#anyways viole deserves more affection

[periwinklemoonlight]

tog ship week day 1: affection (wangnan + viole)

a little messier than my usual stuff

[cobradoesmcyt]

Black Rose (2/4)

Here comes the second part! And “New town, new me” is way more shipy then I remember it being. Anyways, here’s part two!

Grian hummed happily as he walked around New Hermitville, it had been two weeks since he arrived here and he honestly couldn't see how he'd ever be able to live without the peace of the village. It was so serene and calm most of the time, and even when Bdubs was running around planning new builds and looking for materials it was nice. Over the two weeks he'd gotten very comfortable around his two new villagemates, way faster than he thought he would, and he now knew some interesting quirks about the two.

Keralis liked to take it slow and enjoy the scenery, so he tended to keep a camera on him at most times to capture most of those sceneries without staying there for hours. Not that he also didn't do that, because he definitely did, but it was more common he just took pictures.

Bdubs liked telling stories, they ranged from funny and joyful to somber and sad ranging between everything in between. He usually told them when he was doing mindless work, like making room for a new build in the village, but at times he sought out either Grian, Keralis or them both to tell them a story. His most common audience was Grian and his gardens, seeing as Grian usually stayed there and relaxed, making him an easy person to find and tell stories to.

Equally they had learnt stuff and quirks about him, like how he loved taking care of animals and how said animals seemed to love him. Also how he was a good tailor, and how he seemed to just be able to know your style from just a quick look. Another interesting thing was his gardens. He had three over all, but two of them had smaller patches of flowers over it and the last one was just one big garden of plants of all kinds. One of his favorite patches of the gardens was the one filled with poppies, when they asked him about it he told them it was for an old friend.

In a flower pot sitting next to the entrance of the big garden was a wither rose, at first Keralis and Bdubs had been apprehensive about letting him have it but after seeing that it did him no harm they let him keep it (turns out Grian had developed a slight immunity against the black flowers, so one wasn't enough to hurt him anymore). It now served as a reminder as to how he got where he was now, that and his new appearance.

The first notable difference he had was the black patches covering his skin, they were mostly on his arms but it was all over his body. Other than his arms, his face and hands were the most notable. His fingertips were a black that faded back into his normal skin tone before they reached further than his fingers. His face was the most obvious, since all of the bottom part of the right side of his face was black. His right eye had also been affected, swapping the black and white of his eyes around. So his pupil was now white and sclera was black, though his iris was still a breathtaking violet. His wings now also had black speckling along the tips, but only on the top.

The second difference was his clothing. Sure he loved his sweater and casual pants, but he was starting a new chapter in his life so it was time to try something new. His red sweater was replaced by a red open cardigan over a loose white shirt. His gray pants had been replaced by form fitting casual sweatpants. His black sneakers had been replaced by short heeled shoes (he wanted to be taller than 5 feet, which he now is with the shoes...barely) which were also black.

And the last difference was his hair. He had let it grow out, which didn't take very long since his hair grew very fast, and it was now pulled up in a loose bun. He was also wearing a headband with fake flowers, the flowers were all pastel and they varied from blue all the way to pink.

He had gotten very positive feedback from his two new villagemates, both enjoying the style and color pallet he'd chosen. The changes had happened around the start of the second week, so he'd only had the clothes for a bit.

Breaking himself out of his memories he walked up to the river's edge and sat down, he usually went down to the river almost every morning. He enjoyed the water, since that had been his momentary distraction back before the wither rose garden situation. He let himself get distracted by the clear waters before him, world momentarily forgotten. This was another thing he's noticed, he's now more relaxed now. He isn't jumping around getting ready to prank someone, though he does still prank Bdubs and Keralis from time to time, nor is he staying up late working on builds.

Sure he still worked on builds, but it was mostly sketches and small things. He supposes he's just content relaxing for once, he's always been so riled up and itching to do stuff all the time that he's kinda forgotten what it's like to relax properly.

Grian would have thought for longer, had it not been for the sound of rockets approaching. He quickly rushed up from the water and into one of the new Hermitville gate towers. He hid in the tower, but made sure to still be near a window so that he could see what was going on. And once he looked his eyes widened.

Just behind the entrance gates stood Iskall, and he seemed to be agitated. This couldn't be very good, what was he doing here?

"Keralis! Bdubs! Can you come here? I need to talk to you both!"

Said two Hermits came jogging from the village, curious but welcoming expressions on their faces. It was Bdubs who initiated conversation further, "Good day my good sir! What can we do for you?"

"Have you seen Grian?" Asked Iskall, the Swede glancing around all the while.

