#they have to find it. or else how will the tooth fairy leave her any money?

[quietwingsinthesky]

in the amelia pond au, amelia’s aunt does still send her to therapy between doctor adventures, but since amelia is now secure in the fact that he’s Definitely Real since both rory and mels have also met him and because she lost a tooth last week from tripping on the stairs of the tardis, she doesn’t bite any therapists this time around. and besides, her therapist is a very funny lady. she reminds amelia of her doctor, with how her voice will flip and jump in volume and accent and tone on a whim, with how she’ll talk to amelia like they’re conspiring together. she keeps the pictures amelia draws of the doctor and their adventures for her, even hangs one or two on the walls. she listens very intently to every detail, which no adults in amelia’s life do save the doctor himself and river song, whenever she’s around. and best of all, whenever she tells amelia’s aunt that amelia is doing just fine, don’t you worry, she’ll grow out of this, she winks at amelia so that amelia will know her therapist is only playing along to wave away her aunt’s suspicion.

it is a little odd, though, that she insists on only being called Missy. but amelia is quite used to odd by now.

[glorious-sunset]

Reflections on Ep. 6 of LBFAD on rewatch

Arbiter Hall, Day 6: DongFang QingCang (DFQC) has discovered that the greenhouse flowers are connected to Xiao Lanhua’s (XLH) mood, thus, tending to her heart as well as her body are vital to her full recovery. As she waters her greenhouse that morning wearing the lavender gown he had created for her, he asks her what she likes and wants, that he would bring her anything within the three realms that she asked for. The only thing XLH can think of is that she wants her Da Qiang to be safe. Since their first night together, she had been in constant terror of him being discovered and executed, which had manifested as a terrifying nightmare. She offers to make his favourite food and fix the destiny leaf if he will turn himself in, thus sparing himself from execution for deserting. But as usual he just rolls his eyes.

DFQC needs the destiny leaf to be repaired, but XLH has not yet made a full recovery. To his surprise, he does not mind waiting another few days. Since XLH had discovered his sweet tooth on their second day together, she made pretty flower-shaped cakes for him every day in assorted flavours. He was, of course, used to the finest cuisine and pastries made by the best chefs across Cangyan Sea. But when he ate XLH’s flower cakes, she smiled and gazed at him fondly in a way nobody else ever had.

XLH was indeed very fond of Da Qiang, but never forgot that he was an escaped criminal who would one day be gone. She needed to pursue her dream to pass the fairies’ examination and work at Fountain Palace, so she told him that was the only other thing that she wanted. Sitting close to him, she felt comfortable enough to admit to him her secret crush on Changheng (CH). He looked away in annoyance as she praised CH but was gentle in his rebuke that CH did not deserve to be compared to the Moon Supreme. “There are a lot of beauties in the three realms” XLH told him earnestly. She still thought her heart belonged to CH, but wanted Da Qiang to be happy. With his looks, intellect and irresistible kindness, any woman would certainly be very lucky to have him.

“To benzuo, nobody in the three realms is as unique as Xiao Hua Yao” DFQC replied sourly. This little demon had cursed him and was the only one capable of repairing Lady Chidi’s destiny leaf. He had tried to lift the curse and fix the damned leaf himself without success. Yet, she was unique in other ways too. Unlike most celestials, she did not unthinkingly abide by the heavenly laws. She had not reported an escaped prisoner, and instead, had treated him with kindness.

XLH, caught off-guard by this seemingly adoring proclamation, tried not to lead him on. “The one I like is CH, not you,” she said as he looked hurt, “and I want CH to be by my side, not you!” As she leaves, DFQC considers what she says. XLH’s happiness and recovery are crucial to his goals, so perhaps he should give her what she wants…and pretend to be CH? CH is her dream lover, and he is now forced to consider what being a lover actually means. There are more than a few romance novels lying around Arbiter Hall, some raunchier than others…so this is why XLH hadn’t wanted to share his bed that first night. He wonders what it would be like to kiss her soft lips again…

Haishi: Dieyi has discovered the identity of the thief who stole Lady Chidi’s destiny leaf to be XLH! To avoid suspicion, Ronghao decides to kill her during the upcoming fairies’ examination and make it look like an accident.

Arbiter Hall, Day 7: XLH wakes naturally, still wearing her beloved lavender gown from Da Qiang, to find a grumpy CH seated close by her bedside peering at her intently. How long had he been there observing her and waiting for her to wake?! She can’t quite believe he came here “to be with her”, but when he states that “benzuo will stay by your side in this form from now on”, it all makes sense. A little relieved, she forces him to shed his disguise! The handsome CH in bland white robes morphs back into an infinitely more striking DFQC in bejewelled turquoise robes. He offers to tie up the real CH and bring him here if it will make XLH happy! :D Of course not! cries XLH, half afraid that he will actually do it. That would only put DFQC in danger (she believes) and protecting him is the most important thing to her.

Shuyu Forest: Supreme Liyuan finds his daughter Danyin overdoing her magic practice for the fairies’ examination, much to his displeasure. He has indulged her too much since the loss of his wife and other daughter. The foolish girl won’t give up her naïve fantasy that she can be with CH! He is terrified that she will follow in his footsteps and pursue a doomed relationship. If he himself hadn’t pursued his wife, who had been from the Moon Tribe and thus forbidden to him, she wouldn’t have ended up trying to flee from celestial soldiers while in the excruciating throes of childbirth. His heart ached when he thought of the suffering she had gone through due his selfish pursuit of her. He had no idea whether she was even alive, or what had become of their other daughter.

Arbiter Hall, Day 9: Over the past few days, DFQC had spent hours every day training XLH to improve her powers for the fairies' examination. But her progress has been slow. As she leaves after a training session, he complains to Shangque (SQ) that it is difficult to improve her cultivation. He never expected taking care of a plant would be more difficult than conquering the whole world! But surely there is no challenge that he cannot surmount? He will do whatever it takes to make XLH the happiest woman in the world! To aid her recovery (and since he shares her emotions, to make himself the happiest man in the world!) :D He has decided to be present at the exam to help her win first place.

Danyin arrives. XLH, concerned for DFQC’s safety, makes him conceal himself during her visit. Danyin is widely regarded as the most beautiful fairy in all of Shuiyuntian, and is intelligent and powerful, but DFQC only views her as a threat to his Xiao Hua Yao. He is immune to the charms of any woman apart from XLH, including the beautiful Xie Wanqing and Danyin. He loves XLH only because she loves him so much.

Danyin demands her destiny leaf to see if she can enter Fountain Palace (and have a future with CH). Be careful what you wish for Danyin! Danyin’s actions of damaging the Destiny tree open the Tianji mirror for her. To her shock, she sees XLH marrying her prince, CH, not once, but twice! She is unable to reconcile these visions with the timid and powerless cry-baby before her, and shoves XLH down violently. Once she has stormed off, DFQC gently helps XLH to her feet and smirks at the thought of being able to kill Danyin for her. But she quickly makes clear her preference for non-violence.

DFQC is confused – surely eliminating any potential threat would be the easiest option? He is angered by Danyin’s treatment of Xiao Hua Yao and doesn’t want to see a repeat of it at the exam tomorrow. Choosing non-violence is far more difficult and unnatural for him, but if it is what makes her happy, it is what he must do. From here on, he chooses to adhere to her wishes for non-violence even in situations where it would definitely be in the interests of the Moon Tribe to choose violence. As early as eps. 8 and 9, he places his love for XLH far higher among his values and priorities than his responsibilities towards the Moon Tribe, when he chooses not to kill CH and not to kill the High Council of Shuiyuntian in these respective episodes.

Yujing, Day 10: XLH arrives for the fairies’ examination wearing the lavender gown DFQC created for good luck (minus a frilly neckline overlay). She hears rumours that CH has been in seclusion making an Immortal Pill to help a certain fairy with her examination. Some details are wrong, such as how long he was in seclusion and which fairy it was (they all think it was Danyin – did she spread these rumours herself?). Danyin arrives and regards XLH appraisingly. She has been thinking about it and wonders whether, somehow, XLH is the Goddess of Xishan who went missing and is actually CH’s fiancée? (she asks her father about this possibility in ep. 12).

Ronghao arrives late after setting up his assassination attempt on XLH and correctly guesses that CH’s secret crush is among the assembled fairies. Yunzhong carefully eavesdrops on their every exchange. He is not unsympathetic to CH’s plight. As a member of the ruling family, Yunzhong himself had to sacrifice the love of his life to fulfil his responsibilities. That is why he allowed CH to keep the handkerchief of his love as a memento, on the strict understanding that CH’s duties must always come first. CH’s engagement to the Goddess is vital to protecting the three realms from the ultimate evil Taisui, who if released, would consume everything in its terrifying wake.

As CH hands out Demon Pills, he is careful to avoid Danyin’s gaze, to her disappointment. For XLH, however, he tries to seek out her gaze, softly whispering “be careful”. As the judges watch the examination in Shuyu Forest through the Kuitian mirror, he is constantly worried for her safety and wishes to rush to her aid when a private fight breaks out, and when they see a giant Yingzhao possessed by the evil qi. As per usual, CH is unable to do these things, but XLH’s dark knight, DFQC, always appears by her side to protect her.

XLH has spent the last few days reading about the characteristics of various demons, and their strengths and weaknesses. She recognises that the Yingzhao which SQ placed in her path likes to eat the plant Hounds tongue, which she has carefully brought along. Yingzhao, appreciating her kindness and recognising the rare purity of her spirit, indicates that she should use her Demon Pill on him. He growls at the other fairies, however, when they show up to bully XLH. An invisible DFQC, showing amazing restraint, blasts the fairies away without singeing a single hair on their heads with his hellfire (he is not so gentle with Dieyi in ep. 7). XLH believes this feeble blast came from her and can’t believe how strong she has become! :D

DFQC leaves to investigate the evil qi he has sensed, asking SQ to guard XLH with his life. While he is away, the gentle Yingzhao becomes possessed by the evil qi, turning into a gigantic raging overpowered monster! SQ knocks Yingzhao away from XLH, but he then terrorises the other fairies. The kind and caring XLH cannot leave them in the interests of her own safety! She saves Danyin, and the fairies team up to bind Yingzhao with their powers. They can’t contain him for long, and XLH takes charge. Demonstrating natural leadership skills, she directs the fairies into a hollow tree, persuades them to give her their Demon Pills, and uses herself as a decoy to lure Yingzhao away! She cuts her wrist to attract Yingzhao’s attention, alerting DFQC, who suffers the same injury through the one-heart curse.

Full credit to @justarabidlittleyingzhao for Yunzhong's backstory headcanon!

Here is a link to my episode 7 review (contains spoilers). All of my LBFAD articles and episode reviews can be viewed with the tag #lbfad reflections (hyperlinked) and the table of contents to these is here.

[r1999-transcript]

A Nightmare At Green Lake 10 - Hoarding Obsession

Tooth Fairy: … A warehouse filled with bizarre little items. Puppets, Ouiji board, audio tapes … a diary, and a ring box … “… To my forever love, Victoria. Here lies my lifelong secret. In the summer of 1973, I took the life of a young lady.” Oh, sounds like an intriguing story. Those kids will love it. Huuhh! The pity is I find no teeth here.

…

Outside the cabin

Sonetto: Good, that’d be make another trap. The cabin is more safely secured now. Now, take these boards to the east side of the house. We need to have that direction covered as well.

Blonney: Huh, huh! Damn it, what are you? Did you really draw this amount of strength and energy from this thin body?!

Sonetto: This is nothing compared to the training I received in the Foundation. Blonney, it is okay to rest on the chair over there if you’re feeling fatigued. Leave this to me …

Before the kindhearted girl finishes her words, someone else takes over the boards.

Tooth Fairy: Ladies, I found something in the attic. I brought them here … Hah, Vertin?

Sonetto: Time- … Timekeeper?!

Blonney: It’s Anne! She’s safe! Good. Hmm? What … what’s that behind her?! I didn’t know there’s still an army stationed here?

Tooth Fairy: No, that’s a cluster of monsters. Well, you can also call it an army.

Blonney: Awesome! How are we supposed to deal with them?! We are so dead!

…

Anne: I … I can’t run … any further …

Vertin: Good, they’ve set traps in front of the cabin. Sonetto!

Sonetto: Activate the trap. Prepare to engage!

[ficthots]

The Ugly Duckling

A/N: Okay...I saw GVF in concert because they’re one of my favorite bands and now I am completely enamored with them, particularly Joshua and Danny so here we are! First piece for Josh. As always let me know what you guys think and enjoy!

Word Count: 9.7k+

Warnings: Smut, 18+ content, DNI if you are under 18! Mentions of insecurities with appearance, teasing about looks, and past childhood issues regarding the warnings mentioned above. 

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. You remember the story we read earlier in the school year, The Ugly Duckling? Don’t listen to anyone else, you need to stay true to you. You’ll find your own group and people one day and you’ll blossom into a beautiful girl, but in the meantime just keep your head up.”

You had vivid memories of your second grade teacher repeating those exact words to you. Recess had just started and after a morning of continuous teasing, your teacher pulled you aside as she saw tears forming in your young eyes.

The words she chose didn’t help, but only spurred on your emotions. You sat at the far corner of the playground, hiding from your classmates, fat tears rolling down your cheeks.

Your front two and bottom three teeth had all fallen out within the last few weeks, leaving your mouth a gaping hole. Originally over excited because it meant that your tooth fairy money had accumulated so quickly had been squashed as your classmates eyed you like some freak.

Bare feet appeared in your vision, shifting from the blacktop to the grass field you sat in. “Why’re you crying?” A loud voice asked the question and as you looked up a tanned, brown haired boy stood before you. When you didn’t answer he poked your shoulder.

“I like your overalls.” You mumbled a quiet thank you, sniffling as your tears subsided. “Where are your shoes?” You asked, staring at the boy's ginormous smile and eyes that peered down at you.

“Shoes are feet jail. The grass feels good on my toes,” he held his foot up, giving you a clear view of the sole, covered in complete filth. You made a face of disgust as he laughed whilst examining his own blackened foot.

He sighed, placing both his hands on his hips as his eyes scanned over you. “Why were you crying?” Your fist jabbed into your chin as you contemplated your response to him. “People were making fun of me because I lost a lot of my teeth. Mrs. Jones called me the ugly duckling,” you sniffled again as you replayed her words in your head.

The boy knelt down and caught your eyes. “Smile,” you hesitated, but he gave you the biggest smile he could manage, showcasing all of the teeth in his mouth and you couldn’t help but to laugh at how ridiculous he looked.

His eyes brightened at your sound and he saw the missing teeth. “That’s so cool, I bet you have so much tooth fairy money! Mrs. Jones is a mean old lady, she yells at me all the time and she’s not even my teacher. How much does the tooth fairy give you per tooth? I get $1 for each one, but I’ve heard some people get like $5 which I wonder why. Do they have bigger teeth and get more for it? Doesn’t make sense to me.”

You sat quietly listening to him ramble on with hardly any stops for breathing, not even getting a chance to answer his question. He did ask a question right?

“Come play with me and my brother,” he grabbed your hand in his and dragged you over to another boy who looked incredibly similar to the one who had you in his grasp. You stopped in front of him as the boy eyed you questiongly.

“Brother, this is my new best friend, Ducky. Welcome her,” he smiled at you as you gingerly waved. “I am Joshua, but I am Josh and this is my twin Jacob, but he is Jake.” Who you had just learned was Jake scoffed and rolled his eyes at his brother.

“She’s your best friend and didn’t know your name?” Josh’s slender arm wrapped around your shoulders, pulling you into his side. “That is none of your business,” he leaned towards you, whispering so only you could hear him.

“Jake’s dumb. Don’t listen to him. I’m older if you couldn’t tell,” your name tumbled from his quick words, shocking you.

“You know my name?” His smile grew at your words. “Course I do. What kind of best friend would I be if I didn’t know your name? Since we’re best friends though I’m going to call you Ducky because Mrs. Jones is dumb and doesn’t know what she’s talking about. We have to have nicknames.” He said it so matter of factly, your heart fluttered nervously.

You had never had a best friend before and now this goofy boy was yours. The bell rang loudly through the playground seconds after. Josh gathered his shoes in one hand, padding off to get in line as he nudged you.

“Wanna come to my house after school? We have a playground, an electric Jeep, scooters, roller skates-” Jake cut him off as he appeared at your other side. “Yeah, it’s a lot of fun, you should come.”

You softly nodded at the two, a tight lipped smile forming as they waved bye to you, saying they would see you after school when you heard Mrs. Jones yell across the blacktop.

“Joshua Kiszka, shoes on, now!”

After that day, you were inseparable. You tagged along with them everywhere they went, the two of them doing the same for you. As Sam grew older he joined your trio as did Daniel as he became incredibly close with the youngest Kiszka brother.

They became your protectors through the horror that was your school years. Your family simply called you a late bloomer, but it never took the sting away from the teasing you endured through the years.

At the eighth grade dance you had been having a blast with the twins and some other friends you had made, but as the disco ball spun on the ceiling, the lights dipped lower, and a slower song began to play, you found yourself slinking back away from the dance floor.

You watched as Jake shuffled around the floor with Tessa McKenna, the girl he had a massive crush on the entire year. Josh’s hands trembled on Lyssa Winslow’s waist, glancing around the gym, waiting for the dance to just be over. Lyssa and Tessa were in the popular circle, practically being ring leaders for the posse that followed them like lost puppies.

You would never tell Josh or Jake about the things the girls had said to you, knowing that they had harbored crushes on them for most of middle school, but these girls were not nice. Especially to you.

The corner of the room had pulled you into its embrace as you watched everyone dance together. Your heart hurt, a knot forming in your throat as tears welled in your eyes. No one had asked you to dance. You had worn your prettiest dress, your mom had helped you style your hair, even letting you put mascara and lipgloss on.

Yet it wasn’t enough. The darkness that enclosed around the space was a welcomed friend as you watched the clique of the eighth grade approach you as the song came to an end, the boys joining their friend group as you stayed hidden.

“Awe, no one ask you to dance? Poor baby. You didn’t think Josh or Jake would dance with you, right? They don’t like ugly girls which is probably why you haven’t even had your first kiss yet,” your bottom lip wobbled as Lyssa’s words washed over you. She was right of course. They would never go for a girl like you.

Your eyes fell down to your shoes as the girls snickered, but stopped quickly as someone spoke up. “Shut up, Lyssa. Ducky is ten times prettier and nicer than you are or will ever be. C’mon, let’s go dance,” Josh’s hand enclosed around yours pulling you from the group as they stood with their jaws hanging open at his harsh words.

You had never heard Josh speak like that to anyone before and it shocked you to hear how angry he had gotten.

He pulled you to a quiet corner, away from everyone else. The bass of another song jumped through the building. “How often does she say things like that to you?” You shrugged at his question, avoiding his stare. “Tell me or I’ll find out for myself.”

You sighed and rubbed at the bottom of your eye, not wanting to smear your makeup. “A lot.” Josh groaned and grabbed your arm. “Ducky, why would you not tell me? You can’t let people talk to you like that! If you won’t do anything about it, you come and get me or Jake and we’ll handle it. That’s my job, ducky!”

You could see the anger in his eyes as he yelled to be heard over the music. “I’m sorry. I knew you liked her and I didn’t want to ruin it,” you sniffled and met his look for the first time and he took a deep breath as he stepped towards you.

Without thinking anymore he quickly pushed his lips against yours for a split second. You barely registered what had happened before he pulled back, eyes wide and staring at you. “There. Now they can’t say you haven’t had your first kiss. I love this song, come on.”

As he took your forearm in his hand and dragged you behind him to rejoin his brother you couldn’t fight the grin that plastered itself on your face. You had just had your first kiss. With Josh. Your first kiss was Josh.

The rest of your night was wonderful and spent dancing and laughing with your best friends, not fully understanding the heat that nestled its way into your chest every time you looked at the dorky boy that had just saved you. Again.

High school's path continued the same. The boys blossomed as puberty hit them like trucks. Josh only had his remarkable features enhanced as he grew up. Jake and Sam appeared more like twins than the actual twins. You thought Danny had always been handsome and he only got better with age.

You however seemed to remain the same through the years. Your features hadn’t matured like you had hoped they would, but with college approaching and being able to escape the narrow minded people you had grown up with, it didn’t bother you as much as it used to.

Too many nights spent crying over aspects of yourself that you had no power to change had deeply rooted insecurity into you. The boys helped you with your confidence though. Just being around Josh was like being on the surface of the sun.

His pure energy made you always feel comfortable and like it was okay to be yourself with him because it was. The boys were your safe space and you wouldn’t have changed it for the world.

Graduation had come and gone and you sat on the back porch of the cabin your parents had rented for you, Josh, and Jake as a graduation present. Your usual group had come on a small camping trip, knowing this was going to be your last chance at a normal hang for awhile.

It was quiet in the house, everyone passed out from the exertion of the five mile hike you had all done earlier in the day to get to a secret swimming spot Sam had somehow heard about. You had agreed to the parents to keep an eye on the younger ones, placing full responsibility in your hands.

The crickets chirped loudly, an occasional firefly would illuminate the grass, a frog's croak tickling the calm air of the early summer night had you feeling at complete peace. The door creaked open as Josh appeared from the back door.

“Why’re you still up, ducky?” The nickname that you heard more than your own name had a sense of familiarity washing over you. “I don’t really want to sleep. I leave Monday and I don’t want this to change,” you offered him a sad smile as he took the open place next to you on the porch swing.

“You’ll only be an hour and a half from here, ducky. I’m literally gonna see you every weekend, mama. Whether you come to me or I come to you, I don’t care. I have to see you,” you groaned and pushed him away from you.

