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#i read it out to my mum and she went ‘oh they had their swords in their hands did they? yeah i bet they did’
paddymayne · 1 year
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i need u all to read this bit in le Morte Darthur where Lancelot sleeps in an empty bed and the knight whose house it is “““mistakes lancelot for his wife’”” and tries to sleep with him. and then they fight about it. culminating in the knight ‘yielding himself to lancelot’ which is a normal medieval way of saying surrender but like…sure
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flockoff-featherface · 6 months
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i just. sometimes i think back about devil may cry again. and. damn. like dante and vergil barely got to be actual children, vergil's obsession with power comes from his insecurity about being supposedly unable to save his mum and dante and. they were so young, they should've been able to play around as kids and enjoy their childhood. the fact that both of them just. lost their parents so quickly and had to find their ways in this godforsaken world alone.
it's so interesting to me how dante uses his taunts to like. lower his anxiety. he runs through fights making jokes because he's always scared. and i'd go as far as saying that on the other hand, vergil is just scared for his brother. the whole "im better than you" thing? it's always read (to me) as "i gotta make you strong enough but also i gotta unlock all my power so i can protect everything i love" but just gone too far. like he's taken it really to an extreme, obviously, but i do think it started out as genuine fear that he wasn't enough. these men for real just need therapy. all of them need therapy someone get the dmc gang THERAPY.
OH. AND ANOTHER THING. THAT FINAL FUCKING FIGHT IN DMC3 BETWEEN VERGIL AND DANTE. i like to think it's always been dante trying to bring vergil back from "POWER". like the "we are the sons of sparda" part is very much a "fucking wake up and look around you can do so much better" and vergil is so far gone that genuinely his response is "our souls are at opposites, brother. i need more power." which is such a personality defining statement from him. But the part that hurts most? When Vergil cuts Dante's hand on his way down to hell. He reaches out for his brother.
AND OOH. BEFORE I FORGET. lady saying to nero (not an exact quote bc i cannoooooot remember it) "you'll never be able to recover from killing your dad don't do it" isn't just a "no dont do it nero". DMC3. SHE'S SPEAKING FROM EXPERIENCE. she knows what it's like to be in neros place on dmc5, and. i just feel like sometimes we look over lady and her past. she went through so much too, like imagine being like 16/17 (?) and having your dad be like "yeah holup lemme go open the gate to hell come here daughter lemme k word you so i can open the gate to hell" and have to actually go out and stop him. and like i guess even with dante and vergil there's an element of "oh they're half demon they. kinda. expect this shit in their lives" LADY ISN'T. she's 100% human and has been through so much.
and like when that's put in perspective, it really makes me enjoy the games more. like, growing up playing the games it was all "wahoo haha pizza haha motivated haha gun-trick-sword-trick-gun-trick" and now it's all "man. more of my favourite characters are just. traumatised people who have really gone through the worst shit ever."
anyway. ro lore dumps about devil may cry again. maybe if i get time mid coursework i'll add more lmao we'll see 😔
But yeah. Sometimes even a Devil May Cry. Ouch.
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succubusphan · 10 months
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The Knight of Wands
Summary: Phil had always had dreams that he couldn't quite comprehend and a certain intuition about what was truly important for his future.
Rating: G
Tags/warnings: No warnings that I can think of. Psychic Phil, fluff, yearning.
Author's Note: This fic was written for @ttlmt for the Phandom Fic Exchange! Hi Bee! I hope I did your prompt justice, it was very very fun to write and even though it isn't really that long I put a lot of care into it. Enjoy!
There is a video linked at the bottom of the post or on the final notes in ao3 you may light. I found it hilarious and very helpful for the story.
Thank you @effingmeteors for being my life saviour and beta as usual.
Word Count: 3.7 k
Read on Ao3
1995
“Where is your bear, Phil? Where is your bear?” Asked Phil’s mum in the video, baby Phil not knowing the answer yet.
Phil kicked his feet as they dangled from his chair. He really liked watching his baby videos even though he was now 8 years old. He sipped on his hot chocolate and added even more marshmallows, suddenly staring intently into the cup and wrapping his hands around it, enjoying the warm feeling.
He grabbed his dream journal and wrote down “Warm” at the bottom of the list. He didn’t really know what it meant exactly, but he knew that the items on the list were related somehow. He had decided to write it in his dream journal because he could sometimes see them in a dream. Well, not actually see them, but - he didn’t know. It was like a feeling, like he knew this person, but he also knew that he didn’t know the person.
He read the list over, trying to piece the puzzle together. 
Bear
Malteesers
Coffee
Will  Wheel
Warm
His grandma had said that he would know in time, but he wanted to know now! Now! Now!
Letting out a sigh, he fished one of the marshmallows from his mug and ate it happily.
“Phil! Don’t eat too much sugar or you won’t be able to sleep tonight!” his mum called from the doorway to the kitchen.
“I need it to think!” he whined.
“Dinner is almost ready!” 
“I will finish it, Mummy! Promise!”
She just shook her head and went back to making dinner.
Phil popped the last scone loaded with clotted cream and jam into his mouth and smiled. Still trying to chew around the big piece, he hopped from the chair and went to switch the video cassette for the ThunderCats one. He made sure to put the tape with his baby videos safely back in his personal collection before hitting play.
As soon as the song came on, he started running around the dining room, swinging an imaginary sword around, yelling “Thunder! Thunder! ThunderCats Ooooh!”
He ran another lap around the room until he was met face to face with the mirror and paused. After staring at himself for a moment, he decided that to truly become a ThunderCat, he needed something, but what could it be? Phil paid attention to his face and if he focused, he could almost see a glimpse of cat whiskers coming out of his cheeks in the reflection. He gasped, happy to have figured that out and made a quick run up the stairs to his bedroom and returned with a black marker. 
It took him almost until the end of the song, but he managed to finally look like a cat. One day he would add a sword to the costume, but for now, he felt at peace.
“Are you done, Child?” his mum asked. “Oh! Who’s this?”
“I’m a cat!” said Phil, showing her his claws.
“Oh my!” she said, opening one of the drawers in the china cabinet and pulling the camera out. “What a handsome and brave cat you are!” She snapped a picture.
“Could I get a sword for my birthday?” Phil pleaded.
“We’ll see, love.” She always said that when the answer was no.
Phil pouted but rushed to his chair and drank more hot chocolate. He looked at the opposite side of the table and saw someone sitting there, or the idea of someone. He smiled. “Mum?”
“Yes, Phil?”
“Will I ever have a best friend?”
“Of course! Everyone has a best friend,” she assured him.
“I can’t wait!” Phil said, and added cat whiskers to the list.
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---
1998
Phil opened his birthday present and smiled when he saw the Final Fantasy VII game he’d asked for. He was going to enjoy it so much!
He had dreamed about this game for long, even longer than it had been out to the public. It was as if the game was calling to him. For some reason, it felt important to have an item from his list; and he had added "FF" to his list months ago.
He waited until all his school friends had gone home and started the game. After losing three times in a row he decided to watch Buffy instead, but his eyes kept escaping back to the game case on the floor.
His dreams that night were plagued with dark brooding men dressed in black, but Phil wasn’t scared; he knew they were friendly.
---
2005
Long gone were Phil’s magic dreams. He still loved his grandmother, obviously, but repeating things she had told him always got him in trouble, or mocked by his friends, so he had eventually stopped trying to connect with that side of himself.
It was as if he had lost a part of himself, a part of him he didn’t know he loved so much until it was gone. He knew it was the right choice for him, his so-called gift hadn’t done him any favours. 
Nowadays, Phil felt nothing but sadness when he opened his old dream journal and saw the list of things that had no way of being related to each other. The last additions had been only drawings: a few sticks in an orange background and a weird circle with mixed colours. Nothing made sense.
None of his friends were a good fit, and, if he was honest, he didn’t even know if this person existed or not.
He was leaving for Uni soon and his mum had asked him to clean his room out and throw away anything that he wasn’t using. So Phil stood by the bin he’d placed in the middle of the room, contemplating his life and trying to decide what part of his childhood he wanted to discard forever. 
He looked at the journal in his hand. It was stupid, but he couldn’t just throw it away. Instead he walked over to his bookcase and removed 4 random books, setting the journal flat against the backboard and putting the other books back in their place to conceal it.
Nodding to himself, he continued rummaging through his very messy room. He groaned as he stuck his hand under his bed and touched something sticky; it was all the uneaten candy he’d accidentally dropped, melted by the passage of who knows how many months. He would need to get his shit together or his future roommates would kick him out for being a pig - if the ants didn’t eat him before that.
Then he came across his tiny lion plushie and smiled before putting it in his bag. Lion was definitely coming with him.
---
2006
Phil was back in his room, in the comfort of his family home and somewhat inspired by this new website called YouTube. His friends said he had a bit of a problem with social media because he was constantly on the internet, but everything was just so fun. The idea of uploading a video of his own had been floating around and around in his head for a while, but when he opened a new box of cereal and was met with the prized prize of a black and white little camera, he took it as the ultimate sign that he should do it. 
His first Videoblog was a bit all over the place, but that was just who he was. If he wanted to make new friends, what a better way to go about it than to show who he really was, right?
Once the video was recorded, it took him a full day to edit and upload it but it was worth it. He got some comments and video replies immediately! He even got his first subscriber!
Posting that video had definitely been a good idea, no matter what his mates said.
---
2009
Phil’s YouTube channel was quite a passion project for him and he tried his best to continue posting regularly even if he never lost focus on his studies. Uni was obviously more important, but since he would be majoring in video post-production and visual effects, he could pass it as a learning experience.
In February he received a package from his grandmother with a cryptic message. Among the usual ‘take care, be careful and avoid being run over on the 10th of this month,’ she also added her tarot cards with a note that read ‘Use them well.’
He didn’t exactly know what that meant, but in the spirit of being his true self on camera, he decided to talk about the psychic side of his family in a video, passing it as a funny thing more than something that had been a bit of an obsession all his life.
To downplay the importance of tarot reading in the video, he called it “Robot Death Machine,” referencing the electric heater he’d had to rely on because the heating was broken again, instead of anything related to divination.
To begin, he shuffled the cards a bit and laid his hands on the full deck, trying to really focus on transmitting his energy into it. He looked up at the camera and said “Edit that out.” He would pull three cards: one for the past, one for the present and one for the future, with the little booklet with the meaning of each card firmly at his side. He truly needed it, because despite his grandma’s protests, he had never learned that by heart.
He looked into the camera as if he had just begun touching the deck. “My grandma is a psychic and apparently she could have passed the gift on to me, right? Who knows! So let’s look into my future. I’m going to do the following month, so I’m hoping this month will be good.”
“Before this month: it’s the Nine of Cups reversed!” He pulled the card and showed it before reading the meaning. “I was vain, complaisant, over-sentimental, and careless - and I neglected my partner,” he said, wincing at the implication. He didn’t think he had neglected his cheater ex boyfriend, if anything it had been the other way around.
He pulled another card and looked at it. “Currently, the Three of... Swords. Currently I’m entering into a dangerous three-way relationship where heartache is inevitable for one participant - or all.” Wow, he hoped that was not the case; he had enough drama in his life as it was. “Minor surgery is possible. That doesn’t sound good!”
He moved along and pulled the last card, a bit disappointed with the results of the reading so far. “The future: ‘the Knight of Wands. Some guy is going to have a big impact, an energetic warrior, he has a hasty personality and he’s very quick to love or hate.”
“Hmm. Interesting,” Phil said, chewing the inside of his cheek. “I’m glad it wasn’t, like, death! And, okay, I’m gonna go eat some crisps,” he laughed at himself. “That’s the first thing that came to my head. No! I’m gonna go change the world in ways you would not believe!” 
He waved and stopped the recording.
He sat back against his bed, thinking for a moment. Could it be? He would have to watch out for any new person coming into his life for the next month or so. It could definitely be something, but given that the first 2 cards made no sense, he didn’t have high hopes.
He grabbed his phone and called his grandmother just to be sure.
“Hi!” he said as soon as she picked up.
“Hello, Darling. Did you use my cards?” she asked, not wasting a single second, probably because she already knew he had.
“Yes. I have a question about what came up. The first two cards I pulled made no sense but the third one - I don’t know.”
“What cards did you pull?”
“Uh,” Phil hesitated, looking down at the floor. It was the Nine of Cups, reversed. Then I got the Three of Swords.”
“You were in a relationship, were you not?” 
“I was...” Phil said. “But they cheated.”
“Well, there’s the neglect and the love triangle.”
“Oh,” Phil said. “And the Knight of Wands?”
“Was that the last one?” she asked and Phil could swear he heard the smile in her voice.
“Yeah. I don’t think I know any energetic warriors.”
“Perhaps not yet, but you need to pay attention. The Knight of Wands is a very charismatic person, adventurous, competitive, a fiery lad; the salamanders in his coat mean he's resistant to flames.” 
“What does that mean? Is he a firefighter?” Phil laughed, not missing that the 'he' came from her first. 
“You are taking the cards literally, Philip,” she said, not appreciating the joke. “And I do warn you, the Knight of Wands… He may not be one to settle down, not at first.” 
Phil frowned. “Who is this guy?” 
“You were calling him, weren't you? For a long while now?” 
Phil couldn’t breathe. He blinked repeatedly and coughed. “This month?” he croaked. 
“Not necessarily, but it could be. You need to look at the signs.” She waited patiently for him to process what she had just unloaded onto him. 
“Is this a friend or…” 
“That’s for you to decide. You will have to be patient with him, with both of you.” 
Phil groaned. “Thank you, Grandma.” 
“Of course!” she said. “You need to trust yourself. Even if you don’t want to share your gift with anyone, don’t try to smother it. It will hurt you.” 
“I - Alright. I won’t,” Phil said. “See you soon?” 
She laughed. “See you on New Year’s Eve,” she said and hung up.
Phil stared at the cards and began to put them back into the box one by one, just as he had picked them. He closed the box and instead of returning them to his desk, he put them in his backpack. Better to have them close.
--
By April, and with no news from this ‘Energetic Warrior,’ Phil had decided to move on and focus on the people that were actually making an impact in his life in the present.
It was exciting to interact with the people that watched his videos, especially as he started to be able to differentiate between them. A guy kept replying to his tweets and commenting under his videos with a random username and he looked cute, or at least that’s what Phil could tell from his profile picture. 
Phil tried to be friendly and treat everyone the same, giving them the same time and attention, but Dan (danisnotonfire) just kept trying to get Phil’s attention, always being one of the first to reply to his tweets, commenting on his YouTube videos, and even pointing out all the things they had in common, such as their love for Muse and the movie “Children of Men.” 
It seemed that Dan was determined to be his #1 fan at all costs. When Dan tweeted Phil saying he had a crush on him, Phil finally caved and decided to snoop around. After scrolling on Dan’s twitter profile for about an hour, Phil was set on getting to know him. He sounded like a fun guy and his observation about everything they had in common was fairly accurate.
He decided to follow Dan back and drop him a direct message. 
“Hey :) ” Phil typed, considering his next words carefully. “How are you doing?”
“omg! hi phil!
i can’t believe you followed me back! O__0 ” Dan said.
Phil bit his lip and typed a reply. “Haha why not?”
“i don’t know XD
you are so cool and i’ve been watching your videos for a logn time :] ”
“I think you’re cool too! ^.^ 
What’s your favourite Muse song?”
“ugh, don’t make me choose X__X”
“Come on! Mine is Newborn, or Exogenesis and Muscle Museum 
Those are my top 3”
“i hate you :/
i guess if I had to pick one it would be Citizen Erased”
“That’s a good one” Phil wondered if it would be too forward to ask Dan, but if he got too into his head nothing good would come of it. He had never been one to hesitate a lot about things. What could go wrong after all? 
“Hey, do you want to chat on skype?” He hit enter and waited for Dan’s reply eagerly.
“yeah! add me <;3 
i’m danisnotonfire there too”
“That’s a cool username
How did you choose it?”
“it was a random string of words I came up with a few years ago lol”
“Hahaha valid :) 
See you on skype”
---
September 2009
After days and eternal nights of non-stop chatting, Phil decided to invite Dan to his parents’ house. They had gotten to know each other enough for Phil to be sure that Dan was not a serial killer - probably. 
Not that it mattered, because Dan had yet to accept his invitation.
And even though they had often been flirty during their calls, Phil wasn’t sure if they would have the same chemistry in person. If their meeting went well, it would be the first time Phil had successfully transitioned from an online friendship to a real life one.
Somehow, this felt so different than anyone else he had met before, more important. Dan was special, and just being able to talk to him made him incredibly happy.
In October, after weeks of pestering Dan, he finally accepted his invitation. Apparently, Dan had been saving ever since Phil had invited him and wanted to surprise him which made Phil blush and smile like a crazy person.
When October 19 finally came, Dan took the train to Manchester, where Phil was already anxiously waiting for him. Seeing Dan in the crowd, walking towards him and the hug Dan pulled him into was something that felt so familiar yet groundbreaking, and Phil had no way of explaining it.
Just as the sun started to set, they got on the big wheel when as their cart made it to the top, Dan kissed him, the remnants of the last sun rays setting the mood, and enveloping Phil in a warm feeling. He felt like his stomach was flipping over and he knew then that he couldn’t deny having feelings for Dan.
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After frolicking around town, they headed home and filmed a video for Phil’s channel, which they were both super excited about. At one point, Phil saw Dan going through his stuff and stopped the recording to check what was catching Dan’s attention.
He had started pulling books out of the bookcase that hadn’t been touched in years.
“What’s that?” Dan asked with a curious smile, making the cat whiskers on his face curl upwards.
“What?” Phil asked.
“There’s something in the back. Is it your porn stash?” Dan smirked.
Phil snorted and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, that’s where I keep it!”
Dan grabbed a purple sparkly notebook with childlike scribbling on the front. “Dream Journal”
“Oh,” Phil said, feeling a tug in his stomach. “I hadn’t thought about that in a while.”
“Can I read it?” Dan asked.
“I guess? I don’t think there’s a lot in there,” Phil said, pulling at the hem of his shirt when chills ran down through him.
Dan sat back down on Phil’s bed, his back against the wall, legs pulled to his chest and bottom lip burrowed between his lips. “Oh, this is interesting. You dreamt about meeting shadow people a lot.”
“Yeah,” Phil said, swallowing thick. He kneeled on the bed and shuffled closer to Dan to read from above.
“What’s this list?” Dan asked, tapping on the last page Phil had ever filled.
“Just things that used to... catch my attention.”
“Bear. Did you know my family used to call me Bear when I was a kid? My grandma still does.”
“I - no, you hadn’t told me,” Phil said.
“Malteesers? Obviously! They are the fucking best. Coffee? You have a real problem with that if you started having coffee at this age.” Dan laughed.
“I didn’t!” Phil laughed along as everything started to slot into place. “Starbucks,” he mumbled under his breath. “Wheel. That’s where…” he trailed off.
“Will? Oh, Wheel!” Dan laughed. “You had a little problem with spelling, I see.”
Phil scoffed. “Shut up!”
“Hmm?” Dan asked, but his eyes were trained on the list. He was barely paying Phil any mind. “Worm?” Dan raised his eyebrows, finally looking up at Phil.
“Warm! That’s an A. I was a kid, don’t judge. I was having hot chocolate with marshmallows when I wrote that,” Phil said, waiting for Dan to say anything that would confirm his suspicion.
“What does that have to do with warm?” Dan asked. 
Phil shrugged. “I - I don’t know. I liked the feeling of warm things against my skin.” 
“Cat whiskers. Well, we have those on already.”
“Do you know what these could be?” Phil asked, pointing to the drawings he didn’t even understand.
“They look like Muse albums, sort of? Wait, when did you do these?” Dan asked, his brow burrowed into a frown.
Phil’s mouth fell open. He got up and brought Dan the Tonberry plushie he had purchased as a gift for him weeks ago, Christmas surprise be damn. “Final Fantasy,” Phil said.
Dan finally set the journal down on the bed and opened his gift. “This is my favourite character!” Dan looked incredibly happy.
“Yeah,” Phil said. He shuffled the things on his desk and found the tarot card set his grandma had sent him. It didn’t take him long to find the card he had been looking for. He grabbed the journal and slid the Knight of Wands card inside, closing it and returning it to its hiding place.
“I don’t understand what the list was about,” Dan said, still clutching his gift. “Those are just things you liked?”
“Something like that,” Phil said.
Dan raised an eyebrow at him. “Don’t keep secrets from me, Phil Lester.”
Phil shrugged. “It’s the recipe for the perfect best friend, I guess.”
“Get out,” Dan said with a laugh and threw the Tonberry at him.
Phil knelt on the bed and pressed their lips together, smiling into the kiss as Dan pulled him closer, smudging their cat whiskers. He had finally found the person from his dreams, his best friend, his Knight of Wands.
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Final Author's notes: I referenced this video for the tarot card and I would advise anyone with a few minutes to spare to watch it and marvel at how fucking accurate this card is to describe Dan. I found it hilarious. Maybe Phil is truly a psychic. VIDEO.
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newyggdrasil · 8 months
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Chapter 13 - Bedroom
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They went up the stairs and left the adults alone.
Lunnec and Fenrir's room is on the third floor, all floor is for their family. One room for Asktré, one for them, and a bathroom. It's small but Fenrir likes it because he can see the city, even Treecentral, from their room window. Lunnec doesn't like it so much, but the place has some advantages for him.
Their room is simple but practical; a built-in closet, two beds, and a large table with two seats. The table was full of books, it is the place where usually they studied. Nevertheless, there were so many books because Fenrir was a book lover; fantasy, adventure, and sci-fi are his favorite literary genres.
"Men, it's about time you arranged your things. I'm tired that you take up the table," Lunnec said.
"This isn't fair, your room's side is worst," Fenrir replicated.
It was worst. There were underwear, t-shirts, and other clothes spread on the floor and Lunnec's bed. Even for what is a teenager's room.
"Yes, but I'm the older brother I have rights," Lunnec said while he gave him a knock on the head.
"Okay, okay. I arrange it," he yelled.
Fenrir leave his bowl on his bed, which was perfectly ordered, and moved some books.  Then both sat down and began to eat the salad with the night city view in front of them. Lunnec finished fast but Fenrir was spinning the food.
