#not sure where this came from but i have been neglecting my son | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

marymary-diva17 · 3 months

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The neglected sully (2)

The great mother holds all her children dearly, and love them all. She also gives extra love for the ones that are alone, forgotten, and hated for something way out of their control. That is your life and has always been your life, not seen as a sully or member of clan. This is the norm you live and the life style that you learn to adapt to over the years.

y/n “ ......." you had woken up left the home this morning you are still thinking about kawwney offer and words. maybe you will take up his offer and join his clan as you didn't fully belong here. Yes you did have your grandmother and the humans but they will not always be around to keep you safe from harm. Barely your siblings had been helpful at times as they will do their best but stay out of the way at, times in fear of making Jake and neytiri mad.

y/n " great mother will they ever see me for myself or always hate me for something out of my reach and control" you had gone to the spirt tree to sneak out some answers, for the questions and thoughts running through your head.

y/n " I know I'm not supposed to be selfish for this but there are times where I do wish Jake and neytiri treated me, as their daughter and not some bothersome I wish my people and all the others saw me as one of them and child of eywa"

y/n " I having a feeling that will never happen as I will never win them over, no matter what happens I will always be the sully that hated ... I don't know if I should call myself a sully ... what does a child call herself when she can't take on either her parents name" soon a wood spirt had come by you making you smile, as you other soon landed on you. It felt like a warm hug or touch making the great mother was watching over you after all.

????? " y/n" you soon heard your name getting called spooking the wood spirts as they soon floated away from you, as you soon looked around and saw your brothers coming.

y/n " brothers what the matter"

lo'ak " we came looking for you as you had been gone when we started breakfast"

y/n " oh yes I had some matters that need attending"

neteyam " It good we found you all of the teens and kids have been given some time off, and we want you to come as well it will be fun"

y/n " oh sure coming" you had soon followed your siblings back to the village and where you father was standing.

Jake " where have you boys been, I haven't gone over the rules yet"

neteyam " we went to go get y/n dad she our sister and apart of the group right"

Jake " sure whatever"

lo'ak " what are the rules dad"

Jake " just stay together and keep an out on your younger sister, remember to stay out of trouble we don't need the rda finding us right now"

the kids " yes sir"

Jake " y/n I'm allow you to go out of the goodness of my heart but stay out of trouble I don't need your siblings or anyones else bring dragged into your mess or getting hurt"

y/n " yes dad..."

Jake " what was that"

y/n " I mean yes sir"

Jake " good and one wrong move young lady you will be facing punishment for whatever happens, and all it will be on you and no one else will be taking the blame right neteyam"

neteyam " yes sir"

Jake " good now go have a good day my sons"

neteyam " dad what about ..."

y/n " come on we don't want to keep everyone waiting we leave us a group and come back as a group" neteyam and lo'ak nodded their heads and soon walked with you towards the waiting group.

tuk " y/n you are coming with us"

y/n " yes I'm it will be fun day"

navi teen boy " why is she here anyways she no one of us"

navi teen girl " I dont know why she was allowed to come she barely does anything, while we do all the work"

navi teen boy 2 " she such a freak my dad said oloeythan will send her away soon and we will be all good without her"

spider " shut up all of you"

y/n " spider save it the fight not worth it come on lets go we can have our own opinions about today" your siblings and spider had nodded their heads and soon, the group of teens and kids had head off together to spend the day having fun.

sometime later

y/n " ......."

kiri " what the matter"

y/n " Jake and Neytiri yesterday and Jake today I don't think they will ever love me"

kiri " they love you sister they just having a hard time .... I don't know"

y/n " you don't need to make excuses for them kiri we all know I will never be the daughter or child they and the clan want"

tuk " well we love you and want you"

y/n " thank you sister"

spider " if you most know and you might know already norm and the other adults human are not very happy with Jake right now, for his treatment of you"

y/n " well it good to know they are always there for me"

lo'ak " we can spend later talking about mom and dad we shouldn't allow them to always be like this towards you, and we will make sure it stops now come on lets have some fun"

neteyam " yes let go and today you will be us sister as we can be a family" you had nodded your head as you soon spent the day with your sibling having a good time.

y/n " ......." you had taken a break from all the fun and decide to rest for a while and keep watch out for any dangers, the group was taking turns of keeping watching in pairs or groups.

neteyam " you know you don't have to keep watch let me do it"

y/n " no I can do it have some fun you have been spending alot of time working and training to take over Jake rile"

neteyam " okay but I will be back to switch places with you"

y/n " okay" you were not the only one watching over the group, you had been making sure everyone is okay and that no trouble was coming, but that times it hard to stop danger from coming. In many different ways sometimes it out of anyone control. The day everyone was playing on the grass or water. There was a tree everyone had saw and started climbing having a good time.

y/n " huh" you soon heard something that got your attention as the ground started to shake and the sound of something was in the air, it didn't take you that long to know what was coming.

y/n " everyone hide now" the group was looking at you trying to understand what was happening.

neteyam " sister what happening well us"

y/n " They are here we need to get everyone from away from here now"

lo'ak " who is here tell us"

navi teen boy " she mad we all know it she can't tell anything"

kiri " umm everyone she right looks" some trees had been seem to shake and loud metal sounds had been heard.

y/n " get the little ones now listen to what I have to say" it was to late rda Mac suits had been seen along with flying aircraft as well.

neteyam " eveyrıne run into the forest now run" everyone soon took off those with little siblings grabbed them fast, taking off into the forest.

rda " we found the navi kids"

rda 2 " get them we can't let them get away"

y/n " tuk stay with kiri and spider everyone run and don't look back and whatever happens keep on running" everyone had soon taken off running some of the teens firing back arrows or tossing rocks.

neteyam " we have to keep running we will lose them soon"

lo'ak " they are not giving up the chase"

spider" somehow they found this location that was unknown to them"

y/n " we can deal with that later we need to get everyone home and warn the grown ups, we can't stop here"

spider " so what do we do"

y/n " run" the group had nodded soon finding the hiding group of teens and kids, and soon take off together. You had fired an arrow making a tree fall a bit blocking the suits from follow you the group. The group was running as everyone was thinking they are safe but soon a blast and went off sending everyone fall to the ground hard.

neteyam " ahh"

y/n " brother are you okay"

neteyam " fine as I will ever be" everyone seem to get hurt from the blast but as aircraft was about to hit them once again, soon the calls of warriors and ikran had been heard the group had been saved by the clan warriors. It seems like the blast had taken a tool out of everyone as everyone had fallen to the group in pain or knocked out, so did you as everyone had become blurry and you could no longer here anything.

hours later

y/n " ummm" you had finally woke up to a horrible headache and so much pain.

mo'at " you are finally awake thank you great mother" mo'at had held you as you looked around and saw some healer, as they looked at you.

y/n " grandmother where is everyone else are they okay please tell me no on was killed please"

mo'at " no everyone it fine my dear everyone it hurt but no has went to see the great mother today" you had looked at your grandmother feeling some peace, but that peace was soon ended when Jake came into the hut.

y/n " can I see my siblings and spider they are not here can I"

Jake " you"

y/n " dad"

Jake " this all your fault" Jake had grabbed your arm and started dragging you out of the healer hut.

mo'at " Jake let her go she needs to heal"

Jake " no she needs to answers to what she had done"

y/n " what I have done"

Jake " yes look what you have brought upon the clan" you had seen the youth of the clan were in the homes, but they were all badly injured and not moving that much.

mo'at " Jake you need to clam down we don't need the clan in uproar"

Jake " they need to be mad as she caused this all"

y/n " no sir the rda found us it was all bad luck no one could tell"

Jake "silent we all know you were supposed to be on watch and you had failed getting everyone hurt"

Neytiri " demon child you have had to out for you siblings and everyone as they are love and cared for then you"

y/n " no that all lies"

neytiri " now look what you have done you brother neteyam might leave to see the great mother, lo'ak is hurt badly and hasn't woken up ... your sisters are hurt as well all because of you"

y/n " no it not what you think"

Jake " we have all asked them and it leads back to you everyone said you are the reason the air craft followed as it followed you, and you might be the reason you all were found"

y/n " no I helped everyone escape and fight back I will never endanger my family or clan lives"

navi women " she to blame our kids might not live normal lives she to blame"

navi man " yes the demon girl has betrayed us are we sure she hasn't been working with the rda"

y/n " dad"

Jake " enough I said you wrong move from you will lead to punishment and now look what you have done, it will be better if you were the only one hurt but now look where you have done hurting the clan youth and now we might have to move ... you are selfish"

y/n " ......."

navi adult " she evil look what she has done to my kids our clan children" the crowd was upset and yelling they wish for something to happen.

Jake " you are here by exiled and banished from the clan y/n"

mo'at " Jake she your daughter"

Jake " I don't care she was never my daughter and will never be my daughter after today she is dead to me and my family"

y/n " what"

Jake " leave this clan and never come back neytiri had done you favor back packed you stuff" neytiri had dropped a bag of your belong near you feet she couldn't look you in the eye.

y/n " listen to me please I didn't do anything wait for everyone to heal and give ma trail please"

Jake " no this is your trail you are nit allowed you and are seem enemy to the people and don't go to the other clan near by, as they know you are not wanted her and they wish nothing to do from you as well" tears were rushing down you face from heartbreak and pain Jake soon brought you toward outskirts of the village and pushed you away.

Jake " if anyone see you they have rights to chase you away from the lands you are not one of us"

neytiri " you will never be one of us leave now we are giving you one last nice gift so leave now and never come back here, we have no third daughter only two... you are worthy of being one of the family or clan"

mo'at " Jake sully don't due this you will live to regret what you have said and done"

Jake " mo'at there is enough thing I regret already but I will not regret this ever, you can stay here to speak with her but after this day I don't have a daughter named y/n I never did and never will" you didn't say anything else as your grabbed your stuff and started walking away, getting cold glares from the adults behind you there was no going back now.

time later

y/n " I'm all fixed up now" you had gotten done bandage up your arms and legs that had been scrapped because of the fall, when you heard something gain your attention.

y/n " who is there"

mo'at " it me my child I came to see you but I didn't come alone" mo'at had soon shown herself along with norm and max, they both seem upset and disappointed.

y/n " norm how is spider is he okay I'm sorry I should of done better"

norm " he will be okay but will need to rest and we watched but he will be okay"

y/n " grandmother I'm sorry I should of done better"

mo'at " you did enough you fought and kept everyone alive"

max " we came to see if you need medical help" you had nodded your head mo'at and max attended to your injures.

norm " where are you going to go kid"

y/n " I have a friend that offer me a place to stay if I ever left on my own or had been kicked up ... looks like I was kicked out of my home and clan"

mo'at " I wish you can stay but ..."

y/n " Jake sully words is law now it will not be safe for me anywhere and stay with the humans will be trouble for them, so I will take my leave"

norm " we had bene planing to keep you with us away from the clan"

y/n " thank you but I'm doing this for you safety and it my time"

max " time for what"

mo'at " for her to forge a path of her own it time for her to discover what the great mother has planned for her... my granddaughter I will miss you"

y/n " I will miss you as well grandmother and norm max I hope to see you all one day in again and if that day does not come, I will meet you in the afterlife of the great mother"

mo'at " take these stuff you will need it with you and my blessing as well"

y/n " thank you"

norm " here take some stuff as well just in case something happens" norm had placed some human technology in mo'at bag for you as you called you ikran, soon taking the bag and making sure to was sourced on your ikran saddle.

y/n " goodbye and may the great mother watch over you three and everyone else" mo'at hugged you one last tears falling down her face, and your face as well. Soon the hug had ended and you soon hugged norm and max, once hugs were over you got on your ikran. Signal I see you to the tiro one last time before you took off into the sky leaving, and heading towards where you new life will started. You had looked back at your home one last time as tear fall down your face, you hopes one day to come back but knew that might not happen.

Very late that night

y/n " umm we made it here" you had soon reached the inland and land your ikran as it was night time, but it seems like you had drawn attention.

warrior " who goes there" some warriors had come to see what was the matter, as some people are looking our from their homes.

y/n " I friend of kawwney I have this necklace to prove it" you soon showed your necklaces.

Warrior " that is his work what is your name"

y/n " y/n" one of the warrior left to go tell kawwney of the news it didn't take them long.

kawwney " y/n what happened"

y/n "trouble had come and I was kicked out I'm banished from the forest .... I came to take up your offer"

kawwney " good"

ronal " what going on here ... dear great mother what has happened to this girl"

kawwney " she needs help she badly hurt r"

ronal " bring her now so I can attend to her" kawwney soon picked you up and carried you off to the healer hut. That night you had been helped as your injuries had gotten worse, during the travel. That next day you had meet tonowari and ronal, who allowed you to stay after hearing the story and Learning a bit more of kawwney then you haven't know before. Your new life began with the ocean but the forest will always be your home as well and hold a special place in your heart.

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sailor-aviator · 2 months

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Amhrán na Farraige

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Selkie!Reader

Summary: For centuries there have been legends of beautiful women who disguise themselves as creatures from the sea, only coming to land to sate their curiosity about the world above. Bradley was a simple man who had a taste for simple pleasures. A whole life spent at sea meant he was accustomed to these tales, but nothing prepares him for the reality of them.

Content Warning: ANGST, smut (brief, p in v), Pregnancy, References to the supernatural, Third person narrative, Some fluff, Dub-con, Kidnapping, Forced marriage (kind of, you'll see), Stockholm Syndrome, Some domestic violence (against spouse and towards children. Nothing heinous, just some grabbing and shaking), Anger, Celtic myths/legends, Celtic songs, Depression, Lies, Men driven mad, Descriptions of blood. I think I got everything, but PLEASE let me know if I missed anything.

Word Count: 13.2k

Helpful pronunciations (not exact, but close):

Amhrán na Farraige - [oh-ron nuh far-ig-uh] "Song of the Sea"

Sidhe - [She] "Fairy" (Also there's a whole etymology thing with this but yeah)

Mo Chroi - [moh khree] "My heart"

Mo Ghrá - [moh graw] "My love"

Mo Mhuirnín - [moh wor-neen] "My beloved"

Mo Stóirín - [mo store-een] "My Little Treasure"

Song One (The cliffs) || Song Two (The end)

God was not real, of this Bradley Bradshaw was sure and certain. At the very least, if he had existed at all, he was surely dead now. Or perhaps he was a neglectful deity. Bradley had seen too much death and hardship in his life to think otherwise.

He had seen men gasp for an unhearing god as they lay on battlefields, blood coursing out the holes in their bodies as tears streamed down their unseeing eyes. He had seen children starve, begging their still mothers for food that would never come, not while hardship endured in the land. He had heard the wails of women as their sons, brothers, fathers, and husbands never returned home, hand reaching out for an embrace that would never be returned.

All eyes looked to God, but God did not look back.

The only thing Bradley was sure of, was the existence of the fair folk, the Sidhe his mother had always called them. The beings who walked the between, never staying long in this world or the next.

“That shadow that lingers in the corner of your eye?” She had smiled, stroking the hair out of his face. “That’s the fair folk, honey. Always watching, but never seen. If they see let you see them, Bradley, then it’s already over. They’ve gotten you.”

His mother had done her best to keep him sheltered from the horrors of the world, but death and famine followed the people along the coast. His father had died in a shipwreck off the coast when he was young, and while his mother had done her best to keep her sorrow hidden, Bradley often caught her eye turned towards the sea. She disappeared when he was only sixteen.

Bradley had heard stories of people being taken by the fair folk, lured to the hills beyond the town, some never to be seen again, while others came back different. He wondered if the men who had gone off to war had been taken, replaced with something hollow, something not quite all there. Had his mother been taken by the Sidhe? Taken to the land beyond to be with his father? Or had her sorrow and longing for her long-dead husband become too much all at once, the grips of the icy waters too tempting an offer to resist?

It didn’t matter anymore, though. Bradley was alone and took work where he could, soft hands of youth turning to calloused hands of adulthood. His once bright eyes grew dull from the monotony of the jobs at sea, life becoming routine as day after day he boarded a ship to earn his livelihood.

As he grew older, the wages from the odd jobs allowed him to purchase his own vessel, a small boat that rocked in the choppy waves as he hunted the seals that littered the coasts.

He remembered watching from the small house he and his mother lived in as the creatures hopped out of the water to lay on the rocks. He would inch towards the door until she caught him, a stern look on her face as she scowled at him.

“If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times,” she scolded him, hands on her hips. “You leave those creatures alone. They’re not doing anything to bother you.”

“Elijah’s da’ hunts them,” he remarked once, only serving to deepen her scowl.

“He does,” she muttered. “And he’s a lucky man that the selkies are a forgiving lot.”

“What’s a selkie?” Bradley had asked, eyes lighting up in intrigue. His mother regarded him for a moment before gesturing for him to sit in one of the chairs by the fireplace. Bradley settled in, eyes eager as he waited for his mother to explain.

“The selkies are fair folk of the sea,” she began, eyes serious as they darted above his head to look out the window towards the beach. “They may look like seals, but underneath their blubber and fur, they look like people just like you and me. They’re beautiful, Bradley, but curious to a fault. They walk on land in human form, shedding their seal skin once every seven years.”

“Why seven?” He had asked, voice small with wonder.

“Just the way the magic works,” she had replied with a shrug. “You can always tell when a seal is a selkie based on the size. The bigger the seal, the more likely it is to be a selkie, Bradley. Killing it and taking the skin will earn you pay, but you’ll have blood of the fair folk on your hand. Remember that.”

And he had remembered, for a while at least. He would watch the seals as they basked on the rocks, always wondering if the ones that met his curious gaze were one of the fair folk - a selkie.

Now the years had passed, grown from a small boy into a man of large stature. He commanded respect from those in the small, seaside village. Long had the days passed when his mother had warned him of hunting the seals and long had passed the days when he took those warnings seriously. He had joined the few who hunted the creatures around the rocky shores, braving the misty seas to earn himself a living.

He sat in his boat, the waves rocking him side to side in the way they often do during misty weather. Bitter cold clawed at his skin, numbing his fingers as he waited. Waited for something to come out of the water. Waited for any sign that he would earn a meal.

He fiddled with the ropes that lie around the floor of the boat, tying knots that he would need later. Undoing them, tying them, undoing them again. Anything to keep himself occupied while he lay in wait.

His breaths came out as white puffs of clouds, matching the ones surrounding him. Ice water clung to the whiskers on his upper lip, dripping down to run along his jaw and throat. He shifted, burying himself further into the warmth his coat provided. It was worn. He would need a new one soon. All the more reason to keep hoping for a prize catch.

The sound of disturbed water drew his attention towards the shore, and he slowly crept forward to peer over the side of the boat. A large seal bobbed at the surface, taking slow, deep breaths of the cold air that surrounded them. Slowly, Bradley reached for his harpoon, watching as the seal floated closer and closer. He raised his arm slowly, taking aim. He took a breath. Then another.

He released the harpoon just as a wave crashed into the side of his boat, sending the weapon veering off course. The harpoon struck the seal’s side, creating a gash that seeped blood into the water. The seal gave a pained cry, diving down into the murky depths of the sea, and Bradley cursed.

He stared at the spot where the seal had disappeared, already feeling the pangs of hunger stab at him. His nostrils flared as the desperate sense of anger welled up within him. How could he have been so careless? The size of that pelt would have brought in enough money to last him months. He heaved a sigh, pulling the rope to bring the harpoon back towards him. His fingers dipped into the icy water, the pain of it distracting him momentarily from his despair.

Bradley tossed the harpoon to the floor, the item landing with a thud as he slumped onto the bench. He buried his face in his hands, mind moving with blinding speed. He could still earn enough money to survive, he thought to himself. He could still do this. He just had to be more careful next time, should wait until he’s closer so he doesn’t miss. Still, his mind wandered back to the seal. The sheer size of it had his mind drifting back to the stories his mother had always told him. Of course, Bradley was older now, and he wouldn’t be scared by tall tales. However, the foolishness of youth still clung to him, for though he was now considered a man, he was barely twenty-two summers old.

Bradley heaved a sigh, sitting up and rubbing his hands together to create some warmth that would awaken his freezing fingers. He gripped the oars in his hands and began to row back to shore, the sun already dipping towards the horizon. He was always tempted to stay out past dark, but the older fishermen and hunters warned him of the dangers that came about at night. While Bradley was a fool, he wasn’t stupid.

He neared the dock that stood on the beach outside his home, moving to secure the boat to one of the posts when something caught his eye.