“I didn’t say you could come see me whenever you wanted. That’s quite an assumption you made there,” you giggled as he leaned on you, hand going to your bare knee and squeezing. “Oh, I know you didn’t, but you forget I’m helping you move into the dorm and will know where you live. You didn’t think you could get rid of me so easily did you, duck?”

You hummed contently and leaned into his touch, letting his arm slink over your shoulders, pulling you into his side. The smell of patchouli, lavender, and a scent that was pure Josh filled your senses making your eyelids flutter shut as his hand rubbed your arm. Home.

“Nothings gonna change. I promise.”

Josh held true to his promise to the best of his ability. Your first semester of school had been difficult to cope with. It was the first time you had lived away from home. From the boys. You went home every other weekend and your group would take the opposite weekends to come visit you.

It was the middle of finals, you had been up studying for almost a full twenty-four hours and you had much more to go. Your roommate had taken her finals early to fly home for break leaving the dorm to you which you were immensely thankful for.

You were hunched over your desk, typing a paper furiously. The only light in the room came from your shitty desk lamp and the back glow of your laptop screen. You had no idea what time it was, but a soft knock came on your door, forcing your eyes to peel away from the screen for the first time in hours.

The clock on your bedside table read a little past one in the morning and you sighed, getting up to answer the door as the knocking started again. Your body ached as you stood, allowing your limbs to stretch.

The bright, big smile of your favorite boy greeted you as you opened the door. “Josh? What’re you doing here? How did you get in?” He pushed past you, shopping bag in hand as he made his way into your room.

“I hadn’t heard from you in days. I know it’s finals, but I missed my ducky and wanted to see you. As for me getting in here, that is my secret,” he shot you a wink as he spoke, “I brought snacks for you, a movie for us to watch that I’ve been dying to show you, and a nice bottle of wine that I stole from my mom.”

You sighed, leaning against the wall as you rubbed tiredly at your eyes. “Josh, thank you, but I don’t have time to stop. I have my biggest final the day after tomorrow and I really need to finish this paper and study,” he rolled his eyes, moving the dirty clothes from your bed to the floor as he made himself comfortable on the twin size mattress.

“You have to rest at some point and I’m here to assist in that. Take the night off from studying and start again early in the morning. I will even go get you coffee. Now come on, I’m not taking no for an answer.”

You couldn’t fight the smile that took over your face as you gave in with an over exaggerated groan, watching him do a happy shimmy in your bed. You closed your laptop, making sure the document was saved and stretched your arms above your head, letting your joints pop.

“Okay, fine. I’m gonna run to the bathroom first to shower. I’ll be back,” you made your way from your dorm room, making sure your RA wasn’t near, visitation hours long over. The shower helped you relax, the hot water pummeling against your tense shoulders, happy that Josh had come to see you. 

You missed him more than you would like to admit. Annoying boy. 

As you shuffled back into your room you saw Josh had cleaned up the space a bit, having his own laptop set up for the movie, your bed adjusted to be able to hold both of you better. He had a fresh pair of sweats and a sweatshirt laid out for you on your desk chair, your string lights turned on, illuminating the space.

“Alright, mama, get changed so we can watch this,” he turned his back to offer you some semblance of privacy as you slipped into your clean clothes, his voice never stopping with his talking about his week. You jumped into the bed before he could, using the opportunity to take up more space.

Josh laughed, jumping on top of you, wrestling for the bottom section of the bed. Your exhaustion quickly hits you, giving up and letting him settle underneath you, letting you fully rest against him.

His voice carried through the space, rambling on about the movie as if every time you had spoken to him in the last month he hadn’t said the same exact things to you. As the movie played, Josh’s hand drew lazy circles on your hip that had become exposed, your sweatshirt riding up.

“How’s college life been, ducky?” You shrugged in response, mumbling out back to him. “Same old same old.” He stayed quiet for a second before chuckling. “No boyfriends? I thought guys would’ve been lining up at your door by now,” you shook your head, feeling his steady heartbeat beneath your ear.

“You know it’s not like that for me, Josh. Never has been.” As the years dragged on you became more okay with the idea of not finding someone. You didn’t mind being alone romantically. Sure, you thought about it every once in a while and how it would be nice to share time with someone else, but you didn’t need it like you thought you would.

Technically, you weren’t alone anyways. You had the boys, your roommate, and some other friends you had made since school started. You were okay. You had to be okay.

“They’re all idiots, ducky. Don’t know what they’re missing out on,” his slender fingers dipped under your chin, forcing your face upwards towards him. He had a soft smile on his face. One of the rare ones that didn’t showcase all of his teeth, but was still big enough to bring out the singular dimple he had.

He swallowed thickly as your gazes met. You searched his eyes trying to place what emotion was coursing through him, but he answered for you as he leaned down, hand splaying out on your jaw as he slowly connected your lips together.

His lips were plush and soft as they met yours, moving leisurely against one another like you had all the time in the world together. His tongue parted your lips, brushing against yours for the first time.

The sensation had a shiver rolling down your back as he smirked into the kiss, hands moving down to your waist and having you climb on him. You placed a leg on either side of his narrow waist, hands trailing up to his mop of curls and tangling them in between your fingers.

His hands kneaded at the flesh on your hips, gently pushing you down to feel his hard on pressing into your core. An involuntary moan rumbled from your throat that had him nudging his hips up into you again.

Josh’s warm hands slid underneath your sweatshirt, grabbing the hem as he went and removing it from your body. His breath stuttered in his throat as you briefly separated to allow him to pull it off of you. Your eyes quickly scanned his features, wanting to remember this moment, searing it into your memory.

One of his hands cupped the back of your neck bringing you back down to him, taking your bottom lip in between his, teeth gently scraping. “Lay down for me, ducky,” his breathing was already growing shallow as he spoke against your mouth, starting to move you to lay underneath him.

Your head hit your pillow, a giggle escaping from you as Josh peered down at you, taking you in like it was the first time he had ever laid eyes on you. Your heart rate increased when you realized how your best friend was seeing you.

“No, don’t do that. Don’t fall back into yourself. Not with me,” he shook his head as he watched you slowly retreat internally from him, fear creeping into you at the prospect of what was happening. “I can’t lose you, Joshy. I don’t want to do this if I’m going to lose you,” your breathing was labored, panic setting in at the sheer idea of losing him.

He knelt down, placing gentle kisses across your face. His lips danced across your cheeks, the tip of your nose, your forehead, your chin, your eyelashes, leaving no section of your face without his lips having touched it.

“You couldn’t lose me if you tried, mama,” your smile slowly came back as he moved down your neck, sucking into the skin, eliciting a hiss from your mouth before his tongue flattened on your pulse, soothing the love mark.

You could feel his smile on you as he moved further down, hands cupping your breasts and pinching your nipples, letting the soft peaks harden before enclosing his mouth around one.

Your back arched off the mattress, pushing him further into your chest as he switched, continuing the motion on you. “Jo-josh, wait, wait,” he immediately pulled back as you moaned out, not wanting to lose his contact.

“What’s wrong?” Your face burned at the admission you were about to speak out to Josh. You were fairly certain he knew, but it still didn’t lessen the embarrassment of the confession. “I just want you to know that this is my first. I haven’t done this before with anyone,” his gaze softened at your words before he kissed you deeply, groaning into your mouth.

“I don’t care, ducky. If you want me to be your first then I’ll gladly do it, baby, but if you want to wait I understand,” you quickly shook your head, letting your hands nestle into his locks, pulling him to you.

“No, I don’t want to wait. I want you, Josh,” his eyes darkened, as his hand slipped into the waistband of your sweats. “Fuck, you’re soaked,” his voice went deeper, his index finger putting light pressure on your clit.

Your eyes squeezed shut at the feeling, a gasp falling from your lips as he made slow circles on you. The familiar heat started to build in your lower stomach as you moaned, his name falling from your lips in a breathless whimper.

He switched his fingers, letting his middle finger slip into you with ease. Josh was quiet as he watched you explode into euphoria, his breathing ragged as he rode you through your orgasm. “God damn, ducky. That was so hot, holy shit,” his smile didn’t lessen as he kissed you again.

He put his finger into his mouth, sucking your slick off of it, eyes fluttering at the motion. “Need you, Joshy. Please,” you rolled your hips up, clit throbbing as his dick pressed into you.

“Needy aren’t ‘cha?” He teased as you rolled your eyes, letting his hands pull your sweats off your body, helping him quickly strip off his own clothes. He put his open palm under your mouth and you eyed him as he smiled sweetly at you.

“Spit into my hand, baby,” you did as he said, noticing his brow furrow and a low moan come from him as it dribbled onto him. His hand went down to stroke himself, letting your spit coat him.

You tensed up as he ran his cock through your folds. His eyes looked up to meet yours, fingers pinching your chin to look at him. “Take a deep breath. Relax, I’m gonna take care of you and go slow, ‘kay?”

You nodded, letting your body go limp as his eyes snapped down to watch his tip slip into you. He shuddered as you moaned. “Jesus, you’re so tight,” he shakily spoke out, pushing his thumb onto your clit.

The feeling of him stretching you out for the first time was one you would never forget. The burning slowly subsided as he sat fully in you, letting you adjust. You accepted him inch by inch, the fullness something you would crave for the rest of your days.

“Let me know when I can move, sweetie,” Josh choked out as your velvet walls held him firmly in you, gently pulsating against him as you tried to adjust as quickly as possible. “Mo-move. Move, babe,” you breathed out, wrapping your arms around his neck as he withdrew from you to snap his hips back into you.

He moved gently and slowly like you were the most delicate flower he’d ever held in his life. Afraid that if he handled you too roughly you would crumple in his hand. He wanted to show you how special you were to him. That you were his flower. He felt honored that you had allowed him to do this with you. That you wanted him to be your first.

You two kissed the entire time, letting your legs wrap around his waist, ankles crossing on his lower back. His hands massaged your breasts, heavy breathing mixed together as you moaned and whimpered into each other's mouths.

“I’m so close, baby,” you nodded at his words, head lolling to the side as he moved his lips across your jaw and neck, kissing the hollow of your collarbones. His hand made quick circles on your clit, trying to get you there with him and a groan fell from you as you tighten your legs around him, meeting his thrusts as you fell over the edge.

He pulled out from you as his cum fell across the soft skin on your stomach. His face was flush, curls stuck to his forehead and neck with sweat, face contorted in pleasure as he jerked himself through his own finish.

You both glistened with sweat, the movie still playing lowly in the back as the string lights cast him in a beautiful glow. You smiled at each other as he climbed off of you, grabbing your towel from your earlier shower and wiping you clean.

You gasped as the rough material rubbed against your core. “Sorry, sorry,” he chuckled as he finished wiping you up, using the same towel to clean himself.

The two of you quietly got dressed as Josh laid in bed, watching as you laid back down with him, laying your head on his chest. “I think I missed most of the movie. Guess we’ll have to rewatch it,” he laughed, kissing the top of your head as your eyelids grow heavy.

“Oh absolutely. Next weekend, ducky.” You two laid in silence as the screen went dark, sleep encompassing you, but you quietly spoke out to your best friend, wanting him to know how much this meant to you.

“Thank you, Josh. Thank you,” he was already asleep.

You nailed, no pun intended, your finals that week. Neither of you spoke of the night again, but nothing shifted in your relationship. He was still Josh and you were still ducky. No one knew and you wanted to keep it that way.

The feelings of content you had come to terms with earlier in your university days came and went in waves. Some days worse than others. 

As college continued on for you, you only had one serious relationship. His name was Dominick and he was a total jackass. Of course, you didn’t know that at the time. Maybe you did, but after watching everyone around you become engaged, married, get into serious relationships back to back, you felt like you were missing something.

Dominick was there. A typical business major that lived in his frat house should have been the first clue to his true self, but you wanted to ignore it. Someone was finally interested in you. You felt like you had to take what you were given and that just happened to be him.

When you took him home for the first time, the boys were anything but friendly with him, almost ignoring him entirely. The parents tried to have a conversation with him, but he seemed completely uninterested in holding more than a three word response to anyone.

This was the night of your first fight. You told him how important that night was to you, that you wanted him to make a good impression to the people that meant the most to you. Especially Josh. He didn’t know what the big deal was which only made it worse.

You stopped seeing everyone as often as you used to, Dominick having you with him every weekend instead. The boy's music took off, Greta Van Fleet had become their life. You were so proud of them, watching their dreams come true right before your eyes.

Josh texted you pictures and videos almost every day as they recorded their first album. You were their biggest fan, their first fan. The first Josh girl you liked to remind him.

The first time you saw them perform it was like watching a moving piece of art. They fell into their roles so well and so quickly. Josh’s voice was like nothing you had ever heard before and watching him prance around on stage had your heart soar for him.

Your senior year of university was the most stressful you had endured yet. Your senior thesis had been kicking your ass and Josh invited you to one of their shows, but Dominick insisted you go to his frats end of semester party.

You begrudgingly told Josh you would love to, but Dominick had plans for you both that night already. Hearing the pain in his voice at your words cracked your heart every time it happened. Always a promise of next time, but there hadn’t been a next time yet. You hated it.

That night at the party, you continuously checked your phone for updates from him, but there hadn’t been a single text from him all night. You had been standing in the corner of the house, watching people rithe against each other, alcohol spilling across the hardwood floors, smoke carrying through the room.

You hadn’t seen your boyfriend in almost an hour and making the decision to go look for him was the blessing in disguise you didn’t know you needed. When you opened a bedroom door and saw him fucking a girl from his statistics course, your eyes met his, filling with tears as you turned on your heel, shutting the door behind you as you made your way out of the house.

You walked quickly to your car down the block as you breathed heavily, puffs of air coming out in front of you. You fumbled with your keys, hands a trembling mess as you tried to unlock your door.

As your car struggled to turn over you screamed, hitting the steering wheel over and over as angry tears flowed from your eyes onto your sweater. You grabbed your phone, shaking hands trying to find his contact.

It rang a few times too many and as you were about to give up, sobs wracking your body, his voice came through the speaker. “Ducky, I’m about to go on. I’ll call you back, okay?”

You didn’t respond, hand clamped over your mouth to stifle the uncontrollable whimpers coming from you. A loud cry escaped you as you finally spoke. “Okay. Have a good show,” his worried tone quickly spoke, but you ended the call before he could finish.

“Are you crying? What’s happ-” you threw your phone onto the floor of the passenger side as you took a shaky breath, your car finally starting for you. You made the short drive back to your apartment, sitting in the parking lot for too long when you had a car where the heater didn’t work and it was December in Michigan.

You reluctantly reached over and grabbed your phone, dozens of missed calls and texts from Josh and one text from Dominick. You unlocked your phone, dialing Josh back, but getting his voicemail, knowing he was on stage right then.

“Hi Josh. I’m, uh, sorry about earlier. Didn’t mean to scare you. Um, I was at that party with Dominick and I walked in on him with another girl. Guess it’s a good thing, right? He was such an ass, but he was the only guy that had ever shown any interest in me. I’m that pathetic that I would stay with a guy who told me that he was way too good for me and that I should be thankful to be with him. Did I tell you he said that to me? He did. I just wanted to be wanted. God, I just-I’m sad, Josh. I’m sorry, I’ll talk to you later,” you ended the call and trudged back to your apartment.

You quietly climbed into bed, letting silent tears fall down your cheeks as you tried to will the night to end.

A hand rubbed gently on your back, the smell of patchouli hit your nose. You rolled over, peeling your eyes open and coming face to face with your best friend. His face had a soft smile as he knelt by your bed.

“Hey, ducky girl. How’re you doing?” You shook your head, pulling him into the bed with you. He kicked his shoes off before climbing under the covers, wrapping you up in him. His soft shirt rubbed under your cheek as it grew wet with tears.

His hand went into your hair, scratching your scalp as he held you tightly to him. “Don’t you ever call me like that again. You do not call me and hang up while you’re feeling like that. Scared the shit out of me, mama,” his cheek pressed onto the crown of your head.

“‘M sorry. I knew you were going on and didn’t want to bother you,” he shook his head. “I don’t care about that. You scared me because you were crying like that and just hung up. I tried calling you back and you didn’t answer. Sam literally dragged me on stage. I’m pretty sure that was the worst show of my life because all I could think of was if you were okay. Don’t do that again.”

You nodded your head, letting his hand rub your arm. “We’ll talk about that voicemail in the morning, too. Sleep, ducky.” You didn’t need to be told twice, you were out minutes later.

Graduation happened only two weeks later. Everyone was in the stands screaming for you as your name got called, your degree finally complete. When you met them outside the stadium, you jumped into Josh’s arms, hearing him scream as he jumped you both around, the other boys joining in.

That night at dinner you sat thigh to thigh with Josh, chatting excitedly with the boys about their upcoming tour. Of course, you were having a hard time with the idea of not seeing them for as long as it was going to be, but you knew they needed to do this.

Your name was called from the other end of the table and you turned to see Karen and Lori with bright smiles directed at you as your moms eyes shined brightly in your direction. “The question that everyones dying to know; what’s next?” Your smile grew as you looked at them and shrugged.

“That was actually a surprise I wanted to share with everyone tonight,” you bounced anxiously in your seat as the table's undivided attention fell to you. “I got offered a position in Nashville. I start next month.” After the shock wore off the boys jumped up from their seats, running around the table to wrap their arms around you, lifting you from your seat and screaming.

You laughed as other people in the restaurant turned their attention to what was happening. Josh’s eyes looked like they were going to bug out of his head as his thoughts came rushing out of his mouth a million miles a minute.

“You’re gonna be so close to me-us. I’m-we’re gonna see you all the time after the tour and on breaks. Do you have an apartment? I have a spare bedroom at mine that you can take! That way you don’t have to worry about finding a place unless you already have one and in that case just forget about it, but I’ll still need to get you a key.”

You giggled as you watched the excitement course through him and the guys, talking over each other about what they wanted to show you when you got there.

None of that happened the way you all wanted. Once you moved to Nashville life swept you all up. The boys had been gone for almost an entire year and when they came home on breaks you were always on a work trip, having to travel constantly for your company. You missed them by a day at a time or they missed you by two.

Everything changed in that year. Your late bloomer, ugly duckling status, had disappeared. It seemed to almost happen overnight. You woke up one day and relationships changed. You were treated differently, instantly nicer. You noticed people looking at you more, men started approaching you and asking for your number on nights out with co-workers.

You didn’t really notice the change in yourself until you went home for a quick weekend and your mom almost fell over as you walked in the front door. Karen and Lori’s jaws hung slack. When they took a picture of you with your mom, you couldn’t help but stare at the image. Puberty had finally hit you. Sure, it was a few years late, but it had happened. 

However, it was the last thing on your mind, excitement bubbling over into your workday because tonight was the first night in nearly a year that you were seeing the boys again.

They had a show in Nashville before a bit of a break and your ticket had been waiting in your inbox from Josh the minute it was available. You ended up leaving work early, too riled up to even begin to think about work, your boss giving you the go ahead, excited for you.

As you arrived at the arena you quickly found your seat, your leg bounced with jitters and nerves setting in. It was just Josh and the boys. You had known them since you were seven. Nothing had changed.

It was your Josh. Your best friend that you talked to everyday over text, FaceTime simply not an option as your work schedules rivaled each other so often.

As the lights dimmed and the screams echoed of excited fans, your smile grew as you saw the familiar figure make its way to the center of the stage.

Your smile never diminished, dancing and singing along to every song. You couldn’t believe how much they had grown and shaped into complete public figure personas. Your Josh was made for this life and you knew it. You could see it in the way he eyed the crowd as he sang his heart out night after night. It fed him and the attention he so desperately craved.

Honestly, you were slightly relieved it didn’t solely fall on you anymore, but as you watched him go to the crowd, handing out flowers to those on the barricade, your heart leapt into your throat.

His eyes happened to bounce up to the balcony you were on, but his gaze was quick and fleeting. It was dark, he wouldn’t be able to see you of course.

As the concert was coming to an end, you left your seat, starting to make your way towards backstage to meet them. You were questioned each step of the way, even though you had a badge, saying that your ID didn’t really look too much like you.

When you finally made your way to the backroom where they stood, laughing and chatting loudly about the show, Jita’s gaze landed on you.

Her eyes widened as she took you in, smacking Jake’s arm to get his attention. Jake’s eyes fell on you next, brows furrowing as you nervously shifted from one leg to the next, clearly not recognizing who you were.

You lightly waved and laughed. “Hey, great show,” Jake’s eyes bugged out as he rushed over to you, enveloping you in a bone crushing hug. “Holy fuck, ducky! I didn’t even know it was you,” he was laughing loudly, pulling you back at arms length to see you.

“Yeah, apparently there’s this thing called second puberty. Hit me super hard,” he nodded his head, pulling you back into his embrace. “No shit. God, ducky it’s so good to see you. I fucking missed you. You have no idea how hard it was to handle them. For a year. Alone. I needed my sidekick to help me,” he swayed back and forth as he mumbled into your hair.

“Can’t even imagine, Jake. So sorry you had to handle that. For a year. Alone.” You copied his tone and he let you go, letting Jita take you into a quick hug, saying how good it was to see you.

Josh was nowhere to be found, but Sam caught sight of you next. An actual double take happened as he ran over to you, lifting you from your feet as the same interaction that had just happened, happened again.

As you scanned around for the mop of curls and let your ears tune in to be able to hear him, Danny walked into the room, hair dripping as he clearly had just exited the shower.

His mouth opened, wordless as he took your hand in his, laughing as he pulled you into him. His skin was warm as you wrapped your arms around his torso, head landing on his chest. “Jesus, ducky. Hardly even recognized you. How’re you doing? I want to hear all about this job. They have you traveling all the damn time. We’ve missed you, duck.”

You fell into easy conversation with the drummer, complimenting him on his new hair look, telling him how well the makeup he adorned each night suited him. Your back was facing the entry to the room, Sam and Jake catching you up on their travels and stories when he entered the room.

