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#rev inspired me 2 draw him in the shorts!!!! thank you rev!!!!!!!
orbswizard · 3 years
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it got the funny shorts no way!!!
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braunbakery · 3 years
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meet me at our spot (2)
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☞ eren jaeger x reader [fem bodied] [chapter word count: 2k]
☞ sfw, fluff, mild angst, modern au, short fic, other characters present
fic plot: before high school, you and eren were best friends. after high school, you and eren are strangers still grasping at those same past threads.
inspired by meet me at our spot by the anxiety
prev. next
2. something’s got ahold of me
a once-off conversation is just that - once-off. so you try to convince yourself there’s no point in dwelling on seeing eren yesterday, or dwelling on how he helped you sit back up, or how he smiled at you before he left. there’s no point. it was just a coincidence, a fluke.
eren has an entire group of friends. armin and mikasa, who you’ve shared a couple classes with and known since they were young. jean kirstein, who’s guts eren swore he hated back in the first couple days of freshman year. connie and sasha, who you know of course because of the commotion that always seems to follow them. he sees them everyday, and he only said he’d see you around as a courtesy.
you repeat this as a mantra over and over in your head, trying to distract yourself from looking up every few seconds the wind causes the leaves outside the treehouse to rustle and the small voice in your head that hopes it’s eren.
you sit cross-legged on the floorboards, pulling out more weird trinkets and drawings from years ago and placing them in a plastic bag to the side. now you know there’s not really any chance of being interrupted by eren again, of being rendered speechless when you’re just trying to get your shit and go (so why does your chest keep sinking whenever you swear that you can hear someone come up the ladder only to be met with an empty doorway?)
at some point you start to get sick of yourself, keeping your head focused on the box in your lap and shoving whatever even seems remotely yours into the plastic bag. so when you hear what distantly sounds like footsteps again, you don’t look up.
“hey,” a voice speaks, and your head lurches up from your hunched over position. it’s eren, hand on the frame of the doorway and peering into the wooden room.
“hi,” you practically squeak out. eren steps in.
“you back again?”
“yeah,” you say, “i still have…some stuff.”
you wonder if knows that’s as soon as he left yesterday you got out of here.
eren leans down and picks up the photo album from yesterday off of the floor, “you want this?”
“oh, you can keep it if you want.”
eren walks closer to you and sits down next to you. he doesn’t seem to notice you watching him carefully, “nah, i remember it was your idea, right?”
“yeah,” you hesitantly confirm, “but theyre our photographs.”
you notice eren freeze and you regret saying that because now he’s looking at you in a way…in a way that makes you feel like he only ever looks at you like that.
“this is one weird custody battle,” eren jokes before putting the photo album back down and grabbing the box in your lap.
“hey!” you exclaim, shoving his arm, “i was literally looking through that.”
“yeah,” eren offers you a shit-eating grin, “and now i am.”
“how are you still so annoying?”
“and how are you still so easy to annoy?” eren moves his face closer to yours.
you feel blood rush to your face and mumble sheepishly, “shut up.”
and with that, eren seems satisfied enough to let you balance the box halfway on his lap and the other half on yours, both of you rummaging through clutter silently as an excuse to sit for a little longer.
you hear an engine rev after eren does and only when you look at him do you realise hes stood up and is practically hanging out of the treehouse in an attempt to peer down at his drive way.
“oh,” he says, and you wonder if it’s more so to himself than to you, “it’s reiner.” it seems dumb, but you only realise he’s speaking to you when he turns back to you like he’s waiting for a response. you’re not really used to all this talking with him. like…talking personally to you and not the you that walks past him every once in a while.
“right.”
“him and a few of the others are coming over to hangout.”
“right,” you start anticipating him bidding you goodbye and climbing back down the ladder, but the goodbye never comes and he still stands over you like he’s deep in thought.
“do you…wanna come?” eren sounds out, like he’s testing out how the syllables feel on his lips.
“…what?” what the hell is he talking about?
“to hang out,” eren says carefully, eyes flicking back and forth between yours, “with us.” he adds.
with eren’s friends? you don’t want to be possessive or weirdly resentful but the first thought you have is that he’s inviting you to sit with the people that he prefers. you have to mentally slap yourself to remember that drifting away is normal, and they’re all probably really nice. and it was four fucking years ago. and you don’t stay friends with the people you knew when you were 8.
“oh…are you sure?” you ask. eren shifts from one foot to the other before taking another step towards you. the box in your lap feels like it’s slipping from your grasp.