It floated in the water, a silvery grey blob that moved with the tide. Bradley’s eyes narrowed as he tried to place what it was in his mind. The blob slapped up against the side of the boat, and it was then that he realized what he was looking at. It was a perfectly preserved seal pelt, much like the one he had just seen. He supposed that it had fallen off a cart on the way to market, the winding roads by the cliffs being one of the few ways to make it into town. It wasn’t unusual for things to be knocked off of carts, finding their way onto the beaches and eventually into the sea.

Bradley wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth, not after his blunder. He scooped the pelt into the boat, laying it out to dry before lifting himself onto the dock. It would be days before he could take it to the market to sell, and he hoped no one recognized it when he did make his way into town.

An odd feeling overcame him in that moment, a feeling of unease and tension winding up his spine and gripping his throat. The feeling told him he was being watched, but by what, he did not know. His eyes darted around, expecting to see one of his neighbors by the house, but no one stood atop the cliff. The wind picked up around him, the cold of it stealing the breath from his lungs, and he curled in within himself to try and preserve some of the warmth he had left. The feeling told him he was making a mistake, but he ignored it, surmising that what he felt was guilt at having come into fortune from another’s strife.

Bradley shook his head to rid himself of the feeling, taking one last look around before trudging across the beach and up the path to his home.

The house was cold, but not for lack of warmth. Bradley kept the rooms heated well. No, the house lacked the happiness that made it a home, and this was something he was keenly aware of. It had been a home once, way back before his mother had disappeared.

Now, Bradley existed within its walls, hoping one day that he would find himself ready to settle for one of the pretty girls in town, the ones that smiled at him sweetly whenever he deemed it necessary to venture in. Perhaps he would finally give in to Orla’s flirting. She was a sweet thing, always filling his cup more than she ought to, setting it down in front of him with a bat of her eyes. She wasn’t a bad choice.

Bradley shook the thoughts from his head. He couldn’t entertain the idea of taking a wife, not when his circumstances were so uncertain.

He settled further down into his chair, feet propped up by the fire, the glowing embers serving to help warm him from his time out in the cold air during the day. The wood cracked and popped as the fire consumed it, and Bradley soon found himself dozing off. Exhaustion seeped down to the very marrow of his bones, his muscles stiff from the hours spent hunched over on the boat. His eyes began to flutter shut, urging him to embrace the sweet oblivion that came with sleep.

His body jerked, eyes snapping open. He wasn’t sure what had startled him at first, his heart hammering away in his chest as he let out a shaky breath. His ears perked, eyes darting as he waited for whatever it was that had roused him. He didn’t have to wait long, a second cry sounding from outside.

It was one of pure, unadulterated sorrow. The cry of someone so grief stricken, they sounded almost like an animal. A chill ran down Bradley’s spine at the sound, and cautiously he moved to stand, heading towards the front door. Every fiber in his body screamed at him to leave well enough alone, but he worried that someone might be heart or in trouble. Grabbing his coat, he slipped back into his boots and walked out the door.

The cold was something he thought he should be used to at this point, but it still shocked his system every time he stepped foot out into it. The moon was the only source of light save for the faint, orange glow that filtered out of the windows of his house. The air stung his lungs, and he suppressed a shiver that threatened to run up his spine. The cry had sounded far, coming from towards the beach if he had to guess. He began to walk, boots crunching against the dirt path as it gave way to sand. The waves crashed against the shore like thunder, so loud that he almost didn’t hear the faint cries coming from further down the strip of sand.

He almost missed her huddled in the sand, back pressed up against one of the large rocks at the edge of the shoreline where sand met grass. Her head was buried in the crook of her arms, shoulders shaking as she cried, quiet whimpers wracking her body.

“Miss?” He called out once he was a few feet away. “Are you okay?”

Her head snapped up, hair falling in her face as sorrow filled eyes peered up at him. The look of her knocked all air out of his lungs, and for a moment he couldn’t focus on anything but how beautiful the woman in front of him was.

“Can’t find it,” she croaked. Her voice was still sweet sounding despite the hoarseness of it, and Bradley found himself captivated even further by her. His eyes left her face then, realizing for the first time that she was naked.

“Oh my god,” he murmured, rushing forward as he shrugged off his coat. “Here, take this.”

He wrapped the coat around her smaller frame, the material dwarfing her. Her lips trembled, though Bradley suspected it wasn’t from the cold. She didn’t seem to see him as she continued muttering to herself, eyes darting wildly between her hands and the sea.

“Can’t find it,” she said again, her voice growing in pitch as the desperation took hold.

“Can’t find what?” Bradley asked, brow furrowing in confusion as he glanced around the beach. “Did someone hurt you? Where are your clothes?”

A choked cry spilled past her lips as a fresh wave of tears began to stream down her face. She shook her head wildly, hands darting out to grasp at his shirt. Her fingers seemed to push him away and pull him closer at the same time as another wail climbed up her throat.

“Can’t find it!” She shrieked, eyes growing wider as she stared at the water. “Wanna go home.”

“Where is home?” Bradley asked, his own anxiety beginning to peak as he gripped onto the woman’s shoulders. Her eyes glanced to his, but they did not see him.

“Between the light, between the dark,” she whispered, eyes boring into him. “Between the cold, between the warmth. Between the moon, between the sun. Between the north, between the south.”

The between was something Bradley’s mother had always cautioned him about.

“It’s where the fair folk live, Bradley,” she had told him. “They don’t live here, but they don’t live fully in the other. They’re from somewhere in between.”

He shook the thought from his head. He knew he was being superstitious, ridiculous even. The fair folk were prideful beings, surely one wouldn’t be sitting here talking with him like this.

And yet, as Bradley looked upon this woman, heard how she spoke, a voice in the back of his mind whispered to him that there was something strange about her. Something…otherworldly.

“Are you alone?” He settled on, trepidation clear in his tone. “Is there someone I can go get for you?”

“Can’t go home,” she muttered, eyes turned longingly to the sea as tears streamed down her face. “It’s too late.”

Bradley heaved out a sigh. He would have to take her home, let her rest and try again in the morning.

“Can you stand?” He asked her. She said nothing, nails biting into the skin of her arms as she continued to stare out at the water. Bradley reached out to her, Taking her arms gently to help her stand. Her lips curled in a wince, hand flying to her side. His eyes flickered down, and for the first time noticed the dried blood on her side.

“You’re hurt,” he frowned, moving closer to inspect the wound, but she shied away from him, her own frown tugging on her lips. His tongue darted out to wet his own nervously, as he glanced from her to the house.

“My house is a bit of a ways up the hill,” he started, nodding towards it. Her gaze was more focused now, eyes flickering towards where he gestured. “Do you think you can make it?”

She didn’t respond, instead tilting her head to the side as she regarded the distance. Finally, she nodded, and Bradley felt his shoulders sag in relief. The wind whipped around them, and he was reminded of how cold it was. It would be best to get her inside as soon as possible, though he couldn’t help but notice that she seemed holy unaffected by the freezing temperatures even though she stood in nothing but his coat.

He waited for her to move towards the house, but she remained still, watching him watch her. Finally, he pressed his lips together and began to walk towards the house, boots crunching against the ground once more. The woman made no sound as she moved behind him, her gaze fixated on him the entire time.

He paused outside the front door, hand hesitating above the knob. Slowly, he turned to look at her once more. Her eyes stared back at him, eyes that reflected the orange glow cast into the night, eyes that swirled with knowledge that Bradley could only dream of. She said nothing as they watched each other, those sorrowful eyes watching him with curiosity, so much like seals that littered the shores. Bradley sucked in a quick breath before turning around to push the door open.

The warmth was welcome, and he felt some of the tension ease from his shoulders as he stepped into the main room, turning to watch as the woman stepped across the threshold. Her eyes darted around, taking in the various pieces of furniture and decorations that were scattered about as Bradley closed the door softly behind her. She took a few more tentative steps into the house, head cocking to the side in such an unusual way as to further confirm what Bradley was slowly accepting.

She walked past him, eyes glittering with intrigue as she came up to the fire. She crouched down, head still tilting to one side, and Bradley was captivated by the sight of this beautiful woman bathed in the light of the fire in his home. Before he could react, she reached a hand out into the flame, letting out a startled, pained yelp as she retracted it. A whimper left her lips as Bradley rushed forward, kneeling in front of her and taking her hand in his.

“Why would you do that?” He asked, no real heat behind his tone as he inspected her fingertips. “Don’t you know it’s hot?”

Her fingertips were a little pink, but otherwise no real damage had been done. She stared at him with an unreadable expression, eyes still studying him. He hesitated for a moment before moving to stand, keeping her hand in his.

“I can show you to your room,” he told her, tugging on her hand lightly. Her eyes scanned him from head to foot and then back again before allowing him to pull her to her feet. The two padded down a small hallway before he pushed the door open to a bedroom that had long stood unoccupied. He tugged her inside, motioning for her to sit on the bed. She sat obediently, watching and waiting for him to make his next move.

“I’ll be right back,” he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck as he exited the room. He made his way to the washroom, grabbing bandages, a cloth, a bowl, and a pitcher of water. He returned to the room quickly, finding that the woman had not moved an inch in the time he was gone. He sucked in a breath as their eyes once again met, wary meeting curious. He set the items on the bedside table as he gestured at her.

“You’ll need to take that off so I can see the wound,” he murmured, heat rising to his cheeks as he glanced at her uneasily. She paid no mind to his discomfort, easily shedding the coat and exposing her naked body to him as simply as if he had asked her to close the door. He cleared his throat, eyes darting down to look at the angry-looking gash on her side. The wound appeared to be superficial, but he couldn’t be sure until he cleaned it.

He turned to ready the cloth, keeping the bowl of water close so he could rinse if he needed to. Tentatively, he reached a hand up, running his fingers over the dried blood upon her skin, eyes darting up to search for any sign of distress. Her face remained impassive as she watched him, and Bradley’s jaw clenched as he began to wipe gently at the wound.

He had been correct in his initial assessment, the gash was more of a flesh wound and thankfully wouldn’t require stitching. He grabbed some of the salve he had brought in, applying a decent layer before wrapping a bandage around her midsection. Bradley tried not to think of how close he was to the woman, of how beautiful she was, especially when she seemed wholly unbothered by his presence.

“I, um,” he stuttered, cursing his nervousness, “I can bring you something to wear. I still have some of my ma’s things.”

He didn’t wait for her to answer, not that she would give him one if the last half hour had been any indication. He made his way down the hall to the door he had not opened in years, taking a deep breath to steady himself before pushing inside.

The room was just as his mother had left it all those years ago, the only thing having changed was the layer of dust that coated everything. Bradley moved quickly to the wardrobe on the far side of the room, opening it to reveal several different clothing options. He grabbed what he could carry, making sure to grab some of the sleeping garments before heading back down the hall. The woman sat unmoved once more as he appeared, draping the options on the chair to his left by the vanity.

“I wasn’t sure what you’d like,” he said lamely, gesturing towards the clothing, “so I grabbed what I thought might look nice.”

The woman’s gaze moved slowly to the clothing before she rose to her feet. She padded across the room, not a sound from her as she walked over towards where he stood. Her eyes darted up to his for a moment before back down to the clothes. Small hands reached out to pick up one of the nightgowns he had grabbed, eyes studying it with a frown. Her hands tightened on the fabric, a look of despair washing over her face and disappearing just as quickly before she slowly eased it over her head, letting it drape down her form. She reached her hands up to pull her long hair out of the confines, letting it run down her back as she stared up at him.

There was something inherently wild about her, something that sent Bradley’s heart racing as he looked at her standing there in the room. She looked so out of place but so at ease with her surroundings, and he could hardly stand it.

“My room is just down the hall,” he told her, shoulders pulling back a fraction as he regarded her. “If you need me, I’ll be there.”

He gathered the things he had brought in, moving to leave when she grabbed his shirt, stopping him. He glanced at her from over his shoulder, brow furrowed in confusion as he waited for her to speak.

“Do you hear them?” She asked, voice barely above a whisper. “They’re calling for me.”

Bradley listened in the silence that followed, and it was a second before he heard the quiet, distant barks of seals mixed with the keen of something he could not place - something not quite human, not quite animal. He looked at the woman, her eyes having grown distant once more as a tear slid down her face. Bradley sucked in a quick breath as a shudder ran up his spine.

“You should get some sleep,” he whispered, breaking the silence. “You seem like you’ve had a long day.”

The woman looked at him once more, sadness swelling within her eyes before she slowly nodded, letting him go. She turned towards the bed, padding silently across the room once more.

Bradley closed the door behind him as he left, hands shaking as he listened for the click of the latch before putting away the items in hand. He put out the fire, washing the room in darkness as he dragged a hand over his face. With a glance towards the hall, he crept towards the front door, opening it and shutting it behind him carefully as to not make a sound. The cries from before could be heard louder now, and Bradley thought his heart would burst from his chest from the unease that enveloped him.

The moon still shone bright, lighting his path down towards the dock and his boat. The waves lapped against the shore, the cries louder the closer he came. His boat knocked against the wooden stands of the dock with every crash of the waves, and sitting there, on top of the bench, lay the pelt.

Bradley’s heart quickened at the sight, a sense of dread filling him at what he might find once he inspected it. His boots clicked against the wood as he made his way down to the edge. He kneeled down, snatching the pelt from its perch and into his hands. It was soft, nearly dry. He ran his hands over it, inspecting it closely as he squinted in the dark.

He was lost in the sensation of the pelt, how smooth and soft it felt in his hands, and for a moment he allowed himself to close his eyes and compare it to how soft the woman’s skin had felt under his fingertips earlier. He was pulled from his thoughts as the soft fur transformed into a matted and cracked mess. His eyes flew open, breath catching in his throat as he took in the bloodied tear down the side of the pelt.

Right where the gash on the woman was.

There was no denying it in his mind now. The woman in his home was one of the Sidhe - a selkie.

The cries grew louder, and Bradley’s head whipped up to stare out into the water. He couldn’t see them, but knew they were out there, searching for a sister that was lost to them. His grip on the pelt tightened, and his heartbeat thundered in his ears. He scrambled back to his feet, boots stomping against the wood and then the ground as he ran back to the house. His mind raced with thought after thought as his lungs burned from lack of oxygen. His hand reached out to open the door, but he stopped short, fingers hovering over the knob.

The cries off in the distance sounded as he stared at his front door before looking down at the pelt in hand. He could return it to the woman, let her return back to the sea she called home. But a more sinister thought crossed his mind. Why should he give it back? The woman was safe with him, after all. He could protect her from those that wished to hunt her, keep her warm and fed like a man should. He could love her, give her a life beyond what the sea had to offer. The memory of her skin under his fingertips once again rushed to the forefront of his mind, and he allowed his hand to drop back to his side. Yes, he would keep the pelt. Keep it hidden away where she nor anyone else would ever find it.

He turned on his heel, running towards the small shack just a few yards away from the house, ripping the door open and stepping inside. The structure held mostly items necessary for fishing and repairing his boat, but an old trunk sat in the back, practically hidden by various tarps and other objects. The cries of the other selkies grew louder, almost like they could sense the pelt in his hands and were coming to find it.

Bradley pulled the trunk out into the open, moving to the workbench and grabbing one of the keys that sat in the top drawer. He kneeled down in front of the trunk, unlocking it and opening the lid with a quiet creak. Inside lay old photos and trinkets that his father and mother had collected over their years together. He pulled a few items out before placing the pelt gently into the trunk, covering it back up with the aforementioned items.

He closed the lid, locking it. The wailing cries coming to an abrupt and sudden stop as he did so. He stayed there for a moment, the only sound to be heard being his heavy breathing and the waves crashing against the shore below. Slowly, he moved to stand, shoving the trunk back where he found it and hiding it away once more. No one would think to look in there. No one would know what he kept hidden. He tossed the key back into the top drawer, stepping out of the shack and back into the night.

The air was still around him, eerily so, and Bradley made his way quickly back to the house. His fingers were numb, whether it be from cold or nerves he wasn’t sure, but the tension didn’t ease as he closed the front door quietly behind him, his back pressed against it for a moment as he listened for any sound that the woman might have heard him. Hearing nothing, he toed his boots off, setting them by the door before making his way quietly towards his room, noting that no light shone under the woman’s door. He changed quickly for bed, crawling under the blankets as if they might shield him from the consequences of his actions that evening. He took a few calm, steadying breaths before closing his eyes.

Sleep did not come easy to him that night.

The first morning had been awkward, Bradley rising with the dawn to find the woman already sitting at the dining table, fingers fidgeting with the sleeves of the nightgown. Her eyes darted up to meet his as he entered the room, stopping short at the sight of her.

“You’re awake,” he murmured, shock clear in his voice as they stared at one another. She blinked at him, saying nothing. She seemed perkier this morning, albeit still cautious as she watched him walk further into the room. Bradley grabbed the box of matches from the shelf, taking one out and striking it with a pop. The woman jumped at the sound, eyes flickering to the watch as he leaned down to light the stove, shaking the match out once he was done.

“What is that?” She asked, and Bradley turned to look at her in surprise.

“What is what?”

“The colors,” she supplied, nodding at the burnt match in his hand. She pointed towards the fireplace. “They were in the cave over there last night as well.”

Bradley’s gaze flickered over to where she pointed before landing back on her.

“It’s called fire,” he started slowly, a frown tugging on his lips. “I use it to cook things and keep the house warm.”

“Fire,” she repeated, testing the word out on her lips. “It hurts.”

“It can,” Bradley agreed, a ghost of a smile on his lips. “You shouldn’t touch it.”

She nodded solemnly, clasping her hands out in front of her. She watched as he began to prepare breakfast, turning on the toaster and slicing up the fish to cook in the pan.

“I like those.”

Bradley turned back around to find the woman sitting with most of her torso on top of the table, her legs stretched to accommodate her. Eyes shone with delight at the sight of the fish, and Bradley arched a brow at her.

“Yeah?” He hummed. She nodded enthusiastically, tongue darting out to lick at her lips.

“There’s lots of them,” she told him. “They swim in groups and they’re easy to catch. The fishermen catch them using nets.”

“They do,” Bradley nodded, laying a strip of the mackerel down in the pan. It began to sizzle, and he was struck with how hungry he truly was.

“What are you doing?”

He jumped, turning to look where the woman now stood, eyes wide as she watched the fish cook down. He stared at her for a moment before turning his attention back to the fish, flipping it over before it burned.

“I’m cooking,” he told her. The woman leaned forward, sniffing at the food before wrinkling her nose.

“It smells weird,” she muttered, and Bradley laughed.

“It smells fine,” he smiled, sliding the fish onto one of the plates on the counter. “You’ve just never had it cooked, I’ll bet.”

He ushered her back towards the table, setting the plate down at the spot she just occupied and handing her a fork. He turned back towards the stove, laying another slice of the fish down as the woman took a tentative bite. Chewing slowly, she perked up as the taste rushed over her, shoveling more into her mouth with a satisfied purr. Bradley soon joined her, chuckling as he watched her. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt so light, the last time he laughed so freely.

“You should slow down,” he smirked, taking a bite from his own plate. “You don’t want to choke.”

She peered up at him, pausing in her feast as she considered his words. She cocked her head to the side in that curious way before taking a slower bite, looking up at him for approval. The two ate in silence for a few moments before Bradley cleared his throat, drawing her attention.

“My name is Bradley,” he said, glancing up at her as he swallowed a mouthful of fish.

“Bradley.”

“What should I call you?” He asked, and she frowned in confusion.

“What do you want to call me?” She asked him.

“Don’t you have a name?” He chuckled, disbelief coloring his voice. Surely even the fair folk had names to give. Her face drew tight in sorrow once more, and Bradley felt a twinge of pain in his chest at the sight. Her gaze slowly turned towards the window where the sea lay just out of sight.

“Only the water knows my name,” she told him, grip loosening on her fork as it clattered against the plate. “Only it can say it.”

Bradley watched her. Watched how her breathing grew ragged. Watched how her eyes glistened with unshed tears for a home she would not return to. Her lips trembled, and Bradley cleared his throat.

“I need to head into town,” he said. “Need to see a man about a job. Do you want to come with me?”

She turned to look at him, eyes still hazy from wherever she had let herself wander. She blinked once, twice.

“I suppose,” she whispered finally. Bradley nodded, clearing the plates from the table.

“You’ll need to change,” he told her. “You can’t go out wearing that.”

She looked down at her nightgown with a frown before looking back up at him.

“It’s, uh,” he stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s not appropriate for others to see you dressed like that.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Just,” he blew out a breath, “please pick a different dress?”