You quickly turned at the sound of his voice, eyes stuck to his phone screen as he walked towards the group. It fell silent as Josh spoke up, eyes quickly darting over the posse. “Where’s ducky? Has she come back yet? Did she get lost?”

He didn’t look at you again as he walked to grab a drink that sat on the table in the room. You laughed, clearing your throat, causing his head to snap back in your direction, dropping the cup that was in his hand.

“No, I got back okay. I was stopped quite often though, but I am glad they take your guys' safety so seriously! Very thorough,” before you could finish your sentence, Josh had crossed the room and had his arms wrapped around you.

Patchouli. Your eyes fluttered shut as he filled your senses. “Hey Joshy,” you whispered, wrapping your arms around his neck, giggles flowing from you, before he peeled away reluctantly.

“I like the new look. You better take care of it,” you said as he still stood in complete silence. Your fingers ran through his curls, brushing over the newly shaved sides, overly exaggerating your examination of the new haircut.

“Shit, ducky. This is the first time he’s ever been rendered speechless. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him be quiet for this long,” Sam laughed as Josh’s eyes quickly darted around your face and body, confusion evident as his brother took you away from him, wrapping his arm around your shoulders.

“Alright, we’re hitting some bars tonight. Ducky, I challenge you to a drink off,” you leaned into Sam’s side as you walked out, quickly looking back at Josh. He was still rooted to his spot, every emotion he was feeling flashing across his face.

The glass slammed onto the table as you choked down another shot. You were three in and about to call it, still nursing a beer, but Sam and Jake were celebrating the group's complete reunion they said.

You leaned against the bar, going to order another drink for Jake when the third random guy of the night approached you. “Hey, pretty girl. What’re you drinking?” You offered a quick smile, crossing your arms over your chest. “Oh, I’m just ordering for my friend. Thank you, though,” you yelled over the music.

He leaned in closer, the smell of booze evident on his breath. “Let’s have a dance!” You tried to turn him down, but a tall figure stood next to you. “She’s with me, man!” A sigh of relief fell from you as Danny gently pulled you under his arm. The man quickly backed off as you beamed at Danny.

“Thank you. My hero!” He laughed, a blush tinting his cheeks at your words. “Don’t mention it.” You two walked back to the booth to continue chatting, the guys playing pool near the back of the bar as you two sat close, arms brushing each other each time you moved.

You had tears streaming down your face as Danny recanted a tale from Italy about throwing stuff from their balcony window, but it almost got them kicked out of the hotel when Sam tried throwing furniture.

“Ah, I’ve missed you guys so much. Doesn’t feel right without you all here,” Danny nodded his head, hand gently taking yours in his. “I know what you mean. I’ve missed you, ducky.” You felt eyes on you.

Without a second thought your head turned and immediate eye contact was made with Josh. He stood leaning on the wall, pool cue in hand, knuckles stark white from the grip he had on it. His gaze bore into yours, anger and irritation dripping from him as he watched you and Danny.

The boy next to you brought your attention back to him as he started another story. The mood was soured. Josh had no right to be mad. He had hardly said two words to you all night. Literally two words, “Beer and shots?” and it was directed at the whole group, not just you.

You had missed him, but maybe something had changed within him. People were bound to change. You were just silently hoping he hadn’t outgrown you. You weren’t sure what you would do if he had.

The thoughts raced through your mind as the group reconvened, calling it a night as last call was made in the bar. Jake haphazardly took you in his arms, waddling you out of the bar with him, laughter flowing as he stood directly behind you, arms wrapped over your chest, crushing you to him as he yelled in your ear.

“Lunch or dinner tomorrow, ducky. Maybe both. I’ll call you, ‘kay?” He spoke in your ear and you nodded your head, patting his hands as you removed them from you, handing him off to Jita. “Course, Jake. I’ll see you guys tomorrow!” You waved to them as they continued walking off, Josh far ahead of them, not turning to look back at you as you climbed into your Uber.

As you got home, you kicked your shoes off, relief palpable, instantly dulling the ache those shoes had caused from the hours you spent in them.

You jumped, a small scream coming from your mouth as someone pounded on your door. You slowly made your way to it, peering out the peephole.

“Josh?” You spoke out as you opened the door, stumbling back as he made his way in. “What the hell was that?” His voice boomed as he turned to face you as you closed the door, hands on his hips, eyes wide and hair disheveled.

“What are you talking about?” A humorless laugh fell from him as he rolled his eyes at you. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. You and Danny. Really?” You narrowed your eyes at him, irritation bubbling in your gut at his words.

“What about me and Danny? The fact that nothing was happening?” His eyebrows shot up, stepping towards you. “Nothing? Are you fucking joking? Nothing? So Danny just said he was going to take you out for dinner for nothing? Because you absolutely weren’t flirting with him all night? Because all those guys at the bar that came up to you were nothing?”

Your mouth opened and closed as he continued spewing these words, faster and faster. “What the hell are you talking about, Josh? Danny did not ask me out. Those guys at the bar meant nothing. Of course they meant nothing. You know what, no! I do not owe you any explanation. You haven’t said more than two words to me all night! I haven’t seen my best friend in almost a year and this is how I get treated the first night I see you?”

He shook his head, eyes falling down to the floor. “Oh trust me, I know what I’m talking about. I saw it. Sam saw it. Jake saw it. It was all they talked about all night. How much you had changed since we last saw you. Danny most definitely saw it. All those fucking douchebags at the bar saw it. You know why I haven’t said anything to you all night? Because I don’t know how to!”

You stopped in your tracks. A silence fell over you two as you figured out how to respond. You whispered to him as his words settled over you. “What do you mean you don’t know how to? Josh, it’s me,” he had calmed down, but as he looked at you, you could tell he was anxious.

“Is it? Ducky, I don’t-I didn’t even recognize you tonight,” you slowly approached him, taking his hand in yours. “Promise. I haven’t changed. I mean, my appearance changed, but it’s me. Still your ducky.”

Josh quickly moved his hands to cup your cheeks, pulling you into him. His lips collided with yours and it felt like home. It felt like everything you knew. Everything you wanted. Everything was Josh. It was Josh.

You lead him to your room, hands exploring each other for the first time since your freshman year of university. A complete lifetime ago. A lifetime you wouldn’t want to live again without him by your side.

A trail of clothes was left behind from the living room to the bedroom, as you collapsed on the bed with him, eager kisses and heavy breaths filled the noiseless space.

“Mine. You’re mine,” you nodded as he littered your neck with bites and marks. “Always, Josh. Always have been,” a whine flew from your mouth as he took a nipple in his mouth.

He made quick work, kissing down your sternum, landing between your legs. Your stomach caved in, back arching off the bed as he licked a singular strip on your dripping center.

“Oh my god!” He shook his head, teeth nipping the inside of your thigh. “My name. I want to hear my name, mama.” You giggled as a low groan escaped from his lips.

“Still as cocky as ever, Kiszka.” Without hesitation he took your clit in his mouth, sucking hard, thighs clamping tight around his head at the motion. “For good reason,” he mumbled against you as his tongue explored you for the first time.

“Fuck. Fuck. You taste amazing, mama,” incoherent words tumbled from your lips as he continued working on you, two fingers slipping into you, working in tandem with his mouth.

He was quickly pushing you to the edge, curling his fingers and hitting the sweet spot in you. “C’mon, baby. You’re so close, I can feel it,” he rolled your clit in his mouth and you saw white. It was complete bliss as waves of pleasure crashed onto you, mouth gaping as choked moans fell from you.

Josh crawled back up to you, placing his open palm under your mouth, a shit eating grin taking over his features as the deja vu hit you both. You smiled, letting the spit hang from your mouth into his hand, Josh wasted no time and licked your lips as he used his lubricated hand to stroke himself.

Your hands tangled into his hair and broke apart as you smiled at him. “I really do love the new look,” crimson stained his cheeks from the heat in the room and your compliment to him. “Thank you, mama. Wanted to look good for you,” you giggled as he kissed across your face.

Josh entered you and went to the hilt right away. The wind knocked out of you at the movement, your head falling back against the pillow, eyes rolling with pure bliss, feelings running through you at a million miles a minute.

“Shit, I missed you, sweetie. So much,” your eyes watered at the pace that he set immediately, pounding into you, not letting you catch your breath. “My girl, always been my girl. Fuck, I fucking need you. Every single fucking day, ducky,” one leg landed on his shoulder, an entirely new angle opening for him.

Whimpers and moans filled the room, skin hitting skin seeping in between the quiet time when Josh wasn’t talking, confessing everything to you.

You pushed him onto his back, straddling him, hand grabbing his achingly hard cock and lining him up at your cunt. “Missed you, too, babe,” the words fell breathless as he thrusted his hips up into you, matching your timing as you rolled your hips over him, small bounces meeting his thrusts.

Your hands landed on his toned chest, a large smile took over your features as Josh continued talking to you. “Oh, fuck, mama. My beautiful girl. Always been the most gorgeous girl I’ve ever seen, you know that? Didn’t tell you enough, ‘m sorry. So sorry,” you silenced him as you leaned down, connecting your lips again, needs and wants mingling.

“‘S okay, Joshy. I knew it was you,” his eyes fell closed as you continued your movements, jaw straining, sweat glistening off you both, sticking you together. “Fuck, gonna cum. So close,” you whimpered, but Josh flipped you both back, placing you on your back again.

“Look at me, mama,” your eyes peeled open to see his gaze staring down at you. Adoration, awe, devotion, love. His eyes said everything you both had ever wanted to say. It pushed you over the edge. The all encompassing feeling of natural, unadulterated love flowed from him to you.

His hips faltered, slowing almost to a complete stop as he finished in you as your last moments of your orgasm fell from you. Your hands pushed the sweaty curls from his forehead, smiling brightly at him. His eyes slowly looked you over.

“I’ve always seen your beauty, ducky. I hope you know that,” you nodded your head at him as your fingers continue moving through his locks. “Oh I know,” his hands landed on your jaw, thumbs rubbing small circles into your cheeks as he kissed you.

When he pulled out, a small whine left you as he laughed. “Don’t worry, mama. Give me twenty minutes and I’ll be ready to go again.” Your laugh mimicked his as it bounced off the walls.

He disappeared into the bathroom reappearing with a warm washcloth, wiping you clean as gently as he could. “I swear we’ve done this before,” he laughed as he finished cleaning you up, lips landing on your cheek.

“God, I hope it was better this time,” he climbed into bed with you, wrapping you up in him. Patchouli. You breathed him in deeply as you nuzzled into his neck. “The first time was perfect, thank you very much,” you spoke out to him, laughing as his adams apple bobbed as he chuckled.

“I knew I was completely in love with you that night, you know that? I had known since the eighth grade dance when I kissed you, but that night totally solidified it. I was just too much of a pussy to do anything about it. I knew you were meant to do bigger things and I didn’t want to hold you back,” you peered up at him, shock taking over your features.

“Me? Me doing bigger things? Joshua, do you know what your job is?” He looked down at you and his dimple was deep as he laughed. “I literally just told you that I love you and have been in love with you since we were children and that’s what you focus on?” You shrugged and moved closer to him, putting your leg over his waist.

“Yeah yeah,” you reached over him and turned the nightstand lamp off, sighing a content breath. “Night, Joshy.” A shocked gasp left him as you rolled over and away from him.

His fingers dug into your side, attacking your neck as you squealed. “Alright, alright! I give, I give! I love you, too.” He sighed, laughter subsiding as he pulled his lip between his teeth.

“Say it again,” your smile grew as you did. “I am hopelessly and madly in love with you, Josh. Better?” He leaned down, head landing in the juncture between your neck and collarbone.

“Much better. Love you, ducky girl.”

You never would have thought that one of the shittiest days of your life all those years ago would have led you to where you were today. Josh was your rock, protector, partner, all of the above. You were never the ugly duckling in his eyes. No, in his eyes you had always been the swan that was meant to be with him and his flock. You were his flock. His ducky.

[alreadyblondenow]

Second Star to the Right | Na Jaemin

✦ Jaemin x reader ✦ Fluff, Smut, Smut, Smut, Angst, Fairy AU ✦ 1/5 for HOLIDAY SERIES: Once Upon A December

Summary: Jaemin is a mere tooth fairy who’s just doing his job collecting teeth became you’re one and only true friend. You have strict parents so you crave for adventure and so Jaemin offered you one and brought you to Neverland. As you two grew old together, you became closer and soon fall in love with each other. Seasons change and so does your feelings towards Jaemin. Will a tooth fairy and a human will have a happy ending?

Word count: 7,532k

Warnings: Heavy cheating, swearing, skinny dipping, unprotected sex, loss of virginity, fingering, oral sex, nipple play, betrayal, slight swearing, mentions of Jaemin being peeping tom 

A/N: PURE FICTION. Inspired by the fairytale Peter Pan, but not following the main plot. Just the idea of never growing up, fairies and pixie dust. It’s a cute story of saying good bye to your innocence, childhood, and accepting that you’re growing. Nothing heavy don’t worry. 

Neoholiday entry #1 @nct-writers​ | To: @jimjamjaemin​ From: Bear

6 years old

Days have always been laid down for you from the moment you wake up until you close your eyes good night. At a very young age, you’ve grown very tired of this routine and dreamt of being a normal kid like your cousins or the kids that you see at the mall. Given that you’re homeschooled, you don’t know anyone that’s not family or staff in your house.

“Oh, would you look at that,” your nana hold your chin to look at your loose tooth and had a wild guess on when it’s going to come out. “If you keep playing with it with your tongue it will come out faster... and you will meet your tooth fairy soon” she tricks you.

As a very smart kid at a very young age, you know that tooth fairies are just characters from a storybook and probably not real. Maybe the idea of meeting someone new excites you to the core that you don’t care if they’re real or not and all you did is play with your loose tooth while reading a book, while drawing or coloring, while playing the piano, just so you could meet a new friend.

Your tooth came out the next day during breakfast with your parents. Unexpectedly you felt it came out while you were chewing your bread. Without any hesitation, you ran to the kitchen to find your nana and show her your teeth with the biggest smile.

“Where did she learned to be excited like that? Not so proper for a young girl” your mom says to your dad, pouting her lips and looking at him coldly.

While you were looking for your nana, all the staff in your house is busy eating breakfast and greeting you ‘good morning little Ms.’ as you ran past them and give them a sweet smile. “It came out nana, what do I do next?” you tell her the great news and showed her your tooth.

“Tonight, you put it under your pillow and try to catch that fairy! You’re a smart girl, I know you can do it” she smiled proudly at you and told you to go back to your parents.

As you go on with your normal routine, you waited patiently for bedtime and made the preparations for meeting that tooth fairy. Although you’re not sure if someone will really go in your room tonight, you still baked cookies for the fairy and hope to gain a new friend. When bedtime finally came, you secure your tooth under your pillow, fluff your blankets, and checked the baked cookies on your bedside table.

You waited with your eyes closed.

Waited.

Waited.

“Her room is big....” Jaemin murmurs to his friend Renjun. “Oh look, there's cookies” he whispered.

“Yeah yeah. We're here to work, Taeyong will be pissed if we don’t make it back in time- I’ll cover the next kid,”

He leaves his friend with great worries because Jaemin doesn’t know how to follow protocol, and always mess things up. Either way, Jaemin needs to learn how to be a tooth fairy.

Slowly, he opens your window and made his way inside, scanned your room, and looked at a few books. “She must be smart” he murmurs again. He scanned and feed his curiosity until he wants to while eating the baked cookies that you made.

“You’re a boy?”

The fact that fairies are true did not shock you at all but knowing that the tooth fairy is a boy was indeed a shocker to you.

“Well yeah... aren’t you supposed to be sleeping? I can’t give you a coin if you’re awake” Jaemin reasons out with a cute smile. “You baked these?”

he continues to eat the cookie in his hand.

“Yes. Did you like it?”

“Absolutely. Thank you”

You bit your lip out of disappointment as he came closer to you and stopped his curiosity when he sees your pout. Why? His curiosity switched to you and he wanted to know why you look sad, “I mean it. It’s delicious” he sat at the edge of your bed, near you but not close enough.

“I thought you’re a girl, I wanted a friend” you frown.

“Well, I can’t be a girl, but I can still be your friend- if you want” he smiles awkwardly at you.

Without hesitation, you turned your frown upside down and reached for your tooth under your pillow, and hand it to your new friend. “Wow. Did it hurt?” he asked.

“Nope. Didn’t hurt a little, it went off when I was chewing bread this morning. I was so happy” you giggle and smiled at him, you noticed he has a nice smile and his pearly whites.... are perfect. Just like how a tooth fairy is supposed to be. As you two exchange more stories and feed each other’s curiosity, Jaemin forgot that he’s supposed to meet Renjun at the gates of Neverland and go back together.

“Oh my, I need to get going-“

You see his body glow in an instant, as he ready himself to fly. A pixie dust he says, and it can make him fly if he believes in it. “I guess this is goodbye then?” you said as you come near your window and watch him float.

“Oh no no. We’re friends now right? And I’m your tooth fairy so we’ll meet again soon. Just believe in me”

“Where are you from? Can I visit you?”

He shook his head and pointed at a star in the sky. “Neverland. Second star to the right” he explains excitedly. Without any other word or goodbyes, he jumped from your window and flew away. You felt the wind gush on your face as you watch him fly, happy that everything happened according to plan, even happier that it’s never goodbye with Jaemin.

You now have a proper friend.

13 years old

Years have passed now and Jaemin’s job as your assigned tooth fairy is long gone. Although it was a test of patience because he can only visit you whenever you have a loose tooth, he taught you how to trust the next moments that are bound to happen, meaning “there’s always a time for everything. And besides, it’s never goodbye between us it’s always ‘see you later’ right?” he says. After being your tooth fairy, now, he’s just your friend and he can visit you every night after he collects teeth from different children, sacrificing your sleep just so you can meet Jaemin every night.

“How’s school? Are they nice to you?”

You and Jaemin lay on your carpeted floor while looking at the stars through your window. It’s your first day in school today and only Jaemin knew how nervous you were because you’ve been homeschooled all your life.

“They’re nice. But they’re not you” you answered truthfully.

“But you have to try because I’m not always with you. It’s hard to be alone in a place where you’re not used to”

“Look at you, you always take care of me” you turned your head to him and smiled sweetly, “I’ll try” you added.

“Just make sure you’ll never forget about me… or else I’ll fade” there's a slight hint of sadness in his tone when he told you that. Like he’s scared of losing you even though he has many friends already.

He told you a long time ago that he exists because you believe that he does, and if you forget about him he will fade.

As you gave your schoolmates a chance and befriend them, eating out and going out on weekends, you realized that if you have too much fun with them, eventually, whether you like it or not, you will forget about Jaemin. And you never want that to happen. Jaemin has done so much for you, and he doesn’t deserve to be forgotten. With that, you decided to make him your priority without being a loner at school.

“So after we went to the movies, we went to this park and walked hand in hand it was so romantic…” you’re FaceTiming with your friend while you wait for Jaemin, giggling like a little girl from your friend’s stories and secretly wishing to experience a good date someday. Holding hands while walking in the park, going to movies, kissing. Sounds…. normal, and you want every taste of it.

While you were fantasizing about holding someone’s hand, you see Jaemin floating outside your window smiling like he hasn’t seen you for weeks. “Hey-Uhm… I have to go, my mom is calling me and I should go. See you tomorrow-“ you finished the call without letting your friend say her goodbye and went to your window and welcome Jaemin.

“I saw you smiling, what’s that all about?” he says, giving you a small seashell from one of the islands from Neverland. He has a habit of bringing something small for you every time he visits as if he’s sharing a part of his world with you.

“Oh that. I’m just listening to my friend about her first date with her crush- Date, uhm it’s uh… humans do that to know each more, they go out and eat somewhere”

“I’m guessing you want to do it?” he knows you well. You smile shyly as you place the seashell on your shelf. You didn’t answer him yes, because you know he’ll figure it out himself. “Let’s go on a date then” he blurted out. Just like that.

“How are we going to do that when you’re not allowed to visit me when the sun is up?” you crossed your arms and squint at him. Amused with how much he’s willing to risk just so he can give you everything.

“Pixie dust. Neverland. Come on, it will be fun trust me”

His idea of a date was beyond something you could imagine. You never thought of someday going to Neverland but if he told you to trust him, then you will trust him with all your heart. He grabs his pixie dust bag from behind him and sprinkled some of it at the top of your head. Is this really happening? Is he really going to take you on a date to Neverland just so you could know how it feels like going on a date? The wind gushes on your face as you stand near your window, nervous because “Jaem, I don’t know how to do this” you weren’t scared, of course, you trust the pixie dust but you just don’t know how to fly.

“Right… right I’m sorry. Here grab my hand”

His offer made you feel shy for the first time. So it’s really a date then because you’re going to hold hands… Without wasting any more time, you grab his hand and grip it nicely, savoring the feeling of holding his soft hand for the first time. Little did you know that Jaemin is enjoying this. The way you hold his hand gives him a nice nervous feeling, butterflies in his tummy, and blushing like crazy.

Flying is an indescribable feeling, you thought. Walking on air and flying towards a star, it’s like you're having a dream when he told you to close your eyes, and the next thing you know you’re in Neverland.

“Time is different here. In your world it’s night time, here it’s day time- There’s Mark! I want you to meet my friends”

Your date started with Jaemin introducing you to some of the tooth fairies, you know everyone by name because Jaemin tells you stories about them for the past years. It’s like you are friends with them too by this point. From there on, you two enjoyed Neverland for the first time together. The date was nothing like how your friend described it. No holding hands while walking at the park, but he was holding your hand tightly while you fly to Neverland. No movies, but he brought you to a garden full of closed flowers and watch it bloom together. No kissing to end a perfect night, but he gave you a very handsome smile that made your heart race like it was your first time seeing Jaemin smile like that. The night was special, more than special actually.

