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hbyrde36 · 1 month

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Times Like These (The Anniversary Edition)

CH 1 CH 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch5 Ch6

Chapter 7: Running in Circles

WC: 6637 | AO3 link

The moment Eddie landed back in his body he fell to his knees and sobbed.

He wanted to lay down and die all over again.

Anything to escape the agony of losing. Losing in general, losing Steve. Never mind that the loop had managed to reset itself, meaning there was a brand new Steve only a few miles away who was just fine. Who Eddie had another chance to save.

But he wasn’t ready to think about that just yet.

Not that he had any time for mourning. Time was both his greatest asset and his mortal enemy in this moment because he so desperately needed it all to fucking stop, if only for a little while.

But, as the saying goes, time waits for no man. Chrissy was standing there, right in front of him, and the countdown to her demise had begun the second he landed back at the beginning of this godforsaken nightmare.

He gave himself one minute to feel it. Sixty seconds of wallowing in heartbreak—of saying goodbye to a past that only he would ever remember, before shoving it all down and getting to work.

He mumbled vague apologies to a very confused and concerned Chrissy when he finally picked himself back up, and then simply walked away, striding quickly to his room to take up his acoustic guitar and play for her again.

It worked, even if he had some trouble putting his whole heart into it this time, and he was grateful that it did. He didn’t know what he would have done if it hadn’t.

He held her close after she fell—still tried to put her back together again even though it felt impossible when he was missing so many of his own parts, but he didn’t give her long. He didn’t give either of them long enough to truly recover from their respective ordeals before dragging her to her feet.

“Stay here a second?” He said, not waiting for a reply before returning to his room.

Frantically he dumped the contents of his backpack on the ground and filled it with clothes, his walkman, and his trusty black lunchbox. He had a feeling he might need it to get through the next few days.

Back in the living room he grabbed his keys, took Chrissy's hand, and led her outside.

The goal was to grab Max and get the hell out of Dodge before Jason showed up looking for Chrissy, or a fight. He didn’t want to see that motherfucker ever again if he could help it, and he certainly could live without another broken nose.

He flew up the front steps of Max’s trailer and began pounding on the door.

“Max!” He shouted, continuously banging his fist. “Code red, Max. Open up. We gotta go right now!”

The door flung open suddenly, revealing a very annoyed and very wide-eyed redhead.

“What the hell, dude?! Did Dustin put you up to this?”

“No Red, he didn’t, and there’s literally no time for me to explain, so–” Eddie shrugged one shoulder and pushed past her without waiting for an invitation, heading right back to her room while pulling Chrissy along behind him.

“What are you doing?!” Max yelled, trailing behind.

It wasn’t like Eddie didn’t know he was acting, maybe, a bit erratic—but he was frustrated at once again being the only one who knew there was trouble brewing, and frankly he just didn’t have the mental strength to ease anyone into it. Any patience he had left died in the last loop.

“Pack a bag.” He told her as he perused her tape collection, picking out the right Pat Benatar tape. He checked for the other but it didn't seem to be on the shelf. It was probably already in her player.

“You’ll need your walkman, and your Kate Bush tape too. You might want to grab some clothes while you’re at it, we may not be back for a while.”

“Wait… what?”

He finally looked at her, really looked at her, and realized that under the show of annoyance, she was scared. He was freaking her out.

He sighed, running his hands roughly through his hair. “You saw the lights flickering earlier, right? Over at my place?”

She bit her lip, nodding reluctantly. “Is that what this is all about?”

“Yes,” he said, as softly as he could manage, picking up her school bag from the floor and handing it to her. “And I'm sorry, but we need to go now.”

“Where are we going?”

“Steve’s.” Eddie swallowed thickly. “Grab your walkie, we’ll call him from the road”

Max continued to eye him suspiciously but she didn’t argue. Sometime later he’d have to wonder why the girl went along with him so easily, but for now he was just grateful she didn't put up more of a fight.

Chrissy was quiet throughout the whole thing, and seemed a lot more shell-shocked than last time. Which was fair, considering he was acting like an insane person, had given her zero time to recover from her attack, and had explained exactly nothing. He just… he needed to get out of here. He needed to see Steve. Then maybe he could settle down long enough to tell her and everyone else what was going on.

On the bright side, at least he wouldn't be showing up on Steve’s doorstep battered and bloody.

“Pass that radio up here, will ya?” Eddie asked once they were on the road, reaching back to where Max sat. She handed it over without a word.

He cleared his throat, holding the button down as he spoke into the device, steering with one hand. “Code red, I repeat, code red. Anyone who can hear me right now needs to meet up at Steve’s house as soon as possible. And, uh, Harrington, sorry to interrupt date night but you need to ditch the lucky girl and pick up Robin and Dustin on your way home.”

It all came out a little more manic and bitter than he’d meant it to, but it couldn’t be helped. It was all he could do to keep it together long enough to get to Loch Nora safely.

“Who the hell is this? Over.” Dustin said

“Hey, Henderson.”

“Wait… Eddie?”

“Yeah, man, It’s me. Listen,” Eddie paused, tapping the radio against his cheek. “I know you probably have like a million questions right now and I swear I will answer every one of them, but please just—hold off for a bit.”

“Is this some kind of joke?” Another voice asked.

Eddie sucked in a breath, eyes stinging as Steve came over the line. He knew the other boy would be listening, he should have expected it—had expected it, but somehow it still caught him off guard.

“I wish it was, pretty boy, I really wish it was. There was a little problem down at the trailer park. Max is with me, and a–friend. I’ll explain when we get to your place.”

After a moment of dead air, Dustin spoke again. “Steve?”

“It’s fine, Henderson,” Steve replied quickly, sounding irritated, if resigned. “I’ll be there to get you as soon as I can.”

“Should I call the others?” Dustin asked.

“Yes.” Eddie cut in.

“Why not.” Steve scoffed. “Party at Steve’s! It’s not like I had plans on a Friday night or anything.”

It didn’t occur to Eddie until he turned the radio off and handed it back to Max that not once did Dustin complain about the lack of ‘walkie etiquette’. That maybe should have been his first sign that things weren’t exactly going well.

As soon as they pulled up to Steve’s, Max burst out of the rear doors of the van, all but running into the house before Eddie even had the chance to put it in park. Chrissy didn’t move or react. In fact, she’d done nothing but stare out the passenger window for the entire ride over.

“Hey, Chris?” He said gently, turning in his seat to face her. “I know this whole night has been crazy and you don’t know me very well, but for what it’s worth I really can explain what’s happening… if you can trust me enough to come inside?”

She remained still and quiet for long enough that he was concerned she’d become catatonic, but eventually she tilted her head to look at him and gave a shallow nod. He jumped out, rounding the front of the van to open the passenger door for her. She faltered, stepping out on unsteady legs and he offered her a hand, which she took instantly, and held onto for dear life.

Eddie hesitated at the front door, his instincts telling him to just walk inside, but he wasn’t sure Steve, who barely knew him now—again, would appreciate that.

Holding his breath, he rang the bell.

Intellectually, Eddie had known that the loop resetting meant Steve was alive, and he’d already heard his voice, but to actually see Steve physically standing there in one piece filled him with a sense of relief that made his knees weak.

For a moment he forgot himself, stepping forward fully intent on wrapping the other boy up in his arms. He itched to press his face into Steve’s neck again, breathe him in deep and think about better days, but he caught himself at the last second and held back, instead giving Steve a friendly pat on the shoulder with his free hand while using the momentum of the near-hug to push past him and into the house, tugging Chrissy along with him.

“Sure, come right in.” Steve sniped.

Eddie didn’t look, but he knew that tone well enough to be sure Steve was rolling his eyes at their backs.

He guided Chrissy to the living room and sat her down on the couch, while Steve blew past them, disappearing into the kitchen where Robin must have been. He could hear them whispering about him, though not quietly enough, because he heard it clear as day when Robin hissed, “oh my god, and he’s got Chrissy Cunningham with him?”

He stopped listening after that, in favor of paying attention to the girl in front of him. He hadn’t taken very good care of her this time around, and he needed to fix that as soon as possible.

“Can I get you some water or anything?” Eddie asked, crouching down in front of her, smoothing the hair out of her eyes.

“Yes, water, thank you,” she said, managing a weak smile.

“You got it, I'll be right back.” He patted her knee and marched straight into the other room, where Robin and Steve fell abruptly silent at his entrance.

He ignored them, not really knowing how to act just yet—but did know, without a shadow of a doubt, that if he looked at Steve for too long right now he might lose his shit. Which would be less than helpful at this stage. He went to the cabinet where the glasses were, moving through the space like he was familiar with it—because he was—and crossed to the fridge, filling the cup he retrieved with the pitcher of water he knew Steve kept in there.

“What—you—how?” Steve sputtered, narrowing his eyes. “Have you been here before?”

“No questions until everyone is here.” Eddie said over his shoulder, already walking away.

Dustin and Max had appeared in the living room while he was gone, and they watched curiously as he handed the glass over to Chrissy and sat down.

He leaned forward, dropping his head into his hands as he took a few deep breaths, remembering the way Steve had coached him through his panic attack on this same night, as he tried to settle his thoughts.

“You know what? No. This has gone far enough!” Steve bellowed, rushing into the room. “You gotta give me something, man or I’m gonna… I don’t know. Call the police or something?”

Eddie dropped his hands but kept his eyes trained on the floor. Seeing first Steve’s socked feet come into view on the carpet in front of him, then Robin’s converse sneakers right behind.

“Steve!”

“Don’t give me that shit, Dustin. You see how he’s acting. He's clearly high on something. Or maybe drunk? Taking one of your D&D sessions a little too seriously? What?”

Eddie looked up just in time to see Steve pull his signature move. His hands flew to his hips, and the accompanying glare was as fiery as ever, even though his hair flopped into his eyes when he tilted his head.

It almost made Eddie smile.

“How the hell should I know?!” Dustin shouted.

“Well he’s your new best friend, isn’t he?!”

Oh, right.

Eddie had forgotten this part.

Up until their week-from-hell bonding session, or in the case of the last few loops, up until he learned the truth of what Eddie was going through, Steve had been jealous of his budding friendship with the kids—well—Dustin, in particular. Granted Eddie had been jealous too, but those days were far in the past for him.

“Steve, that’s not–” Dustin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Why would you assume he’s on drugs anyway?”

“I hate to break it to you kid, but your new buddy here is the town–”

“Oh my god, Harrington!” Eddie quickly cut him off. Not that he really cared if the kid found out about his little side business, he’d be learning about it momentarily anyway, but he’d had enough. “I'm not high! And I’m not drunk either. I’m stuck in a fucking time loop.”

“Bullshit.” Dustin snorted.

Eddie’s heart sank. Dustin always believed him. Had he really screwed things up so badly that even that had changed?

Steve crossed his arms over his chest. “You can’t expect us to buy that.”

Eddie had to turn away from the hard look in Steve’s eyes. He’d understood it before, the first few times around when it had taken a bit of time, and a lot of explanation, for the other boy to trust him, but now it just… hurt.

He felt so alone.

“Dustin, you told me something, in the first loop. You said if I told you this thing, you’d believe me.”

Steve tapped his foot impatiently on the carpet. “Okay, let’s hear it then.”

“Don’t be an asshole, Harrington.” Eddie snapped, getting up from his spot on the couch to approach Dustin. “It’s his secret, if he wants to tell you someday, he will."

He bent down and whispered quietly into the kid’s ear, “You're adopted. Your mom told you a year ago and no one else knows, not even Steve.”

Dustin’s eyes went impossibly wide as he blinked up at Eddie in utter shock for a second, then his face spread into a wide grin. “Holy shit, he’s telling the truth! This is amazing! But what–”

The smile dropped suddenly off his face as the implications started to sink in. “On the walkie earlier you said code red, but I didn’t think—does that mean this is…”

“Upside Down related?” Eddie finished for him. “Yeah, I'm afraid so.”

Steve watched the two of them with a deeply furrowed brow, no longer looking quite so bothered and skeptical, now he just seemed worried. Eddie softened, letting his own problems take a back seat for a minute. This was Steve, who—whatever he thought of Eddie right now—he cared about so fucking much.

"I’m sorry, Steve.” Eddie said, and never had he meant those two words more. “I know what you’ve all been through over the past few years, and I’m sure this is the last thing you want to hear right now, but it’s the truth. You have no idea how much I wish it wasn’t.”

Erica arrived a short time later on her bike, and Eddie used the distraction to escape to the downstairs bathroom and splash some cold water on his face.

He’d only been near Steve again for less than an hour and he was already going out of his mind, how was he supposed to make it through an entire week?

“Hey, man, are you okay?” A voice called from the other side.

It was Steve, because of course it was.

A part of Eddie longed to let him in, to steal a moment with the boy he was almost sure he was in love with, but it wouldn't be the same.

Steve didn’t remember the many nights they spent comforting each other and sharing their most intimate secrets. He didn’t know how they’d cooked for each other, and swapped stories, and kept each other sane in the midst of the world crumbling down around them.

He could have let him in anyway, and maybe tried to start over, build them back up into a version of what they were, but Eddie didn’t think he could survive getting that close, going that deep, only to have it ripped away all over again.

Nancy's voice filtered in from down the hall, and assuming she’d brought Mike along that meant everyone was there and accounted for. It was time.

Plastering a fake smile on his face, Eddie took one more deep breath for good luck and opened the door.

“I’m good, Harrington. Let's get this over with.”

He tried to walk past but Steve stopped him with a hand on his elbow. “Eddie, wait.”

Eddie stiffened, heart pounding. Déjà fucking vu, of the most painful kind.

“I’m sorry for giving you a hard time before.” Steve let him go, rubbing nervously at the back of his neck. “If Dustin believes you, then so do I. Honestly, after everything I’ve seen… it’s not even that much of a stretch.”

“Thanks,” Eddie said, looking anywhere but at Steve’s face.

In the process of avoidance, the closed door to Steve’s father’s office caught Eddie’s eye and it gave him an idea. He remembered Steve taking a phone call in there once before, and recalled that it didn’t look like an ordinary household model.

“The phone in your dad’s office,” Eddie began, hooking a thumb in the room’s direction. “Any chance it has a speaker?”

“Yeah, why?”

Pushing his inner turmoil aside for the time being, Eddie filled Steve in on how the Byers and El needed to be brought into this too, and how much more efficient it would be if they could be on the phone listening as he explained what was going on.

Steve gaped a little, still not used to Eddie knowing so much about all these things that had been secret for so long, but ultimately he was on board, and took on the task of telling the others to cram themselves into the small office room.

“What the hell is he doing here? And where’s my brother?" Erica asked Steve, spotting Eddie as they all piled in. "He didn’t come home after the game, I figured he’d be here.”

“He’s… ” Steve started to say but trailed off, looking to Eddie for an answer. “Where is Lucas?”

“Partying with the basketball team.”

“Why are we talking in here again?” Nancy asked of no one in particular.

Robin shushed her, Mike laughed, and Eddie stayed out of it. He dialed the number Steve had given him for the Byers house in California and switched on the speakerphone, praying someone would pick up.

Joyce answered on the second ring.

“Hello?”

When Eddie hesitated, realizing that the woman wouldn't know who he was, Steve jumped right in.

“Hey Joyce, it’s Steve. Uh, Harrington.”

“Oh, Steve. Honey, is everything okay?”

“I’m sorry to call out of nowhere like this, um, listen, I’ve got the usual group together at my house and uh, no. I guess everything's not okay? We have a friend here, his name is Eddie, and he has something to tell us. Can you get the kids and Jonathan to listen in too?”

It was proof of just how much these people had been through together that she simply said, “Ok, sure.”

After explaining, briefly, the whole him-time-looping thing in general, Eddie began by going over the original timeline in detail, starting with Chrissy’s death and ending with his own. He brushed over the next two loops, claiming they weren’t important. Which was true, he hadn’t changed anything or learned anything new, so nothing could be gained by forcing himself to recount them.

Finally, he moved on to the last loop. He told them everything, apart from the private moments he and Steve had shared, and managed to keep it as clinical as possible until he reached the point in the story where the group had separated at Benny’s—falling silent as he replayed in his mind the moment he and Steve had said goodbye.

Steve’s grip on his hip, the way his soft lips had felt pressed against Eddie’s own, the terror that had coursed through him when the clock chimed one, two, three, four times.

“Shut it!” Steve shouted, drawing Eddie out of his reverie.

While he’d been zoned out, Dustin, Mike, and Erica had been shouting over each other, badgering him to go on.

“Give the guy a break will ya? He’s been through enough without having to deal with…” Steve broke off with a frustrated sigh, waving a hand. “All of you. Just give him a second.”

Steve Harrington to the rescue as always, Eddie thought with a pang in his chest.

He started again, determined to finish the story and be done with it.

“Obviously we weren’t successful, otherwise I wouldn’t be back here. I can’t tell you exactly what went wrong. I don’t even know if El managed to piggyback into Steve’s mind, but either it didn’t work or Vecna was too strong because…” He trailed off, struggling to swallow past the lump forming in his throat.

He couldn't say it. He just couldn’t.

Thankfully, they were all smart enough to follow the context clues, and he didn’t have to.

“Why didn’t I pull Steve out with the music thing?” Dustin asked, a slight quiver to his voice.

And absolutely not was he letting this kid feel like it was his fault for even a fraction of a second.

“Jason fucking Carver.” Eddie said quickly, and with gusto. “He and Andy saw Steve’s car or something. They showed up at the Creel house, threatened you all with a gun and somehow broke the walkman in the process.”

“Oh god, I’m so sorry.” Chrissy blurted out. It was the first time she’d spoken since they left the trailer hours ago. “I should have broken up with him a long time ago, I knew he was a jerk, but–” She broke off sobbing.

Shit.

Eddie was too far away to reach out to her himself but Robin was there, throwing an arm around her, and Chrissy tucked herself into her side.

“None of this is your fault, Chris,” Eddie said, holding her gaze in hopes that would help it sink in—to make sure she knew he meant it. “I know you don’t remember, but trust me you helped us so much. You were there for me–at the end. I will never forget that.”

She nodded, but still dissolved into a new wave of tears against Robin’s shoulder.

While everyone else was looking at her, Eddie felt Steve’s gaze on him like a physical weight, impossible to ignore. “You said the loop resets when you die, right?”

Before he could stop himself Eddie locked eyes with the other boy, and suddenly it was like they were the only two people in the room.

“What happened to you last time?”

On top of everything else, Steve had just learned about his own mysterious death at the hands of a psychic monster, but here he was—not concerned with that, but with Eddie, and what his fate had been.

He tried to deflect, dropping his gaze to the desk as he spoke. “That reminds me, I should really hide my van when we’re done here so no one thinks you’re associated with me if something goes wrong.”

“Eddie, what happened to you last time?” Steve asked again, insistent.

With a heavy sigh, Eddie grudgingly answered. “After they took off from the Creel house, Jason and Andy showed up at Benny’s. I guess they saw the cars and got curious, or maybe they came to check the place out again after Patrick died. I don’t know, I didn’t exactly get to ask any questions. He, um… he shot me. Point blank in the chest.”

By the end he had the room’s full and silent attention again, save for a muffled sniffle over the phone’s speaker, and a warm palm landed on his shoulder. He didn’t even have to raise his head back up to know it was Steve, who’d moved to stand beside him at some point during his latest speech.

He’d know the feel of those hands anywhere.

“Okay, hear me out,” Dustin blurted wearing his patented, I’ve got a brilliant idea, face. “What if we call Owens now and get El together with him sooner. It sounds like she didn’t get the chance to fully regain her powers before they were ambushed, and I’m guessing her battery got drained in the escape with the whole helicopter thing, so she was definitely working at a disadvantage.”

It was a brilliant idea, Eddie had to give it to him. He didn’t realize they had a line to this other doctor guy.

“Yes, I think you are right.” Eleven agreed. “Eddie, you said… Papa was there? In the Nevada place?”

Fuck.

“Yeah, he was there. Somehow he’s alive, I know you thought he wasn’t. I’m sorry. Jonathan said he helped you though, and that it had been your choice to stay.”

“It’s okay, I understand.”

There wasn’t much else to be said for now, and they needed to hang up so Joyce could make her phone calls, but there was one more order of business to deal with first.

“Uh, Mrs. Byers, are you still on the line?” Eddie asked, eyes flicking back to Steve before quickly looking away again.

“Call me Joyce, honey, and yes I’m here.”

“I need to talk to you alone for a minute, if that’s okay. Steve too.”

“Oh. Give me a second to make sure the kids hang up.”

Clearing the office out was a fight, Eddie had expected nothing less, and though they had to be as curious about what was going on as anyone else, Robin and Nancy stepped in and managed to convince the others to leave.

He was sure they’d demand answers at some point, but he’d worry about that later.

“Are you alone?” Eddie asked.

“Yeah.” Joyce said.

“You might want to sit down for this.” He said to Steve, indicating one of the newly empty chairs in the room. Steve grabbed the nearest one, pulling it close so they were sitting side-by-side.

“Okay, there’s no easy way to say this… Hopper might be alive. Joyce got a package from Russia with a ransom note. Some guy named Murray is flying in tomorrow to help her figure it out.”

Joyce gasped, the noise echoing in surround sound for Eddie as Steve did the same beside him.

“It’s real then?” She asked.

“I think so. You’re going to call the number tomorrow and the person who answers will tell you to fly to Alaska with some money. I don’t know any more than that. You called us once after you arrived, right before you went to meet with someone but we didn’t hear from you again. You said Hopper was being held in a Russian prison, and the guy who sent the ransom note was going to break him out.”

Steve went white as a sheet at the second mention of Russian involvement, and though he’d been thinking it would be smarter—easier, to keep some separation between them in this loop, Eddie couldn’t fight his instinct to reach out. He covered Steve’s hand that was resting on the surface of the desk with his own.

“I guess there’s nothing for me to do but follow the trail again.” Joyce said.

“But what if something happened, er, happens to you?” Steve asked.

“It’s Hopper." She said, as if that was an answer in itself. "I’m going to hang up so I can call the number Owens gave me. I’ll let you know what he says—and boys? Please don’t tell anyone else about this. Not until we know for sure.”

“Okay,” Steve mumbled, at the same time Eddie said, “of course.”

“Are you alright?” Eddie asked once they’d ended the call.

Steve was still staring lost in thought down at the phone, but at Eddie’s words he shook himself out of it. “Yeah, sorry. Just–”

“The Russians,” Eddie supplied, bobbing his head. “I know. I’m sorry, but I thought you deserved to know, and Joyce told you last time, so–”

“And then I told you?”

Eddie cleared his throat, abruptly taking his hand back as he leapt from his chair, heading for the door. “We should go, uh, check on the kids—make sure they’re not wrecking the place or anything.”