She gave him a sour look before standing and disappearing down the hall. Bradley blew out a breath before moving to clean the kitchen area. The woman reappeared, wearing a simple, blue dress. Bradley nodded in approval before his eyes landed on her bare feet.

“Stay here,” he told her, walking down the hall to the far bedroom. He walked in, straight up to the wardrobe and began rummaging through until he found a pair of his mother’s old shoes. He reappeared in the kitchen, handing the woman the shoes with a shy smile.

“I don’t know how well they’ll fit,” he started, “but they should work until we get you some new ones.”

She eyed them distastefully, nose wrinkled in disgust.

“I don’t want them,” she said finally, moving to hand them back to Bradley. He shook his head.

“You need them. They’ll protect your feet, and people will expect you to wear them.”

She scowled, pushing them forward once more, but Bradley stopped her.

“Please, mo chroi,” he pleaded. “Just while we’re in town. You can take them off as soon as we’re home.”

Her gaze softened at the endearment, and reluctantly, she shoved her feet into them. He helped her lace them, calloused fingers making nimble work of them, and soon they were ready to go. He grabbed a thin jacket for himself while he made sure to hand her the heavy coat to combat the frigid air outside. The walk to town took about an hour, and the weather was sure to still be cold and damp as it often was during the time between spring and winter.

Bradley turned to her, a thin-lipped smile on his face as his hand rested on the door. He gave her a once over.

She looked like any other person upon first glance, but if you stared too long, something wild shone on her person that drew you in. Like it would suffocate you if you stared too long. He sucked in a breath, torn between keeping her in his sight and making her stay. If she came, the townsfolk would surely be able to guess that she was not a mere human girl, but if she stayed? If she stayed, she might find the one thing he hoped she never would.

“Alright,” he breathed. “Let’s go.”

Weeks had passed, and the two had developed a routine of sorts. Bradley had started work as the lighthouse keeper, walking every day down the path along the cliffs to clean and polish the light that guided ships to shore. When he finished, he began work on the nets for when he ventured out into the sea to catch fish. It was a steady source of food, and food was not something Bradley took lightly. Memories of what it felt like to go hungry when there was so little to go around, fueled his drive to ensure there was enough, always enough and plenty to spare. He showed mo chroi how to prepare and salt the fish they couldn’t eat, showing her how to store it for future meals.

She was a quick learner, performing the tasks diligently as the days passed, and soon she took over most of the household chores. The widow Callahan checked in on them from time to time, her wise eyes studying the new woman of the house every time she came by.

“Be careful, young man,” she’d always say, dark eyes narrowed up at him. “You may have tamed her now, but the fair folk were not meant for gilded cages. Don’t give her what you cannot spare.”

Bradley would assure her that he wouldn’t, but in truth, he had no idea what she was telling him. He was content with how things were, content to have a partner by his side to help with the work he had done by himself for years. He still caught her staring longingly out at the waters she once called home, but the longing looks grew farther and farther apart the longer she stayed with him, resigning herself to her new life on land.

He was mending a tear in one of the nets when she appeared beside him, silent as always. He was used to it now, no longer startling every time she appeared around him without a sound. He became attuned to her presence, sensing when she came and when she left.

She said nothing to him at first, content to watch him as he worked, and he was content to keep working. It wasn’t until she kneeled beside him, gentle hand placed on top of his arm that he stopped.

“What is it, mo chroi?” He asked, gazing up at her. The sun was sinking towards the horizon, casting a faint golden glow onto the summer evening. Bradley couldn’t help but to admire her beauty in the dimming light, eyes glittering and skin smooth as porcelain as they looked at him. She wore only a white chemise, something she was prone to do when it was just the two of them. She didn’t like the heavy, scratchy feel of the dresses, only wearing them when there was company or when the two ventured into town. Bradley complied with her whims, finding it hard to say no to her.

“Why do you not have a woman?”

The question caught him off guard, eyes widening as his jaw went slack.

“What?” He blinked, scrambling to make sense of her question. She hummed, pressing closer to him. Bradley found it hard to think with the feel of her soft, warm body so close to his, one hand tracing over the planes of his chest as she continued.

“The men in the village,” she pressed, eyes never wavering as they bore into his own, almost hypnotic in the way they captured him, “they all have a woman to keep them company, to hold them, to love them. But you do not.”

Bradley’s eyes darted back and forth between her own, words failing him. She lifted a leg, resting it in between his own as she straddled his thigh. The hand that rested on his arm trailed up to play with the curls at the base of his skull, her body flush with his now as his hands came up to rest on her thighs. The hem of her chemise rode up to reveal smooth thighs that had Bradley reeling with lust. She leaned forward, a purr on her lips as she trailed her nose along his jaw and up to his ear.

“Is it me?” She asked softly, hand splayed on his chest as her lips brushed along the shell of his ear. A shudder ran up along Bradley’s spine at the sensation, mind growing hazy and clouded with lust for the creature before him.

“Am I yours?” She breathed, meeting his eyes once more. The air between them was charged, and for a moment Bradley could think of nothing but the way she felt against him. The way her lips hovered over his.

He lunged forward, pulling her impossibly closer as their lips melded against one another. He was spellbound, captivated, obsessed. His hands tightened on her thighs, and she sighed against his mouth, spurring him on to nip at her bottom lip. She granted him entrance, gasping as he licked hungrily into her mouth, the sweet taste of her driving him mad as a hand slid up to press against her lower back.

She wasted no time lifting herself off of him long enough to free him from the confines of his trousers, small hands gripping his hardening length. He let out a pleasured groan, head tilting back as she stroked him slowly before positioning herself atop him. There was no buildup between them, Bradley gripping at her as she slowly eased herself down onto him. A keen left her lips as he stretched her, mind numbing pleasure coursing through his veins as her velvety walls fluttered around him.

Her eyes were closed tight as she rested on top of him, her hips flush against his as her hands rested on his chest for balance. Bradley had never seen a more beautiful sight. Slowly, she rolled her hips against his, breathing ragged as she built a rhythm. Bradley laid against the wood of the dock as he watched her take her pleasure from him, a hand running up her stomach to rest between her breasts. He could die a happy man right then and there.

Her pace grew faster as she approached her climax, whimpers and cries spilling past her lips as she rode him, and Bradley pushed himself into a sitting position, careful to not disturb her. A hand rested on her back as he nuzzled into the space between her breasts where his other hand had just been. The sleeve of her chemise fell off her shoulder, and Bradley lifted his face to nip and lick at the skin there. He could feel his own high approaching as she ground down on him, and his free hand rose up to wrap around her throat, squeezing gently. She froze, hips stopping as they locked eyes. The only sound to be heard between the two of them was their ragged breathing.

For a second, Bradley thought he had crossed the line, but she made no move to remove his hand. The two stared at one another for a long moment before one of her hands came up to rest atop his own, squeezing them lightly as she began to move her hips once more, slower this time, drawing out the inevitable. He groaned at the sensation, feeling his stomach tense as her eyes never left his, her gaze intense as she chased release. Her walls fluttered and tightened around him, and with a final cry, she came, her head thrown back and her hot, wet cunt milking his own orgasm out of him with a shout. His spend coated her walls, leaking out around him as he shuddered and fell back against the dock with eyes pinched closed. Her hips still moved against his, drawing out every ounce of pleasure she could, giving herself to him with every movement.

She was his now, he had marked her.

Her hips finally stilled against his, and he could feel her staring at him. Her fingers trailed up his chest, along his jaw, before finally stilling on his lips. Bradley peeled his eyes open slowly, and he would have sworn he had died and gone to heaven for if he didn’t know any better, he would have thought he was looking at an angel. The setting sun cast a halo around her head as her hair blew in the wind, hypnotic eyes boring into him as the golden glow of the evening enveloped her. His lover smiled down at him softly, fingertips stroking his lips before leaning down to press her own against them.

She didn’t look to the sea much anymore, her longing gazes turned to brief flickers as she went about her days. Still, there were nights when her eyes would glaze over as the sound of seals calling out in the night made their way up to the confines of the house. Bradley would watch as her lips trembled briefly, the look in her eyes growing farther away until suddenly she would snap back to the moment, offering him a loving smile as she continued her mending.

Her stomach began to swell in the autumn months, and Bradley often found himself reluctant to leave her side. He would place a hand on her stomach, eyes lighting up in delight every time he felt a kick to it. He’d rest his head on top of her, muttering sweet words and promises to the babe that grew within. She would rest her hand on his head, stroking his hair soothingly as the fire crackled in front of them.

They were happy.

There was one night, however, when Bradley came back from the village to find his wife no longer at home, and panic overtook him. He tore through the house, ripping open every door he could find until he was faced with a horrifying possibility. He ran outside to the old shack, nearly ripping the door off of its hinges in his haste to open it. His eyes scanned the dark interior, his lantern casting shadows across the walls as he sighed in relief at the realization that his secret was still hidden underneath tarps and old traps.

His brow furrowed as he stepped back out onto the open cliffs, the wind whipping around him as he scanned the dancing grass. His eyes stopped at the edge of the cliff, terror gripping him once more at the thought that his lover might have done the unthinkable. Had she tried to return to the depths from where she came? Her body would not survive the plunge, not without the skin that lay hidden in shadows. He trudged towards the edge of the cliffs, the wind biting his skin and seeping to his bones as his heart thundered in his ears. He peered down at the rocks below, stopping only when a song sounded on the wind.

Little sister, sister hu ru

My love, my sister hu ru

Can you not pity o hol ill eo

My grief tonight hu ru

The voice was beautiful and full of sorrow, cries carried on the wind and out to the sea. Bradley swung the lantern towards the rocky path that led up to the lighthouse, the moon casting ribbons of silver that silhouetted the tall structure.

I am a poor woman hu ru

Sad and miserable hu ru

I climbed up o hol ill eo

Ben Sgrìobain hu ru

Bradley moved quickly through the grass and up the path, the sound of the song growing louder with each step he took. The stone structure stood proud against the backdrop of the sea, the waves crashing against the rocks below, almost drowning out the song as he rounded the walkway, finding his wife standing on the edge of the cliff.

I didn’t find there hu ru

What I wanted hu ru

A girl o hol ill eo

With hair like a daisy hu ru

Tears streamed down her face as he watched her, her hair whipping in the wind as her hands cradled her heavily swollen belly. Her feet were bare, and she wore a thin chemise that did little to protect her from the gusts that enveloped her body. No sobs left her as she finished her song, only the look of someone who had been lost, lost and never found in a world that was not her own. Bradley sucked in a breath, lips pressing firmly together before he stomped towards her. He dropped the lantern at his feet, the flame within dying at the impact as he gripped her shoulders and whirled her around to face him. Her eyes grew wide as his rage flooded to the surface, nostrils flaring and fingers digging into her skin hard enough to leave bruises.

“What were you thinking?” He hissed, shaking her with every accusation. “You scared me half to death! What are you doing out here dressed like this? It’s too cold for you to be out here with nothing to protect you. I thought you had-”

He gestured towards the cliffs, the words dying on his lips as he choked on a sob. The tears sprang to his eyes unexpectedly, rolling down his cheeks as his hands gripped onto her even tighter. If he held on tighter, she would never leave, would never return to the sea, would never leave him. He couldn’t bear the thought of being alone again, not when he had tasted a life that was shared.

She stared at him, eyes wide and searching as the wind danced around them. Her hand slowly reached up to cup his jaw, thumb smoothing over the stubble that grew there.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured, voice almost lost on the wind. She leaned forward, and Bradley lurched back, eyes wide and scared as they watched her. The two stayed like that for a moment before she moved once more, hand holding his face in place as she brushed his nose with hers before pressing her lips to his in a gentle kiss. Tears continued to stream down Bradley’s face as his eyes flickered closed, embracing her as different emotions swirled inside him.

“Never leave me,” he begged in a whisper against her, one hand dropping down to cup her stomach as he rested his forehead against hers. He opened his eyes to find her already looking at him, black water dancing in her gaze.

“Never, mo ghrá.”

Their son was born a month later, loud cries spilling into the night as Bradley waited outside with some of the older men from the village. His head perked up at the first wail, eyes shining with excitement as her screams were replaced by those of the infant. The widow Callahan opened the front door moments later, apron covered in blood as she wiped her hands on a rag.

“You have a son,” she announced with a small smile, and Bradley grinned so hard, he swore his face would split in two. The men around him clasped him on the back, cheers ringing out in the night as they opened up spirits brought with them for the occasion. Bradley was keen to see his wife and son, but one of the men shoved a mug into his hands.

“Have a drink first, lad,” he hollered with a laugh. “The misses and the wean will still be there after.”

Bradley downed the drink as quickly as he could, much to the amusement of the others. He shoved the cup into the hands of the man nearest to him, not waiting for it to be refilled as he made his way into the house. The widow Callahan was cleaning up her supplies along with her apprentice when Bradley entered the room. His wife lay propped up in the bed, a small smile on her face as she cooed at the small bundle in her arms. Her eyes flickered up to his for a moment before back down. He crossed the room, easing down gently beside her on the bed. The babe gurgled, eyes closed as he yawned, and Bradley felt his heart swell.

He reached a hand over to run a finger over his son’s hands, heart dancing in his chest when the babe gripped it, small hand so strong for someone who was only moments old.

“What should we call him?” Bradley asked, cuddling into her side, exhaustion seeping through her.

“I thought we might call him Ronan.”

Bradley paused. The meaning of the name was not lost on him, and his gaze flickered to her profile for a moment before nodding.

“Ronan,” he murmured, eyes turning back to his son, nodding. “Aye. I like it. Ronan it is then.”

The babe gurgled once more, and Bradley reached over to take him in his arms, cooing softly as the bundle fussed.

“We should let your mother rest,” He whispered to the baby, a small smile on his wife’s lips as she nestled into the inviting warmth of the bed, her eyes drooping as she fought to remain awake. “She’s had a long day, don’t you think? It’s not easy bringing someone into the world.”

He tore his eyes away from his son to gaze at her, adoration shining bright as he reached a hand to smooth the hair out of her face.

“We’ll be here when you wake up,” he promised, bouncing the baby lightly as he moved to stand, his eyes already fixated back on the bundle in his arms. Her eyes followed him as he walked towards the door, lips curled into a smile as she slipped further and further into oblivion.

Bradley offered her one last smile as she fell asleep, walking towards the main room and sitting down by the fireplace, the orange glow of the fire bathing the two in the warm light. The men outside still celebrated, and Bradley rolled his eyes, smiling down at his son.

“I wanted to talk to you, man to man,” he started, rocking the baby in his arms. “I can’t guarantee you an easy life, Ronan. In fact, it might be a hard one. What I can promise is that I’ll be by your side as only a father can be for his son.”

Ronan cooed, opening his eyes for the first time to look up at his father, and Bradley’s heart soared.

“You’re born from two worlds, you know,” Bradley continued, a small frown tugging on his lips as he considered what this would mean. “A living bridge between the seen and unseen, but what does that mean for you, I wonder.”

The fire popped as it consumed the wood, the crackling the only thing heard besides the faint sound of Ronan breathing. The men had left to continue their drinking in the village, and soon even the widow Callahan and her apprentice left, bidding him a good night as they did. Bradley said nothing to them in response, eyes trained on the baby in his arms even as the sun rose above the horizon.

Ronan grew quickly, much to Bradley’s surprise, and soon he was toddling around and talking, a smart lad whom Bradley found he never had to instruct more than once, eager to take on the responsibility of being the eldest. Two years after he was born, another bundle joined their home, a boy they named Rían who grew to fill the house with peels of laughter everywhere he went. His wife showed no more signs of longing for the sea, too enamored with her children to pay much mind to the sea which she once called home.

Three years after Rían was born, they welcomed Cillian into their fold, a quiet babe who grew into a curious and bright little boy. Bradley was happy with his life and even prouder of his family. He soon began teaching Ronan how to weave nets for fish and how to fix the traps they used to catch the migrating salmon, and it wasn’t long until Rían joined them. Cillian was too young, staying behind with his mother as the other three made their way out to sea to bring home food for the next day.

Their evenings were spent sitting by the fire, the boys playing with their toy soldiers as their mother worked on her mending, Bradley resting from a hard day’s work as he smoked a pipe, a habit he had picked up to help ease the tension he often felt these days as he grew older. It was on one such evening that Cillian pulled on the skirt of his mother’s dress, eyes so much like hers as they gazed up in curiosity.

“Ma,” he chirped, earning her attention. She smiled down at him, setting down her latest project to give him her full attention.

“What is it, mo mhuirnín?” She asked.

“The people in town say you’re not from here,” he continued, earning the attention of the two other boys and Bradley as well. “If you aren’t from here, then where do you come from?”

The silence was heavy in the room, not a soul moving as the words hung in the air. His mother’s eyes glazed over slowly as she thought about the home she left behind so many years ago. A look Bradley had not seen since before their first son was born made its way onto her face, and his heart began to thunder in his chest. Time seemed to stand still as she considered her words.

“Between the here, between the now. Between the day, between the night. Between the land, between the sea. Between the awake, between the asleep. Between the real, between the myths. That is where I am from,” she told him, a hand coming up to cup his chin gently. In that moment, Bradley remembered the wild that dwelled within his wife, the constant call from within to return back to the sea. He remembered that while he grew older, she remained forever the same, never changing. He remembered the fear that gripped him each night at the thought that she might leave, and rage filled him.

“Enough,” he snapped, drawing all four pairs of eyes to him. Bradley was a kind, easygoing man, not prone to anger, and the sight of him now shocked his children, fear flashing in their eyes at the look of anger that clung to his face.

“I won’t hear another word,” he hissed, grip tight on the pipe in hand. He gestured wildly at his children as they sat, paralyzed with fear. “To bed, all of you!”

They did not need to be told twice, scrambling to their feet as they hurried down the hall, the sounds of doors shutting behind them. Regret filled Bradley almost instantly, but it was not enough to quell the fear that still raged on inside of him. His eyes watched the hall before sliding over to look at his wife. Her head was bowed submissively, an impassive look on her face as she continued her mending, and Bradley settled back into his chair, an air of unease settling in around him.

It was a few weeks later when Bradley had taken the two older boys off that his world turned upside down.

Cillian was a curious boy, too curious for his own good, one might say. He loved to experience the world around him and oftentimes found himself in more trouble than he could handle. His father had warned him to stay away from the old shack that stood by the cliff, telling him that there were things in there that could hurt him if he wasn’t careful. Cillian heeded the warning, but grew more and more curious the longer it remained unexplored. It was for that reason he found himself opening the door, the creeks of the old hinges causing him to turn around to make sure he wasn’t heard. Confident that his actions still remained a secret, he crept into the dark shack, eyes wide as he took in the different trinkets strewn about.

It was nothing of import, mostly old tarps and broken traps his father had not seen fit to fix yet. An old desk sat against the far wall, and as Cillian crept farther and farther into the room, he noticed how more and more things lay stacked atop one another, as if trying to convince him to turn back. There was something that called out to him though, and the need to find what it was became stronger with each passing second. The pull pulsed around him, almost like a heartbeat as he inched closer and closer to the far side of the shack. It wasn’t until he came upon an old chest that the energy suddenly calmed, almost like it disappeared and Cillian reached out his little hands to try and pry the lid open. It did not budge, locked so that prying eyes would not find what was not theirs to seek.

Surely there must be a key? His eyes scanned the area around him, frowning when one couldn’t be found. His gaze landed upon the desk, and he stumbled over the items strewn about as he made a beeline for the lone piece of furniture. His hand reached up to drag the top drawer open, little legs stretching as far as they could to allow him to look inside. There were several keys that lay on the bottom of the drawer, but only one was carved ornately enough to match the old chest. Grinning at his prize, he seized it in his little fist, scrambling back over to the chest.

He let out a giggle as the key slipped easily into the lock, twisting it until a click could be heard. Looking behind him to make sure he was still alone, he lifted the lid of the trunk slowly. He vibrated with excitement at the thought of the treasures he might find, only to be met with the sight of trinkets tossed haphazardly inside. He reached a hand in to rummage through the piles of junk, frowning at the piles of nothing. He was about to close the lid once more when his fingers brushed against something soft, and his breath caught in his throat. He gave it a tug, but the object did not move. Huffing, he wrapped both hands around the object, grunting as he tugged it free from the confines of the trunk. He fell back with the force, landing against an old crate with a thud and a shout. He scowled at the crate, rubbing his backside before turning his attention to the prize at hand.

It was a seal pelt, the silver reminding him of the moonlight that danced through his window at night, the same beams that glittered atop the water of the sea. His hands ran over it, delighting in how soft it felt against his skin, and with a grin, he wrapped it up in his arms and ran out of the shack into the late afternoon sun.