“yeah, why not?” he says, and he must notice how he doesn’t sound very convinced of himself either when he watches your eyes droop because he’s quickly interjecting before you can say anything back, “it’ll be fun. come on.”
his hand extends out to you. you want to slap his hand away and tease him, say you don’t need his help, that you’re not an old lady, but your palm is already meeting his and you can already feel calloused fingers over your skin and him pulling you up to stand in front of him.
the short journey between the treehouse to eren’s kitchen is a blur, and saying hi to reiner and who he brought with him (bertolt, you think. as well as connie and jean) is even blurrier, because all of a sudden you find yourself seated on one of the stools in eren’s kitchen and absentmindedly listening to whatever the hell they’re talking about.
you appreciate how eren spares you a glance every once in a while, offering you a close mouthed smile like you haven’t not been in this house since you were 14.
“hey, eren,” reiners voice bellows from the front of the house and you hear him unlock the front door. the look you and eren are sharing is cut short by reiner, “armin, mikasa and sasha are here.”
“‘kay,” eren responds even though the three new visitors are already waltzing into the living room. you’re still frozen in place. you don’t even remember the last thing you said.
“guys, this is my - sasha get out of the fridge - my neigh–” eren tries to start, but sasha is suddenly barreling towards your seat at the kitchen island.
“hi! you’re in my bio class, right?!” sasha excitedly asks you, practically jumping on the spot.
“you mean she was, sasha. we’re not in high school anymore,” connie calls out from behind her. sasha rolls her eyes.
“it’s so nice to see you!”
“thanks…it’s nice to see you too.”
“you’re scaring the girl, sasha,” jean comments before deciding to grab something from the fridge himself. sasha immediately follows after him. you lock eyes with eren again and you realise he had already been watching you.
“hi,” a soft voice greets you, and suddenly mikasa is standing by your seat, “nice to see you again.”
“yeah, it’s been forever,” armin adds from beside her.
“you guys know each other too?” reiner asks from across the room, leaning on one of the kitchen counters next to eren.
“from when we were kids,” you say, flitting your eyes to eren only to find that he’s looking at you again. you want him to stop so you don’t have to focus so hard on speaking anymore, but you want him to keep doing it because it’s nice to know that he’s still knows you’re here. which sounds pathetic but, eren’s got such a big group of friends that sometimes you think it was kind of inevitable that he slowly drifted away from you.
“we all kinda knew each other before high school, reiner,” armin explains, sparing you another smile.
“you and bertolt literally transferred in halfway through freshman year, how do you not know this?” jean calls over to reiner.
“just slipped my mind i guess.”
“he was too busy trying not to be mistaken for a senior,” connie jokes. the room laughs. you try to.
“don’t you mean a security guard?” jean adds. everyone laughs again. you didn’t really spend that much time looking at the two boys when they had transferred, so the joke is kind of lost on you, but you smile along anyways.
“ha-ha, very funny,” reiner sarcastically retorts, “don’t know why you’re laughing, bertolt. think someone mistook you for someone’s dad once.” another eruption of laughter.
you really don’t wanna start feeling out of place (well, more out of place than you did before) but when everyone starts shooting jokes and comments across the room at each other, it gets harder and harder to stretch out a smile over your face at each one. and it gets harder and harder to look up and eren, to watch him laugh along with everyone or have him lock eyes with you again, until you’re all together just staring at your lap.
you think…you think it’s time for you to go.
eren stands at the corner of his kitchen, still leaning against his counter, so you carefully slip out of the stool and make your way towards him, wanting to try your utmost best to make this exchange as short as possible before you go back home.
“i think i’m gonna go,” you say to him quietly, awkwardly staring anywhere other than his face.
“hm?” eren is cut out of the lively conversation with his friends and is looking back at you, lips parted momentarily as his tries to figure out what you said. he takes a step closer towards you and your heart skips a beat, “wait–“
you cut him off, trying to get out of there before you’re reminded even more of how you just faded away from eren’s life, “thanks for inviting me.”
you quickly whisk yourself away to the front door before eren can say anything more, not trying to deal with any more of what always seems like general politeness to you. just as you’re about to step out of the front door, a hand wraps around your wrist when you let go of the door handle and you turn around to be met with eren behind you, looking just as shocked with himself are you are.
“uh…” eren’s gaze shifts between your eyes repeatedly, “is everything okay?”
you look down at his hand around your wrist and back up at him, “yeah. just tired.” you feel his grip loosen but he still doesn’t let go, and a part of you isn’t ready for him to.