"C'mon, I know that it wasn't good, but you have to eat," Lunnec said.
"Yes, sorry. I'm thinking about Dad," the boy said looking at his bow with a lifeless gaze.
"You think too much. You knew that Dad is very weird. That he can rejuvenate it's not a surprise."
"Why didn't he say nothing about it until now?"
"He seldom talks about his past. When I was a child, he was like that. I took long to get that he talked about my mo ..." Lunnec found talking about that with his little brother.
Both boys fell silent. Their mums were a hard topic. One that neither was prepared to talk in a mature way. Someone knocked on the door interrupting the cold situation.
Lunnec opened the door and there was a beautiful black girl in an empire-blue dress.
"Nodric," Lunnec said spellbound and his sword shacked due to his words, then he whistled and the sword stopped.
"Hi, Nodric," Fenrir said from the table.
"Hi Fenrir, how are you?
"Busy, he needs to read, a lot of homework delayed," Lunnec said while he pushed his brother out of the room and Nodric got in. "Get out, we need privacy," Lunnec whispered to his brother.
"But, what do you want me to do?" Fenrir replicated.
"I dunno. Wait, you can go to the secret table and read this book," Lunnec gave a book to his brother.
"I already read it."
"C'mon. If you do this for me I will owe you a favor. A big favor"
"Okey. But I won't forget it" Fenrir said while going down the stairs.
Lunnec closed the door, and he looked at the girl. Nodric is fifteen years old, and his eyes and hair are brown. She was dressed so impressed like always. She has the skill of weir the perfect clothes. His father is diplomatic, for this reason, she had learned about etiquette since her childhood, and using the appropriate outfit for each occasion is something that she considers very important.
"Well, your mother told me that you were in bed," Lunnec said trying to look cool.
"Yes, I'm going with my father to the school. The snobbish school waits for me," Nodric said while wandering for the room.
"This means that I couldn't see you for a time."
"Well, with my new school and your random trips for the world is likely that not," the girl came closer to Lunnec.
"My trips weren't random."
"Oh really, what did you happen this time?" She said putting her arms over his shoulders.
"Well. This time we were in Nidavellir, and there was a dwarf in a cave ..." The conversation was suddenly interrupted by a passionate kiss, making clear that the question had been out of courtesy.
At the same time, Fenrir arrived at the bar. The local was all out which made it easier that Cruzanda and Lena didn't see him. Sigrid wasn't a problem at that time she must have been drunk.
Fenrir decided to hide himself on the secret table. This is the name that Lunnec, Nodric, and Fenrir put on a table that it doesn't see from the bar and many places in the inn. This was the perfect place when they wanted to do something that their parents wouldn't like it.
He sat down at the table without noticing that there were two people, a woman and a man, occupying it. The man was twenty-something years and the woman was forty-something. The woman was already drunk, but the man was in a perfect state.
"What do you do kid? We don't want to play with you," the man said in a bad way. Then Fenrir saw Cruzanda passing near the table, and he hid with a folder. "Don't touch that brat!" the man said taking the folder from Fenrir's hands.
"Sorry," Fenrir said bowing his head.
"Don't worry kid, my assistant is unsociable," the woman was drunk and noticed. "You can stay, but we are speaking about boring themes."
"Doctor Karen, we are discussing the new investigation's data."
"Do we have some good results? Lars," Karen asked.
"Not, but we need to analyze the transdimensional fluctuations ..." Lars answered.
"That I said, boring themes."
"You aren't a normal doctor, are you?" Fenrir said while the woman laughed.
"I'm a doctorate in physics, specifically in transdimensional dynamics," she said.
"Then, do you build doors between realms? on the security posters of the train, they call them transdimensional jumpers," Fenrir asked fascinated with the conversation.
"Not kid, she studies how works our universe. And doctor Karen is the one of better specialists in this field. She is a genius," Lars said passionately.
"Calm boy. Actually, he has a reason, but I prefer not to brag," she said while looking at Fenrir, who seemed a little confused, "I know how you see clearly."
She put on the table a round copper object with a lot of stones of different colors embedded.
"What this is?" Fenrir asked with curiosity.
"This is a dimensional projector. It's similar to a door between realms but it works to study not for travel," she pressed a button on the side of the object and put her hand on the device. Suddenly, a second pale hand of another color appeared over the original hand. "This device allows you to see yourself in other realms that you have been. We have some bigger in the laboratory in the old mill."
"Can I try?" the child asked.
"Of course," Karen said while she continued explaining. "People think that they are traveling between realms; however, we exist in all the realms in a superposition state but we only can have a physical form in one. The doors change in what realm is your physical form."
The boy put his hand and appeared five hands more. Lars and Karen were surprised, adults that traveled more than three realms aren't common and children less. Fenrir saw the faces of disbelief and he blushed.
"Well, my father likes to trip," Fenrir said waiting that them not to ask more.
"I see" the doctor answered.
"I have an ask, and souls?" Fenrir asked to distract them.
"Good question. Don't exit the souls as such."
"But, our sál, draugr, and Helheim."
Lars got up while Karen and Fenrir kept talking.
"Okey, this is much more complicated. When someone dies, stop being in the superposition state, in the realm where you die stays your physical parts like your Lik or your Önd. The rest of you go to Helheim or Anlag where they stay like echoes of the persons. Not alive but not dead either, only a backup,"
"Then a draugr appears when our sál don't go to Anlag, do it?"
"You are a smart kid, but not always work in this way. Sometimes it is our minni, our memories, that stay. The natural process is that our lik, harm, and the rest of part of us gradually disappear into the twelve realms, when this doesn't happen, well, there are the valkyries to fix it," she took another sip after the lesson.
"Okey, I think I understand but, why this happens?"  Fenrir needed to know more after that new discoveries.
"If you find out the answer, you must hide it," Karen said seriously.
"Why?" he said whispering.
"Because I would be without a job," and she started to laugh.
Then Lars approached the table.
"I already pay, can we leave, please?" Lars said.
"So young and so boring," Doctor Karen said.
Then a couple of people opened the door, and Fenrir saw his father getting into with a weird woman who had a bird on her shoulder.
"Fenrir, what do you do?" Asktré asked calmly but with anger in his eyes.
"Father, sorry. I thought; Lunnec said..."
"But your son would have to be older, wouldn't he?" Martinsa said.
Then Sigrid who was all night drunk in the top bar, approached them.
"Oh lady, this is the second," Sigrid said to Martinsa.
"Oh, my goddess, Sigrid? Long time no see you," Martinsa said surprised to see her friend so older.
"Oh hell, you don't see me this way. Some of us aren't immortal warriors or magical beings with powers of miraculous rejuvenation."
Both friends continued to talk while Asktré took his sons for his shoulder and they got up the stairs in silence. Then they arrived in the brother's room.
Asktré opened the door without knocking. Lunnec and Nodric were reclining on Fenrir's bed, the boy was shirtless kissing the girl.
"Ugg, gross, that is my bed," Fenrir said.
Both got up faster. Asktré didn't speak which unsettled them.
"Father, I can explain..." Lunnec said nervously "... I want to show her how my wounds were totally recovered."
"You hadn't wounded in your trunk," Asktré answered.
"Well, sir. I must go. I'm really sorry to bother you," Nodric said trying to be tender and polite. When got out of the door, she thought that she had gotten out.
"I will talk with your mother about this," Asktré said destroying her hopes.
"Yes sir. Good night, sir!" she said disappointed.
Then Lunnec put on his shirt and sit down in his bed. Fenrir did the same.
"Father, we don't want to make angry you," Lunnec said trying to relax the atmosphere.
"Really? I asked you for two things; eat and go to sleep. When I arrive, my little son was at a table with two drunks because my older son was having an affair with a girl in his bedroom."
"Sorry," Lunnec said hanging his head in shame
"Boy, we had a conversation about your duties. I see that I cannot trust you," he said looking at Lunnec, "and you, today someone speak about chains that I am starting to consider in buy," he said looking at Fenrir. "Now, to sleep. Tomorrow I will think about a suitable punishment."
Asktré closed the door with brusqueness. The boys were left alone in silence.
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theobxhummingbird · 4 years
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I loved you from the start. -Luke Patterson x Reader.
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Summary: Connecting through music or touch? A moment that keeps confusing Y/N and Luke on why they’re the only ones that are able to touch each other.
A/N: Here’s my first JATP imagine and I could say it’s an okay one for my first time writing about a JATP character. I’m making a whole series (because I love the show jeez, Luke especially). Enjoy it, what can I say? 🥺🤭🤘🏻👻🎸👅🍀
-
 Like Reggie always said, Julie and Luke ooze chemistry. And everyone seemed to accept it, because they were always in front of their eyes, singing their songs, like it's only the two of them in the world. Apart from Julie, who could see the three cute ghosts, her childhood best friend, was somehow able to as well. Flynn, Julie's best friend and the person who helped her throughout her hardest times, was still trying to acknowledge, why Julie's childhood best friend who also moved in next door, could see them without the music, but not her. Y/N on the other hand, was not like Julie and Flynn. She was introverted and shy, but brought light to every place she went to. Reggie enjoyed her company the most, thinking she's the most awesome person he'd met in his life. To Alex, she also seemed awesome and smart and he talked to her whenever he got the chance, but Luke---he was a bit too busy with writing music and playing it for the band, when he got an idea. He never really talked to her, only in situations when they ran into each other at the studio.
Julie, Flynn and Y/N were sat in the studio, talking about Julie getting taken down from her program, when the three boys appeared. -Are those cookies? -Reggie excitedly said. -Yes, Y/N made them, take some. -said Julie, but then remembered they can't eat, -Oh--- -Thanks Jules. -said Alex, sitting down behind his drum set. -I'll have one. -said Flynn and took one, but accidentally knocking one off the plate. Y/N sat up to take it, Luke kneeling at the same time, to tie his shoes. -Ouch. -they bumped their heads. -Careful there. -he rubbed his head. Y/N normally took the cookie and Luke went to his guitar. Julie, Flynn, Alex and Reggie, were all looking at them in shock, but the both didn't realize why. -How did that happen? -said Julie. -What? -You bumped into each other. Normally, you Y/N was supposed go through him like a sword. -said Flynn. -Maybe it was in the moment. -said Luke, -Sometimes we can pick up things, but then drop them. Julie took a hold of Y/N's arm and brought her to Luke. She lifted her hand and gestured Luke to put his up. When Y/N's hand landed on Luke's and it didn't go through it, they all gasped. -That is awesome! -said Reggie. -Everything for you is awesome. -Flynn spited. -You guys are meant to be! -Julie said and they immediately pulled their hands next to their bodies. -No Julie, stop. -Y/N muttered and she took her bag, leaving the studio. -Wait, Y/N! -said Reggie, but she was out of the studio.
- Weeks passed after the little surprise for everyone in the studio. Julie and the Phantoms continued writing music and singing their songs, while Y/N caught Julie and Flynn alone, managing to miss out on the three boys' presence. She was going to school, avoiding any contact with them whenever she saw them with Julie, knowing she can't fake that she can't see them, because all of them knew she can see them without music and for now, can touch Luke. It haunted her for weeks, the fact that she can touch Luke; the one boy that she could never imagine herself, holding his hand, nor loving because he was basically not existing. Julie told her, she can come to the studio whenever she needs to be alone and whenever she needs a secret place where she can cry, so Y/N wanted to try the opportunity and took her diary with her to the studio. She sat down, on what Luke said was, his couch and started writing the things she could only tell to paper:
" From what I still feel in my heart and on my hand, after being able to touch a person even my friend, who's more meant to be with him, I can't stop thinking through what it could mean? My mind's blocked and can't process what's this thing roaming in my heart? It started way before, when I was able to see the three of them. In that moment, my eyes got stuck to the one guy that I could never be close to like Julie was and is. I was always sat on the side, watching them lovingly sing to each other. And no, I never wished I was Julie, but I did want to be Y/N that stood in front of Luke. Singing was a big part of my life; it saved me from my hardest times, and no one knew I sang and sometimes wrote music. It was all the secretive part of me, and it still is. And now, seeing Julie and Luke sing---I don't know---maybe I want to sometimes start singing at the top of my lungs, which I do when I get home after seeing them sing together; all of them, the entire band. And Luke, he's an amazing person and now that I know that I can touch him, all I want is to run and give him the biggest hug...but I can't, because even though he's connected through touching with me, he's connected through music and heart with Julie...also, there's something I want to confess-"
When she was about to finish her sentence, the three appeared in the studio, as well as Julie and Flynn who came through the door. Y/N got confused and she only managed to shove the pen in her bag and unnoticeably knocked over her diary; it closing under the coffee table. -Y/N! -Reggie said, going in for a hug, but Y/N passing through him. -Oh. It only works for Luke. He frowned and got back to his guitar. Luke didn't say anything; he just played dumb and continued to be his own self; crazy and happy to see Julie with some new lyrics. -You can rehearse, I'm leaving. Bye guys, see you. -she said and rushed out of the studio, leaving no time for the others to react to her sudden leaving. Her feet walked fast to her house and, when she opened her door, her grandma was sleeping in the living room. Y/N slowly and quietly walked to her room, trying not to wake her up, and sat down on her bed. She was sad, too sad to even see from her tears. The dusty guitar was placed in the corner and she didn't want to pick it up that night, rather pulling the covers over herself and falling asleep.
- The boys rehearsed with Julie, and Flynn and her promised each other a sleepover, so the preparations started outside the studio. Reggie and Alex were doing whatever entertained them, and Luke was still stuck on his new lyrics, trying to put words together that made sense to him the most. He rubbed his forehead, with the hand that held his pen, while having the guitar pick, peeking at the corner of his mouth. His gaze fell on a notebook corner that had fallen under the table. He picked it up, thinking it's Julie's lyrics notebook. Luke tossed it on the table, it flipping some pages open, to the same writing from earlier. He took it in his hands again, with his well-known curiosity, as his eyes moved fast from one sentence to another. The last part of it caught his attention the most. What was she going to confess? His feet hit the ground and he was headed for Y/N's house, remembering she can see him, so he needs to sneak in but not be seen by her. From what he could hear, there was no sound coming from her house. He slowly walked in on sleeping Y/N, immediately spotting the guitar in her corner. She had created herself a writing corner, that was filled with papers. He couldn't uncrumple the ones she threw away around the small desk, because she was going to wake up and see him. Luke took some of the lyrics, and what seemed to be her lyrics notebook and was out of her house.
- -Hello, Y/N. -he said, when she flew in on him alone at the studio. -Take a seat. She followed, taking a seat a bit far away from him, -You left this yesterday. I found it under the coffee table. -Thank you. -she took it from his hands and placed it safely in her bag, hoping he didn't read any of her writing, unnoticeably crumbling that page in her bag. She cleared her throat before speaking again, -I'll leave. -Okay...-was all he said, refusing to talk to her. She met Reggie at the door, and walked through him, leaving the place. -What's wrong with Y/N lately? -he said to Luke. -I don't know. -said Luke, and went to try some music for Y/N's lyrics. When Julie came to the studio, and Luke had alone time with her, he tried asking her about why Y/N's singing is such a secret in her life. -Does Y/N sing? -he blurted out. Julie furrowed her eyebrows and turned around to answer him. -I don't know. Probably. Like every normal teenager. -No, I mean sing, sing. -I've heard her sing a few times when we were little, but now I've never even seen her touch a guitar. Why are you asking? -Just curious. -Her mum, used to talk to my mum that whenever Y/N was sad, she would go to her grandma and play her songs. No one knew why she did it, until--- -Hey guys! -Alex walked in, -Let's rock this rehearsal. -Never mind. -sighed Julie, and she went to the piano.
It stayed with him the whole time; two unfinished sentences, both leading to the girl he didn't know why felt so special to him? He played the guitar, making mistakes and messing up, which worried the others. It confused them even more, after he said he'll go on a walk. But they shrugged it off, thinking he's upset about his mum and dad. But this time, he didn't go to them; the house he went to the other day was standing in front of him. And, apart from yesterday, where no sound was coming from it, the house was now filled with a guitar sound and a soothing voice. He came in, unnoticed by Y/N, as he obsereved the scene, Julie was talking about. Her singing to her grandma, who was laid in bed, with pill boxes next to her. -That was beautiful, firefly. -her old hands were now placed on hers. Luke took a peek at the papers in his hands. Firefly; a song title written boldly above. Y/N's voice filled the entire room, as she started singing lyrics from Luke's papers. The words amazed him and he couldn't believe that, the shy and introverted Y/N, Julie's best friend, has a magical voice and songwriting talent. He wished for his guitar, and it dropped in his hands. When he started to play, both Y/N's and her grandma's eyes snapped at him. Y/N's mouth dropped to the floor, but she played along, so her grandma doesn't get suspicious. She stood up and approached Luke, so they could sing together for her sick grandma.
After their little performance, Luke magically didn't disappear, because he quickly took a grip of Y/N's hand; that kept him still. Her grandma applauded them both, thinking her granddaughter wanted to bring along a friend to make a small performance for her, and Luke and Y/N assured her, as if it was really like that. -What are you doing here? -she brought him outside. -I wanted to see why singing is such a secret for you. -You read my diary didn't you? -I open Julie's dream box; I open your diary. Same outcome every time. Two beautiful voices. Is there something bad in that? -Boundaries! -she raised her voice. -Boundaries. -Yeah yeah, I get that a lot. -he said, -Also...what were you going to confess at the end? -Nothing. It doesn't interest you. Go now Luke, please. -You are holding my hand, Y/N. -he said and she let go, shaking them off together. -Tell me. -No Luke. I'll see you tomorrow at the studio. -she said, and swung open the door.
- It was the most important show for the Julie and the Phantoms. The four of them were so nervous that they constantly rehearsed the lyrics backstage. Flynn and Y/N took over their places in the crowded room, both of them present for support of their best friend's band with her crazy ghosts. Luke peek around the curtain, just to make sure she's there, and in the crowd. -Did you spot her? -said Reggie from behind him. -Is it that hard to spot her? A person with the brightest and most innocent smile in this world. I hope I don't confuse her tonight. -I think it'll be cute dude. -he tapped his shoulder and went to Julie and Alex.
When their last song finished, but the band kept playing, Luke settled himself with the guitar and took the microphone to speak. -While you got to see the Julie and the Phantoms, here's something very personal to me; a song I wrote along my journey with this band, just by looking at one person in the room. She's here tonight, between you all, supporting us with just her presence. Firefly, this song 'I loved you from the start', is for you my muse. Y/N's entire system stopped processing his words and her mouth stayed open in shock, as Luke started to play and sing the song he wrote for her. Tears formed in her eyes, as she took the scene of the emotional, but moving song he was telling in front of a whole crowd for...her? The words contained how much she meant to him and how he loved her from the moment he laid his eyes on her beautiful face. The crowd whistled and applauded when he finished, and calmed when Luke took the mic again to speak, -It's been a long way of just observing her from afar. I never felt so much inspiration for music in my life. Somehow she was keeping me from giving up on my dreams. Y/N, you're the most amazing and talented person I've ever met in my life, so I would be very honored if you accompany me on this stage and sing your song 'Firefly' with me? The crowd, as well as Flynn was encouraging her to get up on the stage and sing with him. And while she resisted, they persuaded her into doing it, and she found herself next to Luke. Reggie handing her a guitar, she stood next to Luke, and they started singing together. It was like her dreams came true at once, by just writing them in her diary, that he so happened to read. He could see her eyes flickering with excitement and happiness, and when they finished the song, Luke cupped her face, and placed a deep kiss to her lips in front of the entire audience. Julie and the band couldn't be more happy about the two of them, finally putting out their feelings for each other. When they split apart, he rested his forehead on hers. -Maybe Julie and I connect through music yes, but there's nothing better than being able to feel the person you love the most. I love you Y/N, and I loved you from the start. -I-I love you so much that everything that happened so quickly, felt like a dream I'm too scared waking up from. -You shouldn't be scared, because you'll live that dream as long as I can take a hold of these amazing hands, -he kissed them both,-that make words come to life. God, the things you make me feel by just existing. -You're the most perfect ghost I've seen in my life. -she joked, and placed kisses to his cheeks, finally meeting his lips again for a final kiss before they go back to the studio.
-- Julie and the Phantoms wrote music, which was normal, but Luke always enjoyed writing music with Y/N's head on his shoulder. He was overwhelmed to finally feel the person he loves, because his biggest pain, is never being able to touch the girl he loved the most...his Unsaid Emily.
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jostens-pitch · 3 years
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thoughts on any way the wind blows !!!
spoilers ahead !! i just wanted to talk about a few of my favorite things about awtwb and my overall thoughts on it since its been a few hours since ive finished it and im ready to chat :)
- i just wanna start off by saying i wasnt the biggest fan of wayward son, and that i had very low expectations for awtwb and essentially was ready to be disappointed all over again. however, im extremely pleased and happy with what awtwb gave us, and i absolutely loved reading it.
- my absolute favorite aspect of awtwb was seeing simon back to his (moderately) happy and carefree self. i think a huge reason why i didnt like wayward son so much was because of how broken simon was in it. i missed his witty remarks, his unintentional charisma, his dad jokes, and the way he was so hopelessly in love with baz. it was so refreshing seeing him back to who he was in carry on, albeit more sad and damaged, because it was like seeing the golden boy begin to shine bright again. it made me very happy <3
- i also loved the banter between simon and baz, which was another huge thing i missed in wayward son. they went on hunting dates while simon nagged baz !!! they fought over tiny things !!! they annoyed each other !!! they were true boyfriends !!! i adored their interactions so much in awtwb and im definitely rereading it purely for their dynamic in it. once again, it was very reminiscent of carry on.
- BAZ AND SIMON FINALLY BEING HAPPY BOYFRIENDS !!! now THIS is what i expected in wayward son. the hand holding, the hugs, the tears, the love declarations. seeing them finally happy together warmed my heart.
- SHEPARD LOVE, MY BELOVED !! i loved EVERYTHING about shepard, from his cursed turned engagement to a demon, to his relationship with penny. their relationship was the SWEETEST thing ever, and i love that shepard took care of penny in his own ways and embraced her chaos rather than finding it annoying (fuck u micah).