His mother was hanging laundry out to dry, the sheets billowing in the wind as she pushed hair out of her face. Her stomach was swelling once more, just enough to be noticeable through her dress.

“Ma!” He cried out, running to her quick as his little feet could carry him. “Look what I found!”

She smiled down at him, gaze adoring before landing on the item in his hands. Her smile faded, the faraway look from that terrible night when his father had lost his temper returning to her face as she beheld the pelt in his hands.

Bradley and his sons walked up the path, smiling amongst each other as they hurried home, eager to be reunited with their mother and brother. Bradley’s eyes darted up the path, itching for a glimpse of his wife when his eyes landed on the scene unfurling before them. Her hands reached out to the pelt his youngest son held up to her, and his stomach dropped as he blanched.

“No!” He shouted, breaking out into a sprint up the path, but it was too late. Her fingers wrapped around the pelt, and something awakened inside of her, something long thought dead. A grin stretched across her face as she snatched the skin into her arms, letting out a delighted cry as she ran down the path, narrowly avoiding her husband’s arms and past her children. Bradley stopped short, turning on his heels to chase after her, legs pushing as hard as they could in a desperate attempt to catch her, hand reaching out to grab her. He was so close, fingers brushing the ends of her hair, but the call of her nature was stronger than any love he carried for her. She threw the pelt around her shoulders, a laugh leaving her as her feet touched the water, and with a leap into the air, the woman was once more a seal, landing in the water with a quiet plop. Bradley continued after her, feet pushing through the resistance of the sea as he clawed his way forward.

“Come back,” he cried, water up to his waist now. “Come back!”

It was no use, his wife was gone, stolen back by the sea, and tears streamed down his face as he scanned the surface for any sign of her. The water was oddly calm given how frantic he had become, and the despair inside him rose to a fever pitch, released in a guttural cry as he unleashed his anguish for the sea to hear.

“You promised!” He screamed, throat strained with the force of it. He let his face drop into his hands, clawing at the skin of his face as his eyes darted wildly all around like he was a man possessed. Sobs wracked through his body as the reality of what happened settled over him.

“Come back.”

Bradley was not the man he once was, and he would never be again. The house felt cold and empty with his wife gone, and he could not find it in him to do much of anything. Numbness filled his bones, the sorrow of losing that which he loved too much for his mind to bear. Most days were spent along the shore, desperate eyes searching for any sign of his wife before one of his children was able to coax him back to the house, usually well after the sun had disappeared below the horizon.

He didn’t eat much, sullen gaze turned down towards his plate, but never eating more than a mouthful or two of whatever was placed in front of him. His face grew gaunt as the weeks turned to months, dark circles growing under his eyes.

A house that was once filled with laughter now served as a tomb, the once happy memories enshrined within its four walls. The children no longer laughed, no longer played. The love of their mother was no longer there to keep them warm. Few words were uttered amongst each other, and no one was quite able to meet the eyes of another.

Utensils scraped against each other, not a word spoken as all eyes remained cast downward.

“I saw a seal today,” Rían whispered, jumping as the sound of metal dropped against a plate. Bradley’s eyes bored into his son, a haunted look on his face as he turned to him.

“What did you say?” He asked, leaning forward, tears gathering in his eyes. Rían stared at his father before casting a nervous glance to Ronan. Bradley pushed out of his chair, kneeling in front of his son as his hand gripped his shoulders painfully. Rían whimpered, trying to get out of his father’s grasp.

“Where did you see it?” Bradley rasped, voice croaking from under use. His nails dug into the boy’s skin, a pained cry spilling out of Rían’s lips. Ronan scrambled up out of his seat, hand wrapping around his father’s arms to try and pull him away from his brother.

“Tell me where you saw it!” Bradley shouted, shaking the boy roughly, eyes wild and unseeing.

“Da please!” Ronan hollered, pulling with all his might, and Bradley’s grip loosened, sending Rían flying back into his chair with a cry. Tears streamed down his face as he stared at his father, limbs trembling from fear. Bradley’s eyes focused, seeing his son for the first time in that moment.

“Rían,” he whispered, eyes darting around to look at the other two. Cillian sat on the opposite side of Rían, tears streaming down his own face as his bottom lip trembled in terror. Ronan stood behind him, face unreadable as stone as he watched his father.

“I’m,” Bradley breathed, stumbling to his feet as he ran a hand through his hair. “I’m so sorry.”

He didn’t wait for a response, exiting the room in a hurry.

The next day had them returning to their new normal. Ronan took charge of the fishing, bringing home what he could, which was just enough to keep everyone fed. Rían had taken up the housework in the absence of their mother, Cillian helping where he could at his young age.

Bradley’s days were spent at the shore, watching and waiting for a love that would never return to him. His thoughts often turned to the happier memories, of days spent in her embrace, the feel of her lips against his, the way she smiled at him. He longed for it. Longed for the time when he didn’t feel so alone, so listless.

The children had changed in the months since their mother left as well.

Ronan had taken up the mantle of provider, taking what he could to the village to barter and trade, but few would do dealings with someone who was not wholly human, mistrustful eyes that had once been focused on his mother now turned to him with disdain.

Rían’s once bright laughter was now nothing but a memory, something thought about only in passing now as he worked his way through the chores that needed doing. He slowly forgot how it felt to smile.

Cillian, who had once been the most inquisitive of the bunch, now never strayed far from his brothers, never moving far from sight. He did only as he was told, and his brothers started to wonder if he ever used to talk at all.

Much like every other night, it was Ronan who bade his father to return to the house once the sun set, frost hanging in the air now that winter was upon them. Bradley allowed himself to be pulled back to their home, head hung low as he trudged up the path behind his son. He sat in his chair by the fire, hand stretched out to hold someone who was not there as he stared into the flames, eyes unseeing, and his children wondered if they would forever see the unseen.

One by one, the boys left for bed, Ronan being the last to bid his father a goodnight, a frown tugging on his lips before shaking his head and disappearing around the corner.

Bradley sat motionless as the minutes turned to hours, still as a statue as he continued to mourn.

A knock sounded at the door, and he shifted in his seat. Another knock had his head turning in that direction. Who would be calling at that time of night? Slowly, he rose from his chair, walking towards the front door. He grasped the handle, twisting it and pulling it open.

The night was dark, the moon, which normally cast light onto the path that led down to the beach, was hidden behind the clouds. Bradley stared into the night, unfeeling and unmoving. He moved to close the door when a song rang out, the voice so alarmingly familiar.

Hò i hò i hì o hò i Hò i hò i hì o hì Hò i hò i hì o hò i Cha robh mi m' ònar a-raoir

'S mairg san tìr seo, 's mairg san tìr 'G ithe dhaoine 'n riochd a bhìdh Nach fhaic sibh ceannard an t-sluaigh Goil air teine gu cruaidh cruinn

His eyes alighted in recognition, tearing out of the house and onto the path as fast as his feet could carry him. The voice grew no closer as he ran, breaths coming out ragged as he gulped for air. The waves crashed against the shoreline as loud as thunder but never drowning out the voice he had longed to hear.

Hò i hò i hì o hò i Hò i hò i hì o hì Hò i hò i hì o hò i Cha robh mi m' ònar a-raoir

'S mise nighean Aoidh mhic Eòghainn Gum b' eòlach mi mu na sgeirean Gur mairg a dhèanadh mo bhualadh Bean uasal mi o thìr eile

He stopped, spinning wildly in search of her, crying out in frustration when he saw no one. A scream ripped its way through him, desperate and haggard as he continued to spin, only stopping when he caught sight of something on the dock. The same dock he and his lover had spent countless afternoons on, basking in the glow of each other and sharing stolen touches. He walked slowly towards it, boots crunching in the sand and then knocking against the wood as he came to the end of the dock. His eyes glistened with unshed tears as he kneeled down beside the small bundle.

Hò i hò i hì o hò i Hò i hò i hì o hì Hò i hò i hì o hò i Cha robh mi m' ònar a-raoir

Thig an smeòrach, thig an druid Thig gach eun a dh'ionnsaigh nid Thig am bradan thar a' chuain Gu Là Luain cha ghluaisear mis'

His hands reached out, stopping when the bundle moved, a gurgle sounding. His heart skipped a beat, the cold seeping through him in the winter’s night. It was then that the clouds moved, allowing the moon to shed light down on where Bradley crouched.

It was often said that Cillian was the son that bore the largest resemblance to his mother, but gazing at the babe in front of him, Bradley knew that this was the child his wife carried before she left. His hands crossed the distance to pick her up, hands gentle as he cooed down at her. He was struck then by the discovery that she was wrapped in silvery grey fur, the same size as a seal pup.

The baby let out a tiny cry, and Bradley shushed her softly, rocking her gently. He and his wife had discussed different names before that fateful day, but only one stuck out to him as he gazed at the babe in his arms.

“Aisling,” he whispered reverently, holding her tighter to his chest as tears streamed down his face. Aisling let out another cry as Bradley moved to stand, never taking his eyes off of her.

“‘s alright now,” he cooed, turning back towards the house. “Your da is here now, mo stóirín.”

His fingers wrapped around the fur with a frown. The small bundle in his arms would never leave him, not like her mother had. He would see to it this time.

Hò i hò i hì o hò i Hò i hò i hì o hì Hò i hò i hì o hò i Cha robh mi m' ònar a-raoir

A/N: I kid y'all not, this fic has been on my mind for MONTHS ever since someone suggested it. Selkies have always been one of my favorite stories from Celtic legends, and I really hope I did this justice because it was such a pleasure to write and pour my heart and soul into. I highly recommend you check out the stories if you have time because a lot of the inspiration for this fic came from them!

Another quick note as I wrap up here, I wanted to touch on the meaning of the names I chose. Ronan actually translates to "seal" or "oath, promise." Rían (pronounced Ree-on) means "king" or "ocean" depending on the etymology. Cillian (pronounced kill-ian) means "war, strife." Finally, Aisling (pronounced Ash-ling) means "dream, vision."

The first song I actually looked up the English translation, but it's a song sung by a woman who was stolen by the fae, calling out for her sister to come and help her. I thought it would be interesting to see it used in the reverse. The second song is actually one said to be sung by the selkies themselves, very fitting for this fic, I think.

Thank you all so much for reading this one! As always, reblogs and comments are appreciated. You can also find me on AO3 under sailor_aviator. Until next time!

#amhran na farraige #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley rooster bradshaw x reader #bradley rooster bradshaw x you #bradley rooster bradshaw fanfiction #bradley bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw x you #bradley bradshaw fanfiction #rooster #rooster x reader #rooster x you #rooster fanfiction #rooster top gun #top gun rooster

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lilysbookshelf987 · 3 months

Text

New camper: Percy Jackson x reader (daughter of apollo)

A/n: thank you so much for giving this a read! This is my first time writing for the PJO universe so let me know if you like it! Requests are open! No NSFW or Smut! Enjoy

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

"Good morning" Percy said tiredly, greeting his best friend Grover at the dining pavilion, taking a seat next to him.

"Morning" Grover replied, "hey did you see Annabeth on your way here? She's usually the first one here and I haven't seen her yet"

As if almost on cue she was walking towards the boys, an excited smirk painted across her face.

"Camp Half-Blood has a new camper!"

"What?!" replied Percy

"She showed up late last night, all alone. Chiron told me she had been hurt pretty badly but he took her into the infirmary and gave her some Ambrosia"

"She took it? So, she's definitely a half-blood?" Percy asked

"Yep! We should be meeting her later today" Annabeth was ecstatic, she loved new campers!

--time skip--

As the day went on there was still no sight of the new camper. Word had made its way around camp and people began to take their guesses as to who was her parent.

"I hope she's in our cabin!" A child of Aphrodite had said

"No! I bet she HAS to be in ours! Showing up without a Satyr by her side means she's a warrior"an Ares kid chimed

"As long as she's not in ours I dont care" a tired looking Hermes kid said.

It was almost dinner time when Chiron had found Percy, sparring with someone from the Ares cabin.

"Percy can I speak to you for a moment?"

"Yeah sure" he said, removing his helmet and recapping his sword.

"Im sure you've heard we've had a new camper join us."

"Yeah it's all over camp" he replied

"Ah yes. Well let's say she hasn't been thrilled to learn about her new family. Reminds me a lot of you when you first came here"

Percy thought back to his first few days at camp. He was confused, scared, angry, and very much overwhelmed.

"I was wondering if you could help ease her mind by speaking to her. You understand what she's feeling better than I can."

"And im not half horse" Percy smiled

"Yes there is that" Chiron chuckled

"Alright I want to meet her!" Percy agreed. He really did want to help, but he also knew how jealous Annabeth would be that he met her first. The two walked into the big house and there she was, staring down at her feet.

"Y/N, this is Percy, son of Poseidon. Percy this is Y/N. I'm sure you two will get long swimmingly" Chiron chuckled at his own joke, "I will give you two some privacy" with that, he left the room. Leaving the two teenagers alone.

An awkward silence filled the room, when finally Y/N broke the silence.

"Son of Poseidon, huh?" she asked

"That's me" he smiled, proud of the title he held.

"That's crazy, the gods don't exist!"

"They do exist. I know it all feels a bit insane at first but-"

"A bit?! My whole life i've had these things coming after me and I didn't understand why. I thought I was insane and seeing things, but apparently that's normal?! And my dad? The reason he's neglected me my whole life was because he was a god?! There's just no way"

"Hey, it's gonna be ok. I know how you feel. I felt like that when I first got here. All my life my dad wasn't someone I had thought about much because I had my mom, and thats all I needed. Then I find out that he's now the most important thing in my life? I had so many emotions, but if you just give this place a chance? I promise everything gets a lot less scary"

This seem to get to the girl. She started to tear up.

"Ok, i'll try." she whispered

"I'll show you around and it'll all be ok, I promise."

The two made their way around camp, Y/N was mostly silent. "The sun is so warm here, it's not like that where I'm from"

"Everything is a little bit stronger here."

"I can tell" she smiled

"So, do you have any idea who your dad might be?" Percy asked, careful not to poke at the sensitive subject.

"I think but I'm not sure. My mom used to talk about Apollo, a way she never did about other Gods"

"Ok then...then we have to find a way for him to see you! If he see's you, he'll claim you!"

"Yeah but how?"

"Gods dont claim you because they feel like it, you have to work for it" Annabeth said, inviting herself to the conversation.

"Y/N this is Annabeth, daughter of Athena"

"Hey" Y/n said

"Percy have you taken her to the archery field? Apollo kids thrive there"

"No I didn't"

"Seaweed brain c'mon!" Annabeth rolled her eyes, "Lets go" she led the two there and put a bow and arrow in Y/N's hands. The girl had fired it easily and hit the bullseye.

"Beginners luck?" y/n asked

"Go again" Chiron said, but before she could something came flying down at her, she shot it down easily.

"That could've killed us" Percy said, mouth agape, "and you shot it down with ease!" he said

"Look!" One of the campers said

Y/N was becoming engulfed in a bright light and a sun appeared over her head. She was now an official resident of cabin 7

#pjo #percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson #annabeth pjo #apollo #greek gods #pjo x reader

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wrenreid · 2 years

Text

Better off Broken

synopsis: Spencer Reid finally gets a chance to meet his little boy’s teacher after always being away on a case for all the other opportunities. Though, the single father Dr. Reid was not expecting his son’s kindergarten teacher to be a charming young woman who might possibly make him forget the vow he took to swear off romantic involvements. (dual point of view)

content warnings: past relationship trauma, little bit of self deprecation, 18+ scenes, fluff…

“C’mon, Daddy! Let’s go meet Ms. Y/n!” I hear one of my students, Atlas Reid, say excitedly from outside of my classroom.

Atlas is one of my favorite students. Now, I know we educators are not supposed to have favorites, but we all do. He’s kind and brilliant. I’ve always wanted to meet his parents just to tell them how amazing they’ve raised their son.

But at every parent- teacher conference or holiday party, Mr. and Mrs. Reid have failed to show up.

A few weeks ago when I was walking a few of the kiddos out for pickup, I asked Atlas where his mommy was for the Thanksgiving party we had for the students and parents.

The little boy looked up at me, and with a straight face he said, “I don’t have a mommy.”

Rip my heart out why don’t you, child? I wanted to pick him up and hug him right then and there. Mainly because he didn’t even seem all that upset about it, which made me even more upset. Sure there are hundreds of thousands of kids who don’t have two (or even one) parents, but it still makes me sad. Maybe he has two dads, I thought to myself. I was hoping.

“Who do you live with?” I asked him, trying not to assume anything.

I have a name and a contact for his guardian, but I don’t know who they are since I’ve never had to call them.

“I live with my daddy,” he said plainly, but had a soft smile on his face.

He has a parent. Good.

“Why didn’t he come to the party yesterday?” I asked. I’m being really being nosy, but children don’t notice nosiness because they ask a ton of questions too.

“He was at work. He’s always at work,” Atlas said, and I detected a hint of sadness in his little voice.

I frowned a little, not sure what to say. Luckily, I didn’t have to say anything because the woman who takes the kids across the street to their parents and guardians came to get the kids.

“Bye, students,” I waved with a smile to them.

“Bye, Ms. Y/n!”

So Atlas has someone there for him, but he’s always working. It made me sad to think about, still does.

What if this man neglects his child because he’s so busy all the time? Of course, Atlas isn’t malnourished or anything, but six year olds need attention. A lot of people use work as a way to get away from their families. What if that’s what’s going on?

I obviously can’t just accuse this man of anything, but when he comes in I’m for sure going to question him a little.

Sure, maybe I’m overreacting, but I need to make sure this father isn’t a piece of shit like I’ve seen before.

“I thought your teacher’s name was Mr. Cunningham,” the father says to his child, question in his voice.

They reach the door and enter my classroom.

Before Atlas can answer his father, I do. “Mr. Cunningham was injured, and decided to retire. I was his secondary teacher, but I’ve stepped up since he’s been gone.”

You would know that if you were ever here, I want to say, but I don’t

“Oh. Well, it’s nice to meet you,” he says kindly.

I look up at him for the first time… and holy shit. He’s gorgeous. He has fluffy brown waves that are just long enough to frame his face nicely, but aren’t too long. His face is clean shaven. His build is nice, I notice. He’s tall and lanky but underneath the suit, I’m sure there’s a fair amount of muscles.

I force myself to quit looking at him, hoping I wasn’t exactly checking him out. I look into his brown eyes and immediately regret it because they’re like a a pool of honey that could suck you in and keep you there like quicksand.

“Nice to finally meet you too,” I say. “And nice to see you again, Atlas.”

The little boy smiles at me.

“Oh forgive me,” his father laughs a little awkwardly. “I’m Spencer Reid, Atlas’s father as I’m sure you’ve presumed.”

He doesn’t reach his hand out to shake mine, but I don’t mind much.

“Y/n Y/l/n.” I gesture to the table in front of my desk. “Please, have a seat. Atlas, there’s toys over on the rug for you to play with.”

“No thank you,” he says then turns to his father. “Dad, you forgot doctor.”

“Hm?” Mr. Reid looks down at his son, seeming almost as if he had to shake himself out of looking at me.

“You forgot the doctor in front of your name!”

I smile at the kid then look up at his father. “You’re a doctor?”

“PhD,” he tells me. “I think Atlas likes to correct people on it more than I do.” He laughs softly and it makes me smile a little.

“Well, then nice to meet you Dr. Reid,” I say with that little smile still on my face.

My eyes rake down to his outfit again, and he takes notice.

“Pardon my being overdressed. I just came back from work,” Dr. Reid says.

“Where do you work?” I ask curiously, hoping I can see why he appears to be always busy.

“I’m an agent at the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit,” he tells me.

Woah. Okay maybe he’s not trying to get away from his son. Maybe work just keeps him busy. But I’m not ruling out piece of shit father just yet, no matter how attractive he is.

“Oh. That’s impressive,” I say. “I’m sure that keeps you busy.”

He nods. “Yes ma’am it does. I hate that I haven’t been able to attend all the meetings and parties, but I have promised Atlas I will be going to the Christmas party.”

I smile softly. “Good. I think it’s really special to have parents or guardians here for those types of things.”

“I agree with you,” Dr. Reid says. “I wish I could be here more. It’s just that I’m always being flown off to a different state for cases. I hope you don’t hold that against me, Ms. Y/n.”

His voice is sweet and sounds a little upset. Maybe piece of shit father can be ruled out. Maybe.

“I won’t deny that it made me a little worried,” I tell him honestly.

“Understandable.”