"Grian? No, can't say we have." Said Bdubs, grateful that he'd gotten a bit better at not showing he was lying, "Why do you ask?"

Iskall huffed out a breath, shoulders sagging, "Grian disappeared two weeks ago, no one's seen him since. No death message has appeared, not since those of him withering away stopped."

"Why would you think he was here?" Asked Keralis, head tilted to the side. "Why not some place with a lot of wither roses?"

"We've already looked everywhere where those are," sighed Iskall, "But there are some wither roses missing from Sahara so we think he made a spot somewhere and used them there, we just can't find it."

"Well we wish you luck finding him." said Bdubs, "We promise to look out and tell you if we find him."

Iskall regarded them for a few seconds before nodding. "Thank you both, have a nice day."

"You too!" Called Bdubs as the brunette flew away.

Grian waited a few minutes before making his way out of the tower. I looked up at the direction where Iskall had disappeared off to, a frown on his face, "Why is he here now?"

At the two’s confused faces he elaborated, "Why is he looking here now? This is quite a big landmark, being you guys’ base. So why is he only looking here now?"

"Maybe he hasn't started looking up until now?" Asked Bdubs with a shrug.

"If that's the case, then why haven't they been looking before now?" Questioned Grian, hunching in on himself as dark thoughts entered his head. "Do they not care about me?"

Keralis was quick to come and comfort him, "No, of course they do. I'm sure they have a good reason." He rubbed Grian's back gently. "We can ask about it during the next Idea meeting if you'd like?"

"Please." Whispered Grian, burrowing into Keralis' gentle hold.

"Ok, then we'll do that." Cooed Bdubs also wrapped his arms around the small Hermit. "Now how about we cuddle for the rest of the day? I think you might need to relax a bit."

The rest of the day was spent much like Bdubs had said, full of cuddles and laughs. By the time the sun was setting Grian had mostly forgotten about Iskall's earlier visit, much to the relief of Keralis and Bdubs. They watched as the small dirty blond fell asleep curled up in between them, their faces turning to frowns as soon as they were sure he was asleep for real.

"I hope Shashwamy doesn't ask too many questions tomorrow," mumbled Keralis, "I don't think I can lie to him for long."

Bdubs placed his hand on the others forearm in comfort, "I'm sure he won't talk about it for too long, he'll probably want to focus on Idea more than talk about that anyways."

"You're probably right, I'm just worried I guess."

"I am too." Admitted Bdubs, "We both know that if the Hermits were to force themselves onto Grian he'd probably go back to the mindset he was in two weeks ago. Hell, technically they're the reason he was there to begin with!"

"Hey, don't be too hard on them." Said Keralis, "They probably didn't notice."

"Which is even worse if you ask me."

Keralis sighed, running a hand through his hair. "We can't just judge them without hearing their side first. They are our friends too, they deserve us to be fair to them."

Bdubs didn't reply and simply laid his head down on the brunette's shoulder. In turn said brunette rested his head against the raven haired man's own, but not before he took off his glasses and hat and put them on the small coffee table in the room.

Tomorrow would be an eventful day, but right now they had nothing to worry about. No important talks to have, no meetings, no nothing, just calm bliss. They treasured these moments, no matter how many they had.

Keralis let out a loud yawn before following his cuddle-mates to sleep, he was ready for whatever tomorrow may bring. Especially if it meant that Grian could start mending his friendships with everyone, he could clearly see how much his small friend missed them.

Over in the Sahara meeting room one chocolate brown eye and one cybernetic blue eye looked at a framed picture of the three Architechs on opening day, the eyes then turned to another framed picture, this one more recent. It was taken almost a month ago, and it was also of the trio. Nothing looked too different, at least it did until he took a closer look at the eyes.

There was a big change in Grian's eyes from the first picture compared to the second one. In the first the violet eyes were bright and full of joy and life, but in the second picture the eyes were dull and almost completely lifeless.

He'd done this, hadn't he? He and everyone else on the server. They had broken, and if not that then at least cracked, the kindest person alive. They had made joke after joke, not bothering to see if it was ok or not. And in the end, that's what took him away from them. Sure, he was still on the server, at least according to Xisuma he was, but they couldn't find him.

Perhaps that was his fault, for not starting to look sooner. But he just couldn't believe Grian just left everything he'd made and ran, even when he saw the broken communicator. Ren had given him hell for not telling everyone Grian was missing, honest to god missing, before now. The ex-hippie has been disappointed, but not mad surprisingly. When asked about it he said, "Can't be mad at him(Iskall) for something I've done too. So I'm choosing to be disappointed in what he, and only he, has done."

