular, gold mask seemed familiar “... and round to be working a job around here.

Luz tried not to take offense to the round part, and settled for honestly replying “Yeah, well I need the money.”

The figure hummed and said, “Well, if it’s money you’re after, I think I could help you with that.”

Lets see, alleyway? Check. Cloaked figure? Check? Creepy voice? Check. Super duper sketchy promise of money? Double check. Yep that’s all the boxes on the “do not take this deal” list. But Eda… I owe it to her. If this deal can help her then I need to try.

“I’m in.”

The next half hour was a blur in Luz’s memory, she signed some papers, was given a map, a boat, and a contract that promised her 40% of whatever she brought back, and was sent on her way, and now she found herself on her own, floating away from a dock placed on a part of the isles she had never seen before, scared out of her mind, but with the hope of helping Eda.

No going back now.

**********

Eda was frantic, she’d been running all over the marketplace with Luz’s banned flyer in her hand asking anyone who looked like they had eyes if they’d seen her, and much to Eda’s surprise, they had. Apparently Luz had been there all afternoon looking for work, why on Earth would she be looking for a job? Luz’s motives were the least of Eda’s worries right now, what was more important was finding Luz, she could interrogate the kid on her own then, when she was back safe.

“Nothing?” Lilith asked, floating down next to Eda on her staff.

“Nope, seems like everyone’s seen her but nobody can tell me where she is.” Eda sat down aggressively on a nearby bench, placed her head in her hands and let out a groan of frustration. It was getting dark, if they didn’t find Luz soon, it could mean serious trouble. “Why was she even out of the house in the first place? She knows how dangerous the it can be here.”

Lilith took the seat next to her sister, “I don’t know, she seemed pretty upset in the kitchen, what was that about?”

Eda lifted her head and looked at Lilith. “That was because of you.”

“What?”

“Are you serious Lily? You took the kid and threw her off a bridge as some sort of sacrifice and you expected her to be ok being in the same room with you?”

Lilith opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by a voice neither of them recognized.

“Hey, you lookin for that kid?” the passerby asked, pointing at the flyer in Eda’s hand.

Eda shot out of her seat, feeling hopeful for the first time in hours. “Yes!” she replied hastily, “Why? Have you seen her around?”

“Yeah yeah yeah, last I saw she was heading down to the docks, seems like a dangerous place for a kid to be. Glad she had that guy with her.” was all the demon offered before walking away.

The docks? A guy? Eda thought, what was Luz thinking? Going to the docks, doesn’t she know how dangerous that is? I’ve done more than my fair share of illegal things but even I wouldn- oh. Luz doesn’t know how dangerous that is, whenever she comes into town she’s with me and we don’t go there, I should have warned her, it’s worse than the night market down th-

Eda’s train of thought was cut off by Lilith’s hand on her shoulder, the look in her sister’s eyes told Eda that she’d come to the same conclusion, that they needed to move fast, titan knows what could have happened to Luz just in the time they’d been standing there.

Without a word, both Clawthornes jumped on their staffs and moved as fast as they could down to the dreaded area. Eda hated how low to the sea the shops were down there, it always made it unbearably hot, but the heat was the last thing she needed to be worried about.

After about 10 minutes of asking around, the sisters found themselves outside of a rickety building all the way at the end of the pier. The shop didn’t have a sign but the lights were on. “Stay behind me, I know how to deal with people who run places like this.” Eda whispered to Lilith.

**********

Lilith gave a small nod and Eda took that as her cue to enter the building. Why am I not surprised she knows what she’s doing around here.

It wasn’t much better on the inside than it was on the outside, all that was in the building was a desk, some tables covered in papers, and a witch behind the desk. The witch looked familiar to Lilith, something about those eyes, and the chip out of his ear, she couldn’t quite place it.

“Hey, you seen this kid around?” Eda spoke next to her, holding up the flyer.

“Maybe, what’s it to you?” Definitely know him, I know that voice…

“Look,” Eda sighed, dropping her hand to her side, “we don’t want any trouble, just tell us where the kid went and we’ll be on our way.”

The witch behind the desk spun around in his chair, “Sorry lady, even if I wanted to I couldn’t, she could be anywhere by now, I can tell you the kid seemed desperate for money, was willing to do anything we asked to get her hands on some coins, I like that kind of dedication in an employee.”

Why was Luz so desperate for money?

“If you can’t tell us where she is, could you at least tell us where she’s headed” Lilith offered, trying to get any information she could out of this man.

“Nope, no can do, our business is strictly confidenti-”

Before he could finish his sentence, he was slammed up against the wall by Eda, who had a firm hold on the collar of his shirt.

“Woah hey put me down!” the man chuckled, trying his best not to look afraid, his facade is weak, maybe I don’t know him after all.

Eda didn’t look amused. “Tell us where the kid went.” She annunciated every word sharply.

“I already told you, I can’t!”

Eda pulled her arm back so the man was nose to nose with her before slamming him back higher on the wall.

“I don’t care what you can and cannot do. You will tell me where she went. That is my kid, she is under my protection. You don’t want to mess with me, so look at me, and tell me where she went.” Eda spoke calmly, but the man looked terrified.

Her kid huh? Lilith grinned to herself, she’s never going to hear the end of this one.

The man gulped and looked around for any way out, when he didn’t seem to find one he stammered “G-griffin island, she went to griffin island.”

Eda dropped the witch to the ground, not because she had gotten what she wanted, but because of the implications of what she had heard.

Griffin island was dangerous, Luz must have been really truly desperate for money, but most of all, it was a scam, no griffin in history had been known to give up the treasure they were guarding, not without giving up their lives as well, Lilith and Eda both knew that, Luz didn’t.

**********

Magic is so cool.

Luz didn’t know the first thing about sailing, but the boat was enchanted to take her where she was going.

Why did they even need me for this? Whatever, as long as I’m getting a cut of the money I can help Eda. Plus not having to row is nice for my arms.

It was dark now, but Luz had enough light glyphs to keep her company, and apparently enough to illuminate the island in front of her.

Griffin island, wow. It was massive, there were tall twisting trees and vines, but what caught Luz’s eye was the giant statue of a griffin with it’s mouth open, leading to a tunnel. Ah, that must be the entrance.

As if the boat could read her mind, it made a sudden sharp turn towards the beak of the griffin statue, knocking Luz off her balance so she fell and her cape fell over her eyes. By the time she got herself untangled, the boat was nearing the tunnel. Wow it really is dark in there isn’t it. Luz activated a light glyph just in time to illuminate her path, which clearly hadn’t been traveled in quite some time, as it was riddled with spider webs. Note to self, spider breath isn’t as cool in person as it is in my head. Luz thought to herself as she layed in the bottom of the boat, trying to avoid getting any web on her.

When the boat reached the end of the tunnel, it was a spectacular sight. There were tall purple and green trees all around a circular pond of glowing blue water, and at the top of the circle, directly in front of Luz, was a sleeping griffin.

So. Cool.

Luz closed her eyes and tried to remember the instructions she had been given, the griffin should be asleep, good, right on track, ok what’s next, try not to wake up the griffin. She opened her eyes to look ahead of her, still asleep, now try to find a way around the griffin and get to the treasure, this is so cool I’m on a real life treasure hunt- Luz focus, find the path, get the treasure, help Eda.

It didn’t take her long to plot out her path, stop the boat at the base of where the griffin was sleeping, be really really quiet, walk around the griffin, get the treasure, leave. Fool proof planning Luz, why thank you Luz.

It didn’t take long for things to go wrong.

The moment Luz stepped off the boat, it zipped through the water and back out of the tunnel, leaving Luz stranded. That’s probably fine. There really was no going back now, so she kept on going with her plan, not wanting to think about the fact that she had just been stranded on a mystery island in the middle of nowhere with nobody aware of where she was.

She turned away from the tunnel, and was greeted by the very much awake face of a griffin right in hers. Great.

“Hey there-” she started, but was cut off by the griffin itself.

“What are you doing here.”

Woah griffins can talk? And it sounds nice? “Yeah so actually I need some of your treasure, you see I really need to help ou-”

“Interesting word, need. Most travellers tell me they want the riches, and most travelers I would have eaten them by now.”

Luz didn’t know what to say to that.

“Are you going to eat me then?” she gulped

The griffin got up and stretched before sitting down with it’s two front claws outstretched. Very similar to a cat, not quite as cute, Luz thought to herself with a smile.

“Not yet, luckily for you, I have just woken up from a nap, and therefore am not at all hungry, but if you tell me why you so need my treasure, I’ll listen.”

Who would have thought griffins were so reasonable. “Oh, um, it’s kind of hard to explain, you see I kind of made a big mistake, and my mentor really paid for it, she lost her powers and something really important to her. She keeps telling me that it wasn’t my fault, but I know it was. See, without her powers, she can’t really do much, and trust me, nobody wants to hire someone without powers.” I should know, I don’t have any “Point is, she’s out of an income, and I know it’s my fault, and I want to help, but I can’t get a job either, so I figured if I came here, maybe I could get some money to help her out. She’s done so much for me, I don’t deserve it, I want her to be ok.” Luz explained.

The griffin just stared at her blankly.

“Ok.”

Ok? Am I going to get the treasure just like that?

“Really?”

The griffin turned around and began walking back towards the woods surrounding them, “Yes, I will help you help your mento.”

“Awesome thank you so mu-”

“You say you have been such a burden to her? That you are the reason she lost her powers? That she is better off without you? Then I will rid her of her burden.”

What?

The griffin turned back to Luz, getting a running start, charging at Luz, who was now screaming without even knowing, it raised its claws and jumped, then Luz was flying.

*********

Eda had never flown that fast in her life. Everyone knew where griffin island was, and not for a lame reason like geography lessons, but because every young witch on the isles was warned to stay as far away from it as possible. The griffin will not hand over its treasure, it might trick you and tell you it will, but it won’t. Never go to griffin island as long as you live, you will not leave alive. Those were the words her mother had recited every time she and Lilith played “adventure to griffin island” in their backyard as witchlings. As a consequence, Eda had spent every moment she could trying to get as close to griffin island as she could before her mother caught on and dragged her back inside, her hatred of the hot water be damned.

But, that also meant Eda knew the way there. She had never gotten all that close, but enough to see it in the distance and head straight for it.

What if Luz is injured, what if I’m too late, what if she never even made it all the way, what if she fell in, what if-

Eda never got to finish her thought as they entered the griffin’s mouth tunnel, what was getting in her face?

Lilith seemed to be having the same problem, as she was spitting and sputtering like a mad woman next to her.

Eda almost laughed at her, almost, but then they exited the tunnel to see Luz raising her arm to block the claw of the griffin, and all thoughts of joy left her body.

“LUZ!” She exclaimed, moving as fast as she could, but Lilith got there first.

She grabbed Luz by the arm and dangled her, Eda flew around and grabbed Luz’s other arm and together they flew out of the clearing as fast as they could, Eda checking behind them and glad to see that the griffin wasn’t interested in following them.

Lilith swung Luz so she was forced to hold onto Eda’s staff with two arms, and Eda pulled her all the way into a sitting position behind her on the staff.

“LUZ WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW DANGEROUS THAT WAS? YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN HURT, YOU COULD HAVE DIED LUZ! HOW DID YOU EVEN GET TO GRIFFIN ISL-”

Eda’s screaming was cut off by a sudden impact and pressure on her back. She stopped the movement of her staff and turned her head to look at Luz, who was now clinging onto her back and sobbing.

Shit.

The older witch turned her full body to face Luz and embraced her in a hug, drawing circles on the girl’s back with her nails and letting her cry. They stayed like that for a while, floating in place while Eda tried to sooth Luz.

Eventually, Eda broke the silence. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled at you. I was just really worried Luz, that was extremely dangero-”

“I’m sorry.” Luz interjected, and Eda looked at her with confusion,

“It’s ok, you didn’t know how dangerous the island was.”

“No, no not for that.”

At this point Eda was completely lost.

“What are you talking about Luz?” She gently placed her hands on Luz’s shoulders and pushed her away to look in her eyes. She moved her hands to hold the girl’s face and used her thumbs to wipe the tears still running down her cheeks.

“I’m sorry for all of it Eda.” Luz’s voice was already breaking. “I’m sorry for making you lose your magic, for burning the portal, for you having to jump in and save me all the time because I can’t take care of myself, for not being able to get a job and help out, for getting caught and you almost getting petrified. I’m sorry for being such a burden. I thought if I could get you some money, help out a little, it would make your life easier and you wouldn’t have to think about me as much.”

Eda was shocked. She expected Luz to blame herself, but not this badly. Why did the kid have to be so sweet all the time, doesn’t she know that not everything is her fault all the time?

“Oh, Luz.” Eda clicked her tongue and wrapped her arms around the girl again, “None of that was your fault.”

“But if I hadn’t-” Luz began to protest

“No, listen,” Eda released her grip on the girl and took Luz’s smaller hands in her own, “I need you to really listen, ok?”

Luz nodded.

“None of it is your fault, none of it. I was caught because I decided to come save you from my sister, and fight a battle in a war I’ve been fighting for years, since before you were even born. I was cursed, not because of you. I was caught, not because of you. Those are the things that took away my powers, not you.”

Luz didn’t look completely convinced, but she seemed to be listening.

“As for this incident, I should have been more explicit with you about a lot of things, we should have had this conversation earlier, I should have warned you about where not to go, and I should have been checking in on you, not pouting in my room over some spilled breakfast. Now, you also shouldn’t have run off like that without telling me where you were going-”

Luz looked back up at her with tears still in her eyes,

“But I forgive you, Luz. It’s ok.”

At this, Luz started sobbing again, ah, so that’s what she needed to hear.

Eda let her cry in her arms, and when Luz had slowed down enough to take a stable breath, Eda turned around and started moving back towards the owl house

*********

Lilith was starting to get worried, she had left her sister and the human alone quite a while ago at this point, they should be back by now.

She got up and was about to grab her staff when she heard Eda land outside, so she settled for meeting her out there instead.