When he brought you back safely to your room, you feel like something changed between you and Jaemin after having that date. He felt it too, but he’s shy to mention it.

“I’m glad you’re my first date,” you told him.

“I’m glad too” he puts a flower on your hair, something he’s been carrying all this time while you were flying. “See you tomorrow then?”

“Can’t wait, as always” He smiled shyly at you and fly away like he always does.    

That night, you slept with a smile on your face and dreamt about being with Jaemin again in Neverland. On the next day, you kept thinking about him and not just about your date with him. You kept thinking about his smile, his deep voice, and all the sweet things he said to you.

Everything changed after that date but no one is brave enough to admit it. The things you do together for years like laying in your bed and waiting for you to sleep while talking nonstop now make your body warm and it makes you shy. Whenever he tells you you’re pretty, you wanted him to say it over and over again. Until you two had enough of lying and admitted that you’re in love with each other. The problem is… you’re both too young. The way he told you how he feels for you we're sweet and honest, he intertwines his fingers with yours and hugs you tightly in your bed.

“Let’s wait a little longer,” he says. “we're too young and I don’t want to ruin us, I’m scared of losing you always” Again, him and his patience. Nonetheless, you understand what he’s saying and it’s true. There's no need to rush and it’s better to wait than regret bad decisions after.  

Days become months and months became years, you and Jaemin took your time before finally being adults. Soon, forehead kisses turned into soft kisses on the lips, hungry ones, or lustful ones. ’Goodnights’ were added with sweet ‘i love yous’ and ’stay a little longer.’ Dates in Neverland happens once a week, just being together and forgetting everything else. The idea of sex crosses your mind already but never actually doing it. It’s good that you’re growing together and learning different kinds of things. It makes you feel untouchable like it’s almost impossible that you two will someday break up. So impossible.

19 years old

Every day with Jaemin is nothing but adventure and new things, but ever since you two started seeing each other and acknowledging your feelings, days have been always sweeter than yesterday. Holding hands while flying, cuddling in your bed before you go to sleep, a lot of stolen and surprise kisses. These things are all new to you and Jaemin, but just like normal teenagers you just let love do its job and enjoy the wonderful feeling of being in love.

It was hot in Neverland today but Jaemin told you he had found another secret place that can make you stop sweating and he’s so proud of it. He brought you to a cave somewhere deep inside the forest but inside that cave, is an underground lake that has cool and very clear water.

“How did you find this? It’s beautiful” you exclaim as you look around the place. 

“I just did and it’s my way of making you smile“ he never fails to amaze you. “come on, let’s swim” he was quick to remove his clothes like it was a normal thing for him, he completely forgot that your relationship is not yet on the stage where you’re confident with seeing each other’s naked body.

“Uhm-Jaem,” you tried to avoid looking at his nice body and butt, biting your lip as he stretches his muscles confidently while his back faces you. He had grown confidently lately and not to mention so handsome and manly.

“What? Don’t be shy. But if you’re not comfortable, you can swim wearing your underwear. I don’t mind” he says, not facing you yet. It’s not fair you thought, he trusts you to see his whole being and so should you. You gulped and told him not to turn around until you’re fully naked and upon hearing that, Jaemin became suddenly nervous and blushing but you can’t see it.

“Are you naked now?” he asks, scratching the back of his head as he waits for you to give him permission to see you.

“Y-yeah” you answered. You told yourself that whatever happens, you will not look at his cock but as he turns slowly, you don’t know why your eyes can’t stop looking at it. You felt your cheeks warm and suddenly you became shy and you wanted to cover yourself. But he saw right through you, smiled, and hold your hand before jumping into the water together.

The cool water feels great against your skin as you and Jaemin enjoy the hot afternoon and turn it into a nice new experience for the two of you. Swimming deep into the water, racing against each other, picking up shells, the fun made you both forget that you’re naked and helped you with you’re shyness.

“So did you have fun?”  

You were laying on the grass with closed eyes, as you enjoy the warm sunlight peeking from above the cave and at the same time drying your skin before you wear your clothes again. Jaemin is beside you with his shoulder propped and is unbelievably close to you, secretly admiring your naked body and how beautiful you are under the warm sunlight.

“I did. Thank you” you turned your head to face and opened your eyes, “Jaem, what did you feel when you saw me naked for the first time earlier?” you reach for his face and cup it with one hand.

“Shy, at the same time excited because we get to do this but most importantly, I felt lust and my mind was so quick to think about dirty things I want to do- I’m sorry” he was quick to apologize and kissed your hand lovingly.

“No, it’s fine. I felt it too”

Jaemin was taken aback and felt the lust again but this time even stronger that he felt his cock hardens and poke the side of your thigh. “So” he was shy to ask you something but somehow the lust he’s been feeling is giving him the push, “can I try something? If that's okay with you? Baby?”

You only nod, but the way his voice deepens when he asked you made you nervous and excited. Just like Jaemin, you felt the lust he talked about. He came closer, closer, and closer, and until he reaches your exposed shoulder and planted a soft kiss there. But it didn’t end there. He kissed you on the same spot again, but this time he kissed you all the way down until his lips reached your boob and his hot breath is making your nipples sensitive.

His tongue made contact on your nipples first, then you felt his lips, and the next thing you know he’s sucking your right boob. It feels so good that you roll your head back and close your eyes again while letting out soft moans. Soon your hand rests at the back of Jaemin’s head, combing your fingers on his soft locks, and tugging whenever he playfully bites your nipple to make you giggle.

And right then and there your innocence was stained and it was the start of a different exploration and curiosity with Jaemin.

“How?” You were still surprised about what he just did but you love it and at the same time curious.

“Me and the other fairies peek whenever Mark and his girlfriend do it in the woods. Then we’ll tease him after”

“Pervert” you tease him.

“Want to do more?” he offers. You see the lust in his eyes as you look at him. You nod, of course, you want more.

He attacked you with hungry kisses and kneeled in between your legs without hesitation, putting his fingers to work and started touching you on your pussy. Once again you were taken aback by his confident move but instead of getting shy you accepted it and spread your legs wider so he can gain more access to your pussy. Jaemin noticed that his fingers were gliding smoothly on your slit because you were wet and he caused it, he also knew that you’re loving what he’s doing because your moans sound great, you’re rolling your hips, and you’re parting your lips. Which makes him want to dive into lust even more.

“Do you want to do it?” he whispers beside your ear while his fingers still drawing slow circles and gliding up and down your wet slit.

“Sex?” You asked back.

“Yeah” Jaemin started kissing your neck while he waits for your answer.

“If you promise you won’t hurt me”

He’s not stupid. He knew you weren’t talking about the sex. He knew you were talking about what you deserve. Jaemin stopped what he’s doing and kissed your lips sincerely, “I promise. I will never hurt you” he says and kissed you again deeply. It was a sweet promise, you thought and, hearing it made you fall in love with him even more.

Before he proceeds to the sex, he grabs your hand, kissed your knuckles, and made you touch his perfect body slowly, all the way down until you reach his cock. You touched it confidently without leaving his eyes, and you witnessed your boyfriend breathe heavily as you help him pump his cock.

“That’s going inside of you, baby. Ready?”

“Yes”

You feel him line his cock on your very wet entrance, kept his eyes on you as he pushes inside you oh so slowly. You were both virgins and neither of you knew if you’re doing it correctly, but it feels so fucking good that you’re heavily breathing as Jaemin continues to push in. Even tho he wanted to just force his way inside you, he can't because he knew you’re feeling the stretch because you’re so tight. You hiss but you smile, and when he asks you if you’re okay you told him that, “it hurts but I don’t want you to stop”

He chuckled low and said, “okay. But if I do this-“ he rolled his hips without a warning and it made you both moan a little too loud. “You felt that?” he asked, completely mind blown with what a single thrust can do to the both of you.

“Do it again”

And so he did. Again and again and again, until you’re scratching his back and he’s groaning beside your ear deliciously. Telling you how good it feels, praising you with every second that he can, pushing in deeply as he can because you request it.

“I can’t cum that’s dangerous,” he says and he sounded like he’s in pain.

“Shit- right, okay”

Without hesitation and before he loses his mind and makes you pregnant, he pulled out and lay beside you. Stopping himself with all the strength he has left. It was very frustrating for both of you not having the full experience.

“I'm sorry,” he says, heavily breathing beside you still handsome and very inviting.

“You did nothing wrong baby, what are talking about“

“For not making you cum, beautiful. I’ll get your clothes”

You watch him stand up from the warm ground with a hard cock and blushing cheeks. You didn’t cum but still, you felt so weak, and the sting from your pussy is still there. Nonetheless, Jaemin looked so handsome while fucking you, not to mention he sounds sexy. “Here” he helped you get up and handed you your clothes.

Just like that, you made another unforgettable memory with Jaemin that you wouldn’t trade for anything. He sprinkled some pixie dust on your head and flew you back to your room safe and sound.

“I meant what I said earlier. Don’t forget it okay? Just trust me like how you trust my pixie dust to carry you home. I love you” he kissed you on your forehead, smiled so handsomely “see you tomorrow” and left another great promise of seeing each other again.

The next day, while you were eating lunch with your friends they were telling stories about their weekends with their boyfriends. You wanted to tell them so bad that you had a great weekend with Jaemin too, but you’re afraid they will ask you too many questions. Questions that you can’t answer truthfully because you’re afraid they will see you as a crazy person that believes in fairies.

As you listen to them, you can’t help but envy them. You want to share stories with them too, tell all your experiences and such…. like a normal person. “I heard Lee Jeno has a crush on you” your friend whispers beside your ear, completely bringing you back to reality and taking your mind off of Jaemin.

“Lee Jeno who?” you answered and to them, you sound dumb.

“Lee Jeno. The most handsome guy in school? Sharp jawline, small eyes, sexy figure?”

As she describes that Lee Jeno guy you can’t help but to think about Jaemin because for you he’s still the most handsome guy in your eyes. “Well, I’m not interested. Thanks for liking me I guess” they scoffed and teased you further, telling you that they will introduce you to Jeno soon so you will understand how handsome he is.

“Try me. I will still not be interested in him” you cross your arms as you challenge your friends, “in fact, what’s so special about this Lee Jeno guy? Is he nice? Does he know how to treat a girl right? How to touch a girl?” you were describing Jaemin to them, but they were clueless of course. They were quiet and smirking and you wonder why. Little did you know that someone is listening from behind.

He sat on the vacant chair beside you and smiled at you, “Lee Jeno” he offered his hand for you to shake, and of course, being the nice girl that you are, you introduced yourself back.

After that day Lee Jeno kept on talking to you at school, asking you out but you never said yes. But because of his consistency and perseverance, you finally said yes to him just so he could stop bugging you. And right then there, you know that Jaemin will not like this. It’s been weeks since you last saw each other and being a senior tooth fairy gave him a lot of responsibilities that kept you from seeing each other every night just like you used to. But even though he’s busy, sometimes, if he can, he always finds his way to your house before he comes home after working with Renjun.

“Hey” you were in deep concentration with writing your paper when he kissed you on your cheeks. Surprised that he’s finally here, your arms swing around his neck automatically, and kissed him back on the lips, letting how the way you kiss him tell him how much you miss him. “I miss you too-Sorry for not being here always. Taeyong is giving us a hard time, there are a few kids in your neighborhood and the new fairies weren’t ready yet”

“Right… kids” you sounded bothered, you wanted to tell him about your date with Jeno but you just miss him so much that all you did is tell him how much you’re proud of him for being a good tooth fairy.

“I brought you these” he hands you a few flowers from Neverland so you could put them in between your books, “so you could think of me while you study too,” he was just about to kiss you again when Rejun appeared on your window with Mark to get him and keep them on schedule.

“Sorry” he says before kissing you one too many times on the lips, your face, and your hands. “I love you. I have to go, see you soon okay?”

“I understand, go. Fly safe.” And that’s all you needed from him. You’re so in love with Jaemin that you understand everything he does in his life and never get mad at him even though sometimes he never gets to see you. “patience” you murmur to yourself and went back to writing your paper.

Today is your date with Jeno and you wanted to ditch him so bad that you arrived late and let him freeze outside the cinemas. But even though you missed almost half of the movie, he still smiled so sweetly at you that his eyes almost disappear. “I’m happy you still came. It’s so wrong of me to think that you’re going to ditch me last minute. I’m sorry”

“I’m sorry that I’m late” you’re not, but you tell him anyway.

“It’s normal. People can arrive late during dates, I’m just glad you came”

The word ‘normal’ lingers in your mind as you two entered the cinemas. The movie is nice, it made you cry and Jeno dried your tears while patting your head and providing comfort. He brought you to a place where you two can eat something good and heavy after eating popcorn. On top of that, he seems sweet and careful, he listens to you and he cares about what you think all the time. After the date, he brought you home safely and asked if he could kiss you.

“N-no…” you stepped away from him.

“It’s fine. I’m sorry. I can wait” he smiles awkwardly, hands inside the pocket of his jacket, “Did you had a great time?”

“Yes I did” and that’s the truth, you told him with a smile.

The night ended with you waiting for Jaemin in your room, but your mind kept playing every moment you had with Jeno. He’s more than just sharp jawlines and sexy figure, he’s a gentleman. Like Jaemin. And this is bad because it’s not hard to have a crush on him.

“you didn’t see me came in-“

“Shit!” Jaemin completely startled you when you saw him lying comfortably in your bed. He doesn’t look like he’s in a hurry, and that makes you happy.

“You were out late, you’re not yet in your sleepwear” he kisses your forehead as you cuddle close, oh you miss him.

“I did something normal today” and that’s all you could share about what happened today. He didn’t need to know what happened between you and Jeno.

“That’s great- listen, I will be away for a few weeks training the new fairies-“

“What- Away again?” you whine and pout at him, “But I miss you already. I never get to see you or spend time with you”

“I know. I’m sorry, but after this, I promise I will stick to like a shadow. I missed you too, I’ll try my best to speed things up. In the meantime, do more normal things like what you did today and leave the extraordinary things to me. Come on, smile for me”

Little did he know you cheated on him today. You forced a smile and kissed him hungrily until you ended on top of him. You removed your shirt and from there everything happened so fast. The next thing you know his lips are on your nipples with your bra cups pulled down and you’re moaning quietly. “I have condoms here” you whispered to Jaemin with a very sexy voice. Or at least you tried.

“Inviting. But I can’t stay for long. I’m sorry I kept disappointing you” And just like that your mood died and you grabbed your blanket to cover yourself. “Mark is outside. I’m sorry” he kissed you one last time before he tucks you to bed and you watch him fly away.

"Do tell!!!"

Because your friends don’t know the meaning of privacy, they kept asking you about your date with Jeno. ‘Did you guys have sex?’ ‘Did he used his tongue?’ ‘Second date?’ all these questions were hilarious because none of it happened, but to make them shut up you told them everything. It’s your first time sharing something that happened during the weekend it makes you feel… normal. Jeno made you feel normal.

You then realized that being with Jaemin isn’t normal, because he’s a fairy.

Days without Jaemin made you became friendly with Jeno. Eating together at lunch, reading at the library and doing study dates, soon the most awaited second date happened and this time it’s sweeter than the first, he brought you to your first college party where you really enjoyed yourself dancing and drinking with him. It’s not that you forgot about Jaemin already, you think of him every day and every night but when Jeno is around everything changes. It’s like your mind forgets about the pixie dust, the shells on your shelf from Neverland, how beautiful and magical Neverland is, but when you’re back home and alone in your room, all you think about is Jaemin. And you hate that you miss him, you hate that you can’t see or feel him.

Jeno never made you feel alone.

You are at a party right now, finishing something in your cup when you feel someone hug you from behind and bringing you back to reality. At some point, you thought it was Jaemin because he’s the only guy ever to startle you like that. But it’s Jeno’s arms that caged you this time, “You okay? If you want to go home I can drive you home”

“Yes. Let’s go home” you feel his hot breath brush on your nape and you’re not gonna lie. It made you want him.

“And?” he asks with a very sexy tone like he's trying to tell you something but shy to say it.

“And my parents are not home” you turned around to kiss him.

“That’s my girl” he said excitedly and walk you towards his car.

While you were kissing Jeno inside your room, and removing each other’s clothes until you hit your bed, you were thinking about Jaemin but Jeno is another level of hotness that he can make you forget something. Or maybe that’s because you’ve completely fallen in love with him. It was dark, and all you can see is the silhouette of your body grinding together. You were both in the mood to really get on with it and did not even bother turning your lampshade which made you both giggle, “bummer, I wanted to see you” he whispers and bit the shell of your ear.

Your hands roam around Jeno’s body and even without a light you can see, or feel how hot he is. His hard rock abs were brushing on your tummy while he grinds his body, he reaches both of your hands and put it on top of your head. Experienced, he is very much experienced than you are.

It was an eventful night indeed, and you had a lot of first time with Jeno in just one night. First time fucking from behind, first time giving a blow job, but most importantly, it was your first time having an orgasm using his cock. It took some time, yes, but he was incredibly good in bed.

You stayed under the covers and dozed off together, hands intertwined and bodies together.

Unfortunately, Jaemin heard everything. Because he was hiding inside your closet, with a flower in his hand, ready to surprise you after a very long time of not seeing each other. Normally when he peeks at Mark and his girlfriend having sex he usually gets hard, but now… he felt really heartbroken. Hearing the love of his life moaning because of another man, made him regret that he took being a tooth fairy very seriously. As he sneaks out quietly and effortlessly, he came close to you, kissed you on your forehead, and covered your exposed skin so you won't get cold.

“I’m sorry” he whispers and left with the flower.

Jaemin hid the truth and pretend that he knew nothing about Jeno because he loves you so much that he can’t let you go and face his reality. Meaning, you finally found a human that will love you and will make you feel like a normal person. It’s the ugly truth that he’s not yet ready to admit.

Over the days that he’s been present, he tried so hard on winning you back and making you fall in love with him over again. Even though he’s trying, he can’t help but feel so hopeless whenever he leaves you after a sweet visit so he decided to finally count his days with you, and finally, let you go when he’s ready.

Five months later

“You’ve been really sweet lately. Why?”

It’s a weekend in your world and Jaemin ditched his tooth fairy duties just so he can bring you to a quiet island and watch the stars with you. He hugged you tightly before he tells you half of the truth, “I just want to make you fall in love with me. Again”

“What are you talking about, as far as I know, I’m very much in love with you” truth, but you’re in love with Jeno too, just not that deep like how you love Jaemin.

“You and your sweetness, I love you” he sounds sincere. Very sincere actually, that it bothers you.

“I-I love you too. You’re not telling me something aren’t you?” you were slightly nervous as you sat up from between his legs and face him.

“Mhhm. Caught me red-handed. I have a surprise, turn around” you returned to your previous position and waited for him. After a few seconds, he puts a necklace around your neck and you felt something cold on your skin. A pendant that looks like a tooth, but it’s a pearl, “it looked like a tooth, don’t you think it’s amazing?” it was a parting gift because he was planning to finally give you up and let you be with Jeno.

You were speechless once again, “you’re amazing”

Sometimes listening to your sweet words hurt him. Because he knew you tell it to Jeno too. And he’s not the only man you love, at least not anymore. “Let’s get you home now” to be honest you wanted to stay for a while but he was so eager to bring you home already so you let him.

The fly back home was cold and quiet, something you have never experienced before. There’s something wrong and he’s not telling you. You waited for him to enter your room but he didn’t, and it was the first time he’s not tucking you in bed after a date, he just floats outside your window.

“Goodbye. Sleep well okay”

“Goodbye?” you scoffed, “Jaemin you never said goodbye, it’s always 'see you tomorrow'” by this time you’re mad at him because he’s not telling the truth. And to be honest he didn’t think you were going to notice that which breaks his heart even more because that means you still care about him.

“No- no, don’t be angry-“ he tried to hug you but you pushed him away and you’re not stupid to not realize that he’s breaking up with you tonight. “I-I know about Jeno. But I’m not mad, don’t get me wrong. He’s a great man, I’m happy you found someone, normal” he finally said the truth without breaking into tears and faced it like a man. “We can't be like this forever, someday you will get a job, marry someone, be a mom, grow old. So come on, let’s not part like this”

He was asking for a hug. One last hug, but you asked him to stay. You didn’t feel tears but somehow you’re crying nonstop and sobbing in front of him already, “I will break up with Jeno. Please- Jaemin I’m sorry for hurting you”

“Ssshh. You didn’t do anything wrong. I made up my mind, please don’t make this harder than it is already. Tonight is finally goodbye. Let’s part without regrets, we tried”

You still think that Jaemin is a different kind of special that’s why you can’t let go, and by this time you’re both crying and you were holding him so close that he had to make you let go of him so he could fly away from your window, one last time. Letting Jaemin go is like letting go of something you kept since you’re a little girl, something you’ve own then you lost it unexpectedly.

You didn’t want to say goodbye, but it happened anyway. You weren’t prepared. You never saw this coming.  

27 years old

“Mommy look! My tooth is out!” she showed you a big smile and you kissed your daughter on the forehead.

“Okay- okay, calm down. Daddy will get you ice cream after dinner, keep your tooth safe, please. So you won't disappoint the tooth fairy” she’s excited about the tooth fairy thing too, just like you when you were her age.

Happily married to Jeno and mother of a very curious 6 year old, you managed to move on and live your life without Jaemin and keeping him a secret forever. The heartbreak was an experience that you will never forget but thankfully, Jeno never gave up on you. Jaemin was right, he’s a great man.