“But I’m glad you’re here today,” I say with a kind smile. “So this meeting is for me to tell parents about their child’s progress. As you know, the semester is almost over.”

He nods, showing me he’s listening.

“Atlas has been an excellent student all semester. He shows incredible strength in all academic subjects. Truly impressive.”

Dr. Reid smiles and nudges Atlas with his elbow. The child laughs. “Good job, bud.”

I smile, admiring the father-son moment. “He is also very kind to the other kids and me. Though, he is less social than the other children. Which is nothing to worry about right now. A lot of kids go through a shy phase.”

“He gets that from me,” Dr. Reid says. “I’m sure we can work on that.”

“Really, it’s no worry right now. It would be something to worry about if he didn’t share and wasn’t very nice, but he doesn’t seem to have trouble in those area,” I tell him.

Dr. Reid nods. “Alright. So there are no concerns?”

“None. You’ve raised a great kid.”

He smiles proudly. “Thank you. Atlas talks very highly of you, I just didn’t know you were his primary teacher now.”

I nod. “Kids leave details out sometimes.”

“Yes they do,” he chuckles. Dr. Reid stands up. “It very nice to meet you.”

I raise from my sweet as well. “You too, Dr. Reid. And I’ll see you next week for the Christmas party?”

“Yes you will,” he nods with a gentle smile.

He takes Atlas’s hand in his, and they walk out.

“Bye, Ms. Y/n!”

“Bye, sweetheart,” I grin. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The two walk out of my classroom. So I was wrong about Atlas’s dad. That’s a relief.

Dr. Reid and Atlas were the last meeting of the day, and the quickest. Which is a little disappointing for me. I wouldn’t have minded them staying longer. I pack up my bag and head home from the school.

———

“Your teacher seems nice,” I tell my son while buckling him into his car seat.

“Ms. Y/n’s great,” he smiles up at me.

I ruffle his light brown hair before getting into the driver’s seat. “I’m sorry I haven’t been able to meet her before, kiddo.”

“It’s okay, Daddy,” he says, and it almost breaks my heart.

It makes me feel awful that I haven’t been able to attend the meetings and events for Atlas’s class. I don’t know how Hotch and JJ do this. I guess Hotch had his sister-in-law watch after Jack while he was away on cases, and JJ has Will and their babysitter.

Which is why I hired a nanny years ago. But I hate that I have to rely on her to take care of him at least 3 full days a week. He’s my child, and I want to be there for him.

Starting next week, I’m taking a sabbatical so I can be with him for the rest of the holidays. I’ll be home for the rest of December, January, and February. And I’m excited to tell him over dinner.

I’m glad I was able to attend the end of the semester parent-teacher meeting this evening. I definitely wasn’t expecting Atlas’s teacher to be so young and pretty.

All the teacher’s I had were much older and a little cranky.

But Ms. Y/n can’t be a day over twenty-eight, or at least she doesn’t look like she is.

Not only does Atlas love her, but I think she may have won over my approval as well. She seems like a nice person.

I think she caught me checking her out. Not in an inappropriate way, but I was looking at her hair, and her eyes, and her face. I couldn’t help myself. She’s attractive. Very. Anyway, I was embarrassed and red faced when she saw me looking, but at least she didn’t say anything about it.

I definitely shouldn’t be checking out my son’s teacher, but it’s just attraction. There’s nothing wrong with attraction. It would be wrong if I flirted with her. But I’m not going to

“Daddy, are you coming?” Atlas groans, waiting by the door with his backpack on.

“Yes. Patience, son, patience,” I say with a soft laugh. I’m tying my tie in front of the bathroom mirror.

I’m dressed in a red button up, black slacks, and my infamous dirty converse. I throw on a dark grey cardigan after finishing with the tie.

Atlas waits for me, checking his watch.

“We’re not late, Atlas,” I assure him. “Do you have the cookies in your bag?”

“Yep,” he nods.

“Alright, c’mon,” I say, and the two of us head out of our apartment.

Today is the Christmas party for Atlas’s kindergarten class. He seems to be thrilled I’m coming with him, and that makes me happy. Though, I did pass on my habit of worrying and being early to everything.

Last night, he helped me bake cookies for the party. Usually, I’d do store bought, but since this is the first time this year I’ve been able to attend something like this, I wanted it to be special for him.

We made little snowmen and santa hats out of frosting. Some are a little wonky, and I’m not even sure if they’re my drawings or his.

“Dr. Reid, I’m so glad you could make it!” Ms. Y/n says as I walk with Atlas into the classroom. We’re pretty early thanks to my overly punctual son. In fact, we’re the first ones here.

“Sorry. I know we’re early. You know how Atlas is,” I chuckle softly, getting the cookies out of his backpack.

“No worries,” she says with a little smile. “Nothing wrong with wanting to be early.”

She says the last sentence to Atlas.

He gives her a little smile back.

“Did you make these?” Ms. Y/n asks, gesturing to the cookies in my hands.

“Yes, I did,” I nod.

Atlas looks up at me with furrowed eyebrows.

“Sorry. We did.”

“Well, they’re adorable. Thank you so much.”

I hand her the cookies and she puts them on the snack table.

“I can help finish setting up,” I offer. “You know, since we’re so early.”

Ms. Y/n turns around, and I can’t help but notice how her hair flows nicely and her eyes meet the smile her lips give me.

“I’d really appreciate that,” she says.

Her outfit is festive; she’s got a red sweater with the word “Merry” written in cursive, there’s green ribbons in her hair, and her makeup is themed as well.

“What do you need me to do?”

She thinks for a moment. “Could you hang up that sign over there? I’m too short and didn’t feel like busting my bottom by falling off my spinny chair,” she laughs softly.

“It would be better if you didn’t, yes,” I chuckle softly as well. I pick up the festive sign and hang it up where she tells me too.

She’s got the whole classroom decorated. She seems like the type to do this for all the holidays. I wish I could’ve seen what she did for Halloween, my favorite holiday.

“Thank you so much, Dr. Reid,” she says with a smile after we finish setting up for the party.

“Please, you can call me Spencer,” I tell her. “And you’re very welcome.”

She tucks her hair behind her ear with another grin. “Alright, Spencer, fair warning. Some of these moms are a little intense.”

I raise my eyebrows with a soft chuckle. “Intense?”

“Mhm,” Ms. Y/n nods. “They always try to out due each other with the snacks and games. It’s almost sad to watch sometimes, but you didn’t hear that from me.”

I raise my hands in the air with a laugh. “Your gossip is safe with me.”

“Hey, that was not gossip! It was a warning,” she says, but can’t hold on her chuckle.

“Right,” I nod, making a face to show her I’m being sarcastic.

She rolls her eyes, a slight grin on her face.

Just before I’m about to compliment her (and probably embarrass myself), more parents and kids come into the classroom.

Atlas seems to be enjoying the party, but he doesn’t talk to many of the other kids.

Ms. Y/n makes her rounds, talking to her students and their parents or guardians. I introduce myself to some of them, but Ms. Y/n was right. They’re not the kindest. I hear some of them whispering about how I’m never around.

“How are things over here?” she asks me and Atlas as we snack on some of the goodies.

“It’s going well,” I say with a soft grin. “Just a little strange I guess.”

“Anything I can do?”

“No, ma’am I think we’re okay.”

“Hey, if I don’t have to call you doctor, you don’t have to call me Ms. or ma’am,” she says with a smile.

“Noted,” I chuckle softly.

“Thank you for coming,” she says in a low voice so Atlas can’t hear. “I know he’s glad to have you here.”

I nod. “Im glad to be here.”

The party is over soon enough, and school is let out for Christmas break.

“Are you excited for two weeks off of school?” I ask Atlas once we’re home.

“I like school,” he says.

“I always did too,” I smile softly. “But aren’t you excited for Christmas?”

“Yes. Are we going to see Henry and Michael this week?”

“Mhm,” I nod. “We’re doing our work Christmas on Friday so you’ll get to see them.”

He nods with a small smile.

Atlas is different, just like I was, still am. He’s on the spectrum too. He can show emotions, but he doesn’t do it often. He definitely feels things though, he just feels them differently than other kids.

He’s always had social problems, but he’s known Henry and Michael since he was born. He’s never seemed to have an issue with them.

I just hope he can make more friends as he grows older. It’s hard when your kid doesn’t have many buddies. I understand, of course, but it still makes me a little upset at times.

———

Okay, Atlas’s father is not only gorgeous, but he’s smart and charming too. That’s kind of inconvenient for me because I think I’m developing a crush on him.

He was helpful and kind at the party. Watching him with his son warms my heart too. He’s gentle and loving. Not many dads are as affectionate as Spencer.

I suppose he has to be since Atlas doesn’t have a mom. I wonder what happened there. Was he ever married? Did his wife die? God, I hope not. That’s sad. I would just assume they were separated, but Atlas said he doesn’t have a mom at all.

It’s halfway through Christmas break when I decide to message Spencer. It’s a professional message, of course.

Y/n: Hello, Dr. Reid. This is Y/n Y/l/n, Atlas’s teacher. Sorry to bother you, but I was just wondering how yours and Atlas’s holiday break is going?

It doesn’t take too long for him to respond.

Spencer: Y/n, nice to hear from you. Our break is going great! We spent Christmas with my mother, and Atlas had a great time. How’s yours going?”

Y/n: I’m glad he’s having fun. Mine’s going great too. I spent Christmas with my parents and siblings; it was nice.

Spencer: I’m glad you’re having fun as well. Any plans for New Year’s?

My heart flutters as if he’s asking me on a date. But I know better.

Y/n: Not yet. You?

Spencer: I’ll probably go over to my coworker’s house. Her kids are friends with Atlas.

Y/n: Oh that’s great! Are they close in age?

Spencer: Her youngest son is just a year older than Atlas, and the other is a few years older. I’m glad he has them.

Y/n: We’ll, me too. Enjoy your time with Atlas!

Spencer: Will do! I’ll see you later.

He’ll see me later. Hell yeah, he will. I’ll make sure of it.

I feel a little bad for texting him for so long, but he didn’t seem to mind.

I smile to myself, my cheeks blushing. I did text him because I wanted to check on Atlas, but I also just wanted to text him.

Maybe it was a little unprofessional, but hopefully anyone who found out, which no one will, just think I was checking on a student.

The second semester starts way too soon. I can’t believe this year is already halfway over. The kids are all hyper and excited to share their stories from Christmas break.

I have them sit on the rug in a circle and share what they did over the break. I let them be a little louder than usual just to get some energy out.

After story and play time, we do a 10 minute quiet reading.

I sit down by Atlas at his table. “You didn’t share what you did. Is everything okay?”

He sets down his book. He always reads books at a much larger lever than every other kid. It’s incredible.

He nods. “Everything’s okay.”

I’m not convinced. “What’s up then, kiddo?”

He sighs softly. “Everyone was talking about being home with their mommies and daddies and brothers and sisters. It was just me and my dad.”

There he goes. Breaking my heart again.

“Awh, Atlas,” I frown but try to be supportive. “It’s okay to be upset about that, but you are so lucky to have such a great dad. He loves you so much, you know that?”

He nods.

“There are tons of kids just like you who don’t have a mommy. You are not alone.”

He leans his head on my arm for a second. “Okay.”

I think my words got through to him, but it’s a little hard to tell.

The school day goes by and so does the whole week. I keep thinking about Atlas and his dad. I feel sorry for both of them. I don’t know what happened with Atlas’s mom, but I’m pretty sure it affects both of them often.

My phone chimes and my stomach flutters when I read the name of who texted me. He must be some psychic who can tell when someone’s thinking about him.

Spencer: So Atlas tells me there’s going to be a Valentine’s day party next month.

Y/n: Yes sir. I’m hoping to have as many parents as I can come help the kids decorate their card boxes.

Spencer: You can count me in.

Y/n: Perfect! I’ll be sending out emails within the next few weeks.

Spencer: I’ll be on the lookout. How was the rest of your break?

I smile to myself like an idiot.

Y/n: It was good! How about yours?

Spencer: Ours was good as well. Atlas has seemed a little distant this week. Has he told you anything?

Y/n: He did mention something, but I really don’t think it’s my place to bring this up.

Spencer: If he said anything to you, it is your place. If you don’t feel comfortable texting about it, we could meet up for brunch tomorrow? If that’s okay with you.

Idiotly smiling is now my special talent.

Y/n: I’ll meet you at the cafe on 7th at 10?

Spencer: I’ll see you there.

Is this a date? There’s no way it’s a date, right? It’s just a man and his kid’s teacher discussing the child.

Which definitely explains why I’m getting dressed up for this brunch right now. Well, it’s not like I’m putting on a gown or anything, but I’m wearing one of my nicest blouses tucked into a skirt.

Spencer is already seated in the cafe when I walk in. He pulls a chair out of me to sit in, and I’m pretty sure I would give him my hand in marriage right then and there.

“It’s nice to see you again, Y/n,” he says with a soft smile.

“You as well, Dr. Re- Spencer,” I chuckle softly.

“Atlas is with my friend and her kids right now, so you’ve got my undivided attention,” he says with a soft grin.

Holy shit. The butterflies are going crazy.

We order our coffee and food.

“How was the first week back?”

“It was good. The kids were a little crazy at first, but that’s normal with all the energy they need to get out.”

“I hope Atlas wasn’t giving you any trouble?”

I smile softly and shake my head. “He never does.”

“That’s good to hear,” Spencer smiles back. “So what did he talk to you about?”

I take a breath. “Well, he told me he was a little upset because all the other kids were talking about being with their families, and he was feeling a little… I guess upset about not having a mom.” My words are awkward because I have no idea how to say this to him. It’s not my place to talk about Atlas’s mom.

Spencer furrows his eyebrows and frowns. “Oh.”

“But I talked to him for a second, and I think he started to feel better,” I say, trying to give him a smile.

He nods. “It’s hard being a single dad sometimes. I know he doesn’t understand why all his peers have a mom and he doesn’t. I honestly don’t know how to handle it.”

I give him a look of sympathy and touch his hand lightly with mine. “I’m sorry, Spencer. I can’t even imagine.”

Spencer takes a deep breath. “He may be smart, but he’s still just a little kid. He needs more than what I can give him.”

“I may haven’t known you for very long, but I know you give him the best you can. You’re a great dad, and he loves you,” I tell him.

I try to take my hand away, but he holds onto it.

“I’m sorry for dumping all of that on you,” he chuckles nervously. “Sometimes I just-”

“Need someone to talk to?” I suggest, and he nods. “Me too. You can talk to me whenever you need someone.”

He smiles softly. “Thank you. You can talk to me too.”

I grin, my cheeks most definitely burning red.

“You don’t have kids, do you?”

I shake my head in answer to his question. “No. I prefer to be able to give them back when the bell rings.”

Spencer laughs, brushing some soft curls out of his face with his hand. The hand that was holding mine. It feels like it’s still holding mine. What is this man doing to me?

“Understandable.”

“I’m kidding,” I chuckle. “I want kids. Eventually.”

“How old are you?” He asks, tilting his head. Then realization hits. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I just asked that. I don’t want to seem rude.”

“No, you’re good,” I laugh softly. “I just turned 30 in October.”

“My birthday’s in October too,” he smiles.

“Really what day, mine’s the 15th?”

“28th. Though I’m a lot older than you.”

“What?” I shake my head. “No way.”

He nods. “Mhm. I’ll be 41 this year.”

“10 years isn’t a lot.”

“It’s not not a lot,” he chuckles. “You don’t even look 30. 27 at most.”

“You’re so lying right now,” I laugh, tucking my hair behind my ears. “If you’re trying to get Atlas a good grade, he already has one.”

Spencer shakes his head, laughing softly again. “I’m not lying.”

My cheeks are burning red, and I feel so silly right now. We eat brunch together and continue talking for a bit.

“I’ve got to go pick up Atlas, but it was really nice talking with you,” Spencer stands up.

I stand up along with him, and we start toward the door. He opens the door for me and lets me go out first.

“It was nice talking with you too,” I grin up at him.

“I’ll see you soon,” he says.

“You will?” I ask, blushing hard.

“Yeah. At the Valentine’s day party,” he reminds me, and I feel ridiculous.

“Right,” I chuckle awkwardly. “Have a nice weekend.”

“You too, Y/n.”

So I have a thing for my student’s dad. I’m fucked.

—————

I cannot be doing this. I swore to myself that I wouldn’t get involved with anyone after Atlas’s mom. I can’t risk it. I can’t risk getting hurt again.

But despite my swearing off romance, I’m falling for her. It’s extremely inconvenient and a little annoying.

No matter how gorgeous, smart, and charming she is, I have to stop thinking about her the way I am. I’m imagining the way her lips would taste on mine and how soft her skin is.

But I know more than anyone that it’s nearly impossible to stop thinking about things like this. We want what we can’t have. It’s only human.

So I’ll allow myself to want her. But I won’t allow myself to have her.

Letting people in only leads to heartbreak. That’s something I’ve learned in my 40 years of living.

I was in love in her. Like the cheesy head over heals we read about in romance books. She was beautiful and confident.

I finally got the nerve to ask her out, and to my surprise she said yes.

I was too blind and in love to realize that she was only interested in the sex. She didn’t actually care.

I remember the exact moment she told me she was pregnant. I was ecstatic. I’ve wanted to be a father since I could remember.

I wrapped my arms around her, kissed her forehead, and told her we could do this together. We could handle it.

The look on her face didn’t match mine though.

“I don’t want to do this together! Spencer, are you crazy? We can’t have a baby. I just got promoted. I’ve got to focus on my job, not a needy child,” she told me.

I felt my heart sink down to the flow below my feet. “What?”

“Spencer,” she sighed. “C’mon. We’ve only been together for five months. We barely even know each other. We can’t be parents.”

And now it was being stepped on, crushed beneath her high heels.

“Then we’ll get to know each other better… Lily, I love you.”

She shook her head. “No, you don’t, Spencer. And I don’t love you. We were just having fun. I don’t want this baby. And I don’t want to be with you either.”

How could she tell me what I felt? I knew what I felt. I was in love in her. I wanted to have this baby with her. We could’ve been a happy little family.

I looked down at my shoes, and I was pretty sure I saw my no longer beating heart laying there near them.

She was like a black widow, but instead of using me to mate with and eating my head, she ripped my heart out and chewed it up.

“Please, Lily,” I whispered, pleaded. “I’ll take care of the baby. You don’t have to do anything. Just please don’t…”

“Fine. I’ll have the baby, but don’t expect me to be involved in its life. Or yours.”

It? Our child was just an it to her?

I nodded. “Okay. Thank you.”

I felt sick to my stomach for the entire nine months on top of the heartbreak.

She wouldn’t let me help her. She barely spoke to me when I asked her how she was doing.

I got to be there for his birth, and I’ll always be grateful for that.

Soon enough, it was legally official that I had full custody, and she didn’t have to pay child support.

So instead of a happy family with the woman I loved and our beautiful son, I got a beautiful son I worried about every day. Worried that I wouldn’t be enough for him.

I still worry about that even six years later.

I made the promise to myself and to Atlas that I wouldn’t be with anyone ever again for both of our sakes when he was just a year old.

I made the promise to protect both of us from heartbreak. I wouldn’t get my heart ripped out again, and Atlas wouldn’t have false hope about someone staying with us.

The promise has been fairly easy to keep. Of course, there’s been a few women I wanted to sleep with and even have a relationship with. But I knew self control was key. If not for myself, for Atlas.

Sometimes I find myself wondering how Lily’s doing, wanting to call her and tell her how our son, no, my son is brilliant and beautiful. But I know she doesn’t care. Just like she didn’t actually care about me.

To her, the last six years have not been full of anxiety, doctors bills, daycare, hiring a nanny, and praying to whatever or whoever is out there that Atlas will be safe wherever he goes. It’s probably been a great six years for her. And it has been for me too; I love my son with everything in me. I just can’t pretend it hasn’t been hard.

Now, I find myself wondering if Y/n thinks of me the same way I think about her. But it’s not like it matters because I’m not going to act on my attraction to her.

part two

tags: @pauline5525mgg @theintimatewriter @lilibet261 @greysviolets @jazzymariexoxoc @one-sweet-gubler @thatsonezesty13 @necromaniackat @awhoreforspencerreid @sebs-oxygen @crynroom @scarredelirium @reid1nspiration @bts-sugaplum @awesomeness1679 @preciousbabypeter @yazzyu @cynbx <3

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plasticfangtastic · 8 months

Text

american royalty. ch. 2

A Homelander x F!reader fanfic.

a/n: will post ch. 3 this week but sadly my other fic will be posted next week, enjoy this slow burn dadlander fic, and thx u to all the readers. prev. chapter:

Sypnosis: Homelander never wanted to remember you, but after welcoming Ryan into his life, he thought of you & the lie that tore you two apart. Now... thinking back, thinking of your betrayal-- was he perhaps wrong about who the father of your unborn child was? Did you perhaps told the truth all those years ago?