When she walked out the door, her heart nearly melted at the sight.

Eda was trying to move herself so she wouldn’t wake a sleeping Luz, but the problem was that the kid had fallen asleep with her arms tightly fixed around Eda’s waist.

“A little help please?” Eda whispered at Lilith, who was trying to contain herself.

“Of course,” She spoke softly, unwrapping Luz’s arms and holding the sleeping child up long though for Eda to come and pick her up under her knees, “anything for my sister and her kid”

Eda rolled her eyes, but even in the dark Lilith could see the blush forming on her sister’s cheeks.

“She must really love you” Lilith stated, grinning.

“Yeah well I love her too, I’m pretty lucky to have her.” Eda replied, beating Lilith’s grin out with a larger one of her own.

The two silently parted ways for the night, Eda heading up to her nest and Lilith to the shack.

*********

King hated being left out, why did everyone else get to have all the fun while he got stuck at home with Hooty all day.

He heard Eda come in the door, and was about to complain to her about the unfairness of the situation, but as he stuck his head around the corner to the sight of an exhausted Eda carrying a sleeping Luz, he decided it could wait until the morning.

Silently, he watched Eda carry Luz up to her nest and lay the kid down before getting herself ready for bed, and while the witch was in the bathroom, King snuck in and took his sleeping position at Luz’s feet. The girl must have been really out because she didn’t even stir at the new presence in the nest. Eda must have also been too tired to notice, or if she noticed him there she didn’t say anything. Instead, she placed herself next to Luz, and placed a single arm around the girl.

Luz woke slightly at this, but Eda just whispered

“It’s me, go back to sleep”

And that seemed to be enough for Luz.

King felt Luz roll over before he heard Eda humming a gentle melody, and felt Luz’s body relax back into sleep, and when King woke up the next afternoon to see the two of them in the same position, he decided to bite his tongue on his complaint, and just let them be.

#the owl house #eda clawthorne #eda the owl lady #luz noceda #lilith clawthorne #king of demons #hooty #the owl house season 2 #fanfic

[jerzwriter]

I’m baaaaaaaack

With a feelsy question

An old friend or acquaintance of Casey’s ask her to tell them about her man (both hotties), what would she say? How would she describe Ethan/Tobias?

FIRST: I am sooooooo sorry. I have 2 asks of yours that I started, didn't have time to finish, put in drafts, and promptly forgot about them. Is this breaking SOEP code? I hope not! But here you go.

Her descriptions would change over time. These are some statements she'd make.

Ethan and Casey:

Book 1 (beginning): "You're never going to guess who I'm working with! Dr. Ramsey! Yes, that one, can you believe it." "Oh my God and he's as gorgeous as he is brilliant, not that I noticed, I just... it's plain to see." "I seem to be his favorite, though he'll never admit it... I have my own nickname, he calls me Rookie!"

Book 1 (around opera): "He's... he's perfect. I adore him, and, God the way he kissed me. I wish we never had to stop." "I'm so crazy about him, and I know he is about me. Even though he says we can't be together, we always have these stolen glances, little touches, he always looks out for me. He's just... amazing." "No! Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. We can't be together now, but maybe one day. I know he would never hurt me."

Book1 (after the first time): "OMG are you sitting? You're sitting, right... because you have to be sitting! OK, we did it! (SCREAM)" "HE was INCREDIBLE. OMG, this man is perfect. I hope he never goes back to Edenbrook because, now that I know how unbelievable he is, I can't go back.

Between Book 1-2 (Amazon): "I can't believe him! I never took him for such a coward. I know it's hard, doesn't he think it's hard on me too? But instead of trying to get through it together, he leaves me alone!" (After a few too many drinks.) "I hate him. I hate him so much! I was right the first day I met him. He's an asshole! But... but I love him."

The majority of book 2: "We have to work things out, and I think we will. We have to, he's everything I've ever wanted."

I'm going to skip Book 3, because, Book 3.

After:

"I lucked out. Yeah, we may have gone through a lot, but he is the best (boyfriend/fiance/husband) in the world. He's attentive and kind and it's like all that good that was in him, that he held back, it's all pouring out now. He just wants me to be happy, and I just want him to be, so... it's perfect."

Tobias & Casey:

When they meet: "OMG you have to see this guy I met. Jesus, he is beautiful. The eyes, those lips, his smile... I can't even tell you what that smile does to me. And he's a doctor! I don't know, I just hope I see him again. He offered Aurora a job, so it's possible."

After a few dates: "When you come to town you have to meet him. This guy is so freaking sexy. If how he looks wasn't enough, it's just how he is, how he treats me." "No, we haven't done it yet. Every time we get freaking interrupted. Sienna and Bryce are on my shit list for this very reason." "No, it's not just that. He's so sweet with me. Everyone keeps warning me about him, but when I'm with him, I feel like I'm the only person in the world. He wants to know about me, he is just so attentive. He's great."

After he steals Stephanie: "I can't fucking believe him! I should have known! Everyone tried to warn me." "Now I have Ethan wanting to rub it in my face so bad. I mean, he hasn't been that bad, but I know he wants to." "Such a jerk! I really thought we were heading to something special."

After she learns about June: "He's dead to me." "What an asshole!" "Yeah, he keeps saying it didn't matter because it was before me, but you were fucking my co-worker right up to the second we met, and you didn't feel the need to share! This and Steph, nope. Done. Over."

After attack: "Look, we're just friends. But the guy saved my life and, I don't know. He is being so good to me. More than I could have ever expected." "He takes me out once a week, just to get me out of the house. And... I feel safe when I'm with him." "No, it's not more. We're just friends, I'm not ready and... I haven't forgotten." "So we kissed, and I forgot how good his kisses were, but it was just a kiss. Nothing more is coming of this."

After they're together: "Oh my god, I just love him so much. He makes me smile and laugh all the time. And he's just so happy about being with me, he'd hire a skywriter to tell the world if I let him, it's the coolest thing. He's always leaving me little gifts, no matter how much I tell him to stop. I'm so glad I gave this another chance."

Not going any further in the future... cause this is already too long. lol

Thanks hon! 🐑🐑🐑

#asks #asks answered #ethan x casey asks #tobias x casey asks

[wild-flower-art]

The Old Guard- Andy x Reader (F/F)

I’m baaaaaaaack, hope y’all enjoy!

Chapter 1

Chapter 2:  That’s a Chance We Have Always Taken (third person POV-- 1,192 word count)

“What the hell was that about, Andy?!”, Nile quietly asked her as soon as they were away from the door. “What do you mean?” “You know exactly what she means, Andy. Why are you acting so cold towards her? She saved you! We should all be grateful, including you, that she has given us more time together!”, Joe says quietly, trying not to raise his voice as to not alarm their new visitor. “It’s not enough now you guys have to risk yourselves to protect me, but now a civilian has to? And a mortal, no less?! I am grateful for what she did, but people shouldn’t have to be doing that for me! I’m the one who’s supposed to protect you and people like her!”, Andy all but yells, bringing her tone back down.

She sighs and looks down at her hands, “Every time someone gets in front of me to take a bullet or block me from harm I’m reminded of my own mortality, and the fact that a mortal did that for me only solidifies it harder in my mind. Watching her almost bleed out only made it worse.” Andy looks back up at her team, her family. “What if the next time one of you saves me it’s your last time as an immortal and your body can’t heal itself? What then?”

The pressure of tears builds behind her eyes as Nicky moves closer to her. Looking earnestly into her eyes and with a light squeeze to her shoulder, he responds in almost a whisper, “That’s a chance we have always taken. We don’t know if the next time it goes dark will be our last, and it’s a chance we have all been willing to take…even more-so for you, boss.” Fighting back tears, Andy gives him a watery smile and a light squeeze to the back of his neck, a gesture of thank you and I love you and so much more.

Joe clears his throat and voices what everyone was concerned about as they brought (Y/N) to their safe house. “What are we going to do about (Y/N)? I mean, when she’s healed she’s free to leave, but what do we tell her in the meantime if she asks what we do? Or why we were in a shootout at a human trafficking house? Did she see us get shot and see those wounds heal?...” Joe trails off as the team looks at him in contemplation. He’s right…they know he’s right. How much does (Y/N) remember? And whatever she does remember, can they convince her that those memories are false due to the loss of blood? Maybe they can convince her she was hallucinating…

“We’ll remain calm and reveal little-to-no details about who we are. Lie when you can. Treat her like anyone else we’ve come across in our travels. Treat her like any other passerby on the street. Be cordial, but be brief. We are grateful to her, and taking care of her is obviously the least we could do.” Andy instructs them. They look around at each other and nod in affirmation.

“What about me?”, Nile asks. “I’m not too used to lying about my identity yet. Hell, I just found out about this 6 months ago and I immediately wanted to reach out to my family. It’s taking some getting used to, so I think I’m gonna need some help.”

Andy directs her attention at Nile. “Tell her whatever you feel comfortable with. You are still new so your experiences and life are still fresh and relevant. Just don’t tell her you can’t die and you have superhuman healing abilities, okay?” She smirks and raises her brows at Nile, who just snorts in response. “Ha, yeah okay, boss.”

Sitting on the arm rest of the couch, with his chin resting in his hand, deep in thought, Joe speaks up again, “What was she doing out so late? She didn’t seem phased by the commotion or the gun shots. And she obviously had no problem getting the squatters outside out of the way or jumping in front of Andy. Who is she?”

Andy had considered these questions herself as she sat in the back of her car with (Y/N)’s head on her lap, her hand still on her diaphragm applying pressure as Nile had instructed. She can’t remember the last time she wasn’t in the driver’s seat. Always leading her team. She was always in charge, from the jobs they took to the jobs they declined; she even tried in vain to be in charge of her fate and that of her teams’. It became second nature, next to breathing and not dying. As much as she and the team don’t want to admit, things have changed, not so much on their approach to who gets saved, but how it’s executed. Her life has taken a sudden turn they knew would eventually come, but it doesn’t make it any easier to navigate. But luckily, like with everything so far, Nicky, Joe, and now Nile will be by her side, riding out this sharp turn, side by side, until the road straightens out, and they eventually have to carry on without her. They won’t go too long as a trio since they’ll have Booker back…fuckin Booker, she shakes her head. She doesn’t blame him for what he did, but it doesn’t make the betrayal any easier to deal with. They were supposed to be in this miserable game together, but now that she thinks about it, maybe it won’t be so miserable for the amount of time she has left. Seeing Copley’s board of all the positive outcomes of their fighting, and with the addition of Nile, she has grown more hopeful than she had been in decades, maybe centuries.  

She looks back down at her hands. They’re clean for the most part, save for cuts and bruises harshly painting them, some old some new, and the dried blood from (Y/N) that remains under her finger nails. Some people could benefit from taking a page from (Y/N)’s book.  She was willing to sacrifice herself and risk her life without being immortal, and with little fear for her own life. She’s a warrior, there’s no doubt about that. New immortals come into their lives at a time when they need them most, maybe the same could be said about mortals. Maybe the same could be said about (Y/N).

Finally, she speaks, “It doesn’t matter who she is. We will provide her the same anonymity we are giving ourselves. If she wants to disclose any information to us, she can. If she opts out, then that’s okay, too. It’s obvious she’s willing to get injured or die trying to help people, that’s all the information I need on who she is. She’s a warrior.”

Nile claps her hands together suddenly, “Welp, that’s fine by me too! Now, can we eat? Reanimating my body leaves me so fuckin hungry!”

They all laugh in unison. Joe and Nicky lightly bump shoulders as they walk to the kitchen. Andy rolls her eyes.

I can’t believe I’m stuck with these idiots.

#the old guard #andromache x reader #the old guard imagine #andromache the scythian x reader #andy x reader #a link a keep reading page break AND a gif???? #we movin up yall!

[loosesodamarble]

Whumptober Prompt 7: Secrets

Character: Kyouhei Kotone

Word count: ~800

Content warning: anxiety, mention of depression

..........

Kyouhei flopped forward on his desk and groaned. In his periphery, he saw Terumi bounce up to his desk then crouch down so they were eye-to-eye.

“Someone’s looking tired,” she commented in her bell-like voice. “Breakfast not wake you?” Terumi poked Kyouhei’s shoulder. “Hey, Kyou-chan, you’re not working yourself too hard, are you?”

Yes, I am. I’m having trouble balancing my studying. Kyouhei raised his head, just enough so it wasn’t hidden in his arms. My body is sore from training. He smiled at Terumi. I’ve been overusing my voice. “Thank you for worrying, Teru-chan.” Having to wrangle in this class is so hard, even with Shikkou taking charge. “But I’m doing just fine.”

Terumi’s grin widened, her pearly whites showing. “Well if you ever need a recharge, just let me know!”

Kyouhei kept smiling. It made his face hurt. Silently, he nodded to Terumi. He had to save his voice for more important things.

“Oookay!” Terumi jumped up to her feet and winked at Kyouhei. “Let’s do our best!” She practically skipped back to her own desk. Despite himself, Kyouhei sighed at the sight of her energy.

It’s better this way. Kyouhei stretched himself out and took on the role of the perfect student. I can’t let anyone down. Especially not Teru-chan.

…..

Later in the school day, Hero training was focused on combat. Kyouhei got paired with Okami by Aizawa.

Kyouhei shuffled backwards to avoid a punch aimed at his gut, almost tripping when his feet collided. He watched the ground while rebalancing himself. He looked up just in time to block a kick to the head with his forearm.

“Ack!” Kyouhei winced and grabbed the part of his arm that was struck. It wouldn’t help, in fact, the clutching made the pain a little worse.

“You okay, man?” Okami asked, his shoulders drawn up and brows knit together. “You’re usually better on your feet. Do you need me to…?”

It wasn’t that Kyouhei was weak. But his eyes had trouble focusing. And his limbs lagged when he moved.

“Nah, you’re just much better with physical strength than me,” Kyouhei assured, giving a nod of his head. “You going easy on me would be unfair. Give me a challenge okay?”