When it’s finally bedtime for your daughter, you and Jeno tucked her to bed and made sure that her tooth is under her pillow before she sleeps. “tooth fairies aren’t real right?” he whispered to you after closing the door.

“For me they’re true. Come on, don’t ruin this for her” you playfully smacked your husband and went to your shared bedroom together.

It was really late when you heard something from your daughter’s room and you decided to look into it. Slowly you opened her door, but you see nothing and her window is closed. You checked the guest room quietly and groggily but you woke up when you see someone familiar standing near the window. “Jaemin?” you closed your eyes and opened them again until he turns around and flashes you that beautiful smile.

“Well you look old” is his first few words again to you after not seeing each other for many years.

“And you never aged” it’s like it was only yesterday when he broke up with you, he didn’t change. He’s still young and handsome.

“Fairy. I age but you know, -how are you?” he quickly changed the subject and walked towards you.

“Are you my daughter’s tooth fairy?” he let out a small laugh and held you close, trying so hard to stop himself from telling you how much he missed you and it was hard for him during the years without you.

“Sungchan” he whispered.

“That small fairy?”

“Mhhm. He’s big and tall now, so I’m doing his work for now because he made a sound earlier” that explains the thud you thought.

“I have to go now. You’re happy right?” you nod at him and tears started flowing from your eyes. You felt him let go for the second time but this time your heart is not breaking, or maybe it never actually healed that’s why you can’t feel anything now.

“Can I kiss you” you caught his hand before he flies away and hopes he gives you this one last request.

“No” he rejects you in the nicest way he can and fly away without saying another word. Jaemin respects Jeno and your daughter, even though he wanted to kiss you too he can’t. He can’t be selfish but he’s happy that you still believe in him, and passed the magic to your daughter.

That night, you felt that it is indeed goodbye from now and that is the last time that you will see Jaemin ever again.

The End.  

For Mona,

My first moot before I became close to everyone else. Thank you for accepting me as your partner. I remember we were so happy after we gave Kei our Neoholiday event and then followed by neo’clock which is very successful and we were so happy.

I don’t know but after we finished planning neoclock, I felt like I gained a new friend. And that’s my inspiration when the reader/ you met Jaemin for the first time. The first part was inspired by our first conversation actually, not really based on the messages that we exchanged but if you noticed I didn’t put anything romance related in the 6 years old part. I remember we were exchanging pieces of information about a few movies, princess Mia and I asked where you from.

So that is that WAHAHAHA sorry for ruining the surprise, but I lessen the smut I was overthinking you might get uncomfortable huhuhuhu…. Happy Neoholiday!  

[viking-raider]

A Raw Heart - *Sensitive! READ THE WARNINGS!*

Summary: You tell Henry about the worst tragedy in your life.

Pairing: Henry Cavill/Reader

Word Count: 1,863

Rating: Mature -  Serious Angst, Tragedy, Anguish, Grief, Loss, Death, Hurt/Comfort, Possible triggers

Inspiration: I’ve thought about this story for a long time, and it’s a bit personal.

Author’s Note: Read the Warnings!

You and Henry had been seeing each other for several months, having met at the auditions for Night Hunter. It was the first time Henry had been in your place, over for a nice night in, you left him in your living room long enough to get you both some wine. While you did that, Henry looked around, peeking at stuff, but not invading your privacy, checking out the books you had on your shelves and the photos you had on display around.

He noticed a small Russian doll-like thing on one of your shelves and picked it up, admiring it.

“Henry.” You called, standing on the other side of the room from him, stiff as a board. “Put it down.” You almost hissed at him. “Don't touch it.” You told him, trembling and your voice unsteady. “Please.” You added, your throat tight and tears threatening.

“I'm sorry.” Henry squeaked, putting it back where it was on the shelf. “I was just admiring it. It's really beautiful.” He babbled, nervously. “Where did you get it?” He asked, looking over at you and was caught off guard by the tears dripping down your face.

“It's my son.” You mumbled, struggling to gulp down your tears and emotions.

Henry blinked and his whole body jerked, shocked by your words. “What?” He pushed out, his own throat tight.

“Oh god.” You mewled, realizing what you had said. “Please, leave.” You whimpered, then rushed down the hall to your room, slamming the door behind you and barreling into your bathroom, to drop to your knees in front of the toilet bowl, wrenching violently into it.

Henry carefully opened your bedroom door, hearing your dry heaves, and followed the sound of it. “Hey.” He whispered, kneeling beside you and rubbing your back, his face showing his deep concern for you.

“I as-asked you t-to leave.” You wheezed, panting into the bowl, your heavy tears dripping into it.

“I know you did.” Henry sighed, still rubbing your back in a reassuring way. “But, I can't just leave you like this.” He said, getting up and finding a wash cloth hanging on the towel rack and ran it under the sink faucet. “I never meant to upset you.” He whispered, gently wiping the cool cloth over your temples, forehead and cheeks, even pressing it to the back of your neck for a moment.

“You didn't know.” You sighed, squeezing your eyes shut. “Only a few people know what that is.”

Henry gulped, a pit in his stomach and bit his lip for a moment. “You said...” He took a deep breath. “You said, it was your son.” He said, chewing his bottom lip to bits.

“I did.” You whimpered, sitting down and pressing your back to the side of the cold tub. “When I was twenty, I was dating a guy, but we broke it off. Two months later, I found out I was pregnant with his baby. I told him and he wanted nothing to do with me, or the baby. Shocker of the century.” You chuckled, but whined at how sore your throat was.

“What happened?” Henry frowned, resting back against the vanity, and drawing his knees up.

“Well, I had the usual three options.” You sighed, staring up at the ceiling. “Have the baby and give it up for adopting, keep him or the other option.” You said, glancing at him for a moment, to get the point across. “I wasn't going to the latter thing, wasn't something I could live with. So, over the next eight and a half months, I tossed back and forth between adoption or keeping him. I thought, just before labor happened, that I was going to put him up for adoption. I was twenty, still living at home and had a shit job. What life could I give him, a struggling mother and an absent father.”

You paused for a moment, lost in a memory.

“But, when I finally gave birth to him, and I saw him in all his bloody, messy and screaming glory, I was enamored by him. He was beautiful and perfect, but importantly, he was mine. My son. I made him.” You scoffed, shaking your head. “With a little help, I suppose. But, I made him, with my body, my blood and flesh, inside me for months. It was like, I already knew him and he already knew me.”

“Pals for the ages.”

You smiled and closed your eyes, tears dripping down your cheeks, as you recalled his little face, the warmth and weight of his teeny body in your arms, his smooth and downy skin against your chest. Hearing him coo at you, just before he latched onto your breast and fed, or how he squirmed as you bathed him. You would stay awake for hours, not caring how absolutely wrecked and exhausted you were from the day, to watch him sleep in the little cradle that attached you to the side of your bed. Remembering the first time he laughed, you blew a raspberry on his tummy as you changed his pamper and he became hysterical, filling your ears with that absolutely magical baby laugh, that no matter how horrible your day was going and how shitty you felt, you couldn't help but laugh along too; blowing more and more raspberries against his squirmy body and flailing arms and legs, his face bright with a face splitting grin.

“What happened?” Henry whispered, his voice weak and stomach clenching.

You choked suddenly as the horrible memory strangled you, like it had over the long years. “My boss made me work late one night, so I left him with my mother, she babysat him all the time, he was her first grand-baby and she was almost as wild about him as I was. I was a few hours into my shift, when my mom called, and I knew, instantly, something was wrong. She always called me before she put him to sleep, so I could talk to him and hear his little noises; and she had already done that.”

“Two hours before.”

“She had gone into check on him, and..” You froze, your breathing faltering and gripped the rug beneath you, tearing at it as your grief slammed into you. “He wasn't breathing and wouldn't respond. She called medical services, then called me, while they tried to save him.”

Henry's chin hit his chest, a tight bubble of grief in him. “I'm so sorry.” He whimpered, crushed for you, realizing what he had picked up was indeed your son, his urn. “I'm sorry.” He choked, moving over to you and hugging you against his body, letting you sob into his chest, soaking his shirt with your anguished tears, your heart splitting wails crushing him, like a factory of bricks.

“My boy.” You howled, clinging onto Henry, twisting your hands up in the back of his sweater. “My baby boy.”

“I know.” Henry choked and held you tight, tears dripping from his scruffy jaw and into your hair, rocking both of you. “I know, love. I know.”

“I miss him, Henry.” You sighed and sniffled, looking up at him. “I miss him, with every fiber of my soul and life.”

Henry smiled softly at you, brushing your hair out of your face. “I know you do, sweetheart. I know you do. But, he's still with you. He will always be with you, darling. In your heart and in your soul. Because you made him, with your body, your blood and your flesh, inside of you for months, and he's still in your body, blood and flesh, here and now, forever and always.” He told you, cupping your face in his shaking hands.

“Nothing and no one can ever take that, or him, from you. Even if he's not here with you, physically.”

You looked into Henry's baby blue, bloody shot and teary eyes, sucking your wobbling lip between your teeth, chin shaking as your body was wracked with a wave of new tears and emotions. No one had ever said something like that to you before. Everyone that knew about your son told you to move on, that the pain would pass and lessen, but it only grew worse over the years. Missing out on his first tooth coming in or losing one and sneaking money under his pillow for the tooth fairy, his first steps and word. His first day of school, his first crush on someone, watching him grow tall and do some many things you saw other kids doing. Your mother even suggested finding a guy and having another kid, but that thought horrified you, afraid that the same thing would happen all over again.

But, Henry's words had instilled something in your sore and cracked heart, like putting a plaster on it. He was right, your son might not be here physically anymore, but you had created him with your own body, nestled in your womb, his DNA was yours and it was still alive, so he was still alive, in that way.

“His name,” You said softly, letting go of your trembling lip. “was Julian.”

Henry smiled at you. “It's a beautiful name.” He replied, gently.

It was then, that it struck you, something you had only just realized as you shared a devastating, raw and such a personal moment that you have never shared with anyone else, or even talked about with the people that did, that you tried to avoid thinking about. You had freely given Henry the information about Julian, you had never told any of the guys you previously saw or dated, a few asked about the small, silver and blue urn, but you always changed the subject.

Why had you told Henry about him, so freely, letting down all the thick walls you had built around yourself over the years? You had known him for two months and been only four or five dates, but you felt safe with him; loved, understood and listened to.

Henry wrapped his arms around you and stood you both back up, guiding you back into the living room, sitting you down on the couch, then went into the kitchen, finding two glasses and two bottles of wine on the kitchen counter, obviously you had come into the living room as he picked up Julian's urn to ask which bottle he wanted. He just grabbed one, pulled the cork out of the neck and poured you both a glass, before bringing it out to you; sitting on the couch with you tucked into his warm and protective side. Neither of you said anything, sitting quietly on the couch, sipping your glasses of wine, in silence.

“Thank you.” You whispered, your voice still hoarse from all your crying. “I've been hanging onto that for so long.”

“Of course.” He whispered back, gently kissing your temple. “I'll always be here, if you need to talk it out, or cry it out.” He told you, giving you a tender expression, before hugging you snugly.

[the-avengers-ate-my-tongue]

Scars (Smut)

Scars

Summary: You hadn't seen Will ever since the day he left you to chase Hannibal in Florence, finding out after a while that he got married to someone else. But with the murders of the tooth fairy, Jack asked him to come back to help, and he couldn't stay away anymore, showing up for a visit. Will the old scars of your heart burst open in new wounds or heal completely?

Pairing: Will Graham x reader

Warnings: SMUT, angst, swearing, spoilers from season 3.

Word count: 3.381

A/n: this is the first smut I write in English, it's not my first language, so I hope it's alright. Any mistakes or anything, just let me know. This is another one with my boi Will, I just love him so much AAAAAA

As I read The Wuthering Heights for the hundredth time sitting in the living room, I heard someone ring the doorbell. I sighed, staring at the clock. It was still early. The person I was expecting would just come in, after all, Alana was a close friend and she knew she was allowed to do so. I raised an eyebrow. I wasn't expecting anybody else.

My dog, Sally, started to bark thunderously, sniffing under the door. I closed the book lethargicly, rolling my eyes as I got up the couch in a lazy mood, walking to the door and opening without asking who was outside, realizing perhaps too soon it was a mistake.

Will Graham stared at me, a light smile in his handsome face that didn't reach his eyes. I felt like something was twitching my stomach, and probably turned albescent. I hadn't seen him in over three years. Alana warned me he was back in town to work on the tooth fairy's case, but I didn't think he would stop by for a visit. Not after so long. 

"Good to see you, Y/n." He tried, obtaining no response of mine. "I… I was just around the neighborhood and I wanted to see you. It's been a while."

"Who gave you my address?" I retorted, probably sounding more hostile than I intended.  He stepped back, scratching the back of his neck, probably already regretting the impulsive idea. 

"Jack."

"Of course he did. What else did he tell you?"

"Was there anything else he should've told me?" I searched his face for any sign of emotions, but didn't get anything that could tell me what he was feeling. The old Will was someone I could always read, no matter what. After Hannibal came along, he just started to show less and less emotions, till his face became a cold mask, his deep eyes empty, opaque. I missed the sweet, caring Will. 

I was just standing there, silent. Sally found some space between my legs and managed to get out the house, launching at Will, wagging her tail and trying to get close enough of his ears so she could lick them. Will laughed lightly, crouching down to pet her. 

"Who's this?" He asked, scratching behind her ears. I crossed my arms, I gave everything to that dog, undying love, a bed, high quality food, and now she backstabs me. 

"That's Sally. She's a stray I took in one year and a half ago. Sally, sweetheart, come inside." I whistled once and she obeyed, running through my legs again. I sighed, stepping away from the door so he could come in. Maybe he wouldn't stay for long if I just let him in. He hesitated, but entered, passing through me. I could smell the air as he passed, he still used the same aftershave. That hurt even more, and I could feel my eyes watering a little. Why did he have to come? Why was he here? What does he want? 

I tried to hide it, opening the kitchen door so Sally could play in the backyard, then walking to the sideboard where I kept whisky.

"Would you like some?" I inquired, still not feeling safe enough to face him. "I'm pouring myself one."

"Sure. Please. Neat." He replied, and I could feel his eyes on me, watching every single movement I made. That made my hands tremble a bit, and I cursed in a whisper when I spilled a little bit of the drink. So fucking clumsy. 

I finally faced him when I felt my eyes get dryer, smiling lightly as I gave him the glass of whisky, neat. Our fingers touched a bit and I sat beside him, albeit a little far, taking a long sip of my glass. We stayed like that for a few minutes, two strangers that used to know each other, love each other. My eyes traveled through his face and I distinguished some new scars, probably from the great encounter with Hannibal Lecter and Mason Verger​ a few years ago. I remembered the way I used to kiss every single scar he had, I loved every part of Will, his scars were part of his story, part of who he was. 

He lowered his eyes for a moment, smiling as he saw the book standing on the coffee table.

"Is it still your favorite? Wuthering Heights." He grabbed the book, opening the first page. There was the name I didn't use anymore. Y/n Graham. He gave me that edition as a Christmas gift a long time ago, and I couldn't get rid of it, fantasizing that after such a long time, I could still feel Will's scent in it. 

"Undoubtedly. Every time I read it it's like the first. Except maybe now it's even more bitter." I avoided facing him, staring at the book, suddenly feeling pretty silly. He didn't ask. He knew why. 

"I suppose Heathcliff's still your favorite character."

"Now more than even, guess I finally understand his suffering." I regretted sounding so harsh, but it was said now. Will clenched his jaw.

"So you're saying I'm your Catherine?"

"I don't know. Am I?" I teased, hugging my body protectively. "Why are you here, Will? Why did you have to come? To torment me? You left three years ago after I begged you to stay, you just had to go after Hannibal, pursue your hunt. I allowed you to go, but I couldn't be there when you returned. I didn't even know you would return alive or if I would see a miserable Jack Crawford knocking on my door with grief in his face. I wouldn't bear it. So I left, but I kept expecting you to come find me if you ever got back. Then, Hannibal was finally arrested. I thought it was finally over, but you never came. You left again, and a while later I heard…"

My eyes traveled through his hands and I saw it. The wedding ring. That hurt so much I finally felt tears wetting my face, and dismissed them quickly with one hand.

"So it is true. You did get married." My voice sounded venomous, sharp as a knife. "Lucky girl. We didn't even get to that stage. Engagement was the maximum."

He was silent, allowing me to vent. As I haven't done that a lot with Alana already. His eyes were finally wet, finally some emotion on his face. That handsome face. That face I would never get tired of. I wanted to kiss them away, hold him and tell him everything would be okay, but it wouldn't. That teacup would never gather itself up again. We were two broken souls. 

"I thought you wouldn't want me anymore. I wasn't the man you once met, the man you fell for, I was no longer good for you, if I ever have been. Hannibal changed me in ways you could never understand, ways even I don't understand."

"Hannibal changed all of us. Like a poison ivy that found its way into our cores and grew roots there. I can still feel his damage inside me, like… A cancer. It spreads. It tastes like metal at the tip of my tongue. I saw his face in my dreams for a very long time after you left. I still see him sometimes, not necessarily in my dreams…" I stopped talking as he grabbed my hand, caressing the palm with his thumb. I realized how much I missed his hands. They were a little rough due to how much he worked with them, but it never bothered me. It was ridiculous how much he could still affect me with a single touch, a look. 

"I wanted to start over. Leave everything behind. I wanted to… Flee from that darkness that nested me. But it followed me, as it does wherever I go. I wanted someone pure, so it could contain it, or even diminish it. But you, Y/n… You never left my mind. I could never suppress you." He raised his hand, touching my cheek with cold, pale fingers. That touch made me close my eyes, his voice working like a balsam inside of me. I sighed, totally giving in. 

Will got closer, his lips touching mine with such delicacy. I touched his hair, grabbing some on the back of his neck, pulling it lightly. That made him release a low groan, as the kiss started to get deeper. I moved my body, wanting to stay as close to him as the laws of physics allowed, and when I felt his tongue touch mine, fireworks eclode from my chest, my heart beating as fast as a hummingbird's. 

I still loved him, of course I did. I never stopped. All the bitterness he left with his departure started to boil on my chest, becoming something else, something I couldn't figure out yet. His lips moved from mine to my neck, and I moaned a little louder, sinking my nails on his shoulders. One of his hands moved to my thigh and I allowed myself to lie down on the couch, pulling him with me. He lifted my leg and I embraced his waist with them, feelings mixtured inside my chest. That was wrong, he was a married man now. He had a wife waiting for him back home. 

But, for a moment while he stared at me, our foreheads glued together, I saw my Will in his eyes. I saw the Will I first met, the socially awkward man Alana introduced me years ago and couldn't even stare me in the eyes, the kind, caring man I once knew. One single tear fell from his eye, and I knew he was probably conflicted as well. I kissed it away, kissing his lips again, a deep, slow kiss that made my insides chiver. I needed him so much. Even if it was just one time. Just for today. I needed that kind of closure.

I unbottoned his shirt, sinking my fingers into the skin of his biceps. He threw it on the floor, going for my clothes, and I thanked myself mentally for a moment for wearing a dress. He'd seen it before, he'd taken it off many times. He lifted the piece of clothing above my head and I threw it away gladly, kissing his neck while opening his pants. He kicked off his shoes, doing the same with the pants and underwear as I took off my bra. He took a while to stare at my body, his pupils so dilated with lust his eyes were almost completely black.

"No one looks at me the way you do." I said, noticing I haven't heard that tone in my voice for a very long time. 

He pulled my panties off and rested his hips on mine, shutting his eyes as he slipped slowly inside of me. I let out a low gasp, trying to stabilize my breathing. Will hid his face on my neck and I could feel his hot breathing and the light scratches of his beard. Still slowly, he started to move inside me, thrusting back and forth. I bit my bottom lip as I tried to suppress a groan, and one of his hands grabbed my breast, his thumb stimulating the nipple. Will knew all my "buttons". Where to push, where to hold, so I could melt in his hands. 

He started to thrust faster and faster, and I could feel the familiar feeling growing at the bottom of my stomach. A few more minutes and I lifted my head up, shutting my eyes as the pleasure started to grow.

"No." Will said almost in a whisper, pulling my chin down. "Let me see your face. I need it." 

I stared at him while we both climaxed, a loud cry leaving my lips and Will's almost louder groan echoing through my ears. He dropped his body on mine, both of us covered in sweat and bodily fluids. We stayed that way until we could breathe normally again, his head on my chest and my fingers playing with his hair.

I wanted to say so many things. How much I loved him. How much I wanted him to stay. How much I've missed him. But he knew. He always knew. After that, we showered together to get rid of the sweat, and even then we couldn't stay away from each other. He hugged me while the water washed our body, kissing sometimes my lips, sometimes my forehead, my neck, my shoulder. I kissed every single one of his scars, as I used to do. I thought I'd seen tears on his face, but it might have been the water pouring from the shower. 

After we finished the shower, he got dressed and I put on a robe, my hair wetting the silk. Will took my face in his hands, kissing my lips with tenderness. I wanted to ask him to stay. He knew that. I wanted him to leave before I made a fool of myself.

He was still holding my face when the door suddenly opened and I pushed him away quickly.

Alana entered, looking from Will to me, and I knew I would get scolded later for that. She noticed, always cunning. 

"Well, just look what the cat dragged in." She said with sarcasm, the door still open. "Hi, Will. Long time no see."

"Alana." He said, seeming surprised. She didn't have time to answer, though. Her son, Morgan, entered the house accompanied by my little world.

"Mommy!" The dark haired child ran to me, bringing a smile to my face as I crouched down to hug him.

"My beautiful boy! Did you have fun at the zoo?" I asked, forgetting about Will's presence for a while. "I hope he wasn't too much trouble, Alana. Henry, did you behave?"