“see you around?” he echoes what seems to be his catchphrase. you nod your head in a way that you know isn’t as enthusiastic as what he might like to see. he’s just being polite. today was another coincidence, another fluke, and he isn’t actually going to want to make any effort to see you again. even if you’re just next door. he hasn’t for the past four years.
“yeah,” you quietly respond, slipping your wrist out of his grasp. you can still faintly hear chatter from inside the house. eren watches as you trod down the front steps to his house and make your way back over to your own, the back of your head never turning even just for a second to look back at him.
eren doesn’t like regrets. he doesn’t like wasting time on them, he doesn’t like how they make him feel like he should be in a rush to do something that he’s not even sure of (that he can’t even take back). but as he watches you leave his house, he thinks that if there’s one thing he’d let himself regret, it’d be not realizing he’d fallen away from you before it was too late.
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taglist;
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wheremytwinwatches · 4 years
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[Where My Twin Watches]: Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood Episode 44
Last time: Doctor Marcoh broke the Hippocratic Oath, Envy chose the worst possible host, and a Central Officer showed Armstrong the Great his collection of action figures. Onwards!
Episode 44 - “Revving at Full Throttle” Oh heck yeah, we’re starting at the family reunion in Liore! Camera shows the radio fixed by the Elric Brothers way back when. [Beard]: “It’s been a long time, huh Al?” [Al]: “Yeah.” *awkwardness intensifies* [Beard]: “So, uh… I saw Pinako recently.” *Rose is standing off to the side, probably wondering about this ‘Pinako’ character her new boyfriend is talking about* [Beard]: “She told me about your body.” *awkwardness intensifies* *awkwardness intensifies* *awkwardness intensifies* [Villagers]: “Hey Mister Ho, could you-” [Beard]: “Oh sweet Leto yes get me out of this family drama. Absentee Anime Father, away!” Wow, really? Al are you just gonna let him walk away from this conversation? You haven’t seen him for a large portion, if not most of your life! Demand some friggin answers! Well at least the cook is trying to cheer Al up, thanking him for fixing up the radio. Al apologizes for the riot being caused by them exposing Cornello, but Cookie insists on looking at the good stuff that happened.
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Sure people reacted “badly” at first, but now everyone’s all happily working together to rebuild from the ashes of their home! Can’t fault the man’s optimism. Inspired!Al goes running off to help build, seeing their General getting his hands dirty Toad and Boar (still wearing their winter clothes?) tag along, dragging a protesting Yoki with them. The Villagers are realizing Oh Crap We Interrupted Family Reunion, but Beard’s brushing it off. He left when Al was super young, he probably doesn’t even think of Beard as his father anymore. And have you seen the guy try to smalltalk? He doesn’t know what to say- [Al, clanking towards the group]: “Hey pops! Imma help with the building, cool? Cool. Hey NPCs, gimme that heavy stuff to cart around.” Aw, Beard gets to see that Al being trapped in a cold, unfeeling suit of armor hasn’t kept him from being a decent person. Whoa okay bath time for Winry, apologies for interrupting. Winry’s happy to finally get a good bath after traveling for so long. Rose is chatting with her while laying out clothes, admiring Winry for being a independent Automail Engineer at her age. And she was the one who literally got Ed back on his feet, which would mean later he would help Rose get back on hers. *Goes back to Ep 3 Recap*. That’s right, he told her to Keep Moving Forward, that she needed to use her two good legs to make her own path. Rose tells Winry about her misplaced belief in Cornello, when Winry gripes about Ed’s Tough Love routine Rose says that’s just his way of being nice. [Rose]: “But you already know that, don’t you?” [Winry]: *Stammers, blushes, and tries to hide her face in her tea.* So yeah, Ed exposed the truth behind Cornello’s miracles, and now Liore is learning to stand on its own. “All thanks to Ed and Al.”... yeah, calling it now. We’ll come back to this place in a decade or two, and the old Church of Leto will have been replaced with one to The Armor and the Alchemist. Hey, it’s Lizard dude! Bido, according to Bag of Magic Food. He’s going through a tunnel, griping that it was a bad idea to follow those MPs aw crap he’s wandering into Uncle’s sanctum, isn’t he? Turn around dude! But he’s still looking for Mister Greed, squeezes through some pipes to crap it’s the Golem Room. And are the Officer and Armstrong the Great still there? Quick, pull an Igor!