Okami raised a brow. “That’s not really… Oh never mind.”

That day, Kyouhei didn’t manage to land a single hit on Okami. After changing out of the gym uniform, he snuck away from the class to walk, or rather limp, to the nurse’s office.

It didn’t hurt. It’s just that bruises weren’t attractive.

…..

The glare of the screen was beginning to hurt. Still, Kyouhei couldn’t look away.

It was endless. The number of comments on the thread.

[Missing Kyouhei hours…]

[Why’d he have to quit]

[I’m wondering why he went to U.A. Like? Huh?!]

[NOOOOOO!!!!! I DON’T WANT HIM TO DIE!!!!]

[Come baaaaaaaack!]

[Still pisses me off. Him fighting? Seriously?]

[Probably just a publicity stunt. Like “haha gonna be a Hero now lol nope.”]

[I never thought he’d be an attention whore.]

[He’s a singer they all become whores eventually.]

[lmao]

[He’s an actor too. Doubly true]

And it kept devolving from there. Some people defended him but others still complained.

Kotone-san? You’re looking pale. It was a familiar voice in his mind rather than his ears.

Kyouhei hastily locked his phone and shoved it in his pocket before turning to face Haruka.

“Must’ve been the light from the screen. You know I like it bright.”

Haruka frowned. Her eyes looked watery, not simply from their color. If there’s something you need to talk about—

“Ayume-kun, it’s okay,” Kyouhei insisted with a smile. “You shouldn’t worry over something you don’t need to. I have it under control.” Please. You have enough of your own burdens.

Haruka fiddled with her fingers. Her expression tensed. I don’t know what but whatever it is, I do hope you’re taking care of yourself. She bowed her head. I’ll see you back at the dorms. With that, she walked away.

Kyouhei groaned and rubbed his temples. Of course Haruka would be one to pick up on it. He was sure she’d understand. But he was also sure that her too big heart might crumble under the weight of his troubles if he shared them.

…..

Kyouhei clicked between the same tabs over and over.

[Symptoms of depression].

[Antidepressants without prescription?]

[Therapists near me].

[Bad to self-diagnose?]

He stared at them for a bit longer before deleting every tab. Then, he erased his search history.

Everything was okay. He just needed sleep. He would eat better. He’d study and train harder. It’d get better if he really pushed himself.

As long as he never told anyone, no one would worry. And if no one worried, it would go away sooner. And if it went away sooner, it would be like it never even happened.

It would stay Kyouhei’s secret. His alone.

#whumptober #hero aca fanfic #hero aca oc #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #mha #bnha #kyouhei kotone #soda's ocs #cw: depression

[ma-lemons]

home (march 29- modern au)

@itallartandgames had an idea: Oscar being the cook of the two and that he combs his fingers through Ruby’s hair when she falls asleep. This idea was given to me a while ago, but I decided it would be nice for the first day. they also gave me the idea for “Freckles” as a nickname. it’s cute.

—————————————————————

“I’m baaaaaaaack!” her voice echoed in the house.

Oscar’s heart raced when he heard the cheery voice of his beloved through the walls. She was finally back.

He slipped his feet into his fuzzy slippers and left the kitchen to see if she needed help with her bags.

Halfway to the living room, Ruby attacked him in a hug.

“Guh,” Oscar sputtered, stumbling a little. His fiancée’s arms were flung around his torso, squeezing him as hard as she could. In the midst of her bear hug, Oscar got a whiff of the maple-scent that was always present at Ruby’s father’s house.

“I missed you,” she murmured, leaning into his hair. Once Oscar recovered from his shock, he hugged her back. “Missed you too, Rubes.”

Oscar’s long-ish locks tickled her chin and she giggled as they seperated. Oscar took note of her luggage.

“You want me to take that for you? I was going to start dinner, but I got so caught up watching something that time slipped past me,” he apologized.

“Don’t worry, Oscar,” Ruby yawned, kicking her boots off. “I can wait. I kinda want to watch that cop show anyway.” She twisted herself back to him and grasped his wrist lightly. “I missed you,” she repeated, brushing a kiss onto his cheek.

“I missed you more,” he murmured back. He missed her soft touch, her warm hands, the warmest part of her. Ruby shooed him away, and he retreated into the kitchen, which left her alone to her luggage.

She had visited her sister and her father. Yang was visiting home with her wife Blake, and their young daughter Ianthe. Ruby’s heart always swelled holding her chubby niece’s hand. Yang and Blake were good moms, as Ruby had predicted they would be.

She pulled her two bags down the hall, to the room she shared with Oscar. Placing them against the wall, she thought of children. Her dad had jokingly asked her when she and Oscar would have kids, and Ruby had laughed it off. They hadn’t talked about it yet, so she would cross that bridge when they got there. For now, she and Oscar were content with just being around Ianthe and Nora and Ren’s kids.

Stretching comfortably before the mirror, she shucked off her sweater, leaving her in a camisole. She tied it around her waist and left the room. As much as she loved her dad’s place, she was beyond relieved to be back home with Oscar. She had missed him and his reassuring words. She faced the beige-ish walls of their room. This was home. The one they had created together.

In the end, she had chosen Oscar. She questioned herself, who she liked, who she didn’t like, whether she liked anyone at all—and eventually decided it was time for her to make up her mind. And even though it took her ages to see it, Oscar had been waiting for her from the very beginning.

Smiling to herself, she left their room and headed to the living room. Flopping on the couch, she flipped through channels until she found the cop show Yang had gotten her hooked on.

As the bright colors flashed across the screen and the funky music played, Ruby began to get whiffs of whatever her fiancé was making her. It was bound to be delicious. He was an amazing cook—the better of the two—and Ruby would eat anything he made anyway.

She nestled herself into the couch and yawned. The trip back was exhausting, but she didn’t want to fall asleep before actually getting to spend time with Oscar.

Spices hit her nose and her mouth practically watered.

“Whatever you’re making smells good, Freckles,” Ruby called over the blaring noises of the television. She had a knowing smile growing on her face.

“Please stop calling me Freckles, love. And thank you,” he replied.

Ruby’s proud expression quickly changed. She blushed, squeezing the pillow in her arms. She’d never admit it, but Oscar calling her love was one of her favorite things in the world. It made her feel so... special. Her heart went pitter-patter but she tried her hardest to focus on the screen, where the cop was making a bad pun.

Oscar sprinkled pepper across the salmon filets. Ruby actually wasn’t a big fan of fish, as she didn’t eat it a lot as a kid, but she liked salmon. Especially with Oscar’s Spanish rice. He decided to keep it simple this time.

He heard his love’s padded footsteps enter the living room and smiled to himself when she turned on the police comedy. Most of the jokes went over his head, but he thought it was a good show overall. Ruby was more of a comedy person, Oscar loved dramas. One genre they could agree on, however, was rom-coms. All they needed was a box of tissues and blankets, and their night would be complete.

“Whatever you’re making smells good, Freckles,” she called to him.

Oscar knew better. There’s no way Ruby wouldn’t recognize the distinct smell of one of her favorite meals. But that nickname. It always got to him. He wasn’t a fan, admittedly, but he grew more tolerant over the years, finally putting up with the goddamn name Ruby had called him, even before they started to date.

“Please stop calling me Freckles, love. And thank you,” he sighed, flipping the salmon over.

At least she was home. The place they shared together was quiet without her. He’d have to spend hours staring at peeling wallpaper or their pictures in the hallway.

He sighed dreamily. Plating the salmon, he whispered a thank you to the skies for Ruby, the girl he had liked for so long, being at his side.

Oscar dropped two forks onto the seperate plates and shuffled over to the next room over.

“Dinner’s ready,” he smiled warmly, placing the plates on the coffee table. “You want water? Or iced tea?”

“Water, please. Oscar—this looks so good, thank you,” Ruby murmured, her wide eyes fixed on the plates.

He soon returned with two glasses of ice water and he slumped down into the couch next to her.

“Thank you for the food.”

“Anything for you, love,” he smiled back at her.

Gah! Stop, heart! Control yourself! Ruby willed herself not to blush or say something stupid.

“What episode is this?” he asked, nodding towards the TV.

“The vacation special.”

“Ah.”

The two ate their food quietly, save for the moments where Ruby would laugh or they’d idly chatter.

“This was soooo good,” Ruby murmured, scooting closed to him. Oscar grinned, ruffling her hair. Ruby’s skin brushed up against his, sending shivers down his spine.

“I missed your cooking. I love Dad’s, but I think you’re taking his place,” she whispered, looking up to meet his eyes.

“I don’t think Tai would be very happy to hear those words, love,” he rumbled in amusement.

“Nah, he’d get over it,” she smiled back. A sleepy look settled over her face, and a yawn escaped her lips.

“You must be very tired,” he noted.

“No, no... I’m fine. Actually let me take care of these dishes.” Ruby left Oscar’s side and grabbed the plates. He suddenly missed her warmth and wanted it back.

“Rubes, come sit down, I’ll get to them later,” he insisted.

“You cooked, so I’ll clean.” She didn’t hesitate to grab the plates before Oscar could, and hurried into the kitchen.

“Thank you!” he called from the sofa.

“Of course!”

She returned a few moments later, just as Oscar was getting comfy.

“I don’t remember this part,” Oscar notes as she sat down. It was the scene where the workaholic female cop had a hard time relaxing on her vacation.

“Oh, yeah, this is a two-part special. This first part’s tonight and the next one’s tomorrow. We only ever watched the second part together,” Ruby replied, her eyes glued to the TV.

Oscar made a noise in understanding.

His fiancée settled in next to him. She yawned again, little tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

“Come here, you,” Oscar said softly, gently taking her head into his lap. She stretched out the rest of her body, then curled herself up.

“Mhm, thank you,” she whispered to him. She loved when he did this.

The show was almost over, but Oscar wasn’t paying any attention to it. He reached his hand for Ruby’s hair, and ran his hands through it. Tentatively, at first. When she didn’t protest, he took that as permission to keep going. Gently, running through the ends. Black strands with the red highlights at the end. A unique look, but Ruby was all sorts of unique.

“This feels really nice...”

Her voice was getting smaller, and Oscar knew that she’d be asleep any moment from now.

“Go to sleep, love.”

“I’m actually... not as tired as you think. In fact,” she stopped, flipping her body so that she was laying on her back, and her face was parallel to his, “Let me tell you about my day.”

“Alright,” he resigned.

“Well, Ianthe says she misses you. She made me promise to drag you along with me next time I visit,” Ruby laughed. It wasn’t like her usual, overdramatic and hysterical laughter that he had gotten so used to. It was richer, quieter.

Oscar would remember to bring Ianthe something. His niece was fond of plants and always wanted to learn about a new one every time they met.

“I’ll bring her something next time. We’ll go together,” he replied.

“Yeah, she’d like that. Everyone else says hi too. And... Yang dragged me and Blake out to see bridesmaids dresses.” She added the last sentence hurriedly.

“Oh?”

Ruby twiddled her fingers, and sucked in a large breath before letting it go.

“Yeah... I told her that even though we’re engaged, we weren’t really looking at anything yet.” Her eyes wandered to meet his, and he blinked twice.

Oscar thought for a moment. “Maybe we should. I mean, we have a date already.”

“Yeah... two years from now,” Ruby snickered. “You proposed to me knowing fully well that we wouldn’t get to have a ceremony for a long time.”

“Well... I couldn’t wait. I wanted to be with you,” he teased.

“Ah, stop!” Ruby cried, slapping her hands onto her face. It was growing hot. She was definitely blushing. Maybe he couldn’t see it in the dark?

“You’re blushing, love.”

“Shut up!”

“Anyway... we can start doing real planning right now. I don’t mind, but I already live with you, it’s like being married,” he shrugged.

Ruby’s heart went from its small, rhythmic beats, to intense pounding.

“Yeah. It is,” she swallowed.

“Well, either way, I’m glad you enjoyed your trip. I’m even happier you’re home, though.”

Home.

“I am too.”

Soon after that, they both fell silent. Oscar hadn’t stopped finger-combing her hair, even for a moment. It felt so relaxing and so... nice...

Soon enough, Ruby had fallen asleep, her soft snores like a baby’s. It was weird. She was usually a really loud snorer. Her cop show had ended and now a firefighter drama had started in its place.

Ruby, although she wasn’t heavy, was starting to weigh on him a little. But she was adorable, so he chose to stay quiet and enjoy it. Besides, she must’ve been really exhausted.

A yawn of his own, mellow, left his mouth.

Staring back at Ruby’s face, he could see how her flushed cheeks were fading, and how her mouth was still slightly open. Her head began to tilt to the side.

Oscar leaned down and pressed his lips to her warm forehead. In a bit, he’d probably carry her to bed, if he didn’t fall asleep himself before then.

@rwbyrosegardenweek

#rosegarden #asks #prompts #ruby x oscar #rwby #ruby rose #oscar pine #rosegarden week #rosegarden ship week #rg is that one couple that is so awkward and always complimenting each other #everyone hates them #oscar is shorter tham ruby here #forgot today was the first day #do i like this #nope #i tried though

[dreamingofscully]

2x09. “Firewalker” - X-Files Rewatch

They’re baaaaaaaack! This episode is nothing extraordinary (in fact, it suffers in its comparison to “Ice” from season 1) but I’m so happy to have these two back and working together that it makes this ep that much better for me.

Mulder’s concern over Scully’s return to work. Similar to her insistence in “Beyond the Sea”, she needs to get back to it. She’s “already lost too much time”. 

Mulder’s protectiveness will be a recurring theme in this season and on - contributing to many many ditches and Scully having to come to his rescue. His protectiveness is one of the reasons that Scully puts a bit of distance between them, compared to how affectionate and warm she was at the end of season 1/beginning of season 2. She needs to focus on the work, figure out what happened to her, and she can’t do that if she thinks Mulder needs to hang back and protect her. She’s building her walls back up, and as much for herself (getting back on her feet after illness/trauma) as well as to try to reinforce Mulder’s perception of her as strong and capable.