They wound up moving Eddie’s van into the garage. There was plenty of space, and it was such an obvious solution that he had to kick himself for not having thought to park it in there last time—for not having thought to hide it at all.

He’d just sort-of assumed that if Chrissy didn’t die, and he didn’t become a suspect in her murder, the whole Jason thing would go away.

He knew better now.

Though, maybe this round he’d get a break since they’d skipped the run-in at the trailer park.

Dustin and Mike took charge of making the looped recordings for the party members who needed them, and were just moving on to the b-side of Max’s custom ‘Running Up That Hill’ tape, when Lucas burst through the front door. He froze in the entrance to the living room, looking from one friend’s face to another, and, much like the last time, did a double take when he spotted Eddie and Chrissy.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but Jason has lost his mind. He thinks Eddie did something to Chrissy and now he, Andy, and a few of the other guys are out looking for him.”

“Oh, come on!” Eddie yelled, throwing his hands up. “He didn’t even see me this time!”

So much for getting a break from that asshole jock and his evangelical bullshit.

“O… kay," Lucas said, blinking at Eddie for a beat before continuing. “Someone saw her leave the school with you after the game and—” He trailed off, finally noticing the music playing and the tape recording set-up. “What’s going on?”

Steve and Erica stepped in to explain, taking him through to the kitchen to talk. He wasn’t sure it was for his benefit but Eddie was thankful anyway, he didn’t want to hear it again anymore than he wanted to re-tell it.

Not long after Lucas showed up, Nancy and Mike left to make their excuses at home for canceling Mike’s trip.

Everyone else was staying over, and Steve had already made them all call home so no parents would panic. Even Eddie left a message on his home answering machine for Wayne since he was at work. He’d have much rather heard his uncle’s voice again, but it was undoubtedly easier to lie to a recording than it was to the man himself.

Then it was time for bed.

Again, Robin offered to share the guest room with Chrissy, while Max and Erica called Steve’s parents room—and as the boys gathered up the spare pillows and blankets they'd be using in the living room, Steve gave Eddie—a look.

He knew where this was headed, and honestly he’d never been so conflicted. Of course he wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed with Steve after the terrible day he’d had, but that wasn’t where they were with each other anymore. And, in the interest of keeping some distance between them, to save himself future heartbreak even if it meant feeling a little pain right now, sharing a bed had to be where Eddie drew the line.

“I’ll stay down here with the boys.” Eddie said, before Steve could even make the offer. “They can share the big couch, I'll take the other one.”

“Oh.” Steve said, almost sounding disappointed. “Do you want something to sleep in at least?”

Eddie gulped, wondering what the odds were that Steve would give him the swim team top again if he said yes. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

“Actually, I packed a bag this time, so I’m all set.”

After a visit to the garage to grab his bag from the van, Eddie changed into his own version of pajamas—an old ratty pair of faded black sweatpants and a cropped Iron Maiden t-shirt, so worn that the band’s logo was all but illegible. Lastly he took one of the pre-rolled joints from his stash and slipped out onto the patio through the kitchen’s sliding glass doors.

He sat cross-legged on his usual lounge chair, facing the pool and the woods beyond as he lit up. He took a long drag, and as he blew out a plume of smoke heard the sliding glass door open and close again behind him. He didn’t bother to hide what he was doing, though he probably should have. It could have been anyone coming out to look for him, Dustin or Mike maybe, but somehow he knew it wasn’t.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Steve said when he got close enough that Eddie could almost feel the heat coming off of his body. He shuffled his feet, hovering next to the chair. “I saw you out here through my window and I just… I wanted to make sure you were doing okay.”

Eddie finally looked up, unprepared for the way seeing Steve in his usual blue flannel pajama bottoms and white shirt would make him feel like he was drowning. Coupled with the tousled hair and soft look in Steve’s eyes, it was almost more than he could handle.

So he focused on something else.

The headphones Steve wore loosely around his neck were quiet, the wheels of the tape unmoving inside the player that was hooked to the elastic band of his pants.

“You should really be using those.” Eddie said, sliding over on the chair and patting the empty spot next to him in invitation. “Or at least have it playing even if they’re off your ears.”

As Steve sat down Eddie took another long hit, halfheartedly offering the joint up when he was done. He didn’t know if Steve still smoked or not, knew he used to when he ran with Tommy and Carol but it wasn’t something they’d gotten to talking about before.

Steve accepted it, taking a drag like a pro and Eddie supposed that answered that question. He grinned despite himself.

“After all the shit you gave me earlier?” Eddie said, knocking their shoulders together.

Steve ducked his head. “I meant like mushrooms or something, I don't know. Weed doesn’t count.”

He passed the joint back and started fiddling with his walkman, popping the tape out, flipping it over, and hitting play.

“I didn’t even realize it had stopped.” Steve said absently, accepting the joint when Eddie passed it over again, their fingers brushing lightly. “You know I was thinking about that. What happens when we’re sleeping and the tape runs down?”

“I don’t know what Max or Chrissy did, but anytime I woke up I’d flip your tape over and restart it.” Eddie answered without thinking, catching what he gave away far too late to backtrack, blaming the weed for loosening his tongue.

Steve stilled, staring at him incredulously.

“You—did you stay with me last time? In my room, I mean?”

Eddie busied himself picking at a loose thread on his pants. He didn’t know what to say.

“Is that why you’re so uncomfortable with me? Did I do something wrong, or?” Steve asked when the silence had grown too heavy to manage.

“No, Steve.” Eddie shook his head. “God, why is it that you always think you’re the problem?”

“I’m… sorry?”

“No, Stevie. I’m sorry.” Eddie sighed, taking the offered joint back again. It was almost done, and he took one last hit from it before leaning down to stub it out on the concrete.

“Yes, I stayed with you before. We all sorta paired up to keep an eye on each other, and I guess you could say we got… close, over that time, but–”

“Oh! So, we were friends, but now I don’t remember and you’re not sure how to act around me. Is that it?” Steve guessed, and it was criminally adorable how proud of himself he was for figuring it out.

Almost figuring it out, that is, but he didn’t know that.

Eddie smiled, huffing a laugh. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s it exactly.”

The almost-admission served to break some of the ice between them. Steve relaxed a little, and Eddie found himself following suit.

They sat under the stars talking off and on for over an hour, and with each glance up at the sky Eddie was reminded of Steve’s childhood dream. He smiled, picturing a tiny baby Stevie standing in this very same backyard—looking up at the moon and daring to imagine himself going there one day.

He almost brought it up, more than once.

They chatted about nothing important or in particular—the kids, mostly, how they were adjusting to high school and things like that. Eddie told him what he knew, and in return Steve told him about middle school dances, and sneaking their shared brood into movies at the mall.

As much as it pained him to sit there, knowing that their every interaction meant much more to him than it did to Steve, he still found himself happy just to be in his presence.

Maybe that could be enough.

He could still be Steve’s friend, as long as he kept him at arm's length for now, and if they somehow managed to make it out alive—maybe then he could try to reclaim some of what was lost.

Eventually their slowing words turned into yawns, and Steve suggested they should go back inside and get some sleep. “Maybe we should stick together again.” He whispered, as they made their way through the darkened kitchen.

Eddie hesitated, he needed to maintain the boundary for his own sake, but he hadn’t considered Steve might be scared to be alone. “You’ve got your music now, just keep the tape going and you’ll be alright, I promise.”

“It’s not me I'm worried about.”

Oh.

“You don’t have to worry about me, Steve. In all this time, Vecna’s never come for me.”

Even more so than the first time they said goodnight, Steve looked like he wanted to argue, but ultimately he let it go. “If you’re sure.”

He couldn’t do this again. He would not allow himself to fall further when the future was so uncertain—when he still didn’t truly know, would never know, what their one shared kiss had really meant.

“I’m sure. Good night, Steve.”

“Good night.”

Eddie watched him climb the stairs, not walking away until Steve turned the corner and was out of sight.

It was better this way, he reminded himself, and he’d keep on reminding himself as many times as he had to—needing no more motivation to keep some separation than to recall Dustin’s trembling voice saying, he’s gone.

That was the sound Eddie carried with him as he curled up on the small couch, turned to face the back of it, and silently cried himself to sleep.

Chapter 8

Special thanks to @penny00dreadful for being the best beta, friend and cheerleader.

Reblogs are always appreciated and if you want to be tagged, just let me know! I'd be more than happy to do so 💜

Taglist: @hitlikehammers @pearynice @cranberrymoons @thoroughlycollected @blubblesandink @finntheehumaneater @brbsoulnomming @estrellami-1 @hellion-child @manda-panda-monium @spicysix @kikidoesfanfic @dreamwatch @lawrencebshoggoth @stillfullofshit @lil-gremlin-things @mamafaithful @klausinamarink

#steddie fanfic #time loop #pov eddie munson #steddie #stranger things #steve harrington #eddie munson #steve harrington/eddie munson #steve x eddie #steddie fic #chrissy cunningham #robin buckley #dustin henderson #the party

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everydayyoulovemeless · 10 months

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Was It Worth It? ↠ Hancock x Reader

➼ Word Count » 0.8k ➼ Warnings » Possible Spoilers for the Ending, Angst, Vomit ➼ Summary » Hancock comforts Sole after they blow up the Institute.

With your shoulders slumped and arms hanging limp, you mindlessly walked through the excited crowd that had formed in Sanctuary. Everyone had come to celebrate after the destruction of the Institue and it was hard not to see why. Their biggest threat had been taken out in the span of a few hours—this was huge, especially for the people involved with making it happen. Of course, people would celebrate. You just wished they didn't have to do it right outside your house.

People clapped and shouted your name as you passed, some even giving you firm pats on the back and their thanks. You weakly smiled at it all, only wanting to shut your door and leave them all behind. Wanting to go back to the house you've seen so many times before. The house you had lived in before the war. The one that you planned on raising Shaun in. The house that had now since been overgrown by the surrounding shrubs. The house that you were looking at right now.

Hancock watched as you slipped away into your house, too high on Mentats to really put the pieces together and realize you weren't acting like yourself. But when Cait challenged him to a drinking game, he's quick to go find you. He needs a partner and who better than the person of the hour?

He didn't know what he'd walk in on when he stumbled down your ruined hall, but seeing you curled up on the floor wasn't it. For a minute he didn't even think you were real, certain that he must've been hallucinating, but as your tears continued streaming down your face he decided he needed to comfort you. Real or not, he wanted to be there for you.

"Hey, hey," He soothed, sitting beside you on the floor, "What's going on?"

You stared at him with blurry, tear-filled vision before sobbing into what was supposed to be Shaun's first stuffed animal.

You tried. You tried so hard to make everything work out—to not kill your son. But every attempt you made at peace and understanding was swatted away. The last thing you had, ripped away from you in the span of those last couple of hours. As a parent, you prayed you'd never have to see him laying on his death bed but not only did you witness it, you were the one who caused it. You doubted you'd ever be able to bounce back from something like this—you weren't even sure if you deserved to.

You felt Hancock's arms wrap gently around your shoulders, pulling you to lean on him as you wept. "Just let it out."

And you did. You cried until you threw up. Vomiting out the window of the old bedroom as your cries of guilt were drowned out by the party happening around you. You lay limp on the window sill for a moment, Hancock's hand rubbing small circles on your back as your insides ached.

Watching everyone celebrate hurt. It broke you way more than you could've ever imagined. And as you stood away from the window, peering back at Shaun's room, still intact from when you left it, you questioned where you had gone wrong. How did everything go so south?

"What you've been through," He began, wiping the corners of your mouth with a rag he had gone to go grab from the kitchen, "isn't something that's easy to come to terms with." You stared at him silently, eyes still flooded with regret. "But look at how many people you've saved—think of everything that's now possible for not only them but yourself as well. There's nothing setting anyone back anymore, you've made us free from that constant state of paranoia."

"Was it worth it, though? Maybe if I gave myself a bit more time, I'd still be able to have a relationship with him—maybe it could've ended peacefully."

"This was peaceful, sunshine. You're sacrifice made peace."

"It's hard to believe that it's that simple." You started to choke up again as your gaze met the Institute flag you had hung on one of the walls to hopefully convince your son to come to live with you—to really meet with everyone you've encountered, however, he didn't like the thought of being in a place so unclean.

"We'll all be here to help you through this." He spoke, wrapping his arms around you once again and holding you against him.

"Thank you." You whispered, over and over again, till he kissed the top of your head and you started feeling dizzy—dizzy from your lack of water and all the energy you spent mourning. He picked you up when he felt your body start to weaken, carrying you over to your bed and laying you down across the mattress. You passed out quickly as he threw a blanket over you, kissing your forehead once again before stumbling his way back out to call the celebration off and allow you to rest.

#fallout #fallout 4 #fo4 #fo4 fanfic #fallout hancock #fallout 4 hancock #john hancock #fo4 hancock #hancock #mayor hancock #hancock x reader #hancock x sole survivor #hancock x sole #sole survivor #fo4 sole survivor #sole survivor fo4 #hurt/comfort #hurt/angst

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i-used-to-wear-the-fedora · 1 year

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Steddie Wish Baby AU, Baby Mine

Babies cried a lot. Eddie already knew that. But it seemed this kid, his kid, liked to scream their head off when he so much as put the baby down for even a second.

"Come on, please stop crying. I can't just hold you all the time." Eddie begged the kid as he sat on the couch, rocking the baby on his knee. Looking the child over revealed that this wish baby was a girl. Eddie knew as much about girls as he did about babies. Which was to say, very little. But he couldn't be angry at the kid. She didn't know any better. Staring up at him with her wide doe eyes, curiously reaching out. Her tiny hand caught a strand of his hair and gave it a tug. The baby let out a giggle as she did so. Eddie sighed. He wasn't ready for a kid. How the hell was he even going to tell Steve? Hey, I've had a crush on you forever, and hearing you talk about six little nuggets made me want one? No way. Eddie could do this on his own....somehow...besides, he finally managed to get her to calm down. How hard could it be?

"Eddie? Hey? Are you there?" There was a banging on the front door. The baby broke out of her peaceful trance and began to sob again.

"Oh God damn it." Eddie cursed as he got up. He hesitated to answer the door for a moment before realizing he couldn't hide the baby forever. Going over to the door, Eddie opened it and froze when he saw the very man he was intent on avoiding. Steve Harrington was on his porch. The screen door was the only thing between the two as Eddie gaped. Searching for words to say before managing to stutter a question out. "Er, ugh, Harrington....what are you doing here?" Eddie turned the baby away from the man. Patting her back in an attempt to soothe her.

"Dustin asked me to come check on you. Wanted to make sure you were okay." Of course Dustin would send Harrington to check on him. He watched Steve take a moment to recognize the baby. "Ugh, what's that?" Eddie couldn't help but snort.

"It's a baby Harrington. You of all people should know-"

"I mean, why do you have one?" Straight to the point. Eddie couldn't reasonably say babysitting. Who would trust a recently acquitted Satanic murderer with their child? The truth was out of the option too....

"She's ugh, well, you ever hear about the term wish baby?" Steve blinked at him. Looking at Eddie, then the baby in his arms, then back at Eddie.

"You made a wish baby?"

"Not on purpose!" Eddie defended himself. "It's a long story. But yeah. This little gal is mine."

"Oh." Steve stared for a moment. "She looks like you."

"Yeah."

"So....who's the mom?" There it was. The million dollar question.

"I can't tell you. It would ruin her life." Last thing Eddie wanted to do was drag Steve down with him. He only knew a few things about the Harrington family via passing comments from Steve and Robin. But he knew enough to know that if Harrington Senior found out Steve had a kid with another man, a Munson, he would not be happy. "Her parents would kill her if they found out."

"Shit." Steve paused. Only now did Eddie realize the baby had stopped crying. "So, are you going to keep her?"

"Yeah....yeah I'm the reason she's here in the first place. I can't just dump her off some place and run away."

"Raising a baby on your own is a lot. Do you even have stuff for a baby?" Eddie shook his head.

"No. I don't even know where to start." Eddie admitted as his grip on the baby tightened slightly. "Only been a dad for a few hours and I'm already doing a sucky job."

"Hey, don't say that." Steve frowned. "Listen-I'll take you shopping. We'll get the stuff she really needs and go from there."

"Steve, you don't have to do this. I'm not some charity case."

"No, but you are my friend." Eddie didn't want to admit how his heart skipped a beat when Steve called him a friend. "Come on, we can go to Wally World and get everything we need for the kid."

"Are you sure you're okay with this?"

"Yeah, of course!" Steve nodded excitedly. He had no reason to be this enthusiastic and supportive, yet here he was, willing to help with anything Eddie needed for their baby. A small smile crossed Eddie's face. Knowing that even if he didn't tell Steve, at least he'd still be in their daughter's life.

"Mind holding her while I go grab my coat?"

"Oh, ugh-yeah! I can do that." Steve agreed. Eddie opened the screen door and stepped out. He carefully handed the baby to Steve, the child almost instinctively curling into her other father's arms like she had with Eddie previously. For a moment, it was like they were a happy little family.

#stranger things #fanfiction #stranger things au #eddie munson #steve harrington #steddie #au #wish baby au #wish baby

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thezombieprostitute · 8 months

Text

Tutoring - Part 2

A/N: Written for the @the-slumberparty Bingo card, combining "Spy AU" and "Family Gathering" (a bit weak, but it still holds) and "Fake Dating". Reader is referred to as she/her but no other descriptors. This is about 3k words!

Warnings: Death of a character. Coercion. Forced touch. Kidnapping. Mention of blood. As always, please let me know if I left any out.

You start waking up but something feels off. Maybe it was the fact that you hadn’t heard your alarm. Maybe it was the fact you were having a harder time waking up than normal. Then you realized, you couldn’t see, move or speak.

Fighting the urge to panic, you try to figure out what you are able. As your senses gather you pick up that you are wearing a blindfold and tied up, most likely to a chair. The distinctive smell of duct tape tells you why you can’t speak. Your breathing starts ramping up as you realize your situation.

To your right you hear the sound of a door opening and a painfully familiar voice saying, “ah yes. The bitch is finally awake.”

Lloyd Hansen. The bodyguard you had gotten fired. Only one meeting and he proved himself to be creepy, annoying and all around aggravating. Your brain remembers the last thing before you had fallen unconscious was his smell and his voice. You become frozen in fear.

“Did you really think you’d never see me again, Cupcake?” You remain frozen and he chuckles, “if you don’t at least give me a shake of your head I will smack you back to reality.” You lightly shake your head “no” and Lloyd pats your head as he calls you a good girl. You’re grateful for the blindfold so he can’t see you roll your eyes.

Another set of footsteps walks in and you hear a voice ask, “what the hell is this, Lloyd? You were supposed to get Parker.”

“Change of plans, Nick,” Lloyd responds. “This little minx got me fired from that bodyguard job before I could nab Parker. So, instead of holding him hostage for Stark’s secrets, we’re gonna use her to get into Stark Tower where one of your guys can hack his secrets directly.”

“You got fired from the bodyguard gig?”

“Well, yeah, but we’ve still got a way to get Stark’s information that’s more traditional in terms of espionage and corporate spying.”

“Remove her gag and mask.”

Lloyd moves quickly and you let out a small sob of fear when the gag is removed. When the blindfold is removed you blink several times trying to bring your vision into focus. As your eyes adjust the man you assume to be Nick grabs your chin and makes you look at him. You can feel his ice blue eyes look into your soul and you cry a little again.

“So how did you get him fired,” Nick asked. You explained to him about Peter’s tutoring session and that the other bodyguards confirmed it was the final straw in getting Lloyd fired. Nick let go of your chin and turned to Lloyd, “you know, this is sort of my fault. You’ve never been known for subtlety or blending in, have you Lloyd?”

Lloyd gave Nick a big smile, “you know me, Nick. I’m much better at the shooting and torture. But while that original plan is fucked, we’ve got a solid back-up plan. She got an invite to Parker’s graduation party because of the tutoring gig. We set up one of your hackers as her date, send them in, and boom, we’ve got Stark’s blueprints!”

Nick turned to you, “is it true you got an invite?” You nod, not sure you can trust your voice. He continues to stare at you, contemplating. Lloyd starts to speak again but Nick pulls out a gun and shoots him three times in the chest. You scream as Lloyd’s body drops. Your tears are running free and you can’t help shaking in terror.

“He was such an idiot,” Nick said. He puts his gun away while mumbling something about “not even able to shoot a guy handcuffed to a bench.” He grabs a chair and sits directly in front of you, elbows on his knees as he leans forward.

“Look at me,” he demands. You hesitate and he repeats himself with more force, “Look. At. Me.” You try to steady yourself as you look back into his cold eyes. “Now here’s what’s going to happen. As much as I would love to just let you go, you know I can’t.” Your sobs get louder and you try to look away but he grabs your chin and turns your head towards him. “That doesn’t mean you can’t be useful. Lloyd’s back-up plan wasn’t entirely shit, and I think with the right…motivation, you’ll be happy to help me out.”

“Now, the Stark family party is in just a few days. You’re going to go with a ‘boyfriend’ or ‘girlfriend’ who will be chosen for you in a few hours. You’re going to do whatever they need to get into off-limits areas of the Tower. As long as you behave, you get to live. We obviously know where you live and can easily find out everything else about you. Keep your mouth shut afterwards, you’ll start receiving a regular paycheck. A little help with those student loans. Do you understand?”

Your tears have slowed down as your brain is trying to process everything. He gently shakes your head and gives you a meaningful look. “I…I…understand. I’ll behave.”

“Glad to hear it. In the meantime, let’s get you untied and moved to a different room. One with a lot less blood.”

You’re curled up into a ball and crying in your cell when you hear a knock at the door. Startled out of your thoughts you instinctively say, “yes?” The door opens and in walks a young man with spiked hair, glasses and a goatee. He’s carrying a couple of trays of food and smiles at you.

“Hi there, I’m Jake.” He hands you one of the trays. “Figured we could get to know each other over some food. Not the most romantic of first dates, but I find the best cover includes grains of truth.”

Sitting up on your cot you take the proffered tray. Your stomach rumbles and you realize you don’t know how long it’s been since you’ve eaten. Jake must’ve heard your stomach because he smiles sympathetically as he sits next to you. You try to move away but he puts his arm around your shoulders and says, “we have to get used to this proximity. No one’s going to believe we’ve been dating if you’re always fidgeting away from me.”

You freeze at his words but he keeps his arm over your shoulder and says, a little too cheerfully to you, “don’t worry. I’ll be a perfect gentleman the whole time. The most I’ll ever do is the arm around the shoulder, holding hands, very family friendly stuff, okay?” Your slight nod doesn’t seem to be answer enough and he continues, “I know I seem the stereotypical hacker incel type but I’m not. I genuinely like my dates to be willing participants. And besides, I don’t date coworkers, which we are!”