- i was scared to see how simon would find out he was lady ruths grandson, but im very happy with how it was revealed. the excalibur sword was BRILLIANT and really sweet and cute. i like how they all kinda went “oh shit” when he picked it up while simon had a freakout thinking he broke something. it was really funny and i think was a smooth transition into how he finds out he still has family.
- lucy flickering the candles fire to tell everyone simons her son :((( that broke me. absolutely broke me. it was so bittersweet and i think is what really completed the entire scene. it was a nice form of closure for them all.
- BAZS RELATIONSHIP WITH DAPHNE !!!!! so happy he cares about her and loves her, and him calling her mum really made me :’)))
- i really vibed with the parallels between baz/lamb and simon/smith. both took them in only to use them, and both simon and baz were vulnerable and desperate for answers. i think it was really interesting to see.
- AGATHA AS A LESBIAN YES WE SAW THIS COMING ! just kinda wish there was more build up BUT i liked her storyline a lot. its cool she becomes the next goatherd.
- speaking of goats: LOVED their role in protecting watford and how they fly. it was so cute and fun and interesting.
- one thing i didnt like was the fact that essentially everything, but shepard, from wayward son was just discarded and unimportant. i feel like there shouldve only been two books, not three. there wasnt a reason for wayward son besides introducing shepard, and while i adore that mans i think its really :/ like what happened to nownext ???? how did NONE of the gang get in trouble for illegally using magic ????
- i also felt like simon couldve resolved his issues in a better way, rather than after a five minute conversation with agatha. while i love how she helps him, i found it odd and too quick of a turn around. he JUST dumped baz yet immediately ran back to him ? i understand to an extent, but still. it seemed really rushed in a way.
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tomtenadia · 3 years
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Fire in her veins - a Island Dreams AU oneshot
So, yesterday Island Dream reached the amazing milestone of 5k hits on AO3. For me, it means the world especially because ID has a special place in my heart. It was my first long Rowaelin, set in a place that I adore. It’s more than just a story. It’s set in a part of Scotland that has completely stolen my heart.
So, to celebrate I asked for prompts and @whimsicallyreading​ gave me a brilliant one.
“Aelin accidentally distracts Rowan and their stove catches on fire 🥰 would be funny to see the ID crew interact with a Fire Department 🤣”
inspiration hit in an instant. This fic is set about three years after the epilogue. The twins are 7 and Dalamar is 4. The  story has a very Freyja-centred ending, mostly because she is my favourite. She is wild and fierce like her mother and she is funny.  (Don’t get me wrong I adore Morrigan and Dalamar too. They are calmer and adorable in their own way.)
If you are new to Island Dream you can find it HERE
Well, without much further ado I will leave you to the story.
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Rowan had a busy day at work. The bookshop had become very popular in town and business was good especially since Aelin had convinced him a while before to set up an internet page and an online ordering system. It had taken a while to really kick in but now he was basically serving the whole of the Hebrides and he had started getting orders as well from some remote location on the western highlands. Aelin had been right. She was the one who had started his Facebook page after all. He hated the whole thing - he had even deleted the profile he had created for fun, but he could not deny that it was handy for business. He had started promoting his events, he had hosted some indie authors and also had started a reading club at the weekend. He was proud of the job he had done. And now, with his aunt he was working on another stage. Her cafe had been shut for a few months after the last bad storm and flooding had caused some heavy damage. So when the bill for repairs had come Maeve knew it was too much and had decided to close to the dismay of the locals who loved her cakes and food. But Rowan had come up with a plan. The unit next to his shop had been vacant for a while so, he offered his aunt a deal. She could reopen her cafe inside his bookshop and they could merge the two units together. It had taken some convincing but in the end Maeve had accepted and the works had officially started. 
Life was busy but he had never been happier. The twins were seven and were in P2 and Rowan could not believe how quickly they were growing up. Freyja was still as wild and school had been a challenge. She hated being forced to sit at a desk. Hated the uniform. Hated school, but apart from her rebel attitude, the teachers kept telling them that she was a bright pupil and both Rowan and Aelin relaxed. Morrigan, on the other hand was the opposite of her twin. She adored school and was still the quiet one in the family. Dalamar was still at nursery and was meant to start school the following year. 
On that day Evalin had picked up the kids and brought them to the shop, something they adored. Then Rowan had taken them to swimming practice. He had kept his part time job as swimming instructor and the kids had followed in his footsteps. The twins being older were taking proper swimming classes while Dalamar just joined the club for the wee ones and splashed happily in the water while his sisters learnt to swim. When Aelin was not busy at the hospital she would accompany them and play with Dalamar. 
Usually the swimming classes were enough to exhaust his kids that he could cook in peace while waiting for Aelin to get back. That evening she had texted him that they had a last minute emergency and was running late. 
He tried for the umpteenth time to concentrate on a recipe for the evening when Freyja barged in the kitchen running followed by her brother and screaming that a dragon was chasing her. 
Rowan grabbed his daughter and lifted her in his arms burying his face in her belly causing the girl to laugh hard “dad, the dragon” and wiggled in her father’s arms to get free but Rowan did not let go. He just walked to Dalamar and offered him his free arm “hop on, oh mighty dragon.” The boy grabbed his father’s forearm swinging like a monkey and Rowan walked into the living room, his daughter under one arms and his son swinging from the other like a jungle creature.
Morrigan joined the chaos a moment later. Rowan kneeled and she climbed on his back.
In that moment he heard the door of the house open and an instant later Aelin waltzed in the living room and saw her husband completely overwhelmed by their children. She laughed at the scene “what is happening in here?” Her hands on the hips.
“A dragon is following me.” Shouted Freyja, with still too much energy in her. 
“I am not a dragon, I am a monkey.” Replied Dalamar, swinging a bit more from Rowan’s arm.
“And what are you doing, Morrigan?”
“The dragon has burned the floor.”
Rowan moved to the sofa and started to deposit the kids down “come on, let dad cook dinner. And don’t shout too much, mum is tired.”
The kids slowly climbed down their father and went to greet Aelin who hugged them all “did you all had a nice day? Did you go swimming tonight?”
“Yes.” The two girls shouted “Dad taught us how to jump in head first.”
Rowan roared with laughter “and they still are two clumsy little terrors who smash their bellies.”
“Be careful with that.” Said Aelin in full doctor mode “that type of jump is very risky, they can snap their neck if do not enter correctly.”
Rowan took a step towards his wife and wrapped his arms around her “I know. I would never put our daughters in danger.”
“Good,” she gave him a chaste kiss “now let mum take a shower and dad cook?”
“Tha.” Replied the three kids in unison.
The kids climbed back on the carpet Dalamar going back to his bricks, Morrigan to her colouring book and Freyja just kept swinging her plastic sword fighting some imaginary monster. While Aelin disappeared in the bathroom, Rowan finally managed to get back to the kitchen and think about dinner. It was getting late for the kids and he knew they would soon start to become agitated again and start bellowing for food. He grabbed a towel and threw it on his shoulder and then started preparing the ingredients. He was preparing veggie burgers made out of cous cous and chickpeas. The kids loved them. He was the one who cooked the most in the house since his hours were far more reliable and he had been doing his best to cook healthy meals, to Aelin displeasure as she complained that there were always far to many vegetables in his dishes. But she was okay with the kids following a healthy diet. Morrigan was pescatarian. The girl could not stand eating meat and last time Rowan had tried to give her beef or chicken, the poor girl had been sick all night. Whereas fish, she loved it and she was a happy veggie eater like her father. Dalamar would occasionally eat meat but with very little enthusiasms whereas Freyja was just like her mother. She would eat anything on her plate.
He was busy preparing the patties when he felt Aelin’s hand around his waist and a gentle kiss on his back.
“How the shift at the hospital?” He asked while finishing the patties and heating up the oil in the pan.
“Long.” She sighed against his chest “your dear wife might need some adult cuddling tonight.”
Rowan laughed and turned in her arms, throwing his towel on the counter. A deep kiss that, after seven years of marriage still made her toes curl. Aelin’s hands linked behind his neck and Rowan pushed her against the island and Aelin moaned in appreciation.
Until all hell broke loose.
The smoke alarm pierced the quiet of the room with its grating sound and when Aelin opened her eyes again she saw a quickly spreading fire behind Rowan.
“Rowan!” She shouted.
He turned quickly and looked for something to stop the fire but he was paralysed and he knew enough that water was not an option.
Aelin was already on the phone with the emergency services while Rowan grabbed another towel and tried to smother the fire with the only result of burning his hand.
“Ro, fire department is on its way.” She took his hand “a bad first degree burn.”
He was about to go and put it under the sink but Aelin stopped him.
At the deafening sound, the kids burst in the kitchen but Aelin pushed them away, taking Rowan with her “Come on kids let’s go back to the carpet.”
Morrigan and Dalamar went in their mother arms scared by the commotion. Freyja was standing just near the sofa looking at the fire in the kitchen in a daze.
Rowan noticed her and grabbed his daughter in his arms, ignoring the searing pain in his hand “That is dangerous.”
“It’s pretty.” Said the little girl.
It wasn’t long after that the fire department arrived. 
A woman with blonde hair, who was clearly in charge gave some orders and the team had the fire out in no time.
“Is anyone hurt?” Asked her, joining the family in the living room.
“My husband. First degree burn on his hand.” Replied Aelin pointing at Rowan leaning against the back of the sofa.
The woman called over the radio for a paramedic and Rowan scoffed claiming that he did not need one but at Aelin glared at him and he shut up.
And while Morrigan and Dalamar were still on the carpet quite shaken by the ordeal, Freyja was moving toward the tall woman. She reached for the hem of her bunker gear and pulled, claiming attention.
“Hello little one.” Said the woman kneeling to be at eye level with the girl “There’s no more fire. We fixed it. You don’t have to be scared.”
Freyja pouted “I was not scared.”
The woman laughed and brushed her silver hair and the girl grinned.
“Are you a fire woman?” She asked, looking at the adult in front of her with deep admiration.
In that instant another woman and a man came through and gave her a report, the woman nodded and got back to the girl in front of her “Yes, I am.”
Freyja beamed “can I be a fire woman too?”
The fire captain placed her heavy hat on the girl’s head which was gigantic on her but Freyja shouted for her parents but Aelin was busy speaking to the man and her dad was in the capable hands of a paramedic who was tending to his hand.
“You can be anything you want to be.” Said the woman softly, taking her hat back then she stood and Freyja bent her head upwards to stare at the woman while she walked to her parents.
“There is some damage and you will have to replace the stove and probably paint the wall near it.” She explained “I would suggest to have a fire blanket and a small fire extinguisher for cooking oils. They can easily be found online and they are good to have in emergencies.”
“We will. Thank you so much.”
The woman nodded and left with her team, while the paramedic was finishing fixing up Rowan’s hand “Keep it clean and change the bandage regularly. There are ointments that you can use to help the healing process. If it gets worse make sure you go to the hospital.” Rowan looked at Aelin and grinned “thank you. My wife is an A&E doctor, I am sure she will keep me right.”
“That’s why she looks familiar. Western Isles hospital, isn’t it? You are Aelin.”
“Hi Sarah.”
 Once the house was quiet again Aelin relaxed for a moment and Rowan went to Morrigan and Dalamar while Freyja was still staring at the door where the fire department had left.
“What is it, my love?”
Freyja turned at her mother’s voice, her face beaming with unbridled joy. They were all shaken by the evening, but her fierce girl was actually smiling.
“That was a fire woman.”
“Yes, my darling.”
“I want to be a fire woman too.”
Aelin crouched down to meet her daughter’s eyes and brushed some hair off her face “you can be anything you want to be, mo chridhe.  Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
Freyja hugged her mother then ran to her father, sister and brother shouting that she was going to be a fire woman.
Rowan joined Aelin a moment later and pulled her to his chest “I am sorry.”
“For what?”
“I got distracted.”
Aelin lightly punched him in the chest “I am the one who distracted you.”
He sighed “we have no dinner.”
“I’ll phone mum and ask her if we can go to her place.”
Aelin disappeared and Rowan stood in the kitchen looking at the mess. The fire had quickly spread and a part of the counter was damaged too. Everything was covered in foam and wasn’t even sure if it was safe to use the oven. The patties lay like burned blobs at the side. 
Aelin came back a moment later “mum is happy to have us. She is probably making dinner already.” She tugged her husband “let’s go, buzzard. We’ll think about it tomorrow.”
Once they finished getting the kids ready they went back to their room “So, Freyja wants to be a firefighter. She was staring at the fire in marvel and was amazed at seeing the two women firefighters.”
Rowan pulled Aelin to his chest “She is fearless like you. She has fire in her. I can totally see her become a badass firefighter.”
Aelin hugged him back in silence.
“She is our wee fireheart.”
Twelve years later, when Freyja finished her training at the fire academy and was assigned at the firehouse in Stornoway Aelin and Rowan happily looked back at that night knowing that it had changed the life of their daughter and were never happier of a fire in their house.
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fczco · 3 years
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WHAT IT WAS | RAFE CAMERON
Masterlist on pinned!
A.N: Heeyy, if you find this familiar it could be because you read it on my wattpad account or on here before I deactivated! English is not my first language so please be kind!
WORDS COUNT: 4k
WARNINGS: a lot of them, swearing, blood, drugs, etc.
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You hadn't thought about it in months when you finally were getting over it, suddenly came back, all the memories, good and bad, all the euphoria, when everything was angelic, when it was cruel, when suddenly it was radiant, then turned violent, and ended up being painful. When you gave up on it because you could not take it anymore.
-
Your family was the typical kook one, you grew up in a life full of luxury, you got everything you wanted due to your mum's richness.
Sarah and you were best friends since you were born and his brother was your boyfriend practically since both of you learned that word. The Cameron's and your family had everything arranged between you two, Rafe and you were supposed to be together for the rest of your lives, he was going to take care of his dad's company, the next step would be getting married, travel around the world, having lots of beautiful kids and live happily ever after.
2008
It was your 5th birthday party, all your friends were there and you felt extremely happy with the big amount of presents you had received from them all. You were not the typical little girl your parents desired you to be, you had begged for them to let "Pirates of the Caribbean" be the theme, you hadn't really seen the movies but you loved pirates! Rafe and you would always pretend you were them in his dad's yacht because Sarah did not like them at all, you couldn't understand how it was so fun! Your friend would lend you one of his plastic swords and play the whole afternoon. The best part was that you always won, but now, many years after, looking back at it Rafe was probably letting you win. However, your mum forced you to make your party about Cinderella, you hate princess but especially Cinderella, there wasn't a reason for it, you just did.
Weeks before you had told the little boy your birthday was going to be about pirates and he was so excited about it, you babble about it for days, so when Rafe arrived at your house with his family and saw all the princess decorations and the angry but yet sad face you had on, he instantly understood what was going on, you both were little but very smart for your age, plus he had sympathy for you due to his similar family conditions.
Everyone but you and him enjoyed the celebration, the young man and you stayed together in a corner of your backyard playing alone. Rafe picked up two small branches and played as you were pirates like you would usually do, he knew that was what you really wanted at that moment.
When it was time to blow the candles you looked at your sky blue and pink cake, wishing it had Jack Sparrow's face on it, Rafe smiled at you and you smiled back at him. Everyone sang the typical song, you blew the candles and buried three of your little fingers into the cake, thinking of three wishes.
being a pirate
playing as pirates with Rafe
Sarah wanting to play as pirates with you two
-
2010
It was almost summer and you were really excited about all the little adventures Rafe and you were going to have in the next months.
You felt so much older, your first year of primary school was over and it had been great! Even though Sarah was not hanging out with you as much as she was before; you had the hope of playing with her more now that you had nothing else to do.
Those weeks were great, you almost didn't see your girl best friend, but her brother and you were getting closer and closer as days went by. Rafe always protected you from everything and made you laugh a lot, he was funny.
Summer '10 was lovely, one of your favorites memories of you and the boy happened during that time, your first kiss. You didn't really count it as the very first kiss, but you had to admit that, at that time, for you was even more than what it actually was.
It was an extremely warm day and you invited Rafe over to play in the fort you both had made in your backyard, right where years before you were pretending to be pirates while your birthday party was going on inside the house. He was 'building' a table as you made mud cakes.
"Look at the cake i made for us!" you abruptly shouted, thing that scared Rafe, but he didn't let you notice because the last thing he wanted was for you to make fun of him.
"It looks delicious y/n, we should eat it!" he said, excitement on his face while sitting beside you.
"ARE YOU CRAZY RAFE?" you were shocked, the drama queen in you was starting to jump out, "IT'S MADE OF DIRT THAT'S DISGUSTING!" you looked at him, terrorized by what the little boy was saying.
"i- i- i wasn't serious, i- i just thought you'd like me to say that" he was so embarrassed.
"oh, i'm sorry" you apologized to him.
There was silence for a few seconds, it wasn't uncomfortable so you didn't mind about it.
"wanna know what Sarah made me do?"
"mmmm, maybe"
"she made me watch 'The Princess And The Frog', TWO TIMES" he sounded so mad, "and then she told me that Topper kissed her" he looked at you, you were not understanding why he was telling you this, but before you could talk; he continued, "and i was thinking that may- maybe we can d- do it too" you opened your eyes wide open, kissing him? like in the mouth?
"i- in- the mouth?"
"yeah, i mean, that's what she told me" you stared into his eyes, trying to figure out if he was just messing with you or was actually serious about it.
"uhm, i guess so?"
"you do?" he had a frown formed in his face.
"if that's what you want to" he nodded with a smirk on his lips.
You both turned and were now facing each other, without an idea of what to do you followed him, he started to lean forward and you did too, he closed his eyes and you did as well, and after what felt like an eternity but was actually almost four seconds, your lips touched his; ending up in a little pecked kiss.
After that day neither you nor Rafe talked about it again, it was like it never happened, which, at your really short age, was normal.
This year your family and you decided not to celebrate your birthday due to your grandma passing away two weeks before, it didn't feel right for them. At seven years old it was hard to fully understand what death was, you had heard about it but never experienced it before. Rafe felt really bad about it and on the day you finally turned seven he went to your house and spent it with you, so that way, you would not feel as lonely.
-
2012
Rafe was starting to change, he did not want to play with you anymore and that made you sad and upset. Your mom told you it was normal for boys to not hang out with girls once they grew up, but that wasn't him, it didn't felt like him. You never thought that the boy who was your best friend, the only kid you really enjoyed being around, especially after Sarah hang with more friends that were not you, would leave you alone.
You started to search for fun on other stuff and found that you loved to read stories about wonderful adventures, and when you finished every single book in your house about the topic, you started to flip through the pages of some old books regarding birds and insects, you were amazed by the stunning draws and colors of them and wanted to make your own.
For your ninth birthday you decided to do an exchange, it was difficult to convince your parents but they finally gave in, instead of a party you wanted them to give you a pretty journal with some color pencils. That way you would have your own investigation diary about those interesting creatures you were obsessed about.
Summer had ended and school season started, you and your little notebook were inseparable, you took it with you to class and spent all the recess doing little notes about birds you had seen during the day so when you arrived home you could search and learn about them.
One cold winter night, your dad told you that the Cameron's were coming home to have dinner, you couldn't wait for them to arrive, maybe that was the moment you had the opportunity to befriend Sarah again and show Rafe all the information you had collected during the months you didn't hang out. But they never appeared, their parents had gone but not them, Sarah was not feeling well and Rafe was sleeping over at a friend's house.
-
2014
Sarah was talking to you! you were friends again and there was no way you would not see each other every single day.
Spending every minute of the day over at her house was completely normal at that point. You two hanging out again made your families closer.
It was like your parents didn't care at all you were just a pair of ten years old, almost eleven, kids.
Rafe would always try to be with his sister and you whenever you were around at their house, but Sarah would just scream at him 'LEAVE US ALONE!' which ended in him giving up and walking away. It was sad, you missed spending time with the boy.
2014 was the year you turned eleven, and also had your first period. Everyone was so excited about that and you just hated it, with your whole heart, it made you want to cry every single time. Due to that, your body started to change, and boys started to notice it, including Rafe.
-
2016
The year it all started.
It was your thirteenth birthday and you did not felt like doing a big party, that night the Cameron's and your family went to a restaurant. Sarah, Rafe, and you were talking about what you were going to do the next week while Wheezie just listened. Finally, the boy and you were good friends again. When the food arrived you all shut up and started eating while paying attention to what your parents were talking about.
"oh yeah, of course, they are definitely getting married at some point," Ward said to what your father nodded.
"it's the best for them" this time your mom spoke.
"of course it is!" Rose laughed, "he will be taking care of the family business, they are going to have a splendid life together"
"Who are you talking about?" Rafe got into the conversation.
"we are talking about you silly!" you looked at your mom, not understanding what was going on.
"wha- what?" Rafe was just as surprised as Sarah and you were.
"yeah kid, we are talking about yours and y/n's future together" Ward stated as taking a piece of meat to his mouth.
"what exactly do you mean?" you stepped in this time.
"what you heard kid, your future life, your marriage, and all" your dad said as if it was the most normal thing to say to a thirteen-year-old.
"their marriage?!" Sarah was furious, you could notice it in her voice tone, Rafe and you stared at each other.
"you just are too young to realize yet" Rose brushed it off. None of you talked for the rest of the night.
Just a few months after that, your dad and Ward had already made a reservation for you two at the exact same restaurant. When you arrived you saw Rafe already there in a table positioned in a corner. Now looking back at it, everything was so fucked up, you were just kids. You approached him and sat, he smiled at you while you did.
"hi", he said, shyly, of course. It was really weird, you both had been alone before but never this way, this was completely different, your families were hoping that you turned this into something romantic. "Are we on a date right now?".
"i think so?" you laughed a little bit, "please, don't make this awkward, i don't get why they do this".
"i do" he said, you looked at him with a confused face, was he agreeing with all of this? "i mean, i can see why they want us to be together" after that he took a sip of his soda and started serving you some.
"Rafe, you should be allowed to 'date' whoever you wanted"
"And what happens if who i wanna date is you?" you were shocked at your friend's words.
"Rafe what are you talking about? i just turned thirteen and you are about to turn fourteen, you like it or not we are kids" you were a little bit mad due to what he was saying.
"well, Juliet was thirteen and Romeo was around that age"
"Rafe you did- you did not just compare us to Romeo and Juliet, have you read the book?"