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Ok, so it looks like he got there just before the Officer did his “Look at my cool toys” reveal, he’s hiding behind the pipes again. Officer’s explaining that the Golems are empty dummies that they can bond souls to. Oh, so they’re like Advanced Soul Armors, then? Tell me, have you gotten around the problem that Al’s having of the body rejecting the soul? Anyways, the Golems are immortal and apparently any bonded souls will be completely obedient. Alright Armstrong the Great, here’s the kicker; where do the souls to activate the Golems come from? Officer says that they’ll come from rival nations, “through the course of war”. Hoo boy. This was what I was afraid of way back when the concept of Philosopher Stones was introduced to Armstrong the Great. She is fiercely loyal to her troops and those she chooses to protect, it was the threat against her own forces and the reveal that the Goths were going to harvest the entire country that allied her with our main characters. But an army fueled by the conquest of Others? A chance to not just defeat her hated Drachman enemies, but fully convert them to her cause? Weapons that only grow stronger the more she uses them? I mean, with all the pushing around by Central and bullying of her troops I’m giving her 80% odds to still reject the Golems. But that remaining 20… We don’t get to hear any more as Bido freaks the fuck out and bolts back down the tunnels, screaming his head off. [Bido]: “This place is evil! Pure evil! Why did I ever come here?! Mister Greed would never be in an awful place like this-” Oh hey, it’s Ling! How’s Greed going to react to seeing an old “possession”: happy to see something of old that he gets to claim again, or annoyed that one of his old crew fled rather than try to help him? We’ll get back to that, we’re back in Liore where Al is warning Beard about the giant tunnel running under Liore. Beard tells him to stop talking about the Super Secret Goth Plot To Harvest A Country in the middle of the town square, waits until they’re in the ruins of the Church to discuss the story. He’s letting Al explain everything, does he want to keep his own involvement secret for- well never mind, Al’s brought up his Identical Brother chilling in Central. Beard turns away still acting all Mysterious wait what [Menacing!Beard]: “Did it ever cross your mind that I might be on their side?” But you’re not, unless… NOW HOLD UP. If you’re telling me that we’re looking at a Triplet situation, that Uncle made another copy to Oh ok I get it now. Beard is just emphasizing how trusting Al is, at least with him. But seriously dude, now that I’m thinking about it spilling your entire plan to a guy because you think he’s your father is a terrible idea. Maybe ask him to repeat a childhood memory, or somesuch? So after Al gets his non-corporeal heart to calm down from that scare, Beard says that he wants to tell his Backstory to both brothers in order to save time. Right, about that… Back up in the land of snow, at… “Bank’s Bank”? Really? That’s like a restaurant owned by Mister Burger or a law office run by Johnny Litigator. Whatever. Registers are ringing and checks are being cashed when huh. Sorry, just distracted by the banker’s appearance, she’s a lady with blonde hair but brown eyes and Ishvalan skin. What’s her story, is she an Amestrian/Ishvalan child like Sideburns? Moving on, a giant of a man is making a withdrawal oh hey it’s Monkey, he’s drawing from Ed’s account. Uh, are you that badly strapped for cash? You know that a withdrawal from the Protagonist’s account, by an unknown party no less, is going to raise all kinds of flags in Central. Yup, Monkey got the cash from Ed’s research account, but another banker’s already making a call. Ah, so it was for the medical bill. How much was this doctor charging? Oh jeez, the guy’s chuckling and saying he could charge them even more, Monkey complains that he’s already ripping them off but the doc’s likewise squinty-eyed wife says it’s only “reasonable” considering the risks involved.
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Well, as long as they keep their mouths shut well never mind, looks like the cops are already on to them. I don’t suppose they can get a refund? The cops show up and push past the doctor, Lion’s getting bandaged by Mrs. Doctor. Oh great way to sell out the resting patient, our guys had better get a refund if he’s going to cave this quickly. No wait it’s just Monkey scowling from under some covers wait is he trying to hide Ed under the sheets? The cop asks if Monkey was at the bank earlier, and pulls a gun… Outside a guard hears someone walking, another white coat? Doctor #2? Cop #1 is ordering for Monkey to put his hands up oh hey the white coat outside is Ed with some groceries! Outfit change? I suppose his red coat was pretty distinctive. While Monkey’s at gunpoint Lion readies his own pistol and Monkey starts drawing his own gun, things might get loud pretty soon. Wait, is Ed’s hair loose? What happened to the ponytail?