Tags: mild gore, angst, lots of angst, slow burn, fluff, OC characther, child neglect, dadlander, romance.

Chapter Two

Red

It had been a very long day, business was booming nowadays and since that influencer had made a couple videos on your pizzeria, you had been more than just busy, you began to run out of ingredients.

In the last four years, the restaurant had grown, it had been there since 2002 ran by your boss’s father and his brother, who had ran their own pizza shop since the 80’s but as the economy and other events hit, they had decided to relocate and re-brand, now managed by their son– a man you owed so much, had his heart not been filled with kindness you would most likely be in the streets. So you made sure his restaurant was the best, you had accolades, you’ve worked in some of the best restaurants, you were once a very prominent fast rising figure of the New York culinary scene– until Homelander came along.

Your talent revamped the restaurant and now your food was once again on the spotlight, for the first time since you left Vought, you were happy with yourself, even if it was pizza. Cooking made you happy, and this job needed you, you didn’t live in fear of sleeping in your car anymore, you didn’t need to worry that your daughter would sleep on somebody’s couch again, you were able to quit your third job and go casual on your second thanks to this place, right now you didn’t live in the best of places but you were saving up and in a couple months you’d have enough money saved up to move, and send your daughter to a better school, somewhere were her talents wouldn’t be wasted.

So here you were ten minutes before closing, another extra couple hours of overtime for your dream two bedroom apartment, where it would be safe for her, where you could finally feel like your life had moved on from him, that the door opened up and your cashier squealed.

It was a quaint looking restaurant, the wood seating was new and the wall decor had been changed trying to look less cluttered, with Art Deco lighting fixtures as the stand out feature. The place had been remodeled recently it seems, the kitchen and its big brick oven looked clean but ancient to Homelander, he stared at the menu board and metal boxes of accouterments by the counters, taking in that this was in fact a pizza place, that you of all people did in fact work at a pizza place. You who could whip up amazing fare, now made greasy cheap slices, but he had seen people come in and leave endlessly these past few days, people taking selfies, and recording themselves with your food, nothing he understood.

He looked back at the teenager on the counter offering his signature smile as she blubbered her script, then as you took a step closer knowing you couldn’t hide in this open kitchen you finally looked at each other for the first time in seven years.

Your throat collapsed and your whole body became prickly and tight, your heart was beating so fast you thought you might be having a heart attack, you looked at the clock cursing that it wasn’t over, you were almost done packing the kitchen and readying for tomorrow, having a customer at this hour was awful but having him here was about to take you to an early grave.

“What’s your best seller?” Homelander muttered looking straight at you with an aloof stare, then back at the cashier– is pizza night at my house, sorry for coming so late hope that’s not a problem?” he said exceedingly politely.

The teenager blushed and looked back at you as if asking you to pinch her.

“That would be our pepperoni queen– is two types of cheese, extra pepperoni, with our signature house made marinara, with a dash of vodka sauce in our sourdough thin crust… chili oil is optional” You had managed to say trying to ignore those piercing blue eyes, you moved back to your place staring at the few remaining trays of dough balls left– our second best seller is our chicken florentine pie.”

Homelander admittedly detested pizza, it was greasy, gooey and heavy, it was fattening and gross, but there was a familiar aroma in the room, something that was making his mouth water lightly. Looking back at the girl, he ordered both in their smallest size offered, he sat by one of the wooden booths for the ten minutes he was told to wait, and not once did he made a comment, maybe that’s why your heart stung so much, why it felt as if you were about to collapse– that after seven years, he had completely forgotten about you, while only now did you began to feel as if you could heal from all the suffering he’d cause you, how insignificant had you been all along, how you love never registered.

You both had talked of moving in together and buying a home, he wanted to buy you a restaurant, and you wanted to give him your life, you had never loved somebody as much as he made you love him, and now you were just some bum wearing a graphic t-shirt making him dinner.

You packed his food, your boss Kaleem had given him extras on the house, practically begging for Homelander to give them a photo for their socials and you simply stare as he did his superhero thing, you took one of the delivery bags knowing he would lose the food if he flew with them in hand.

After the photoshoot, Kaleem and your cashier had run to the back to show the picture to the only other staffer left at this hour.

You both looked at each other as he took the bag off your hands, you wanted to cry, your eyes welling up but you looked down afraid of him, no doubt he could hear your heartbeat tickling his ear.

“It's been a while hasn’t it?”

You could’ve collapsed into tears right then and there, it was worse to be remembered.

Growing angry at the sound of his soft voice, and that concerned expression in his face.

“Yes…”

“How you been? Didn’t think I'd ever see you again.”

“Should’ve killed me back then… got fucking close to it tho.” You dropped all pleasantries, hearing him talk and not hearing the word sorry 5 seconds in, had infuriated you. His stupid face, those stupid eyes, and that clown suit was too much for you, maybe it was the poor diet and lack of sleep but right now you wanted to ban him from Lucci’s– hope you enjoy the food.”

You pushed the bag jumping from the kitchen to the front as you headed for the door, holding it open for him.

“I’m doing alright. Now leave!”

“You don’t even want to know why I'm here?” he was taken aback by your brashness, you had always been sweet to him, tender, barely ever angry before, so why now?

“You got a little kid now, I gather like any other kid, he likes pizza… and good for him because mine is the best!”

“Not really… I actually wanted to see you. I… I just wanted to ask you something–

“Mother!!”

Your daughter emerged from the depths of the kitchen, she carried a kindle in one hand and a giftcard in the other.

“Is it okay if I use my present now? They got some books on sale and you said not to buy more books until I finished… oh…”

In the light and in front of him, your daughter truly looked like your mirror image, copy and pasted into a miniature. Her hair just past her chin, and her bangs indeed covered her eyes, peeking behind those curtains were the prettiest blue eyes he’d ever seen, there was no unnatural shine to them– just blue. Her lips so thin and her complexion just a tad paler than your own now that he gave it a proper look, she was so small-- too small for her age.

“Is okay honey, is your birthday you can get any books you want” Your tone shifted entirely lowering yourself to take her face and plant a quick peck on her cheek– now go back with uncle Kaleem and let mommy close shop, okay? We’ll go home in a minute.”

“Is it your birthday young lady? Congratulations.”

Homelander threw his best smile, giving the kid a cautious pet, catching the rage in your eyes as his gloved fingers touched your daughter.

“Thanks. Is not a milestone birthday so it is not worthy of congratulations… seems inane to celebrate it” she looked at her mother with a jaded expression– " I'll go get my bag, have a good night, sir.”

Homelander pressed his lip as the most deadpan voice came out of this little girl. Her oversized black sweater and the black tights made her look oddly unhappy, but the kid just stared at him with boredom, no surprise or interest when she stood next to America's favorite son.

He wondered if that was an adult or a seven year old for a second.

He worried if the kid had told his mother about that other night, but looking back at you he went with 'maybe'.

“What’s your name?” he asked, still forcing a smile– "my… you seem like a smart girl getting books for your birthday.”

“Helena.”

The kid couldn’t muster the energy to give him anything but her dead ass voice, she began to walk away not caring for manners, nor Homelander.

“She’s… cute.” he said watching that tiny figure walk away and surviving after her second nsult– great pronunciation for her age, does she even know what she’s saying?”

“Helena is not like other kids.”

“How so?”

You looked at him more tired than anything, rubbing your temples as you made yourself waste spit to talk to him.

“She’s a Supe… by the time she was two she could speak in full sentences, by three she could read at a first and second grade level, and by five she was teaching herself calculus and piano… she’s a genius; I thought she was a normal genius until… her other powers manifested– none of this matters! Just go!” You shook your head in frustration.

“You gave her V?” He said while staring at Helena.

“... I didn’t know what V was until the news broke out, I thought Helena was chosen by God! That the world blessed her with those powers, but when that story came out I’ve been wanting to ask you– did you give her V? but… if you didn’t… who… are you lying to me, John?”

Homelander looked past the concrete walls looking back at that little girl, he didn’t know what to say or do, before you could utter another word he left.

Ryan nose picked the meal quickly, glad that it was friday and his dad would let him stay up ‘til late, Homelander just dropped the meal on their new table and the kid was quick on his feet, the food was still warm, only now did Homelander noticed the extras, couple of small containers holding chili oil and freshly made ranch, garlic knots and a lemon meringue pie, it was too much but Ryan hadn’t hesitated to dig in, before Homelander could ask him to wash his hands he had ripped a slice of pepperoni.

“This is so good!” He said so cheerfully– gosh I was starving, dad.”

“I sure hope so, bud… let’s leave the pie for tomorrow…” he looked grossed out, Ryan sat opening up the garlic knot’s containers– not gonna eat?”

Homelander sat down to join him, the thought of touching all those greasy surfaces was making his stomach hurl, but he relented, taking a slice.

He was young again, and you were there coming back with some drinks as he ate your chicken florentine, this was the same recipe, the chicken was so juicy and the cheese wasn’t greasy. Ryan was shocked to see his father sound so happy as he took another bite.

It was the first time they both ate together where they felt completely comfortable with each other, maybe it was seeing Ryan not pick at his food that made Homelander able to just talk, Ryan told him all about his homework, and the videogame he was playing, he really liked Fifa at the moment even if he himself cared not for the sport.

Helena watched as her mother stood silently hovering above the sink, you hadn’t moved much for a couple of minutes, your daughter more annoyed than anything else regarding this display.

“How do you know Homelander?” she asked with a yawn.

“Huh?” you woke up from your trance– you should be in bed, darling.”

“You too. So… How do you know the clown?”

“Honey, don't say that!”

“He walks around wearing a onesie all day… like a clown… like the rest of those super clowns”

Your daughter always spoke with a creepy maturity, her voice didn’t belong to a kid.

“... He used to be my boss… he was a really bad boss…”

“You used to work for Vought?” She softened her stand.

“Honey… I don’t really want to talk about this… it's late and we are going to the museum tomorrow so you should get some sleep, mommy is just tired… hope you had a good birthday.”

“You should rest too, mother.”

Your daughter's eyes glowed momentarily turning th blinkers off before she made her way to bed, you stared at her door, thinking if she could see you.

No mother should think their child was creepy, Helena was just difficult and abrasive, to be a small kid with her brain must be unbearable. You could recall the moment she asked you about V so vividly, she looked angry, but you had no honest answer to give her, you had to lie, god knows if you got the details right about how these people committed these crimes. Helena simply had no ability to relate to people, and without the funds you couldn’t help her meet her potential, not while you were both stuck living in public housing, not while scraping every penny.

Her few friends forced her to dumb down and even they found her uneasy, only the old people seemed to handle her best, she loved to listen, and her teachers always thought of her as a delight, yet she knew no other Supe beside herself, those pageants were expensive, and networking meetings were hard to get in, talent agencies were costly– having a super-abled kid and trying to make them into a Supe was locked behind a massive paywall, all you could hope was that her genius would let her enter a university early on scholarships.

There was always Godolkin, but god knows if they would let her enter at a young age.

It would be easy if her father was involved, if John was there in her life, she would have the world but he didn’t want her, he had made that clear years ago.

So why did he lie about the V?

It had been two weeks since you seen Homelander, but he saw you a lot, he'd come back and forth-- watching you and the child with ardent curiosity, seeing you made him reminisce, of those many nights and afternoons, of the way no matter how tired you were, you always made sure to look happy when he showed up, the way you looked so at peace while cooking, of the feel of your skin against his and the taste of your precious lips as you kissed him good morning.

He followed you, on your only day off as you took Helena around the city, watching you share a slice of overprice cake while taking notes, and ate cheap chinese for lunch, you waited for two hours as Helena played chess and checkers with some oldies at a chess shop, some russian man gave her lessons-- some of these people dressed nicely perhaps pros. Some won over her and some lost but the games were quick, your daughter seemed happier when she loss than when winning.

Something about that didn’t sit well with Homelander.

Somehow he found himself in your apartment, cracking open the window to sneak in while you headed back home– the tiny apartment felt more like a closet than a habitable space, the ceilign was run down, and the appliances ancient but well kept, your bedroom was simple, cooking books and boxes sat on top of your dressers, a single’s bed with plush comforters and pillows stuck against the wall, with a wardrobe in front of it, and a cheap fan tucked in the corner. He left for your daughter’s room just a few feet away divided by the bathroom were most of the clutter and laundry lived, her bedroom was just as plain, but the books didn’t seem fit for a small child, her desk tidy and organized, he picked up a notebook from the pile, seeing math equations that hurt his eyes within seconds. All her stuff were nice and new, she had a decent computer on top of her bed, an old dresser, but there was an absence of toys– compared to Ryan’s bedroom that was filled with anything he wanted and decorated expertly. A clock adorned her walls but not much else, the few things that looked messy was a tiny plastic chess set, the kind with magnets on the bottom, and some DIY stem kits.

He took to the bathroom, it was old and falling apart, mold was growing in the corner much to Homelander’s disgust, trolley held dozens of beauty stuff and shampoos and detergents, a shelf on the wall held towels and toilet rolls. Homelander looked at a sparkly hairbrush, picking a couple strands of lost hair knowing by their lengths and color that they weren’t yours, and cursing himself for doing this as he place them on small plastic bag he had hid in his glove.

#homelander #homelander fanfiction #homelander x you #homelander x reader #the boys fanfiction #personal #my fic tag #not proofread sorry #american royalty #already got 2 more chapters done for this hope yall like it #I really like slow burn stories #my natural enemy is the short story it seems #homelader x f!reader #dadlander #the boys oc

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daryandricky · 10 months

Text

SWEAR

Chapter 1 PRIOR

Rick Grimes x Fem!Reader

Summary: Shane tells reader that Rick didn't make it after the hospital was overrun, causing reader to travel with her former military brother to find somewhere safe.

Summary of chapter: Reader tries to find a way to tell Rick of her pregnancy, but can never find a good time.

Warnings: Swearing, torture, pregnancy (I don't care if you hate this trope, I LIVE for it), really anything walking dead related.

(Lori is Shane's wife, and Carl his son.) Also, this is my first fic so I apologize in advance.

masterlist

July 21st, 2010 4:25 a.m.

Ever since you found out the news, you've been struggling to sleep. Not only were you constantly nauseous and lightheaded, but you weren't certain if Rick actually wanted kids or not. Sure, you guys talked about it, but never anything serious ever came out of it. You saw the way Rick was with his best friend's son, Carl, and you longed to have a little one of your own. You personally loved kids, hell you taught them for a living. But whenever you brought up the topic, Rick quickly shut it down and changed the course of the conversation to a lighter subject.

You think it's because Rick and his brother didn't have the greatest relationship with their father, and Rick was afraid of repeating the past. However, you knew he would be a great father, and you knew he would break the cycle of neglection.

A few days ago, when you first took the test and saw the lines telling you, you were in fact pregnant, you were over the moon. You were so excited when Rick came home from work, nearly jumping out of your skin. But instead, you were faced with a grumpy, tired man who had a terrible day at work.

"You ok?" You ask pulling away from the hug and looking up at Rick, the excitement wiped from your face.

"Yeah, long day." Rick sighs as he toes off his work shoes.

You follow Rick into the living room and watch him plop on the couch and rest his arm over his eyes. You tap his foot, silently asking him to move them. Rick moves his arm just enough to get a glimpse at you and raises his legs. You sit, bringing his legs to rest across your lap. You turn your body to face him, resting your head in your hand, with your arm on the back of the couch. Giving his knee a squeeze, you say "Wanna talk about it?"

"No." Rick shakes his head. He lifts his arm off of his eyes, and clasps his hands together across his abdomen and stares up at the ceiling, seeming deep in thought about his rough day. He tilts his head towards you and smiles when he sees you're already staring at him. He sits up slightly. "What about your day? Do anything fun?"

Your mind immediately races to the pregnancy test currently residing in your back pocket, but deciding now is definitely not the time, you smile down at him and play with a loose thread on his pants. "No, just went grocery shopping and read a few chapters of my book."

"Man, sometimes I wish I became a teacher, getting the whole summer off." Rick whistles. "Nah, instead I gotta deal with dipshits who attack cashiers because they won't give them a credit for half eaten food, which by the way, they ate."

"Oh, so you had a day?" You giggle.

"Baby, I swear to god, everyone and their mother was fucking on one today. We got so many ridiculous calls, we were running all over town." Rick cringes as he remembers one scenario where he had to break up a fight between a naked old lady and her neighbor. As soon as he got back to the station he took a shower. He's never scrubbed his body with more soap in his life. He shudders and looks at you with distant eyes. "You have no idea."

You smile at him. You have no idea either.

The next couple of days, you tried again but you never had a good opportunity to bring such important news up to Rick. You decided you would tell him today, as it is your guy's 4th anniversary and Rick was able to take the early morning shift, meaning he would be home around 2:30 instead of his usual time of 5.

So, you lay there at 4:25 in the morning, not have gotten a single wink of sleep, as you anxiously wait for Rick's alarm to go off at 4:30.

Rick's front is pressed against your back, with his arm wrapped tightly around your waist. You wiggle your way around to face him, expecting to see your handsome husband, but you are met with an open mouth snorer, drooling and fanning shit breath across your face. You scrunch your nose up at the smell and try to shove the bile rising up in your throat back down. You turn your body again, but this time so you are facing the ceiling.

"Jesus Christ." You whisper. You think of popping a mint in the man's open mouth, but you are met with the image of Rick violently waking up and chocking, so you decide you better not. Instead, you wait for the alarm clock to wake up the putrid man who sleeps beside you.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Your stomach falls out of your ass as the most annoying alarm clock, courtesy of Rick, goes off, reminding you once again of the news you plan to tell him today. You swallow thickly as the arms wrapped around you slither away. You act asleep, not really in the mood to talk in your current position.

"Fucking. Piece. Of. Shit." Rick loudly whispers as he practically breaks the alarm clock in half trying to get it to shut up. When it finally does, he looks at you and smiles when he sees you 'sleeping'. He wipes the sleep from his eyes and kisses your cheek, before getting out of bed and heads into the bathroom. Rick shuts the door before turning on the light. You hear the faint sound of the shower running. You sigh, and turn on your side facing away as much as you can from the light shining through the cracks of the door.

You've almost drifted off when Rick emerges from the bathroom with a towel dangerously hanging low on his hips. He forgets to turn the light off before heading into the closet to put on his uniform, successfully blinding you, even with your eyes closed.

"Rick." You grumble out.

He pokes his head out of the closet and looks at you confused by your crabby attitude. You glare at him, he should know by now that you are definitely not a morning person, let alone do you like being visually impaired so early in the morning. You angrily point your finger at the bathroom.

"I swear to god if you don't turn that light off right fucking now, I'm going to kick you so hard in the ba-" Rick cuts you off. "Ok, ok!" Rick puts his hands up in mock surrender. "Jeez woman, why do you always got to result to violence." He laughs as he turns the light off.

You turn your back to him. "Because it's the only thing that works with your stubborn ass." You say sleepily.

Rick looks down and smiles before he comes and sits on the edge of your side of the bed. He brushes the hair out of your face. "Happy Anniversary to you too grumpy pants."

You squint at him and whisper out a "Happy Anniversary." Before Rick pecks your lips. "I'll try to leave early today, have Shane cover for me."

"That man's as good of a liar as Pinocchio, good luck with that." You say smiling up at Rick.

"Hey, he owes me one after I caught him and Lori in the evidence lockup the other day." He says, causing you to giggle.

He looks down at you, before attacking your face with kisses, making you laugh as his lips tickle your skin. He grins down at you before standing up.

"I love you baby." Rick says as he heads out the bedroom door. You watch him leave, saying "I love you too, be safe please."

You hear a faint "always" before the front door closes. You turn your body again, finding it very hard to get comfortable enough to finally go to sleep.

11:00 a.m.

You slept for about two hours before waking up again. All you can think about is how you're supposed to bring it up. Should I just hand him the test and hope for the best? No, that's boring. Although this was a touchy subject, you still wanted to celebrate in a fun way, after all this is your first child.

In the end you run to the store and grab a newborn onesie that says, "I was Daddy's fastest swimmer." It made you cringe, and you thought it was very cliche, but who knows, maybe it'll lighten the mood a little bit.