"no, i did not"
"THEY DIE, THEY DIE AT THE END" you knew you were making this a lot bigger than it actually was but didn't care about it, "of course you didn't read the book" you whispered but he heard.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?" now that you're remembering everything you can't believe that a pair of thirteen years old could be so dramatic.
"I MEAN WHAT I SAID," you said while leaning over the table.
"you know what, why don't we shut up and finish with this as fast as we can, i don't want to be here" Rafe proposed.
"sounds perfect to me, i do not want to be here too"
Either of you spoke again until you had had dinner and Ward picked you two up.
-
2018 / 2019
In the past two years, Rafe and you had finally got together. Your parents were over the moon about it and you were also really happy. You both were discovering and experiencing together what being in a relationship was.
The first months were a little bit strange, you both knew that it was not a real relationship, for everyone else you were together, but in reality, you hadn't had that many kisses as you thought you were supposed to have and outside school didn't see each other that much.
Summer '18 the Cameron's took you with them on their holidays to the Bahamas, it was amazing, not just because Rafe and you spent a lot of time together but also because you got to hang more with Sarah who you were not seeing a lot since it all started, and the reason was that whenever you went to their house you were with her brother, and they definitely didn't get along that much.
Unfortunately, the 'real' part began in 2019, you and Rafe turned sixteen and started going to parties and being more around of what people called 'pogues'. During the school year, it was like a daydream, he picked you up and went together, you had lots of dates and spent beautiful moments together, those were the times when your relationship was at it's highest, where you realized that, after all, maybe your parents were right and your destiny was, indeed, be together.
Your favorite moment from that time in your life was with him. You both were laying in the grass of your house's backyard, it was really cold outside, and decided to take some blankets with you to be warm. You were laying in his chest while he hugged you, appreciating the stars. He pressed a kiss to your head and you smiled to yourself.
"wanna know something?" you looked up to him.
"pretty boy is thinking! someone please record this!" you said, just to annoy him.
"shut up" he laughed, knowing you were messing with him, "you want to know or no baby?" he asked, a more serious tone on his voice.
"of course i want to know" you took his hand into yours, the warmness made you shiver, to what he hugged you harder.
"i read on the internet that you can buy stars online, maybe one day i'll buy you one and name it Rafe so whenever you wanna get rid of me you would not be able to" the boy started swinging you side to side in a slow speed, you'd never felt that peaceful in your life before.
Once again you looked at him "that's a little bit wicked of you" he giggled, "however, i think that would be the most divine present someone could ever give to me" he backed down his head and kissed your cheek, "and also, i'm never getting rid of you" you could feel him smiling while pressing his chin against the side of your head.
That was the last happy time you genuinely can remember at perfection.
You still don't know what happened when summer '19 arrived, it was the breaking point of your relationship. Parties at the beach were being held by pogues most of the time, and you never went because partying was not your thing, all of them ended up in disaster, pure and authentic disaster. You are grateful the only one you went to was the first one. Rafe was extremely drunk and you were trying to take care of him but it was being hard, especially when Topper got into a really intense fight with JJ and John b, two of the few pogues you knew, it was tragic and it got worse when the blonde one pulled a gun at Sarah's boyfriend head, while all that happened you lost Rafe and found him after like five minutes beating up someone that was on the ground, barely moving. You ran towards him and with all your straighten you push him.
"YOU'RE KILLING HIM RAFE!" you yelled at your boyfriend, when you finally got to see him he was covered in blood, you took him by his hand and got out of there, arriving at your house where you helped him clean up himself.
"i think i'm in love with you" he tried to say but was too drunk to pronounce the words properly.
"don't start with that now when you almost killed a random guy tonight, for what? explain" you were furious.
"'cause he is a pogue, he deserves it y/n" you both walked to your bed and laid down to sleep.
"no he doesn't Rafe, that's not an excuse for what you did, they are people just like us" you scolded him.
"whatever" he ignored you.
Some time after that Sarah started to see John B behind Topper's back and she asked you to keep her secret safe, which you did.
At midsummers Rafe escorted you, it was a fantastic night, you two were together the whole time and drank lots of expensive champagne while you danced. The pride on your dad's face was priceless, in that moment you forgot about what had happened a few nights before and just enjoyed the moment, smiling at your boyfriend, always.
"you wanna know something?" Rafe whispered in your ear while you danced to a slow song, his hands on your waist and yours behind his neck.
"mmm, this brings back good memories" you smiled to the handsome man in front of you.
"i love you"
"i love you too Rafe"
"let me finish pretty girl" you laughed a little bit, "please stop smiling like that, i'm not sure what will happen if you keep doing that" this time your laugh was stronger, getting some looks from people around you.
"i'm just really happy right now, wouldn't want to be anywhere else" you hugged him without stop moving.
"i know, me too"
A few minutes after he disappeared, and you did not have an excuse to stay so you went home. The next day you found out he was trying to beat up the blonde pogue, JJ.
You don't really know why but for some reason it went away and everything was perfect again, but it only lasted a few days.
You were really bored at your house and after contemplating whether you should or shouldn't go to the Cameron's house, you got into your car and drove around the few blocks that separated your house from Rafe's. You knew his parents were out of town that day and Sarah was probably hanging out with John B and his friends so you didn't bother on knocking and just got in. You heard your boyfriend's voice from the downstairs bathroom. Once you got into it you saw his clothes on the floor and he was applying toothpaste to his arm.
"Rafe?" he looked at you scared.
"y/n- i- i" he was crying, you directed your eyes to his arm, a huge new burnt was there.
"Rafe what happened?" you got closer to him, "is that blood?" you pointed at the clothes on the floor.
"no", he denied it but it obviously was blood.
"Rafe, what's going on?"
"i- i got into a fight" ha answered.
"with who? baby who did this?" you helped him with his injury.
"Barry" but as soon as you heard that name you pulled away.
"Barry? as the drug dealer Barry?" he didn't even look at you, "Rafe are you doing drugs?" completely ignored you, and when he did that you figured out the answer, "how much do you owe him?" you asked, one hand on you waist and the other one on the bathroom door.
"some thousands" your jaw almost touched the floor, and your face was full of disappointment and anger. "don't look at me like that" he begged, and tried to grabbed you and pulled you closer to him but you just pulled him away.
"DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT? THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY?" he didn't reply "FUCK RAFE, THOUSANDS? YOU OWED THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO A DRUG DEALER AND YOU EXPECT ME TO STAY CALM?"
"i can explain."
"NO YOU CAN'T, WHAT? TOPPER AND YOU GOT BORED OF THE STUPID WEED AND WANTED TO TRY SOMETHING STRONGER? WHAT DID YOU BUY? COKE? NOW YOUR HOBBY IS BUY THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON COKE? THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT TO EXPLAIN TO M-"
"GET OUT" he screamed to your face as he got closer to your body, while pointing to the door, "GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY DAMN HOUSE" you looked at him and turned away, walking towards the door and he didn't follow you.
"HOPE YOU HAVE AN AMAZING LIFE RAFE" you screamed without closing the door.
After that you didn't see him in a long time, you didn't go out of your house anymore.
You heard that Sarah and John B were missing, you missed her. You had no one to talk to, just your own thoughts.
A few weeks later, everything came out to the light, Ward went to jail for killing John B's dad and being kinda responsible for another poor man's death.
Rafe confessed that it had been him the one who shot the detective, but they found out about his drug addiction and blamed it on that, so he ended up going to rehabilitation and not directly to jail.
-
2021
It was your eighteenth birthday, Sarah was coming to your house to keep you company until your parents got out of work.
As you were walking towards the kitchen the doorbell rang.
"hi" you said as opening the door.
"hello, is this y/n?" the man in front of you asked while reading your name from a box.
"that would be me" you said, and after signing some papers he gave you the package.
You placed it on the table and started opening it. It seemed like a picture frame, when you paid attention to it, tears fell from your eyes, there was a little letter on it.
i did not name it after me, i realized that you were, are, and always will be the big star that keeps me going. I hope you know how much i miss you and regret everything i did, maybe one day you'll forgive me and love me again. I took that for granted and i'm so sorry of that. happy eighteen birthday y/n, i expect you still think this is the most divine present someone could ever give you.
- Rafe
It was a star, he had bought a star and named it after you, Rafe kept his promise, and even though you had said to yourself, just the night before, you will move on and forget about him, you couldn't help but smile; wishing you could re-do everything and go back to what it was that night from a few years before.
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Text
When you need a Superfriend
By Nach0Ava
On Archive of Our Own
Tumblr user: @nach0ava
So I have not really watched Supergirl however when I read the first chapter I had to share this with you all! This is the first chapter by Nach0Ava. (Second chapter is on its way as well!) Marinette gets sent away by her parents to America! Please go read Nach0Ava's story!
Summary:
When Tom and Sabine believe Lila's lies, they send Marinette off to live with an old family friend in National City. When living with a government agent and a physiologist, how long is it until she gets figured out?
Chapter 1:
“I don’t understand! Why are you sending me away?”
Marinette looked up at her parents in disbelief. They had just told her that she was going to be sent to live with a family friend. In America! Sure, she could speak fairly good English, but it still didn’t make sense!
“Your recent behaviour has led us to think that the change could be good for you. Kelly and her girlfriend Alex are lovely people, and they might be better equipped to deal with you than we are.”
As her mother spoke, Marinette felt a bitterness rise in her. Of course. Lila. She had made good on her threat, managing to turn even her parents against her. Claiming that she was involved in a gang, she had an older boyfriend, she did drugs, the list went on. And when Tom and Sabine had caught Marinette out past curfew one too many times, they took it as the truth. She couldn’t tell them that she was Ladybug, so all she had was half-hearted excuses. Still, she needed a way to stay in Paris, as she couldn’t be Ladybug somewhere else, and if there was no Ladybug, there was no-one to catch the akuma, and no-one to cast the cure, never mind all her guardian duties…
She was getting off track. She had a goal and she needed to accomplish it. Just like taking down an akuma. Except she couldn’t hit this problem really hard for it to go away.
“Is there any way I could stay in Paris? I’ll switch schools, I’ll go live with grandpa Roland, I’ll do anything!”
Tom and Sabine exchanged a look. They didn’t want to believe it, but they had to make sure.
“Honey, calm down, aren’t you worried about an akuma?”
Marinette started pacing as she rambled, mostly to herself.
“Right, I’ll get upset, then you guys will get mad at me, and then one or both of you will be akumatised and then I’ll have that whole mess to deal with.”
Tom reached out a hand to her shoulder to stop her pacing.
“You aren’t worried about you getting akumatised?”
Marinette shook her head.
“No no, I’ll be fine.”
A slight push from her bag and the looks from her parents made her backtrack.
“I mean, I’m really good at calming down before they get to me, I mean, it’s worked so far right?”
She let out a nervous chuckle while her parents stared at her.
“Marinette… Are you working with Hawkmoth?”
Marinette looked for the start of a smile from her mum, the laughter in her dad’s eyes, anything to say they were joking. When the just kept staring she burst into laughter.
“Haha, you guys… You guys really thought… Haha, that’s hilarious!”
Her parents failed to see the humour and gave her thatlook.
“Remember all those times I’ve been attacked? Reflekta, Horificator, pretty much any akuma that clones or traps people I’ve gotten tangled up in.”
Not technically a lie, she never said she got hitspecifically, but she definitely got attacked.
“Well, maybe you should get out of Paris anyway. It’s clearly not safe here, and maybe it’s best for you to leave. You’ll like it in National City, they even have their own superheros!”
Great. A reminder of what I have to give up because of Lila. She was about to keep protesting, but she felt three quick pushed on her side by Tikki. We need to talk.Her argument died on her tongue and she sighed.
“When am I meant to leave?”
Her parents exchanged relived looks.
“The plane is booked for next Friday. That gives you about a week to pack up. We could mail over a box with all of your sewing things once you get settled, if Kelly and Alex are ok with it of course.”
Marinette fought the eyebrow that was threating to raise. A week? I was hoping for some more time to test and train a new guardian, and a new holder for Tikki. It would be a rush, and there weren’t many people she trusted anymore. Still, there was work to be done, so she had to get started.
“I guess I’ll go start packing then. Can I be un-grounded so I can spend my final week saying goodbye and sorting things out?”
Her parents nodded, glad she was taking this so well.
“Of course honey, just not tonight ok? It’s getting rather late.”
Marinette nodded and ran up to her room, shutting the trapdoor quickly. She went up onto her bed and starting crying into her pillow, feeling the weight of all the kwami comforting her. Eventually she rolled on to her back, drying her tears.
“I’m sorry Tikki, you said you wanted to talk?”
She looked at her expectantly. Marinette already knew what Tikki wanted. She needed to find a new wielder and Guardian, and she shouldn’t have been putting it off, but sometimes it felt good to cry. Tikki came to settle on her lap and patted her leg comfortingly.
“Marinette I know what you’re thinking, and you don’t have to give up being Ladybug or being Guardian. So you better stop that train of thought right now missy.”
Marinette sat up, blinking. How could she… Oh.
“I’m an idiot.”
Tikki giggled while she flew up and booped her nose, while Kaalki sniffed from the corner.
“I can’t believe you forgot about me Guardian. You’ve given me out before!”
Marinette giggled at the kwami’s haughty attitude.
“Sorry Kaalki, I got a bit too emotional to think clearly.”
Kaalki just grabbed a sugar cube with a huff and flew off. Marinette climbed off her bed and grabbed her bright pink suitcase.
“So who wants to help me pack?”
~~<3~~
Chloe, Kagami, Luka and Marinette were all sitting at a table at a café during their lunch break. Luka had graduated already, so he was usually free to hang out. Chloe had come up to Marinette not too long after Lila’s takeover with an apology. Marinette had been wary at first, but Chloe was actually really nice when she wasn’t putting up an act. She had soon proven herself and had been given another chance at being a hero, under the new name Honeybee. Kagami had approached her after Adrien had asked for advice on the Lila situation. She had hated his passive approach, and when she had tried to talk to him about it, he just refused her help, ignoring the fact that he had asked for her help. Kagami had come to offer her help, and they become friends soon after. She had re-claimed the dragon, under the new name Tempête. Luka had heard Lila’s heart song and immediately knew that was someone that he didn’t want to hang around. He had tried warning Juleka and the rest of Kitty Section, but Lila had told them that having an older singer wasn’t a good look. He had been kicked out, and Marinette had been there to comfort him with pastries and musicals. After she had introduced everyone to each other, they had become a tightly knit group. So, as one could imagine, they weren’t taking this well.
“They gave you a week? That’s ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!”
Kagami made a noise of displeasure as well.
“Sending you to America seems a bit extreme, what reason did they give again?”
Marinette scoffed.
“My ‘recent behaviour’ or something like that. Also known as, Lila. Oh, that’s not even the best part.”
Marinette gave out a dry chuckle and everyone looked on in interest.
“Apparently, I’m working with Hawkmoth.”
Luka plucked a string on his guitar, sending out a loud note. Chloe just stared in disbelief, and Kagami made for her foil.
“I’m going to run them through with my sword.”
Kagami gripped it tightly, ready to get up and make good on her threat, but Marinette grabbed it from her, unbothered by the fencer’s unimpressed glare.
“No-one is stabbing anyone. I don’t really have a choice, so I just have to suck it up and deal with it. Besides, it could be good to get away from Lila.”
Chloe was the first to get up to give her a hug, followed by Luka, and then by Kagami, who Marinette wasn’t completely sure that she wasn’t just trying to get her sword back.
“It’ll be ok guys, we can still video chat through Skype or something. I won’t be able to text, because I’ll be on an American phone plan, but we can figure something out!”
Chloe pulled away and took out her phone, tapping away immediately.
“I’m going to get you an amazing phone plan, with unlimited overseas. Same for the rest of you. That way, we can all talk and not worry about the fact that there’ll be an ocean dividing us.”
Marinette slowly took the phone and added it to her slowly growing pile, pointedly ignoring the glare Chloe shot her.
“I’m sure there are other, free, ways to contact each other. I think there’s an online service, what’s the name in English? Chaos or something like that?”
Luka strummed at his guitar in thought before pulling up an app on his phone.
“Is this the one you were thinking of?”
He had opened Discord, in dark mode of course, and had his profile open.
“Yeah, that’s the one! We can talk on there, and it has the bonus of being accessible from computers! So, no reason to go overboard, ok Chloe?”
Chloe humped and opened up the app store, downloading Discord. Kagami noticed what she was doing and mirrored her. They all took a few minutes to make accounts and become friends, before Luka, the one with the most experience, had set up a server for them all. Quickly choosing nicknames, Marinette pocketed her phone with a grin.
“Now that that’s done, anyone want to come help me pick some things to take?”
~~<3~~
It felt like the week passed quickly, lessons passing by in a blur. She didn’t pay much attention, just enough to keep Mrs Bustier satisfied. She didn’t bother alerting anyone in the class (outside of Chloe) that she was leaving, ignoring their taunts and insults. Chloe and Kagami had been big helps in learning how to ignore them, so now they rolled off her like water on a duck. She made sure not to bring anything valuable, most of her stuff was in a suitcase anyway. On her final day, she only had her schoolbooks, the school assigned tablet, and three neatly wrapped gifts. As she was packing up to go meet her friends for a final goodbye, she was stopped by Alya.
“I need you to make a dress for the upcoming school dance.”
Marinette briefly noted that this was a demand, rather than a request, but she just started her usual commission speech with a sigh.
“Depending on the materials used and the time it takes to make, the dress could cost anywhere from €300 to €500. There will also be shipping costs, plus the fact I’m not taking commissions right now, so it will probably be a few weeks before I might be able to get started on it.”
Alya was staring at Marinette like she had grown another head.
“€300, what are you talking about? I’m not paying youfor a dress, and you make mine every year, so what’s the problem? I can’t wait a few weeks, the dance is next weekend!”
Marinette sighed and pushed past the taller girl.
“The problem is that I don’t have time, materials are expensive, and I made you those dresses when we were friends. But we’re not now. So, leave me alone. Goodbye Alya.”
She walked out to meet her friends, leaving Alya behind, too stunned to talk. When she snapped out of it, she grumbled to herself.
“She’ll see reason on Monday. She has no right to refuse after all she’s done to Lila! Maybe if she makes Lila’s dress too, she’ll forgive her! Lila’s nice like that, Marinette will come around after making up for everything she’s done!”
Alya walked away, satisfied, planning her new dress in her mind.
Marinette ran up to her friends, engulfing them in hugs. They all hugged right back, sad to see her go. Marinette suddenly pulled away from the hug, and grabbed three parcels out of her bag. She handed them all out, urging them to open them. Luka opened his first, finding a beanie that perfectly matched his hair, with a teal snake pattern around the rim. Chloe went next, her patience not holding any longer. She got a headband with tiny bees embroidered all along it. Kagami received a red handkerchief, with an elemental dragon on one side, and a storm cloud on the other, a lightning strike going all the way across. They all started to thank her at once, with Marinette just blushing sheepishly.
“I just took note of all your favourite heroes, and added them to a design. It’s not that big of a deal.”
They all hugged again, before the clock chimed behind them, making Marinette jump.
“I have to go! I’ll send you all a message when I land, but you better not stay up for it if it’s late here!”
A chorus of “No promises!” filled her ears as she ran home, taking in the sights one more time. She burst into the bakery to find her mum still working the counter, and her dad busy baking. Not thinking much of it, she went up to her room to grab her belongings. After some quick cuddles from the kwami, she had everything she needed. Most flew into the suitcase, comfy in the hidden area Marinette had made, lined with a soft faux fur. Only Tikki and Kaalki flew into her jacket, ready to transform if need be. They had assured her they wouldn’t show up on the x-ray, so she was fine with having them in there. As she lifted her suitcase and went downstairs, her strength from being Ladybug shining through, she was surprised to see her parents still busy at work.
“Maman, Papa, I thought we were going to the airport now?”
Her parent’s exchanged looks before Tom stopped his baking and walked over.
“Honey, we can’t afford to come with you, we need to keep the bakery open. There’s an Uber outside for you, but you’ll have to go on your own. I’m sorry.”
He pulled her into a hug, one she half-heartedly returned. She walked over to hug her mum as well, and went outside with her suitcase.
This was it.
She was really being sent away.
All because of some dumb liar.
With a comforting press coming from inside her jacket, she got in the Uber, prepared to start her new life.
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Full Time Job | Tom Hiddleston x Reader
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Pairing: Tom Hiddleston x Reader (but it is more gen fic)
Summary:  Tom is left to parent his twin sons, Henry and James while the reader takes a much needed vacation. It is not as easy as he thought.
Warnings: Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, parenting Twins, Humor
-
One Month Earlier
“Honestly, dear, it can be all that bad. You used to run entire movie productions before this.” Tom scoffed at his phone screen.
You narrowed his eyes at him. “Which pales compared to raising your children. James and Henry are one hundred times worse than any prima donna movie star. They get that from their father.”
Tom resisted rolling his eyes. “You’re a real comedian. You missed your calling.”
“Well now, the only calls I answer are the boys screaming ‘Mum!’ or ‘No!’. That is my life now. I was done with people bossing me around when I stopped being a production assistant.”
Tom smirked. “You wanted kids.”
“One at a time. Not twin boys who are hell bent on taking this house apart brick by brick.” Someone knocked on Tom’s trailer door. You sighed. “Go.”
Tom smiled. “I’ll be home in a month.”
You smiled back even as James snuck behind you and whacked your leg with something hard and plastic. “I miss you and I love you.”
“I love you too, darling. One month.” He blew a kiss at the phone before switching off the phone.
You placed the phone on the kitchen counter and spun around to find both of your sons behind you. They hid their weapons of choice behind their backs. Their faces sticky with some dark unknown substance you were afraid to guess as to its origin.
“No hitting Mummy while she is talking to Daddy.” you scolded.
“DADDY!” they screamed in unison.
“Not for another month. Time for a bath and then bedtime.”
“NOOO!!” The three-year-olds took off through the house, blond curls bouncing.
“James Thomas and Henry William Hiddleston, if you make me chase you…” Your voice trailed off. You didn’t even have the energy to finish your empty threat. Instead, you picked up the now discarded play sword and what was once a toy tennis racquet and ambled towards the boys’ favorite hiding places.