This all being said, I don’t believe Mulder doesn’t think she’s more than capable, but his focus has shifted from the work to Scully. This difference can be misinterpreted by Scully - she feels that his protectiveness is slowing him down, making his quest for the truth more difficult, but in Mulder’s perception, he wouldn’t even want to work on the X-Files without her.

Ah these two, ships sailing in the night, constantly missing each other in the darkness of thoughts they don’t share with each other.

BACK TO THE EPISODE.

More protectiveness: Mulder not wanting Scully to accompany him to see Trepkos because she has to finish the autopsy is fairly shaky reasoning that is pretty damn transparent - he’s trying to prevent her from coming with him into a dangerous situation. Oh and a random shoulder touch to emphasize his point (NBD).  ❤️

Once he’s down in the caves, he realizes that she’s in danger anyways, and is quite insistent on leaving despite being held at gunpoint: “...you’re gonna have to shoot me. Because I’m walking out of here.”

Mulder’s tenderness when he finds Scully safely on the other side of the door from Jesse is very sweet.

Also, there’s a month-long quarantine where they get to catch up.  🥰

#xfiles #x-files #x-files rewatch #x files rewatch #msr #msrheadcanon #mulder and scully #dana scully #fox mulder #season 2 #he protec

[riverboundao3ff]

Riverbound, Chapter 20

Your name is MICAH, and ten nights have come and gone in what felt like a few hours.

It’s still early enough that even Lynera is still asleep in the next room over, which is really saying something because that girl is up at the asscrack of dusk no matter what night it is. You’re curled up on the sofa in the study, staring at a fungus-shaped nightlight that does a poor job of actually illuminating the surrounding area, and wondering what the hell you were going to tell your friends in the future.

Hey, guys! Sorry I kind of dropped off the grid for a while there. I fought this fucked-up version of one of my human friends, vanished into the literal void to take a nap because I was super tired from splitting a whole universe apart, and then traveled back to the past to help fight in a literal revolution… because I want to save my other friends, I guess? You don’t have to worry about that changing the future or whatever, I promise! I’m literally a god now, so I have total control over time and space.

Geez. You hope Vriska is ready to stop the others from kicking your ass.

Should you just go? You could easily spend the night on future Alternia and be back by breakfast. Teleporting still makes you a little nervous; the fear of messing up still lingers in the back of your head, but nothing bad has happened yet, so…

Yeah, you’re definitely not getting any more sleep. Might as well be productive.

You roll off the couch with a grunt, stagger a bit as all the blood rushes down to your legs, and then stumble over to the bathroom to brush your teeth and wash your face. Maybe you were about to pull up to the future to get yelled at by a bunch of teenagers, maybe not, but that doesn’t mean you have to look like crap.

The person looking back at you in the mirror startles you more than you’d like to admit. Their eyes are tired but wild, like a feral animal that’s been hunted to the point of exhaustion. Too-pale skin reflects the ceiling lights with an intensity that hurts your head if you look for too long. The dark shadows underneath both eyes are so dark they look like smudged mascara. You’ve always been very fair, even for a white kid, but you know that looking like this can’t be healthy.

Then there’s the fact that you’re still pretty underweight. You’ve been doing your best to eat on a somewhat regular basis, but you just don’t feel hungry anymore. It’s like your body already decided to give up.

And to be honest, the rest of you isn’t too far behind.

“Look at you. Sans Undertale looking-ass,” you tell the shadow in the mirror.

The shadow blinks in agreement at the same time you do.

You can’t look at yourself anymore. Moving as quickly as you can, you brush your teeth and do your best to assemble yourself into what could maybe pass for a functional human being and leave to go get dressed.

You’re rifling through your backpack for your water bottle when the lights come on in Lynera’s room. The bedroom door cracks open, and a messy head of pair pokes out, bits of sopor slime still clinging to black curls.

“Micah? What are you doing up so early?” she yawns.

“I, ah, I gotta go visit some friends a ways out of town. I’ll be back in a bit,” you promise. “Sorry if I woke you up.”

“You didn’t! A new cluster of eggs is due to hatch tonight and I want to be there!” she practically sings as she gets ready.

You feel the sadness leave your body as Lynera practically prances around as she gets ready for her shift. It’s not often she lets down her walls, but when she does, you can’t help but take a step back to enjoy the show.

“Give those babies some love for me,” you tell her as you hoist your backpack over your shoulders.

“I will!”

Alright. Here we go. You close your eyes and visualize Vriska’s living room. That’s a good place to start, right? You’ll have a quick talk with Vriska, you’ll go visit your other friends one at a time to explain what’s going on, and then you can talk to those who are interested about helping the rebellion from the future.

Time and space part easily as you zap out of Lynera’s study and--

“-- worry about OH MY FUCKING GOD.”

You yelp in surprise as somebody shrieks at a deafening volume right next to your ear. Instincts take over, and you spring backward into something big and hard. That ‘something’ turns out to be a bookshelf, as you soon find out as a couple of novels fall from the top shelves and hit you right on the head.

“Ow! Shit!”

And that’s when you realize you have twelve young teenagers sitting around Vriska’s living room, all staring at you in various degrees of shock. Nepeta, Equius, Kanaya, and Sollux are all on the sofa, with Sollux perched on the backrest like he’s ready to take flight. Terezi and Vriska are standing on the coffee table together for some reason. Eridan’s curled up on the loveseat with one hand on his rifle. All of the others are sprawled out on the carpet.

All of the others except for Karkat, that is, who seems to have been returning from the kitchen with a pile of chips on his plate.

“Oh, hi!” Aradia says cheerfully. “Wow, I can see your bones--”

“THEY’RE BAAAAAAAACK!” Vriska hollers, launching herself off the coffee table and slamming into you at full speed.

The air is smooshed out of your lungs before you can brace yourself for impact. Thankfully, Vriska catches you before you can eat shit, otherwise you would have probably just teleported back to past Alternia and tried this whole thing again some other time.

“Hey, Vris,” you wheeze, patting her back. “Happy to see you too.”

“Fucking HELL, don’t do that,” Karkat yells, stomping over to the sofa and plopping down next to Kanaya. Kanaya purses her lips in mild amusement and delicately plucks a chip from his plate to eat.

Vriska just scoffs. “Don’t be a baby, Vantas, you know full well Micah can teleport--”

“Eat my full ass, Serket.”

“Hi, Micah!” Nepeta trills. A general murmur of greetings follows that, some more enthusiastic than others. Sollux, Equius, and Tavros all seem to be very on-edge tonight.

Feferi actually hops up to give you a hug as well, thankfully with a lot more care than Vriska had. It’s becoming weirdly normal to know that this big-ass six-sweep old girl could crush your skull like an eggshell.

“Don’t worry, nobody’s mad at you, I promise,” she whispers in your ear.

“Huh?”

Vriska grins and clasps your shoulder. “Oh, I already told them everything.”

“... Oh, boy.”

You turn back to the others and try your best winning smile.

“Yeah, what the fuck, dude?” Sollux demands.

“How are we even gonna exist with this kind of thing?” Karkat splutters, throwing his hands up in the air.

Tavros winces. “We get that you can do crazy space-time stuff, but--”

“You’re in way over your pan, retard!”

Ah, fuck. “Listen, guys, I know what I’m doing sounds pretty insane. And I’m sorry that I can’t tell you how exactly I’m going to pull all of this off because… you know, time shenanigans. But I need you guys to trust in me, at least for now. Also, Karkat, let’s not use that word. It’s extremely disrespectful.”

“Who are you, my lusus?” he challenges.

“No. Should I zap over and get him myself?”

“NO!”

“That’s what I thought.”

Vriska snickers under her breath. Karkat gives her a look that just screams murder.

Everybody else still looks a little queasy. Guilt rears its ugly head for the millionth time in the hour you’ve been awake, fearful and taunting and ashamed all at the same time. If you could just tell them everything, right now, you wouldn’t have to feel like this anymore.

Tell them.

You don’t, because you’re a coward, but you do try and calm everybody’s nerves again. “To elaborate on what Tavros just tried to say, yes, I can do crazy space-time stuff. Which means I can do stuff in one point in time and it won’t completely fuck up all the other points in time. It’ll change things, sure, but it won’t erase people.”

“What about our memories?” Eridan asks tersely.

“Definitely not,” you tell him. I won’t let that happen. “If everything goes according to plan, things will just start… changing.”

“We’re gonna make a new world that’s better for everybody!” Vriska announces proudly. “That’s why you guys are all here today.”

“By our human friend fighting in a rebellion that was already lost? Setting aside the fact that’s… treason… that also sounds rather dangerous. Micah, you aren’t a great fighter,” Equius says. His voice is quiet, but he’s so stiff you could probably use him to prop open a barn door.

“A rebellion is a lot more than just fighting, dude. So far I’ve just helped teleport people around,” you remind him.

“... Still.”

Nepeta suddenly surges to her feet, eyes blazing. “I don’t care that it’s treason! Don’t you care about what they did to me? My whole neighborhood got burned down in a drone strike!”

“Nepeta--”

“No! I remember everything now. I’m gonna help them win, ‘cause, ‘cause… even though we all had to suffer, the ones who come after us might not have to.”

Nobody speaks for many heartbeats after that. Something about what she said rings inside your head, sticking to your neurons like glue.

“See? Nepeta knows what’s good!” Terezi yells.

“This is insane.”

“Yeah, it’s awesome!”

“I’m in,” Aradia agrees, winking at you as she smooths her skirt down. Your anxiety backs down a little at her blatant support. Aradia Knows Things, right? Surely if she thinks you should keep doing what you’re doing…

“So am I,” Tavros announces, setting his jaw defiantly. Nepeta seems to have set off a chain reaction, because everybody else sits up a little straighter, eyeing each other as if daring anybody else to go first.

“And I,” Kanaya adds.

Karkat groans. “Fuck you guys. Fine! It’s not like we can play SGRUB anymore.”

“You guys are gonna die,” Sollux says, scrubbing his face with the palms of his hands. “We. Are. All. Gonna. Die.”

“So are you in?” you ask, reaching over to poke his arm.

He smacks your hand away. “Get fucked. Sure. Whatever.”

“Yay!”

Eridan huffs quietly and crosses his arms. “Well, you guys are gonna need somebody with power to help. And money. I’m in.”

Equius turns to stare at him with his jaw nearly on the floor, and you’re so full of pride you think you’re going to explode. You should have known your friends would eventually come around. And with not one, but two whole seadwellers on their side, they were truly going to be a force to be reckoned with.

“I knew it! I knew you cared!” Feferi squeals, jabbing a finger at her ex-moirail. Eridan curls up tighter on himself, but that doesn’t stop a small smile from lighting up his face.

“Is that a yes from you, Feferi?”

“It’s a hell yes, Micah!”

Gamzee smiles lazily from underneath the coffee table. “I told you motherfuckers. I told you a miracle was coming, and here it is.”

Poor Equius looks like he’s on the verge of a panic attack. “I-I… you can’t possibly, I mean--”

“If you’ll excuse us!” Nepeta chirps, effortlessly pulling her moirail from the couch and slinging him over her muscular shoulders. The indigoblood yelps indignantly, but Nepeta just prances on upstairs as if she’s carrying a sack of potatoes and not a teenage boy nearly twice her size.

“What’s up with olivebloods and being insanely buff? I mean, my girlfriend’s taken on a jadeblood and a teal at the same time and she won,” you wonder.

Karkat immediately focuses on you with the intensity of a laser. “A girlfriend? You’re in a relationship?”

“Micah’s got a girlfriend!” Feferi yells, picking you up and twirling you around.

“What quadrant?”

“Is she cute?”

“An oliveblood, right-?”

“We wanna meet her!”

“Guys! Can we please focus on taking down the Empire? We can gossip about Micah’s love life later!” Vriska yells, clapping her hands for order.  

You rest an elbow on Feferi’s shoulder, enjoying being tall for the moment as she’s carrying you. “Ooh! You got a mission plan, Vriska?”

“You bet your skinny alien ass I do!” She pauses for emphasis and puffs out her chest. “We’re gonna go beat up a bitch for using lowbloods as FLARP bait!”

“Didn’t you do the exact same thing not too long ago?” Karkat scoffs.

Vriska scowls down at him. “Yes! Yes, I did! But now I’m gonna turn things around and help them instead, okay? ‘Cause I’m changing my…. my toxic behavior.”

She looks to you for support, and you give her the thumbs-up.

The others actually look a little impressed, which gives her the courage to keep going. “In half an hour Terezi and I are going to meet this violetblood dude who’s been responsible for a lot of rust and bronze deaths in the area. It’s a FLARP session at sea, so he’ll have his team-- I mean hostages-- on board with him.”

“You need a team?” you ask.

“You offering?”

“Of course.”

“Yes! But no passing out on me! Our goal is to neutralize the threat, secure the hostages, and deliver them back to shore so they can go home. Any questions?”

“I’m coming too,” Eridan says. He hops to his feet, dusting off some invisible debris on his pants. “That’s not a question, though.”

“Can I come? It sounds exciting,” Aradia begs.

“Sure! Anybody else?” Vriska scans the crowd with a smirk, as if saying You are all too pussy for this kind of adventure.

Unfortunately, it works. Karkat and Feferi step forward as well, which brings the team total up to six. Everybody else gets ready to go home before the sun comes up. Out on the horizon, heat lightning crackles in the sky like a strobe ball. You end up leaving your jacket with your backpack on the couch, because even for somebody who has trouble retaining heat, Alternian summers are brutal.

Surprisingly, the team figures out their FLARP-ing shit quickly enough, as they all played at one point or the other. You still have no idea what to make out of all the numbers and stats and scores that come with each move, even though Vriska makes it all look like child’s play. Karkat keeps grumbling about “games for girls” which has your hackles up until you remember that female trolls tend to be more violent than the males. That makes sense to you, especially when you remember Remele beating the shit out of that purpleblood and all of Lynera’s knives.