You arrive home and grab the test out of your nightstand, wrapping it in the onesie before putting it into Rick's watch box that he insisted on keeping. The thought of him thinking you have gifted him another watch, after you had just recently got him one for Christmas, makes you giggle. You can vividly see his face scrunch up in confusion as he looks down at the watch that already resides on his wrist. You wrap the box in a pretty blue wrapping paper and but a gold bow on top of it. You place the present on the coffee table and decide to clean up the house a little bit, after you've neglected it since you found out the news.

1:00 p.m.

You sit on the couch hunched over, elbows on your knees, with your head resting in your hands as you stare at the box deep in thought. What if he freaks out? What if he leaves? You think and your eyes go wide. What if he never speaks to me again? What i- your thoughts are cut off by someone pounding on the front door, effectively making you jump and sit up straight. You stand up, wiping your hands on your jeans and make your way towards the door, swinging it open.

Your mouth slightly opens in confusion as you blink up at a sweaty and shaken Shane. "Sh-Shane?" You ask confused. "Is everything alright?"

Shane shakes his head, points his finger towards the living room, silently asking to talk inside. You swallow thickly as you stare at him, moving out of the way so he can make his way inside. Everything seems to be in slow motion as you follow Shane to the couch. You see him eyeing the present before lightly pushing it out of the way, to sit on the coffee table. You sit down on the couch in front of him, annoyed that he's beating around the bush and ignoring the elephant in the room.

"Will you just fucking tell me if my husband is alive or not?" You ask glaring at him. Shane looks at you shocked, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

"Y-yeah, I mean, yes, he's alive."

You let out a breath you didn't realize you were holding in, before sighing and looking down at your hands. "How bad is it?" You ask through tears, glancing up at Shane.

"It's pretty bad. We missed a gunman in a chase and we were blindsided by him. I'm so sorry y/n. I wish it was me. I would do anything to trade places with him." Shane all but pleads.

You look up at him, nervously biting the inside of your lip, something Rick thought was cute when he'd catch you doing it. You run your fingers through your hair and say, "Will you drive me to the hospital?'

"Of course I will." Shane says as he grabs your hand and squeezes it.

"Ok." You whisper. "Meet me at the car in 5 minutes?"

Shane nods his head and gives you one more glance before heading out the front door. Tears freefall from your eyes, and you viciously scrub at them, begging them to stop. You stand up, biting the skin around the nail of your thumb and begin to pace, glancing at the present every now and then. Eventually, you pick the present up and throw it at the wall across the room, putting a dent into the corner of the box. You give it one last look before heading out to your husband's cruiser now being driven by Shane, slamming the front door behind you.

#rick grimes x reader #rick grimes x y/n #rick grimes #the walking dead #the walking dead x reader #twd rick #twd x reader #oneshots #fanfic #imagines

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theobjectofyourire · 7 months

Text

it's been a year and I cannot stop thinking about this frame:

The hall had fallen silent, an absence of sound so severe, so terribly sharp and equal only to the blade that mere moments ago rested uncertainly on the King's belt, yet to be crimsoned by the righteous wrath of an anguished mother.

"Where is duty? Where is sacrifice?" The aching plea in her voice seemed to grow with every word, her voice trembling not with fear but with a fervency, a fury she had never before allowed herself to possess.

"And now you take my son's eye," she near wept, "and to even that, you feel entitled." It was with a grief she spoke. A mourning for herself, the girl she once was and the woman she might have become had the gods forged a kinder world. A mourning for her children, who were but pawns in a greater game, as she had been, and so fearfully neglected by their father.

A mourning for her son.

Her gentle boy.

Her dearest Aemond, who had clutched her hand and worried at the blood staining the wrists of her dress even as his skin was being threaded back together. As he was told, in no uncertain terms, that his eye was forever lost, and instead of finding comfort in his sire as any boy ought to, he was met with cold commands, alone.

*******

When the princess had stepped back, a slow stream of scarlet flowing from her arm, and the blade frightfully abandoned on the stone, all eyes remained steadfast on the Queen, surrounded and yet entirely isolated. All awaited the word of Viserys, who stood in outraged shock behind her, but not a sound came. 'Twas silence that ruled the night, and mayhaps would have known a longer reign if not for the soft-spoken words of her son, still painted in his own blood.

"Do not mourn me mother." He stepped forward without a measure of hesitancy, and all the great lords and ladies could not hope to remove their gaze from the boy. His voice, despite all, was steadier than any who had come before. "It was a fair exchange. I may have lost an eye, but I gained a dragon."

Most had looked on with some degree of astonishment, others with the slight flicker of fear, an apprehension of what was undoubtedly to follow in the years to come. Most surprising, mayhaps, was the high regard of an uncle and grandsire. Never had Daemon and Otto so shared, unbeknownst to each other, a look of such pride. Their reasons differed, to be sure, though both could not but admire the boy who had proved himself the true blood of the dragon.

'Twas only one person of note in that hall of many faces who dared not look upon the countenance of the young prince. 'Twas only one who kept his eyes planted firmly at his feet, his head bowed low as though he were not but a servant who feared he was undeserving of such a sight.

In his bones, he knew the fear to be well founded.

Viserys would not look at his son. He could not look at his son, who spoke with a courage and certainty that reminded him so dearly of his brother. He had taken, in no small measure, after his uncle, and it wounded him to see so much of the Rogue Prince, a darkened sort of valiancy in the remaining eye of his child.

It was his fault.

He knew. In his heart of hearts, he knew he had no one but himself to blame. What might the smallest show of care prevented, had he but taken the time to bestow it? How many years had he so desperately prayed for sons, only to treat them with a distanced interest, at best, when the Gods finally saw fit to answer?

At the very least, mightn't he have asked, nay, insisted upon a formal apology from his admittedly beloved grandson, on behalf of his own flesh and blood? For if the injuries had been reversed, had it been Lucerys half-blinded by Aemond...he could not fathom the thought. The truth was far too vile to admit, even unto himself.

"This proceeding is at an end." His voice was firm, unyielding, leaving no room for argument. As he turned, unsteadily limping back to his chambers, he did not spare a glance to his injured son. He could not bare the guilt. He could not shoulder the truth.

The words were those of a King. The actions? Those were of a father, failing, forever unworthy of the title.

*******

#when I say this is my roman empire #i could write essays #i may write the fics #house of the dragon #hotd #aemond targaryen #aemond one eye #alicent hightower #hotd episode 7 #the object of your ire writes

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snuffydoo · 1 year

Text

Dimentio’s backstory

This post will explain the origins and past of Dimentio and how he came to be prior to Super Paper Mario. I would like to make it clear that everything I say here is not canon and it should not be taken as clear facts or evidence. This is my telling of his story so if you disagree with certain points of the document… that is perfectly okay. I am not here to force anyone to tell the same story as I do. However; I do take a lot of inspiration and points from Garson/Carson.

>Another thing, I might change some things in the future, especially in terms of designs or names. I will keep this document updated whenever I make any said changes.

Also please don’t go through my doc picking apart my grammar and english mistakes. I know I’m not a professional writer. Thank you

Enough rambling/disclaimers

Let’s begin

The Beginning

The story starts off with a small family of four.

(The dad’s design is not finished)

(Will update it when I do)

A mom, a dad, a daughter and a son. The dad was an all-powerful magician with the power to bend and create dimensions while the mom was an ancient who had the power to produce illusions. They were both named Universi and Illumina. They then named their kids Damon (Dimi) and Poppy respectfully as they were born. The family was a content family with only the goal to help the other ancients and provide a safe, healthy economy. Using their magic, they would help the civilizations. However, fate had other plans.

Around the time Dimi was 10 he would come crawling to his mom about certain nightmares he has been having. Each new nightmare shares very similar attributes and traits to the previous one. They all had a forbidding message about a heart made of chaos that would wipe out everything as we know it. Of course these were just dreams right? That’s what Illumina thought of at first until she started getting visions with the same descriptors.

This grew worry in her as she anxiously watched over Dimi as he continued to live his childfree life. The fear only seemed to grow as the visions got worse for them both. Universi soon caught wind of what was happening and quickly asked what they all meant. He would then ask Dimi the same questions making sure everything was all right. The story was always the same in these visions/nightmares of a masked man who would use the heart of chaos to live out a prophecy that would wipe out every dimension. Once it was clear that Dimi would be that man one day- the terror grew quickly.

Universi quickly disposed of that thought and decided to fight the future. He went into action to start taking more responsibility in leading Dimi the right way. He would direct him to doing the right thing and nag him constantly about what was right or wrong. His punishments were harsh when he did mess up and his words were stern despite Dimi still being really young. Their relationship grew really shaky as both parents had all their attention on him. This only caused more issues than good.

With all this attention on Damon, Poppy started to get neglected. She was often placed aside because the fears of Dimi’s future were more worrisome than hers. The parents never meant to do this to her but the consequences will take a toll. One day, Poppy started to get very sick as she lay to rest hoping it was just a fever. Not too long after, it took her life as Illumina screamed in terror. Grief quickly took over the family as the dad mourned his daughter for days upon end. With the family completely in shambles, both parents were once again focused on other things as Dimi finally had a chance to breathe and do his own thing. He really didn’t do much aside from locking himself in his room, reading or studying magic. This is where he starts to come up with a book that will be detrimental to super paper mario as a whole. The dark prognosticus.

Now… At the time it wasn’t really much. It was just a bunch of random notes and diary documents about what his dreams were like and certain spells he jotted down. It was supposed to help him get an understanding of his future and basically get his visions onto paper so he wouldn’t forget them. He even recorded some of his spells that his dad had been practicing. Even an important one that was supposed to bring the dead back to life in a new body. Whatever that meant. While he was researching that, both Dimi and his mom didn’t have much to do so Illumina decided to promise Dimi that he would take him out on a little vacation. It was probably the only time in such a long while that Dimi would be excited for something.

A couple weeks passed and nothing much has changed. Luckily it was the day of vacation as Illumina beckoned Dimi to come with him. It would help calm both of their nerves as well as maybe rekindling their relationship. She was hoping to help apologize for being a terrible mother as she guided him towards one of the dimension doors.

The next events came as a surprise.

Before the two could make it to the door, a large explosion happened. At the time, no one knew what caused it. (Frankly someone hypothesized it was faulty wiring to old broken machines).

Illumina was now dead.

The accident caused an uproar amongst many as people far and wide came to debate and decipher the events of the explosion. The magician’s wife was dead and his son now was nowhere to be seen. News caught wind to Universi as he began to now mourn the death of his entire family. Everything was taken away from him in the span of a couple years.

Dimi, although presumed to be dead by the public, was actually not really dead. He was caught in the explosion, yes, but he ended up surviving. (Warning for wound depictions and injuries.) When the explosion happened, it burned his face and his arms were deeply scarred. He didn’t seek help right away, afraid of his father’s reaction so instead he ran away and lived in a shack far from the town. He wasn’t really sure what to do now. Both his mom and his sister were gone, his father was in heavy grieving, and now his own body was injured. He waited it out nonetheless. He didn’t want to go back. Not now.

Time passed as things at the village started to settle down. Universi became consumed in his work as he was seen to never leave his house aside from calling forth an assistant he hired to help him out. Even the people at the town have become shaken by the events that transpired before them. Silence was thought to have been forever until Universi had an epiphany.

Once again he refused to let fate describe his future so he did the unthinkable one day. Taking his daughter, he was able to transport her soul into a new corpable body in which he proclaimed as the first ever pixl. He named her the pixl queen and finally came out of his house to shout the praise of his new work.

News spread fast as the Magician taught his discovery to various other ancients his power of creating pixls. Building tools and ways to bring dead ones back to life as a second chance. A way to preserve the souls of family members. It was a huge success and soon ancients across multiple dimensions were practicing his ways. Universi couldn’t have been happier as he rejoiced at bringing his own daughter back. There was one big issue though, she had no memories or relocation of her past. When she became the pixl queen, all her thoughts and past were erased from her mind. She did not know who he was, or where she came from. All pixls didn’t seem to remember who they were previously. This would soon become an issue later on but let’s get back to Dimi.

Damon was actually seemingly doing better as he thought that he would finally return home. He got up and headed back with a heavy sigh in his breath. When he came back he couldn’t believe his eyes. The civilization has flourished since he left with people everywhere exclaiming about how the pixls have vastly improved everything in their lives. Dimi, bewildered, went back home to see his dad once more. Of course Universi was even more ecstatic to see his son was actually alive. He helped him settle back in as he helped tend to Damon’s wounds.

(Not an important note but I wanted to say this anyway. This is where Dimi gets his floaty hands since his arms were way too damaged. His dad helped him out with this)

Dimi wasn’t too fond of what his dad was doing however. Pixls? Reviving dead members? Assistants? He was completely delusional from grief that he didn’t even have a grasp on what he was actually doing. Damon’s own sister doesn’t even recognize him anymore. Dislike for his father started to become hatred as he quickly started to separate himself from Universi again.

His relationship with Poppy or well.. The Pixl Queen wasn’t even the same anymore. She was very derogatory of him and often would want nothing to do with Dimi. She had a strong hatred for the ancients for some reason and Damon didn’t get a pass. He started to hate her too as isolation got the best of him. He would go back to what he was doing before all this went down and idly sit in his room. Ashamed of his own face he tried finding a cure and even began wearing a mask to hide his injuries. He couldn’t look at himself anymore in the mirror.

Things played out normally after that or well.. Somewhat normally. Universi would continue to do his own work as both Damon and his sister did her own things. Dimi however was starting to lose it as he became more and more enamored in darker forms of magic. It completely enthralled him as he finally found perhaps a spell that can finally fix his broken face. Upon practice, it worked. His face finally healed and he no longer had scars that plagued his skin. That’s what happened at first at least. Time passed and everything seemed to have gone wrong. The magic backfired and completely corrupted his body. His face especially was now only void. Damon was no longer the same person anymore as this was his last push over the edge. He officially ran away and didn’t look back.

That’s basically the main gist of what I wanted to write here. A couple years into the future he would soon dawn his new jester attire for he was enamored by the theatrical arts. He then would go completely insane and wish to wipe out all the dimensions and become ruler of them all. I could also get into the nitty gritty of the Pixl Queen revolution against the ancients, how the war was started, or how the Pixl queen became Shadoo but this document is long enough. (Maybe in the future I’ll explain that too who knows)

But that’s all I wanted to explain today and I thank everyone who read it.

#It is finally done #I'm so nervous to post this but agh #Never done any writing like this before so go easy on me?#thanks ;;;;;;;;#dimentio #shadoo #pixl queen #super paper mario #dimentio backstory #spm #paper mario #writing

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matrixbearer2024 · 2 months

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OC infodump

Okay so while I admittedly probably made this guy because of a shitpost and because I was inspired by @hazzbindarlingg's Fatherly Vox Headcanons, Vic was kind of an OC I've been writing for a while now that I just wasn't sure where to place. He used to be a concept when I was still obsessing over transformers but he seems to fit more into this franchise.

Now without further ado- here's a headcanon list I have for Vic just written in my notes. I also may or may not use him to interact with other Hazbin character RP blogs eventually.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT, MENTION OF DRUGS & KILLING, MURDER

Vic is an 80s kid so he's pretty young compared to most of the Hazbin Cast.

Like bro grew up around so much tech-

Okay anyways-

This kid was highkey kind of fucked up since childhood.

His dad was a politician that always came home drunk out of his mind.

His mom left him with his dad at 4 yrs old.

Without his mom, he had to cook, clean and take care of his old man.

Not that the old geezer was even remotely thankful.

He would often punch or hit Vic just for the hell of it, sometimes even throwing his empty beer bottles at the kid while he was cleaning up the dishes.

If the glass shattered, Vic had to clean it up too.

But of course- his old man was starting to lose power and influence as a political figure.

So while it directly made "home" even more hellish for Vic-

His old man was a conniving man and wouldn't take it lying down.

So guess who the old fuck made a deal with?

If you guessed our favorite TV overlord then you guessed right!

Ding ding ding! You're a winner!

So how does Victor get wrapped in all of this?

Well his old man didn't sign his own name on the soul contract.

He signed away his son's soul to keep his power and influence.

Talk about a shitty family-

A soul is a soul no matter how you look at it so the deal still went through.

Either way, Vic didn't really know about that deal since he was still just 10 years old.

Wow he was so young when he got dammed to the inferno-

His dad managed to stay relevant and in power for a few more years.

Well, until of course Vic decided that he'd had enough enduring the hell he lived in.

He meticulously planned it all for days, hyping himself up for freedom.

He was around 15 by now.

TLDR, he took his father's pistol and shot the old man in the head while he was sleeping.

Vic wasn't exactly a religious person, but he was sure he'd be damned to hell for this anyway.

Not that he exactly gave a shit hahaha

The news blew up about his father's death, it was attributed to a break-in murder because Vic was so careful to set up the crime scene that way.

Because of that incident and because he wasn't legally an adult yet- Vic had been adopted by another family.

Thankfully this time he was watched over by a family who genuinely cared.

They helped shape him into an ambitious and resilient young fellow who majored in software engineering and computer science.

But that didn't stop Vic from dealing under the table with his peers or just in general.

He used his knowledge in programming to gather blackmail against some students and professors he disliked.

That or he would sometimes straight up hack the school website when he got bored.

Victor did graduate at the top of his class-

Problem was he decided to join a renown hacker group instead of going career hunting.

And much to his adoptive parents' dismay-

Vic was practically swimming in money because of his "job".

But it also caused him to quickly get on the FBI's hit list.

This job of his also cost him his life when he got killed during a police raid.

The popos raided the hacker headquarters while he was in it.

Unlike some others who'd been able to escape when the police made their presence known-

Vic wasn't lucky enough to and he got shot.

But that wasn't what killed him-

In fact, it was a little trap he'd made just in case this scenario would happen.

When the police successfully entered, they found him near an electrical box messing with it's contents.

Despite them telling him to put his hands up or even get on the ground- Vic didn't listen and just grinned before flipping a switch.

Thousands of volts immediately ran from the box and into all the hardware that remained in the hideout, making practically all of it useless for investigators.

Problem was, because Vic had been holding the switch and exposed so closely to lots of open wire-

He'd also effectively electrocuted himself.

And that was how he immediately found himself going from electricity fried chicken to red skies red streets and the smell of rotting corpses.

It didn't take long before Vic became as much of a menace as when he was alive.

Which quickly gathered the attention of the Vees, who he'd made the mistake of screwing with at one point.

Well- Velvette's social media actually-

Vox saw the potential in the youngster so instead of killing him like his colleagues wanted- he recruited Vic instead.

That was also around the time Vox figured out the deal he made years ago inadvertently tied Vic to him too.

"Soooo... you want me to become your assistant? That's like... secretary stuff right?"

"Not quite just that. I took notice of your exceptional hacking skills as well, any chance you'll be able to use them on competitors?"

"That's all? Well, why the hell not, I'm bored down here anyway."

And that's what pretty much started Vic's journey to becoming Vox's protege.

With powers similar enough to the tech overlord, Vox couldn't help but want to refine the great talent Vic already had.

Not to mention use him to gain more power.

So it wasn't long before Vic was able to establish his worth to the Vees either.

He was extremely good at his job and because of his cutthroat personality, he'd quickly become an honorary Vee as well.

It didn't take too long afterwards for him to grow closer to Vox despite his deal with the overlord too.

He practically became a younger sibling to Velvette and a cyber bodyguard for Valentino.

There was one time he'd accidentally called Vox "dad" and they haven't let him live it down since.

It just becomes all the more blatant when Vox takes Vic to overlord meetings as well and it's just horrible dad jokes all around.

Victor's name is often written as "Victor(y)" because of Vox being like: "HA I HAVE AN ASSISTANT AND YOU DON'T FUCK YOU ALASTOR!"

Even so, the "y" is silent and Vic finds it really corny.

#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel vox #hazbin vox #vox #hazbin art #hazbin hotel oc #vox x reader #hazbin hotel vox x reader #hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin vox x reader #vox x you #vox x oc #my art

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tb3ih · 2 years

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BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. ft. kamisato ayato

kamisato ayato does not come home.

you let this cascade down your throat and tell yourself it's just the sake when you feel it burn, vision blurring a bit as your eyes trace the gold edges of the glass you rotate between your fingertips.

it's nearly two am, but the city of inazuma has yet to rest its technicolor eyes, lost hopes and vivid dreams painting themselves in the brightest of hues between towering buildings and bustling streets.

it's laughable almost, the way you spend the latest hours of the night after tucking in your son sipping overpriced rice wine, and drowning in second-hand smoke, waiting for a man of all things.

your candle's nearly burned out of wick, and you sigh at the idea of having to purchase more, but you supposed you'd just send a butler to the candle shop. after all, how could you make an effective housewife if you didn't remain in the house.

but it is no surprise to you, the renowned head of hayashi clan and sole heir to one of the greatest legacies in the nation, that you are waiting out on your balcony overlooking the estate for your husband to miraculously walk through the front gates for once in the last few months.

and when he does, you're choking on your wine, eyes blinking furiously as you watch his tall but somewhat obscured figure waltzing through the front gates like its any other night he's supposed to be coming home; as if he hadn't been neglecting his own home for the past months.