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Ok yeah, that was pretty distinctive like his coat. Outside guard is listing off the red coat, blond hair worn in a braid… uh oh. Here it comes. [Guard]: “... and short.” [Ed]: *bites through wooden skewer in annoyance* Nice knowing you, guard. The cops in the apartment hear a thud, and #1 tells another to check out the noise. Outside Guard is out cold, Cop #2 tries waking him up before there’s another thud, #1’s left yelling at the other two for answers when
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Wait hold on, is Ed grabbing this guy around the neck? Is he standing on a box or something? Unless… no. No! Is it finally happening? Is my little boy finally getting a growth spurt?! … Wait, but if he’s growing taller, but has an artificial leg whoops better find Winry quick to upgrade, fighting might be a bit difficult if you’re all lopsided. Monkey snarks that Ed just had to take out three MPs on his own, when he hasn’t fully recovered yet. [Ed]: “Don’t treat me like an invalid. My injuries are fully healed, and I’m revving at full throttle!” Title drop! And damn but Ed’s rocking the new look. White coat, loose hair, and a growth spurt? Leg imbalance aside, I am totally down for this. Wait, is this because he “used his own life force” to patch himself up earlier? His body aged up from the energy expenditure? Cool! Mid-ep pictures of Bath!Winry and Older!Ed. So is carrying a wooden skewer in your mouth just a thing now, Ed? The doc’s telling Ed and the Chimeras to shove off, doesn’t look like that refund’s coming after all. Ed snags the Guard’s note in passing, thinking about how they’re just looking for the red coat and braid (pointedly ignoring the “short” comment), guess the outfit change is staying around for a while. Whoops! Took too long, some other MPs have shown up and are demanding they freeze. Wait, “move it kid”? Oh yeah, they’re just telling the guys with visible weapons to stand down, they think that the kid chowing down on bread is a bystander. Who just got grabbed by Monkey and threatened with a weapon! Monkey uses the MPs shock at the hostage-taking to tuck Ed under his arm and run for it, outside some more MPs spot them but Lion shoots some snow down on them. Run for it! One hotwired car later, Ed tells ‘Gorilla’ (“Don’t call me that!”) to step on it, but their stolen car isn’t fast enough to outrun vehicles from Northern Command. Dodge a truck so the MPs crash into it? That they… can’t do, actually. The MPs are catching up when Ed says to turn a corner and park. Plan? Transmutation sounds as they round the corner, the MPs follow but… it’s gone? Wait there’s another car in the road, but… … Ow. Ow ow ow. OW! Sweet Leto, but that hurts the eyes. Really, Ed? I can only assume that the MPs brains have shut off from the sheer garishness of that thing, they drive past the parked car looking for something a little more sensible. The Chimeras immediately ask for the car to be turned back to normal. [Ed]: “And why’s that? I think this car looks cool as hell!” [Monkey]: “Just change it back. Please, we’re begging you!” [Ed]: “You guys got a problem with my sense of style?!” [Monkey/Lion]: “You don’t have any!” Outside of town, Monkey’s answering the call of nature while they all discuss being drifters again. Ed’s wait buddy you’ve got your hair back in a ponytail, it’s not a full-on braid but it’s still close enough that any guards are going to give you a second look. Go back to the loose hair disguise! Ed’s thinking about how he let his guard down around Kimblee, and hoping that Al’s ok. For now, the Chimeras are asking their new boss where to go, Ed says that they need to find Al who’s probably with Marcoh now. [Lion]: “You do know how to find them, right?” [Ed]: “Right, about that…” In Liore, Al’s trying to wrap his head around Beard’s Backstory. Beard understands if Al doesn’t believe him, it’s a pretty crazy story. Then we remember that Beard’s talking to a soul bound to a suit of armor, so the idea that Beard is a Philosopher’s Stone isn’t that far fetched. They chat about being immortal, and thankfully Beard acknowledges the advantages of his form before settling on the fact that seeing everyone he knows and loves wither and perish sucks. Hey yeah, if you have a Philosopher's Stone body, did that affect Ed and Al’s development? Apparently not, Beard says he still has a human body. Unlike Uncle, who’s likened to “a leather bag”. He built a human body around himself and his gathered souls, so if they can destroy the body… Speaking of, the Nationwide TC! Beard looks over the TC and reverse-TC while Al says they can destroy the tunnel below Liore, but Beard shuts down the idea. Pride’s watching over the tunnel. But can they still try before nope we know the tunnel’s finished, and Beard is rather relaxed about the idea it’s complete. “Because it’s not yet time”? How do you know? [Beard]: “Look up, son. You’re too busy looking down when you need to look up.” Oh! I get it, it’s a constellation thing! That explains why the Xerxes King was talking about carving all the Crests before it was too late, the Nationwide TC needs the right positioning of the stars. Can’t do it until then.