In almost no time at all the six of you are sailing out to sea, the wind in your hair and the smell of salt water filling your nose. If you close your eyes and pretended, you could almost imagine you’re back on Earth, taking a boat ride with your mom’s boyfriend and your stepsister at the lakehouse--

A particularly large wave knocks you back on your ass, and the memory cuts off as quickly as it began.

“Fuck!” you hiss, trying to get your bearings. You try as hard as you can to visualize what you just remembered, but all you can recall is sunlight sparkling off water, the rumble of an engine, a man laughing and nearly choking on his beer as your tiny preteen self got knocked around by the rocking of the motorboat.

A strong hand picks you up by the arm and sets you on your feet. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Thanks, Fef.” You pat her elbow. “Sometimes it’s rough being a little guy.”

Her eyes are round with sympathy. “Looks like it. That reminds me, I wanna ask your opinion on something really important.”

“Oh, okay!” Wow, the Heiress of Alternia is asking my opinion on something? Talk about friends in high places.

… Wait, what was I trying to remember?

“What do you think of the hemospectrum?”

You purse your lips. “Well, if that ain’t a loaded question I dunno what is.”

“I mean, you don’t have to answer, but…”

“You know what I think? I think that the hemospectrum could have been a really good thing. Those who live for quite some time, paving the way for those who won’t be here as long? Sounds great. But then it became about power and control. And-And I think that if-- that once we win, we can’t go back to that system. There’s just too much trauma that’s been birthed from it that’s affected literally every troll to have ever existed,” you explain.

Feferi considers that, and then she nods in agreement. “That makes sense.”

“Oh, shit, is it big brain hour?” Terezi calls from the wheel.

“It is!” Then you do a double-take. “Why is the blind girl driving?”

“Vriska’s getting dressed.”

“Do you even know where we’re going?”

“Forward.”

“Bruh.”

Karkat throws up for the fifth time over the side of the ship. You groan and stumble over to him to pat his back.

“You’ll get your sea legs soon,” you promise.

“I hate the ocean. Why does there need to be oceans. I never would have thought I would ever say this but by infant Troll Jegus do I miss Texas. It’s hot, it’s human-racist, but there is hardly any damn water and for that it’s easily one of the best places I’ve ever been,” he rasps.

You smile. “Wanna see Dave after this is over?”

“Yes, please. Strider’s bullshit is the only thing that can numb me to the pain of occupying the realm of mortals.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you see Eridan smirk. You turn to look at him in confusion, and he makes the quadrant symbol for flushcrush: two thumbs pressed together over the center of his chest, where a troll’s heart would be.

Really? you mouth at him, delighted by this unexpected turn of events. He nods eagerly, clearly just as enthusiastic about Karkat getting a boyfriend as you are, but before you can sneak off with him to get the tea his gaze fixates on something past you.

You turn to see the small speck of what is undoubtedly another ship coming your way. A ship that is much bigger and fancier than the 8rigantine, at full sail and most likely armed to the teeth.

“He’s coming on our eleven!” Feferi calls up to Terezi.

“Go get Vriska,” the tealblood orders. Her perfectly white fangs flash in the light of the moons as she grins like a shark. “Time to kick this bitchboy’s ass!”

#riverbound #hiveswap friendsim trolls #hiveswap #mspa reader #c20 #the guardian #beta trolls #pesterquest #homestuck

[harrieatthemet]

Signature

in which your sister gets engaged and Harry needs the sheet of paper. 

im baaaaaaaack!

He’s absolutely green with envy.

Riddled, consumed, and enveloped by jealousy. If he wasn’t so good at putting on a show, surely someone would’ve picked up on it by now. But he is; he’s made a career out of it, after all.

His eyes linger modestly on your sister as she sits vertical from him at the table. And he smiles as she gushes about her news, trying his hardest to match her excitement as he cracks a smile.

“It’s beautiful,” you coo, your grin almost as wide as your sisters, “let me see it again.”

Harry stares with adorn as your sister extends her hand across the table, placing her palm to rest in yours for the third time.

Platinum silver. He prefers rose gold but he sees how content your sister is, and decides to compliment her on her fiancées choice in color. He can’t tell quite how many carats it is; 2, maybe 3? Not that it matters. Modest, he thinks, but again it’s his own preference. He likes to be dramatic, but that’s his preference.

He knows asking will only fuel the jealousy even more, but he can’t help but give into curiosity.

He directs his attention to your sisters fiancée, “how did you propose?”

Without even so much as glancing at your sister, he can see from the corner of his eyes the way her eyes light up; almost like she had been waiting all night for someone to ask that very question. Your expression doesn’t lack enthusiasm either, with wide eyes and a child-like grin.

The two of you both sit and listen, your sister fiddling with the new diamond sitting comfortably on her ring finger.

Harry zoned out around the first couple of sentences. And it’s not because he isn’t happy for your younger sister; he’s over the moon. She’s as good as family, if not better, to him. Seeing her happy and engaged makes him feel good, at least, it should.

“M’happy for yeh kiddo,” and Harry means it sincerely, “gonna make a brilliant bride.”

His comment is genuine, even though as he makes it he knows you’d be twice as beautiful in an all white gown. And though the engagement story, for the small amount he was mentally tuned into, was nice he knows he’d propose to you far more creatively.

The mere thought of if makes his throat go all dry, in the best kind of way of course. Butterflies flutter subtly inside his stomach. The lighting in the kitchen is dim enough so no one can ask him why his cheeks haven’t gone a bit pink.

He’s so meticulous, so he knows his proposal would be so well planned. It would play out so nicely; romantic for sure. Private as well, not that it would matter; he’s sure that the occasion, even the gesture itself, would be so intimate it would feel like you and him were the only two people in the world.

“Your next.” 

He feels your sister’s voice almost before he hears it. And his neck cranes back from their brief hug goodbye so she could see the expression on his face; puzzled. 

“M’sorry?”

“You’re next.” the second time she says it is more giddy, her hand subtly raised so she can wiggle. her ring finger before you catch her. 

And even minutes later, as he trails behind you through the front door of the house, he’s still got the image of a sparkly engagement ring ingrained in his head. 

Your hands put the keys in the dish, then they’re twirling the stray piece of hair hanging from your bun. With knitted brows, he watches your hands, your barren ring finger in specific, and imagines a blinding diamond. He imagines how you’d react when he asked; would you cry? Hopefully not, if you cry he will too. 

“Too much wine?”, Your voice is even more melodic in real time than it is inside in his head.

He can peek just over his shoulder in order to get a clear shot of you, nestled comfortably into the sitting room couch. Your shoes are plopped down just at the bottom of the couch, while your feet end up finding relief atop the coffee table he’d just shelled out thousands on. Usually he’d hiss at you, swat your heels off because hello, smudges! But it’s an argument he’s willing to retire for right now; he’s divulged in half a bottle of red and his daydreams have him feeling as though he could walk on water. 

A pat on the open seat beside you is more than enough to lure him from the opposing end of the room, bringing with him that dorky smile. He also makes time to toe off his shoes, sprawling out his body along the couch so his head falls into your lap. 

“Had a nice night,” he sighs contently, letting out the words all in one breath, “never seen y’sister smile f’so long.” 

He lets out another small puff of air, his eyes fluttering closed as he succumbs to bliss. You know he loves this; loves when you run a couple fingers through the tousled pieces of hair at the front of his head. He’e fell asleep right here, in the middle of the living room, if he didn’t have plans to initiate a marital conversation.

“Mmm,” you hum, “me neither, s’good for her. Good for them.” 

“Innit?” and now he’s ready to lead this conversation where he’s been wanting to, “was a bit of a surprise, though, yeah?” 

“A surprise?,” you reiterate, and he modestly looks up at you as a way of agreeing, “Not really, no. It surprised you?” 

“I mean,” he hesitates, “it did a bit, yeah.” 

There’s a brief pause amidst the conversation. You haven’t got a clue as to what he’s eating away at him. Clearly something is; it’s blatantly clear in the way his eyes are cautiously peeking up at you before randomly roaming about the room. And each time he opens his mouth to continue speaking, he promptly shuts it before allowing anything to come out. 

“Gonna tell me why?” and that’s all it takes for him to start blabbing. 

“I just,” he exhales, “dunno, always thought we’d be engaged before her. Hell, thought we’d be married before her.”  

A quick pause from you is enough to send his heart race inside his chest. His eyes are glued to you, blinking barely as he watches you gaze down at your hands tangled in a few strands of his hair. But you shrug. There’s a calm laugh coming from you, too, and he’s not sure whether to be relieved or put off by it. 

“It isn’t a race, you know.” you remind him.

“I know,” he agrees, “I know.” 

“Besides,” you sigh, letting your hand retreat as you ward off sleep, “never really saw us as the marrying type, anyways. 

A once steady breathing pattern has become irrationally ragged as he sits upright, eyes wide as he somehow has rid himself of a wine haze and a bit of a sleep fog. naturally, his eyebrows weave together in curiosity as he tries to play back what you just said to him. 

He doesn’t have enough thinking space to process you’re bewildered reaction. And he doesn’t have enough thinking space to understand what it was that got you to say that. How did this not come up sooner? How did he not know? How were the two of you not. on the same page. 

“Not th’marrying type?” he repeats your comment slowly, word for word. 

As much as he wishes he wasn’t, the longer he stares at you the more anger seems to bubble. The nod of your head as he repeated it made him want to physically crawl out of his skin and disappear. You seem so unbothered. 

“Tell me, than,” and his voice has become more condescending, “what exactly do you ‘see’ us as?”

“Are you mad?” your tone is much smaller now upon getting a look at the grim expression on his face; 

“G’on ‘n answer me.” 

“I don’t know,” you shrug, “comfortable?” 

He sits for a minute longer, clearly a prisoner to his own thoughts. For a couple more minutes, it’s just silent. The dishwasher in the next room is the only thing making noise, until that stops and it’s radio silent in the sitting room. 

Comfortable. Comfortable. It could really mean anything. And in any other context, he’s sure that you being comfortable with him was a flattering compliment; one he could enjoy. But not right now, because all it’s doing is sitting uneasy in the pit of his stomach. 

So he gets up. He decides that the longer he sits, the more unwell he starts to feel. And he’s assuming you’ll be respectful enough to give him a moment of peace; that’s the impression he’s under as he wanders out of the sitting room and turns for the kitchen. But of course, the padding of feet on hardwood is enough of an inkling to tell him he’s got company following on the heels of his feet. 

“Well I’m not a mind reader,” you snap, “so if you’re feeling some kind of way right now, it’s best that you grow up and tell me.” 

It’s calm for a moment; eerily calm. It’s the kind of stillness that occurs before a storm. It’s a warning of something somber and treacherous; you could say the same for the expression on his face once he turns to look at you. 

“Bold of yeh t’decided we just aren’t th’marrying type,” he barks, “don’t quite remembering agreeing t’tha’.” 

You’re a bit taken aback, because you hadn’t necessarily realized just how cross he really was. He’s practically seething and, although a bit alcohol may be at a fault, you’re sure that 95% of this is all Harry. 

“I didn’t decide that,” you rebuke, “I just assumed it!”

“S’one hell of an assumption, than.” he snaps, and you roll your eyes. 

“S’been fucking years,” you jeer, “if we wanted to be married we would’ve done it by now.” 

He’s not entirely sure if you know just how low of a jab that was. If he wasn’t riding an anger high right now, he would be sure that you were unaware of it. But he’s decided that you do understand, and it only seems to make things worse. It only makes things more tense. 

“Y’right, yeah?” he laughs, but it’s bitter, “ ‘Cos my career is nonexistent, right? M’never busy?” 

“That’s not what I meant.” 

He knows. At least, he thinks he knows. But it doesn’t matter. He’s angry and proving his point is the only thing he has the urge to do right now. 

“It’s a stupid piece of paper with our signature!” you argue, “It’s a sheet of fucking paper that we don’t need!”

“Maybe I need it,” he retorts, “maybe I do need the stupid sheet of paper!” 

“Oh, no, you don’t,” you shout, “you absolutely don’t, and you’re only saying you do to piss me off!” 

“Can’t build a home with comfortable,” he rebuttals, “can’t have a family with comfortable.” 

The words settle with you differently than he had intended them to. It’s almost as though you can feel your stomach flip a bit. It’s like your heart dropped to your stomach, demeanor softening a bit because as the words that just previously flew so freely from Harry’s mouth have no left you with a heartache and an overwhelming sense of disappointment. 

“So I’ll go,” you breath, “I’ll go, than.” 

#harry imagines #harry prefs #harry drabbles #harry writings #harry one shots #harry x you #harry x y/n #harry x reader #harry fic #harry fanfic #harry fanfiction #harry smut #harry angst #harry imagine #harry drabble #harry writing #harry one shot #harry styles x you #harry styles x reader #harry styles x y/n #harry styles fic #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles one shots #harry styles imagines #harry styles drabbles #harry styles writings #harry styles prefs #harry styles one shot #harry styles imagine

[lgcsoyoun]

Orange Game

Future Dreams Appeal Time Min Soyoun - Team Violeta Based on this

Before anything else, the mods gave me approval to use Bae Siwoo as a special participant for this appeal time.

Who thought it was a good idea for them to go first? Other than being nerve-wracking as fuck, they will be the team that sets the mood for the rest of the night. They have to to well if they want to succeed. They have to leave an impression, or else the other teams will eat them alive. That can’t do, and Soyoun will do whatever it takes to take their team to the top.

Soyoun hopes her smile is a lot more relaxed and less constipated now that Jieun has knocked some sense into her. She knows she’s seen as dumb, but most people don’t know that she has a plan whirring in her head. God forbid their performance is forgettable, but Soyoun thinks it’s time to bring out the big guns when they appeal to the people.  

After the team introduces themselves, Soyoun lets each of the members appeal to the audiences. When she’s handed the microphone, she smiles at her long-time idol Bae Siwoo before turning to the crowd.