-
Present Day
“Now the snacks are all labelled in the fridge. The pediatrician phone number is on the table. Don’t feed them any sweets. They have a dental appointment in the morning on Monday.” You rattled off instructions to Tom while he stared at you, arms crossed.
“I am their father. I am capable of caring for them.” Tom huffed with a smile, walking towards you. “Go enjoy the weekend with your friends. We will be fine here.”
You stared up at him as his arms enveloped you, pulling you into his chest. A loud crash echoed from the living room.
“I’m calling and cancelling.” you stated, pulling away from Tom to find the phone. He held you tight.
“No. You’re not.” A horn beeped outside. “That’s the car to take you to the train station.” You released you from his grip to grab your weekend bag and purse. “You are going to enjoy this time off while I get in some quality father-son time.” He smiled and your shoulders slumped.
“Ok. But call if anything comes up. I am on the first train back.”
“Your confidence in me is overwhelming.” Tom chuckled. The car beeped its horn again. “Now off.”
“Hugs for Mummy!” you called out and Henry and James ran into the room at full speed, launching themselves into your arms. You breathed in their scent, holding back a tear. “I’ll be back on Sunday night. Be good for your father.”
“We will!” the two said in unison before running out of sight in a fit of giggles. You grabbed Tom’s shirt and pulled him into a kiss.
“Stay strong. I love you.” you muttered against his lips.
“I love you too. How hard can two boys be?” he questioned. You patted his face in sympathy and darted out the door before you changed your mind.
When the door clicked behind you, Tom spun on his heel, pushing up the sleeves of his shirt. “Now…” you glanced at the schedule you posted on the fridge. “… that won’t be necessary. BOYS!” Henry and James scuttled into the kitchen. “Who wants dessert for lunch?”
“YAY!!” they jumped up and down in excitement. Tom beamed.
-
Three Hours Later
Tom sat on the couch in a daze as he stared at the scene before him. Legos, crayons, puzzle pieces, and other toys covered every square inch of the floor. He lifted his hand to rake his fingers through his hair, only to find it and the couch cushion sticky. His mouth agape.
“Henry! James!” you called out with the sternest of tones. The boys popped their heads over the back of the couch, hanging upside down, staring at their father.
“Yes, Daddy?” James asked, his blue eyes wide and innocent.
“Clean up this mess right now.”
“No!” Henry whined. “Still playing.”
“No, you’re not.” Tom attempted to reason with the three-year-old. “You’re cleaning it up so we can cook dinner.”
“NO!” The blond curls disappeared and their bare feet padded along the floor.
Tom leaped across the back of the sofa, nearly landing face first, and sprinted to catch the boys. He blocked their path into their room. His nostrils flared. “Boys…” he started. “… clean up the mess.”
“No!” They giggled and took off in the other direction, heading for the stairs. They liked this new game, Monster Daddy Chase.
Tom took off again but missed snatching Henry up as they bounded up the stairs. As they turned the knob to enter his study, he slammed the door shut. Tom crouched down, picking up one boy in each arm. They screamed and wiggled, but Tom’s grip held them tight.
He huffed and seethed as he stomped down the stairs. He dropped the boys in the middle of the mess. “Clean it up now while I fix supper.” His voice growled in a manner not unlike Loki. Henry and James, now scared, picked up the mess one piece at a time.
When Tom announced supper was ready, he checked in on the boys’ progress.
“Hardly anything is clean!” The room appeared as it had hours ago. A wreck. “What have you been doing this whole time?”
“Playin’.” they responded in unison. Tom noticed all the Lego figures lined up. Henry had a little Thor figure clutched in his grasp, while Tom could spy a sliver of green in James’s hand.
“Tor!” Henry held up his figure with pride.
“Woki!” James parroted showing off the figure wearing a tiny helmet.
Tom chuckled, his anger at the mess melting away. “Alright my Asgardian sons. Let us feast!!” He scooped them up in his arms with a fit of giggles and plopped them into their booster chairs to eat.
-
Tom took an hour to get through dinner. He spent most of it corralling the “lightning bolts” and “daggers” James and Henry sent hurling across the table which in reality were peas and carrots. By the time Tom got around to eating his own meal, it was stone cold. Tom spent another twenty minutes cleaning up the floor and then the kitchen. He did his best to ignore the crashing and “uh oh” from the living room.
“Alright, boys. Let’s clean this up.” He glanced down at his two sons, the spitting image of him at three but for that sparkle in their eyes that was all their mother. He sat on the floor and helped them clean up every last Lego.
Bath time was a challenge. More water ended up on Tom’s shirt than in the tub, and the twins got dirt in places Tom didn’t think possible. He tucked the boys in and read them not one, not two, but three bedtime stories, as boys convinced him you did the same every night.
In complete exhaustion, Tom collapsed on the bed after changing into pajamas. His eyes closed and his mind drifted off the moment his head hit the pillow. He slept through your call that evening and his morning alarm.
-
Tom awoke by two little knees slamming down into his ribcage. Tom’s eyes shot open to find Henry staring at him.
“Can’t bweathe.” Henry whined.
James popped up on your side of the bed.
“What time is it?” Tom reached for his phone, groggy and incoherent.
“Woki!” James pointed at Henry and giggled.
“That’s your brother, Henry. How long have you two been up and is downstairs in one piece?”
Tom sat up, cradling Henry in his lap, who wailed.
“What is the matter?” Tom examined, checking for broken bones. Big tears rolled down Henry’s cheeks. Tom noticed his nose bulging. He grabbed his phone and turned on the flashlight. He tilted Henry’s head back and found something lodged in Henry’s left nostril. “What on earth?”
“WOKI!” James collapsed into giggling.
“You didn’t?” He stared down. He slumped against the pillows, rubbing his temples. “That is one way to win the battle.” He kissed Henry’s forehead and rose to get dressed.
“Now for the next adventure… the hospital emergency room. Let’s get dressed.”
-
You brushed off Tom not answering the phone last night, but when your three texts and two phone messages were unanswered, you begged off brunch and caught an earlier train home. The house was silent as you opened the door.
“Tom? James? Henry?” you called out. Silence. Never a good sign for three-year-olds, and a man called Tom Hiddleston.
You made your way through the house, noting the mess of Legos in the living room. You found Tom’s phone on the nightstand along with several opened drawers. Wherever Tom was, he left for there in a hurry. The front door slammed. Your head snapped and then you headed downstairs.
Tom placed Henry on the kitchen counter. Both boys were holding lollipops and a copious amount of stickers.
“Now there is no need to tell your mother about this.” Tom chastised.
“Tell me what?”
“AH!” Tom jumped and spun, clutching his chest. “You weren’t supposed to be home for another 4 hours.”
“You didn’t answer your phone, drama queen.” You kissed his cheek before inspecting Henry. “I took an earlier train. What are we not telling me?”
“Hosital!” Henry exclaimed, holding up his stickers. Your eyes widened.
“You went to the hospital?! What the hell happened?”
Tom rubbed his temples. “A Lego head of Loki may or may not have been lodged in a nostril.” He avoided eye contact.
“Well, I am sure Loki’s head has been in worse places.” You smirked up at town. “Are you ok, baby?” Henry nodded, and you hugged him and James. “Now why don’t you two put your stickers away in your desks and I am going to talk to your father?”
You lifted Henry off the counter and they toddled off to their room. You shot a withering glare at Tom, but kept quiet until the boys were out of sight.
“A LEGO HEAD, Thomas?” you stamped your foot.
“I’m sorry.” Tom’s voice a whisper. You crooked your ear at him.
“I couldn’t hear that.”
“I’m sorry.” Tom pulled you into him. He kissed your forehead. “I was wrong about everything. I never realized how hard you have it. They are little tyrants, honey. I read three bedtime stories. I awoke to knees in my chest.”
You laughed into Tom’s chest. “Not so easy on your own, is it?”
“No it’s not. I have been less than helpful.”
“You were working.”
“So were you. We knew this going in. But it is nice to hear the words every so often.”
“I will do better.” Tom tilted your head up. “You are an amazing mother and wife. I don’t know how you do it all.”
“Witchcraft.” You smiled and Tom leaned down to kiss you. You melted into him. Before long, a hand tugged on your shirt. James smiled up at you with a toothy grin.
“Hungy!” James yelled.
You smiled. “Why don’t you men…” You quirked an eyebrow at Tom. “… clean up the living room while I whip up some lunch. I imagine your father didn’t feed you before your adventure to the hospital.”
“I might have rushed out of here.” Tom rubbed his neck.
“Understandable what with your Lego lookalike shoved up your son’s nostril. Now shoo.” You ushered them out of the kitchen.
You soon overheard James and Henry shrieking with laughter. Tom bellowed, “Kneel!” You couldn’t help but laugh and set out plates with lunch and call the three most important men in your life in to eat.
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the-dream-team · 3 years
Note
From National Treasure: ʺ In another life… I arranged a number of operations of… questionable legality. ʺ
Thank you for this incredible prompt!! This is the silliest thing I’ve ever written, so I hope you enjoy :)
Read on Ao3
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In another life… I arranged a number of operations of… questionable legality
James Potter had always been a menace.
The vendors who set up their stands in Godric Hollow’s town square knew to be wary of the young boy, whose messy black mop of hair was just visible over their countertops as he skipped from booth to booth. No one was certain where he came from or where his parents might be (though Marcus, the apple harvester, swore he once saw the kid just over the hill with an unexpectedly kind older couple), but everyone knew trouble followed the boy like an obedient puppy.
It started with the usual childhood mischief. He would show up at the farmer’s market, seemingly out of nowhere, wielding twigs from a nearby tree or sometimes a cardboard sword. Always battling an imaginary enemy. Large bursts of energy mixed with childish incoordination would result in smashed crates of potatoes or torn awnings. Farmers turned red with frustration, but their wives brushed them off, absolutely charmed by those big hazel eyes behind even bigger wire-rimmed glasses. The boy would wreak havoc and get off without so much as a loving pinch on the cheek.
But then one summer, once his glasses started fitting his face and those wide eyes became more calculating, the real hijinks began. Peculiar things seemed to happen whenever the young boy made his way to the square. Marty’s carrots would suddenly appear on Andrew’s cabbage display, as if out of thin air. Abigail's piglet disappeared, then reappeared again, squealing up a storm, in Michael’s barrel of beans. Oddities popped up left and right around the child, still too small to reach the booth’s counters without having to balance on his tiptoes. The vendors groveled and knit their brows into headaches, but the boy would flash his little grin and the wives would fawn, offering up samples of their best honey or slices of freshly baked bread.
Eventually, the farmers settled into their new routine of expecting the unexpected. Until one day, when the unexpected turned into the unbelievable.
The boy was making his rounds one sunny morning, peering over the fruits and vegetables, when Helga offered him a strawberry. He beamed, reached out for the piece of fruit, and then yelped when the berry burst from his hand, transforming into a flittering hummingbird.
Those wide eyes turned to saucers as he watched the bird fly off, leaving its strawberry brothers behind in their basket. The look he flashed at the berry farmer was one of deep disturbance and the boy disappeared on the spot, leaving the rest of the vendors to grapple with what should have been impossible.
They didn’t see the boy for days, and the farmers would have reveled in the much-desired calm, but the mystery behind the hummingbird still sat fresh in their memories. But then one morning, the vendors all held a collective breath as the little boy marched down the street, directly to the town square, with a little jingling satchel in hand.
He went straight to the strawberry stand, meeting Helga with a determined stare and a gold coin in his outstretched hand. She tentatively accepted the strange looking currency and nervously handed over a basket of berries, flinching as he reached out to collect his purchase.
The boy looked at his basket, then back to Helga, and grabbed a handful of strawberries. Just like before, the berries erupted into delicate little hummingbirds and flew off through the village. The boy puffed his chest out at his accomplishment and his eyes surveyed the other booths, looking for his next victim.
The farmers were in a state of shock. Possibly a shared psychosis that could only be explained by spending a little too much time under the summer sun. They waited patiently as the boy decided who would receive his next gold coin.
It ended up being Daniel, the cabbage farmer, who watched in awe as his heads of lettuce transformed into a swarm of skittish squirrels with just a light touch of the young boy’s hand.
One by one, the strange little boy purchased, transformed, and set free an entire zoo’s worth of animals. More than one weary eye drifted to the town’s church lingering above them, wondering what kind of miracle or devil’s work they might be witnessing.
And then, he left, a litter of kittens and rabbits following in his wake.
Four years later, the boy with messy hair and glasses (that definitely now fit his face) sat in the Hogwarts dungeons with three other boys, cleaning out cauldrons.
“Bloody infuriating that they took our wands, don’t you think, James?” said the boy with longer hair and sharp features. He lazily scrubbed the same spot on his cauldron over and over, even though it had become clean ages ago.
“Don’t be daft, Sirius,” said James, pushing his glasses up his nose with the back of his hand. “We aren’t allowed our wands in detention, otherwise we’d have this washing done in a minute.”
“My mum says doing things the Muggle way builds character,” added the third boy, tucking his sandy bangs behind his ears.
“Well Remus,” responded the fourth boy with watery eyes, “the rest of us grew up not ever having to do it the Muggle way. Maybe since you’re most used to it, you can take care of the rest of these cauldrons for us.”
“Bugger off, Peter,” said Remus, throwing a very dirty washcloth and hitting Peter square in the face.
The four boys laughed together before getting back to their scrubbing.
“Oh, look who it is,” came a sneering voice from the doorway of the Potions classroom. “Potter and his gang of cowardly lions. What is this, the third detention you lot have had this week?”
“Shove off, Snivellus,” spat Sirius, throwing up a few choice fingers at the greasy-haired boy.
“Come on, Sev, don’t bother with them,” came a softer voice from behind the boy.
“Is that Evans?” called James, his interest piquing. He ran his hand through his hair, forgetting how much grime had coated his fingers during the course of the detention. When the red head girl peaked out behind her friend to see James picking out dirt from his fringe, she giggled.
“Potter, it looks like you’ve been rolling around in the mud with Hagrid’s pigs,” she said with a teasing grin. Severus shifted next to her, his eyes flashing at her playful tone.
“That might be so,” laughed James with his signature lopsided smile, “but at least I’m still not half as greasy as Snivellus, here.”
Severus turned bright red and reached into his robe pocket to draw his wand. “Lutum!” he shouted, and a thick layer of dirt coated the piles of freshly cleaned cauldrons.
The boys jumped up in outrage, but Severus had a wand and they were defenseless.
“This is bollocks!” barked Sirius, a dangerous shadow crossing his face.
“Tough luck,” smirked Severus, turning back to Evans with a smug look across his face. “Come on, Lily, let’s go practice our Pepper Up potions.” And with one last smarmy look, he led her into another classroom across the hallway.
“That’s not fair,” whined Peter, looking at his now-dirty cauldron.
James still stared at the doorway where Severus and Evans stood just a moment before. “Well, we’re not going to let him get away with that.”
“But we don’t have our wands,” pointed out Remus, who had gone back to patiently scrubbing his own cauldron.
“I have a plan,” said James simply.
“Mate, I think Remus has a point,” Sirius said with a huff. “What could you possibly do to Snape? We’re just a bunch of wandless first years.”
“Look boys,” said James confidently, “In another life… I arranged a number of operations of… questionable legality. I learned some skills back then that may prove useful in our current hour of need.”
Sirius, Remus, and Peter stared at him, matching dumbfounded expressions on their faces.
James stood and surveyed the dirty cauldrons around him and looked at his hands. He took a deep breath.
In theory, he knew what he had to do. It was just a matter of concentrating. Focusing on a goal and letting the magic burst through his fingers. There weren’t any fruits or vegetables in the dungeons, but that shouldn’t matter. Maybe when James was younger, when his imagination ran a little wilder and his grasp on transfiguration wasn’t quite as strong, he believed that animals were stuck inside strawberries and ears of corn. But James was a wizard in training now. With a few months of transfiguration under his belt, he knew that any object could become anything new.
So he paced back and forth, letting himself fall back into the mindset of being a little boy sneaking out of his family’s cottage while his parents were busy reading that morning’s copy of the Daily Prophet. He remembered the thrill of running off to the village, just as independent as any other adult visiting the market, and marching up to the stalls of fruits and vegetables and honey. He could almost smell the freshly baked bread, see the kind smiles of the farmers’ wives as they ruffled his hair and sent him off with fresh apples and oatmeal cookies.
He let himself live in those not-so-distant memories and channeled all their warmth to his fingertips as he reached out and touched the nearest cauldron.
With a flash, it became a potbelly pig.
“Bloody hell!” shouted Peter.
“Merlin’s beard!” laughed Sirius.
“Holy shit,” gasped Remus.
James sent them a crooked smile, cracked his knuckles, and swiftly got to work touching every dirty cauldron in the dungeon.
The piglets squeaked with wild energy, dripping in mud and looking for somewhere to run. And James had just the place.
He led his parade of piglets through the classroom, out the hallway, and opened up the door across the way where Severus and Evans had gone to practice their potion-making. The pigs stormed into the room with excited squeals which only intensified by Lily’s and Severus’ screaming as the pigs swarmed them.
“Sorry Evans,” shouted James over the sea of oinking, “you’re collateral damage here! My apologies for the smell, but I assume you’re used to a bit of stench hanging out with Snivellus all day!”
Once all the pigs had crammed into the classroom, trapping Lily and Severus in the far corner surrounded by muddy hogs, James quickly closed the door and the rest of the boys helped drag over a heavy bookshelf to barricade the entryway.
They grinned at each other, quite pleased by their success, and made their way back to the scrubbing brushes and washcloths.
“Well boys,” said James, his hand finding his way back to his hair, “I don’t see any more dirty cauldrons, do you?”
The others shook their heads in glee.
“Then I guess it’s back to Gryffindor Tower for us!”
And with that, they raced out of the dungeons, snickering at the shouts of their classmates, overpowered by the squealing of dozens of potbelly pigs.
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Come Home
Prompts: Omg ur twins series has given me the seratonin I didn’t know I needed ;-; love ur fics!!! can I request maybe a one shot where Merlin confronts hunith about his birth parents, and they have a wholesome talk about it? Also bonus points for Merlin coming to terms with the fact that uther is his father and Morgana is his half sister (everyone notices now that they share similar features) - anon
ahhhh i loved the second installment of the twin series, the ending makes me yearn for more no matter how much i reread it *prompt idea* brotherly love pleaseeee, you've built so much hype 😭 some overprotective arthur over his younger brother, maybe some asshole noble treating merlin like shit because he grew up peasant, a merlin-arthur talk about feelings and new revelations, merlin-morgana-arthur talk (maybe?) take as long as you want really, no pressure i know it'll be worth it but a bit longer third installment please 💘 - anon
I have a very simple request oh ruler of the angst town. You've been graciously filling the stomachs of the Sanders Sides fandom but the Merlin fandom requests one thing: More, please, oh good lord. Thank you - alittletoo-obsessed
SO MANY OF YOU WERE SCREAMING FOR A PART THREE SO HERE YOU GO
Read on Ao3
Warnings: none, babes.
Pairings: it's found family hours
Word Count: 4574
The twins come home.
After a long, long time, the twins come home.
For Arthur, home is that empty space just over his shoulder, always there when he turns absentmindedly to talk to someone he never thought he’d see again. Home is someone to curl up with when the nights get cold and lonely, dark hair brushing under the tip of his nose as he wraps them in his arms. Home is someone else to see what’s happening, to stand as a silent vow of I’m here, I see you, I’m with you, I’ve got you.
For Merlin, home is someone who knows he’s not crazy, who catches him when he flies too high on the wings of his magic. Home is someone who wraps firm, solid arms around him, smelling of slightly spiced fruit and afternoon sun. Home is the space the magic curls about, searching for something to hold onto like an anchor as the world spins faster, faster, faster.
They leave the hall where Uther still sits, thunderstruck on his hollow throne, back to Arthur’s chambers. They don’t part when they get inside, stumbling across the room to the bed, somewhere they can sit and look and look at each other where there is no one else can see. Arthur reaches out to run his hand through Merlin’s hair.
“I always thought your hair would be dark,” he mumbles, losing himself in the way his fingers card through the strands. “Just had a feeling.”
“Mum’s hair was never dark enough to be mine.” Merlin closes his eyes as he feels Arthur’s hand go through it. “And—and Balinor, he—he wasn’t the right magic.”
Arthur’s hand stills. “Balinor was your father?”
“He was married to Hunith, he—but—“
Arthur’s arms are suddenly around him, warm and perfect and real and it feels like something else slots into place. Arthur’s breath warms the top of his head and Merlin feels his fingertips start to buzz.
“I’m sorry,” he realizes Arthur’s saying, “I didn’t—if I’d’ve known, I would’ve—“
They will come to find that they don’t need words. Merlin just buries his nose in the crook of Arthur’s neck and breathes in the smell of home.
“I kept the blanket I was taken in,” he mumbles, “and it smelled like this.”
“Like—like me?”
Merlin nods. “Fruit. Sunlight. Warm.”
“Warm doesn’t have a smell, Merlin.”
“Sure it does.”
“What does it smell like, then?”
“Warm! You don’t explain what apples smell like, they just smell like apple.”
“Sure you can, they smell tart, a little sweet, but it’s a thin smell, it’s not rich.”
“Where and why do you know how to describe smells so well?”
“Morgana went through an alchemy phase, dragged me into being her test subject.”
Merlin snorts, nuzzling deeper into Arthur’s warmth. “I imagine you reeked of an awful assortment of perfumes.”
“Oh, it was an excellent way to get out of court duty.”
They laugh together. Then Merlin quiets, burying his nose in the smell of home and willing his magic to help him come up with something.
“…it’s barely noticeable,” he says quietly, “but it’s…it’s there. It’s slightly, um, it smells a bit like old leather, or old wood, but it’s…it’s earthier.”
Arthur’s quiet for a moment, then Merlin feels his head turn and bury into Merlin’s hair.
“I always thought you’d be colder.” His arms tighten slightly, as if he can feel how Merlin’s magic is trying to pull him closer—and hey, maybe he can. “I—you used to get really strong on winter nights. I used to imagine that you’d—you’d be cold and it was my job to keep you warm and if you were warm, you’d—you’d stay.”