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Yes please follow along Al, look up to the sky, to… LETO! Bwahaha, Al thinks that Beard’s talking about Sun-God Leto. There we go, turns out Beard has converted to Letoism and plans on praying the Goths away. Or the Man in Central could indeed be waiting for the right star positions, that works too I guess. Oh hey, back to Bido in the pipes. Running? Oh shoot, looks like it was “Annoyed his possession abandoned him” Greed after all. Greed laughs about the chance to kill his boredom, Bido’s shocked to see the Ultimate Shield and hear the voice, yells at Greed for imitating Mister Greed. Wait, does Greed not recognize Bido? Greed boasts about wanting everything, Bido finishes his spiel about demanding the finer things in life. Greed asks who Bido is wait static? Ok, so Greed really doesn’t remember his past iteration? He lost his memories when Uncle reconsumed him? Bido’s struggling to reconcile the Mister Greed he knew with this new guy, while Greed demands Bido answer his questions. [Bido]: “It’s me! I’m your friend, Bido! You haven’t been gone from Dublith long enough to forget!” [Greed]: “Oh, you’re from Dublith! Ooohoho, now it makes sense!” [Bido]: “You remember m SHIT Greed just stabbed Bido! [Greed]: “Afraid not. You must have been buddies with the previous Greed.” Well this sucks, Bido’s trembling in pain and grief while Greed says they’ve never even met wait the static’s back and his arm is trembling and the static is becoming visions of Greed’s old crew. Is his memory returning? Hoo boy Ling’s calling Greed out for killing his old friend. Greed protests that Bido wasn’t his friend, that those memories belonged to the previous Greed. [Ling]: “Then why are you in so much pain?!” Ling’s threatening that if Greed doesn’t pull himself together that he’ll take control of the body again. Greeds gritting out that his old memories were purged by Uncle, that they aren’t part of him anymore- [Ling]: “No, you’re wrong Greed! It’s not that easy! They’ll always be a part of you! You can’t just erase them from your soul! They were the only part of you that you chose! Look at them! Can you not hear their souls crying out? You abandoned them, your real family! You threw them away like trash! Fool, you turned your back on something you wanted. You don’t deserve to call yourself Greed!” Clutching the still form of Bido, Greed screams. End Credits. Post-credit scene in Central at the Bradley Manor, Mama Bradley is suggesting a book to Selim. About an adventurer who travels the world- Bradley’s looked up and Mama Bradley grabbed Selim at the sound of rustling and footsteps. It’s Greed. And he’s not happy.
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emulatingrizal-blog · 6 years
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This Is My Mission... (Short Story)
By John Eric S. Moscoso
ZAMBALES
[NIGHT OF NOVEMBER 20]
**
Boy 1: Tsk tsk tsk… Hey brother! it seems like you are forgetting something, aren’t you?
Boy 2: Oh, I’m sorry, there will be a slight delay but promise, I really promise, I will pay you next week. That’s for sure.
Boy 1: Shit! Are you kidding me?! Really, I’ve heard you keep on saying “next week” for so many times now. I won’t accept that anymore this time!
Boy 2: Please, I’m begging you please, give me another chance. We’ve been friends for years now and I know that you know that I will not run away from you.
Boy 1: Stop with your nonsense! That won’t work anymore. Brother, mind me, I’m giving you 24 hours; If you still be won’t able to pay, I will kill your live-in partner, and that includes your expected first child. The clock is ticking, tik tok tik tok…
**
[The next morning]
It was a painful morning for Salve dela Cruz found out that after more than five years together, her live-in partner left. One of the probable reasons of the man’s departure was Salve’s pregnancy with their first child, but Salve cannot draw conclusions since their relationship was still okay that night. Salve could not help but cry; she told herself to be stronger not only for herself but also for her child in the future. She realized that chasing after her child’s father will not make a difference. From that time on, she strived hard and pursued her life by setting up their own “sari-sari store” within their vicinity with the help of her Parents, Ronaldo and Celeste. Her parents never showed dismay over their daughter, they really supported Salve especially now that she will be a single parent. She was two months pregnant when her live-in partner left.
The year 1991 went well to Salve and her family, their business venture eventually expanded and their income was already enough to make a living. Salve was too excited for her child so she and her parents decided to consult an OB-Gyne doctor to conduct an ultrasound.
**
Salve: Hi Doc. So, what’s the result of the ultrasound?
Doctor: This is great news! Congrats Ms. dela Cruz because you won’t just expect a child but you will be expecting your first children. Yes, you heard it right, children, because you will be expecting identical twins which are both boys. Again Ms. dela Cruz, congratulations!
Salve: Thank you, thank you so much, Doc!