"milday? the lord of the house has returned," a soft voice informs and you don't need to turn to see that it's your closest chambermaid, akane, the most loyal (and well informed) lady-in-waiting you'd ever had the honor of being acquainted with. "it would seem he's in a rather... sober state..."

you snort in amusement, lips pressing once more to the rim of the glass in your hand for a final sip, and you're thankful for the dull numbing that follows, a hot, searing emotion beginning to bubble in your chest. it would seem rice wine and sake have begun to lose taste and you made a mental note to make sure akane arranged for it all to be removed from the house. you never really liked it much anyway.

you're making your way through the long hallway leading to the front courtyard, where akane tells you he is lounging. when you walk out, ayato is seated at the chabudai, his back facing you as he gazes out into the night sky. on the table sits a warm teapot and akane comes to place a second cup down before you can take a seat, bowing politely before stepping away to remain at the outer edges of the raised patio.

ayato has not turned once to address your presence, nor do you beckon him to with a greeting. you settle gracefully on the zaisu, tucking your feet beneath you before taking the pot to pour yourself a drink. it is quiet but for the summer insects and the sloshing of green tea as you fill your cup.

"i don't suppose you came down here to ask me about my business affairs this evening, have you?" his voice is smooth and almost taunting in the tension-filled atmosphere. turning to face you, the azure of his eyes probably would have had you drowning to your death if you hadn't been so accustomed to every one of his antics over the years.

"oh please," you chuckle, examining the cup in your hands, "you flatter me, darling. but no, unfortunately, i have not come to pay my respects as the lady of the house."

not that there ever was a lord of the house to pay respects to, you thought behind a sip of hot tea.

"then to what do i owe the pleasure to?" he's watching you carefully, from the way you sip your tea haphazardly to your direct eye contact.

you hum, as if to mull it over. "well, perhaps i was hoping you'd had come to your senses, but i suppose you can't teach an old dog new tricks."

you hear him scoff, an incredulous look marring the complexion of his face. irritation laces his low voice, "dear archons, y/n, i don't have time for this."

and it's in that moment you find the anger bubbling up your throat in a cruel laugh, whirling sharply to bring your hands against the lacquered wood of the table. "well then, commissioner, i daresay i must ask what in the hell do you have time for? because it obviously isn't your home," you spit, venom and heat keeping your throat in a chokehold.

akane shifts uncomfortably from where she stands across the room from you and you allow some space between you and your husband to reassure her.

and he's smirking at you from behind that cup of tea and you have never felt like slapping someone so strongly in your life. years of schooling and private tutors raising you to be the ideal heiress and bride only for your beloved groom to relish every second you have inadvertently allowed him to tear you apart.

in that moment you feel your anger clawing at your throat, harassing your voicebox into letting it be heard—and you almost do, if it hadn't been for

— tags: @rinoomi @sohyuki @rqkuya @scaramew @xiaophobic @ladyleah @hamayumis @rainsoughtflowers @rysird (hi pls ignore this if you're not interested, i just wanted some honest thoughts?)

#min wips.jpg #ayato angst #kamisato ayato #ayato x reader #genshin imact ayato #help idk how to finish this #pls drop ideas im desperate #i was so close to deleting this

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starboysbrainrot · 8 months

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Another day in the red room

situated in episode 17 of season 2, it’s a bit of a shit post, and it’s not meant to be serious 😭

inspired by one of @sillydeafwitch ‘s post where B&J can see what they’re doing in the real world

characters : og mystery inc (minus Pericles), mayor jones, Ed machine, Darrow family, nova etc etc, in the red room

another day in the red room.

-What in the living hell did you do this time ?

Cassidy was watching over a mirror-like window serving as a link between the red room and the real world, where mystery incorporated was already facing a new mystery.

-I honestly don’t even want to know.

Judy sighed, glancing over Cassidy’s shoulder.

-It looks like he found another way to waste my money…

Both turned their head, spotting an understandably pissed younger Ricky, sitting in one of the room’s seat.

-Can you even imagine how much hundreds of mutated cows cost ?! All that money, to track down teenagers and to find a stupid disk !

He sighed.

-Beside, I never wanted to hurt anybody… and yet it still happened…

Mrs Darrow put a reassuring hand on the boy’s shoulder, trying to comfort him.

-Honey, nobody here wanted to hurt anyone… Don’t be too hard on yourself.

-Beside, nothing that’s happening right now would be happening if some interdimensional creature whose name I will keep silent had deigned to mind their business and had left the human race alone.

Ed Machine growled, glancing at Nova who simply ignored him by walking to the center of the room.

-We have to be patient, the new mystery incorporated will be able to beat the demon, we have to trust them.

-That’s easy to say for you, said Cassidy, scoffing. You have nothing to lose, it’s not even your world that’s gonna get destroyed !

-I don’t see the problem, even if it’s not my dimension, I can still care about your world.

-Ah ! Shouted Danny Darrow, the kids have trapped the Queen, they are taking it out of Crystal Cove !

A sigh of relief was heard from everyone in the red room.

-See ? You have to trust them.

-Oh cut it out ! Jones snapped, before curling up on one of the red sofas in the room, that’s easy to say for you. Your body’s not being used by an evil entity who’s acting like a freak and neglecting your son !

He sighed.

-My meddling Fred, I hope he’s okay…

-Eh, I don’t think so, well, surely not after that.

Judy and Jones simultaneously turned their head to Cletus Darrow, who was worryingly watching trough the multi dimensional window.

-Brad’s launching a missile at Fred and their friends.

-I’M DOING WHAT ?!

Brad had been a complete mess since the Krampus incident and who had spent the week in a corner whimping and crying, no longer able to stand seeing himself in the real world. Seeing himself betray his son, snap at his wife, and blindly follow a mad parrot who had betrayed him years ago made him want to strangle himself. Literally.

-Why do we even HAVE a missile ?! And why on earth would I launch it on Fred ?!

-I don’t know, but you did. But you missed it so I guess they’re okay.

No answer came from the ex-redhead who had once again curled up in a corner, whimpering.

-Oh for god’s sake Bradley, Judy scoffed, clearly annoyed by her husband, stop whining, your son nearly died !

Another sniffle, coming this time from the mayor, accompanied those from Brad.

-My poor Fred… my meddling Fred…

Cassidy sighed, before shooting an exasperated look at Judy.

-You should go talk with those two stressed out whining idiots before I whip their ass.

-Got you.

Nova observed the rest of the room with an odd look, before clearing her throat.

-Well, the important part is that we have to trust the new mystery…

But before she could actually finish her sentence, the whole room turned to her, shouting their lungs out.

-SHUT THE HELL UP !

#scooby doo mystery incorporated #scooby doo #sdmi #ricky owens #brad chiles #judy reeves #cassidy williams #ed machine #shitpost #scooby doo nova #annunakis

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marymary-diva17 · 2 months

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Neglected sully (3)

avatar navi x reader

The forest had been your whole life it was where you had been born and took your first steps, it had made you happy and also broke your heart. It had become the place where it held all the people that you love so dearly, and who saw you for you. Sorrow had come from the place when you had been blamed for actions way out of you control, and later on banished from the place you call home. Still holding close the memories and some keepsakes from your old home and life. When there comes sorrow there also comes new beginning and you had stated your new beginning.

y/n" my eywa my great mother my guidance in the dark" Right now you are sitting in the home that you have made with kawwney. It had been nearly three half years since she was exiled and disowned. She had been able to make a new life here among the reef navi, yes it did take her time to adapt but she soon become one of the people.

y/n " thank you great mother for the blessing you gave me in life" you are singing your song chord. Life had changed so much for you since you had left home and become metkayian.

????? " ma y/n" you soon stooped singing and soon looked up to see your husband kawwney standing there.

y/n " hello my husband how was the talk with your father and mother"

Kawwney " it had went well my love I had been even asked by my father to join him, on scouting missions and I agree if that well with you"

y/n " that perfect with me ma kawwney it good you and your father, are helping and sharing the clan responsibilities"

kawwney " thank you yawntu" kawwney soon brought you into an warm embrace and kissed your forehead, making you smile and kiss him back as well.

kawwney " now tell me where are our wonderful children"

y/n " they are fast asleep my love"

kawwney " here I was hoping to have some time with them before I had to leave"

???? " baba"

y/n " well it seems like you get that wish answered my love" kawwney smile brightly and laughed, as she soon walked off into another room of the home.

y/n " do you need help in there"

kawwney " I'm good" kawwney soon came into the room carrying three navi children in his arms, all of them smiles brightly and happy.

y/n " they are growing up so fast ma kawwney"

kawwney " well they are ours in no time they will be walking around here and talking in compete sentences with us"

y/n " our perfect sons and beautiful daughter"

kawwney " yes our perfect children just like their mama and they will do amazing in the future" You had started a family with kawwney not that long ago and had triplets two boys and one girl, and triplets are rare among navi sending the clan into celebration due to the boys birth. They are named Kewia, Roili, and Aeyla names that you and kawwney had picked out for them.

warrior " kawwney and y/n hello I'm sorry for interrupting"

y/n " it okay has something happened"

warrior " yes tonowari has called us we will be leaving now for scouting and some other matters"

kawwney " tell my father I will be there shortly I need to put my children down"

warrior " yes I will make sure to tell him" the warrior soon left leaving the family of five in the home.

y/n " here let me take Ayela for you so you can put kewia and Roili down"

kawwney " thank you" ayela had soon went into your arms and smile, as you held her for a bit until you put her down on a mat, soon being joined by her brothers.

kawweny " I will be home in time for dinner so don't worry"

y/n " I always worry"

kawwney " I will be safe you had helped me learn more about these humans and their ways, take care of yourself and the children as well ... I know you will not be alone today as my mom and siblings will be here with the rest of the clan"

y/n " that what I love now go dont keep your father and other waiting any longer"

kawwney " yes my love" kawwney had grabbed his spear and soon kissed you and the kids goodbye before he took off and left. You had soon watch him leave until you could no longer see him, and you soon sat down with the children.

y/n " my children you will always be love by me and I will make sure the three of you are treated fairly and no ever feels alone, I will not become like them"

kids " mama" the children smile towards you making you smile at them, as you soon started looking at them as they play with their wooden toys and crawling around trying their best to walk.

tsireya " hello"

y/n " tisreya come in" tsireya soon smiled as she walked into the home, you and her become very close after the days of your arrival here. She had been happy to finally meet the girl her brother had been crushing on and telling her about as well.

tsireya " I came to check up on you and my nephews and niece how are they doing"

y/n " I'm guessing your brothers are not that far as well"

rotxo " good morning"

aonung " good morning y/n and little ones" the children started speaking in gibberish and laughing after seeing their uncles and aunt arrive in the home.

y/n " it good to have you kids here today but sadly you missed your brother as he went off with your father"

tsireya " oh we saw him when he was with our father and as we going to come see you anyways"

y/n " that sounds like your brother"

aonung " come here kawie lets do more with your walking I know you will be a mighty warrior like my brother" aonung soon reached out his hand and started helping his nephew walk a bit.

rotxo " come on roili we can't let them have all the fun" while the boys were doing some walking practice on the other side of the room, leaving you with ayela and tsireya.

y/n " these boys are so much like kawwney"

tsireya " do you mean the older boys are the babies"

y/n "both" you and Tsireya had laughed as the both of you are helping ayela with her walking.

later that afternoon

ronal " hello everyone"

aonung " mother"

ronal " hello I came to speak with y/n and see my grandchildren"

rotxo " yes mom but I thought you will be busy all day"

tsireya " yes with clan responsibilities"

ronal " well I got some time off and now I came to have some words with y/n"

tsireya " yes mother"

y/n " you all can come see the children later it almost time for their nap"

aonung " okay will we are off to deal with our task mom"

ronal " that good my children" the kids had left as you had put the triplets down for a nap, once they are asleep you are now sitting with ronal.

ronal " I came here to have some words of importance with you"

y/n " sure"

ronal " as you know my son will start taking a more serious role as the future leader of the clan, and sharing responsibilities with his dad"

y/n " yes he told me that this morning he very happy about it and I'm happy for him"

ronal " I'm happy for him as well but I wish for you to take over some roles of tshaik as you being his mate, you will share the title with tsireya"

y/n " I wish not to take away her birthright"

ronal " no need to worry y/n reya has benen told and agree with it, as you had helped her learn as well you healing ways have helped the clan in many ways and your connection with the great mother is mighty and beautiful ... tshaik was your brith right was it not"

y/n " yes but everyone wishes for my sister and my brother future mate over them as I was seen bad child or demon blood"

ronal " there no demon blood in you I was shocked when my son said he was in love, and I was hoping to meet the girl who stole his hair but we did meet ... in a way I was not hoping for"

y/n " I don't think anyone hope we will meet like that' you and ronal laugh a bit.

ronal " you are perfect learning the ways wonderful and soon making. name for yourself, and soon becoming one of the people and starting a family here as well"

y/n " thank you and I will like to take the responsibility and tile of tshaik"

ronal " good" well it was agree as now you will be taking over the some of the responsibilities of tshaik, an announcement had been shared with the people and soon enough word had spread around the village. As life in the village had become peaceful and clam at the moment that all changed when you heard horn blow.

y/n " has someone come or have the Scouts return" you had went to check on the children to see they were still asleep, as you soon went to see what was going and it seem like the rest of the clan is doing the same thing as well.

navi " new arrivals have come to the village"

navi 2 " yes it seems like they all have traveled a long way to get here"

navi 3 " they look similar to y/n they are from the forest as well ... oh y/n hello"

y/n " hello it seems like we have guests from the forest I'm going to see them" you had soon made you way through the crowd it was not the hard as they had made room for you, soon enough you had seen the newcomers bit by bit until you were close enough. Until you stopped walking as you reach the front, looking at the male navi who was at the front.

Jake "hello we come in peace we mean you all no harm" it was your family and old clan, even due it had been many years you could still remember them very well but it seems like they did see yet. Soon enough tonowari and kawwney had retune shocking the new arrivals, as they landed their creatures in the water and soon walked onto the beach.

Jake " I see you tonowari and I see you kawwney"

tonowari "Jake sully" soon enough ronal had made herself know as the crowd made room for her as well, she was now standing with her son and mate.

ronal " ......."

tonowari "why have you all come here"

Jake " we came here seeking refuge for my family and clan ... we seek uturu"

ronal " uturu"

Jake " yes for my family and clan please that all I ask for" ronal was walking around your family she soon noticed three of the kids, are just like you and her granddaughter. She knew of the history of your parents and was staring draggers at them.

ronal " there arms and tails are weak they will have a hard time adapting here"

Jake " we can adapt right everyone"

everyone " yes"

ronal " these three kids have the blood of sky people in them"

Jake " yes they are just like me two of them my kids and other one the adopted son of my right hand man Tsu'tey, but I was once sky people and become one of the people"

Tonowari " we all know tale of toruk makto but you are not the only one who has come here from the forest"

mo'at " what do you mean"

ronal " many years ago someone from the forest had made their own journey here

Jake " who we never knee someone from the forest had come here"

????? " hello it has been a long time hasn't it Jake sully" you soon showed yourself looking at your family and old clan, they all looked shocked to see you standing there.

neytiri " y/n"

y/n " hello may the years have gone by but I can still remember you all"

sully kids and spider " y/n"

tonowari " y/n as you had once been form the forest and one of omatacayia clan, do you think we should let them stay"

y/n " yes we should let them stay it the will of the great mother, it will be horrible to send them away after all the way they came here"

Jake " y/n you are ...." Jake had tried to take a step near you but had been hissed at by kawwney who was glaring at the war hero.

tonowari " you and your family along with your clan will be allowed to stay here, we have some home and extra space for you all to use ... hut during your time you will be learning the ways of our people"

Jake " yes what do we say everyone"

everyone " thank you"

tonowari " my childern from my sons and daughter will be helping with your children and the boy with training, and y/n as well if she wishes to"

kawwney " y/n"

y/n " I will help them as I still hold my clan and old home close to my heart, even after all these years"

aonung " we will help for the sake and honor of y/n"

rotxo " yes we will do our best to help to our guests learn the ways"

Tsireya " yes we will"

tonowari " my people the sully family and their clan members will staying here with us as we see them learning the ways, but we will need to help them as they are babies taking thier first breathe" the clan was not that happy that much of helping the adults as they knew of your past, and hated how much pain you had been put through.

y/n " come with me I will show you around the village and where you all will be staying"

tsireya " I will help as well"

rotxo and aonung " us to"

y/n " then grab what we can and help them move come along so, you all will have enough time to settle in" there had been no time for words to be spoken, as the group had soon followed you as you showed them around village. Your family was now standing near their new home.

y/n " this is where you will be staying for your time being there enough room for you all. Tsu'tey you and your son will be staying over there"

Jake " thank you"

y/n " your welcome" your sibling and spider had put their stuff down and soon ran towards you, they soon hugged you.

neteyam " you been here the whole time"

y/n " yes I have after the incident that had unfolded many years ago"

lo'ak " we have missed you but now that you are here with us"

y/n " yes I have missed you all"

kiri " you have changed so much sister"

y/n " we have all changed my sister"

tuk " y/n I'm happy to have my big sister back"

y/n " I'm happy to have my baby sister back as well"

spider " we have missed having you around"

y/n " well we are back together"

mo'at " granddaughter"

y/n " grandmother" the children had let you go as mo'at soon walked closer to you, and soon hugged you and you hugged her back.

mo'at " I'm happy to see you are well and the young adult you have become, all of you have grown up well in front of my eyes and when we were apart"

y/n " yes we all have and that makes me happy"

tsireya " we hope you all have a good stay here"

lo'ak " thank you for the help"

tsireya " your welcome"

neteyam " thanks for the help back there with the stuff"

aonung " well you are all our guest here we will be helping as much as we can"

spider " this place amazing"

kiri " I cant wait to see what is offers"

rotxo ' " well you are going to have an amazing time here" the group had helped the guests unpack their stuff and settle in bit.

tsireya " y/n we are going to head home for dinner and it getting late as well"

y/n " yes that good" the three teens soon left leaving you with your loved ones.

y/n " there is the food here or I see you brought some food as well, getting settled in"

neteyam " wait why don't stay with us"

y/n " I will love to brother but I have my own place here and I'm need elsewhere, don't be sad I will see you all tomorrow and we will have enough time to caught up"

tuk " okay"

y/n " goodbye for now rest well everyone" your sibling and spider hugged you on last time they soon walked into the their homes. As you were now with Jake, Neytiri, and Tsu'tey the tiro looked at you.

y/n " I hope the clan can help you while you are here"

Jake " it been so long your have grown over the time"

neytiri " yes it good to see you again life hasn't been the same"

y/n " take care all of you and tomorrow change is coming for us all" you had bowed your head saying nothing else as you soon walked off, leaving them alone to get use to their new lives here. There was something new about you that no on could understand only mo'at could see and understand, they soon saw you speaking with kawwney and soon talking with him and walking off together. There was this feeling in the air that your family and clan were feeling after see you after so long.

That night

y/n " ......" you are sitting on the bed you share with kawwney, he soon came into the room with the children.

y/n " what going on"

kawwney " it will be best for them to stay in here with us tonight, as you are going to need all our support to deal with them" kawwey soon place the kids in hanging crib.

kawwney " they are asleep after having a good dinner and play time"

y/n " yes"

kawwney " what the matter my love"

y/n " I hope I have enough strength to deal with them"

kawwney " you have enough strength my love you have shown me that strength over and over again, but you are not alone I'm here I will help you"

y/n " thank you"

kawwney "I love you"

y/n " I love you as well" kawwney soon brought you into a hug and kissed your forehead, the both of you stayed awake before laying in bed and fall alseep after moving the kids to the bed. You had looked at your mate and kids, with a smile on your face yes you did have the strength for anything that will come for you. A smile grown on your face as you kissed your husband and kids on their heads, before falling asleep as well. As the last words had escaped your mouth before you had fallen asleep thank you great mother.

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