“Hello everyone! It’s your girl Min Soyounuuuuh~ Oh yeah!” She bows to the audience before getting up and flashing finger guns at them with a playful wink. She usually doesn’t like using her looks to her advantage, but this is one situation where she isn’t above using what she has to get what she wants.

“Min Soyoun, when you did your entrance for Future Dreams, I recall you did a pageant-worthy walk,” Bae Siwoo says as he addresses her. “Do you have a ceremony prepared for your appeal this time?”  

Soyoun smiles. This is the moment she had been waiting for. “Yes, I have something prepared,” she says. “To show how much I love everyone cheering for us, I’ll need everyone’s participation, okay?” After the audience screams their approval, Soyoun crouches down and starts forming an imaginary ball with her hands. Every time she says the word “orange”, it’s as if the imaginary orange is growing bigger.

“Orange, orange, orange, orange, oh!” She throws the orange over to Jieun, who does the same thing before passing it on to Jueun. Jueun does the same thing until she passes it on to another team member. Soyoun can hear the audiene giggling. This is a good sign. The girls pass the now gigantic imaginary orange among themselves until it gets back to Soyoun.

The imaginary orange is now probably bigger than a closet, so Soyoun opts to swing it up and down. She makes sure her face conveys how large and heavy the orange has become. “Orange, orange, orange, orange, oh!” She then tosses it back to another team member. Her nerves have somewhat calmed thanks to this little stunt she pulled. The audience is full-on laughing. This seems to be going well.

Soyoun watches as the orange goes through the rest of the girls again until the last team member passes it back to Soyoun. By now the orange is probably larger than anything Soyoun can imagine. She opts to spin it in her palm this time. “Orange, orange, orange, orange, oh!”

It flies past all the other members and straight into Bae Siwoo’s direction. Soyoun can’t help but feel her hands shakes as she waits for his reaction. After all, the reason she came up with this appeal ceremony idea was to appeal to both the audience and Bae Siwoo’s variety sense. Soyoun watches with bated breath as the orange flies across the stage.

When Bae Siwoo gamely catches and spins the orange, Soyoun can’t help but laugh in both amusement and relief. It would have been incredibly embarrassing if Bae Siwoo didn’t play along. She cheers and claps as Bae Siwoo spins the orange into something of impossible proportions.

By the time Bae Siwoo throws the orange back to Soyoun, it has become so large that it is impossible for Soyoun to handle. Instead, Soyoun makes it look like it crushed her as she was trying to catch by gracefully falling to the floor and “accidentally” hurling the orange to the audience.

“Come baaaaaaaack,” Soyoun cries out loud, stretching her hand to the imaginary orange. She had been practicing her acting, so she hopes her voice sounds as dramatic, yet comedic as she wants it to.

Straightening up, Soyoun gives the audience a bright smile. “Please accept the love we gathered, despite the orange bouncing away from me!”

“I always do the introductions for the contestants, but even I don’t know how they’d go. This has been an interesting turn alright.” Bae Siwoo says. “Trainee Min Soyoun did an orange ceremony, along with the rest of Team Violeta and yours truly. Let’s give them all a round of applause before they perform their song!”

#lgc:futuredreams #lgcxjieun #lgcjueun #[ reposting because the first time was a flop ] #[ i hope this made the audience laugh as much as soyoun enjoyed planning it ]

[astrodances]

Power Couple

I’m baaaaaaaack! And I come bearing words AND a drawing based on a fluffy little idea I’ve had for a while! 💜

––––––

The click of a metal door opening, followed by another of its closing.

“Well well well. I was told I would find you here, but this isn’t quite what I was expecting to find.”

Goldie has to shout her greeting a little above the melody of big band jazz music playing from a nearby radio. It’s lively, but not obnoxiously so. Scrooge’s current appearance, on the other hand...

He gives her a sheepish half-wave after having been caught in the act, with the photographer’s wave coming a bit more hesitantly over his shoulder, unsure of who she is or why she’s here. Scrooge stands against a green canvas backdrop, a handful of dollar bills stuffed into the band of his top hat, with more in each hand and a mess of them scattered at his feet. Beneath the harsh glare of the lights surrounding him, and with a perpetual grin still playing across his face, he looks as every bit the overconfident trillionaire that he is.

Goldie smirks while wishing she had a camera of her own to capture the scene as potential blackmail. But she knows how these things are and asks, “Magazine cover?”

Loosening up, Scrooge shakes his head. “Try board game cover.”

That gets a rise of genuine surprise out of her, and she waddles over to the card table holding the photographer’s computer and more stacks of money at the ready, picking up a clipboard with a list of needed camera shots. “$CROOGEOPOLY: The thrilling game of finance and property acquisition” is written across the top, and she can’t help but snort as she looks up at him. “Was this your idea?”

“Well, not exactly. Glomgold...inspired it, you could say,” Scrooge recalls, eyes traveling over the room, before landing on her again. “Long story. But enough of that. Something I can help you with?” He’s happy to see her, but last he heard, she was in Australia on personal business.

The photographer clears his throat, reminding them of his presence and, for Scrooge, his still-in-progress photo shoot.

“Oh, right. Uhh...”

Goldie looks between them and an idea strikes her. She gathers up a stack of money from the table, causing Scrooge to flinch and instinctively reach out, before pointing at the photographer. “You, camera boy. Keep shooting,” she instructs, walking over to the edge of the backdrop.

He glances towards his model in question of whether he should actually proceed or call security to escort this intruder out, and the latter shrugs in amused resignation, gesturing towards the camera.

“You heard the lady, Tuomas,” Scrooge agrees, eyes sliding over to Goldie with an adoring, mischievous smirk. “After all, she is the inspiration for ‘Dawson Drive’ on the board. You can bill me for the extra shots.”

Tuomas perks up at that and immediately gets into stance behind the tripod to adjust some settings, calling out, “Whatever you say, Mr. McDuck!”

That settled, Scrooge steps closer to Goldie, who’s still blushing over being incorporated into the game, and takes her hands to guide her through the surrounding lighting fixtures and over the slippery surface of greenbacks underfoot. Despite their earlier banter, he leans in to give her a brief peck as a true greeting before they turn partway towards the camera.

“Ready to make it rain?” he asks, hands poised to toss money into the air.

“Hang on.” Goldie takes a few bills and slides them deep within her neckline, with a few more folded-up ones in the rolls of her sleeves for good measure, making Scrooge lose all rational thought momentarily. When she looks back up to nod, urging him on with an eager “let’s do this,” he snaps his gaze back to her own.

“You’re a minx, ye know that?”

Her eyes glitter with devious intention. “I know.”

The cadence of saxophones and drums permeates their senses once more, and on three, they toss thousands of dollars into the air, prompting Tuomas to capture their magic. This time, Goldie takes Scrooge’s hands and they shuffle back and forth in a delightful dance of laughter and cheers, letting the music guide them into various poses.

During one shot that has them standing back-to-back with arms crossed, a king and queen ready to rule the world, Scrooge relays over his shoulder, so only she can hear, “So, what brings you into town?” He’s certain he knows the answer already, but he’s curious to see if she’ll be honest with him.

“Business meeting,” she responds simply, innocently. At this point the camera flashes no longer faze her.

“Uh huh.” He rolls his eyes. “And so this ‘meeting’ has nothing to do with the Eye of Vishnu that was just brought in for display at the Duckburg Museum?”

Goldie‘s voice drips smoothly like sweet honey, and she spares him an assessing glance. “Oh, is that what all those billboards are for? Huh, I’ll have to go buy a ticket.”

He shakes his head in disbelief, and bends down for a second to collect some dollar bills to shower over them again. “How about I buy you that ticket instead, and take you out to dinner afterwards?” So I can keep an eye on you, he can’t help but add in his head.

“It’s gonna take more than that to keep me in check, Scroogie,” she says, picking up the implication. “But why not? I could use the challenge.”

A thrill runs through him as they turn towards each other again, and her playful yet ever-so-dangerous grin reminds him of why he loves her. The photo shoot might be for a pastime based on his likeness, but not even that can overpower the truth that Goldie, and all the excitement that she brings, is his favorite game. She’s the wildcard that he never wants to lose.

The tune switches to something steadier, sensual yet still zestful. The camera’s already filled with dozens of images of them together, but neither of them are in any rush to have it end, so Tuomas keeps snapping away.

Scrooge lifts Goldie up bridal-style and twirls her around, eliciting a shriek of breathless joy from her before he leans in to chase her into a kiss. She pulls him in deeper by the collar, and with what little coherency he has left, he makes a mental note that this shot is definitely a keeper for his wallet.

Minds properly left in a euphoric tizzy, he sets her down and they continue to dance around with each other for a bit.

They make quite a charming duo, their lone audience member notices. Every step, every dip, is a testament to their chemistry. Every shared laugh and every teasing quip make him both want to give the lovebirds the privacy they so clearly deserve and yet set up another photo shoot dedicated exclusively to them. He briefly wonders if he should mention his rates for engagement announcement shoots, judging by the lack of rings adorning their fingers.

At some point, Scrooge grabs Goldie’s hands and crosses an arm over her head to flip her around so her back is to him. He pulls her in, willing himself to stay strong as she gladly takes the opportunity to wriggle her tail feathers against him before relaxing into his embrace. The scent of tropical flowers and adventure tickles his senses, leaving him with a heady feeling of desire as he breathes it in.

As one arm crosses over her chest to hold her closer, the other rests over hers on her waist. Fingers overlay and intertwine, squeezing together in some unspoken promise.

A perfect fit. The Yukon’s greatest power couple, together once more.

“I’ve missed you,” Scrooge rumbles into her ear, pressing a kiss to her golden locks.

Goldie cranes her neck towards him to nuzzle his beak in return. “Mmm, I’ve missed you, too, Moneybags.”

His eyes fall closed with hers, and as their foreheads touch, his hat gets displaced ever so. They sway as one with the music, hips rocking together.

It’s only when she lets out a dreamy hum, the reverberation traveling through him down to his core, that Scrooge dares to peek an eye open, and his heart nearly bursts at what he sees.

Goldie looks utterly lovely, with a blissful grin quirking at the corners of her beak. A strand of hair untucked and brushing against her face just so, her chest rising and falling in a rhythmic peace under his arm, the warmth of her body sending him to cloud nine...

He’s holding a paragon of enrapturing beauty and splendid wonder in his arms, one that he never wants to let go. It’s enough to make him want to believe in luck so he can thank his stars.

Scrooge settles his eyes shut again, but not before Tuomas manages to capture the tender sparkle in his gaze. 

Another keeper.

#DuckTales #scroldie #Scrooge McDuck #Goldie O'Gilt #my fanfics

[lycanlupins]

Kai’s Little Sister - Red

~381 words

I’M BAAAAAAAACK!! I hoped you guys missed me!! I’ll be queuing up some stories to be posted sporadically throughout my 2 vacations to minnesota and washington!! Story below the read more!!

All you saw was red. Red staining your clothes, your hand. Red. You screamed, thinking something was wrong, Winter and Kai running to your room in seconds.

"Oh fuck." Winter just rolled her eyes, squatting down to your level. "Hey, its just your period, you'll be alright. I'll give you some pointers." Kai was just standing there, watching the two of you as you talked. He had a look you hadn't seen before. Fear? Anxiousness? Whatever it was it was new, he was tense. So tense in fact you saw the veins on his arms just barely which meant he was just seconds from popping his pills.

"Kai? You okay?" You waved your hand in front of his face and he just looked down at you, almost confused.

"We're home schooling you from now on." He said without a moments hesitation. Winter looked just as upset as you, knowing he was just being over protective but he was still way out of line.

"Dude, come on that is not fair to her. It's just her period, you didn't care when I got mine, what's so different about her?" Winter spoke up, pushing you behind her.

"What's so different is that she's still innocent, pure. She stays that way, she needs to stay that way."

"You can't control what I can and can't do! I have a say in the matter, it's my body!" You yelled from behind Winter, upset that they were arguing over what you technically owned.

"Oh come on, do you really think you have a say in what happens to your body?" He laughed, pulling his pill bottle out from the pocket of his jeans. He threw them in his mouth, still smirking as he chewed.

"Don't you have homework to be doing or something? Leave, I have business to attend to." He waved the two of you off without another word, ignoring you like you hadn't been there just a few seconds ago. Your life was just going to go downhill from there, he locked you in your metaphorical tower with the fire breathing dragon of a sister protecting you. He was your Mother Gothel and you, Rapunzel, as you sat in your room waiting for anything to save you from his tyrannical rule on your life.

#kai anderson #fanfic #kai anderson fan fic #AHS #ahs: cult #my writing

[mikauzoran]

Adrienette Drabble: Daisy Chapter Thirty-Two: Game

There’s a Daisy Chapter Thirty-Two: Game

(It’s baaaaaaaack. ^.^)

“It’s good to know that you haven’t lost your skill,” Kagami remarked condescendingly as she removed her mask to reveal a sly, fox-like smile. “I had been concerned.”

“I mean, I did go for a run on Monday,” Adrien snorted, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. “It’s not like years of training are going to instantly evaporate just because I spend a few days moping in bed.”

Kagami clicked her tongue reproachfully. “My mother would disown me for neglecting my art like that.”

“I’m sick.” Adrien shrugged dismissively.

“In my family, mental illness is viewed as weakness and inferiority,” she countered ruefully. “Be grateful your father is so lenient and understanding.”

“Yeah,” Adrien sighed, relenting as he rested his mask against his hip. “He’s really stepped up lately. I am grateful. A couple years ago when I asked to see a therapist, he told me it would be disgraceful to talk about private family matters with ‘one of those charlatans’, and when I started having panic attacks, he insisted that I was just fatigued from all the work…. He’s come a long way.”

Kagami nodded, beginning to pack up her equipment.

“…Do you think I’m weak?” Adrien wondered.

Kagami paused, her head tipping slightly as she considered her response. “…I think it takes a very strong person to admit to their weaknesses.” She looked at him over her shoulder. “I think you’re admirable.”

A pleased blush slowly rose in Adrien’s cheeks. “Thank you. I admire you too, Kagami.”