Thinking about what you have to do your head drops in shame. Peter was a good kid who loved his adoptive family and they clearly loved him. And yet, you were going to play a key role in hurting all of them. Some tears start coming as you try to eat calmly. Jake gently wipes away the tears near him while eating and you resist the urge to pull away.

“You’re gonna do great,” Jake assures. “Now, let’s get our backstory figured out.”

Jake drives the two of you to the party. Before you had left Nick made sure to remind you about potential consequences, and rewards, for your behavior. You were given back your phone with notices that everything you did on it would be tracked and if you left Jake’s side at all, you would be caught and killed. You’re all jitters as you get closer to the party and Jake takes your hand. In normal circumstances it would be comforting, but now it’s a reminder to calm yourself down and behave.

You’re grateful that the party has so many people, it makes it easier to not be the focus of anyone’s attention. At least you don’t have to put on a fake smile the whole time as you’re keeping all the details of your and Jake’s “relationship” running through your head. He’s gently guiding you around under the pretense of trying to find the food or being a Stark fanboy but you know he’s looking for a side room.

“Y/N! You made it!” Peter practically bearhugs you causing you to nearly jump out of your skin. “I’m so glad to see you! I was worried when your RSVP took so long.”

“Oh, well,” you stutter. “Finals, you know?”

“Geez, I didn’t even think of that! I know you’ve probably aced all of them.”

“Fingers crossed,” you smile, praying your fear and despair don’t show through.

“And who did you bring with you?”

“This is my boyfriend, Jake. Jake, this is Peter and this party is for him.”

“Nice to meet you,” Jake shakes his hand. “I’ve heard a lot of good stuff about you from Y/N.”

“Boyfriend? When Ari asked you out you told him you were waiting until after finals?” Peter looks at you like a confused puppy. You freeze for a second before grabbing Jake’s hand, “what can I say? My computer science tutor swept me off my feet.” Peter nods in understanding. You’re saved from further explanation by Mr. Stark’s calling for Peter to join him at the main table. He says a quick goodbye and runs off.

“That was some very quick thinking,” Jake compliments. “Come with me, I think I’ve got a spot figured out. If anyone asks, just say we were looking for a makeout spot.” The thought of kissing Jake makes you nauseous but you nod in agreement as he pulls you along behind him. Finding a hallway Jake pulls out his phone, which you suspect is more powerful than your gaming computer, and starts following some tracker you can’t see while you follow him.

He tries a door and finds it locked but his phone bypasses whatever biometric security is installed and he leads you into the room. Motioning for you to sit he gently closes the door and pulls some cords out of his pockets. He’s plugging his phone into some outlets and you don’t bother trying to ask what he’s doing. You’re still burning in shame and gently start rocking yourself to try to keep calm. Your fear isn’t helped when you start hearing Jake talking to his phone like it’s misbehaving. “No. No. Don’t do that. Try this! Don’t test me. Fuck. Fuck. FUCK!”

He bolts upright and tries to run for the door but it’s opened by James and Ari, guns drawn. You scream and start bawling as Jake puts his hands up and backs away from the door. The giant bodyguards move forward, guns focused on Jake, not sparing a glance your way. Behind them you hear the famous voice of Tony Stark, “Jensen! I’d say it’s a pleasure but we both know that’s a lie. Did you really think I wouldn’t have your signature figured out?”

“To be fair,” Jensen replies, “I have had serious success before.”

“Yes, and your previous successes helped me and JARVIS figure out your patterns.” Tony stays behind James and Ari. He turns and gives you a look you can’t read through your tears and sobbed apologies. Turning back to Jake he asks, “so who hired you this time? Max? Hammer? The Matrix?”

“C’mon Stark, you know I can’t tell you. I am a professional, after all.”

“A professional who kidnaps young women? Forces them to play at being your girlfriend?”

“That wasn’t me, that was my unnamed employer. He set up the situation and proffered payment upon receipt of the goods. Whatever deal she made with them was not my concern.”

“Mr. Stark,” you whisper. “Please. Please, I didn’t want to do this. I swear. He…he threatened to kill me and my family. I swear…I’d never…I…” your sobs pick up again and you hear Tony tell Ari to take you to another room and “wait for Romanoff to chat with her.” Ari puts his gun away and helps you to your feet.

“Oh, Mr. Stark, there’s one more thing.” You focus on Tony, making sure to not look at Jake, lest you lose your nerve. “My phone has to be near his or that guy will think I’ve run…” you hold out your phone to Tony and he takes it from your hand.

“Barnes, I’m gonna put this phone in your pocket,” he turns to James who nods in response. “And I’m going to go ahead and hold onto your phone, Jensen.” Jake gives you a glare as he hands over his phone to Tony. Before he can say anything, Ari is pulling you out of the room and walking you down the hall.

You’re in what you can only describe as an interrogation room. Ari is standing just outside but at least he was nice enough to give you some water. You can only hope that they believe you that you didn’t want to do this.

A noise at the door gets you out of your thoughts. The door opens and you see a beautiful woman, red hair and green eyes. She’s tiny compared to Ari, who is standing behind her, but everything about her tells you she could easily take him out if she needed to. She walks into the room and sits across the table from you. She asks Ari to refill your water and when he’s out of the room she gives you a soft smile.

“Call me Nat. Y/N, before you were allowed to be Peter’s tutor I made sure to do an extensive background check on you.” Her voice is somehow gentle and also no-nonsense. “I have no reason to believe you were a willing participant in all of this.” You cry tears of relief and she holds your hand, only pulling it back when Ari walked in with your water.

“Ari, on the other hand,” she said, her tone noticeably sharper, “failed to do more than a preliminary background check on Hansen, thus putting you and Peter in danger.” Ari kept his head down and his mouth shut. “Now, we’re working on clearing out your apartment and phone of any and all bugs and stalkers that may have been installed. Until then, you’re staying here, under our protection.”

“But…but I…” you’re trying to put the words together.

“If you’re worried about your finals, don’t.” Nat’s tone did not allow for argument. “You are under serious duress and if your university doesn’t allow you to take your exams here, take them late, or some other accommodation, we have access to the best lawyers on the planet and we will make sure you get to take them.”

You nod your thanks, eyes wide with amazement at how quickly things are going back in your favor.

“While you are here,” Nat continues, “you will be under our protection. Ari was just recently demoted down to “grunt” and will likely be your primary. If you’d, understandably, prefer someone else, just let me know.”

“No, I…I trust Ari.”

Nat raises an eyebrow and looks at Ari, “you fuck up again, I castrate you.” Ari just nods, but he looks at you with gratitude.

It’s been over a month since you were kidnapped. Nat and Tony followed through on their promises. You were able to take your finals, pass, and get your degree. At Pepper’s suggestion they also made sure to get you to a therapist. You never found out what happened to Nick or Jake. Once Nat told you they were taken care of, you never wanted to think about them ever again.

You’ve got good job prospects. You’ve made good, protective friends like James. And, now that you’re not a client, your romantic relationship with Ari is off to a strong start. Between him, Nat, James and Mr. Stark, you’ve little to fear.

Tagging @alicedopey and @cjand10 as promised.

#dark!nick fowler #dark!jake jensen #dark!lloyd hansen #james buchanan barnes #peter parker #ari levinson x reader #tony stark #natasha romanoff #navy and roo's sleepover

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kindred-sims · 1 year

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Caleb didn't know what he'd been expecting when he'd returned to the house that afternoon, but it certainly hadn't been what he'd found. Usually at this time of day, he could find Jo in the parlor, busy with one of her needlepoints, reading, or plunking away at the piano.

But then he hadn't.

He'd picked up on her sniffles as he'd neared the kitchen and had went to investigate, shocked to find her crumpled on the floor, surrounded by a cracked bowl and splattered ingredients.

"Josephine? What on Earth--" He knelt immediately, concern lacing his voice. Jo barely looked at him, only continuing to let out muffled sobs beneath her hands.

"I'm sorry--I'm so sorry, it was an accident, please--"

She kept apologizing over and over, even as Caleb helped her stand to her feet. He realized, in doing this, just how much she was trembling.

"Now wait a minute, hold on. Never mind any of that, are you alright?"

"I--I don't know, but--but I'm so sorry--"

Jo's sobs cut off as Caleb delicately grabbed her hands, inspecting them for any cuts. The bowl hadn't looked too broken, but one could never be too careful.

"Well, you don't seem to be injured, Thank God." he concluded about after a minute. "I think you'll make a full recovery soon enough."

Jo blinked back tears as she stared back at him.

"But...the bowl..."

"Is just a bowl. I'm not too worried about it," he chuckled. "Believe me, Josephine, these dishes are about as old as my grandmother, God rest her soul. They've certainly withstood far worse than being knocked off the counter."

"Still...I've made such a mess, though..."

She hiccupped, letting out a light sniffle as she lowered her head.

"You're...you're sure you're not angry?"

"Angry? Now why in the world would I be angry?" Caleb asked, evidently puzzled. "You said it yourself, it was an accident. And last time I checked, accidents happen all the time. Its nothing to go into a tizzy over."

"Well..."

"And besides, I'm only grateful that you weren't hurt."

Jo looked back up at him, a gentle surprise in her sad, misty eyes.

"Really? You mean that?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I? You're my wife, aren't you?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment before continuing, and leaned forward, voice dropping to a hush.

"And just between you and me, I never really cared for that bowl anyway. Its already got a lot of cracks in it, what's one more?"

He glanced to the counter behind her, only now noticing the chocolate pie from where she'd hastily placed it earlier. A smile crossed his features, and he looked back to her.

"What's this? Did you make it?"

"Y...yes. I did. I wanted to surprise you..."

"Well consider me surprised then. It looks absolutely delicious," He gave her a light pat on the shoulder as he passed her by. "Let's you and me have a slice later, yeah? But first, I think we should consider getting this mess cleaned up..."

He walked away in search of a broom, leaving Jo with her mind reeling. He didn't know it then, but he'd just given her so much more to think about, so much more to consider. What she'd been expecting in response to her actions wasn't what he'd given her -- not words of anger, no shouts of cruelty.

Only gentle concern and kindness. Her father had never done those things for her before. Neither had Edward.

Maybe...maybe there was more to Caleb than she'd thought after all.

#y'all really didn't think i was going to leave you with a cliffhanger did you #anyhow caleb is an absolute treasure and i love him #don't settle for less ladies #sims 4 #ts4 #ts4 history #ts4 historical #decades challenge #wakefield legacy #1890s

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imaginethistime · 2 years

Text

Squish

“C’mere.” You pat the spot next to you on the couch. Izuku looks around and then sits somewhat next to you. “Closer, I want to squish and cuddle you.”

While you had always been this comfortable with everyone Izuku was the target of your affections. You wanted to be close to him as often as possible. “Please.” You add. Slowly Izuku scoots closer to you. “Better, but Izuku it’s not really cuddling if you stay tensed up like that.”

“I’m sorry Y/N I just don’t really feel comfortable.” You sigh, but you wanted to respect his boundaries.

“That’s okay Izuku, I did want to cuddle you, but if you don’t want that's okay. But can I lay my head on your lap? I’m really tired today.”

He moves away from you, “I g-guess,” He manages to stutter out.

“If you’re uncomfortable just let me know, I really don’t want to make you uncomfortable okay,” You lay your head on his lap, your close proximity to him causes Izuku to flush a deep shade of red. “Tell me about your day.”

Slowly Izuku begins to relax as he goes into detail about how he was able to use more of his quirk today and able to hone his ultimate move. While you didn’t quite understand why you knew that Izuku’s quirk was much newer to him than yours. You had been able to use your quirk since you were a small child. But from what you had observed Izuku’s quirk manifested itself sometime just before entering UA. While you hadn’t seen it yourself and only saw what happened in school, you heard that he had broken nearly every bone in his body during the entry test.

Without realizing Izuku had begun combing his fingers through your hair as he spoke. It was a nice feeling, and you knew if you mentioned it he would stop so you didn’t. “Izuku... what’s your quirk? Why do you get hurt by it so easily?”

He looks down at you, “Well, Y/N I’m not even really sure what to call it. I just know that sometimes it’s too powerful for even me to use and if I’m not careful I might lose the use of my arms.”

The thought pained you, you could see how deeply Izuku wanted to be a hero and save people. If he lost the use of his arms, he could never fulfill that dream. You could tell that he really went through hardships to even be here at UA.

“Izuku can you promise me something?”

“What Y/N?”

“When you’re the top hero will you still remember me? I might not be a big hero with a name for myself. But knowing that you won’t forget me, is all I need.”

“Of, c-course Y/N! I could never forget you.”

The way he says it makes your heart skip a beat. His big green eyes staring down at you so sincerely. You had always been the one to express your feelings never holding back, so why did he make you so nervous all of a sudden. You knew you liked him, and you made it clear.

“Y/N, I-I” he leans down almost as if he’s going to kiss you.

Just then Bakugo bursts the door to the main room open shouting, “Deku!”

“Kachan!” Izuku smiles sweetly. God you loved this boy.

Wait- did I just. Oh, my god I do. I do love him. You quickly sit up as blood rushes to your cheeks. With the new realisation you suddenly don't know how to act. As Bakugo continues to yell at Deku you mutter a good bye and leave to your dorm. Once down the hall and out of site, you lean against the wall and let out a sigh.

Not once in your life had you ever been nervous talking to someone, it was probably in part due to your quirk which gave you the ability of persuasion all you had to do was look them in the eyes, so you became so used to being forward that you never had any reason to be nervous.

Again realisation dawns on you. Oh no, I was projecting again wasn’t I? You thought that Izuku had wanted to kiss you, but now you understand. You had looked into his eyes and subconsciously persuaded him. You thought that you had your quirk well under control as the last time you had projected was when you just ten years old.

With the weight of your new understanding on you, you cant help but let out a small silent sob. You wipe away the tears that had begun forming. You don’t want to let anyone see you cry, you were always perceived in an aloof manner and you wanted to keep it that way. It was easy for people to be afraid of you and your quirk, if you wanted to you could have complete control over others and they would never remember what happened. So it was easier that way.

You feels the tears coming back and run the rest of the way to your dorm.

Just before you reach your door you bump into Hagakure. You were glad it was only her, she was the only person you could one hundred percent never control, but that didn't mean you wanted to let her see you cry.

“Sorry-” You open your door and quickly close it behind you as the sobs wrack your body. “God, how could I have been so so stupid? Of course he doesn't like me, I mean he won’t even cuddle me-” You stop mid sentence, suddenly resolved to distance yourself. He would never need to know that, you had persuaded him, after all he wouldn't remember what happened while he was under your quirk.

You spend the rest of the night in your room not even coming out for dinner, Hagakure comes by a few times but you don’t answer.

The next morning you leave your room with sunglasses on planning on not taking them off until quirk training class. If I can’t look someone in the eye then I cant persuade them.

That is until you sit down in class. You look over at Izuku as he mutters to himself. Probably trying to figure where he lost time yesterday. “Oh, sweet sunglasses.” Before you can even stop him Kaminari has already taken them off your face and put them on his. You don’t bother asking for them back as you know you won’t get them.

Instead you put your face between your arms and place you head on your desk.

“Hey, Y/N?” Izuku nudges you.

“Yeah?” You don't move from your spot resolved to not look him in the eye.

“Uh- um c-could you look at me for a sec?”

“I uh- I’d really rather not- I just um...” You trail off, and look up any ways trying not to make direct eye contact.

“Uh, okay um- Y/N I realised something yesterday...” He takes a deep breath.

Oh, god he know, he hates me. I would be okay if he never returned my feelings but if he really hates me-

He pulls flowers from behind his back, “Ireallyreallylikeyou!” He yells in one breath. You can hardly comprehend what’s just been said to you. If, he said this today, after not having looked you in the eyes is it really possible that he truly feels this way?

Or did your quirk manifest a stronger hold? With out answering you look Kaminari in the eyes and persuade him to give you your sunglasses that he was now twirling on his finger. You could only persuade one person at a time, so if Izuku truly liked you he would still be standing there, offering you the flowers.

He’s put the flowers down and is now staring sheepishly at the ground. So you were right. It was all just part of your quirk- He raises the flowers once more, “ and I was wondering if you maybe like me too? I mean i know you are touchy feely with everyone but it felt different with me and I dunno I just though that maybe-” God, you loved him. his ramblings were so cute. You silence him with a small kiss on the cheek.

“Yes!” You shout and Aizawa wakes up from his sleeping bag on the floor. “ I do like you Izuku, in fact so much so that I was worried that I had accidentally persuaded you into liking me.” You whisper. The weight was off your shoulders, and for once trusting someone with the insecurities that came with your quirk you feel lighter.

“You would never need to persuade me Y/N, I liked you since the first time I saw you sitting in front of me on the first day of school. That’s why I was always so uncomfortable,”

“Goodness, we’re not the brightest are we? all this time and we could’ve been together if we’d just gotten out of our own way.” You say and pull Izuku in for a real kiss this time.

Aizawa clears his throat and you reluctantly pull away.

“Hey, Y/N I lost your sunglasses I don’t know where they went...” Kaminari whispers.

#izuku midoriya #soft kisses #wholesome #Quirk #bnha #boku no hero academia #boku no hero imagines #boku no hero x reader #my hero academia #my hero x reader #DekU #fluff #angst

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imdoingaokay · 2 years

Text

Romanced Male Companions if F!Sole Dies in Childbirth

(Did anyone order a shit ton of angst? No??? Haha... sorry, I came up with this last night and BOY DID I HAVE A GOOD TIME WRITING THIS! Also, no beta we die like men lol)

(TW: Death, Mentions of Death, all around sadness, birth, angst, mentions of violence, drug use)

Danse

He remembers saying something to Sole, something along the lines of “humans and machines living together in harmony”

This child, was proof of that.

It was a normal, human baby. Healthy, too.

So why were all the medics rushing around him?

He had been so focused on his little miracle when he turned to smile at Sole, she was already slipping away.

And once she was gone, he broke.

He would wait until Shaun and the baby were asleep, those times were few and far between.

But once they were down, he would sit outside their little home in Sanctuary Hills, and cry.

He gave up being a soldier, and he permanently moved the little family to Sanctuary, taking up a job as a farmer in the settlement.

“No child of mine is being raised in a bunker” he had told Sole.

As time would pass, he would give Shaun his mother’s pip-boy, under the condition that Shaun promised never to sell it or salvage it.

As for the baby, their gift was kept on the walls of the home, out of reach from little hands. But once they were old enough, they would be handed the gun Danse had given their mother.

Righteous Authority.

He would teach the child how to handle a gun, and how to take care of it properly. And he tells the little one how much that gun meant to him and their mother.

Danse wouldn’t use his power armor unless absolutely necessary, but he’d keep his pristine. And he would ensure Sole’s remained perfect too, so that one day, their child could use it as well.

After all, it was the wasteland, there’s a solid chance they might need it.

He never truly got over the death of Sole. He never fell in love again, instead, he focused entirely on Shaun and the baby.

And when the day came that his little miracle would come up to him after a long day of work and ask innocently, “what was momma like?” He would sigh and pat a seat next to him, smiling as his child settled in for a long story.

“Your momma was… incredible.”

Deacon

He makes one joke, crazy enough.

It's with Dez.

While the baby is being cooed at by some railroad agent, Dez asks Deacon if he’s alright. To which he replies,

“Oh yeah, I’m fine. You know, Barbara never got pregnant, and Sole died once she had the kid. Maybe the next wife I get will get to actually see the kid grow up!” He would laugh, only to steadily break out into tears, turning to Dez and clinging onto her for dear life as he sobs quietly.

He keeps up the façade, for the most part, smiling and joking with most people, and most new members of the railroad don’t even realize he’s a father.

Of course, with the institute destroyed, fewer synths come through, and eventually, there aren’t anymore. Once that happens, Deacon disappears.

After that, he takes his little one and moves, to a settlement far away from the Commonwealth. There are rumors, of course, of what came of the agent, but nobody knows for certain. The one rumor that sticks out is the one about some ginger farmer who has two kids, one that seems to never age and one who does. Both are fiercely protected by their father, who refuses to let anyone too close to his children.

While a few agents at the railroad ask if they should find and bring back this farmer for questioning, Dez denies it, declaring Deacon M.I.A. permanently.

And in a way, he is. Because to him, he isn’t Deacon anymore… he’s “dad.”

Gage

There are two outcomes for this, so take your pick.

One is that… well, Gage leaves them.

The second Sole dies, he wants to blame the brat. Wants to hate them, wants to-

God, what is he thinking?

He’s a raider for Christ’s sake.

And raiders… raiders shouldn’t be fathers.

So he takes the baby and goes to the Commonwealth, finding Preston and handing the child over. Preston takes them, after all, it is the general’s baby.

Of course, Gage doesn’t stay for long, seeing that the child will be cared for… in its own wasteland way, he leaves.

The raiders of the commonwealth are informed one way or another that Sanctuary is off-limits, and if they dare try to destroy the place, they’ll deal with the new Overboss of Nuka-World, Porter Gage, and his army.

And after years pass of peace (or whatever raiders consider “peace,”) Gage returns to Sanctuary, not greeted happily, but allowed within.

He sees his- no, Sole’s child, and watches from afar as they fire a pistol, one that their mother had made.

It takes a while to notice the grizzled man standing there, but once they do, they furrow their brow, asking their guardian, Preston, who he is.

Gage doesn’t stay long enough for Preston to answer, walking away, telling himself that this time, it’ll be for good.

He makes the entire journey back to Fizztop with ease, but then he sits in his empty room and replays the moment in his head.

And only once he realizes what he had done, he weeps.

Or, alternatively,

If Sole had established that they would be hanging up their “raider” status the second the child was born, Gage would choose a different path. Regardless of whether he agreed with Sole or not, she was right, a child shouldn’t be raised in a place like Nuka-World.

So instead, he moves with the little babe to Sanctuary, offering his services to the new General, Preston.

Of course, Preston is hesitant, but once he sees the baby and realizes what Gage is trying to do, Preston allows Gage entry.

Gage works as a farmer like Danse, but he doesn’t answer his child when they ask about their mother. Instead, he points to the other members of the settlement, telling the kid to ask them.

But aside from how vague he is about their mother, Gage is an excellent father. Which is a twist nobody expected.

Years pass and his child grows into themselves before they decide what to do with their life. But regardless of how old they are, Gage says no. He says their too young, and they are forbidden from leaving Sanctuary.

That doesn’t bode well.