“I’ll stay,” Merlin says immediately, “I’ll stay.”
“You’d better.”
For Arthur, it’s finally seeing that figure sprinting ahead of him, goading him to chase faster and faster. It’s hearing about how cruel bullies were and sternly promising that if anyone ever tries anything like that again, he’ll kick their arse. It’s hearing a mumbles admission of crying while angry and promising that he’ll never judge Merlin for crying, not when he’s here to protect him.
For Merlin, it’s his magic finally having both of them to wrap its blanket around, someone else to hold him firmly when it can’t do the job itself. It’s hearing about how lonely life as a prince can be and vowing that he’s just going to sit next to Arthur and damn all the customs. It’s hearing about the cruelty of a king that didn’t know how to be a father first and muttering that Uther would see what the bloody hell he was doing wrong.
It’s home.
——————————————
News that Uther has another son spreads like a sickness in the castle. Servants whisper that the long-lost boy has returned, that the curse of the dead queen has lifted because her son is back, that finally, finally, Uther will stop the hell-path he’s wrought upon the kingdom.
Servants whisper that the nobles won’t like this. That they’re sick of having to put up with Arthur already, that if there’s another son, they’ll have another obstacle in their path.
Some nobles are clever.
They know that if Uther has a peasant son, he’ll have to make the boy a noble or denounce him completely. Or, and this is not a very likely option, he’ll have to accept that he has one royal son and one peasant son.
Some nobles aren’t clever.
They think that if Uther has another son, it doesn’t matter.
The nobles that know the knights know that they won’t be able to get within ten feet of Merlin. Many of them don’t want to. They’re not quite sure what position Merlin holds in court, but it’s not a manservant’s. They know that the boy who came to Camelot and managed to get the prince to shut up for once is a good one. Some of them hold the opinion that if Uther is what he made his son into, he might actually listen to the boy as well.
The nobles that don’t know the knights are stupid.
One such noble decides that it doesn’t matter whether or not the boy is of royal blood, the king hasn’t claimed him, and thus he is still a peasant.
He decides, in his infinite wisdom, to humiliate the boy by dousing him with wine for forgetting to thank him for giving him an order.
Merlin has been covered with wine before, this isn’t new to him. What is new is that he has a brother that takes great pleasure in dragging the unsuspecting noble to the front of the room and publicly shaming him.
“Have you so little sense of yourself that you must stoop to the humiliation of others for your own amusement? Perhaps if you spent more time thinking of what to do with your words you wouldn’t be so intimidated by the confidence of someone else. I would be surprised to learn if you had a mind since your only defense is to sling wine all over someone’s front. You are a disgrace to everything you proclaim to be and I would be ashamed of you if you were one of my men.”
It’s not the most direct way to banish someone and strip them of their place in court, but it is one of the more entertaining.
Of course, when a noble is demoted to a knight, he ends up at the mercy of the elder knights on the training field. It’s one of the only times Gwaine shows up promptly for a training session.
Merlin mumbles that Arthur didn’t have to do that, that he’s had worse, but later in the privacy of their rooms, Arthur says that he’s making up for the years where he wasn’t there.
“And it wasn’t just for you, it was for the knights too.”
“How noble.”
——————————————
It’s in the way Arthur still tries to turn into the tower corridor that first tips Merlin off. It’s the way his hands still twitch toward an old sword hanging on the wall. It’s the way he turns to his other side, not where Merlin always stands, expecting someone to be there. It’s the way he looks at the other side of Uther’s throne, expecting there to be another one.
It’s the way Merlin knows what feels like to miss another half of yourself.
“I want to find her,” he says quietly after a long day, “she’s your sister.”
Arthur pauses, fingers faltering on the edge of a cabinet. His head bows low.
“She is, Arthur,” Merlin says, standing, “and she’s mine too.”
“I know.”
“There’s still good in her, Arthur, I know there is.”
“I know.”
“I—“ Merlin swallows. “I’m to blame for what she’s become, I’m the one who poisoned her.”
“I’m the one who drove her away from the start,” Arthur says, a rueful smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, “I’m not blameless either.”
There’s a pause.
Arthur glances at Merlin. “There was a time when I thought you were her. That the—the person I was missing was her.”
“She’s magic too, it makes sense.”
Arthur nods, staring into space. “But she wasn’t you. Her—I guess I didn’t know it was magic, then, but her—her magic never felt right.”
He turns to take a hunting satchel down from the hook.
“Do you know how to find her?”
“Yes,” Merlin says, “but you’re not coming.”
“What?”
Merlin holds his hands up. “She’ll try to kill you, you know it. She won’t listen to you. Not at first.”
“And she won’t try to kill you? You poisoned her!”
“I have magic. She can’t beat me.”
“Merlin.”
“I’ll be safe!”
“When have you ever been safe in your life?”
“Like you’re in any position to judge!”
The bickering continues until Merlin grabs Arthur’s arm and tells him that he needs to do this. That it has to be him, only him, that he knows how to reach Morgana in a way that Arthur can’t.
Arthur lets him go with a strict promise to be back in a fortnight, no more.
Merlin knows how to find Morgana. Arthur’s connection to magic isn’t like his, but he is born of the stuff. And so is Morgana.
There’s a tingle in Merlin’s fingertips non-stop when he’s in Camelot, his magic tugging him towards Arthur and the magic in him. But Uther’s blood flows in both of their veins, so if he focuses, he can find Morgana.
His travels lead him to a forest home, modest and slight, but secure enough that he knows he can’t just walk in. There are half a dozen places where she could be hiding nearby, half a dozen more where traps could be. So he picks his way carefully through the undergrowth and knocks on her door.
He expects to be knocked out and strung up. He doesn’t expect her to raise an eyebrow and try and bind him with a curse.
He bats the curse away without trying to hide the way his eyes glow gold.
Morgana’s eyes widen and she stumbles back. He raises his hands and weathers the spitting, the curses—just cusses, this time—of his betrayal, how dare he, and apologizes.
“You were the vessel,” he says as his only defense, “I didn’t think there was any other way.”
“And what if you told me?” She draws herself up, looking every bit the queen she was born to be. “I could’ve helped! Perhaps I would’ve taken it of my own free will, you had no right to strip me of that choice.”
“I know. And I am sorry. For all of it. For not telling you, for trying to kill you, for—for everything.”
She evaluates him cooly. “Well, I suppose that’s that, then? You want me to accept your apology and toddle back to Camelot?”
And the thing is…he can see it now.
He and Arthur don’t share that many features, but he and Morgana…
It’s the angular jaw. The way the nose slopes slightly to the right instead of the left. The way one eye is a little bit longer than the other. The dark hair, wavy but not too wavy. The slender build, the sharp shoulders.
The way their magic curls about their fingertips before the spell is cast.
Morgana seems to notice him staring and frowns, snapping her fingers in front of his face.
“Sorry,” he manages, still marveling at how he never noticed, “sorry, I just…”
“Just…what?”
His magic thrums in his hands, telling him to let it go, reach out to their sister, help her see. He obeys, opening his hand and letting the magic swirl up, into the air. Morgana’s eyes widen and she takes a step back, preparing a defensive spell of her own only for her jaw to drop as her magic touches Merlin’s.
It doesn’t feel like coming home, not like finding Arthur did, but it feels like something.
“What…how is this possible?”
“I’m your brother,” Merlin whispers, peering through the lattice of magic, “I—you’re my sister.”
At the word ‘sister,’ something in Morgana’s magic flinches. Merlin frowns, peering closer, eyes widening when he notices a dark patch, almost as if the magic is bruised from being constrained. His own magic touches it carefully, recoiling in shock.
“What is that? Morgana, what happened to you?”
She rubs her wrist absent-mindedly, her face contorting into a scowl. “The last person to call me ‘sister.’”
Merlin’s eyes widen. Morgana retracts her magic, burying it deep inside herself and taking a deep breath. When she looks at Merlin again, she looks almost like the woman Merlin met in Camelot.
“So. That means Arthur’s your brother too.”
Merlin nods. “I was…we were born of the same magic.”
“And that makes Uther your father.”
Merlin's face contorts in rage and Morgana snorts.
“Yes, that was my reaction too.”
“Balinor was my father,” Merlin says firmly, curling his hands into fists, “Uther is not.”
“But you have his blood,” Morgana says quietly, not meaning to hurt, just to inform, “and you are bound to him. Just as I am.”
Now it is Merlin that has to look desperately at Morgana, hoping for it to be anything other than the truth.
“You can’t have Arthur without Uther, Merlin,” she murmurs, “you have to accept that. You can’t have Arthur without Camelot. You can’t have your brother without your father.”
“And what about my sister?”
Her smile is sad. “I had neither for a long time.”
“I just got my sister,” Merlin says firmly, “I’m not letting her go again.”
“Oh, and that’s your decision, is it?”
Merlin blinks. “Um—well, I mean—if—if that’s okay with you—“
Her laugh is high, like pealing bells, and it makes him smile to hear it. “How you manage to switch between those two will always astound me. No wonder no one else ever figured out you had magic.”
“Excuse you, I did a perfectly good job at hiding my magic.”
“Gaius used to scream about it with the door open, Merlin, that’s not exactly subtle.”
“How is that my fault?”
She giggles and oh, is this what it’s like to have a sister?
Their laughter ends and Morgana crosses her arms, head bowed as she thinks. Merlin lets his magic flutter around the room, cleaning up, until she raises her head again.
“Do you think Uther can change?”
Merlin sighs. “I don’t know. But I do know we can change the minds of everyone else.”
“Starting with Arthur, I presume?”
“Arthur. The knights. Most of the council. The servants.”
“Got a plan for this, do you?”
“…not really good at plans.”
“Well, no, not if most of them involve poisoning sisters.”
“Hey!”
Morgana laughs again, then her smile softens and she rushes forward to wrap her arms around Merlin.
“Your magic feels warm,” she mumbles, “not like Morgause’s. Maybe I’ll enjoy being your sister.”
“And Arthur’s?”
“If he can pull his head out of his arse, we’ll see.” She lets him go and walks toward the front of the house.
“Wait! Where are you going?”
“To see if we can both pull his head out of his arse, it’s so big we’ll need the two of us.”
“Right now?”
“Unless you think I should wait?” There it is. The tiniest hint of vulnerability in the way her voice wobbles at the end.
A question of whether Morgana would actually be welcomed back into Camelot, a question of whether Arthur would want her back. A question of how true this fantasy really is.
Merlin straightens. “No,” he says firmly, “let’s just hope the two of us can do it together.”
——————————————
Arthur never thought he’d see his sister again.
But the instant Morgana walks into his chambers, looking as if she’d never left, she barely has time to open her mouth to deliver a snappy remark before he’s rushing across the room and wrapping her in a hug so fierce it makes Merlin laugh.
Morgana laughs at him with some incredibly clever quip but he isn’t listening. He’s too busy hugging his sister. Who’s finally home, who’s finally here.
“…oh, alright, you big softy,” she mumbles, wrapping her arms around him too, “there. Are you happy now?”
“‘Gana.”
“Yes, that’s me. Is your head alright? Merlin, what did you do to him?”
“He’s happy to see his sister, Morgana.”
She sighs dramatically. “Oh, don’t both of you go all sappy on me.”
Arthur just pulls her closer, burying his nose in her neck. “‘Gana.”
There’s a pause. Then: “Oh, Arthur, I missed you too.”
It’s too much. He sticks out his arm and grabs Merlin’s tunic, yanking him closer. Merlin makes a noise of surprise as Arthur bundles them both into the hug. Morgana makes a slightly affronted gesture as she makes room for the two of them, pulling her hair out of the way as Arthur buries his nose between their shoulders.
“I certainly don’t remember him being this clingy, are you sure this is the same Arthur?”
“His head’s certainly big enough.”
“Well, yes, but that’s not exactly the most reliable thing to go on. He’s always been utterly obnoxious.”
“Don’t have to tell me.”
And they’re bickering like siblings and it’s right and it feels right and their magic is here now and he can feel both of them and it’s warm and it makes his chest tingle and—and—
“Oh, oh dear,” he hears Morgana murmur, “Arthur, are you—are you crying?”
“Shh, shh, it’s okay, Arthur, it’s okay.”
“Come, let’s sit down, if you fall over you’ll take the two of us with you.”
“Just try and breathe, it’s okay, we’re not going anywhere.”
Arthur can’t bear to let them go. Not even for an instant. Morgana stays with him, her arms wound tightly around his neck, her fingers scratching lightly through his hair. Merlin sits at his back, his chest warm.
“Come now, you silly man,” Morgana says, trying to keep the tears out of her own voice, “there’s no use crying over this. No man is worth your tears, remember?”
“You’re not a man,” he mumbles, “you’re my sis’er.”
“He’s got a point.”
Morgana sighs. “Oh, Arthur…”
He registers how long’s been crying only when he feels his head start to ring from how stuffy his nose feels. He hooks his chin over Morgana’s shoulder.
“Go on.”
“What?”
“Go on,” he mumbles, “tease me. I know you want to.”
“…I’m not going to tease you, Arthur.”
“Really? All this material and you won’t?”
“Not today,” she murmurs, sounding a little hoarse herself, “not—not today.”
She holds him tighter.
“Not when I’ve just learned I have two brothers.”
He can live with that.
She does tease him later, when he says that he hasn’t missed her at all—a blatant lie, that, and they all know it—or that he’s always been a model of a knight. Of course, she doesn’t have to train with him alone, anymore, she has her pick of the knights. And Merlin.
Because Morgana has magic.
Merlin has magic. Is magic, if the stories are to be believed. And Morgana has always been a quick study.
So sometimes, Arthur will just…watch them. But it’s always that. Just watching.
Merlin is the greatest sorcerer to ever walk the earth. Morgana is a High Priestess of the Old Religion.
What is Arthur?
“You’re pouting, Princess.”
Arthur barely flinches as Gwaine plops down beside him. He does raise an eyebrow as he feels the rest of the knights sit down around him.
“I’m not pouting, Gwaine.”
“Sure you are.” He flicks Arthur’s arm. “You’re pouting.”
“Am not.”
“Are too.”
Arthur sighs. “And what is it you think I’m pouting over?”
“The fact that you now have to share Merlin with Morgana.”
“That’s not—“
“You’re bright red, Princess, you know I’m right.”
“Enough.”
Lancelot lays a hand on Gwaine’s arm. Gwaine hushes. Percival glances around to make sure there aren’t any other knights near and nods.
“What’s troubling you,” Lancelot asks quietly, “and how can we help?”
“There’s nothing you can do.”
“I don’t believe that for a second.” Elyan sits up a little more. “There’s always something we can do.”
“Not with this,” Arthur mumbles, still watching the two magic users train, “not with this.”
Leon follows his gaze. “Impressive, aren’t they?”
“Mhm.”
“Do you wish you had magic too?”
Damn you, Leon. Damn you.
“…no.”
Leon chuckles softly. “Come now, sire, no need to lie to us.”
“I just—“ Arthur sighs, scrubbing his face with his hands. “It’s fine.”
Leon lays a hand on his shoulder.
“…they’re both…incredible—don’t tell them I said that,” Arthur says sharply.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Gwaine lies.
Arthur sighs again. “I just…I know I was born of magic, but…”
“You don’t have any,” Leon guesses, “not like they do.”
He shakes his head.
“Eh, you don’t need it,” Gwaine says, leaning up against Arthur’s side, “you’re plenty fine without it.”
Arthur’s head whips around to stare at him in shock. Gwaine raises an eyebrow.
“What? You are.”
“Since when do you give me compliments?”
Gwaine shrugs. “’S not about compliments, it’s about the truth. You’re able to do a shit load of things perfectly fine on your own, you don’t need to have magic for it.”
“He’s right, sire,” Lancelot adds, “your skills are a testament to you, not to whatever magic brought you into this world.”
“I’d follow you with or without magic.” Percival stands tall. “Just so happens you don’t have it. Doesn’t make a difference to me.”
“You’re our commander,” Elyan agrees, “that’s that.”
Leon’s hand on his shoulder rubs soft circles, brushing away his protests. He’s not sure if he believes them entirely, not just yet, but maybe…
Maybe one day he will. After all, he thinks with a smile, he’s got some people to help him with that.
He never thought he’d see his sister again.
——————————————
“Mum?”
Hunith turns around and smiles.
“Merlin, come here.”
Merlin rushes forward, wrapping his arms around her in a warm hug.
“Why didn’t you send word you were coming,” she scolds gently, “I would’ve gotten everything ready.”
“I wanted to surprise you!”
“Well, I am surprised. Sit, sit, tell me everything.”
Her son sits, idly toying with his hands. She frowns.
“What’s the matter?”
“I, um…I have a question for you.”
“What is it?”
“Where…where am I from?”
Oh.
Oh.
Hunith smiles and tells him the story. Tells him of how Balinor arrived one night, a little babe clutched in his arms. How he told her how the queen had two children, one that had to be kept safe away from Camelot. How his magic had reached out to her once she held him, wrapped around them as he fell asleep against her breast.
Merlin listens, tears in his eyes, as she tells him that she loved him from the moment she saw him, that he would always have a home here.
“You’re my mum,” he mumbles, wiping away tears, “and I—you’re always gonna be my mum.”
“Oh, Merlin, come here—“
She holds her son in her arms and thanks the magic of the world that gave him to her.
——————————————
Uther responds about as well as you’d expect.
As in, not at all.
At least, not until he realizes that there are three children who are about to make sure he does what he promised Ygraine he would, and if he doesn’t, they’ll do it for him.
He tries to deny having another son, one that was raised as a peasant, no less, only for Arthur to stand up in court and publicly acknowledge Merlin as his brother.
He tries to deny that Morgana is his daughter, only for Morgana to stand tall and proud by Arthur’s side as they declare their intent to rule as brother and sister.
He tries to deny that not one but two of his children have magic, only for Arthur to open talks with the druids by using his brother and sister with magic as ambassadors.
He tries.
He fails.
He wants to think that he still has his loyal knights, but Gwaine and Percival decide that they’re Merlin’s bodyguards, and Leon and Lancelot won’t leave Arthur’s side. Morgana doesn’t need her own bodyguards, but Elyan and Gwen are never far from her.
He wants to think he still has the support of the Council, but Gaius had stood and given a speech about being so happy to see Ygraine’s children home again and his words had been frozen before he could say anything.
He wants to think he’s still the king. But everyone is starting to look to Arthur, to Morgana, not to him.
Once, and only once, he considers getting rid of the boy.
When he wakes from a terrible nightmare of drowned children, burned houses, and Ygraine’s immortal disappointment, he doesn’t think of it again.
Uther isn’t dragged kicking and screaming from his throne, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t many who’d love to if he gave them the opportunity.
He’s not worth lingering on.
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buzzkillzine · 3 years
Text
I have been thinking a bit recently about how we had Religious Education (RE) in Primary school. It was a public school and normally the private schools are the ones with inbuilt RE program. The RE teachers were nice enough, typical older church ladies who would come in once a week and read books and tell stories and whatnot. I was never really that into it but was fine colouring in the pictures of chubby guys with beard always remembering to colour them with light pink skin, which was how they looked from the books we were read.
I never really clicked that 'oh this is church stuff' until later Primary years and by then I wasn't interested and while most kids did RE the kids who chose not to had to write out dictionary definitions of words the teacher wrote up on the board. This sorta felt like a punishment but that's not what this story is about.
When I was doing RE, maybe grade 3, there was a play that the class were going to put in for all the parents to come and see. I don't remember any of the plot but it was a chance to dress up and fuck about so I was on board. We did a couple of rehearsals and my part was that we were in a big group and when the name of our characters occupation was called, we would go out and, I assume 'join the flock' to show that all were welcome under Jesus. So the plan was to go home and make our costume of what we wanted to be when we grew up, then come to school the next day and perform the play. I don't know if it was me not understanding the brief or me having an idea stuck in my head as soon as someone said 'make a costume' and I stopped listening and only thought about what I was going to dress as.
I was gonna be a fucking Viking.
I loved reading about and watching documentaries on the topic of Vikings. The had cool as shit helmets, big beards, long hair, fought with swords and travelled around on boats with dragon heads carved at the front. Everything an 8 year old kid could want.
I went home, got Mum and Dad to help me make a Viking costume: cardboard helmet with attached hair plaites made from black bailing twine and pointy cardboard horns, a cardboard sword and shield with my own scary looking design on it. I used more plaited bailing twine to make a belt and a holder for my sword. I went full tilt in on the Viking look. I was the most vicious looking 8 year old Viking to ever live.
As I stood on the arm of the couch like it was the skull of a fallen enemy, raised my sword to the heavens and roared victoriously, I knew I was ready for the play.
So the next day rolls around and all the parents and families are filing into the multi-purpose room to take their seats. Meanwhile, about two dozen kids are jammed into the sports equipment room, in costume, waiting to go on.
There are the kids who have speaking parts, wearing biblically accurate costumes of a dressing gown, a tea towel on their head and sandals on their feet (those pictures in the books must've been accurate, right?), then there were some kids wearing store bought doctors and nurses outfits, store bought fireman outfits, some kid was dressed as a cricketer, and then there was one kid who didn't remember his costume and me dressed as a Viking.
The teacher came and shushed us all then the play started. The kids with speaking parts went out first and did their bits. Then the teacher would prompt them with lines of who was coming out next.
'The Doctors and nurses' kids went out when they were called. We could hear the parents clap.
I was so excited.
'The firemen and policemen' again more claps and cheers,
'Sports stars' the kid dressed as a cricketer went out to massive applause and it was just me and the kid with no costume left.
We waited.
And waited.
And waited.
The play was going great guns out there and you could hear the crowd of proud parents laugh and cheer. Meanwhile a Viking sat on a basketball and watched a kid with no costume pull at the loose threads on the carpet.
I heard the crowd give one huge round of applause and then heard the teacher telling all the kids to take a bow. Then everyone filed back out of the multi-purpose room and went to afternoon tea.
And that was it. 
I had been forgotten.
Now I don't know if it's because the teacher forgot to announce me, or she didn't think that Viking was a legitimate profession, or Vikings were even part of the bible or that she just didn't give a shit that some kid was wearing a cereal box with string attached to it on his head, but I knew one thing for sure.