"Mommy, we saw a lion! He roared, and then we saw the giraffes, and the tiger…"

"Look at you dodging my question! Very canny." I laughed, hugging him again.

"He always behaves, you know that. He's a good kid." Alana answered, but she wasn't looking at me. She was staring directly at Will.

I looked at him. His eyes were on Henry, he seemed shocked, astonished. 

"I'll be on my way, then. I'll call you later." She said almost like a threat, making me smile.

"Okay. Bye, Morgan. Send my regards to Margot, Alana, and come to dinner at the end of the week."

"Will do. See you around, Will." She closed the door behind her, leaving me with the two people I loved the most. 

"Henry, this is Will. He's an old friend of mommy's. Won't you say hello?" I brought him closer to Will, and he got down on his knees, his eyes wet. 

"Hi, Henry." He greeted, smiling with joy. Real joy. I smiled back, caressing Henry's hair. "It's nice meeting you."

"Hi." He replied with shyness, hiding behind my body. That made me laugh lightly.

"Baby, why don't you go upstairs and draw a picture of that lion you saw? How about that?" I asked him, kissing the top of his head.

"Okay, mommy." He started to climb up the stairs as Will still stared at him, seeming amazed. 

"Is he… Is he…" Will tried to formulate his words, emotion breaking his voice.

"Yes. He's yours. Not difficult to notice, right? He looks just like you." I replied, wiping the tears away. "I found out I was pregnant a few days after you left. When you came back and Hannibal was arrested, I wanted to tell you, but I didn't want you to stick with me just because of the baby, so I just… Didn't. He was about a year old when I found out you got married. Alana is his godmother, she helped me so much. She and Margot. He's just a little younger than their son, Morgan, they're best friends. Henry's very smart. He's a joyful child. He's kind, caring to others. He reminds me of you all the time. He's my biggest accomplishment."

Will's face was blushed from crying, but he smiled through the tears, cleaning his face with the sleeve of his shirt.

"Mommy!" Henry called from the top of the stairs, crayons on his hands. "Can I show Hannibal the drawing?"

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I grimaced, feeling Will's gaze on me. He wasn't supposed to find out that way, I didn't even have the time to tell him slowly so I could try to explain what made no sense. 

"Ahn… Sure, honey. Sure. If you want. Now go to your room for a bit, okay? Mommy will see you in a minute, and then you can show me the drawing." I waited until he entered the room, hearing the door shut. I turned myself to Will.

"Did I hear it right? Hannibal?" Will raised his voice a little and I gestured him to keep his voice down. "Hannibal has seen the kid? You're taking him to see Hannibal?" 

"I know how it sounds, just let me explain…" I asked, noticing the change in his eyes. They were once again cold, but sharp. He was angry. 

"How do you explain this? Y/n? Have you lost your mind?"

"Yes! Yes, I fucking have! I lost my mind when you left, goddamnit!" I screamed, covering my mouth, hoping Henry would not come out of his bedroom. "Hannibal was the last link I had with you. So I sought comfort with the only one who would understand what was like to lose you. Because no one fucking did. Even Alana couldn't help me. So yes, I turned to Hannibal. Because he knows what's like to love you, to ache for you. And you don't get to judge me for that."

Will's eyes were wide, like he couldn't believe what I was saying. 

"Besides…" I sniffed, rubbing my face with my hands "Hannibal cares for him. I know it. And Henry just adores him, Will, you should see…"

"My God, listen to what you're saying, Y/n! Listen to yourself!" He grabbed my face with his hands a little roughly, making me hold his wrists. "He's a killer. He's a cold killer. Can't you see how dangerous it is?"

"Well, we're all fucking killers!" I pushed him away, breathing hard. "Or have you forgotten about it? The night we killed Randall Tier? You really think that wouldn't stain me? Or maybe you do, and that's why you married another woman, with all her purity, because you couldn't bear to see how much you and Hannibal have broken me!" 

He kept staring at me with that look in his eyes, the cold, sharp look that made me shiver. For a moment, I felt the danger of him trying to take my kid away. Would he even consider that? No. No one would take my child away from me. He was mine. 

"This was a bad idea, I should've never allowed you to come inside. Please, leave." I asked, pointing to the door.

He stayed put.

"Will, you better leave. Now. I'm warning you." I stepped away from him, but he pulled me closer, hugging me tightly. I hid my face in his chest, sobbing, hitting him weakly on the shoulders with my fists. "Just go, please. Just go."

"We'll figure it out. Everything will be fine." He kissed me for the last time, letting me go. I knew he would be back. He stared at me once more, and finally left, closing the door behind me. 

"Mommy, why are you crying?" I heard Henry's voice and turned to look at him coming down the stairs, kneeling to hug him. "Please mommy, don't cry!"

"It's okay, baby. Mommy is fine. Everything will be okay. How about a nice bath before we go see Hannibal, uh? Let's go."

"With bubbles?" He asked, clapping in joy. I smiled back to him, caressing his hair.

"With bubbles. Lots of bubbles." I kissed the top of his head and rushed him to the bathroom, an uneasy feeling pumping on my chest. I knew that wouldn't be the last time I saw Will. He would be back. Yes, he would. 

[thecagedsong]

Forgotten Light: Chapter 7: Preparations

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Chapter 7: Preparation

Agad came in over breakfast.

“Agad, welcome to my home,” Seth said, taking a long drink of milk. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, “Have a seat. What have you got on Kendra?”

Agad looked more tired than Seth had ever seen him, and let Seth’s joke go flat. He sat down and the six-armed woman that worked in the kitchen put a plate of oatmeal out for him. “Thank you, Simrin,” Agad said. “I have some news, not much of it good. I was able to track the goblins that stole the barrel, they were hiding in Goblin town.”

“Sounds like a fun place,” Seth said.

“You would probably enjoy it,” Agad said, bowing his head, “Just make sure not to lose your eye, or your tooth. It’s in Nevada, not a proper preserve, no caretaker. But they keep to themselves and have general distractor spells, so everyone leaves it alone. I found Slaggo there.”

“Long trip for a goblin on the run.”

“The Sphinx probably helped him, and a wizard named Vernaz. I thought she was an ally and gave Mendigo’s materials to her to be reconstructed. She was good at laying enchantments, much better than me. Her other talent is teleportation, and could have easily helped Slaggo leave Fablehaven with the barrel. I’m positive the barrel made it to the Sphinx.”

Seth finished his last bite of oatmeal, “Then we’re sure that the Sphinx and Ronodin are working together. That sucks, one of them is bad enough.”

Agad massaged his forehead, “I fear it was a mistake to make the Sphinx an Eternal. It will certainly keep the new demon prison closed from him, but I underestimated how cunning he is, even with his Shadow Charmer powers diminished.”

“What did you do to him?” Seth asked.

Agad shrugged, “Not enough apparently. He can’t hear the undead anymore, but we couldn’t dampen much else without killing him. He can put out fires, undo locks, shadow walk. That’s apparently enough to strike against us.”

“The Sphinx had this huge rant about refusing to be a captive,” Seth said, “We should have paid more attention to it. There was no way he was ever going to live by someone else’s say so. Remember, you gave all of us the call, we’re all to blame.”

“Yes, the long life seemed the greatest weakness to the mortal locks,” Agad replied, “It made sense at the time to have at least one person who would not feel that burden, but you are right. He firmly believed in his own rhetoric, and not acknowledging that was a mistake. Both the Sphinx and Vernaz have slipped away. Vanessa is going to be insufferable, and I am going to deserve every minute.”

Seth gave a joyless laugh, “Plenty of mistakes to go around. If the Sphinx happens to die, will that open the new prison? Asking for a friend.”

“No, the prison will remain closed,” Agad said, finally a little amused, “I do not think you would be able to let him die, and that’s fine. But if he happens to die, there are enough already constructed locks in place that the demons of Zzyzx will remain sealed. If the Sphinx comes under your power, save him because you are good, or do not save him because he has harmed those you love and will continue to do so for his own benefit. Do not worry about Zzyzx.”

“Noted,” Seth said. Agad finished breakfast and Seth led him to the War Room.

“I also examined the barrel here,” Agad explained as they walked, “The other half appears to be deep underwater.”

“Why would they do that?” Seth asked. “Did anyone touch the letter we left?”

“Your letter remains in place. An interesting response, and I see only advantages in it. The letter remains physically here, my only recommendation is to make it waterproof so when they pull the barrel up and remove the letter, it doesn’t get ruined by surrounding water. Which answers your other question. They didn’t destroy the barrel, which means they likely intend to use it again.”

“Can you find it?” Seth hoped. “Even a general location would help narrow down the search.”

Agad was already shaking his head, “It’s too deep, and somewhere protected. I can’t get a read on it aside from the fact that it is deep enough that the pressure would kill a human.”

“Great,” Seth said, running a hand through his hair. They approached the War Room, and Seth sat down with Agad across from him. Grandma and Grandpa were already there, and rushed to greet Agad. They updated him on Tess running around the preserve with the Cloak of innocence. Agad gave them the same information about Kendra.

“Any other leads?” Seth asked when everyone was caught up.

“Not quite,” Agad said, “I was unable to gain contact with the Fairy Queen, so we are waiting to see if her connection to Kendra remains strong. No further leads on Bracken either. The only good news I have is that Warren and Vanessa managed to help the caretaker regain a foothold of the Crescent Lagoon sanctuary.”

“I have Bracken’s horn,” Seth said, blinking. He was glad that his friends had some success, but they were okay, Bracken was not. He pulled it out of his emergency kit, “Kendra gave it to me before she lost her memory, along with the medallion and a bunch of information she was keeping to herself.”

“Bracken did say that he had re-established full connection with his horn,” Agad said, “May I see it?”

Seth nodded and offered it to the wizard. Everyone was silent as Agad’s brow pinched in concentration.

“The connection is weak, it feels as though he is under water. No, underground and under water,” Agad said, snowy eyebrows rising, “I would not have been able to tell had I not recently examined the barrel, but working around the water, earth and darkness, I can sense that he is not currently in pain. He seems…bored. He can’t sense me on this side of the connection. But…I would venture to say, he’s at approximately the same depth as the barrel. Within a couple hundred feet of each other.”

“Good,” Grandma said, “Ronodin is handling everything from a master base. There is a good chance Kendra is near them as well. Can you tell Bracken anything about Kendra being near him?”

Agad concentrated, then shook his head, letting out a shaky breath and lowering the horn. “At most, I might be able to push his subconscious thoughts in a certain direction. But I’m positive thoughts about Kendra already haunt him. His last prison ended with her after all.”

Uggh, of all the times to be a lovesick dummy. “Ronodin wants the horn,” Seth said, “That’s what Kendra told me, and I think he tried to get her to give it to him at the Dragon feast.”

“I shudder to think of why he wants it,” Agad said, then offered it back to Seth. “If he wants it badly enough, he’ll find whoever has it. He will likely be more willing to deal with you, knowing how much you want Kendra back. He will also suspect that you have it if Kendra does not. If he contacts you, use your judgement, rely on your grandparents and allies, contact me, and do not endanger the world.”

Seth took it and nodded, placing it back in his adventure kit, silently thanking Agad for placing the lead back in his hands. He would have thanked him out loud, but didn’t want Agad to rethink the choice.

There was a knock on the door, and Knox opened it, letting Tess fall through. “Seth! Seth! I saw the nice dragon! It was so huge!”

Nice dragon? Oh, she left with Eve and they went to see Dromadus. That’s okay then.

“Tess made it back,” Knox said, following her. Patton Burgess’s stingbulb shut the door behind them.

“We took turns flying the winged mounts and walking along the road, over all a very short trip,” Patton said, taking a seat next to Seth. “We heard about Kendra losing her memory. I’m so sorry.”

Patton offered his arms for a hug, and Seth took it, squeezing tightly.

Patton smiled and patted Seth on the back, returning the hug. “Don’t get too attached, I only have a day left.”

Seth released him, “I know,” Seth said, “But I’m glad you’re here while you are. Kendra was kidnapped by Ronodin and the Sphinx working together, and we’ll take any help you can give.”

“Hey, I deserve a hug too,” Doren protested, and both he and Newel tackled Seth in hug, ruffling his hair, before settling back like nothing had happened.

They went through yet another round of catch-up, as Tess squeezed herself in between Knox and Seth, fairly bouncing while waiting to tell her story.

“Tess, this is serious,” Knox scolded, “Kendra’s in a lot of trouble.”

“I know,” Tess said, holding still, “But the fairies at Fablehaven told me all about Bracken and Kendra. Bracken is like, this super cool fairy prince who likes Kendra and totally saves her all the time. And Kendra has a bunch of wicked cool powers from the Fairy Queen, they’re going to be okay until you and Seth rescue them, if they don’t rescue themselves.”

Not how Seth would describe them, Kendra spent a lot more time saving Bracken than the other way around, far as he knew. He was surprised that the Fablehaven fairies were that nice about Kendra though. He wasn’t the only one.

“The fairies said that?” Grandpa asked.

“Well, they said Bracken pitied her, not that he liked her,” Tess admitted, “but that’s what girls always say when the cool boy likes someone else. And they said that the Fairy Queen gives Kendra powers to do stuff for her, and the Fairy Queen is the most powerful person ever. So everything is going to be okay. Really, we need to worry about us.”

Attention snapped to Tess like a guitar string.

“The Dragons are planning to attack us. Tonight! Dromadus doesn’t know how, but he heard them acting like they already won,” Tess explained. “I was supposed to tell Seth. Oh! And don’t tell anyone who told us about the dragons, that’s a secret.”

“Tess,” Knox said slowly, “That’s the kind of thing you say right away.”

“But it’s rude to interrupt people,” she said, confused.

Seth stood up, and he saw Grandpa raise his eyebrows in surprise. Why was he surprised? This was Seth’s job, after all, for a little while longer anyway.

“Okay Agad, welcome to the next round,” Seth said, “Did you check the magical defenses? How are they holding?”

Agad shared an amused look with Grandpa, who just nodded. “I did. The protections seem more secure than ever, even more than when I was caretaker here.”

“The Dragons are certain of victory, but will be unable to mount a frontal assault,” Grandma mused.

“Is Celebrant being hasty?” Patton asked, “From what I understand, dragons with losing streaks don’t stay king for long.”

“Perhaps Dromadus is toying with us,” Marat offered, “His help is rather unexpected.”

“I don’t think Dromadus would do that,” Seth said, “When Kendra and I met him, he seemed kind of like the Fair Folk. Didn’t want the sanctuary to fall, but not gonna do anything about it. And if he isn’t right, and the dragons don’t attack, there’s nothing to gain. If he lied, we wont trust him in the future.”

Marat tilted his head, acknowledging Seth’s statement.

“Anything is possible,” Agad said, “It could be that Dromadus is working with Celebrant, and they are hoping to find a weakness as we scramble to cover ourselves.”

“We have to treat it like a real threat,” Seth decided. “Whatever we show, it can’t be worse than them coming after us when we are unprepared. Possible weaknesses?”

“We should go over our magical defenses one more time,” Marat suggested, “Review the treaty and see if there is anything we missed. It is possible we have a traitor in our midst that will grant them access.”

Unfortunate, but true. He hoped they had been careful enough, though he hadn’t been around much to make a good guess himself.

“What about the barrel?” Knox asked. “We know where that is now, right? Could that be the weakness?”

Agad frowned, “It feels out of character for Celebrant to brag of a victory achieved by allies on the other side of the barrel, but we should not discount it. It is currently the greatest hole in our defense.”

Something about what Knox said bothered Seth. They know where it is now. They weren’t dealing with the Sphinx, but they kind of were. What had the Sphinx done in the past while they thought they were safe? And what was it about Knox’s statement that bothered him?

There wasn’t the textbook method: create a problem, send a friend to help, friend is a traitor. This was a different tactic. The Sphinx liked to stay one step ahead, control the board from both sides, and make threats to force you into action when you’d really just like to sit on your winning streak. Seth thought about the stories he had shared with Knox. Sometimes he planted a traitor, and sometimes the Sphinx sent invisible assassins after you because he already knew where you were going to be. Sometimes he let demon dragons out of their prisons when you weren’t looking.

“Guys,” Seth said, a sick feeling in his stomach, “Hey,” he stopped Marat and Agad in the middle of their discussion about magical defenses. “Bad thought. Someone was controlling Mendigo way before when the barrel was first stolen, right? Probably Ronodin, since he’s been hanging around the preserve and making deals with the Dragons. We thought the person left with the barrel, but it was in the basement the whole time.”

He waited for someone to deny what he was hinting at.

“Ah,” Grandpa Sorenson said, “I see. Between the time the barrel was lost and found, both sides of the barrel were out of our control, and Mendigo was available on our side to assist a sleeper agent.”

Grandma, Tanu, and Agad all looked like they were about to throw up.

“What are you saying?” Knox asked.

“Seth is suggesting the possibility that someone is already here, but remaining hidden,” Marat clarified, “An insightful observation and deduction.”

“Celebrant could claim credit for successfully distracting us,” Agad admitted, “Not as good as a frontal assault, but enough for him to claim the win. Especially if he can claim the kill. If the enemy is hiding near the Blackwell, it would be nearly impossible to sense them around the aura of the undead.”

“The question is,” Grandma said, “whether the source of the threat is already here, or will it come through the barrel yet. I am loathe to give up our only connection to Kendra.”

“Any way we can make sure we aren’t being listened to, Agad?” Grandpa asked.

“Not that I can create without knowing our spy and what he is using,” Agad said, shaking his head. “We will have to plan even though we may be spied upon.”

“There can’t be a bunch of them,” Seth decided, “I can see through most hiding spells, and I haven’t seen anyone. I can’t get around distractor spells, that was Kendra’s half…” he looked down at Tess, fairy struck, who was sitting still and paying attention like a good girl. Plans were starting to come together “Let’s not talk about everything here. I want everyone to split into groups. Agad, Marat, where’s the best place to examine the magical defenses?”

They shared a look, “The tower where the Roost used to be,” Agad said at last. “The protections still form a small dent there, where a dragon may come closer than other area.”

“Okay, head to Seth Tower, I’ll meet up with you after.” Seth said. It was energizing, being heard and listened to. And to actually be doing something! The brothers nodded.

“Tanu,” Seth said, “I want your potions ready by dinner, whatever happens, you’re going to need to be stocked and ready to go.” Several people caught his emphasis, but didn’t say anything, just like he wanted. Well Tess asked, but Knox shushed her.

“I would appreciate an assistant,” Tanu said.

“I’ll help,” Patton said, standing up, “Unless you have a job for me elsewhere.”

Seth shook his head, “Helping Tanu is perfect.”

He turned to Grandma and Grandpa, “I need you guys to work with the staff. Let them know we’ve been warned of a threat, organize extra lookouts and patrols, organize a watch over the barrel, that kind of stuff. We don’t know what direction the threat coming from, so we cover as many directions as possible.”

Now it was time for Grandma to look amused, and Grandpa to look proud.

“Understood Seth,” she said. “We will retreat to the Winter Study to plan. Henrick will be back soon, and his help will be invaluable with this. We should wait to inform the staff until after he joins us.”

“Great idea, go for it. Er, where’s the Winter Study?” Seth asked, trying to remember from their tour.

“Directly below Kendra’s bedroom,” Agad said. “On the first floor.”

Seth nodded, he’d knock on doors until he found the right one.

Seth turned to his remaining players, “And finally: Doren, Newel, Tess, and Knox. I have a very special job for you. Wait outside the door while I make sure of something with Agad.”

“That’s our cue to leave,” Grandma said, patting a hand on her husband’s leg.

“The abundance of caution while in command suits you,” Grandpa said, standing up. He put his hand on Seth’s shoulder as he passed, “I’m proud of how you’re handling this situation.”

Considering a little over a week ago, he’d gotten a stern lecture about endangering his cousin and the consequences to trying to trick magic, this was quite the change. Grandpa smiled, and walked past him. There was a small lump in his throat. This feeling was why Kendra always did her best to make people proud of her. It was rarely sent his way.

Tanu and Patton also left, then the satyrs and his cousins went just outside the door.

Seth walked close to Agad and lowered his voice, “Tess is Fairy struck, can she see through distractor spells?”

Agad nodded.

Seth smiled and nodded as well. He whispered. “Can you bring the treaty document to the tower?”

Agad shook his head, “It is locked in a box in the Winter Study. The medallion opens the box. I recommend against moving it.”

Seth looked at Marat.

“I agree, with my brother. We have the contents memorized, we should only consult them upon need.”

Seth nodded, then stepped back.

“See you at Seth Tower soon.”

The two of them left, and Seth took a moment to fling himself on the couch and groan. The energy had left when everyone else did. Leading was such hard work! For the millionth time, he wished Kendra had let him turn the key. Sure he’d be kidnapped and being trained into an evil Shadow Charmer right now, but Kendra was so much smarter than him, she would have figured out about the intruder way before.

Probably because she had better judgement than him and didn’t usually trust terrible people right off the bat. And like she said, people usually had enough confidence in her to just trust her with important stuff.

The door creaked open, “Uh, Seth, did you have a job for us?” Newel asked.

Seth got up and went to the door. Remembering from his first day, he used the medallion to unlock a desk drawer in the corner, and pulled out a key ring, slipping it into his adventure pouch.

“Yeah, follow me, I don’t know how much of the keep Tess and Knox got to see,” Seth said, “And it’s a good time to get an updated map of it, in case we come under siege. It’s possible the Dragons are just going to stare us down until we run out of food. Any of you got any talent at drawing maps?”

There was a pause as Seth led on.

“I’ve dealt with a fair amount of treasure maps in my day,” Doren admitted, “And I’m not a shabby hand with a pen. I can draw.”