One night, he walks into his child packing their things, telling them that they’re leaving, whether he wants them to or not. There’s a fight, of course, Gage doesn’t dare hurt them, though, knowing damn well that Sole’s ghost might come back and beat him up for that.

But aside from that, it’s still a vicious fight. Words are thrown around, Gage calls them a bastard, and the kid calls him a coward and a liar. But Gage slowly breaks, watching the same fire burn in Sole’s eyes burn in his child’s. For the first time in 16-18 years, he cries, to which his child gives pause. They stop the fight, and the two of them cry, together, this time.

They won’t leave tonight, no, their father still has to teach them a few more things. But for tonight, they cry together, and Gage tells his child all the stories about their imperfect, but wonderful mother.

Hancock

He blames himself.

My god, he blames himself.

He doesn’t even look at the baby at first, refusing to hold them until Sole wakes up.

He knew he was going to outlive Sole, maybe even his kid, but this was just cruel.

Hancock leaves once, going back to running away from his problems.

And with that, he’s gone for, at most, a week.

During this time, he drinks, puffs jet, and breaks up inside. Of course, he’s still dangerous, maybe more so now. As far as he’s concerned, he has nothing to lose. The poor Super Mutants who thought Hancock was a little string bean were in for a deadly surprise.

One night, he’s high as fuck on Jet, and he could’ve sworn he saw Sole. Apparently, she chewed him out for leaving their kid, and John started to realize what he had done.

The next day, he woke up in the State House. From what he gathered, Fahrenheit found him the night prior and dragged him home. She chews him out too, and gives him a good sucker punch, just in case he didn’t get the message.

Thank god he already did.

He sobers up before he meets his kid, and he half expects them to look awful, like a ghoul. But then he actually looks, and they look up at him with those little eyes… wait.

He counts.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5… 10. Okay…

1, 2, 3, 4, 5… 10.

10 little fingers, and 10 little toes.

Hancock would sit down, holding the baby in his arms, and only then would he realize how perfect the little one is.

Goodneighbor would change a little after that, for the better, of course. While it remained crazy for the most part, there was (slightly) less crime and drug use than before. Thanks to Mayor Hancock.

He’s an excellent father, and he teaches his kid to use a knife the second they’re old enough. And when they stab their first asshole, Hancock is literally beaming with pride.

It’s hard though, for him, he finds himself turning to his side, expecting Sole to be there, only to be disappointed. When the little one asks about their mother, Hancock pulls them into a tight embrace, before saying something along the lines of “You two were the best things to ever happen to me.”

MacCready

He swears off romance permanently, refusing to ever fall in love again.

And since he has three kids now, he really doesn’t have time to focus on much else.

He works as a guard for Sanctuary, finding solace within the long nights where he watches the bridge.

My personal headcanon is that whenever the little ones want to sleep with their father, MacCready always obliges, despite how cramped it gets. I think he does this because he’s always a little worried about slavers. He remembers the kids getting snatched from Little Lamplight when he was younger, albeit, not from their own beds, but still.

He’s a wonderful father to all three of the little ones, absolutely doting on each one.

He tries not to hold too tight on the kids, but he is a bit of a mother hen, especially to the baby. And god help him if one of the kids gets sick like Duncan. Because as far as he’s concerned, there was only one woman like Sole. Sole was the one who saved Duncan. And now she’s gone, so who else would help him like that again?

If Sole and Mac had a girl, Mac will be extremely protective of his daughter. The wasteland is an awful place, but it can be worse for young girls. He also will have no idea how to talk with her about anything and he’d constantly wish Sole was around to explain things like puberty. I mean, he still does give her the talk. But, Jesus, is it awkward.

Old Longfellow

It’s not fair, it’s not fair, it’s not fair, it’s not fair-

He cries at first, before hardening himself permanently, he raises the baby alone in his cabin. And it takes him a while, but he does build a cabin that has fewer holes in it. In fact, he builds a brand new shack for the kid.

While he teaches them everything he knows, like he always wanted to, he always feels like it shouldn’t be him. He feels like the little one should’ve learned from their mother. After all, she’d have more time with them. He’s not getting any younger, and he’s certain he’ll die from one thing or another before the little one knows everything they need to know.

He shows them how to be in the fog, and takes them all over Far Harbor, showing his little one all the sights and sounds of the island. He adores the perspective of such an innocent child in such a cruel world.

But like most living creatures, the little one grows, and eventually, they ask Longfellow the dreaded question.

“What was momma like?” The little one asks, holding onto the fishing rod with both hands.

Longfellow smiles to himself, and he talks about how brave and strong their mother was.

“How did you meet?” They ask again, and Longfellow turns to his kin, tells them to wait, and the two leave it at that.

It’s a foggy morning when he takes the small child into Far Harbor, and the two go out to the docks where they watch the waves lap at dilapidated houses and sunken ships.

“Your mother was investigating a missing woman… and she came into Far Harbor on a day like this.” He began, telling their mother’s story and how she brought peace to the island. One way or another.

Preston

He changes.

Preston takes up the mantle as General after about a week of heavy mourning. And when he does, the whole Commonwealth changes.

Sole grew the Minutemen in numbers, dozens of settlements full of people who hung onto Sole’s every word. But Preston, Preston grows the Minutemen in arms.

The whole Commonwealth feels the protective sweep of a growing militia, headed by a stoic, brilliant man who doesn’t take “no” for an answer. The Minutemen grow, quickly rivaling the NCR in the Commonwealth. So much so, the inevitable war between The Brotherhood and The Minutemen breaks out, ending in something of a truce after about a year of guerilla warfare. Unfortunately for the Brotherhood, they were on Minutemen turf. And The General wasn’t backing down. So when the war drew to a close, it was really the Brotherhood who sustained most of the damage.

Of course, he’s still sweet. He arrives at settlements to help “at a minute’s notice!” But now he’s somber, answering questions curtly, never showing weakness to his men and women in arms. He’s hardened, bitter, and ruthless against his enemies.

But he isn’t doing this for them.

He doesn’t pick up his laser rifle for the settlers or the minutemen.

He does it for the child he has.

His pride and joy.

Because when he comes home to Sanctuary, he finds solace in the little ball of energy he finds in the front yard of his home. The little representation of what he fights for.

So when he’s home with his child, he isn’t the General anymore. He’s a father and an excellent one at that.

His child is protected by turrets and traps, and Preston makes sure that no raider comes anywhere near his child.

One day, some idiot raider decides that the little one has had enough of the good life, and they kidnap the child for ransom.

Had they gone against Preston from before the little one was born? Maybe they would’ve escaped with their lives. But unfortunately, they kidnapped a child (bad move), the current general’s child (double bad move), and the last bit of Sole Preston had left in the world (worst move ever.)

Once found, Preston would never let the child leave his sight, and his thoughts of raising his child in a world where there wasn’t any need for them to pick up a weapon flew out the window.

He never admits it, but he does enjoy teaching the child how to defend themselves, and he likes watching them grow into the person Sole would’ve wanted them to be

And with that, Preston feels content.

#fallout #fallout 4 #fallout 4 companions #danse #paladin danse #Deacon #deacon fallout 4 #porter gage #fo4 gage #john hancock #hancock #maccready #fo4 #fo4 preston #fo4 companions #old longfellow #preston #preston garvey

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herosplatling-replica · 1 year

Note

"I just wanted to make sure you’re okay." with Jeanne and Jules?

( writing prompts here! )

[ 860 words, Jules POV, depictions of a panic attack. mentions knives (no one gets hurt) ]

It wasn't until he heard his sister calling for him down the hall that Jules realized he was running.

It felt like a hook snagged right into his heart, hearing Jeanne's concerned voice ringing out. Before he knew it, Jules skidded to a stop, breathing heavy as he collapsed against the wall.

Can't breathe. Can't breathe-

Images were flashing through his head - combat knives, bleeding girls, elite kelp - as he panted, curling up into a ball. His chest felt tight, too tight, as he tried his hardest to even his breathing to no avail.

"Jules? Where did-- oh no."

His heart sank. He could hear his sister's footsteps slowing as she approached him, but he couldn't find the courage to look up at her.

"Shh, it's alright. Breathe," Jeanne's voice urged, her tone warm and comforting. "Can I touch you?"

Jules nodded shakily, gripping his hands to make sure he didn't lash out from the contact. A gentle hand patted his back, rubbing comforting circles into the fabric of his shirt. Thankfully he was expecting it and didn't hit his sister.

"It's okay. You're on the surface. Not the metro, and not the domes. You're miles away from everything else. This is real."

A sob broke loose from his throat and Jeanne hummed gently in response, pulling Jules into a half hug.

"Your name is Jules. You live on the surface with your friends from the metro. You're my older brother, and you're stubborn so you take part time jobs to pay for dinner when we hang out."

My name is Jules. I live on the surface…

He sunk into Jeanne's hug, shoving his pride aside as he let himself cry. His sister gave him all the time he needed, softly repeating the affirmations she said earlier.

Eventually his body ceased to shake. His tears continued to run down his face, but the images stopped blazing through his head.

"I'm-" Jules started.

"No apologizing," Jeanne interrupted, resting her chin on the top of Jules' head.

"But-"

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I'm glad I found you before you got hurt."

Jeanne hugged him a bit tighter then, almost as if she was relieved. The last time he had a moment like this - a panic attack like this - he had run out and nearly broken a leg trying to get away from some imaginary danger his memories made him believe was there.

"...Thanks," Jules mumbled, shutting his eyes. Some part of him was still screaming to keep running, to get far away from the danger, but he bit the urge back and shoved it down.

Here, right now, he was safe.

"In for four, out for four," Jeanne murmured, leading in a breathing exercise. Her fingertips gently tapped out a beat onto Jules' back as the two of them inhaled for four counts, then exhaled for four counts.

Breathing felt a little easier now.

I'm sure she's worried, but…

In for four.

Exhale.

His heartbeat steadied itself.

I'm glad she's here.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

It didn't feel like he had something bearing down on his heels anymore. He sunk a little more into Jeanne's embrace, relieved that the anxiety was finally passing.

"I know you want to help with dinner, Brother… but it's alright, I promise. I can do it. Okay?" Jeanne murmured, patting his back once more as she straightened up, keeping her arms out if he needed it.

Jules nodded slowly, trying not to feel shame over what happened. He had been fine just preparing the ingredients with a vegetable peeler, but then he pushed it and tried to cut them for the soup Jeanne was making.

The second he picked up the kitchen knife, the images started flooding into his head and he dropped it on the counter.

He didn't like it. He had been working on trying to set a differentiation between the knives in his memory and kitchen knives, but it didn't seem to work and it frustrated him greatly.

"Hey," Jeanne murmured, nudging him to sit up. "You don't have to cut vegetables. You can stir while I start the broth if that's alright with you? That way you can taste test."

He thought about it for a moment.

"...yeah, that's fine with me," he finally admitted.

Jeanne smiled at that, breaking the hug to stand and help her brother up. "Alright. You take any extra time you need, okay? I know how it feels - you might need a minute to get your second wind after that."

Jules scoffed, but nodded again. "Yeah, yeah… thanks Jeanne."

His sister smiled brightly in response, jogging back to the kitchen without saying anything else.

Jules wheezed out gently as he leaned against the wall, thinking of everything that happened.

Well that sucked, but… I'm glad she understands what it's like.

A part of him insisted that he should be mad that his little sister understood what he was going through - that his sister shouldn't have gone through such hardship like he did - but he bit down those feelings as he turned on his heel.

Even if he didn't like that Jeanne went through hell, he had to admit that it made her stronger.

#my writing #jules #jeanne #agent eight #octoling oc #splatoon ocs #splatoon writing #this was so much fun i was rotating it in my head for so long

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jungkookslipring · 1 year

Text

“Because of Me”

AN: THIS IS PURELY FICTION (with some nonfiction moments). While the performance, interview, hiatus, and IN crying when they got back to the dorms was true (according to Changbin in 2 kids 1 room) what happened after the kingdom scene is fiction. Of course I don’t know how it went down completely, but like I said this is purely for entertainment purposes. Also f*ck kingdom.

Kingdom was a joke. Everyone knew it. The artists, the fandoms, even the fandoms that didn’t get along came to a mutual agreement that Kingdom was a joke. The one good thing that came out of the program were the interactions between groups and the friendships that were made. When it came to one of the last performances, the pressure was on. They did their best, gave it their all, but there was one artist in particular who felt he could’ve done better. I.N. The sweet maknae felt his heart sink when his voice cracked during his solo in the last 10 seconds of the song. Unfortunately, right after the performance, he was pulled for an interview, and of course, the interviewer asked about his performance. He sat there for a few seconds before he answered.

“I practiced really hard on singing live, but it was worse than what I thought”, he answered looking down.

“Maybe it was because I was so nervous. My whole body tensed up before I knew it. I wanted to show 120 percent, but I feel like I only got to show 40 percent”, he said sadly. I.N could feel his throat closing up and the familiar stinging behind his eyes.

“I feel sorry. Because of me…” he paused.

“The performance…” he tried to clear his throat. He didn’t want to cry, he really didn’t. Not in front of these people he didn’t know. He bit his lips in an attempt to stop the tears but it didn’t work. His breath hitched before he continued. He just wanted the interview to be over already.

“It little…no, alot…” he looked away. He was so tired, he just wanted one if not all of his hyungs to save him. His interview concluded and he was allowed to go back to the waiting room. Everyone else had an interview before they had their team interview. Chan was in the room waiting for him. When the door opened, he looked up with a smile that immediately turned into a frown when he saw the state I.N was in. He quickly got up from his spot on the couch and walked over to the youngest.

“Innie?? What’s wrong? What happened?” Chan asked as he rushed to the maknae. I.N Shook his head as his lip wobbled. Chan stood there silently with his hand on I.N’s shoulder waiting for him to respond. I.N quickly realized that there were still cameras in the room, and he looked at Chan with a panicked expression, scared that his reaction would end up on the show. Chan looked around and then pulled him into the closet out of sight from the cameras.

“I’m sorry, I messed up tonight…” I.N whispered. Chan cocked an eyebrow.

“What? I.N you did good! Which part?” Chan was genuinely confused. He didn’t know about I.N’s super minor slip up.

“As a whole… I did terrible.” he answered thickly as more tears formed in his eyes.

“No, that’s not true,” Chan said as he pulled his baby into another hug.

“It’s okay, man.” Chan said in English as I.N let out a choked sob. Chan continued to hold I.N as the youngest cried into his shoulder.

“When did you get so big? I can’t even hug you now,” Chan exclaimed, trying to lighten the mood. Once I.N’s crying reduced to sniffles, Chan kept a hold on him. He rubbed his back as he started to speak.

“Just think of it as a phase, you can do better next time,” Chan said soothingly. He knew I.N beat himself over the littlest things in fear that he isn’t holding his end as a member. His hyungs never scolded him for it, never saw less of him, never loved him less, but he always tried to give it his all.

“Yes,” I.N. nodded into Chan’s shoulder. Chan held him a little tighter.

“Besides, I also made quite a few mistakes,” Chan whispered. He giggled while I.N. let out a wet chuckle. Chan patted I.N.’s hair being mindful of how it was styled since they still had a group interview to do. I.N. didn’t want to be in front of the cameras for the rest of the night, but they still had the interview and they still had to sit through the ranking, and a group picture. Everyone grouped up before their interview, and once everyone saw I.N, they went into protective hyung mode.

“I.N-ah what's wrong?” Felix asked as he put a shoulder on his dongsaeng. I.N shook his head and looked to the ground. He didn’t want to cry again, they were going to get called into that room any minute for the interview. He closed his eyes to keep the tears from falling before he looked up at Felix.

“I’m sorry for tonight’s performance…” he said as he bit his lip. Felix had no idea what he was talking about. He didn’t notice anything. None of them did. Chan explained to the group why I.N was so shaken up by the performance, and not a second later they all started speaking at once.

“Honey, it's not your fault!”

“We all make mistakes I.N.”

“I didn’t even notice!”

“You did amazing I.N, you always do!”

“Nooo, baby don’t cry!”

I.N quickly dabbed away at his eyes trying not to smudge the stage makeup. He really didn’t want to do the group interview now. He just wanted to go home already, but they had another few hours. They were finally called for the group interview. As they all sat down, each member kept an eye on I.N. The interviewer asked about the performance. Each of them kept a professional face on even though on the inside they were pissed. They knew what the interviewer meant when they were asked that question. They weren’t being asked about their group performance, they were asking about I.N’s. Lee Know started responding first.

“I.N worked harder than anybody else. We all know how much effort he has put in.” He exclaimed with no hesitation.

“I.N really rocked. He was so much cooler and way more awesome than when he practiced or rehearsed,” Han said with confidence. I.N looked away as Chan stared at him with admiration.

“All our Stray Kids members, including our youngest I.N did a great job,” Chan said as he began to clap. Everyone else, including I.N followed suit. He felt a little bit better hearing his hyungs stick up for him, but he still felt so much guilt. When it came to their picture, no one smiled. Everyone was so mad that mnet made I.N cry, no one bothered to raise the corner of their mouth in the slightest. I.N felt much worse when it came to the ranking. Their rankings had dropped. I.N felt a surge of even more guilt. He held it together for the rest of the taping, and their ride back to the dorms. Once they were home, everyone finally got to unwind and chill in the living room. Everyone except for I.N were in the living room watching TV. I.N sat at the dining room table reflecting on today’s events. He believed there was no other reason as to why their rankings had dropped if it weren’t for his mistake. Tears welled up in his eyes and this time he didn’t even try to suppress them. His head dropped into his hands as sniffles turned into little whimpers and whimpers turned into full on crying.

“I.N-ah?” asked Changbin as he looked away from the TV, realizing his youngest was missing. He heard the sniffles and immediately jumped up from the couch. Everyone else quickly followed suit. As they rushed into the kitchen, their hearts broke. They saw their maknae sitting alone with tears flowing down his face, and his eyes already getting puffy.

“What’s wrong? What’s the matter?” they all asked frantically. I.N let out a sob.

“Because of me…because of me,” he sobbed into his hands.

“What are you talking about, baby?” Changbin asked as he laid a hand on I.N’s. The maknae gripped onto his hand tightly and started apologizing profusely.

“I’m so s-sorry h-hyungs,” I.N cried out. “Its all m-my fault…p-please don’t h-hate me,” he hiccuped and cried even harder. Felix sighed sadly as he walked up behind the youngest to hug him.

“Baby we could never hate you, you know that,” he whispered before dropping a kiss on the top of his head.

“Are you talking about your performance? Sweetheart, we talked about this, we didn’t even notice it,” Chan said softly as he knelt in front of his distressed maknae. He put a hand on his thigh and started rubbing it gently.

“Our r-rankings went down b-because of me, h-hyung”, I.N whispered. “We lost b-because I couldn’t…” I.N couldn’t finish as he let out another sob. Felix started rocking I.N gently as Changbin continued to hold his hand while Chan rubbed his leg.

“Baby, you know thats not true,” Chan said. I.N shook his head. He wanted to interject, but everytime he tried to talk he’d dissolve into another sob. This performance really shook him up. Chan felt bad for all of them. This entire competition was stupid and it was making all of his kids question their talent. Changbin gently squeezed I.N’s hand before he began to speak.

“This show is nothing but for entertainment purposes. Kingdom has nothing to do with who you are or how talented you are. No matter which team wins, it won’t change who we are as a group. This show doesn’t define you, or me, or the rest of us, yeah?” Changbin said ever so softly so I.N wouldn’t get even more stressed out. I.N nodded softly. It was Bang Chan’s turn to speak.

“Is there anything else besides this performance, love? I’ve never seen you this shaken up before…” Chan tried to say as gently as possible. They’ve all made mistakes before. Whether it was during practice or on stage, for award shows or on tour, they’ve all had their fair share of minor mistakes and for the most part they’ve all been able to shake it off. Sure there have been tears in the past but they’ve all been able to let it go after a while. I.N was absolutely devastated, and Chan was sure there was another reason.

“Is it because of all thats going on right now?” Han asked. Felix felt I.N tense under his arms, and then begin to shake again. Just from the movement, they all knew. I.N scrunched his eyes and hid in his hand that wasn’t accompanied by Changbin’s. He let out a gut wrenching sob that immediately sprung tears in some of the members' eyes. I.N missed Hyunjin. They all did; doing a stupid show without their Hyunjinnie- who wasn’t even on hiatus by choice- took a toll on all of them. It was hard to stay focused on work knowing a piece of them was missing. They didn’t know when he would come back, and they were scared whether or not he would even come back. I.N has always been super close to Hyunjin, and Hyunjin saw I.N as the little brother that he never had. It had been 2 months since he was suspended, and I.N was taking it especially hard.

“Oh baby, come here.” Lee Know said as he reached out to I.N. He and Felix helped stand I.N on his feet and walk him over to the couch. Lee Know plopped down on the couch as he and Felix set I.N. on Lee Know’s lap. I.N hid his face into his hyungs neck and gripped onto his shirt as his tears made his way down his face. He was exhausted. Nothing was going right, everything was messed up, and this damn performance was the final straw that broke the camel's back. Felix sat next to Lee Know and side hugged the both of them. Han sat on the opposite side and rubbed I.N’s knee. Changbin and Seungmin sat on the floor near the pair whispering words of encouragement. Chan had run off to grab water for his kid. Seungmin had noticed that Chan had been gone for a hot minute, so he slipped out. When he walked into the kitchen he saw his leader with his back to him, looking up at the ceiling. Seungmin followed his line of sight to whatever was so intriguing to Chan, but when he saw nothing, he slowly walked over and put a hand on Chan’s shoulder.

“Hyung? Are you okay?” he whispered. Chan hesitantly turned around. His eyes were glossy.

“Huh? Oh yeah, I’m fine,” Chan laughed a little but Seungmin wasn’t stupid. They all get emotional when one of theirs is upset, Chan especially. Seungmin shook his head.

“Channie-hyung, I love you, but I know you don’t mean that.” Seungmin could visibly see more tears filling up in Chan’s eyes as he tried to blink them away. Chan hated seeing his kids upset. It was a hard situation for Seungmin because he wanted to take care of his brothers so bad, but with I.N crying about Hyunjin, and Chan crying about I.N crying, he didn’t know what to do.That shattered his heart. Chan’s lip wobbled for a sec before he cleared his throat.

“I just wanted to pull myself together before going back in there.” Chan said as he tried to blink back the damned tears that kept trying to make their way out. Seungmin gave a half smile and patted his shoulder.

“Don’t hide your feelings from us hyung, we’re all in the same boat,” Seungmin said as he pulled Chan into a hug. Chan chuckled as he returned the hug. He had managed to swallow the tears and even though his eyes might be a tad bit pink still, he let Seungmin lead him back into the living room where everyone else was. I.N still had tears flowing but his hyungs had managed to get him to just sniffles and the occasional whimper, which is no better but it was a start.