**
[June 15, 1991]
It was time of the year, it was the birth of the twin brothers. Salve named the twins Ramil and Araullo dela Cruz. Minutes later, literally minutes later, an unexpected event happened; one of the active volcanoes in the Philippines again erupted after many years of being dormant. Mount Pinatubo is erupting once again. Salve and her family panicked because of the sudden incident; Salve, with her babies, and with the help of her parents and some of their neigbors, ran their ways to the nearest evacuation center. Chaos arise and also because of Salve’s frustration, she became unconscious that one of his sons, Ramil, got lost.
**
Salve: Ma… Pa… where’s Ramil???!!! Have you seen him? Ma… Paaaaa!!!
Ronaldo: What are you talking about? You brought him with you right?
Celeste: Help!!!!
**
On the bright side, one of the miners on the site of Zambales saw Ramil and saved him eventually. He carried the baby with him and had plans of bringing it home with him to Manila. It was a blessing in disguise for newly-weds Crisanto Ramos and Aurora Go-Ramos. They named the lost child, Ramon.
[26 years after]
Araullo is in the works of achieving his dream, to become a priest in the town of San Diego which is near Iloilo City, Visayas. Araullo, her mother, and his grandparents left Zambales and transferred to the town of San Diego for good. On the other hand, Araullo’s twin Ramil or now known as ‘Ramon’, is having a good life with his adoptive parents in Manila. He is now an heir of a multinational logistics company based in Makati City. Following the path of his dreams of being a police officer, he is now ready for his duty as one of the new members of PNP’s Special Action Force. As expected, he turned out to be the typical “chickboy”, “rich kid”, and “spoiled brat”. He is currently in a relationship with his 17th girlfriend.  
Araullo, with his bestfriend Paquito, are now ordained and officially one of the new priests in San Diego Parish. Paquito is Araullo’s good friend since high school. Coming from the Catholic school adjacent to the San Diego Parish, the two were really vocal of their goal of serving the Lord ever since and one of their inspirations was Rev. Fr. Macario Dionisio. Fr. Macario, the parish priest is highly regarded for his dedication to the church and many people admire him for how he administers the parish which has a good reputation ever since his tenure. He also serves as the school principal of San Diego Catholic School where Araullo and Paquito graduated high school. Fr. Macario has been so proud to what the two have achieved at a very young age.
Ramon is now officially a SAF member with the help of his best friend’s father who is the PNP chief. He is very close to his best friend, Raul Tandingan. They have been childhood friends.
The head of PNP Special Action Force assigned members to different parts of the country to watch out and support the president’s War on Drugs program. Ramon and Raul are assigned in Iloilo City. It was already curfew hours when one night, they decided to roam around to monitor the vicinity but they were drunk. The two spotted a 17-year-old high school student who went home late because of a group project. Knowing the fact that the two was drunk, they were out of their minds. They approached the teenager and interrogated him.
**
Raul: Hey boy!!! Where are you going? It’s getting late.
Student: *frustrated* Uh... uh… Siiiirr, sorry we did a group project and we ended late.
Ramon: Really? Ha ha ha! Are you kidding, huh?
*BANG*
**
Later on, Ramon abruptly dragged his gun and fired it at the teenager. Raul didn’t believe on what he saw and out of frustration, he didn’t know what to do.
**
Raul: Fuck! Ramon, why did you do it??? We’re in so much trouble.
Ramon: What’s the sense of having your dad as the PNP Chief? Use your brain, bro!
**
They put a sachet of “ecstasy” inside the student’s bag to make an opposite story out of it.
The death of that student became the talk of the town the morning after. The incident was reviewed in the CCTV and the authorities found out that SAF members Ramon and Raul were the people behind it. The two thought of an idea on how to escape their problem; Ramon suggested that they will play dead so that they can return to Manila as immediately as possible. The scene should show that they were shot themselves to death right after the incident. So, prior to the enactment of their supposed scene, Raul suddenly shot Ramon and called his back up to throw Ramon’s body to Marawi City in Mindanao. Things were good as planned by Raul. It was revealed that he had been jealous to Ramon for many years now especially that Ramon’s current girlfriend is the girl he also likes. Upon hearing the news, the authorities still continued on their investigation.
The police assigned on the case SPO2 Juanito Reyes, who lives in the town of San Diego, attended the Sunday mass with his family in San Diego Parish and upon communion, he saw Araullo on the church’s sanctuary, he even pinched himself in thoughts of maybe he is just dreaming. After moments of pinches, he realized that what he is seeing is real, he mistakenly recognized Araullo as Ramon, his twin brother.