“Awesome,” Seth said, “Start with the storerooms in the basement storerooms, where the barrel was before, then the dungeons, then the ground floor. If you can get through those floors by lunch, that’d be great, but make sure to do them all. I want you three to go with him, and look for anything that seems suspicious. Look through the dungeons, but if any of you touch the Blackwell, or the chain next to the Blackwell, I’m throwing all of you inside it,” Seth said.

Seth had led them into the library and started pulling out loose sheets of paper, “Doesn’t matter how small. If it seems out of place, make a note of it.”

“Are you sure this is the best use of our time Seth?” Newel asked dubiously.

Seth grinned, “It’s a very good use of your time.”

Seth started writing on various blank papers, while they all watched him. He turned to his younger cousin when he was finished.

“Right. Tess? I want you looking for pictures and weird things on the walls.”

On this sheet of paper, Seth had written:

Every single time you see a person or creature, point at them, say something nice about them, and ask if you can talk to them. Knox will either say that you’re busy, or that the person isn’t there. Nod and keep walking every single time. Don’t let anyone know what’s written here, keep it a secret. Put a clean sheet on top of this one.  

“Here’s a list of the things you should look for. This is an old castle, there might be secret passages that we need to find out about before someone sneaks in,” Seth said, handing her the paper. She immediately started reading.

“Knox, you’re looking up higher, pay attention to cold or warm drafts and the items in the rooms, make note of which ones have weapons, look for places where the intruder could be staying,” Seth said, handing him a piece of paper that read:

Tess is going to ask to speak to everyone she sees. She has magic eyes like Kendra. If you see who she’s pointing to, tell her that you’re too busy to bother them. If you don’t see who she is pointing to, tell her that there’s no one there and you don’t have time for games. Make notes, but don’t engage.

He turned to Newel, “Your job is to make sure no one runs into walls while writing stuff down, and make sure to explore everything. Bring the cool stuff back to me, so that our item troll doesn’t try to keep it for the shelves.” Seth said, spouting nonsense. “Write down where you find it though, in case Agad says we need to return it or unleash another apocalypse.”

“Better to ask forgiveness than permission,” Newel nodded with a salute. Seth handed him a paper that read:

If someone was listening to our meeting, they are going to be following you. Watch for them. Tess and Knox are going to be acting weird, just ignore them. You’re on protector duty.

And Seth handed fully blank sheets to Doren, “And, of course, you’re on the map. Here’s paper, pens, clipboard, and scotch tape. Everyone know their job?”

The four of them looked excited as they nodded. “Good,” Seth said, “Meet back in the War Room after lunch.”

Doren and Newel slung another salute. Tess tried to copy them and slapped herself in the face. Knox just rolled his eyes.

They left, and Seth debated between going to check up on Grandma and Grandpa, or heading straight to Seth Tower.

His grandparents couldn’t set anything in stone without Hendrick, so he’d head to the Tower. He’d be able to see Henrick coming back, and take him to Grandma and Grandpa when the Alcetaur arrived.

Up at the tower room, Marat and Agad were waiting for him.

“So, magic defenses in place?” Seth asked.

Agad nodded, “Perfect, just like I said twenty minutes ago. Mind explaining more of your plan?”

“Sure,” Seth said, “Grandma and Grandpa are doing exactly what I said they were. Running the past week from Blackwell made them the best people for that, until Hendrick gets back to help. Tanu is also doing exactly what I told him too.

“I sent Tess, Knox, and the satyrs looking for people hiding themselves with distractor spells, but they look like they’re creating a fresh map of the lower floors. Tess is pointing out everyone she sees to Knox, Knox is telling her that they’re too busy to talk to anyone and taking note of the people that Tess sees that he doesn’t. Because they’re the group doing the most suspicious work, I’m hoping any spies here are following them, letting the rest of us get things done. Newel is on the look out for someone following them, and thinks that’s what he thinks they’re doing. Doren is actually creating a map.”

Seth was rather proud of that plan, and feeling pretty ingenious for coming up with it in only ten minutes.

“Once again, not bad,” Agad said.

Seth gave a dry smile, “I learned from the best teacher. The Sphinx betraying me and my friends over and over. After this, I’m going to do my own sweep, trying to see through the shadows while shadow walking.”

“Might I recommend also holding your unsheathed sword at the same time?” Marat said. “That is the sword of Tregain, yes?”

Seth glanced down, “Oh that’s right! This sword helps make people look away from me, especially bigger creatures. I’ll definitely do that.”

“A very pro-active plan,” Agad said, “I will admit to not even considering the idea of someone hiding in the Blackwell. The barrel messes with the traditional rule of only allowing visitors a single night of stay, as that magic is activated upon crossing the boundary.”

“I do not believe that is all to our caretaker’s plan,” Marat said, amused, “I believe he feels he will do more for our mission elsewhere, and intends to return the mantle of caretaker to me.”

Agad gaped, then turned, “Is this true, Seth?”

Seth nodded, “Celebrant is no longer co-caretaker. The issue we came here to solve, the weakening barrier, is fixed. There’s no problem with Marat being caretaker, according to Dromadus, so long as he stays in human form. I’d be a lot more useful helping track down Kendra and Bracken.”

“Before you go any farther,” Agad said, holding up a hand, “There are things I wish to disclose to the caretaker of a dragon sanctuary. The remaining lines of defense after the sanctuaries fall. We can continue to discuss your possible resignation afterwards.”

Seth hopped onto a wide window ledge, “Okay, hit me. What else we got before the next apocalypse?”

“These secrets should not be repeated,” Agad warned, “Except to your most trusted ally at the time of greatest need.”

Seth glanced at Marat, who nodded, “I am already aware of the provisions my brother speaks of. Do not worry.”

“The first is why Dragons from fallen sanctuaries have yet to invade the mortal world,” Agad explained, “There is a magic item, perhaps the most magic item in existence —”

“More then the Wizenstone?” Seth asked, eyebrows raised. He was starting to suspect that there wasn’t an actual standard for how ‘magic’ an item is.

Agad paused, and Marat chuckled. Agad continued, “No, I suppose, not greater than the Wizenstone. Possibly it’s equal. I would not like to test either object against the other. The skull of the first dragon that ever lived, Abraxtus, is more heavily ensorcelled, than any other object I have ever come in contact with. It is called The Sovereign Skull. It takes all the disbelief in magic that all mortals generate, and creates a repulsive barrier against dragons. This is our absolute last line of defense, and must be protected at all costs. Only a few wizards know the location, and that information will never be divulged for its own protection.”

Seth nodded, “Can I have the name of a wizard that does know? Just in case.”

Agad looked him straight in the eye. “No.”

Seth nodded, “That’s fair. Sounds like we’re hoping it doesn’t get that far.” As though they had ever had any luck in that department.

“Another line of defense: the Dragon Slayers,” Agad said.

Seth grinned, “The Somber Knight was so cool. A bit of a downer, but a real life-saver. He’s still a bit…messy, after rescuing Kendra from being dinner. You’re talking about the ones at the other six sanctuaries, right?”

Agad nodded, “In addition to the other six at sanctuaries, there are five others that have been living in the world, waiting to be called upon again. It will take a while to wake them up, but Celebrant declaring war was the key.”

Seth nodded, “You did the same thing with the dragon preserves that you did with the demon prisons. How are these guys at handling immortality? We sure they didn’t try to off themselves?”

Agad said, “They all already had experiences with extended lifespans, so hopefully we are rousing them from a pleasurable retirement. And then there is a line of defense you are slightly more familiar with: the three treasures in the secret dragon temples.”

“Right, gauntlets that control dragons. Every dragon in a hundred miles comes by to kill you if you look at them funny,” Seth recited, remembering Thronis’s warning.

Agad nodded, “There are two other items, and two other sacred temples guarding these items at dragon sanctuaries. The harp that can send any dragon to sleep, and the shield that can defend against any dragon’s attack. These items were necessary to winning the war against the dragons the first time, and now that we’re facing war again, we need them back.”

Seth tilted his head, “Did they already get new guardians for the temple here at Wyrmroost? Cause we killed them, and its not like those were your ordinary, everyday dragons, and no one besides Gavin and Thronis knew we went there for the obsidian waste key.”

“It would be foolish to assume they aren’t guarded,” Agad said, considering carefully, “Though it is also strange that Celebrant has never ranted against your party for that affront. The answer is that I do not know.”

There was a moment of silence as everyone thought about the predicament.

“Well,” Seth said, “How buried is the translocator? Me and Kendra have been in the temple treasure room, we, er, I, for the moment, could grab the gloves and come back in a snap.”

Marat spoke up, “Bringing the translocator back into play at this time would be a dangerous move. That item is really too powerful. Dragons in human form could use it to escape the sanctuaries without a fight.”

Agad nodded, “All the artifacts are currently inaccessible. We used the Chronometer to hide the translocator, the sands of sanctity, and the occulous six more years in the future, waiting for us to finish designing the vaults. The Font needed to remain in the present, to support our first immortal, but that is the only artifact accessible. At least, until the Sphinx made off with it during his escape. Good thinking, but unfortunately untenable.”

A horn sounded from the parapet over the gate.

“That means a dragon is coming, right?” Seth asked, turning around in the window. “Raxtus maybe?”

“It means official visitors,” Marat clarified, “It certainly has been seeing its use this week. It also announced the arrival of the carriage from Stormguard.”

“Got it,” Seth said, standing up, “Anything else you need to tell the current caretaker of wyrmroost about the grand scheme of defenses?”

“No, those are our three lines: talismans, dragon slayers, and The Sovereign Skull,” Agad counted.

“Okay, I’ll keep those in mind, and never tell anyone, unless I absolutely have to,” Seth said, drawing a cross over his heart for good measure. “My plan is simple. Celebrant is a great big ego, right? He hates Kendra for insulting him, and it’s embarrassing that he keeps losing to a couple of kids. He’s getting help, he’s getting desperate, no matter what his plan is, right?”

Agad nodded.

“So, I’m going to offer him one last insult as caretaker,” Seth said with a grin, “His little rebellion isn’t even worth my time. After we deal with our guests at the gate, I’m going to do my sweep of everywhere while walking through shadows. Then I’m going to give being caretaker over to Marat, and we’re going to leave, with the barrel. That’s Blackwell’s biggest weakness, and it doesn’t need to be here for us to use it. I’ll leave Marat with a parting note to read to Celebrant, letting him know that we have better things to do.”

Agad started chuckling, moving his hand to cover his mouth when it didn’t stop.

“Boom,” Seth said with relish, “Biggest weakness removed, whoever is in the castle has to figure out how to kill Marat, who’s going to be a lot harder to kill than me, I get to go after Kendra, and we throw one last insult over our shoulder.”

Agad continued to laugh, but the most Marat gave was an amused look.

“And how exactly do you intend to leave?” Marat asked, “The walkway between the typical entrance and the Keep will not be guarded for this trip.”

“We have some pretty cool rides,” Seth said, “Not sure you saw them when Patton came in, but Kendra met up with a fairy godmother and boom, the luvians we were riding all have wings. We’ll need to make it so they can leave the sanctuary with us, but if they can make it through the sky on a festival night, they can probably get us past the barrier. We’ll have to ask them of course, but I think we’ll be in pretty good shape. They strike me as adventurous.”

“I would like to make one suggestion,” Agad said, wiping a tear from his eye, “Leave in peace, no one attacks at all, and leave before night falls. I’m sure they intend to strike in the dark. You leave two hours before sunset, and Celebrant likely wont have time to demand to know what you’re doing. Use Tess’s cloak of innocence to see you safely past the barrier.”

“Oh, that is wicked,” Marat chuckled. “But we have dawdled enough. The horn summons the caretaker to official business.”

Seth took one last look out the window and down the road, and paused. He pulled out his eyeglass from his adventure pouch. “Is that…Henrick leading a bunch dryads?”

[5-seconds-of-bucky]

Undertow (IV)

CH IV: Market Moments

Word count: 3.8k

Warnings: none

Listen to the audio version here!

Chapter 1 // Chapter 2 // Chapter 3 

Shawn felt slight guilt for letting the fib glide so smoothly off of his tongue. He and every other native to the town knew the market stands would have a slim chance of selling cheeseballs. Shawn knew not only because he works there, but also because he found the clear tub of the snack at an actual grocery store.

But the fib was worth it in his eyes. It resulted in Y/N running amuck in a quest for the orange snack, asking any patron she ran into where she could find some. Shawn just kept chuckling at her from his designated stand, apron tied around his waist. Anytime Brian noticed his employee’s lack of concentration during the beginning of the shift he would remind him in a stern tone to “keep your eyes on the bananas, not the girl.” And any bystander would have thought that comment triggered Shawn’s immediate tensing muscles and nostrils, flaring like a bull.

His employer knew, though, comments like those never put Shawn on edge like that. Brian’s eyes followed the young man’s gaze to see the same Y/N Shawn had introduced him to earlier that day. It was the stranger chatting her up, with his shoulder against one of the wooden beams nearby, that caught his attention. Based on the fuming reaction of the one beside him, the man piqued Shawn’s interest just as much. His sandy blonde hair and all-too-tight shirt made Shawn think to himself, why not just tattoo try-hard on your forehead?

“Jealous much?” Brian mumbles beside Shawn’s ear, resulting in a surprised yelp from the proximity. Though his emotions were undeniable, he refused them anyway.

“M’not.” Crossing his arms over his torso, Brian immediately patted one of his biceps in an attempt to bring them down.

“Don’t look so angry. Customers will think you’re unapproachable,” he hisses. Shawn obeys for the sake of his paycheck but refrains from straying his eyes from the two for long. Any customer who wanted assistance purchasing an item or had a question they demanded Shawn answer, the boy would only spare eye contact with them for fifty percent of the conversation.

“It’s been fifteen minutes. What could he possibly be talking about with her?”

Brian hums. “People talk about lots of things. Who knows, maybe they’re finding they have lots in common.” Shawn only scoffs at this.

“Please,” she’s a walking mermaid talking to a mooching lifeguard, Shawn thinks, “they have nothing in common.”

“Okay, how long can you hold your breath for?” Wesley’s lips form a devious smirk as the question leaves them. Y/N’s lips can only part, losing all acts of shaping anything near an answer. Her mind suffices a simple “just a while” seconds later, hoping it wasn’t too vague to beckon more questions. Lucky for her, it seems Wesley has a knack for caring more about the response to his own questions rather than hers. This was nothing new to Y/N, who did in fact, grow up with her father as a parent.

“My record is six minutes and fourteen seconds. It’s on my bucket list to beat the world record: twenty-two minutes and twenty-two seconds. I know it’s ambitious, but…” frankly, Y/N is growing bored of the conversation. As guilty as it sounds, she saw no point in speaking to Wesley when she would vanish from his world in a few days and head off to...somewhere else.

“Hey, let me ask you something,” she breaks off Wesley’s incessant chatting with a small smile and does not wait for his go-ahead to continue. “If you could go live anywhere on Earth, where would it be?” Wesley’s lips form a small ring as a strange, high-pitched tone leaves them. Y/N stands with wide-eyes and is too afraid to ask what that was or where it came from, deciding to stay silent.

“Does it have to be real, or can it be mythical?”

“I mean…preferably real, but--”

“Because my father always told me these stories when I was younger about this place on Earth. He claimed society was so different down there compared to the one on land, that he called it a world in our world.”

“D-down there?” Y/N responds in a meek voice, eyebrows raising.

“Yeah...Atlantis. You’ve heard the stories too, I’m assuming.”

“I mean...I’ve only seen it in that movie about the fish girl.”

“The mermaid,” he corrects.

“Yeah, whatever.”

“Well, my dad described it differently. He said that their kingdom was built and crafted from a sunken city. Even after seeing it demolished and crumbled, the Atlanteans knew they could transform it into something incredible. And he went on about all these abilities they have, like how their eyes adjust naturally to the darkness of the water, how they have this innate connection to marine life and can communicate with any sea animal that crosses their path; they don’t even need to hold their breaths underwater!”

“Sounds like your father was a great storyteller…” Y/N chuckles nervously, eyes darting to the passing bystanders who continue giving Wesley concerning looks. Her blood was quickly running cold in fear of finding somebody with similar, piercing eyes Wesley’s father probably mentioned too.

“That’s the thing. My father might have been good at telling stories, but he is a horrible liar. I remember the fourth time asking him how Santa Claus could get into our house with no chimney and a locked door he could not come up with an answer and told me it was a myth. The same thing happened when I asked why we had to buy eggs when the Easter Bunny got millions for free. And when I asked how the Tooth Fairy had access to all the printing presses to international currencies without being arrested, he got upset with me...told me I was too smart for my own good.”

Y/N is slowly becoming baffled by the precarious names he is throwing out and decides to let him continue. Drawing any suspicion to herself due to confusion over well-known characters of the land-walkers is the last thing she needs.

“But, when it came to talking about Atlantis, he never seemed to run out of details. Any question I asked about it, he always seemed to have an answer for. I would ask more about it now because everything inside of me is telling me it’s a real place. But...I’m scared if I confront my dad about it…”

“He’ll tell you it’s fake.” Y/N pieces the end together for him. His lopsided smile slowly turns into that of a frown, earning a sympathetic gaze from Y/N. “Well, I don’t know how credible I am as a stranger, but…” She lifts a hand to rest on Wesley’s shoulder, “I think your father is right. You are too smart for your own good...and I think if such a place were to exist, there would be more evidence of it.” Wesley nods but soon pauses, becoming entranced by Y/N’s sincere gaze.

“What’s wrong?” Her voice demands.

“Huh? Oh, nothing you just,” he clears his throat, “you have really pretty eyes.”

The orbs he was transfixed on moments before widen at this compliment. All at once, her mind rewinds itself to replay this afternoon with Shawn; his curls tickling her neck, the chuckle in his throat vibrating against her and her ruining their “moment”, a word she has yet to find a clear definition on. She also replays Connor’s entrance and comments about Shawn looking near ready to lock lips with her or be her utter demise through suffocation. Either activity sounded both passionate and intimate in a way Y/N was unclear about wanting with Wesley.

“Oh,” she whispers, dropping her arm from his shoulder in a haste.

“I-I’m sorry, that was awkward,” Wesley apologizes.

“No, no it’s alright. I just...I don’t want you to choke me,” she blurts, earning a few puzzled stares from those around them.

“What?”

“Or kiss me. Or...I don’t know, whatever happens in these moments.”

“Moments?” One of Wesley’s brows arch.

“Yes, a moment. Was that a moment? Because I think I just had my first one today and I’m not sure how--”

“Hey, Y/N, breathe.” He reaches both hands out to take her by the shoulders, quickly demonstrating a deep inhale and long exhale. She follows, mimicking his timed breaths down to the second. “It doesn’t have to be a moment if you don’t want it to be.” She nods, slowing her quick breaths and throwing a glance over her shoulder subconsciously for a quick peruse at Shawn’s figure behind the wooden stand. She smiles to herself, seeing his concentrating frame bend and twist meticulously to stack the bunches of bananas to perfection.

“Was it with Shawn?” Wesley asks. Y/N looks back toward him, pulling her brows together.

“Was…”

“Your moment. It was with Shawn, wasn’t it?”

“I..uh…” Her cheeks begin glowing red upon being caught.

“Hey, I’m not going to be upset.” He shakes his head, blonde streaks falling against his eyelashes. “Mendes and I might be tough on the water, but…” He takes his hands off of her shoulders, “I could never hate the dude enough to take his girl.” Y/N spares Wesley a grateful smile.

“Thank you.” She mumbles, preparing to pivot and return to Shawn’s stand.

“Oh, wait, Y/N--” the girl’s head turns back, humming.

“Where would you go, if you had the chance?” His question makes her eyes flicker down in thought, a pondering silence filling the air around the two.

“I’m not sure, actually. I don’t know if there is a place that could live up to this…” Through her answer, Wesley’s eyes met Shawn’s above her shoulder. Realizing he’d been caught, Shawn turned his body away, the feeling of dejection consuming his insides by the sight of his savior and worst enemy conversing.

“Well, just know a lot of people would miss you here if you left. More than just me,” he says, pressing a palm against his chest. Y/N looks behind her once more, only to be met with Shawn’s back.

“He would especially miss you.”

Another fond smile crawls onto her lips as she thanks Wesley again. When she turns to retreat to Shawn and Brian, the sinking feeling Wesley was awaiting inside of him felt more like a hot air balloon running off of helium than it did a whale with an anchor. As he begins walking in the opposite direction, sparing cursory glances at some of the products or swim trunks he walks past, his phone begins blaring its ringtone. He is stunned to pull it out and to be met with a pixelated version of his father and the name “DAD” overtaking the screen. Did his father finally keep his promise?

“Dad, hey!” The young man greets with exuberance.

“Hey, son. Finally got some free time…” Ripley announces at a regular volume. Hidden in between a few displays, he peers at Wesley slowly drifting from the curious girl, who was now speaking to an associate and pointing to the yellow fruits between them. “Tell me, how is it going? Did you win that surfing contest?”

“Yeah, but it kind of sucked to win now that I think about it. One of the other guys got really hurt.”

“Eh, I’m sure he’ll be fine. That’s what a rookie gets for going up against my son!” he barks a laugh. “I bet that trophy won you a couple of girls’ attention, huh?” Wesley gulps.

“I mean...not really--”

“Don’t lie to me, son. I can hear how lovesick you are. What’s her name?”

“Are you almost done yet?” Y/N groaned after Shawn finished up with a customer. She was sitting in a chair Shawn found under their table, picking at her nails in hopes that something interesting would happen.

“We’ve got another hour before we close up but then we have to put everything away so it’ll probably be an hour and 45 minutes before we can leave.” He shot her a smile as she dramatically slumped in the chair.

“They didn’t even have cheeseballs! I wasted half my day asking people if they had cheeseballs and they looked at me like I was insane.”