“I miss Hyunjinnie hyung,” I.N whispered thickly. Lee Know kissed his forehead and continued to scratch at his scalp.

“We know you do bubs, we do too,” Lee Know said trying to contain his emotions.

“It’s not fair…the show, Hyunjin Hyung, nothing is fair…” I.N whispered as we wiped his eyes. Lee Know rubbed his shoulder as a stray tear fell from the youngest’s eyes.

“Let’s get you to bed Innie, we could all get some rest yeah?” Chan asked the group. Everyone murmered in agreement as they all slowly got up from where they were seated. They all went to their respective rooms, not without saying a quick goodnight to each other in the form of hugs, kisses, or both. I.N walked into his and Han’s room and plopped down on the bed. Han was not far behind when he closed the door.

“How are you doing, aegi?” He asked as he sat on I.N’s bed. I.N kinda laughed at the question as he went to pat Han’s leg.

“I’m sorry for everything tonight. Not just the performance, but for, you know,” he said as he made a hand Gesture showing his red and puffy eyes. Han shook his head.

“You don’t ever have to apologize for that kind of thing Innie. Everyone has bad days. And it’s completely valid. There’s a lot happening right now,” Han said as he went to hold I.N’s hand. The youngest of the two looked up at the ceiling, contemplating the thoughts going on in his head right now. Of course his roommate noticed.

“I can hear the gears turning Innie, what’s on your mind?” He asked while rubbing the back of his hand with his thumb. I.N wanted to say nothing, but his hyungs are too good at reading his mind.

“Can you sleep with me tonight?” I.N asked hesitantly. Han smiled at that question and ruffled his fox’s hair.

“My cute I.N-ah of course I will,” he said as he went to turn off the lights. They both climbed into I.N’s bed and threw the covers over themselves. Han offered an arm as I.N snuggled into his side. Han wrapped both arms around I.N and kissed the top of his head.

“We got you I.N, everything is going to be okay, yeah?” Han whispered. I.N nodded and snuggled even further into Han’s grip. The next morning, the guys found I.N and Han snuggled up together, cooing at the fact that I.N has 7 brothers to look after him no matter what.

#hurt/comfort #skz fanfic #stray kids #stray kids x stay #bang chan #lee know #changbin #hyunjin #han jisung #lee felix #seungmin #jeongin #kingdom legendary war #skz hurt/comfort

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cosmeticalchaosicle · 1 month

Text

Snack that smile back goldfish!

Note : Im sorry I had to make the reference hehe

Summary : Riddle's in a terrible mood once again, and pushed away all his dormates and even his best friend. Until he happened to run into floyd. What did he do to make the tyrant so.. silly?

Warnings & etc:

This fanfic will contain swearing, angst, tickles (Also, As you like Floyd x Riddle. It can be either platonic or romantic to your view)

Now, buckle your seat belts and hang on tight!~☆

‎♡₊˚ 🦩・₊✧

The sky was sunny, rather flaming. It was only spring yet the temperature was heated. And you could say the same about riddle's attitude, he was avoidant of his fellow classmates and making rude remarks when ticked off in the slightest and everyone could portray it as : 'Oh! Just ordinary Riddle' when really.. Something wasnt right with him.

Riddle sat alone in the library, looking for peace. As his mind was drowning in horrid thoughts ; Am I Wrong? What do they think? I wanna be free . I'm sick of the rules. Am I being disobedient for this behavior? Does my sluggishness affect the others? Why do I feel so terrible!? Why can't—

"Hey Goldfishie!~☆"

Oh no , the one face he did not want to see today.. floyd usually doesn't go to the library which is why riddle was even there in the 1st place. Why was he there though? Perhaps to play games, perhaps to do something productive . . . Or was he looking for him

"I was looking for you allll over! Don'tcha know how bored I would be without you?" Floyd skipped over with enthusiasm as riddle's face already began to turn red

"Floyd. I'm NOT in the mood for this.." A deeper tone to riddle's voice came out, floyd didn't care however "Huh? Why not little goldfishie? I wanna play with you :D You've hide away from everyone like a little scared cuttlefish.. Maybe I should switch nicknames ehe!~" floyd teased happily, riddle didn't realize much that floyd payed attention to the fact he was actually hiding from people and not just out of sight. Riddle began to get angrier and angrier "Floyd. Go away. Immediately"

Then. Somehow, this was the last thing that broke riddle

"Oh? Goldfishie. Isn't today when you're supposed to help with the unbirthday?"

. . .

Riddle broke down into tears, his head down on the table. He just couldn't keep these emotions in anymore. Floyd stared confusedly at how Riddle randomly broke down sobbing furiously. He had to ask though.. "Uhm. Goldfishie? Are you okay?"

Riddle gave a harsh outleash back "DO I FUCKING LOOK LIKE I'M OKAY? DO I?! DO I?! I'M SO SICK AND TIRED OF THIS CYCLE OF FUCKING BULLSHIT! I'M TIRED OF LIVING LIKE THIS. IM TIRED OF HAVING NO CHOICE BUT TO APPLY IM SO. TIRED OF IT ALL!" Riddle gone quiet. As he broke down even more. . Floyd was aware this could cause blot, he didn't know what much to do than attempt to comfort the teary-eyed housewarden. "Hey uhm.. don't cry. Its gonna be okay." Floyd awkwardly patted the boy. Surprised as riddle pushed his hand away so furiously. Then.. got an idea . Usually, it helped whenever he was upset. So ofcourse he had to try.. but he was partially concerned to. Though he took the chance. And gave a warm smile to riddle. "Come here goldfishie!~ Ive gotcha okay? Don't be sad, and just relax " he pulled in riddle tightly. It wasn't as tight as when he squeezes people but similar, "YOU LITTLE !— PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!!" Floyd only giggled with glee as he proposed an idea "Hehe! I will. Just tell me when you want me to stop the fun okay?~" . "Im sorry wh— Ahahah!— LET ME GO !-" Riddle burst out into this soft , raspy laughter at the feeling of Floyd tickling him . Almost, well yeah. Enjoying it. Honestly riddle forgot what it felt like to be like this since his lack of physical attention. And He could only take it, because its not like he can get down from floyd having him scooped up into his arms while Floyd's stupidly long nails fluttered around his stomach . Soonly Floyd had stopped. But didn't put riddle down.. instead just carried riddle back to his dorm mates.. they were sitting in the cafeteria.. Cater decided to snap a picture with everyone just to see floyd carrying a flustered, giggly riddle in his arms.. "Riddle-kun! Are you okay? We haven't seen you all day!". Floyd looked at riddle "See. They aren't mad." Riddle had quickly composed himself as floyd was still poking him in the ribs and found the words to respond, "O-Oh. Don't worry about it. I'm okay now."

They resumed life as normal.. though something was odd. Riddle was walking off balance. And seemingly startled when someone's hands came in contact with him. Ah, hes alright. Because what can he say? He's always right

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A/N : Thank you so much for reading!~☆ I haven't written a genuine fic in months , so I hope you liked it

#twisted wonderland #viralpost #lee!riddle rosehearts #ler!floyd #twst riddle #twst floyd #heartslaybul #octinavelle #twst #twst wonderland #twisted wonderland fluff

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kodzuken-chan · 2 years

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☁️Silent Pain☁️

Paring: Tatchibana Makoto x SisFemReader Ft. Matsuoka Rin

Genre: Angst / Hurt / Comfort/ Fluff/ The Final Stroke period based Sc.

Warning ⚠️: Hurt-Comfort, Mainly Mention of Trauma and Traumatic childhood incident, Nightmares,Breakdown and emotional panic, idk what else, its kinda angsty so yeah

A/N: Remember the other day when I told you I had a Free! Dream and I woke up with Puffy eyes, running nose and a sore throat?

Well the Traumatic childhood incident here is what I dreamed of so yeah, please enjoy reading it~

- I'm sorry if this sucks, bcs I feel it does💀

Makoto & Rin's Age: 10 y.o >> 19 y.o

Reader & Gou's Age: 9 y.o >> 18 y.o

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

Summary: An incident happened long ago traumatizes you during your sleep, But you always found comfort in your brother's arms, However this time, who else is coming to envelop you in his embrace?

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The slight howling of the summer wind brought your eyes to open, you looked around, trying to process where the hell are you, only to hear few faint chuckles in the distance.

You glanced towards the source of these sounds and made your way towards them. There you stood, infront of the tiny playground, Your old brother Makoto, his friend Rin and his little sister Gou were all running around causing a huge chaos.

"Y/N! Come here and play with us! This is fun!!" Called the little red head boy

But you stood there, not comprehending the hell is going on, did you go back in time? Why are your friends and brother are young?. You glanced at your hands to find them tiny in size, you engrossed in your thoughts but soon were pulled out of it when Makoto approched and held your hands.

"Y/N? Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" He said checking for the source of your discomfort.

"I'm fine... don't worry Ni-chan" you smiled at him, not wanting to make him worried.

"Okay then, let's go and play okay?" He said and you nodded and took his hand.

Although You And Makoto had only one year difference, but most people thought that you two were twins, you two reassembled each other, let alone the fact that you were so attached to him to the point your mom had to enroll you with him at school, making both of you in the same grade.

After playing around here and there, you guys reached to a huge cliff viewing the ocean minutes after wandering around few trees and bushes. It was almost sunset, which gave you all a magnificent scenery of the blue sea blending with the volcano like orange color of the sky. The four of you smiled happily at the little achievement you did, you held hands with each other and started spinning around in a circle.

But the happiness didn't last for too long, your head felt dizzy because of the spinning, and you wanted them to stop, once they did everyone stared at you in concern.

"You're not feeling well after all, let's just go back home Y/N" told you Makoto

"No ..I'm okay...I just a-" you tried to say but lost your balance.

You stumbled and grabbed Makoto's shirt unintentionally to brace yourself, however, the unexpected happened. Makoto was standing nearly to the cliff's edge, once he held you to brace you as well, his foot slipped and he fell off the cliff.

"MAKOTO!!!!!" Screamed Rin

Your knees gave up and your body froze from shock near to where Makoto fell, you watched him with tearful wide eyes roll down the cliff among the rocks until his body layed still at the end of it, the blood slowly turning into a little puddle under his little head.

"NIIII-CHAAAAN!!!!" you screamed your lungs out after realizing what just happened

Gou sobbed silently from fear, Rin couldn't move an inch and his body was shaking, your loud screams didn't make it any better. You almost fell off the cliff as you called your brother desperately, But Rin was quick enough to grab you back.

"Y/N, Calm Down....I-I'm going to get some help" His tiny voice cracked, eyes are red from the tears he was holding

He patted on your and Gou's head, to assure both of you that everything is going to be okay. And then he went around looking for any adult to ask for help. Few minutes haven't passed and Rin walked back to you, without anyone.

"R-Rin....Did you find anyone, please tell me that you did Rin " you said but got interrupted by a sob

"Actually...I found an old man near by, Although he seemed busy, I tried calling him, but he didn't answer me so I tried to look around for someone else but I-" Explained Rin

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN???? NI-CHAN IS GOING TO DIE THERE !!RIN YOU!!!" You grabbed Rin from his collar as the tear streamed over your cheeks

You Ran towards where the old man was, and once you approached him, you started pulling him from his shirt. He snapped out of his deep concentration on the thing he was working on.

"What's the Matter Young girl?" He asked concerned at your puffy teary eyes

"M-My Brother *sniff*...He...HE FELL OFF THE CLIFF, sir please help him, he's going to die..." You sobbed loudly.

"Oh god! Let's go quickly" said the old man as he grabeed your hand along

Once he made it to the cliff, the old man called the ambulance immediately as well as your parents (since he somehow figured out who you were from your family name), it was the matter of few minutes before they all showed up and Makoto was taken to the hospital and you back home. Rin and Gou went back to their house as well, Rin feeling absolutely guilty because he couldn't do anything to save his best friend.

Your parents asked the old man to take you safely back to your house until Makoto recovers. And as you walked back, the old man noticed how tensed you were from the incident, so to ease your tension,he tried to make a conversation with you.

"Y/N-chan...No need to worry, Makoto-kun will be alright okay? You have to be strong for your brother right?" he said stroking your head and you just nodded silently.

"M..My friend came to ask you for help...why didn't you igonre him?" You asked the man as you grip tightened on his

"Your Friend? What do you mean? I didn't talk to anyone before you showed up infront of me" he answered

"You didn't see a small red haired boy calling you??" You stopped on your tracks looking at him with your reddish eyes

"I'm sorry It seems that I didn't notice your friend when he approached me. I'm an old man with poor hearing, I wasn't wearing my hearing aids until you came to me" he said kneeling to you

Your tears streamed over your pinkish baby cheeks again, back there you yelled at Rin, and didn't give him a chance to explain himself, he must felt too bad and scared like you because he could do nothing to help Makoto. You immediately let go of the old man's hand and rushed towards Rin's house. Once you got there, you opened the door and entered, you saw Gou sleeping on the couch and it seemed like his mom wasn't home either, so you made your way straight to his room.

"RIN!" You called opening his bedroom door without knocking

"Y-Y/N?? *sniff*" He turned around surprised, eyes are red and face is stained with unstoppable tears

"Sorry for screaming *sniff* on you ....I'm really sorryyyyyyyy-" You sobbed hugging him tightly and he froze

"Its okay *sniff*" he said hugging you back, holding back his tears

By that time, the old man was able to catch up with your steps and took you back home. Once you got there, you ran immediately to your shared bedroom with Makoto, and hid under your bed's blanket silently sobbing alone. All what spun inside your head was guilt, if you didn't brace yourself with him that time, nothing of this would have happened, what if Makoto got severely injured, what if he never came back here.

Immersed in your thoughts, you never noticed how long the time have passed, your face was stained with traces of your tears, although your head felt heavy, but your eyelids couldn't shut, you were scared from so many things.

You snapped out of your thoughts once the blanket was lifted from over you, revealing no one but Makoto himself, with his usual iconic smile. Your eyes almost popped out of their places at the sight of him standing infront of you. His head was wrapped in a bandage, the rest of his body was covered up with small injuries and bruises.

"N...Ni..-chan..." You said, only to start sobbing loudly again

" Shhhhh...I'm here.... Don't cry Y/N, I'm fine see! You don't have to cry" He tried to calm you down with a hug, his eyes getting blurry at your sight

"I...I thought...that you're gonna die... because of mee...." You cried

"No No...It not your fault Y/N...Look at me, I'm fine, its nothing, it will recover soon" he smiled making you look at him

With this you ended up sleeping in his tiny arms. Makoto was supposed to stay the night at the hospital to ensure that he isn't suffering from any other side effects caused by the concussion. However, when he fell off the cliff and layed down there, he was able to hear your loud sobs at him, he couldn't endure it, he couldn't endure the pain of hearing you breaking down like that. He couldn't move an inch but lay down in his place, his eyelids getting heavier until they disobeyed his body and shut, leaving tears to slide over his cheeks.

By the time he woke up in the hospital, the first thing he did was to look for you, but his mom assured him that you're home. He couldn't stay still and immediately asked your parents to take him back home, because you're there alone and scared, and must be blaming yourself for what happened to him, and they immediately did.

However, nine years have already passed since the incident, you and Makoto graduated high school ended up going to the same university in Tokyo, the only difference was they you both ended up chosing different pathways for your futures. Spring break was quick to approach, and all of the gang including you and your brother's best friends have already planned to go back to your hometown to spend some time with their families until they go back to Tokyo.

"NIIII-CHAAAAN!!!!" you screamed your lungs out after realizing what just happened

You snapped out of your deep sleep in a sitting position, hand clenched into your chest, hair is messy, and your body damped with your sweat. You tried to calm down your heavy breathings, and the streaming tears once you realized its already morning.

"Why.....Why did I have this nightmare again..." You thought to yourself.

You noticed that it was already past 8 am, you dragged your exhausted body out of the bed, heading straightly towards Makoto's room. You pushed the door open, but all what was there was just his neat yet organized bedroom and stuff. He've must went out with Haru and the others, you assumed.

You changed into something simple suitable for going outside, you needed fresh air to calm down your shivering body, So, on your way to the main door, you met your mom.

"Good morning Y/N- Oh my are you okay?" She said scanning your pale face.

"I'm fine Mom, Don't worry" you said giving her a weak smile

"Are you going somewhere?" She asked not convinced by your answer

"Yeah, gonna get some fresh air, but where is Ni-san?" You wondered

"I'm not sure, he said he had some plans with his friends"

You nodded understanding, and walked outside, heading towards your old school. That's right, you're the same age as Gou, Nagisa and Rei, you were supposed to be with them on their third and final year at high school, but instead you're academically a year ahead of them. However, you still went to your old school to hang out with them sometimes, but today you weren't walking there for that reason.

You just thought that your brother might be there, you were extremely sure that he's okay, and your childhood trauma is just haunting your dreams again making you doubtful and uncomfortable. However, everytime you witnessed that dream, you must see him to clam yourself down, even from afar.

The first place to come on your mind where your brother and Haru probably are at was Iwatobi's High school, You know maybe giving Gou, Nagisa and Rei a small visit, since they came back from Tokyo. Surprisingly, when you reached there, your brother and Haru weren't seen around, instead, it was just your gang with their juniors enjoying their practice sessions in the pool. You walked around until you bumped into Gou coincidentally.

"Y/N-chan!! What are you doing-.....here?" She said until her expressions suddenly changed at your sight, she knew something was wrong with you

"I'm looking for Mako-Ni, did he come here by any chance?" You asked dashing her with a weak smile

"Well, Makoto and Haruka senpai came to say hi a while ago, but they left shortly after saying they'e got some plans" She explained

"I see, then I'll come back here later, Thanks Gou-chan" you said leaving the place

" *Sigh* I hope she's okay...." Murmured Gou

"What's the matter Gou?" Said Rin as he dried his hair approaching his sister

"Onii-chan, Did the race finish Already?" Said Gou to her older brother

"Oh yeah, Rei and Nagisa improved alot"

"That's great to hear" smiled Gou

"Btw, I don't wanna sound crazy, but I heard Y/N's voice few minutes ago"

"Yeah...she was here looking for Makoto-senpai and... Onii-chan...I think she's not feeling well" Said Gou in concern

"What do you mean? Is she sick?" Asked Rin in confusion

"No... Remember how she looks whenever that thing happens to her? Its been a while tho, but she had that expression from that time..."

"That's not good...Tell Nagisa and Rei that I'll join them later, I have to find her" Said Rin and Gou nodded

This how Rin got dressed in his clothes really quickly and headed out to follow your steps, looking for you, he knows at this time, you shouldn't be left alone. Although Nagisa, Rei amd Haru didn't witness the incident from that time, however, they knew about it, not they just heard the story from Makoto, Rin and Gou, but they saw you collapse lots of times because of it, they knew it was your trauma.

You on the other side went to the harbor and sat there viewing the sea, Now that you're finally alone, you wanted to let it all out by yourself, without bothering anyone like everytime. Usually, when you have the incident nightmare, Makoto always notices it the first thing and clams you down, since you know, your body shivers and you start crying unintentionally. But this time, no one noticed, so you decided to just clam yourself on your own.

Little you knew that a certain someone was running to you, He stopped for a brief moment behind you before enveloping you with his buff arms, snuggling his face in your neck. Your tiny sobs and gasps stopped shortly acknowledging the warmth surrounding you, before you went back to sob louder than ever.

"Shhhh...its okay..... Let it all out until you feel better, I'll be here until you say so" Said Rin turning you to his chest, giving you tiny little forehead kisses and embracing you tightly as if he's protecting you from this world.

"Its.. happening again...*sniff*.... the incident..... It feels real every single time ....I can't take it anymore....*sobs*" You cried

Rin did nothing but listen to you carefully, tightening his arms around you everytime he feels your fingers clenching on the fabric of his shirt. Once you calmed down, he slightly parted to have a clear look on your face, He gently moved away the hairlines stucked on your stained cheeks, and wiped the the remaining tears.

"Let's go to my place, you can have a small nap there, I won't leave your side until you wake up, okay?" He assured leaving a soft kiss across your forehead, and you nodded.

The two of you walked to the Matsouka's residence, with Rin heading straightly to his room, of course with your hands interviewed with his. He closed the door behind him and layed over his bed, pulling you along to lay with him. Without hesitation, he brought you closer to him, your face was few inches away from the crock of his neck, but you definitely were able to smell his natural scent, it relaxed your body but made your heart skip a beat.

Sometimes, you forget about your own feelings towards him when he does these kind of things. Ever since you were kids, technically after Makoto's incident, Rin became way overprotective of you, and at times like these when you suffer from your trauma, Rin was always there for you, showering you with skin ship and love, yes that's right it was way too different than your brother's. Makoto's way of calming you down consists of giving you hugs and reassuring words, and sometimes siblings hangout to distract you from your thoughts.

However, Rin's were different, you two are used to give each other hugs and cuddles. You're so used to him to the point that you sometimes supposed to blush or get nervous around him especially when he gets closer and cuddle you since you have feelings for him, but no...it just feels right. On the other hand, Rin reciprocated the same feelings towards you, that's why he always wants to protect you at any cost.

"Rin...." You whispered once you finally calmed down

"Hmmm?" He replied simply as he kept his eyes closed with his lips brushing over your forehead

"I love you.." you confessed wholeheartedly, realizing that you want to stay with him like that forever

"I know" he replied pulling you closer to his chest, leaving another kiss on your forehead

"Y-you knew?....H-how...?"you raised your head in confusion locking your puffy eyes with his semi-sleepy ones.

"Have you ever seen any two female and male best friends casually cuddling with this much of intimacy?" He smirked and your face turned red

"We're doing what usually couples do...so, since you confessed, I guess we're official now right?" He said pinching your cheeks

"A..and there I thought I was good at hiding my feelings..." You said hiding your face in his chest and he chuckled

"But there is one thing that we haven't done yet, let's say I was waiting for either of us to confess first..." He said now looking into your eyes as he placed a strand of your hair behind your ear

"What is it...." You asked looking at his crimson Iris

"This..." He said bringing his face closer until your lips met with his

The heat reached your cheeks, but you decided to go with the flow by slowly bringing your eyelids to shut, enjoying the feeling of his soft lips on yours. But time have passed faster than you think, and it was already past 8:30 PM, it seems that after your sweet little confession, you ended up napping for 4 hours straight, however when you noticed the time and how late it was for you to be out, Rin decided to walk you back home.

Makoto walked back after a long day into his warm house getting greeted by his twin siblings Ren and Ran, but before he could take a step further and notice your absence, your mom walked to him with a worried expression.