She waved away his compliment. “Flatterer. I’m commandeering a guest room to shower and change. You should do likewise, and, then, as a reward for your fencing skills not deteriorating despite your negligence, I will allow you to take me to lunch.”

Adrien frowned. “I thought you said that I couldn’t pay for your meals unless it was a date.”

Kagami shrugged. “Those were the old rules, and they have outlived their usefulness. I no longer have any delusions about the two of us ever being a couple, Adrien. You’re sweet, and I’m glad of your friendship, but now that I’ve gotten to know you better, I can see plainly that we’re not meant to be.”

“O-Oh.” Adrien shifted uncomfortably. “…Did I do something wrong?”

Kagami shook her head. “I did. I decided who you were without really knowing, without consulting you. I acted on assumptions and incomplete data. I apologize.”

Adrien opened his mouth to apologize in turn, but Kagami cut him off: “Whatever you’re about to say is superfluous. If you’re about to tell me all is forgiven, it’s unnecessary because I know you forgive me. You forgive so easily, Adrien—too easily. If you’re about to apologize and try to take some of the blame onto yourself, that too is unnecessary because, like I said before, you are not the one in the wrong.”

Adrien smiled softly at his friend, silently thanking her. “If you say so,” he replied aloud. “…Do you like Chinese food?”

Kagami raised a skeptical eyebrow. “I would not be opposed to trying Chinese food if that’s what you really want, Adrien, but we can’t tell my mother. She doesn’t approve of commoner food.”

His soft smile morphed into a mischievous grin. “You can just say I took you to La Bauhinia or Shang Palace at the Shangri-La.”

Kagami rolled her eyes. “Devious boy. Go shower.”

 Wednesday evening, several hours after Kagami’s departure, Gabriel stood in the doorway as Adrien finished a spirited rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody on the piano and Plagg crooned along.

“Your playing has improved in these past few weeks,” he observed, clapping reservedly.

Adrien gave a start and turned on the bench to smile sheepishly. “It’s more incentive to practice when you’re playing something you want to be playing—no offense to Ravel.” He ran a hand through his hair.

“And yet you were playing Ravel’s Une Barque sur l’Ocean the other day,” Gabriel hummed.

Adrien shrugged and tried not to blush. “That one’s been stuck in my head for some reason.”

Plagg snickered.

Adrien swatted halfheartedly at the kwami.

Gabriel nodded, ignoring the interaction. “Do you like Queen?”

Adrien shrugged again. “Select Queen songs. Bohemian Rhapsody and The Show Must Go On. There was a lot of Queen music featured in the show Elise and I watched yesterday, so…”

“I’m the one who requested Bohemian Rhapsody,” Plagg spoke up from where he was lounging on the piano. “I like Queen. Did you need something, Gabriel? If not, you should come over and play a piece with us.”

“Maybe later,” Gabriel excused himself, actually intending to make time to play with them at a later date. “Monsieur Lahiffe is in the foyer. I told him you did not wish to see him. He asked to appeal the matter with you. Are you still upset with him?”

Adrien held out a hand palm down and wiggled it. “I think I’m going to be hurt about this for a long time, even if I’m not actively upset. Right now I’m playing hard to get and seeing what he comes up with as far as grand gestures to win my forgiveness. He snuck into my room the other day, and that was kind of impressive.”

Gabriel frowned. “How did a teenage boy get past our security system?”

Adrien waved away Gabriel’s concern. “Magic. Don’t worry about it.”

Gabriel doubled down in the concern department. “Wait. Actual magic, or is that just a figure of speech?”

“The magic of friendship,” Adrien clarified, getting to his feet. “Let’s go hear what Monsieur Lahiffe has to say for himself.”

Gabriel reluctantly followed his son, hanging back to observe the confrontation.

Nino was waiting in the foyer at the bottom of the stairs. When he saw Adrien up and dressed, he smiled. “Hey, Mec. Looking good.”

“Flattery isn’t going to get you into my bedroom, Nino,” Adrien snickered, stopping at the top of the stairs and crossing his arms. “You know, I’ve always wanted to do this to somebody else,” Adrien hummed, looking down imperiously at his friend.

“Dreams really do come true sometimes,” Nino snorted, not enjoying being in Adrien’s usual position.

“This is kind of a power trip,” Adrien mused, standing more erect. “…So I hear you asked to appeal your case?”

“Yeah,” Nino sighed. “Dude, call your dad off.”

“Nope,” Adrien chuckled. “I’m taking the high road and trying to suck it up and be mature about so many other things in my life right now. You get to deal with the childish temper tantrum.”

Nino inhaled deeply and slowly let it out. “Lucky me.”

Adrien bit his lip. “…How’s Marinette?”

Nino smiled sadly. “Hanging in there. Throwing herself into her work at the moment. Inside, she’s a mess, but she’s putting her game face on and going out there and getting things done.”

Adrien nodded, unsure how to feel about that. Part of him wanted her to be a complete and utter wreck. Part of him didn’t want his Lady, his Princess to feel anything like the pain he was going through.

“You should write me a sonnet to prove your undying friendship,” Adrien remarked offhandedly, turning to head back to his room.

“How about a limerick?” Nino bartered.

“Am I only worth a limerick?” Adrien pouted, passing his father and slipping back into his sanctuary/cage.

Ten minutes later, Carapace opened Adrien’s window.

“You came prepared this time,” Adrien chuckled as he plugged a second controller into the game console.

Nino sighed as his transformation dropped. “Dude, you’re worth this.”

Adrien paused, letting the words warm his chest while simultaneously trying not to let on. He looked up expectantly at Nino. “So, where’s my limerick?”

 Thursday, Wayem came over to play through Adrien’s collection of board games.

“You know, I haven’t even played three quarters of these,” Adrien muttered, getting down a copy of The Settlers of Catan.

“How come?” Wayem looked back over the couch to arch an eyebrow at his friend.

Adrien shrugged, coming and setting the game down on the coffee table. “I’ve never had enough players for most of them. My father has only relented in allowing people over the past month or two. Before that, I had no one to play them with.”

Besides Plagg, put Plagg was hard to convince to play and often had to be bribed to participate and take the game seriously.

“Some of them I was able to play multiple roles myself, but…with strategy games or games like Cluedo, for example, looking at another player’s cards is cheating, and it’s difficult to plot and scheme against yourself. I mean, it can be done, but…it’s really not as much fun to screw yourself over.”

“I need to take you to a board game café,” Wayem realized.

Adrien blinked. “That’s a thing?”

Wayem winced. “Next week we’re getting some of the others together and going to Dernier Bar avant la Fin du Monde. I’ll bring some of my friends too. You’ll love it. Do you think your dad would let you go?”

“I think he could be convinced, especially if Elise goes. He’s somehow gotten it into his head that she’s a responsible adult,” Adrien chuckled.

Wayem cracked up. “Does he know she smuggles in Pop-Tarts?”

“Shhh!” Adrien shushed urgently through laughter, frantically waving his hands. “The walls have ears around this place.”

Wayem shook his head, looking down at the assortment of games on the table before them. “So what do you want to play first? Is there one in particular that you’ve always wanted to play but’ve never gotten to?”

Adrien bit his lip, scanning the lineup. Tentatively, he picked up the box of a game that neither Plagg nor his father would ever deign to play with him. “Exploding Kittens?” he asked hesitantly, peridot eyes wide and overflowing with hope.

Wayem applauded. “Good choice!”

 Friday, mid-morning, Chloé, Kagami, and Elise came parading into Adrien’s room without warning.

Adrien jerked up from where he was lying on his stomach on the couch reading volume two of Seven Days. He hastily snapped the manga closed and shoved it under the couch before his friends could see.

Plagg, who had phased into the couch at the sound of the door opening, snickered at Adrien’s expense.

“Guys,” Adrien whined in frustration. “A little privacy? Could you please knock?”

“Your father said we could show ourselves in,” Chloé snorted. “Why? Were you looking at porn or something?”

Adrien’s already rosy cheeks exploded in a flood of scarlet. “No! I was just researching!”

“Oh?” Chloé snickered as she approached. “And what’s that?”

“Something personal. Relationship stuff,” Adrien huffed.

Kagami and Elise looked on sympathetically, knowing from experience that Chloé would not back down until she was satisfied with the answer she received.

Chloé bent behind the couch and felt underneath.

“Chloé!” Adrien squeaked, ducking down and reaching for the book.

Her hand found it first, and Adrien was left to blush in horror as his oldest friend began to flip through.

“It’s a comic book,” Chloé observed, looking disappointed. “There’s not even any nudity. Why were you so embarrassed to be caught reading this?”

“No reason. Give it back?” Adrien asked hopefully, holding out his hand with a nervous smile.

Chloé turned to Kagami, and Adrien’s heart sank. “What language is this in? Can you read it?”

Kagami blinked as the book was thrust into her hands. “…It’s Japanese.” She flipped through perfunctorily, and her eyes widened just a touch. She closed the book.

“It’s just a teenage love story. He’s being overly sensitive,” Kagami reported, her tone of voice informing the others that this was the final verdict as she strode over to the couch and handed the book back to Adrien who was a blush personified.

He took the manga without meeting Kagami’s eye. “Thank you,” he mumbled.

With a sigh, Kagami switched to Japanese. “You’re researching relationships between men?”

Adrien shrank, replying in a small voice in Japanese, “I am.”

Kagami pursed her lips. “I’ve heard that these kind of manga are not realistic representations of same-sex partnerships. They’re mostly for the entertainment of women. You probably shouldn’t base your expectations on them.”

Adrien returned to French with a bashful smile. “That’s kind of a relief. Thanks.”

Kagami gave a decisive nod. “Friends,” she tested the word out on her tongue. “Friends look out for one another.”

Chloé turned to Elise. “What just happened?”

Elise chuckled. “I don’t speak Japanese, Lemon Drop, but I’m guessing they had a friendship-solidifying moment.”

Chloé snorted. “When do I get to have a friendship-solidifying moment with Kagami?”

Elise shrugged. “Not with Adrien?”

Chloé waved Elise away. “The friendship between Adri-chou and me is like bedrock.”

Adrien’s bedroom door opened once more to admit an annoyed-looking Gabriel Agreste. “I’ve just been arguing with Monsieur Lahiffe about his admittance. Adrien, would you care to weigh in on the matter?”

Adrien pursed his lips. He slipped the manga back under the couch and stood. “He can come in since there are others. Keep giving him a hard time when he comes alone until further notice.”

“Very well,” Gabriel sighed, turning to call over his shoulder. “Monsieur Lahiffe? You’ve been given a special dispensation.”

Nino trotted up the stairs and eagerly made his way into Adrien’s room, announcing, “I wrote you a limerick.”

Adrien blinked. “For real?”

Nino nodded. “It’s rubbish, but it technically fits the definition of ‘limerick’. I’m not a poet, Mec.”

“I know you’re not,” Adrien snickered. “That’s why I asked you to write me a sonnet.”

Nino frowned deeply. “Is this like that story you told me about the moon chick who sent her suitors out to fulfill impossible requests?”

“Kaguya-hime?” Kagami cocked an eyebrow at Adrien who shrugged.

“The main difference is that Kaguya-hime meant for her suitors to fail,” Adrien explained. “I’ll be very pleased if Nino succeeds in winning my forgiveness.” He turned to Nino expectantly as Adrien took a seat on the piano bench, crossing one knee over the other. “Limerick?”

Nino cleared his throat.

“There was a young man named Agreste whose best friend was a real pest. The friend was a snake. He made a mistake, and their friendship was put to the test.

 “I told you it was rubbish,” Nino concluded. “But there’s your limerick.”

Adrien and the girls applauded politely.

“I’ll take it,” Adrien decreed, looking pleased.

Elise chuckled. “Candy Floss, you’re being mean torturing him like this.”

“And torturing us by extension,” Chloé snorted. “That was painful to listen to.”

“He did his best,” Kagami allowed.

“I’m not being mean,” Adrien protested with a pout. “I’m practicing holding a grudge with someone who I know won’t hate me for it, someone I know I won’t lose just because we have a fight. My therapist said it was unhealthy to avoid conflict by disregarding my own feelings and always folding like I do just because I’m terrified people won’t like me and will leave me if I stand up for myself. I’m practicing engaging in conflict in a safe environment,” he explained.

“He’s fine,” Nino assured, waving the girls off. “I can take it. Our friendship is stronger than this, so don’t worry about it. …Anyway, as a bonus, I wrote a haiku,” Nino informed, lightening the topic of conversation once more. “Do you want to hear that too, or have you had enough of my poetic buffoonery?”

“I’m game,” Adrien decided, making Chloé audibly groan.

Nino stood up straighter. “I feel deep sadness and regret for hurting you my beloved friend.

 “How’s that?” Nino shifted his weight from foot to foot.

“Now, that was sweet,” Elise cooed.

“The syllables were correct,” Kagami remarked.

“Too sappy,” Chloé sighed.

It took Adrien a moment to formulate his response. “You took the time to come up with that for me?”

Nino replied with a wide-armed, what-else-was-I-supposed-to-do shrug. “I thought you’d appreciate it, even though I suck at poetry…I mean, since I can’t even begin to write a sonnet for you.”

Adrien pushed himself up off the piano bench and tackled Nino in a crushing hug. “You have no idea how much I appreciate you putting this much effort in…you thinking I’m worth it.”

Nino smiled tiredly, returning the hug. “Of course you’re worth it, Mec.”

“Bleh,” Chloé grumbled. “The bromance.”

“I think their friendship is beautiful,” Kagami remarked, coming to stand between Chloé and Elise.

Chloé gazed sidelong at Kagami. “…I guess there are some nice things about it…. Would you want to have a bromance?—Hypothetically.”

“I think it would be nice to be that close to someone,” Kagami affirmed with a wistful smile.

Chloé made a mental note.

“Does this mean that all’s forgiven?” Nino wondered as he and Adrien pulled apart.