This Viking would turn his back on Jesus that day.
He would take up his cardboard sword and sheild. And venture into the world, godless and fearless.
And he would go home and play Vikings, with his siblings until his costume fell apart and it was time for dinner.
For that is the way of the Viking.
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omnivorousshipper · 3 years
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Request Friday: I think you’ve done similar stories but my mind was thinking arranged marriage + Pirate King Luke with a glorious beard. Maybe Mama Shaw wants to smuggle her goods via the pirate king’s fleet and to broker a relationship between them she offers her eldest?
I’ve just got the mental image of Luke dripping in gold and jewels, sitting fiercely on his throne cutting quite the figure when Deckard is escorted into the room to help sway negotiations and Luke is captivated—wants nothing more than to wrap him in silks and jewels, spoil him utterly rotten. Owen isn’t happy about their mum’s plans for Deck but is distracted by Pirate Captain Roman (I’m sure an absurd nickname)!cutting quite the figure.
Hattie decked out in swashbuckling gear, threatening idiots with her sword/daggers/gun when they try to hit on her. (A deadlier Elizabeth Swan)
I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS FRIEND!
I have such a weak spot for Luke beard, especially when it's salt and pepper. And omg, Deckard given up as a sacrifice is hilarious
And Hattie as Elizabeth Swan??? SIGN ME THE FUCK UP
~~~
Looking over several papers, Queenie Shaw narrowed her eyes at them. The numbers weren't adding up to what she had been hoping for
She would have to go with her backup plan
Sighing, she waved on of her servants out front the corner she had been quietly embroidering in. The woman lifted her skirts in a curtsey as she bowed
"Please bring my daughter to me." Queenie said in a clipped tone
"Right away, madam." The woman scurried out of the room, barely making any noise
Pinching the bridge of her nose, Queenie knew what she need to do, but it all relied on what she could convince of her children
Glancing out of the large windows, Queenie could hear the laughter of the servants' children. Looking at the clock, Queenie knew it was the normal time Deckard would sit them down for a lesson
She never really understood his want to teach them how to read. Even their parents didn't know
After a few minutes of listening to the soft murmur of voices outside in the gardens, the door to her office finally opened to reveal the servant gesturing Hattie inside
Queenie couldn't help the prideful smile that spread across her face as she took her daughter in
Hattie looked like a right pirate
"Something the matter, mum?" She asked, throwing herself into a seat and leaning back provocatively. Any other lady would have yelled at her scandalous behavior. Queenie simply raised an eyebrow
"I wanted your opinion on a matter." Queenie said slowly. "What are your thoughts on the pirate king?"
"Hobbs?"
"Yes."
"He's an alright bastard." Hattie said thoughtfully. "Looks after his people and keeps them in line when need be. He's cutthroat but fair. Why are you asking about him?"
"Because I want to strike up a deal with him."
"What kind of deal?" Hattie asked slowly, eyed narrowed in suspicion
"Trade has been going down recently. Too many imperial arseholes sticking their noses in my trade routes recently, causing them to dry up. I need new routes and the only ones I can find are through Hobbs' territory."
"Thats a lot of risk for him to take, he won't do that for cheap." Hattie looked over her mother carefully. "What are you planning on giving him? He'll need more than money."
"I know." Queenie nodded. Leaning back, she crossed her arms and fixed her daughter with a careful look
"What?"
"Hobbs is a widower, correct?"
"Yes? Mum, if you think I would ever-"
"Not you." Queenie cut her off quickly with a sharp gesture. "Deckard."
"Mum!" Hattie yelped. "You can't just sell him like some kind of mare!"
"I'm not!" Queenie hissed
"Then what are you doing?" Hattie snapped. "Because if you think Hobbs will let him leave, you're dead wrong! Pirates are selfish mum!"
"I'm assuming you know from experience?" Queenie drawled, purposely looking her daughter up and down
"Yes." Hattie met her eyes and glared. "Yoi are not shoving my brother into some arranged marriage."
Queenie met her gaze evenly
"And what if I told you that if we don't get those trade routes, all that I have built will crumb?"
"What?" Hattie blinked at her
Queenie didn't look happy to reveal what she said next
"We need to keep our illegal dealings going, but the empire and the king's men have started to notice. If they do, they'll come after our whole family. I can't let that happen, Hatts."
"But, Deck-"
"Can slit Hobbs' throat in a few years if it comes to that."
Hattie's face twisted in discomfort
"I don't want to send him into that, mum."
"I know dear." Queenie sighed. "And that's why I want you and Oh to escort Deckard there yourselves."
Hattie looked out the window, where Queenie had been looking out earlier
"Think we could convince Deck to wear his favorite dress to meet Hobbs?"
"Doubtful. He only wears them in our presence." Queenie chuckled, but felt her heart clench
Their family's business might thrive, but would her son?
---
Sitting on his throne, Luke played with a gold coin as he listened to the squabbles of lower ranked pirates. Head rested in his other hand, Luke couldn't wait for the pirate court to be called to a stop
Just another reason he wished Jonah had become the pirate king. Luke would rather he be the one sailing across the seas every day with his crew and daughter
But no, he was trapped helping other pirates deal with their own shit
Deciding to just take one pirate's side for no particular reason, Luke was interrupted by a party of three people walking into the hall
Luke peered at them closely
He only really recognized one of them
Hattie Shaw was one of the cruelest and efficient pirates Luke has seen in over a decade. She ran a tight ship and was fear by every sailor that came across her. Too bad she still held ties to her family, or else Luke would have asked her to join his fleet a long time ago
Standing next to her were two men. Neither really screamed pirate like Hattie did, instead they were in plain clothes. But it didn't hide the weapons on the taller man, who was practically hovering over the smaller man protective
But it was that smaller man Luke couldn't take his eyes off
He was absolutely gorgeous
The candlelight seemed to soften his harsh expression and enhanced how sharp his cheekbones were. He held himself with a sense of dignity, even when wearing a plain white shirt and black trousers
No. The man deserved to be covered in gold and jewels. He should be wrapped in the finest silk and laid on the softest sheets
Luke mentally went through the many pieces of stolen jewelry he had that he could drape over the man. He had a large diamond necklace, almost collar like, that would suit the man perfectly
Lost to his fantasies, Luke felt someone poke his shoulder. Looking up, Luke sheepishly met the harsh glare Letty was sending him
"What's your decree, King Luke?" She said through clenched teeth. Luke had a feeling she'd been trying to get his attention for a while
"You." Luke pointed at random between the two feuding pirates. "You were in the right. Whatever it is, you get it."
With a wave of his hand, Luke dismissed them and didn't care if he had been right or not
"You three!" Luke called out, staring at Hattie and the two men. "Come forward and speak your piece."
Luke could hear the irritated hiss Letty let out. Probably upset that he let people cut the line
Too bad, he was a pirate and would do what he wanted
With her chin held high, Hattie led the two men towards them. As they enter more of the candlelight, Luke couldn't keep his eyes off the smaller man
If it was possible, he looked even more attractive closer up
Luke already knew which golden bracelets would adorn the man's arms
"What brings you here, Shaw?" Luke asked curiously. "Usually you don't need anything from me."
"Not usually, no." Hattie said, her face serious. "But, my mother has a proposal for you."
"Go on."
"You allow her transport ships through your waters."
"And for me?"
"My brother's hand in marriage."
Luke sat up eagerly
And felt like the luckiest man on earth when the smaller man pushed past the other man and closer to Luke
He held his head up as he met Luke's eyes in a challenge
Luke smiled, showing all of his teeth
"I accept."
---
The words seemed to ring out in the large hall
And echoed inside of Deckard's head, making his ears ring
What?
With wide eyes, Deckard stared up at the pirate king who simply leaned back into his throne
He didn't want to admit it, but the image had Deckard salivating
Luke Hobbs was a large man with muscles bigger than Deckard's head, and they shown beautifully in the candlelight, along with the gold that hung off his body
His powerful arms were free of cloth and had gold arm bands with blue rocks embedded in them. Deckard couldn't help but stare at the sight
"You may wait in my chambers while I discuss the details with your sister." Hobbs told him, breaking Deckard out of his staring
Blinking, Deckard wanted to glare at the man for dismissing him so easily, but he held his tongue
Especially when he saw the heated look the king was sending him
Deckard felt himself blush heavily. It was as if the man was undressing him simply by staring at him
A woman broke away from the crowd watching the proceedings
"I'll take him there, Luke." She said, bowing her head slightly
"Thank you, Ramsey."
Looking over at the woman, Deckard found himself relaxing slightly at her smile
Maybe being married off to a pirate wouldn't be the worst thing in the world
---
Owen frowned as he watched Deckard be escorted away from them. He wanted to follow after them, but the firm grip Hattie had on his arm told him not to
Grinding his teeth, Owen stayed put as Hattie dragged them towards a corner of the hall
Hobbs would discuss their contract further once he was done with the court
"I don't like this. It shouldn't be this easy." Owen hissed
"Maybe it can be." Hattie whispered back. "Now quiet."
Leaning against the wall, Owen watched the court carefully to gain any information
And soon found his attention on one pirate specifically
And can you really blame him, when the pirate's name was Roman 'Barnacle Whisperer' Pearce?
That was a story Owen wanted to get his hands on. And maybe the man himself
---
Stepping into a huge, lavish room, Deckard swallowed thickly. Was this really where Hobbs slept? Even Deckard's rooms at home weren't this big!
He heard the door close as Ramsey left him alone to admire everything. Sitting on a lavish couch, Deckard took a deep breath
No doubt in a few days Deckard would be married to the man who owned all this
It was a little overwhelming
Lost in thought, Deckard jumped when he heard the door open again. And revealed a small girl
Deckard met her curious gaze
"Who are you?" She asked
"Deckard."
"Are you a friend of my dad?"
"Kind of." Deckard coughed. He could only assume she meant Hobbs
"What're you doing here?"
"Waiting for him."
"Want to wait together?"
"I'd love the company." Deckard smile and was pleased to see the girl smile back. "And what's your name?"
"Sam." She skipped over to him and looked him over. "You look really plain."
Deckard blinked at her. And looked over the jewels and gold she was wearing. Definitely Hobbs' daughter
"Dad wouldn't mind if you wore a few things of his." Sam smiled at him and grabbed his hand. "Come on."
Frowning, Deckard let Sam pull him further into the rooms
---
Entering his chambers, Luke let out a sigh
He hated haggling deals. Especially when it came to two overly protective siblings. At least Owen Shaw had been distracted by Roman
Looking around the front room, Luke frowned. Where was the third Shaw, Deckard?
For a moment, Luke was scared Ramsey had taken him for herself. But as he listened closely, he could hear laughter from his bedroom
Quietly walking towards the room, Luke could hear Sam's voice
"You look so pretty!"
"Thank you, as do you." A man's voice responded
Luke could clearly hear the joy in both of their voices. Poking his head into the room, Luke felt his heart skip a beat
Sam was kneeling on a chair as she rummaged through his chest of jewels, while Deckard Shaw stood next to her and allowed her to dress him any jewelry she didn't wear herself
Luke's eyes immediately zeroed in on the diamond collar around Deckard's neck
Looked like Sam had had the same idea
Deckard Shaw would be theirs
Leaning against the doorway, Luke stayed quiet as he watched his future husband and daughter
~~~
I hope you enjoyed friend!!
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HSMTMTS 2x9: so dreaded, so exciting, 'Sword!' (yeah, I went there, I've been thinking about this scene - you know the one - since yesterday for some reason)
After two computer malfunctions and a very tough, very sleepless night, here I am with a third attempt to write this post. The universe is against me today. Is Mercury in retrograde or something? Ugh, I just want to get this over with already. And I haven't even managed to see half the episode yet. You better like this cursed post because it's taken me two hours at this point, and will probably take another to finish - and that is if nothing goes wrong this time. Please bear with me. This is my reaction to HSMTMTS 2x9, take 3. Let's hope and pray it's the last one.
I'm normally [unpopular opinion alert] a very spoiler-positive person (it's the combination of anxiety and ADHD and a bunch of other stuff, I suppose), but for this one I've been refraining from looking at the tag all morning, so by now I'm simply bursting with impatience. But before we dive in, I need to get some stuff off my chest.
Some pre-watch thoughts and feelings (let's see how well they will have aged by the end of the episode):
Seriously, what is with whoever writes this show? I know it's impossible, but I feel like they've been toying with my emotions specifically all season. Like:
Ah, so you were a Rini shipper last season? Great, now we'll make them obnoxious and borderline toxic to the point where you actually want them to break up, but then their old chemistry will be back just for the breakup scene so that you can cry your eyes out over the one couple you couldn't stand - even though you can't seem to relate to a single song from Sour, we'll make you feel like you do for a hot second. At least it will remind you that you loved Ricky.
So you say Redlyn own your heart and soul? Great, we'll make you dread something going wrong with them for a week straight, and mess up your sleep schedule beyond repair over it. You're welcome!
We heard you said Rodfini give you life? Perfect, how about a big Seblos fight? And would you like a side of questioning your choice to stan Carlos with that? Because what is life without a little anxiety, a bit of doubt of your ability to read people, and a pinch of existential dread, right?
Ah, so you claimed not to ship Portwell romantically, is that right? Brilliant, we'll make you ship them and then we'll use that to torture you, too.
You've been excited about ABF and Asher Angel guest-starring ever since they were announced? Magnificent! We'll make you hate ABF's character to the point where you can't even look at him, and we'll make you call him names you thought yourself incapable of uttering. And as for Asher, you'll be left waiting for him until the last third of the season, and then you'll dread the possibility of hating his character, too. Do you love us yet?
Oof! Right then, I've got that out of my system. Time to dive in.
Miss Jenn playing around with the backgrounds is, like, 90% of the people who had online school this year, and honestly, I love that for her.
Wait, why is Nini first on this call? Are they going through with the Rose thing? Cos like, the song is nice and all (and, might I add, much more to my taste than nearly all of Sour, don't @ me), but if they use it, it will get them disqualified. They’ve been told that! Gosh, please let me be wrong about this.
We get it, Carlito, rich and fancy and over-the-top is kind of your thing, but have you stopped for a second to think about how others will feel about this? Especially Seb, whom you claim to care about. Seriously, though, I love Carlos and would not hesitate to die for him, but I’m getting the feeling that, unlike my other favourite (you know the one), he wouldn’t do the same for me. Oh well, he’ll figure it out. He’s just a kid. Give him time.
Wait, Milky White? Is that an Into the Woods reference I smell? Cool! If I had a cow, I’d totally name her Milky White (or Gertrude, but don’t ask me why). I just hope they don’t have to, like, take her to the market and exchange her for magic beans, if you catch my drift.
Ahhhhh, Caswell cousins content! We love to see it!
‘You guys are watching, like, old old movies’ WTH, Nini (or is it Nina)? Scary Movie is literally younger than me. But what do you know about it, you 21st-century baby! Ugh, I don’t know why I’m being so hostile today... must be the lack of sleep. Hope it doesn’t influence my reactions to the episode so dramatically as to make me forget how much I love this series. Because I do.
Yay! Big Red is here! I can finally smile. And did Ash just say they’re soulmates? Because yes they are! Ahhh my heart is going to explode.
‘Nini, have you heard from [Ricky]?’ Yikes, awkward... but of course, Big Red can be counted on to save the day here, too.
Ok, so that was a cool cold open. Time for some nice in-person scenes, though. I did not spend all of three semesters doing online school just to have the characters of my favourite series do the same.
Wow, Gina is really embracing that French accent thing! And I really don’t want to think about, erm, ‘Napoleon over here’ right now, but I really think the fact that she’s doing it better than him will be another piece of evidence towards my theory of fake-French!Antoine... ugh, I said his name. Oh well. Back to Gina. Too bad the French thing didn’t work out for her.
Ahhhh, Portwell with Ash in the background! And Ash is going to paint EJ’s nails! I feel like he’s going to end up loving that, despite what he says right now. But seriously, I just love how comfortable these two are with each other. Can you blame me now for shipping them as friends? Well, I mean, it’s obvious they will be more than friends, and somehow, despite the amatonormativity of it all, I’m here for it.
Wait, was that Asher? That was Asher, I’m 100% sure of it. And Gina said ‘a sign’ and then looked at him, even from the back... what am I supposed to think and feel here? I’m confused. Moving on.
Ahh, poor Ricky being a burrito... good thing that breakup scene last time reminded me that I love him, because the entirety of the season before that was very good at making me forget that.
Wait, did she say ‘the Bean’? As in, that Bean? The infamous Bean? LOL.
‘So the only time you two talk to each other is to gossip about me’ Boy, did I feel that. I once got my hands on my dad’s mobile and I... kind of went through his texts with mum. Yep, all about me and my brother. At this point I feel like they’re only together because of us. But this is getting too personal. I’m here about the episode, not to rant about my family. Moving on.
Yikes, looks like Nini’s got writer’s block all over again. Am I supposed to feel sorry for her? Because I kind of don’t. I mean, no hate towards her, none at all, but that entire scene just felt awkward and unnecessary. And not just because it’s her first time going live. That I can understand. What I don’t understand is why the writers can’t seem to do anything creative and interesting with Nini. Olivia is being wasted there. Idk, that’s just how I feel. Again, no hate.
Ahhhhh it’s Asher! And well, he’s not Jonah, but I kind of really like him as Jack. I wonder if that will last.
So is it just me, or is anyone else not quite sure how to feel about Ricky’s mum? I mean, their interactions seem kind of awkward and strained, but that’s how it’s supposed to be given their recent history, and yet something just doesn’t sit quite right with me.
‘You there, Muse? It’s me, Nini!’ Ah, so it’s Nini again? I didn’t get the memo. Gosh, this episode is kind of really underwhelming. The most exciting thing so far (but not nearly as exciting in practice as it was in theory) – Asher and Sofia’s on-screen reunion. The second most exciting thing? The thought of Ash painting EJ’s nails. Everything else? Kind of ‘whatever’. Is this what I tossed and turned about all night? Totally not worth it. This episode better get, like, 300% better right this instant. It’s just not worth all the frustration and excitement and dread so far.
Looks like my prayers from just now have been heard! That improv scene was hilarious! Guess it was lucky that Miss Jenn had them do improv before this moment. But I need to know more of Jack’s backstory now.
Ok, so that was awkward! So Kourtney is talking to Howie again, I guess. And I guess I know now what Carlos did that was all public and no subtle. Still, what’s wrong with posting photos from your holiday? Guess I don’t exactly know yet what Carlos did to piss the others off so much.
Great, now I’m tempted to google butterfly faces. Good thing I’m not eating anymore. *** Ughhhhh this was a mistake! Please don’t ever look a butterfly in the face if you want to stay sane. Don’t be like me.
Ahhh the Duke sweater! ‘Is that your boyfriend’s?’ Well, not quite yet, it’s not... *screams in Portwell*
Oh, now we’re talking! But seriously, Ricky? The ‘my friends think’ card? Why don’t you just say ‘I think’? It’s clearly something you’ve thought about a lot. I feel like I’m going to love this scene or cry over it or both.
Ooh, therapy. It’s not just... basically the entire fandom... who says it now. Please tell me that means Ricky will be going to therapy at some point. Says the girl who is currently firmly refusing to go to therapy in favour of hyperfixating on HSMTMTS and getting back into the good old practice of having imaginary friends... yeah, I’m one to talk.
My, my, my! Seb has really had it now. I mean, it was about time, but... not quite like this. My heart is starting to do some weird stuff, I can feel it. I might need to lie down.
Ok, so as much as I envy North High for getting to see so many shows on BWay – basically living out my dream – stalking East High on Instagram and being shady about them taking a well-deserved break... just goes beyond all limits. I mean, if you’re so into Broadway shows, you should know as well as I do what happened the last time a certain founding father did not take a break. Maybe you’re the ones in need of a break here.
Nini on the call with the Caswell cousins, though... ‘I’m obsessed with both of you’ – first relatable thing she’s said or done all season. And EJ playing with old toys is pure gold.
Oh, so Jack’s dad is a pilot. Makes sense, I guess. I’m kind of intrigued by this guy. Just as long as he doesn’t try to come between Portwell before they’ve had the chance to happen, you know...
Ashlyn might need to stop swooning over Nini’s songwriting or Big Red might get jealous... I mean, I would not have pinned him as the jealous type before 2x7, but ever since then... I guess insecure + dating a girl like Ash = the jealous type. And although that looks good on him, I’d bet anything it doesn’t feel particularly pleasant on his side. So... wait, why am I talking about Big Red? He hasn’t even got anything to do with the scene at hand. But then again, there’s been so little Big Red content in this episode that I seem to be trying to make up for it. Still. Stay focused.
Ooh, so Big Red did edit that video! Is there anything my boy can’t do? Ok, now I feel like he’s even more criminally underappreciated than he was before. But let’s look at the video. I’m curious to see the whole thing because that sneak peek from yesterday simply hasn’t been enough.
That was... really, really cool! I love how they took the ‘when they go low, we go high’ line from last time and run with it. Now if only they were putting as much effort into BATB... North High wouldn’t know what hit them.
Hmmmm... I guess Gina and Jack could be what I originally wanted Portwell to be... really cool friends. Unless it’s one of those ‘airport magic’ things. Oh well. It probably is. Was that all we’re seeing of Asher here? I did not wait 2/3 of the season for this. Though it was nice.
Ooh, Ricky’s solo song... why is there more Rini chemistry in this song than there was in all the season? Not counting the breakup scene, of course. Also, I feel like it’s just as much about him and his mum as it is about Nini. Some say music is the best therapy. I think they might be right. And no, I’m not crying. You are.
The granola bar, though... this episode might have been very underwhelming in the first half, but... it delivered in the Portwell front, and the music was *chef��s kiss*, so I’m willing to let it slide that the advertised Seblos ‘big fight’ was not touched upon nearly enough. Maybe next week...
Ok, now that we’re done watching the episode, let’s see how my feelings from the beginning have aged:
The Rini breakup: apparently, along with reminding me that I love Ricky, it has rendered me unable to look at Nini. What’s up with that? If this is some sort of tactic along the lines of ‘Olivia might be leaving the show so we’re making you hate her character so that you won’t miss her’, it’s not really working. Because I don’t want to hate Nini. Believe me, I don’t.