"Is there something wrong mom?" He asked noticing the uncomfortable face of his mom

"Y/N haven't came back yet, she went out looking for you, but her face looked pale, I'm worried that something might have happened to her ..." She said in worry

"I'll look for her, I'm sure she's okay, don't worry Mom, I'll bring her back" assured Makoto as he closed the door behind him, he knew what his mom meant by you looked pale...he could never forget

Before he could take another step forward, he spotted you across the road walking side by side and hand in hand with Rin. He sighed in relief after seeing the wide smile over your face, and soon you noticed your brother standing by your house's doorstep, letting go of Rin's hand, you ran towards Makoto giving him a tight hug.

"Are you okay?" Asked Makoto as he scanned you

"Yes...I'm much better now thanks to Rin" you said, sending a bashful smile to Rin

"Thank god....well then, you must be tired, go inside and get some rest...Mom was worried about you too, so go and talk to her" he said giving you his iconic smile with head pats.

Once you said goof night to your Brother and Rin, you walked inside, leaving the two men together.

"Was it the incident nightmare again..." Asked Makoto

"Yeah...and the impact was worse than anytime, she cried alot, no but she was mostly on the verge of collapsing, but she's good now... don't worry Makoto" Assured Rin as he patted Makoto's shoulder

"Rin ...." Called Makoto in a serious tone

"Yeah?"

"I'm leaving her under your care, so make sure to keep that smile on her face...., You're my best friend, and I know you'll treasure her. I'm just telling you that because I don't wanna see the day where she comes to me crying because of you....I don't want that to happen"

" It won't come ever, I promise, I'll prove how serious I'm with her... Don't worry" Said Rin smiling

With this the two men went to their own ways, Rin walked back home, and Makoto to his bedroom. Although you would be haunted by negative thoughts by this time of the night because of your dream, but tonight was different...you were instead fantasizing about the unforgettable kiss Rin gave you...Who knows...Maybe this is the start of peaceful sleepy nights full of lovable memories of the day and free off traumatic nightmares.

The End

#free! anime #free! x reader #free! scenarios #free! makoto #free! the final stroke #free! take your marks #Free! Rin #matsouka rin #tatchibana makoto #Matsouka Rin x reader #free! imagines

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tickledpink31 · 2 years

Text

Epics of Ink & Light Chapter 11: Catharsis

Summary: In which a reconciliation is reached.

When you see an asterisk (*), there will information about a topic that appears within the story and will be explained in the author’s notes at the end of the chapter.

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◐ ━━━━━ ºoº Minako ºoº ━━━━━ ◑

Minako’s knees slammed hard onto the dirt. Her head landed on its side and was only cushioned by the softness of her arm. The tiniest traces of her curse still lingered within her despite the fact that she successfully summoned a Patronus.

Ah, that’s right. She used up most of her power to save Riddle. Of course, she was still in pain. Minako managed a weak laugh to herself.

Am I bleeding? Her hand reached up to check her arm. It stung on contact, and that one touch was enough to pick up a wet substance on her fingers. Yup, she was bleeding.

To say that Rose Maze was a mess was the understatement of the year. It looked like it had gone through two hurricanes and an earthquake. Trees were ripped up from the ground, which left patches of dirt in its wake. Buckets of red paint were knocked over, staining the greenery. Rose petals were left scattered all over the venue, and not many had turned up whole in the aftermath of the ordeal.

Riddle seemed to be doing okay at least. Trey had taken to helping the boy sit up and bringing him out of his stupor.

“Riddle? Riddle, can you hear me?” Trey gently shook the dorm leader’s shoulders.

With a gasp, Riddle finally opened his eyes. He was sweating, with his head jerking from side to side to take in his surroundings.

“Finally decided to wake up,” Ace huffed and crossed his arms.

Cater let out a sigh of relief. “Thank Seven. We were afraid that you might have died!”

“What… what did I…?” Riddle took heavy breaths and a gulp to swallow the lump in his throat. He seemed to be stuck in a state of disbelief, like his overblot and the flashes of memories in his mind space were almost too far-fetched to be real.

“Thank goodness, you’re alive. Excellent job on bringing him back to his senses, Ms. Nezumi.” Crowley, who had returned to the maze to help them, smiled at Minako and gave her a congratulatory pat on her injured shoulder.

“Ow! Ow! Ow!” Minako yelped in pain as Crowley frantically apologized upon realizing what he had just done.

Trey was rubbing circles on Riddle’s back. “It’s alright. You had a rough time, so just rest for now.”

“Hey, hey! I thought we said no coddling! It’s the reason why he went berserk in the first place!” Ace protested. Like everyone else, he didn’t come out of the fight unscathed, suffering a few scrapes on his face and arms. “This place is a mess, and some of us could have died earlier!”

Deuce shook his head, stumbling a little on his shaky legs. “That was the craziest brawl I’ve ever gotten myself into.”

“Good grief! Bottling up all that stress can sure turn you into monsters.” Grim lashed his tail in annoyance.

Riddle looked speechless, rather than angry. Then at last, he meekly uttered out, “I really… I really wanted to eat that mont blanc.”

All at once, everyone looked at each other with equally bewildered faces, just to make sure nobody was just hearing things in their heads.

Riddle could only continue to get rid of the doubt in everyone’s minds. “I don’t mind if the roses were left white, or if the flamingos were left pink. I prefer honey to sugar cubes in my tea, and I like milk tea more than lemon tea.”

“Riddle?”

“I want to talk to everyone while I eat.” Riddle’s lip trembled. “And most of all, I want… to have fun with Trey, Che’nya, and everyone else…”

Like a dam that had been ruptured, a flood of tears had burst from Riddle’s eyes, with loud sobs to boot.

The stern and strict head of Heartslabyul was actually weeping like a child. And by the looks of everyone’s faces, nobody, not even Trey, has ever seen Riddle cry.

Ace was the one who quickly recovered from the shock and was back to being angry. “Shut the hell up! You think that crying like a baby will make us feel sorry for you?!”

Minako kicked him in the shin.

“Ow! You—” Ace yelped. He turned to glare at her. “He almost killed you! Why are you mad at me?”

Minako simply glared back. She would say something, but she had a funny feeling that opening her mouth would result in her spitting out more blood than words.

“Read the atmosphere, Ace. No one appreciates how bullheaded you are right now,” Deuce sighed.

“I have to say that I’m sorry too. I should have stepped in when I knew that you were enduring so much.” Trey patted Riddle’s back, letting him snivel out his last few sobs. “I’m going to be honest with you from now on. Your way of enforcing the rules is completely wrong, and you owe everyone an apology.”

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” Riddle’s gloved hands wiped his wet cheeks, which left his face red and puffy.

“You know, I’ve been waiting for an apology from you for a while now, but now that I’ve got it…” Ace paused for a second to cross his arms and tap his fingers impatiently against his elbow. “BUT ONE “I’M SORRY” DOESN’T FIX THE FACT THAT YOU’VE BEEN ACTING LIKE A TOTAL ASSHAT! YOU’VE GOT TO BE PRETTY FUCKING STUPID TO FORGIVE SOMEONE JUST LIKE THAT!”

Cater hurried to cover Ace’s mouth. “Ace! This isn’t the best time to be lashing out like this!”

Ace jerked his head away to rant and rave even more, “Why not?! We’ve been put through the wringer since day one! Humiliating us, throwing away that tart we worked so hard on. That’s not just something you can sweep under the rug with some watery-eyed apology!”

“Boy, you can sure hold a grudge. And I thought I was stubborn,” Grim deadpanned.

Minako thought about it for a moment. There was some truth to what Ace was saying. If Riddle really was sorry, then he had to prove it.

“What do you… suggest I do?” Riddle had long since calmed down from his tearful breakdown. A swelling in his eyes and a few sniffs of his nose were all that remained.

Ace took a moment to stop and think about it.

Please be reasonable, Minako begged internally. The last thing she wanted was for Riddle to face the same amount of humiliation that they did. A spiteful request would only result in making a bigger rift between them.

“Well, my birthday isn’t happening anytime soon,” Ace said.

Deuce blinked in confusion. “What? I thought your birthday’s happening in—”

“So, I think a Revenge Unbirthday Party is overdue after you kicked us out from the last one,” Ace talked over him, cutting Deuce off. “Except this time, you have to make the tart yourself. Not even Trey is allowed to help you.”

Fair enough, Minako thought.

“I’m not going to forgive you, unless if you make that tart all on your own,” Ace concluded.

“Really, Ace?” Minako suddenly snapped, a little fed up with her friend. Bad idea. As it turned out, there was still some blot left in her system.

Her tongue tasted of iron as blood dribbled from her mouth down to her chin. It was a morbid sight that caused everyone to blench and stagger back. Minako choked and spat out the ink-speckled blood, staining the grass. At least there wasn’t much blot left in her body.

“Ms. Nezumi!” Crowley caught her before she could collapse.

“Minako!” came several shouts.

“Yikes! Trey, both Riddle and Minako need to see the nurse!” Cater turned his head towards Trey, who was already carrying Riddle on his back. He can’t carry them both.

Crowley lifted her petite self into his arms, one arm under her knees and the other around her shoulders. “I will be taking Ms. Nezumi to the infirmary. Mr. Diamond, you and the rest should stay here and clean the garden.”

“Call… Dr. Radcliffe…” Minako gurgled out.

“Don’t— don’t talk for now, okay?” Deuce wiped the blood off her chin with the handkerchief that she gave him.

Grim hopped up on Deuce’s shoulder to talk to her with a face mixed with anger but also worry. “Don’t die on me, or I’ll kill you!”

“That doesn’t make any sense.” Ace shook his head.

Ugh, what a day. “Headmaster, why am I seeing two of you?” is what Minako said right before her body completely shut down.

◐ ━━━━━ ºoº Riddle ºoº ━━━━━ ◑

His overblotted rampage was a blur to Riddle, but he could remember what it was like seconds before he was confronted with his memories. Suffocating woe and fury—it was all he was before a light had engulfed him. Heavenly voices graced his ears, and the grip that the blot had on him went slack.

Then he felt warmth.

Warm like a freshly baked pie. Warm like the crackling hearth on a cold winter’s night. Warm like a mother’s embrace, something which he never had.

Riddle’s time in that strange void of memories with Nezumi, ahem, Minako was oddly cathartic as painful as it was to go back to his childhood. His world was crumbling, shattering into a million a pieces beyond repair. And he can’t find the motivation to put it back together.

Riddle wasted no time composing himself while he was being escorted to the infirmary. His eyes remained puffy, and his nostrils were still clogged with snot by the time he got there, though. Not to mention, he was piggybacked by Trey on the way, so making sure that nobody else would see him cry was the only way for him to save face.

The checkup must have taken a couple of hours. By the end of the nurse’s tenth observation, Riddle had practically memorized the beeping of the machine that he was hooked up to.

“Amazing! There are no remnants of blot left in your body or your crystal,” chirped the ghostly head nurse. “Although, I would advise you to not use a high amount of magic for at least two weeks. Understood?”

Riddle nodded politely. “Understood.”

Overblots may be rare, but he at least knew that there would be drops of blot remaining in someone’s crystal should someone survive their overblot. Was the glowing mouse really that powerful? That “Patronus” as Minako called it had an overwhelming purity to it. He’d never seen or felt anything like it.

That was her Unique Magic, wasn’t it? Cleansing blot. That was a power worthy of being coveted in a widespread scale.

On that last minute dorm leader and vice dorm leader meeting, the night after the disastrous ceremony, the Headmaster had praised the girl who crashed the ceremony to be an extraordinary magician for her age. At the time, Riddle put the fault in the Dean’s buffoonery for promoting a troublemaker to dorm leader status so quickly, but now he could see why Minako had gained the Headmaster’s favour.

That reminds me, Riddle pondered as he shifted on one of the infirmary beds. He began scanning the other infirmary beds for a certain someone. Where is Minako? She passed out in the Rose Maze, so she should be lying in a bed and surrounded by half of the nursing staff.

He owed her, he really did. He could start with an apology… or two. Apologies were long overdue for not just physically harming that girl in his crazed state, but also for insensitively lambasting her parents.

Before Riddle could even ask about Minako’s whereabouts, Cater had stepped inside.

“Riddle!” Cater’s eyes brightened upon spotting him and Trey. He walked up to them with a sheepish smile. “Look, I know I’m in charge of cleaning the Rose Maze, but everyone’s been at it for a while. We’ll get back to it in an hour—”

“It’s alright, Cater.” Riddle calmly raised a hand to get him to pause. “I’m more concerned about where Minako is.”

A slip of the tongue. Riddle didn’t realize that he had addressed Minako by her first name, until he found Trey and Cater staring at him with confounded looks.

“Um… Minako’s recovering in the private infirmary,” Trey replied. “She is the only girl, and she needs her privacy.”

“Poor thing has a fever. That’s what I heard from Crewel. He looked like he was ready to snap the Headmaster’s neck,” said Cater.

“Professor Crewel? Why is he involved in this?” asked Riddle. Crewel wasn’t really one to get caught up in the plights of his students unless if it affected him.

Cater hummed and tapped his cheek. That was his gossiping face. “Well, I did hear from a couple of the first years that she’s one of his favourite students.”

“Didn’t Minako mention that Crewel was pushing her to see some kind of doctor?” Trey said.

Oh, Riddle got it now. It had been obvious to him for quite a while that Minako was afflicted with some sort of illness. It was most likely that the black marks on her body were a symptom of it.

A thought came up that made him swallow a lump in his throat. Did his overblot make it worse?

“What have I done to her when I overblotted?”

At that question, Trey and Cater winced, which was enough to make Riddle’s stomach drop.

“How do I put this?” Trey hesitated, scratching the back of his neck.

He and Cater did their best to relay Riddle the events of his overblotted state, though they had grown a little pale doing so. Riddle was sure that he did too now that he knew that he could have given Minako a painful demise. Not that he wasn’t close to killing everyone in that maze, but it seemed that Mugglesworth’s prefect received the brunt of his rampage.

“You’re saying that… I used her to make some sort of ink monster?” Riddle vaguely recalled the image of Minako’s teary eyes and blot escaping her mouth.

Cater suppressed a grimace. “Yeah. I’m not sure what you needed it for, but I really thought she was going to die.”

“What’s confusing to me is the fact that she can clear blot, but she’s been spitting out blot even after she used that spell,” said Trey.

That’s right. Why wasn’t she able to help herself? Surely her Patronus should have helped her recover once she summoned it. Unless, the spell simply didn’t work on her.

Riddle peeled the covers off his body and gathered the neatly folded garments of his dorm uniform. He clipped his cape back on, slipped on his boots, and gingerly placed the crown on his head. Holding his head high, he excused himself from the infirmary with Trey and Cater in tow.

“I think some explanations are overdue. Let’s hope that she’s fully conscious now to tell us everything.”

◐ ━━━━━ ºoº Minako ºoº ━━━━━ ◑

Three years ago, a thirteen-year-old Minako walked into Professor Trelawney’s classroom, and her senses were immediately assaulted by the stifling smell of sherry and incense. There were but ten students in the classroom while Professor Firenze had about thirty in his.

She wanted Firenze’s class initially, but Minako remained optimistic. She knew from what she’s read about Trelawney was that she had a few instances of being correct in her prophecies, and she was vital in predicting the events that took place during the Wizarding Wars. For that, Trelawney had Minako’s respect as she did her best to make the most of her situation.

However, as the months dragged on, Minako’s enthusiasm for the course gradually declined. She wasn’t sure what she was doing wrong. She could barely make one accurate prediction. Her inner eye was weak as she was told. Her spirit and curiosity were much appreciated but not enough to pass that class. It was a big blow to her pride, and she dropped the class on a sour note.

Minako hadn’t expected much on her final day with in Trelawney’s class, but then something strange occurred in the classroom seconds before she left it for good. She had just returned the deck of tarot cards and turned to depart, but then a loud, wheezing voice spoke behind her.

“In three years time.”

Minako whirled around. Trelawney stood not too far off from where she was, her body had become hunched but stiff. The old woman began twitching ever so slightly.

“Professor?” said Minako.

“In three years time,” repeated Trelawney. Minako swore that she heard two voices coming out of her mouth, one of which did not sound human.

Trelawney limply raised a finger at her. Then with neck-breaking speed, she ran up to Minako, her wrinkled hand reaching out to grab her.

“P-professor, please! You’re scaring me!” Minako attempted to pry off Trelawney’s hand, which were clawing at her robes, but to no avail. “Are you having a seizure? Do you need me to take you to the hospital wing?”

Trelawney wheezed as her grip tightened, her nails digging into Minako’s shoulders. Her eyes had gone unfocused, and her mouth hung loose to speak.

“The lost heiress will return to where her ancestors once resided. The markings of her heritage will reveal themselves to her, but her path is blotted by the grief of others. Worst yet is that her true enemy is herself. In three years time… the lost heiress… of the mouse… will return to her rightful place…”

Trelawney’s head suddenly dropped, her chin meeting her collar and her grip going slack. Her head then snapped back up, tossing her frizzy hair all about. Her eyes, enlarged by the view of her thick glasses, blinked in confusion at Minako.

“Sorry my dear. Must have nodded off from all of that wine— er… lack of sleep.” The old seer laughed it off.

Minako could only stare at her in shock.

“Is there something you need, my dear?”

Realizing that she had been gaping at Trelawney for a bit too long, Minako quickly snapped out of it and politely shook her head. “No.” And she left the class.

As it turns out, Trelawney never remembered making her true predictions. If only more people were aware of that, then maybe she would be seen as less of a joke by her peers and students.

Thirteen-year-old Minako mulled over that prediction for a bit, debating on whether she should find out about its meaning just in case if it was related to her. That thought was quickly abandoned and forgotten since her mind was overtaken by how she could beat her classmates for the next assignment in Potions.

Three years have passed and Minako was back in her sixteen-year-old body and no longer dreaming about her long-forgotten encounter with the eccentric seer from Hogwarts. Her eyes cracked open to the familiar walls of the private infirmary, head elevated as she laid in bed and a damp towel resting on her burning forehead. The repercussions of ignoring her body’s need to rest came to bite her back in the arse tenfold.

At least now, she remembered why “Heiress of the Mouse” sounded so familiar to her. Did Riddle know about who she was?

The sound of a swivel chair’s wheels rolling against the floor drew Minako’s attention to the side of her bed. Dr. Radcliffe was sitting on it as she greeted her with a warm and gentle smile.

“Welcome back to the waking world, Ms. Nezumi.”

“What day is it?” was Minako’s immediate question. She had a weak perception of time whenever she had a fever.

“You’ve only been out for a few hours.” said Ace who was sitting on the other side of the bed with Deuce and Grim. Their expressions varied from worried to somewhat lax.

If Minako had a galleon for every time she went through this scenario in an infirmary after a harrowing battle with a blot monster, she would have two galleons. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.

“Your temperature was alarmingly high when I got here. How are you feeling?” Radcliffe plucked the towel from Minako’s head to dip it into a bowl of water and wring it out.

“I feel… meh.” Just meh. Minako’s brain was too muddled to find the right words to describe how awful she felt.

Wait, if Dr. Radcliffe is here, then Crewel must be nearby. Minako paled and swallowed.

“I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU, DIRE! I KNEW YOU WERE A DOLT, BUT I THOUGHT YOU’D AT LEAST HAVE THE BRAINS TO NOT LET HER GO NEAR AN OVERBLOTTED STUDENT!” Right on cue, Crewel was screaming his head off outside the room. The door muffled a portion of the noise, but whatever was being said was still largely coherent.

“Divus— Ack!” A voice that was evidently Crowley’s voice gave off the impression that he was being strangled. “Divus… I swear! She was being stubborn, and I had to— had to save everyone else!”

Radcliffe sighed and shook her head. “I hope he doesn’t get fired over this. I’m surprised it took him this long to finally take it out on the Headmaster.”

“He was hiding from him. Professor Crewel heard about the incident as soon as it was over, and he was asking around where the Headmaster was,” said Deuce.

Ace snickered. “We were coming back from cleaning up the gardens, and the Headmaster just climbed up the apple tree in the courtyard. Crewel eventually found him and chased him around.”

Grim cackled and Radcliffe chewed on her lip in an attempt to hide a not-so-discreet smile. While Minako felt partly guilty for being the cause of Crowley’s misfortune, she was unable to back a snort before hers and everyone else’s laughter rang across the room.

“So, are you and Crewel related or something?” Minako wiped a mirthful tear from her eye, coming down from her high of laughter.

Radcliffe was letting out her last few chuckles and replied, “He’s my big brother.”

“What? No way!” Grim’s jaw dropped.

“You two don’t look anything alike,” Ace pointed out.

“Let alone act alike,” Deuce dryly added.

“We get that a lot. I take after our father and Divus takes after our mother. Our parents were two completely different people.” The doctor shrugged. Then she asked Minako, “Was it obvious to you that we’re family?”

“I have siblings too. The dynamic is familiar to me,” Minako told her.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door that they all somehow heard amongst the cacophony.

“Hey, are you decent?” a voice called out that was loud enough to be heard despite the noise.

“Oh, it’s Cater. Come in!” Minako said, sitting up on the bed. She recognized his voice anywhere.

The volume of Crewel and Crowley’s scream-fest only amplified as the door was being opened. Cater poked his head through the door with a nervous and tight smile likely as a result of witnessing Crewel’s wrath being directed at someone else.

“I brought Riddle and Trey,” he said, looking a bit jumpy and eager to get away from the argument.

“Come inside. Hurry up.” Radcliffe beckoned them in.

Grim curled up against Minako on the bed as the three new visitors filed into the room. “Is it a good idea to let Riddle in too?”

“I heard that,” Riddle sharply shot back at him. He took a spot on the two-seater sofa across the bed with Cater, while Trey leaned against the wall when he found that there were no places to sit left.

“It’s alright. He needs to hear what I have to say,” Minako said. She swallowed the lump in her throat, finally feeling the pressure of telling the truth weigh down on her.

The door opened abruptly with Crewel’s hand on the knob. It slammed into the wall behind it and shook the room, which startled Minako. The only thing preventing it from smashing into the decorative paintings was the door stopper. Crowley stood behind the alchemy professor, looking wilted. His tie and waistcoat were askew possibly from being yanked left and right.

“How many times have I told you to not open doors like that?” Radcliffe looked annoyed with her brother. Despite being the younger sibling, she was sounding a lot more like an older sister scolding her brother.

“If there is no one behind the door, then I’ve done no harm,” Crewel said calmly as he fluffed his fur coat. He held himself in a collected fashion as if he hadn’t been screeching his head off out in the hallway just a minute ago.