Authorities seek the help of the church and went through further interrogation. SPO2 Reyes suspected that Ramon disguised as a priest and went to the nearby towns (Iloilo City is near the town of San Diego). They presented evidences and CCTV footages to Fr. Macario and to Fr. Araullo as well and for them, it was enough evidence. Since only Araullo, his mother Salve, and his family were the only people who know about his twin brother who got lost on the day of their birth itself, there are no official and sufficient records to support that fact. It was concluded that he just pretended that he died and disguised as a priest.
The church and the whole town of San Diego became very disappointed to him especially now that Fr. Macario and other churchgoers really admire him for his great dedication. Because of this issue, many people doubted the church and some even accused Fr. Macario and other officials of obstruction of justice. Araullo was put into jail, but he never loses hope, all he did was just to pray every day and he wants justice to be served.
He confidently attended hearings to prove his innocence until the court caught the attention of Ramon’s adoptive parents. Engr. Crisanto Ramos stated in court the real identity of Ramon, that he saved him during the Mt. Pinatubo eruption in 1991. His testimony matched with the provided facts and it weaken the accusation against Fr. Araullo. Unexpectedly, Salve noticed that the name of Ramon’s adoptive father sounds familiar.
**
Salve: Ma, am I right? Did I hear it right? Crisanto Ramos?
Celeste: Oh my!!!
Ronaldo: Salve, isn’t he the father of your children?
Salve: Gosh, you’re right, Pa. What a coincidence! Why is this happening?
Celeste: Haayy, I now believe in destiny. Imagine, Araullo’s twin brother is with his real father.
**
Salve and Crisanto had the chance to talk. There were episodes of tears, regrets, and resentments. It was Crisanto who is the biological father of Araullo and Ramon or Ramil in the realest sense. He married Aurora Go, daughter of one of the richest Chinese-Filipinos in the country, mainly for money and to fulfill his plans of being an engineer. Crisanto cannot believe that they boy he saved from the explosion incident turns out to be his real son.
**
Crisanto: I admit. I became too selfish and didn’t think of you and our children. I’m so sorry, Salve.
Salve: Forget it. It’s all in the past. There are more important things we should work on for now. I’m happy for you.
Crisanto: Me too. Thank you for raising a responsible and God-fearing son. By the way, can I talk to Araullo?
<Crisanto and Araullo talked for a while>
**
Araullo’s case was dismissed but the investigation goes on but now they are investigating Raul, Ramon’s best friend. There are patterns of evidence that show motives of Raul’s involvement on the supposed death of Ramon.
Investigations on SAF member Raul Tandigan are going. Araullo goes back to the parish and continued his service.
Early 2017, when the news on Maute Group and other terrorist groups invading the City of Marawi broke. Brave enough, Araullo wanted to go to Marawi City to help and give guidance to the victims there. His parents, his parish, and the whole San Diego community disapprove of this decision but it’s him who has the final say. He went to Marawi City, saw the heartbreaking situation of the people there. Many children, senior citizens, and other people were depressed, some had nervous breakdowns, some wounded, some died. It was a challenge for Araullo but he managed to offer help and give what the victims need.
One day, a very unusual situation happened when he noticed that one of the terrorists and him exactly looked the same. He later realized that maybe it was his twin brother and the speculations of his death were not true. Not only him noticed it but many of the people there had attempts to ask him about it or were speculating that maybe it was Araullo’s alter-ego or maybe it’s the opposite. It was a bloody night when Araullo and Ramon finally met.
**
Araullo: Hey, we two looks very much the same. Is this just a coincidence or are we like… twins?
Ramon: *puzzled* Hey Fr., stop talking nonsense. I don’t think we’re twins. My parents never told me something about this, and I’m an adopted child.
Araullo: No Ramon, don’t you know that your real name is Ra---------
<Gunshot>
Unfortunately, one of the terrorists captured Araullo and shot him to death. Ramon, still left puzzled, approached and tried to revive the priest. Araullo, the young priest, then spoke: “Please take care of our mom and dad, Okay?” When the story had reached Metro Manila and other provinces, their parents could not help but cry. Ramon was later rescued and thing were clearly explained to him, making him feel guilty for what happened, all he did was to apologize to his twin brother. Upon Ramon’s comeback, it was confirmed that Raul was the mastermind behind everything that has happened to Ramon. He finally met his biological mother, Salve and found out that Engr. Crisanto was his biological father. A special tribute to Fr. Araullo dela Cruz was organized and spearheaded by San Diego Parish, with the help of his best friend Paquito and parish priest Fr. Macario Dionisio thus, making him an icon of the millennial generation. 
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