The search had started just under two weeks after Grian disappeared, and no luck yet. He wasn't in Hermitville, nor in new Hermitville (heh, if he only knew), or any other place that was searched.

So for yet another night Iskall fell into a fitful sleep, worrying over his dirty blond friend and where he could be. The Swed just hoped that Grian was safe and happy, that's all he wanted him to be. And Grian was both of those, so Iskall had what he wanted.

Even as everyone went to sleep, or at least most of them, the server was still slightly abuzz. The tension from the talks that would happen the next day in the air. Hopefully everything went ok.

Who am I kidding? This is Hermitcraft! Nothing usually goes ok. So who really knows what will happen?

[freddiesaysalright]

Blessed Part 3

The Peace Like a River Sequel

Summary: Gwilym and Y/N are married. Violet is six years old. Baby number two is on the way. There are still some shadows that plague Y/N in her marriage to Gwil, and Violet is suddenly resentful of her parents. The Lee family tries to stick together.

Word Count: 2.4k

Tag List: @psychosupernatural​, @someone-get-a-medic​, @bensrhapsody​, @deakyclicks, @crazylittlethingcalledobsession​, @minigranger​, @simmisblog​, @assembledherethevolunteers​, @lookuptotheskiesandsee​, @readinghorn​, @riddikuluslypotter​, @doingalrightt​, @misslolasworld​, @lemurian-starship​, @ravenedges-lies, @painkiller80​, @imgonnabeyourslave​, @crazyweirdocalledfriday​, @ixchel-9275​, @sincerelygmg, @lv7867​, @unicorn-princess-1999​, @delilahmay39​, @chlobo6​, @dragon-out-of-water​, @radio-hoo-ha​, @agentmalfoy24601​, @thigh-your-mother-down​, @im-an-adult-ish​, @anotherhystericalqueen​ If you want to be added, let me know!

A/N: Fluff, fluffity, fluff fluff fluff

Haven’t read Peace Like a River? Start here!

Part 1  Part 2

Part 3 here we go!!!

Gwilym swallowed nervously outside Violet’s door. You looked into his face and gave his hand a comforting squeeze.

“It’s gonna be fine,” you whispered.

“I hope so,” he breathed back.

You took the knob and turned it, opening the door slowly. You found Violet sitting on her bed, reading a favorite book of hers. Gwilym had given it to her as a Christmas present, and she had read it so many times now the spine was falling apart. It was something they bonded over since after you moved, Gwilym was the one who read to Violet before bed. It instilled such a love of literature in her already, and you were very proud of her reading abilities for her age.

“Hi, Violet,” you said, surprised at the calm in your voice.

When Gwilym showed you such understanding, you felt it was easier to extend the same to your daughter. He was right, after all. Something must be wrong for Violet to lash out the way she did.

“Are you still mad at me?” she asked in a small voice.

You and Gwilym took seats on her bed beside her. You gathered her up in your arms.

“I’m sorry I yelled,” you said. “I was scared and upset, but that doesn’t make it right.”

“I forgive you, Mommy,” she returned.

You kissed the top of her head.

“Sweetheart,” Gwilym said. “Will you please tell us what’s been on your mind? We want to support you and get to the bottom of this. Help you work it out.”

Violet detached herself from you and sat back, pulling her knees into her chest. She rested her chin on them, looking pensive.

“I don’t wanna make you guys feel bad,” she said.

You and Gwilym exchanged a surprised look.

“Have we done something wrong?” you asked.

“No,” she sighed. “But...I dunno…”

“Talk to us, lovie,” Gwilym urged.

“Everything’s different now,” she said. “With Sybil.”

“What do you mean?” you wondered.

“Well, the way everybody talks about her...I hear what the doctors say,” she went on. “Dad’s not my dad.”

Oh. You looked at Gwilym again, and you saw the color drain from his face. The time had come where Violet could comprehend that Gwilym was not her father. She was too young to understand the way babies were made, but she was old enough to register that one man made her, and another made her sister. 

“It makes me feel different,” she continued. “Like I’m the oddball. So when Robbie started teasing me about my accent, it made me feel like that even more.”

She sniffled as more tears welled up in her eyes. She looked directly at you.

“Mommy, did you even want me?” she whimpered. “Like you wanted Sybil?”

Your heart shattered inside your chest. You felt your own emotion threatening to make you have a complete meltdown at that question, but you held it together. You took your daughter in your arms again.

“Oh, baby,” you said, stroking her hair. “Of course I wanted you. You were...well, you were certainly a surprise, but when I knew I was going to have you, I didn’t want anything more. In fact, you made me the strongest I’ve ever been in my life. I wouldn’t trade you for the world.”