Crowley composed himself by fixing his outfit and clearing his throat. “How are you feeling, Ms. Nezumi? You gave us quite a scare earlier.”

“I’m much better now. I feel a little too warm though.” Minako grabbed the damp towel from the table and dabbed it against her neck.

“There’s not a single speck of blot in her system at the moment, but her fever is still high,” said Radcliffe.

Crewel’s hooded eyes narrowed even more. “Puppy, you should have said something earlier. I had a sneaking suspicion as to why you were out of it in class this morning.”

Minako squeaked and sank back. She felt like she was being scolded by her seniors in the Slytherin Common Room again.

“Now, now. Let’s not scare her too much. We’re all well aware about what happens if we feed her negativity,” Crowley chided.

“They don’t know yet.” With her lips, Minako pointed over to where Riddle, Trey and Cater were. “I think it’s time they know.”

“You’re going to tell them?” It seemed that Crewel didn’t want her to.

“They already saw what happened to me. All of Heartslabyul did.” All because Minako was reckless and stupid. What was she thinking letting the insults get to her like that?

“We might as well come clean,” Deuce sighed.

“No point in hiding it anymore,” said Grim.

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean you should be blabbing about this to anyone,” Crewel ordered everyone in the room. “Rosehearts, I want you to make sure that your dorm members don’t utter a word about what transpired today, especially about Ms. Nezumi. What happens in Heartslabyul stays in Heartslabyul.”

“Yes, sir.” Riddle nodded, his grey eyes looking sincere and determined.

“And tell them that if they do mention this to anyone outside their dorm, their mouths will be personally sewn shut by yours truly.”

Everyone paled at that.

Radcliffe frowned. “That’s a step too far. Even our mother wouldn’t do something like that.”

“You don’t know that. She was always very private when it came to her past.”

What kind of family were they raised in? Minako wondered.

“Ahem,” Riddle interrupted. “If I may, we’re getting off-topic.”

“This conversation is about Minako’s sickness isn’t it?” Trey asked. Up until now, he had been silent.

Minako took a deep breath and quickly thought of what she should say. She’s explained her curse before to others, but it always had a way of making her stomach drop.

“It’s more than just a sickness, it’s a family curse. We’re I’m from, we call it a blood curse or a malediction.”

“Curse? Someone laid a curse on you?” Cater leaned forward with interest.

“We don’t know who or what cursed my family. All we know is that I’m currently the holder of the curse and that it’s not supposed to exist where I’m from.”

Riddle quirked a brow. “What do you mean by that?”

“Have you wondered why she can’t go home through the Mirror this whole time?” asked Ace.

Heartslabyul’s dorm head and his right-hand men shifted uncomfortably in their spots.

“There was an attempt to bring Ms. Nezumi home the night she appeared, but the Dark Mirror dubbed her home as nonexistent,” Crowley brought up the opening ceremony.

“Nonexistent?” Trey parroted.

“After a bit of research, the Headmaster and I came to the conclusion that I came from somewhere beyond this plane of existence,” Minako said. “As it turns out, I came from another world.”

There was silence that followed after the bomb had been dropped. Then came a loud…

“WHAT?!”

“Pipe down! This is an infirmary!” Crowley shushed the three Heartslabyul students.

Riddle, Trey, and Cater took a moment to calm down and take in what they had just heard.

“I’m sorry,” Riddle uttered out sheepishly much to Minako’s confusion. He bowed his head in shame. “I’ve been cross with you for the wrong reasons. This whole time I thought you were leeching off of the school’s benefits like a freeloader.”

“What?” Minako spluttered.

“She lives in a ratty dorm. Why would you think that she’s a freeloader?” Ace gave his dorm leader a dirty look.

“A ratty dorm that needs fixing. We’ll need to do that straight away, so that nobody gets sick or hurt again. Isn’t that right, Dire?” Crewel smiled malevolently as he squeezed Crowley’s shoulder a bit too hard for it to be considered friendly.

“Y-yes. I agree.” Crowley gulped in response.

“Um, sorry. Let’s get back to the alien world thing. What does this have to do with your curse?” asked Cater.

“I’m not an alien. I’m completely human,” Minako sighed. “Since I came to this world, I discovered that my curse is blot-based. Where I’m from, blot does not exist. We don’t have limits as to how much we can use our magic.”

“Which is unfair.” Ace crossed his arms and pouted.

“It’s not all that great. My magic tends to mess with technology, so my magical community is stuck somewhere in the Middle Ages. It would be nice though if there were more efforts to introduce them safely into the community.”

“Again, that must suck.” Cater blew a stray piece of hair out of his face.

“Wait. So if blot doesn’t exist in your world, why do you have this curse?” asked Trey.

Minako’s eyes landed on Crowley. “I have a theory.” She met the Headmaster’s gaze. “The Moseley brothers; I’m related to them aren’t I?”

She couldn’t see much of Crowley’s expressions under his mask nor could she pick up anything from his body language, but her gut told her that he knew something. He must have had a reason to give her that camera.

“Who?” Crewel blinked in his confusion. Everyone else seemingly had the same question on their minds judging by their expressions.

Crowley’s dark, painted lips turned up ever so slightly at her. “Smart as ever. I see that you’ve figured it out on your own.”

“I had help. One of Sam’s shadows showed me the book.”

Deuce was quick on the uptake. “Wait. Is this about those Hidden Mickeys you’ve been telling us about?”

“Hidden Mickeys?” Radcliffe spun her chair around to engage in the conversation. “Those are the obscure mouse-shaped symbols, right?”

“I’m more concerned as to how she knows about Sam’s shadows,” Crewel added.

“Unimportant right now,” Crowley dismissed. “See, I had a hunch about who Ms. Nezumi is when I discovered that the Moseley’s old ghost camera was becoming active once more.”

“Active?” Grim glanced at the nightstand where the Minako’s ghost camera and a stack of Polaroids sat. “Is that thing actually alive?”

“I don’t remember taking these photos.” Minako picked up the Polaroids and shuffled through them. She wasn’t too worried about how much film was left (if it uses film that is; it’s a magical camera), but the pictures of Riddle’s memories were concerning.

“That is the Moseley family’s special ghost camera, tied directly to the magic in their bloodline. It responded solely to blood relatives of their clan. And because of this, the camera was dormant for centuries after the family had been sadly… wiped ou— ohohohooo!” Crowley’s explanation died on the last few words when he broke into a sobbing fit. He blew his nose into a handkerchief. Knowing the Headmaster and his theatrics, Minako was unsure if his tears were genuine.

“Headmaster. Headmaster, please!” Riddle spoke over the sobbing to grab Crowley’s attention. “Who are the Moseleys? They sound important.”

Crowley had calmed down enough to tell the story. “The Moseleys were once an esteemed family of magicians responsible for many innovations that made our Twisted Wonderland what it is today. The head of the family, Michael Moseley, and his half-brother, Osvaldo Faustus,* were legendary. The Hidden Mickeys, as you know them, are a product of Michael Moseley’s magic.

So, I guess Mickey is Michael’s nickname, Minako thought.

“Hold the phone. If they were legendary, how come I’ve never heard of them?” Crewel asked shrewdly.

“Doesn’t ring a bell to me either,” said Trey. Everyone else, even Riddle, agreed.

Minako came to a quick conclusion, “History forgot about them, didn’t they?”

Crowley nodded sadly. “Shortly after the family was eliminated, there seemed to be a mysterious force that made people slowly forget about the Moseleys. The few who still remember them and pass down their stories to every generation struggle to keep their history alive. It seemed that their efforts were usually all for naught when most forget about the Moseley history only mere minutes after hearing about them.”

“I don’t think I’m going to forget this conversation any time soon!” Cater gaped at the Headmaster.

“Me neither.” Ace’s pupils grew to the size of saucers.

“Perhaps nobody will anymore now that Ms. Nezumi is here.” Crowley beamed, dabbing the tears of joy from his eyes—practically the opposite of his sorrowful mood earlier. “There were rumours that one of Mr. Moseley’s children survived and was sent away for her safety. Never in my years did I think that she was supposedly sent to another world!”

The Hidden Mickeys. The ghost camera. The name, Nezumi. Heiress of the Mouse. The mouse symbols that followed her everywhere contained memories. Fragments of hers and Riddle’s souls, maybe even others’.

“Alright, but that still doesn’t explain how the family was cursed,” said Trey.

“I might have an answer to that. I have an inkling that the curse might be directly related to the family’s tragic demise.” Crowley appeared downhearted once more. “It all began when the Moseley brothers were looking for a treatment to blot without getting rid of one’s magic entirely.”

The room went silent for a moment. Minako had noticed how uncomfortable Crewel and Radcliffe had become when they either huddled or crossed their arms over their chests.

Minako was the one who broke the silence. “I’ve read about that in my book. They were experimenting with a medicine called ‘Paint and Thinner,’ right?”

“Did your book tell you how they died?” asked Riddle.

“Someone or something ripped the pages out, so no. And they were pages that probably would have given me the most vital information no less!” Minako bemoaned at how lacking the book was when it came to expanding on the most important topics. Her fruitless searching and leafing through the pages made her smash her head against her desk out of sheer frustration.

“Worry not. I’m among the few that still remembers.” Crowley puffed up his chest with pride.

“Hey, how old are you really?” Grim tilted his head at him.

“How rude!”

Crewel cleared his throat in annoyance. “The story, get on with it, if you will.”

“Right, yes! Something had gone amiss as the Moseley brothers conducted their experiments with the cure. A monster had materialized in their laboratory, which killed the family and perhaps many others. You may recall that monster from the Dwarf’s Mine that you encountered in the beginning of the year or that similar monster that appeared when Mr. Rosehearts overblotted.”

Minako gasped and Riddle flinched in his seat. The Crewel siblings looked more and more anxious.

“What’s this about a monster in the mine?” Cater sat up in his seat.

“I don’t want to talk about that right now.” Deuce paled.

“As I was saying,” Crowley interjected, “the monsters you saw are what we call phantoms or phantom blots made from the excess blot from the individual who overblotted.”

Ace was the next to raise a question. “Then if the phantoms are made out of one’s own blot, why did Riddle forcibly take Minako’s blot?”

“He what?!” Crewel bristled. Riddle visibly inched further away on the couch.

Minako ruminated on the phantoms for a moment. Both times she had faced a phantom blot, she felt fury and sorrow in an agonizingly physical way. It felt like the sun had died and there was no way to bring it back. It was like…

“We were linked together,” Minako suggested out loud. Everyone turned to look at her. She attempted to rationalize her claim, “I mean… my curse did react to both of the phantoms. Maybe I was carrying some of their build-up of blot.”

Radcliffe looked stumped. “Is that possible? Carrying someone else’s blot?”

“Well, with Ms. Nezumi’s otherworldly background, it could be.” The Headmaster shrugged.

“And the possibility of her inheriting two different magic systems could be connected to her affliction,” Crewel added. He sighed in exasperation and pushed his hair back. “Seven, this is stressful. I need a cigarette.”

“Chew on some gum. You need to find better stress relievers,” Radcliffe reprimanded him.

“Don’t tell me what to do. I’m older.”

Seemingly, everyone but Minako and Crowley were bewildered at the interaction. Maybe it was their first time seeing Crewel acting less than professional. Well, as professional as he can get since he compares his students to the likeness of untrained pups. Perhaps Minako’s many interactions with her professor made it easy for her to see how similar the Crewel siblings were to her own relationship with her siblings, mainly her sister.

She missed her family terribly. Minako sank back into her bed, trying to not let her sadness show.

“So, the monster is some sort of ghost in a way? A phantom.” Minako said in an attempt to distract herself from the negative. “That makes a lot of sense now as to why my Patronus can clear blot.”

Crewel’s sleek brows shot up. “What do you mean?”

Riddle locked eyes with Minako. “That light you summoned has to be your Unique Magic, right?”

“Unique Magic? The Patronus Charm is a difficult spell, but it isn’t Unique Magic,” Minako told him. “We don’t have Unique Magic where I’m from.”

“What?” Cater’s eyes grew wide. “Not even one little spell that only one person can use?”

“Not that I know of. There’s a rare skill here and there, but nothing that everyone else can’t learn how to do, just like the Patronus charm.”

“That reminds me,” Deuce spoke up. “Ace and I know that you’ve been struggling with that spell for a while up until earlier today. If blot doesn’t exist in your world, then how did you know that using your Patronus would do the trick against overblot?”

“I’m getting to that,” Minako said. “Let me start by saying that ghosts have a thing against our light spells.”

Grim’s ears perked up. “Is that why the ghosts back at our dorm get scared every time you use Lumos?”

“It is.” Minako felt bad about it, but how else was she going to get lights when the current lightbulbs were garbage? “Lumos, though, is nothing compared to other light spells. The Patronus is a powerful charm that takes skill and happy memories, primarily used to protect ourselves from a type of wraith that sucks out your souls called Dementors.”

Everyone in the room shuddered at that.

“That’s horrifying.” Trey’s face turned almost as green as his hair.

“Fortunately, they’re usually confined to guarding a prison that’s in the middle of a sea, which is why it’s rare to see them wander off to a Muggle city where I live.”

Minako did her best to tell everyone the story about the family curse without choking up. She started with how the curse showed its first signs when she was eleven. Then she told them about the worst summer of her life that began with her parents’ death. Her overwhelming grief had ended up creating an inky Dementor out of her built-up blot as she was sleeping. It was only with her sister’s Patronus did it go away.

Minako had meant to distract herself from her heartache, but she only managed to make it worse.

Reaching for her wand on the nightstand once she felt the curse marks sting her skin again, she calmed her nerves and said the words: “Expecto Patronum.” Then a mouse that was so very small materialized from the light of her wand and began scampering in the air. Four years ago, she wasn’t able to do something like this.

There were gasps, oohs, and ahhs. Some people’s eyes were filled with childlike wonder and amazement.

“Your eyes! They’ve changed!” Riddle pointed out.

“Yeah, they’ve being doing that lately,” Minako said. She relaxed when she felt the stings on her skin immediately disappear. “Depending on who you are, the Patronus will take shape based on a creature that best suits the caster. It could be anything from a mouse to a dragon.”

“I want a dragon Patronus!” Grim exclaimed.

“It’s so small. I can’t believe that thing defeated an overblot!” Cater gaped.

“I don’t suppose you know anyone that has a dog Patronus, do you?” Crewel’s eyes sparkled with glee.

“My sister. In fact, her Patronus looks like our late dog,” Minako said with a nostalgic smile.

“Then I’d like to meet this sister of yours some day.”

They spent the next hour going over any other questions they had on their minds. Some were answered, some not. By the time they were done, the sun had already gone down. Radcliffe had to shoo everyone but Grim out of the room so that Minako could rest. The two Mugglesworth students would be staying here for a while with the promise of a clean, refurbished dorm.

With that, Minako closed her eyes while her precious mouse of light made circles above her head.

◐ ━━━━━ ºoº Riddle ºoº ━━━━━ ◑

The restoration of the Rose Maze didn’t take much longer than a few days. Its immaculate, rosy glory called for another Unbirthday Party held just a week shy of Trappola’s birthday. Riddle, after all, owed it to his dorm for all the grief he’s given them. And he owed it to the Mugglesworth dorm leader too for all the pain she’s been put through.

Riddle did as Professor Crewel ordered him too and that was to make sure that his dorm members did not utter a word about Minako’s curse. Long overdue apologies were made a few nights ago when he gathered everyone into the courtroom and even so, there were a few who haven’t forgiven him. Some had even demanded to switch dorms.

Riddle resisted the urge to fall back into that belligerent, punishing conduct that he was used to. Old habits die hard. As calmly as he could, he announced that Minako’s condition should not be mentioned outside the walls of Heartslabyul.

“This goes to anyone who intends to switch dorms as well. Buy your freedom with your silence,” Riddle demanded in the courtroom that night. Of course, he wouldn’t be able to guarantee that one or two might not slip up. At this point, he wished to have a few NDAs at hand, but he figured that the severity of his reputation might be convincing enough.

It was ten to three in the afternoon right now, just ten minutes before the renewed Unbirthday Party. Riddle made some final adjustments to his pristine, perfect suit before he headed to the Tea Garden with his sceptre in hand. The vast array of sweets and tea must be set up nicely by now including his own homemade strawberry tart. His first time making a tart was satisfactory Riddle supposed, but there was an odd brownish colour in the pastry cream which he normally didn’t see in Trey’s tarts. Did he use too much of the special ingredient? He hoped that it still tasted alright despite that.

“The hedgehogs are still missing?” From afar Riddle could hear a conversation among two of his dorm members just outside the entrance to the Tea Garden.

“Slippery little demons. That girl went to find them in the Rose Maze.”

“By herself? Wouldn’t she get lost?”

Riddle was no fool. He knew that they were talking about Minako. He let out an exasperated sigh. The hedgehogs were missing and so was the guest of honour. It was a good thing that he knew the Rose Maze like the back of his hand.

The expanse of the Rose Maze took up more than half of Heartslabyul’s terrain with hedges that made twists. It could make someone go as mad as the land that the Queen of Hearts had sovereign over. Almost every nook and cranny was choked with rose trees all with white roses so that they may be painted for different occasions. It was a place that even the Queen of Hearts would be proud of, and it made Riddle feel a tad melancholic at his admittance that there were things that he preferred that she did not.

Riddle was far enough within the maze for most people to get lost when he made a sharp turn and at last spied Minako crouching in front of a pair of trees. Rather than the Heartslabyul dorm outfit, she donned a blue frock and a white pinafore apron. Next to her feet lay a basket of multicoloured hedgehogs that she managed to retrieve. Her back was turned to him and her arm was outstretched to something hidden in the shrubs.

“Come here, come here.” In Minako’s hand, she seemed to be holding out a morsel of dried insects.

A pink hedgehog shyly poked its head out of the greenery, its nose twitching at the scent of food. While seemingly hesitant at its first few steps, it quickly scampered up to Minako’s hand and dove in to indulge in the treats.

“Good hedgehog. Now, get in the basket— oh!” Unexpectedly, the hedgehog scurried up Minako’s arm before nestling itself on her shoulder. “That tickles!”

Truth be told, Riddle hadn’t really seen Minako much in the past few days as she was stuck in the private infirmary nursing a fever. With the heavy information that the Headmaster had laid out about the Moseleys and an otherworldly curse, Riddle hadn’t realized that he barely made any actual deserved apologies until hours after he left the room. Awfully out of character for him to forget something like that. Suddenly remembering that fact made him shoot up from his bed and immediately rush over to his desk to write down a formal apology. His chamber floor, usually so spick and span, became littered with wads of papers after a long night of finding the right words to say.

Riddle’s mind kept going back to the handwritten words on the stationery paper. Maybe he should have gone over it one more time before he decided to head out.

His second thoughts were soon cut short for Minako had already caught on to his presence. She pivoted on her heels to face him. Her magic camera that hung from her neck swung a little as she did. “Riddle?”

“Minako?!” Riddle jolted in surprise. Her name on his lips still felt foreign to him. He cleared his throat and composed himself before he calmly approached her. “I heard from the others that you went to go find the hedgehogs.”

“I did. Seven of them escaped, but they’re all here safe and sound.” Minako picked up the basket, presenting to him the six other hedgehogs laid on a white cloth. The last and seventh hedgehog remained perched on her shoulder, snuggling against her hair.

“Did you go to find them by yourself? In the Rose Maze?”

“It was no problem. Everyone else was busy.”

“What if you got lost?”

Minako reached into one of the hidden pockets of her frock and pulled out her infamous ebony wand. “I promised to send them a signal once I was done.” Then she put it away. “How are you feeling? You know? After your overblot? I never got to ask you that a few days ago.”

“I’m fine, thank you,” Riddle replied, not daring to make himself look vulnerable again. “And you?”

“All good.” Minako gave him a thumbs up. “Unfortunately, my dorm is being renovated, so my stay in the private infirmary will be extended.”

“I see. Well, if you’re done gathering the hedgehogs, then I suppose that I’ll be the one guiding you out of the maze.” Riddle bent his free arm at the elbow and offered it to her.

Minako took a step back, seemingly caught off guard. The hesitance didn’t at all surprise Riddle when their relationship was mostly hostile up until the overblot incident.

“That’s kind of you. Thanks.” Minako appreciatively slipped her hand into the crook of his arm anyway. She checked and double-checked that every hedgehog was securely obtained in the basket and on her shoulder right before they headed off.

“Next time, don’t wander off into the Rose Maze on your own without a companion from Heartslabyul. Since you’re not familiar with this place, it’s easy to get lost here,” Riddle cautioned her.

“Right, sorry,” Minako said sheepishly. “I tend to get ahead of myself when it comes to animals and magical creatures alike.”

Riddle did hear from Cater that she was fond of animals, hence she was against playing croquet using the flamingos and hedgehogs.

“Did the hedgehogs give you trouble?” he asked.

“Oh no. They were such dearies that I could almost say that they practically brought themselves over to me. Almost.” Minako beamed, smiling from ear-to-ear.

Riddle looked down at the hedgehogs that were languidly resting in the basket. They seemed so docile and compliant, especially the pink one riding on Minako’s shoulder.

“The hedgehogs usually don’t take to new people very quickly, and they have a penchant for mischief too,” said Riddle. “But if they listened to you that easily then perhaps the Dean was right when he said that you are a talented beast tamer.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I’m studying to become a Magizoologist, and it’s an essential part of the job to be good with animals.”

“Magizoo… what?” Riddle quirked a brow.

“A Magizoologist,” Minako corrected him. “A witch or wizard who has a job in studying and caring for magical creatures.”

That explained why she could handle the hedgehogs so well. Magical creatures, big and small, were a lot harder to handle than regular animals.

Wait, this isn’t about animals. He came looking for her for another reason.

“I’m sorry,” Riddle blurted out.

Minako’s head snapped up to look at him. “What?”

“I’m sorry,” Riddle repeated. “How I’ve treated you was atrocious. I’ve been nothing but antagonistic towards you, I’ve made cruel assumptions about your family, and even physically harmed you in my rampage. Even after all that, you still had the decency to save me.”

“You weren’t really in control of yourself when you overblotted. And I had the cure, so I had to help. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t.”

“You could have used your newly awakened magical ability to save yourself, but instead you used it on me.”

“Trust me, I did us both a favour by aiming for you,” Minako excused. “And I did absorb some of my Patronus’ healing properties, just not as much as you did.”

“You still wound up getting sicker in the end.” Riddle suppressed a gag remembering how she puked out the leftover remains of blot.