Redlyn: ok, so there’s nothing wrong with them whatsoever - we even got a ‘soulmates’, which I loved - but first they’re being swept under the rug, and then the antis come at us with that ‘their relationship is underdeveloped’ nonsense. Individually, though, I liked them in this episode (even if there was a significant shortage of Big Red), and Ashlyn collaborating with Nini again was cool, but... what I really wanted to see was her painting EJ’s nails. Did she even get the chance to actually do it? Maybe next week.
Seblos: I’m still failing to understand exactly what Seb thinks Carlos did wrong (please enlighten me if you did catch that, I’m kind of slow), but he (Seb) does have reasons to be mad at him (Carlos)... and at other people, too. Still, if you want to have a fight between two people in a relationship, you could do much better than whatever this episode was. Maybe next week. I notice I’m saying that a lot. Guess I’m putting a lot of hopes on 2x10. I just pray it doesn’t disappoint.
Portwell: boy, am I happy that my frustration on this front did not age well! What I mean is, apparently they’ve decided to bless us, not torture us for once. Even a rather disappointing episode like this one had to have some sort of silver lining. And Portwell is it.
Asher as Jack: well, luckily I didn’t hate him, but... it’s kind of the opposite problem. I loved him and now they’re taking him away from me. Guess I just can’t win here. Oh well. At least he didn’t have the screen time to get in between Portwell...
All in all: 2x10, my hopes and prayers are with you!
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tomtenadia · 3 years
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Island Dreams - Epilogue
So, this is it. We officially reached the end. I must admit I am very sad. Writing this story has been such a great journey but Aelin and Rowan have their happy ending. This chapter is set 5 years after the events of the previous chapter. it's divided in two parts. The first one we have Aelin telling in first person what happened in five years. Part two has a snippet of our beloved Whitethorn-Galathynius family. we get to meet Freyja and Morrigan and a surprise too. I hope you love the girls.
I want to say a massive thank to every single person who read the story, reblogged it or left a comment. Thank you. I am so grateful for all the support you gave me.
I am coming back..  A Little Braver is going well and I hope to be brave enough to post chapter one soon.
And now i'll leave you to the story. Enjoy <3
--------------------
5 years later
My name is Aelin and my story began five years ago. I was once heartbroken and one day I left my old life behind and took a flight to Scotland, and then a ferry and I ended up on this island called Lewis. I am a bookworm and one of the first thing I did once on the island was to go and hunt for a bookstore. And well, you know the story after that. It’s been five years since the day Rowan and I officially tied our lives together at Callanish. As promised we went back there after a year and a day and renewed our vows.
Married life had its ups and downs but Rowan and I fought through every single challenge that came our way. We made it work, we fought for each other as we promised and we love each other just as we did when we began. And some. Every year Rowan has been celebrating the anniversary of the day I arrived on the island and officially entered his life. Sometimes I think he prefers that day to our wedding anniversary. Anyway, as you remember we finished the story with the four of us, Rowan, me and our two girls Morrigan and Freyja. Those two cute bundles of flesh are now two very active five years old driving mum and dad crazy but also being the most precious thing in our life. They will start primary school next month and I am trying not to cry if I think how much they have grown. Physically they are their father’s clone. They both have deep pine green eyes and his same silver hair. Freyja likes it long and loves when either I or Rowan braid it. He has become quite a wizard at braiding our daughter’s hair. Morrigan, on the other hand, prefers it short. But the similarities end with that. Personality wise they cannot be any more different. Freyja is like me. Rowan calls her his wee Fireheart. She is fierce and stubborn. She has a very strong personality and for a five year old she has her ideas clear on what she wants. She is like quicksilver and always active. She is the first one to wake up and the last one to go to bed. She is curious and fearless and loves nature just as much as her father. She is out little hurricane. Morrigan, on the other hand, is the calm one and reserved and she reminds me so much of Rowan. She observes a lot and when you think she is not paying attention, she comes up with question that makes you realise she was listening after all. She has an inquisitive mind and her non stop questions can be exhausting after a long day. She is shy. Where her sister had been since tender age happy to be with anyone, Morrigan has always been very selective. Growing up she has her favourite selection of adults. She is very close to her father, probably because they are very similar, but Uncle Malcolm and Aedion come second. Aedion got her hooked on planes. Once we were at his and Lys’ house and Morrigan grabbed one of his models planes and started playing with it. Aedion had started talking about the plane and now when they are together she always ask him about planes. We think she’ll be a pilot. Both girls are obsessed with books just like her parents and Rowan has taken upon him the job of teaching them to read. Morrigan can read very simple words and write her own name. Freyja would too if she could sit down for more than five minutes. Good luck with the teachers. She is very bright, she just can’t stay still for very long. She was probably the one doing all the kicking while in the womb. The amazing thing is that they get along. It took us a while to teach them to sleep in their individual rooms. For a while in the morning we would find one in the other’s bed. Always curled up together as they used to do when they were little. Freyja at the park always play the protective one and looks after her sister and chases away the kids who try to take advantage of her sister’s calmer nature. If we were in a fantasy I would imagine Freyja being the woman learning to wield a sword and who would train with the guys and dreamed of becoming a knight. Morrigan, I imagine her as the one with her nose in books and who dreams of becoming a healer. I think Rowan is writing a story about them. Oh yes, I will tell you about his book in a moment. There is a further family member that I need to introduce: our son Dalamar. Yes, Rowan and I have scandalised parents at kindergarten with our weird names. Freyja did not cause much problems but a couple of mothers had a go at me for calling my daughter with such as negative name as Morrigan. I usually explain that I do not expect my daughter to become the goddess of war but that simply Rowan and I liked the name. And do not get me started with Dalamar. No-one apparently has read the Dragonlace chronicles so when we say Dalamar is a dark elf in the books, well, the glares we get are incredible. But again, Rowan and I wanted an original name. We started searching in books to find something we liked and then Rowan found his old copy of the Dragonlance chronicles and he suggested Dalamar. I joked that if we truly wanted to scandalise Stornoway, we should have called him Raistlin. So in the end we went for something less alien and settled on Dalamar. Anyway, Dalamar is two. He was planned though. Rowan and I had decided we wanted a big family so once the girls were around three we started to try and add another member. When we had the conversation we had talked about having four kids, but alas, Dalamar’s birth has been so full of complication that my chances of another pregnancy are now non existent. But Rowan and I are happy. We have our big family. So, Dalamar has blond hair, much fairer than mine and very light blue eyes. He is a gorgeous wee boy. In terms of personality he is halfway between his sisters. He can be adorable one moment and stubborn like a mule the next. But at least they get along and again, Freyja has taken him under her wing. She really is our knight in shining armour. Both girls are fluent Gaelic speakers. After they were born I asked Rowan if he wanted to teach Gaelic to the girls and he had been very happy about it. So we decided that he would speak only Gaelic to the girls and I was the boring parents with English, although sometimes I am brave and I practice with them, then I embarrass myself and revert to English. We have started the same process with Dalamar and he is like a sponge. Morrigan sometimes helps me with my exercises and Gaelic homework. I am taking classes as well when I can. It’s quite embarrassing when you are almost forty and your five years old daughter tells you “Don’t worry mum, you are doing great.” And then adds something in Gaelic and you need to wait for your husband for a translation. Kids, aside… our lives haven’t changed very much. Rowan still works at the bookstore and Malcolm’s sister is still his assistant. She had been wonderful and he could easily count on her when he needed to stay at home with me and the kids. The shop is becoming very popular, my Facebook page has now reached many followers and a year after our daughters were born he finally managed to set up a website for online ordering. My dearest husband also managed to write a book, find an editor and have it printed and distributed in some smaller bookstores. Of course I told him to have in his shop. We did a book signing hoopla and I don’t think I ever seen Rowan so embarrassed. Anyway, he wrote a fantasy and as promised I was in it and I was Queen as requested. He was my warrior. Loads of angst and epic battles but we end up together. I am very proud of him. Now he is working on one were our children are the main characters. I have only read the fist few chapters and I love it already. But I am his wife so I am biased. I still work at the hospital and still love my job. I started helping as well as paramedic and specifically in the air squad. The team that gets to be airlifted at the site of accidents and the whole thing required a special type of training and it had been amazing. On occasions, I get to work with Aedion. He flies, I save lives. I wish I could tell the London guys that they were wrong. Working in a small hospital is not throwing away my career. I feel more satisfied than I ever felt when I was down south. Malcolm is still my second and I still adore him. Three years ago he finally got married. After my wedding Aiden went for his last deployment and made it back alive and then retired from the navy. He and Malcolm started dating seriously. A year later they moved in together and a year after that Malcolm finally proposed. Aiden has found a civilian job and well, they got their happily ever after. Another couple who got their happily ever after is Lysandra and Aedion. He proposed about five months after mine and Rowan’s wedding and three months later they were married. They had gone for a very small and private ceremony. One year later they had their fist child a boy named Marcus and now Lysandra is pregnant with their second, a girl. She climbed up again the ladder at the hospital and now she is just one level below the head of the department. Then we have Elias. How can I forget him? He is still in Shetland and we keep in touch and we meet when he is back on the islands. His job is going wonderfully and recently got promoted. Two years ago he got married to Ciara and he is happy and a few months ago she gave birth to an adorable little girl named Martha. She is cute. I have seen her when they came down last month. We remained good friends and both had the happy ending we wanted. We still joke and we love to compliment each other on making marriage number two stick. His book addiction got worse and I think I created a monster. He also bought Rowan’s book and raved about it for months. Then we have Elide and Lorcan. We see each other quite regularly. Every year in July they come to Heb Celt and now they can stay at our place. We have been down to Glasgow a few times and Lorcan yearly provides Rowan with tickets for the Six Nations and we religiously go and see the matches. I am officially a Scotland’s fan and I even learnt Flower of Scotland. The boys are proud of me. Elide is still a teacher and Lorcan still the coach of the Warriors. Their family has gotten bigger as well and they have a boy and a girl and Elide is expecting a third one. Apparently they want a big family too. Oh and Lorcan can smile for more than a second. I must admit I have changed my mind about the man and once he gets comfortable with someone he is actually quite a decent human being. He as a dark sense of humour and us two are usually the ones scandalising the group with dark jokes. Aunt Maeve is still running her cafe and she had been a great help as well while the kids were growing up. She would come up with crazy excuses to offer to babysit them and gave us plenty of chances for me and Rowan to have some time alone. Especially after the two births. She also spoils the girls and love to bake for them. Freyja loves to bake with Maeve and, like me is obsessed with cakes. Also, baking is the only activity when our energetic daughter can stay still for more than ten minutes. Morrigan, on the other hand is fussy as her father and not a fan of sweet stuff. We really got one clone each. Dalamar is still too small but he eats anything. My mum has joined the group as well. She has bought a flat up here and sold the house in London. She decided that she wanted to be a part of her grandchildren lives so she moved up here and she is in good terms with Maeve and sometimes she helps her at the cafe. The two of them cooking are becoming very popular in town.
***
“Come on, let’s go and see dad in the shop.” Aelin took Dalamar’s hand and made sure the twins were walking in front of her. Morrigan started blabbing something in Gaelic but Aelin didn’t understand. “Beurla, mo chridhe,” said Aelin to her daughter. “Tha mi duilich, mum.” Morrigan gave her a toothy smile, showing off her missing tooth. They walked to the shop and once they got in the two girls ran to their father who crouched down and they crashed into him. “I bring chaos.” Joked Aelin while Dalamar was still holding her hand. Rowan had started hosting afternoon for kids in his shop when he would reads books or just have storytelling sessions. He had started during the school holidays to have a way to keep the younger children busy but then it became very popular and he kept going, so once a week the shop is invaded by parents and their kids. The twins loved to listen to their dad tell stories. Dalamar loved it as well but he was far too young to understand what was happening so most of the times he would end up playing with Lys and Aedion’s son Marcus. Aelin reached Rowan and gave him a kiss and the twins made disgusted noises and Aelin laughed “one day you will find a boy or a girl and you’ll want to kiss him or her as well and it won’t be as disgusting,” she said tickling Freyja who was the one who was the most disgusted. “I am going to be a knight. I don’t need a boy.” Added Freyja proudly. “I am going to be a doctor like mum.” Was Morrigan’s turn. “So, a knight and a doctor, I guess we got very lucky.” Rowan pulled Aelin in his arms “looks like the goddess of love wants to fight and is not interested in love and the goddess of war wants to heal people.” “Well, you can’t say that we don’t have an interesting family.” Joked Aelin. Then Rowan bend over and lifted Dalamar in his arms “and you?” He kissed his cheek “what do you want to do?” “Tuathanach.” Replied the boy hugging his father. Aelin laughed and brushed his blond hair “that is lovely, my love.” With time and once they were properly settled down they had decided to dedicate a part of the land they owned to have a small farm. They had a couple of cows, a few chickens and loads of sheep. Dalamar loved to run after the sheep and help his dad look after the animals. That’s why Aelin and Rowan were not surprised when he said he wanted to be a farmer. The twins went behind the counter and grabbed the colouring books that Rowan kept stashed for when he had them in the shop and the pencils and ran to the kids’ table at the bottom of the shop. Rowan placed Dalamar on the floor “Go and colour with your sisters.” “Tha.” And the boy joined the two girls. Aelin leaned exhausted against Rowan. “You look tired.” “They have far too much energy. We went to the park. Freyja ran and jumped the whole time. Morrigan wanted to pat the ducks and almost ended up in the pond and Dalamar chased every single dog or cat.” She explained, looking at their kids with affection “then we had ice cream, we went to say hi to Aunt Maeve and grandma Evalin and Freyja and Dalamar stuffed themselves with carrot cake. Morrigan just had a carrot. She is annoyingly healthy like you.” “My girl.” Said Rowan proudly. “Don’t get me wrong, I love them madly, but I just wished they had just a smidge less energy.” Rowan kissed her forehead “I’ll entertain them tonight and make sure they go to bed early. Hopefully they will run out of energy soon.” “Morrigan and Dalamar perhaps. Not Freyja, that girl has limitless power.” “Just like her mother.” Rowan’s arms squeezed her tight “The girls are going to school next month so hopefully they will calm down a bit.” “I am terrified at the idea of Freyja sitting on a chair all day. I feel sorry for the poor teacher.” Rowan laughed “she might find it interesting and actually sit.” “Ro, she can’t even stay still when you read stories.” He scratched his head “I was thinking we can sign her up for some sport.” “You can take her swimming.” Suggested Aelin. Rowan had kept his job as swimming instructor with Dorian and they had made it work. When the kids were at home she would take them to the swimming complex and once Rowan was done they would all swim together. He had begun teaching the twins to float and some very basics techniques. Freyja had loved it, but she preferred jumping from the smallest platform. Morrigan on the other hand had been a good student and had followed her dad’s instructions and could do a nice basic breaststroke. Dalamar would soak with Aelin with his water wings. He loved being in the water. “She could become one of those athletes who jump from platforms into water. A professional diver. She is surely fearless for a five years old.” “I can see her as a rugby player.” And Aelin laughed. “We’ll let her decide.” “Of course,”Aelin kissed him “Look, some mum and kids are arriving.” Rowan was due to start his storytelling session very soon and mothers, fathers and kids had started to arrive in the shop. Five minutes later Rowan took his position at the bottom of the shop on his chair. All the kids sat on the floor on the colourful mats Rowan had bought. Morrigan and Dalamar would sit at his feet, but Rowan would alway keep Freyja in his arms so he could hold her still for a while. “Thank you everyone for coming this afternoon. Kids, are you all comfortable?” Aelin stood in a corner and stared at him as per her usual. Rowan was such a natural around kids. It had been so easy for him to settle into his role as a dad. He had been amazing with their kids and he’d do literally anything to make them happy. But at the same time he had managed to keep the wonderful balance to prevent them to become spoiled brats whose parents would give them anything. “Today’s story is about a princess. Her name is Aelin.” “Like mum.” shouted Freyja in her father’s arms. “Tha, mo chridhe.” And Rowan kissed her head and a smug smile appeared on the girl’s face. “She is fierce and brave and very, very beautiful. So beautiful that all the princes in the realm wanted to marry her.” Aelin laughed and blushed a bit. “Is there a dragon?” Asked Freyja who seemed had already passed her attention span limit. “Shhh, my love.” But he knew it was a desperate hope. “The princess had been put under a spell by her horrible stepmother who was very jealous of her. She could not enjoy true love with the man she loved until the dragon that held the necklace with the spell was killed. Aelin was in love with the captain of the guard, a man called Rowan. The wicked stepmother had found out and so punished her. She had planned to marry her off to a wealthy old man.” When Aelin noticed Freyja was getting fidgety, she took a chair and sat beside her husband and grabbed their daughter so that he could continue his tale. “Rowan offered to go on a quest and kill the dragon but Aelin refused to be left behind. She was not a damsel in distress. So during the night she gathered some of her stuff, donned her armour and together they set off on an adventure. During their trip he would train her with the sword so she could defend herself. It took them a few months but they did manage to reach the dragon’s lair.” “Dragon.” Freyja was ecstatic and Aelin held her tight. “But while they took the path through the magic forest to reach the dragon lair, Rowan and Aelin got separated. The forest was very dangerous but they were both very brave and fought all the perils and when Aelin finally reached the lair she saw that Rowan was already there but he was injured. She drew her sword and decided to face the dragon alone. In the forest she had discovered that she had fire magic and she wanted to punish the dragon. So she started fighting him, but the dragon was huge and she was getting tired. In that instant Rowan woke up again and walked to her. Together they fought the dragon and eventually killed it and destroyed the necklace, setting Aelin free. She finally kissed him and slowly they returned back home. Once back at the castle, they discovered the wicked mother was gone and Aelin and Rowan decided to get married. They invited all the villagers and they lived happily ever after.” Rowan had to simplify the story to make it acceptable to young kids but they seemed to have liked it. He told a few more stories and two hours later the shop was empty and he was alone again with his family. Dalamar had fallen asleep in Aelin’s arms. Morrigan had gone back to her colouring book and Freyja was pretending to be a knight, swinging around the toy sword Rowan had given her. “I am princess Aelin and I kill dragons.” She shouted while Rowan chased her around the shop. Rowan finally grabbed her and lifted her like a sack of potatoes “dad, the dragon,” she protested while trying to wriggle out of her father’s grip. “Freyja!” Aelin noticed Rowan’s command voice. The one that could actually slow down the little terror. The girl stopped moving and Rowan sat her down beside her sister and she grabbed a colouring book and joined Morrigan in silence. “You really have super powers.” Rowan leaned over to kiss his wife’s head “Give me ten minutes and we’ll go home.”
Half an hour later they were finally at home. Rowan carried a sleepy Morrigan and Aelin carried Dalamar who had been sleeping for an hour now. Freyja had followed in silence, with her sword tucked in the belt loop of her trousers. “I’ll make dinner, you change the kids.” Aelin nodded “Let’s go Freyja it’s jammies time.” The little girl gave her a huge smile and followed her mother with Morrigan at her side. Aelin placed Dalamar on the bed, and helped the two girls change into their night clothes. “Did you have fun at dad’s tonight?” “Yes.” They both squealed. Once they were ready, Aelin tied Freyja’s hair “now go back downstairs to dad but let him cook, okay?” The two girls nodded and left the room. Aelin grabbed her little boy and took him to his room, changed him into his pyjama and tucked him in bed “I love you,” she told him while kissing him on the cheek. Then grabbed the baby monitor and joined the rest of her family downstairs. The twins were on the carpet playing quietly with Morrigan’s planes. Aelin joined Rowan and hugged him from behind “Dalamar is in bed and the girls are playing.” She kissed his back “and your food smells amazing.” “Freyja finally calmed down.” “My mum says that she reminds her of me when I was little.” Aelin squeezed him. He switched off the hob and turned engulfing her in his arms “It does not surprise me.” And he kissed her deeply and Aelin replied in the same manner. He pushed her to the table and she grabbed his butt pulling him to her and she moaned against his mouth. He kissed her neck and Aelin’s hands found their way under his t-shirt. Then she pulled away “Ro, the kids are in the other room and awake.” Rowan leaned his forehead against hers cupping her face in his hands. The kiss he gave her was full of need and love “I know.” He sighed pulling away. Their intimate life had taken a bit of a hit and most nights they were too tired to even try and do something. The last time they had managed to get some action was when Aelin’s mother had kidnapped their kids for an entire weekend four months before. And the mornings were not good either because the twins had the habit of waking up and joining their parents in bed for some family cuddling. Aelin crashed her forehead on his chest “I miss our wall…” she laughed “but I know that I would fall asleep as soon as my back hits it.” Rowan kissed her again “I miss you too.” Then pulled away “Come one, let’s go and feed our hurricanes.” In that instant she heard Dalamar calling her through the baby monitor and five minutes later Aelin was downstairs with a weepy boy in her arms “Someone else is joining us for dinner.” The five of them had dinner and once they were done the kids moved to the sofa and Aelin gave them her old laptop so they could watch their hour of tv. She and Rowan had never bought a tv and the kids never asked for it but allowed them to watch an hour of cartoons on Netflix in the evening after dinner while they cleaned up. Most of times they got bored after half an hour and went back playing until bed time but when they were tired they did manage their hour. “They are watching Totoro again.” Said Aelin, joining Rowan in the kitchen with a pile of dishes then she grabbed a towel and started drying all the ones he had already washed. “They do love Totoro.” He added smiling. “Morrigan the other day said she wants to study Japanese so she could talk to Totoro and Freyja wants to go in the woods to look for him.” Rowan roared with laughter “I love the idea of studying Japanese, though.” “Our two wonderful weirdos.”Aelin stored away all the dishes. Once they were done they got back in the living room and silence reigned. The laptop was on the carpet and the three kids were are all hugged together on the sofa. Dalamar sleeping on Freyja’s chest like in the scene where Mei sleeps on Totoro’s belly, her arms protectively around her brother’s back. Morrigan was snuggled against her sister, her hand holding one of Freyja’s. Aelin gasped at the scene and Rowan pulled her to him and kissed her head “they are finally fell asleep.” He turned Aelin and held her from behind, his chin on her head and his arms tight around her. “This is it, Buzzard. This is my island dream.” Rowan kissed her temple. “This is my dream too.”
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