She released a little sob and clung to your shirt.

“My real dad...he wasn’t a good person, was he?” she asked, looking up at you.

You truly ached for her. Her tear stained face and red, puffy eyes showed how deeply this had affected her, and the torment she’d been through over it.

You shook your head.

“No, he wasn’t,” you told her. You gently wiped away her tears with your thumbs. “But he gave me you. And for that, I will always be grateful. My perfect little girl.”

Gwilym watched you in amazement. You weren’t lying to Violet, but you weren’t sugar coating anything either. The balance you maintained in this difficult conversation was truly impressive. It took some courage to look your child in the face and tell them a harsh reality like this. He fell in love with you all over again in this moment.

Violet nodded and then turned and looked at Gwilym.

“I feel like I forced you to -”

“Oh, Violet, don’t,” he said gently. “C’mere.”

He sat further back, against her pillows, and she crawled into his lap.

“Y/N, could you give us a moment alone?” he requested.

You nodded, pushing yourself to your feet, and walking to the door. You told them you loved them and then departed, heading downstairs. You felt some relief after talking to Violet, and understanding her at last. It was a good idea for her to talk with Gwilym alone. They needed to clarify their own relationship.

Gwilym pulled Violet into a warm hug. He held her a moment and let her cry into his chest. This was such a heavy weight for a child, and he wanted her to know she didn’t carry it alone. He would always support her, no matter where she came from or where she went. He put every ounce of his love for her into the embrace, and he just hoped she felt it.

“That’s it, love,” he soothed. “You have yourself a good cry.”

She hiccuped and burrowed further into him.

“You’ve been through a lot today,” he went on. “And you’ve had so much going on inside. Let it out.”

He rubbed her back until her breathing evened out again and she relaxed against him. 

“You have never forced me to be your dad,” he said. “Yes, you called me Daddy and it stuck, but I wanted to be that for you long before you said the word.”

“Really?” she wondered.

He nodded. “Really. I love you very much. I may not have made you in your mum’s belly, but you are my daughter. I have the papers to prove it.”

She giggled. He smiled and pulled her away to look in her eyes.

“You are my daughter,” he repeated. “Mine and your mum’s. Blood doesn’t make a family, darling. Love does. And we’ve got plenty to go around.”

Her face scrunched as she considered the meaning.

“I think I understand,” she replied. “Like how Uncle Ben, Uncle Joe, and Uncle Rami aren’t your brothers, but they’re still my uncles.”

“Exactly!” he said excitedly. “They aren’t my brothers by blood. But I love them enough to be my brothers.”

Her face began to fall again. “But Sybil...she’s gonna look like you.”

“She might,” he agreed. “But things like appearance don’t matter. The things I hope you inherit from me are not my lips or my eyes. I hope you inherit love from me. That comes from the inside. You and Sybil are both my daughters, and I will love you equally for the rest of my life. And beyond.” 

“Promise?”

“I promise,” he assured her. “That day you called me your dad for the first time…” He paused, taking a shaky breath. “You made me happier than I ever thought possible,” he choked out.

Her brow furrowed as she looked at him.

“Daddy, are you crying?” she asked.

He chucked and blinked the tears back. One got out and rolled down his cheek. “Yes, love. Sorry. I just love you so much and I never, ever want you to doubt it.”

It was her turn to wipe his face.

“I believe you,” she said. “I won’t doubt again. I promise.”

He grinned and held her close again.

“Very good, my girl,” he said. 

An understanding formed between them now. Violet felt closer to Gwilym than ever. As she inhaled the smell of his cologne from his shirt, she recognized it from when she was even littler. A vision of a hotel room swam before her, and the memory wasn’t totally clear, but she felt her mother and father there. This father. The one she chose.

When dinner was ready, you went back upstairs to check on Gwilym and Violet. You found them cuddled together on her bed, fast asleep. You watched them for a moment, becoming softer than butter, and as you gazed on their peaceful faces, you saw a similarity. It was impossible, but for a moment, you almost believed Violet had Gwilym’s profile. Or maybe it was his hair? Anyway, she looked like him.

***

The following day, you began researching marriage counselors for you and Gwilym. You ended up switching to family counselors so Violet could come if she wanted to talk any more about what she was going through. She said she was fine for now, even if she was still grounded. You still weren’t sure what being grounded meant for six-year-old, but you were content with her just staying in her room for now.

You booked an appointment with a counselor for the following week. Gwilym offered to go with you, but you said for the first one, you should go on your own. That way you could explore your feelings without worrying about who you might hurt with what you found there. You were nervous, but still felt that it was a good idea. You had never really processed everything with Henry, and you wanted to learn how to cope with it without saying or doing things that  would negatively impact your new marriage.