He hadn’t told this to anyone, not even to Trey, but the memories of his overblot had come rushing back to him a couple of nights ago. Flashes of mahogany skies and screams of terror haunted his dreams. What was worse was that one image that he remembered so vividly was having Minako struggling in his grasp as the wounds of her curse festered with ink and dark energy. He recalled how good it felt at the time to feel her magic right in his hands. She was overflowing with rich power, and that was all it took for Riddle to push aside any rational thought he had left in favour of absorbing the magic that her curse provided.

The possibility of Minako inheriting two magic systems was becoming more and more true by the day. Her power was a thing to be coveted indeed. It should never fall into the wrong hands.

They were silent for a moment as they walked. It wasn’t until they made another turn that Riddle broke the silence again.

“What were your parents like?”

“Huh?” Again, Minako was surprised.

“I’ve made some unfair assumptions about your family and your upbringing. I think it's only fair that I know what they’re actually like.”

“Uh…” Minako looked reluctant.

“Well, I mean, if you’re comfortable sharing that.” Riddle didn’t mean to sound like he was prying. How everyone else’s childhood was like never really piqued his interest until he was confronted with his mother’s actions. He knew that neither Trey nor Che’nya were brought up in the same way as he was and yet, they seemed quite content with their lives.

Then Riddle suddenly remembered the two coffins and a young Minako running away from the gloomy scene of a burial.

“Perhaps that was insensitive of me to ask,” Riddle said sheepishly. “Again, I apologize.”

“No, no, I get it. You’re curious, right?” Minako reassured him. “I don’t mind talking about my parents. I’d actually like to.”

Riddle blinked at her. “Really?”

“Really.” Minako gave him a warm smile, her brown eyes twinkling. “Who do you want to start with?”

“Your mother.” Obviously.

“My mother, huh?” Minako pondered on that for a moment, still smiling. “If I were to describe her with one word, I’d say that she was fearless. She never seemed to be afraid of anyone or anything. Even though she’s a Muggle, she’d never let a single witch or wizard push us around.”

“Muggle?” A new word that Riddle has never heard of.

“That is, a magicless human. We have different terms for different blood classes. My siblings and I are Muggle-borns, meaning that we’re magical but both of our parents are magicless.”

With terms like that, Riddle inferred that the social divide among mages might be bigger in Minako’s world than here. He had to ask about that another time.

Riddle led her down another curved path in the maze. “And your father? What was he like?”

“Gentle and intelligent, I would say. Whenever I think of him, I think of warm hugs and adventures in the woods.”

Riddle can’t say much about his own father. His relationship with him was rather distant.

Minako leaned closer to him. “Sorry, is all of this bringing you down?”

“I was the one who asked about your parents. I only have myself to blame.”

“Hey.” Minako gave his arm a slight squeeze. “Families don’t always have to be the people you’re related to. The friends who’ve been there for you count as family.”

My friends? Trey, Che’nya, Cater… What a saccharine thing to say.

Riddle could almost laugh. “Do you realize how nauseating your words sounded just now? That isn’t what Night Raven students would normally say.”

“You say that my words are nauseating, and yet you’re the one who’s smiling.”

“This isn’t a smile. This is a smirk because of how naive you are.”

“Nuh-uh! That’s a bona fide smile!”

Riddle only turned his head away in defiance. He’ll admit that he was smiling, but he won’t give Minako the satisfaction of confirming it. His gaze ever so slightly shifted down to Minako’s face. There was a natural rosy hue to her cheeks that he hadn’t noticed before. Perhaps it was because he was used to seeing her face becoming white with fear or sickness. Her hair was done up neatly too with baby blue ribbons and a headband to match her frock. And was she wearing lip gloss?

She looked rather pretty.

Riddle shook the thought out of his head immediately and moved on. “Oh look, the exit is just over there.”

Minako immediately let the previous topic go and looked ahead. “Oh, so it is. What time is it, anyway? I hope we aren’t too late.”

Rats. I forgot about that. Riddle checked the time on his watch that was tucked away under his sleeve.

Two fifty-seven. Three minutes before the Unbirthday Party begins.

“I guess we will have to walk in together,” Riddle said as they finally left the maze and headed towards the Tea Garden. He then quickly corrected himself, “as friends, I mean. Don’t get the wrong idea.”

“What else would we look like other than friends?” Minako raised a brow at him, genuinely confused.

Riddle connected the dots. She’s dense as a brick wall.

He wasn’t blind to the many boys who have taken an interest in Minako. Many of his own dorm members expressed their own interest in her through hushed whispers, and it only became louder and more frequent in the aftermath of his overblot. Riddle predicted that as soon as she entered the Tea Garden, she would be bombarded with an onslaught of boys kissing up to her in whatever way possible. He could only hope that his dorm members would have the decency to behave themselves for their own sake and Minako’s.

A girl at an all-boys school can be a dangerous situation.

“Minako, listen to me.” Riddle’s face turned serious as they stopped just by the Tea Garden’s entrance. “Don’t hesitate at all to call for my help if you’re being harassed, especially if the perpetrators are from my own dorm. Don’t hesitate to get help from Trey or Cater either.”

“Where’s this coming from? And I thought that looking out for others wasn’t the Night Raven way.”

“It’s true that we’re not the most dogmatic individuals, but as a dorm leader and your senior, I still have an example to set. You’re an honorary member of Heartslabyul now. Don’t forget that.”

Minako placed her hand over her heart and her cheeks grew pinker. “I don’t know what to say.”

Riddle straightened his posture. “Look alive and compose yourself. The party is about to begin.”

The double doors opened with a click, and they walked in with their arms still linked. The familiar sound of the heralding trumpet rang across the garden.

“All rise for his majesty! The Crimson Queen! Dorm Leader Riddle!”

“Dorm Leader Riddle, hip, hip, hooray!”

Riddle smiled to himself and observed the area. As tradition goes, he recited his list out loud. “The roses are scarlet red, and the tablecloths are a pristine white. Truly, a perfect Unbirthday Party. Is there a mouse sleeping in the teapo— I suppose that doesn’t really matter.”

Trey stood by right next to him with a friendly smile as usual. “Change is nice every once in a while, but not everything has to change right away. Try spreading some jam on the scones instead of the dormouse’s nose this time.”

Scones and strawberry jam sounded delicious right now.

“Think of change as ‘it would be nice to have’ rather than ‘it’s hopeless without it,’” Minako suggested as she handed the basket of hedgehogs off to someone else.

“I guess that notion does sound nice.” Riddle resisted the urge to laugh when Minako struggled to pry the pink hedgehog from her shoulder.

“Mini-chan! Thanks for getting the hedgehogs back. What would we do without your beast taming skills?” Cater made his presence known and stood close to Minako. Seeing as he was the most shameless flirt towards her, he must have grown protective of Minako when the number of her admirers increased.

“I think my skills worked a little too well.” Minako tried removing the hedgehog again. Its grip was surprisingly strong, but then she finally wins the tug-a-war and detached the hedgehog’s paws from her apron.

Riddle frowned and folded his arms over his chest. “Next time, don’t send her off to the Rose Maze on her own. You’re lucky that I went to go find her when I heard that she went to collect the hedgehogs.”

“I wasn’t in any real trouble. I told you that I’d send a signal,” Minako told him.

“Yada, yada, yada. Are we going to eat or what?” Grim shouted impatiently from his table with Trappola and Spade before Minako reprimanded him for being rude.

Cater bounced on his feet. “Ok! Let’s get this party started—”

“Hold on a minute.” Riddle spied something off colour among the bushes. “Those roses are still white.”

A collective gasp came from everyone at the party.

“What? We missed a few?” Ace became white as a sheet.

Cater began fumbling for the right words. “A-Ace, Deuce, I thought you said you painted them all!”

“You’re blaming us?” Deuce exclaimed.

“R-Riddle, we can explain…” Trey was stumbling for an excuse himself.

Minako looked at him with pleading eyes. “Please, let this slide!”

“Pfft.” Riddle couldn’t hold it anymore. Got them. He found himself smiling. “Just kidding. One or two missed roses doesn’t warrant a harsh punishment.”

Then a sigh of relief swept through the garden.

“Riddle, that’s so kind of you!” Cater beamed at him.

“We can get those roses done in no time if we did it together,” Riddle quickly added. This was an Unbirthday Party after all. Unbirthdays called for red roses.

“So, he still wants us to paint them.” Ace’s shoulders drooped.

“Still, it’s a good step forward. I’m proud of you, Riddle.” Trey patted Riddle affectionately on the shoulder. “By the way, when was the last time you painted the roses?”

“Can’t say that I remember.” Riddle shrugged. It had been a long time. Painting the roses was usually not the dorm leader’s job.

“Let’s get painting then! I want to start eating soon!” said Grim. Impatient little cat.

“I can take care of those roses for you instead.” Minako deftly twirled her wand in her hand and pointed it towards the unpainted roses. She murmured a spell in a language that Riddle did not understand, and in an instant, the white roses became a vibrant red.

Now, it was an Unbirthday Party.

◐ ━━━━━ ºoº Minako ºoº ━━━━━ ◑

Heartslabyul’s garden looked so much grander and more beautiful than it was before. Maybe it was the new atmosphere that made it look and feel different. Anyway, it felt so good to be out of that infirmary for some fresh air, especially when it was beginning to feel like her lonely one-person dorm in the Slytherin Common Room.

Just as Minako went to grab a biscuit from a platter, she felt a pair of eyes boring into her. She turned and found Ace staring her down with a pout that was further accentuated by resting his cheek on his fist.

“So, why were you and the dorm leader holding hands when you came in?” Ace sounded irked at her.

“He helped me out of the Rose Maze. You know that,” Minako replied.

“Yeah, but did you really have to hold on to him? You didn’t trip and get hurt, did you?”

“No, I did not.” Now, Minako was the one feeling irked. She held hands with her friends all the time. What was the big deal?

“Ignore him,” Deuce inserted himself into the conversation. “Ace is just pissed because everyone kept asking us if you were single.”

Minako’s annoyance left her altogether in place of confusion. “Why would they want to know if I was single?”

Ace snorted humorlessly. “So smart, yet so dumb.”

Minako scowled, crossed her arms, and jerked her head away with her signature, “Hmph!” Ace sure picked a bad time to be a complete arse today.

“Riddle, what do you think of the outfit that I picked out for Minako?” Cater suddenly brought up.

Riddle’s head snapped up from his teacup to take a good look at Minako. “It’s nice. I think it suits her.”

“Doesn’t it?” Cater was all smiles. “I thought that it was fitting that she would be our Alice for the day since she is from another world and our guest of honour.”

“The card symbols on her apron are a nice touch,” Riddle commented.

“You really get my style, Cater. It’s a cute frock,” Minako added. Although, she will admit that the large petticoat made it a little difficult for her to sit down.

As the party continued, Minako found herself being a tad overwhelmed by the politeness of the Heartslabyul students. Despite how often it was emphasized that NRC students weren’t the nicest lot, it seemed that the Victorian era manners of when Alice in Wonderland was written still ingrained themselves within the boys all around her. Left and right came several offers of tea and homemade sweets that she received. It became too much that she didn’t know when to find room to ask them all to stop. Thankfully, Riddle was the one to scold them all to back away.

“Great Seven, it’s started.” Riddle pinched his brow.

“What’s started?” Minako downed her third helping of Earl Grey tea with extra milk and sugar.

Riddle simply sent her a sly smile and said, “Oh, nothing.”

Minako frowned. It seemed that her new friends had some similarities to her friends back at home—always leaving her clueless whenever she didn’t get something. She usually ended up feeling like the baby of the group.

Riddle picked up a pumpkin-shaped pastry and observed it before taking a small bite from it. “Interesting pastry. Is this a new recipe of yours, Trey?”

“Nope, those are Minako’s,” Trey said.

“They’re called pumpkin pasties. They sell them all the time during the train ride on the way to my other school.” Minako took a pasty for herself. “It’s a good thing Sam had just started to sell some pumpkins.”

“They’re great with hot cocoa!” Grim could attest to that since he almost raided her stash after getting a taste of three of her pasties from the batch she baked.

“It’s sweet enough, and it has a pleasant spice to it,” Riddle’s compliment made Minako’s cheeks heat up.

“Fall is fast approaching, so these are perfect for the season,” said Trey.

“Speaking of treats, what about that tart you promised, dorm leader?” Ace drawled.

“I-I baked it all by myself like we promised.” Riddle dragged over a cake stand to the centre of the table with a rather decent-looking tart sitting on top of it.

What’s going on with the colour of the cream? Minako thought.

Trey observed the tart himself. “Not bad. The circular shape could use some work, but you made good use of the nappage and really made the strawberries shine.”

“Let’s see if it tastes as good as it looks before you start doting on him again,” Ace countered playfully.

“Hold that knife! We need to immortalize this first on Magicam.” Cater snapped two pictures of the tart. After the quick photoshoot, the tart was divided equally among them.

“Let’s dig in already!” Grim stabbed his fork right through the strawberries and all the way to the bottom crust of his slice.

Everyone did the same and so did Minako. But before Minako could shove her fork into her mouth, her very sensitive nose (fostered by being a master at potions, and therefore gaining the ability of identifying different ingredients by their smell) picked up a briny scent from the pastry cream. Nobody but her had picked up on it for they had already gotten a taste of their own tart slices much to their regret.

“What the…” Ace froze.

Trey dropped his fork, and it clattered on his plate. “It’s so…”

“SALTY!”

“What?!” Riddle squawked, looking down at his own piece of the tart in shock.

“Ugh! Ack! Did you— did you put an entire salt lick in this thing?” Ace coughed.

“I did everything by the book! Not a single one of the measurements was incorrect!” Riddle protested before his expression faltered at some kind of realization. “Unless… ah! Did I put too much oyster sauce in it?”

Oh, that explained everything.

Deuce chugged down a glass of water, sputtering a little before speaking. “Are you talking about Trey’s joke about the walrus brand oyster sauce?”

“Joke? But Trey said that oyster sauce is the secret ingredient of all famous bakers for making tarts!”

“And you actually believed that?” Ace threw away the napkin he had been using to scrub the taste off of his tongue.

“You fell for it too, Ace. It was clear that he was pulling your pisser,” Minako rebuffed him. She began pressing the cream of her slice of the tart into a paste with her fork, unsure what to do with a bad-tasting tart. She hated wasting food, but she also hated eating bad food. Decisions, decisions.

“Maybe just a teaspoon wouldn’t make much of a difference in the taste. Just how much oyster sauce did you add?” asked Cater.

Riddle turned red with embarrassment. “It wasn’t a part of the recipe, so I couldn’t find any set measurements for it.”

“You used the entire bottle, didn’t you?” Minako deadpanned. After coming to a conclusion about what to do about this tart, she decided that it wasn’t worth eating it at all even for frugality’s sake. Maybe she can use it to make a compost for a vegetable garden.

“Oh, my stomach hurts!” Trey wiped away a mirthful tear from his eye as a result of his uncontrollable laughter. “I can’t believe you actually fell for it!”

Rather than getting angry, Riddle began laughing along with him. He actually looked adorable when he smiled. “It is quite funny. Silly me.”

“It’s so awful, but I can’t stop smiling,” Deuce chuckled. Ace was next to join in on the laughter.

Grim took another bite of the tart and experimentally smacked his lips. “It’s not that bad once you get used to the taste.”

“Says the one who ate another black rock while we were cleaning the Rose Maze,” Ace retorted.

“What?” Minako went rigid. “Grim ate another what?”

“Shut up, Ace!” Grim screeched, but it was too late. The information had already passed Minako’s ears and from the look of Grim’s bristling fur, she knew that he was guilty.

“You know, Grim’s right.” Cater unknowingly defused the situation. Much to everyone’s surprise, he put a forkful of the salty tart in his mouth. “It’s an acquired taste, but this tart isn’t half bad.”

“You’re kidding, right? You know that Grim just eats things he finds on the ground.” Deuce looked at Cater as if he grew another head.

“Listen, it doesn’t taste amazing. It’s just not all that bad.”

“It’s okay to you because you’re not a big fan of sweets,” Trey pointed out.

Cater froze in his seat at that statement.

“It’s alright, Cater. I know you hate sweet things,” Trey told him bluntly.

Minako recalled their baking session that happened a week ago. Cater only really ate the crust part of the mont blanc up until Trey’s Doodle Suit masked the taste.

Cater’s shoulders slumped in defeat. “You got me. What gave it away? I’ve never told anyone about that.”

“You keep casually bringing up my Doodle Suit whenever we have sweets just so you could get me to change the flavour to a savoury dish. You kept it hidden well enough, though.”

“I’ve been exposed! So embarrassing.” Cater dramatically feigned dismay. “You know, Trey, you should know by now that keeping quiet when you know something is wrong isn’t that great of a habit.”

Trey laughed. “I’ll make you a quiche for the next Unbirthday Party. Sound good?”

“Yes! Just make sure it looks as photogenic as your tarts and cakes.”

There was a light-hearted hum coming from above as Minako munched on a biscuit. Although she may have only met him once, the mischievous lilt in the tune was almost unmistakable. Minako was correct on her assumptions when Che’nya’s bodyless head materialized next to their table. His invisible hand made it look like a biscuit had floated up to his mouth to take a bite out of it.

“Mm! Your sweets are as purr-fect as ever, Trey.” Che’nya happily plucked another sweet from the plate as the rest of his body appeared.

“Hi Che’nya,” Minako greeted him politely.

“Hello, purr-tty mouse.”

“Che’nya! What are you doing here?” Riddle stood up from his seat. Minako had almost forgotten that he and Trey knew Che’nya since they were children.

“To celebrate a very Merry Unbirthday with you all, of course!”

“This is a Heartslabyul tradition. My dorm members might get hostile once they see you.”

Hostile? Is the rest of Heartslabyul just as strict on who gets to come to their Unbirthday Party?

“What about those two then?” Che’nya pointed over to Minako and Grim.

“You’re that hocus pocus cat-boy with all those cat puns!” Grim pointed a paw at him back. “You never even told us which dorm you’re from.”

“Che’nya doesn’t even attend Night Raven College,” said Trey. “He’s from the rival school, Royal Sword Academy.”

Minako stopped and dropped a biscuit in shock. Something about that name sounded familiar, and she didn’t know why.

“You’re kidding right?!” Deuce gaped.

“Freaking Royal Sword Academy?! The one with those flowery princes?” Ace added.

“Princes?” Minako muttered. So, Royal Sword Academy was the heroic antithesis of the villainous Night Raven College? She imagined handsome boys sitting up high on mighty steeds and swords sheathed at their hips—quintessential fairy tale princes.

“Did someone say Royal Sword Academy?” One of the students from a far off table was within earshot of the conversation.

“He’s one of those perfume posies?!” Another student stood up so quickly in his rage that his teacup spilled and stained the tablecloth in brown.

“Let’s get him! We’ll give him what for!”

“Oopsies! Time for meow to go. I’ve already had my fill!” Che’nya didn’t miss a beat, keeping up his cheeky front even when he was about to be ambushed. All at once, his body vanished into thin air, his humming becoming more and more distant as he left.

The riled up students were far too late to even catch up to him. Like chickens, their heads turned left and right trying to find any signs of that grinning Cheshire Cat even after he had disappeared.

“Damn it! He’s gone!”

“He could still be here! Don’t let him get away!”

With that, the party had become a few students short when the boys ran out of the Tea Garden.

“Sheesh! They sure have it out for him,” Grim said.

“To most of NRC, RSA is our prime enemy. Night Raven’s students tend to fly into a frenzy at any mention of Royal Sword Academy.” Riddle sounded vexed with how his dorm members just up and left the party.

Trey looked just as exasperated but somewhat understanding. “After a whole century straight of losing to them, how can anyone be surprised?”

An entire century?! That would piss Minako off for sure if she went up against her own rivals.

“Aw come on! No more sad talk. This is supposed to be a fun time,” Cater soothed. His smile was so infectious that not even Riddle or Trey could resist grinning from ear-to-ear.

“Alright! I’m going to eat until my tummy blows up!” Grim dove in for a large slice of cake.

Minako relaxed and leaned back in her chair. Her first two weeks in Twisted Wonderland were fraught with constant stress that it nearly made her turn grey. Not to mention how the new revelations of her ancestry made her lose so many hours of sleep just by thinking about it. She was never a party person, but the Unbirthday Party was exactly what she needed right now.

Royal Sword Academy. Where have I heard that before? An intrusive thought crossed Minako’s mind. She quickly shook the thought away and helped herself to another pumpkin pasty. She should be relaxing right now.

◐ ━━━━━ ºoº Flor ºoº ━━━━━ ◑

This was her fourth cup of coffee today. Flordeliza, or Flor as she prefers, didn’t normally fall back onto an unhealthy amount of caffeine, but she hadn’t been sleeping too well in since the school year began. As a creature of habit, she had yet to get used to her little sister going away to a new school in a different world for Merlin’s sake!

Flor found herself wandering around the house, empty cup in hand. She stopped below the attic door that was riddled with black marks of the family curse whenever traces of its destructive power would seep through the many protective charms that were cast on it. She pulled down the string, and the ladder glided open like a tongue hanging from its mouth.

Minako was not here at the moment to accidentally unleash the curse on her, so it was safe to step inside her room for a bit.

Flor climbed up the steps and took a small peak. Everything was kept the same as it was since Minako left. It was neat and tidy but missing half of her valuables because she had taken them with her to that new school. Then her eyes landed on the ornate mirror hanging on the wall.

Who would have guessed that the family heirloom was a gateway to another world? A world that had answers to the family curse. Flor had half a mind to go there herself to accompany Minako, but she had a wife to take care of and a promise to keep that she would not baby her sister too much.

She gave the mirror one more tentative glance, and she stepped down the ladder. Any more time spent there, she might just lose it and jump in to find Minako.

Headmaster Ambrose, please take care of her.

◐ ━━━━━ ºoº ━━━━━ ◑

Bonus; earlier in the private infirmary:

◐ ━━━━━ ºoº ━━━━━ ◑

Notes:

*Osvaldo Faustus—Twisted from Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Mickey's predecessor and brother according to the Epic Mickey lore. The surname Faustus means "fortunate" or "lucky." Michael and Osvaldo have the same father but have different mothers, and out of respect, they prefer to use their mothers' surnames. However, the public often refers to them as the Moseley brothers because Michael is more famous or the D'Isigny brothers, which is their father's surname.

Heartslabyul arc is finally over! Next will be just a brief intermission before we head off to the Savanaclaw arc. On another note, I can't wait to write more scenes with Riddle and Minako. I honestly love the mentor and mentee dynamic that they have right now with a slight romantic tension.

Hope to see you soon in the next chapter! Bye!

Also, here are some of the concepts I went through with Minako's Unbirthday frock if you're interested. Most people preferred the middle concept.

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