Adrien laughed, smacking Nino on the arm playfully. “Hell no. You stabbed me in the back. You’re going to be groveling for a loooong time.”

Nino’s face fell, but he took the news in stride. “Yeah. Okay, Mec. I get it.”

“I love you,” Adrien sang, winking as he made a little heart with his hands.

“I freaking love you too, you sadist,” Nino muttered, giving Adrien a shove that was half playful, half letting out some of his frustration.

“Okay!” Elise announced, calling the meeting to order. “Nino was going to show us how to play Dungeons and Dragons today, if that works for everyone?”

 “Princess Celestia of Monte Carlo steps in a bog, and a Rodent of Unusual Size bites her ankle,” Nino reported.

Chloé let out a bark of indignation as she rolled her die. “…Two.”

The entire party winced collectively.

“It tears your dress,” Nino informed her.

Chloé shrieked.

“I’ll try to kill it with my arrows,” Adrien proposed, rolling his die. “…Six?” He looked up uncertainly at Nino.

Nino shook his head. “Princess Luna of the Night Elves fires an arrow and wounds the beast but misses the vital organs. Now the Rodent is angry.”

“Crap,” Adrien sighed. “Sorry, Princess Celestia.”

“You tried, Princess Luna,” Chloé assured, patting him on the knee. “It was a good shot.”

“A lot better than when you accidentally impaled my medicine bag when we were fighting the orcs,” Elise sighed. “Can I heal her?”

“I would wait until we defeat the monster and can get her to safety. Dungeon Master, I’m going to attack the Rodent,” Kagami announced, rolling her die. “…Twenty.”

The group collectively gasped. 

Elise let out a low whistle.

“Damn,” Nino chuckled. “Musashi the Warrior from the East makes sushi out of the Rodent, gallantly pulls Princess Celestia from the bog, and carries her in his arms out of the Fire Swamp.”

“My hero!” Chloé sighed, clasping Kagami’s hands in her own.

Kagami smiled shyly, a pleased blush colouring her cheeks.

“Why does Musashi always get the girls?” Adrien grumbled.

“Is Princess Luna interested in girls?” Elise teased.

“Princess Luna is lonely and confused and thinks other people are pretty in general,” Adrien reported with a toss of his head. “She is keeping her options open.”

“I’m going to heal Princess Celestia now that we’re out of the Fire Swamp,” Elise chuckled. “Musashi, if you and the princess could please stop gazing longingly into one another’s eyes for a sec?”

“If we must,” Kagami giggled, enjoying the theatrics.

Elise rolled her die. “Twelve!”

Nino nodded. “Princess Celestia is fully healed.”

“What about my dress?” Chloé demanded. “The Rodent ripped it, right?”

Nino’s brow crinkled in a bemused frown. “Who do you think Elise is, Ladybug?”

“Why not?” Elise urged. “Everett has been training with monks on the tops of mountains for the past forty years. Why can’t he heal the dress?”

Nino considered briefly before giving up. “Okay. Whatever. Roll for the dress.”

“Thirteen,” Elise chuckled, pleased with herself.

“The dress is good as new,” Nino decreed.

“Good because that dress is made out of spun gold,” Chloé snorted. “My daddy had it commissioned specially for my sixteenth birthday.”

“It’s not very practical for adventuring, Chlo,” Adrien remarked. “Maybe you should go shopping when we reach the next village.”

Chloé gave a snort. “Like your chainmail bikini is any more practical?”

“It’s not a bikini,” Adrien whined. “It’s a halter top. Why would anyone go adventuring in a chainmail bikini? I’m wearing actual pants.”

Gabriel cleared his throat from the doorway. “Sorry to interrupt your campaign, but, Adrien, your phone is…I believe the phrase is ‘blowing up’, and I thought you might want to know so that you could have the option of answering.”

Adrien’s eyes widened as he got up off the bed where they were all seated and reached to take the phone from his father. “…Marinette?” he inquired in a small voice, half filled with dread, half with hope.

Gabriel shook his head. “Luka Couffaine.”

Adrien fumbled the phone but managed to catch it before it could hit the floor. “L-Luka?”

“Isn’t that Marinette’s boyfriend?” Kagami whispered to Chloé.

“Why is he texting you?” Chloé arched an eyebrow curiously.

Gabriel frowned. “I did not mean to invade your privacy, but the phone kept buzzing, and I thought it might be important. That does not appear to be the case, but…I took pity on Monsieur Couffaine when I happened to glimpse some of the messages. It made me appreciate the fact that they didn’t have texting when I was young. That way I couldn’t text stupidity that I later regretted to your mother. All the inane things I said to her had to be said out loud, and I find that that dramatically cut down on their number. Monsieur Couffaine is not so lucky. Perhaps you could put him out of his misery?” Gabriel suggested. “If you wish. If not, I can take back the mobile.”

“What does he say?” Nino wondered, confused by this development.

Adrien looked down at his screen to find nearly twenty new messages from Luka.

They started out casually enough for two people who hadn’t texted in two years with, “hey how r u doing”, “this is luka by the way”, and “i hope this is still your number”.

Things quickly snowballed after that: “i was worried about u”, “im sorry i didnt know about what was going on”, “i hope youre ok”.

“Why are you blushing?” Chloé demanded.

“I’m not blushing,” Adrien grumbled defensively. “He was texting because he was worried about me. It’s sweet of him. I appreciate it.”

The downward spiral in the texts continued: 

“sorry im so stupid of course youre not ok”

“im sorry i hurt u”

“im really really sorry”

“for a lot of things”

“sorry if u dont want to hear from me”

Adrien’s heart clenched. He’d been wondering the same thing: Luka had expressed interest in renewing their friendship at Chloé’s graduation party, but would Luka even want to hear from Adrien after finding out about the complicated mess between Adrien and Luka’s girlfriend?

“i couldnt stop thinking about u”

Adrien’s heart fluttered.

“sorry for texting u in the first place”

“i miss u angel”

It had been a long time since Adrien had last heard that nickname. It brought back all kinds of memories from the summer he had spent sneaking out of the Agreste Mansion and practically living on the Couffaine houseboat. The guitar lessons with Luka, cooking with Rose, asking the Capitaine’s advice and listening to her wild stories, trading snark for snark with the surprisingly witty Juleka…movies and giving each other hell…teasing relentlessly, snuggling when Adrien was feeling down or unwanted or just because…talking late into the night and early into the morning…whispers in the dark, secrets and laughter and finally feeling like his feet had touched down on something solid. Feeling like he belonged. Feeling like a part of a family. Five months of happiness…until Gabriel had found out and ripped it away.

“god i wish it were possible to unsend things”, Luka’s text barrage continued regretfully.

“just ignore me”

“please please ignore me”

“im so sorry for bothering u”

“please take care of yourself”

The last message made Adrien smile. Luka still cared. Somehow, despite the ugly relationship drama with Marinette, despite the way things had ended between Luka and Adrien two years prior with Gabriel’s threats, Luka still wanted Adrien back in his life.

“What’s he say, Mec?” Nino cautiously inquired.

The flickering emotions on Adrien’s face made Nino uneasy. Surprise, delight, a pleased blush, a nervous smile, conflict, guilt, apprehension, an intrigued look, a charmed smile. The fact that Adrien was having so many varied, complex reactions to texts from the boyfriend of the girl Adrien was in love with did not bode well. Adrien was making the face he usually wore when he had his very worst ideas.

Adrien shrugged, waving dismissively. “He just wanted to check in on me, but he wasn’t sure I’d want to hear from him.”

Adrien’s thumbs started moving in a blur as he typed, “Hi, Orpheus. <3”. He figured his old nickname for Luka would quickly dispel the musician’s anxiety.

 “Can’t talk right now. I have company over.” he explained and then added, “Thanks for worrying about me.” with a broad smile, a warmth building in his chest that he hadn’t felt in what seemed like a long time…since things with Marinette imploded…since he’d lost his Lady.

“What are you grinning about?” Chloé accused, feeling like she was being left out of a joke.

“Nothing,” Adrien insisted, looking up from his phone. “It’s just nice to be worried about by people you thought hated you. I’m just…I’m happy he doesn’t hate me and still wants to be friends. We used to be close, so…it’s like when you and I reconnected, Chlo. This feels like I’m getting something I lost back. I’m happy.”

Gabriel pointedly looked away. He understood Adrien’s longing for his old friend and Plagg’s reasoning that the boy could be good for Adrien, but Gabriel was still against his son renewing an acquaintanceship with the Couffaine boy who had been such a bad influence in the past, especially now with the further complication of the boy’s relationship with the girl Adrien was in love with.

Adrien turned to his father. “I think I’m okay to keep my phone now. Thanks so much for babysitting it.”

Gabriel frowned down at his son. “You’re sure?”

Adrien nodded. “In case Luka texts me back. I’ll let you know if I change my mind and need you to take it away again if it proves to be too much of a temptation.”

Gabriel opened his mouth to respond, but a tremendous jolt cut him off, rocking the house and nearly knocking both Gabriel and Adrien off of their feet.

Car alarms started to scream.

Nino cursed.

“An earthquake?” Elise wondered aloud, voice high and wavering.

“Akuma,” Adrien breathed, running to the window.

“That’s impossible!” Gabriel argued, a step behind his son. “I didn’t—I mean…Papillon has been dormant for nearly two months!”

“There!” Nino pointed, coming to stand at Adrien’s side, one hand on Adrien’s shoulder.

“That’s a sentimonster,” Gabriel gasped, mind whirling. “Why would…? Why is…? Why?!”

#Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Adrien Agreste #Miraculous Ladybug #Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction #Adrienette #Adrien Agreste #Kagami Tsurugi #Nino Lahiffe #Wayem #Chloé Bourgeois #Elise O'Leary #Gabriel Agreste #Plagg #Mikau's Writings #There's a Daisy

[deluxedolans]

137 w gray pls? 💖💖

hi baby!! thank you for waiting so patiently for me to fulfill this request! I hope you like it and that you’re having a good sunday💙💙💙 I love you!

Prompt: #137 “We need groceries, not just junk food. You’re worse than the kids.”

“Sean and Molly, come sit down and eat lunch, please,” you called out to your two young children as you set down their lunch on the table. It was a Saturday afternoon in the middle of October, so in typical fashion, your children were out wandering in the chilly air, dressing up as ghosts and chasing one another around outside.

You heard two feet pounding against the tile, the sneakered steps belonging to your four year old son, and then following them, you heard softer, more subdued feet, indicating the arrival of your three year old daughter.

“Mama, what’s for lunch?” Molly asked as she clambered up into the chair at the kitchen table.

“Mac and cheese.” You reached into the drawers to pull out plastic silverware to give to the two children.

Sean huffed, “but, mama, I wanted nuggets!”’

“Honey, we don’t have chicken nuggets right now, daddy went to the store to go get some.” You placed the forks down in front of the kids, walking towards the refrigerator to grab them drinks.

Suddenly, the front door opened and in walked Grayson, his hands swinging bags of groceries as he walked into the kitchen. “I’m baaaaaaaack,” he drawled out, placing the bags on the counter and giving you a kiss on the cheek.

“Daddy, mama made us mac and cheese, but I wanted nuggets,” Sean pouted, his bottom lip jutting out in displeasure. Grayson raised an eyebrow, “I just picked up some nuggets, buddy, we didn’t have any. You like mac and cheese, why don’t you eat that for now?”

Sean looked down at his bowl in annoyance, his dad’s response to his protests leaving him frustrated. In spite of the fact that Grayson was the most hands on and loving father, he always made sure that the kids saw you two as a team, and that you were both equal in the kids’ eyes. Grayson made sure to remain consistent in the house rules that you upheld while he was away at work, ensuring that there was no confusion about what each parent expected in terms of behavior.

“Okay.” Sean stabbed his fork into the noodles, his head slumping down to his chest in dissatisfaction.

“Guess what, daddy!” Molly exclaimed, her little fist flying into the air in excitement causing noodles to fly off her fork and splat on the table.

Grayson chuckled, picking up the noodles that were dropped onto the table’s surface and popping them into his mouth, “What baby?”

“Mama said if I eat all my lunch that I could maybe have ice cream after,” Molly said, her lips puckering to slurp up the mac and cheese from her fork.

“Did she? Well, good thing I bought tons of it!” Grayson’s eyes widened, his expression animated.

Molly nodded, her cheeks stuffed full of food.

“Only if you eat it all, Molls,” You reminded, as you walked towards the grocery bags that Grayson had placed on the counter. You began to unload the contents of the bags, your eyes scrunching as you examined the items.

Chocolate chip cookies? Not on the list. Fruit snacks? Not on the list. Cheetos? Definitely not on the list.

The only thing that Grayson had picked up from the store that was on the list was chicken nuggets.

“Grayson, did you even reference the list I gave you? We need groceries, not just junk food. You’re worse than the kids.”

Grayson’s eyes gleamed with mischief, a small, irresistible smile spreading across his face.

“I may have used it as a guide.”

“A guide for what? A guide of what not to get?” You stood with your hands on your hips and your eyebrows raised.

“Maybe.” Grayson walked towards you, wrapping his arms around your waist. You sighed in defeat as Grayson kissed your cheek, laying his own cheek on top of your head.

“Their teeth are gonna rot out of their heads,” you warned staring at the food in front of you.

“The kids will be fine; my teeth haven’t fallen out yet from marrying a sugar mama like you.” Grayson’s laugh immediately filled your ears at his joke, and you couldn’t help but laugh along with him.

“I hate you so much.”

“I love you too, sweetheart.”

#grayson dolan #grayson dolan imagine #grayson dolan blurb #grayson dolan drabble #grayson dolan fluff #grayson dolan fanfiction #ethan dolan #ethan dolan imagine #ethan dolan blurb #ethan dolan drabble #ethan dolan fluff #ethan dolan fanfiction #grayson dolan fanfic #ethan dolan fanfic #dolan twins #dolan twins fanfic #dolan twins imagine #dolan tinws fanfiction #dolan twins drabble #dolan twins blurb