During your first session, Gwilym decided to take Violet out for ice cream. She had handled her grounding well, and he thought she deserved a treat. Plus, he was eager to spend as much one on one time with her as possible before the baby came. That way, she would be further reassured of his dedication to being in her life. Especially since she may begin to feel neglected when the baby required more attention.

“How was school this week?” he asked when they sat down on a bench together.

Violet put a large spoonful of ice cream in her mouth and mulled it over.

“It was okay, I guess,” she said. “I don’t think I missed too much while I was out. I apologized to Robbie, and he forgave me. Then he said he was sorry for making fun of my accent.”

“I’m glad you made up with him,” he said. “I’m proud of you for saying you’re sorry. That’s not always easy.”

“Really? I feel like Mommy says it to you a lot.”

Gwilym paused, mid-bite into his ice cream. Now that he thought about it, you did have a tendency to over-apologize. He realized it was another habit you’d formed to ease tension. Whether by joking or apologizing, you had to alleviate it.

“With Mum it’s different,” he said. “For most people, saying sorry is difficult. People don’t like to admit when they’re wrong.”

“Well, we learn in school that it’s important,” she said. “If you hurt someone, that’s what you say. And to say it like you mean it.”

“Very good,” he praised. “I’m glad you’re taking your lessons to heart.”

“How are you doing, Daddy?” she asked.

He chuckled and reached over to muss her hair. 

“I’m doing just fine,” he said. “It’s sweet of you to ask.”

She beamed at him.

“Are you sure? You can tell me if you’re worried about Sybil.”

His brow furrowed. “Why should I worry about her?”

“Maybe not her, but you!” she returned. “You’re gonna have a whole other kid! Are you scared?”

Gwilym laughed. “Ah, I see. Well, I’m a little scared. But I’m mostly excited. Besides, I have your mum with me. I’m not as scared when we work together.”

She swallowed another spoonful of ice cream and looked thoughtfully out across the street.

“Mommy was alone when she had me, right?” she asked.

“She was, unfortunately,” he said. 

“Do you think she was scared?” she wondered.

“Probably,” he answered. “But not for too long.”

She perked up. 

“Then she got you!”

“She sure did!” he agreed. “Now, we’re a team.”

“The best team,” she affirmed. “Am I on the team too?”

He kissed her head with a smile.

“Of course you are, darling,” he said. “There’s lots you’ll need to teach your sister.”

A beat passed and they both took a few bites.

“Daddy, where do babies come from?” she asked suddenly.

Gwilym choked on the bite he was taking. He took a few moments to cough, and Violet - fretting slightly - patted him gently on the back. Her little hand didn’t really do much for him, but he thanked her anyway. He cleared his throat.

“Sorry, love, you caught me off guard there,” he said. 

“Do they come from somewhere weird?” she pressed, cocking her head to the side as she looked up at him.

“Sort of,” he answered. “You’ll learn more about it when you’re older.”

She pursed her lips and then relaxed them. She shrugged.

“Okie doke,” she said simply.

Gwilym inwardly thanked the heavens above that she let it go. That was not conversation he wanted to have with Violet without you around.

They stayed out another hour or so before heading home. Gwilym was relieved to see you were back, and eager to hear how it went. Violet went tearing into the house, and Gwilym came behind her, closing the door softly.

“Mommy, we’re home!” she cried, throwing her arms around you as much as she could. Really, she hugged your baby bump.

“Hi, sweetie!” you returned. “Did you have fun with Daddy today?”

“We got ice cream!” she told you.

“Well, I hope you still have room for dinner,” you said, eyeing Gwilym as he approached.

“Of course, we got small cups,” he assured you. “Now, give me a kiss.”

You giggled and gave him a swift peck on the lips.

“Mommy, can I watch She-Ra while you make dinner?” she requested.

“Sure thing,” you said. “Go ahead, baby.”

She clapped her hands and started toward the living room, but she came to a sudden halt. Turning on her heel, she hurled herself at Gwilym and wrapped her arms around his legs.

“Thanks for the ice cream, Daddy!” she said. 

She smiled widely at him.

“You’re very welcome, lovie,” he replied.

With that, she disappeared into the living room and switched on the television.

“So,” Gwilym said, looking at you. “How’d it go today?”

“Really well,” you told him. “I sort of got through my history with Henry and she mostly listened. I told her about us too. Even the letters, but she said it was romantic.” You laughed a little. “I felt a lot of relief afterward. Would you come with me next week? I think it could be really good for us to go together.”

“Of course,” he said, pulling you into a hug. “Anything for you, love.”