“Gee, I wonder why.”

Y/N rolled her eyes. She couldn’t help that she wanted the orange delicacy and in her opinion, these people were insane for not having it. “Just shut up and do your work so we can get out of here faster.”

“You’re so bossy.”

“I know what I want. Can you blame me?”

Shawn turned his back to her, opting to ignore her complaints instead of feed the fire.

“So you’re ignoring me now? Rude.”

He tried his best to keep the laugh in.

“That’s fine. I’ll find someone else to talk to.” She stood up and brushed off her pants, purposely bumping Shawn in the shoulder as she walked past. He reached out to grab her arms before she could get too far, forcing her to stop and turn around to look at him. “What, scared I’m going to find someone else to buy me cheeseballs?”

“Just stay safe.” There had been something nagging at his gut since he saw her with Wesley earlier and he was wary to let her out of his sight since then.

“Okay?” She gave him a funny look. “I’ll stay safe, no need to worry. Trust me, I know how to take care of myself.” It didn’t make Shawn feel much better but he let go of her anyways.

She walked off, only looking back once to shoot him a wink. He could only shake his head as he went back to work, wondering how it had been only one day and he was already infatuated with this girl.

Y/N walked around from table to table, actually taking the time to look at the contents this time. She didn’t have any money, as she found out earlier that day, but she still enjoyed looking at what each stand had to offer.

She looked around for a while before one stand in particular caught her eye. It was pushed back in a darker corner of the marketplace that people would probably miss if they weren’t paying attention.

She approached the table slowly, making sure to not startle the person running it, who seemed to be asleep in their chair. The table was decorated in an array of beachy looking stones and jewelry.

The person woke in her presence, sitting up and pushing their sunglasses up on their nose. “Why hello there.”

Y/N smiled at them, suddenly offset by their demeanor. She kept her gaze on the trinkets on the table, running her fingers over the symbols imprinted in them. Some posed a striking resemblance to the things she could find in her jewelry back home. Or, what used to be home.

“See something you like?”

“Yeah, they look a lot like-” She stopped herself, realizing that she almost revealed her identity.

“Like what?” They leaned forward, urging her to go on.

“Just, uh, something I saw in the store the other day.”

“You know,” They leaned back, crossing their arms over their chest. “Some say these came from Atlantis. Straight from the room of the princess.”

“Oh really?” She forced a laugh, retracting her hand to her chest. “Won’t the princess be upset that her things were taken?”

“She lives there no more. Ran away from an arranged marriage and was never found. I’m sure she cares very little about what happens to her old possessions.”

“That makes sense.” Her voice was so quiet she almost didn’t hear herself.

“Please, take whatever you’d like. I’ll give it to you, half price.”

“That’s very kind of you, but I can’t.” She looked back to Shawn on the other side of the market, seeing him busy bagging some fruit for a customer.

“Are you sure? Such a beautiful girl deserves beautiful jewelry. Perhaps that boy you’ve been sitting with would want to get you a gift?”

“I really should get going.” Y/N nervously scratched her upper arm. “Thank you though.”

“Always! Come back any time.” They gave her a sly smile and she took a few steps back. “Have a great day.”

“Uh, you too.” She gave a polite smile and nod, turning around and hastily making her way back to Shawn.

The vendor pulled their sunglasses down from their eyes, revealing a pair of piercing green eyes. They pulled out a phone from their back pocket and unlocked it, clicking on the name Ripley in their contacts and bringing the phone to their ear.

Someone picked up at the last second, a gruff “what?” to greet the caller.

“It’s Merlin,” the vendor spoke. “I’ve got eyes on the subjects.”

Shawn’s post-work exhaustion and shopping trip from earlier in the day made heaviness caress his eyelids without complaint. Y/N hoped it would be the same for her, but she felt there was a kickdrum where her heart usually lied and the incessant wriggling of her toes beneath the bedsheets was impossible to control. This night in particular was when the girl felt scared to let sleep wash over her like a high-tide. Various scenarios of her waking up tomorrow without Shawn beside her or not in his bed played in her mind on an unrelenting loop.

The lime green digits on Shawn’s nightstand read 2:23 when the girl surrendered to the endeavor of catching shut-eye and opted for shuffling from beneath the covers and waddling to the kitchen. Despite seeing Shawn lock it earlier that night, she inspects the front door anyway. She does the same with the windows, even going as far as to flip the lock back and forth to build the small sense of security she felt. Even then paranoia still cloaked her mind and hypnotized her to grab the near-empty bin of cheeseballs from the kitchen cabinet and situate herself into a sitting position on the kitchen island, eyes pointed directly at the meager shard between the curtains of the kitchen window.

Slowly, the girl grew disoriented from the lack of sleep and stress harboring her for the last few days. The vision her distressed subconscious conjured is one far more macabre than she could have manifested while awake. Not only did they find her, but they kidnapped Shawn alongside her and drug him down to the depths of the water with no mercy. The scream he elicited when he no longer carried any valuable oxygen was muffled and distraught. Bubbles blurred his face, which, in turn, made tears build beneath Y/N’s eyelids. When she witnessed the facade of him go limp in the guard’s merciless hold and begin sinking, the whimpering pleas for him to wake up and escape quickly morphed to crackling screams.

When she heard his voice break through clear to her, the lids shielding her vision flung open. Immediately, her eyes stung from the contact of the cold air to her hot tears as she observed Shawn and Connor’s perturbed expressions. Glancing down, she found her arms stiff and cradling the bucket of cheeseballs to her chest.

“Uh…” she sits herself up, mimicking the position she was in last night before trying a buoyant tone of voice. “Good morning!”

“Good morning...you alright?” Connor lifts an eyebrow in Y/N’s direction, while Shawn is still lost for words after stumbling into her body tucked inwards and crying out for him.

“I’m good! Just came down for a...late-night snack. I must’ve closed my eyes for a few minutes.” She assures, holding up the plastic bucket for their eyes to study.

“Seems like you were here a little longer than that.” At this comment, she twists her body around and gasps at the numbers on the stove. The numbers 7:04 stared back at her menacingly.

“Woah,” she breathes out, whipping her head back to face Shawn and Connor. “My bad.”

“Were you feeling okay last night?”

“Yes,” she squeaks defensively. “I just...had trouble getting comfortable is all.” Crossing her arms, she refuses to meet Connor’s questioning eyes and Shawn’s features, still locked in place. “I’m going to the bathroom.” Y/N excuses herself in a mumble before sliding off of the counter and scurrying through Shawn’s open bedroom door, shutting it behind her. When a second closing door sounded, Connor looked directly at Shawn’s profile.

“So, you’re not gonna tell her what you heard?” Shawn glanced down to his fingers, picking at his nails.

“Why should I?”

“I mean, if a girl I was into confessed her love for me in her sleep I wouldn’t be standing there keeping quiet.”

And Shawn’s initial reaction was quite the opposite. When Y/N murmured “I love you” followed by his name an undeniable smirk tugged the corner of his lips. The man wasn’t quite sure he felt smitten at the same level, but he could surely reach it. And he wanted to, but the only thing stopping Shawn from planting a kiss to her lips the moment her eyelids fluttered open happened to be the echo of her cautionary messages playing on a loop in his brain. Both knew their relationship already pushed boundaries that threatened their lives to those looking for Y/N and to draw any more attention to themselves would be a ludicrous choice.

Furthermore, Y/N has shown no signs of traveling these last few days. For Shawn to jeopardize this new affair by selfishly wanting more out of it would only result in her packing her bags and leaving. She even preached that she would only provide Shawn with a load of heavy burdens and trouble. He begs to differ, since the moment they crossed paths, his woes were as scant as raindrops. But even in this unacknowledged intimacy, Shawn understood he must reciprocate the blurred lines, throw out the words he can never say to her, realize that she could up and leave any day now.

This new friendship was one Shawn was riding like a bumpy wave. And each time he thinks he may be near the end he plummets back into the thought of her. Every being of Shawn wants to follow Y/N’s instruction and keep paddling to the next wave to sweep him up.

“It was just a dream, Con. It didn’t mean anything.”

Whether or not he had admitted to himself, though, he was already snagged beneath by her undertow. The depth she chooses to yank him down to could be the least of his worries. The only doubt suffocating him is the matter of her deciding to let him go.

Look out for the next part of Undertow coming out 2/19/21!

Join the taglist to see what happens next!

Taglist: @fallinallincurls​ @ilumxna​ @lonelyreputation​ @purely-imagines-and-fantasies​ @shawnmxndxs​ @learning-howto-be-myselfx3​ @sillyquirkymendessupporter​ @itsalwaysbeen305​ @friendlyneighborhood-mendes​ @marissje​ @princessmia1705​ @rosetoronto​ @itrocksmysocks​ @organicpurplepants​

[anxiety-and-witchcraft]

Frosty fever

This is a guardians Frozen Fever AU requested by @ineedtorename with Jack as Elsa, Human!Tooth (So still half hummingbird but she has slightly more human features and long, multicoloured hair behind kinda a crown of feathers, because I want her to be) as Anna because I heavily ship rainbow snowcone and need Jack to be organising his BFF and secret crush’s Bday party, and North, Bunny and Sandy as the boys in no particular order. Obviously, it takes place in the tooth palace and the village below it rather than Arendelle, and it’s not going to be song dialogue because Rise of the Guardians isn’t a musical. Going under a cut for length, which I just learned how to do :) P.S, Rainbow and Snowcone are now their nicknames for each other because I am devious.

“Okay, it’s almost time!” Jack exclaimed in a mixture of excitement and nervousness. He’d been feeling a bit off all morning – runny nose, bit of a headache etc. – but he’d just passed it off as the beginnings of hayfever season. He was the spirit of winter – he didn’t get colds, and there was nothing else it could be.

“North, Bunny, how’s the banner going?”

“Is all good, Jack, don’t worry.” North replied as he hung huge sheets of paper with colourful letters painted on them on a rope strung between two of the tooth palace’s golden pillars. The mini fairies all flitted around making sure it was secure,  dotting bird-of-paradise flowers around along with any others  that matched tooth’s feathers, and hanging colourful bunches of balloons.

“Yeah, we got this, mate, don’t worry.” Bunny added, crouched down to paint the remaining three letters.

Sandy was over by the cake, sneakily picking off some of the sugar-free sweets they’d used as decoration.

Jack sniffed and rubbed his nose. “I’m not worried! I’m not worried…”

Sandy looked sceptically at him.

“I’m not! Really!”

“You’ve already checked food layout three times.” North pointed out. “I’d say you were worried.”

‘Either that, or you’ve got a cold.’

“I don’t get colds, Sandy, I’m fine. And stop dismantling the cake, you can have a slice later!”

The sandman rolled his eyes and floated up to put some sparkly sand on the banner. That, and the combination of blue, turquoise and green paints Bunny had used, now made it look like Tooth’s feathers.

“Perfect!” Jack gasped. “Imma go wake Tooth up, just try and handle everything until we arrive.”

“Relax, Jack, we got this.” North affirmed and Bunny and Sandy nodded.

***

Jack chuckled to himself as he crept into Tooth’s room and picked a cushion up from her window seat.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TOOTH!!!” he yelled, throwing the cushion directly at the now wakeful tooth fairy’s face.

“Oof…morning, snowcone…couldn’t think of a gentler way to wake me up, could you?”

Jack tossed a colourful dress at her. “Get changed and meet me outside in ten minutes.”

He then hurried outside, leaving Tooth to flop back down on her bed and inwardly complain about being woken up at 7:30 in the morning on her birthday.

***

“Tada! How do I look?”

“Wow…I-I mean, yeah, you look great!” Great job, idiot. Real smooth.

Tooth had just come out wearing her new dress, and Jack’s ears were already burning scarlet, his equivalent to blushing furiously.

Tooth’s dress was…well, beautiful. It was an off the shoulder knee-length one with a slight petticoat under the skirt, making it puff out ever so slightly. It was a gradient of light turquoise at the top to dark bluish green at the hem of the skirt, which had a pattern of gold teeth shapes embroidered onto it. There was a gold ribbon around the waist which tied into a floppy bow at the back, and the sleeves were made up of another gold ribbon which rested just below Tooth’s shoulders. All in all, she looked even more dazzling than usual, which Jack admittingly didn’t think was possible.

“Right! Bunny helped me hide a bunch of presents, and now we’re going to find them!” Jack explained excitedly.

“How?”

Jack held up the end of a red string that Tooth now saw led all the way through her palace and down to the village below it.

“Just follow the string!” he answered, right before letting out a rather large sneeze.

“Jack, do you have a cold?” Tooth asked concernedly. Jack sniffed and shook his head.

“Psshh, I don’t get colds, probably just pollen or something. Shall we?”

Before Tooth had time to object, he was already pulling her away on her presents trail. They didn’t notice the tiny snowgy who swiftly ran towards where the others were finishing the party.

Now I’m assuming if you’ve read this, you’ve watched Frozen Fever, so you’ll know what happens next. Jack leads Tooth on a complicated trail of presents, insisting that he’s fine as his cold gets progressively worse, while the growing army of snowgies try to get to the cake, Tooth starts to get very worried and they eventually end up at the clock tower.

“C-Come on, now we cliiimb!” Jack slurred, stumbling as he pointed to the clock tower with one hand and pulled Tooth along by her free arm with the other.

“Jack, that’s enough, you’re sick! We have to go home!” Tooth struggled to hold all her numerous presents and a half-eaten sandwich as Jack ploughed onwards, looking like he was halfway to falling over. His hair was sticking up even more than normal, his nose resembled a tomato, his eyes were puffy and hazy and his hand in Tooth’s didn’t feel nearly as cold as normal. It was blatantly obvious he shouldn’t be taking another step, let alone climbing a clock tower, but Tooth had learned by now that nothing could distract him from what he was doing when he was this stubbornly set on it.

“No, we have to get to out birthday chills, I mean thrills!”

By now they were halfway up the tower, Jack let go of Tooth’s hand to go further up than her.

“Follow the string to the end, you are my very best friend!”

“Jack?!”

“What? I’m fiiiine…”

They went out onto the top of the tower, and Tooth could see the most beautiful sunset ever as the star sunk behind a mountain in the distance, casting the sky into pink, orange and gold. This isn’t nearly as beautiful as you, though. Jack had planned to say.

Speaking of the winter spirit, he was tottering dangerously close to the edge of the platform.

Tooth dropped all of her presents with a gasp and shot over, wings buzzing furiously, to push Jack back onto the tower. Jack sniffled and sat with his head hung as Tooth sank to the ground next to him and wrapped her arms around him.

“Now, will you admit it?”

“Okay…” Jack sighed congestedly. “I have a cold…ugh.”

“You’re warm too…come on, back to the palace.”

Jack picked up his staff and waved the Wind over to help direct him and Tooth back to the Tooth Palace.

***

“I’m sorry, rainbow. I just wanted to make your birthday perfect…but I ruined it.” Jack groaned as they landed around the corner from where Bunny, North and Sandy were, unknown by him and Tooth, desperately trying to protect the cake and the banner from the snowgies.

“Jack, you haven’t ruined anything. C’mon, let’s get you to bed.”

They turned the corner to see the other three guardians standing atop a mountain of snowgies, holding the cake above their heads and with the banner behind them.

“SURPRISE!!!”

“Wow!” Tooth gasped.

Jack just stood there, wondering how on earth he missed about a hundred tiny snowmen being created from his sneezes. At least the mini fairies would have some new friends.

ALSO, if any artists who are bored see this and fancy doing me a favour, would anyone like to draw some art for this that i can post?

[prurientpuddlejumper]

A Lipless Face That I Want to Marry, Ch. 8

<- Chapter 7 | Chapter 9 ->

Summary: Frederick alone. 

2,163 words

How many days had he been in the hospital? There had been at least one more surgery since you left. More blood transfusions.

It all bled together without you there. There was nothing to distinguish one day from the next except the tedious procedures—a blood test to see how his kidney was holding up, some new skin here, a z-plasty there. He was a little bit glad you were not there when they grafted his penis with a stretchable mesh of skin. God forbid he got aroused while that was healing. He laughed at the thought, as if your absence was just temporary.

The sun outside his window told him whether it was day or night, but the stretches of hours he was knocked out under anesthetic and pain meds made it impossible to know whether it was was from the same day, or if he had slept until the next one. Without your schedule to ground him, it was pointless bothering to find out.

At least you were not always touching him, asking him about his feelings. Staring. He could feel the pressure of your gaze on his face, dancing like jabbing needles across his barely-healed skin. He hated it. He had some peace and quiet now.

It did not feel real yet. It seemed so certain you would be back—you had become such a steadfast presence in his life for the past three years, he never imagined you could leave it. Not forever. It did not seem beyond taking back.

But as much as he was in denial, he knew what he said could not be taken back. One cannot break off an engagement, tell their fiancé to move out, and expect things to ever go back to normal.

He didn’t need you. You always hated his preening, the sophisticated circles he traveled in. You wanted him this way—destroyed and disgusting, unable to pass in decent society. He was not sure if he really believed that, or if he just needed a reason to hate you.

A nurse could bring him the phone. All he had to do was press the nurse call button and Pamela would come running, and he could call you. He could apologize. If he reached you before you got rid of the ring, before you packed your bags, he might be able to convince you to stay.

He did not call.

***

The sun was down, whatever day it was. There was still fluorescent light shining in from the hallway, enough to dimly light the room. Frederick lay awake. Parts of his back ached from lying in the same position too long, and it had been too long since a nurse came and shifted him. He shifted himself, what little he could, and the heart monitor climbed frantically with the feeble effort of a few inches. His tight scar tissue pulled like he was wearing too-tight denim over his whole body, and his more recent stitches stung. He was so weak. So pathetically weak.

The sun was up again, some time later. Frederick eyed the small stack of mail for him at his bedside table. You were always the one who read to him. But he did not need you.

He pressed the nurse call button, which had been rigged with tape and a wooden tongue depressor into a large switch he could push more easily with his limited dexterity. He pushed down on it and it buzzed so loudly he swore, a throb of pain shooting through the back of his skull. Part of the jury-rigged switch caught on the gauze mitten wrapped around his hand and left the switch stuck on in a continual buzz. He swore again, more fiercely, and jerked his hand until the makeshift switch snapped, and the call button fell off the edge of the bed. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!”

Where the hell was the nurse? If this had been an emergency he could be dead by now.

In his last physical therapy session, he had been able to reach nearly as far as the bedside table, with assistance. He reached for an envelope, and his mittened hand made it all the way to the edge of the bed before bumping against the metal railing that prevented him from rolling out. That was it. All at once, every latent frustration came out at that goddamned railing in a primal scream. He punched the metal—barely a twitch with his atrophied muscles, but enough to sting his tender fingers and draw another enraged shout. His breathing came in heavy, choked bursts, and he began to sob.

When finally a nurse showed up—his favorite, Pamela—she didn’t make any humiliating sympathetic comments about the tears wetting his face. He asked if you had called or tried to visit.

You had not.

***

The dead at least have the luxury of being done with what they lost.

The sky was dark, nearly black with clouds, though Frederick suspected it was day. Heavy rain pummeled against the window, and it gave the room a cold, dreary cast. He wondered if there was a way he could kill himself. To be done. It would have been easy in a hospital, if he had use of his legs and hands—he could tamper with his morphine drip, or find some anesthetic… the options were limitless to one who knew what he was doing with medical equipment.

The one person who never manipulated him into danger, the one person who stood beside him, the one person who loved him completely for everything he was, he had thrown away. Was it worth it staying alive for revenge alone? He was never going to get better. Not completely. He would be trapped in this scarred, aching body for the rest of his life. If he died, his will left all of his money to you. Then you would be free.

But he was Doctor Frederick Chilton, damn it! He did not give up. He did not give up after Abel Gideon tortured him, or after being framed for murder and shot. Every time he fell, he held his chin up, and rose higher. This whole incident brought him notoriety, a spotlight he would take advantage of to bring him greater fame than even Hannibal Lecter himself. Forget national bestsellers, this time he was thinking movie deal. In a few years, he would be walking again, he would have a new face, lips. He would have everything back.

Except you.

He could never get back the one thing that already felt like a hole in his life, and would feel like a gaping sinkhole when he finally returned home and you were not there. His comfort. If you were coming back, you would have done it by now.

Every time he angrily demanded you leave, you would always slink off with your tail tucked, but crawl back all sweetness and forgiveness the next day. This time was different. He said so many unforgivable things. But he had to go that far, he told himself—he had to break things off.

He was so bitter, and angry. He was never the easiest man to live with, and now all of his compassion had been burned out of him. You didn’t deserve to keep running back to a cruel, bitter man out of loyalty, to be smothered inside a dark hospital when you were meant to be in the sun. He knew exactly what Chiltons could be like, and he never wanted to put you through that. If that was the nightmare he was turning into, then it was better for you to be far away, not married to it.

But, oh, to touch you one last time…

***

Another day. He thought about calling you again, if just to hear the sound of your voice. But what would be the point? You could have called him. Clearly you wanted him out of your life.

A nurse knocked tentatively on the door. Not one of his usual nurses.

“You have a visitor, Mr. Chilton. They said… they’re not sure if you want to see them?”

He perked up immediately, so eager to respond, “Of course I do!” that he didn’t bother to correct the nurse about his title. His face fell when a young black woman walked in, carefully tapping a long white stick across the ground. “Oh. You.”

She stopped in her tracks, a timid expression of guilt written on her face. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be here...” she stammered, turning around.

“No, no, no. Come in, come in, Reba McClane,” he pronounced her name pointedly. “I wanted to speak to you anyway.”

“You did?” She began searching her way closer to his bed.

“Naturally. For my book. An interview with the Tooth Fairy’s lover.”

Her tentative smile quickly turned into a scowl. “Freddie Lounds already offered to tell my story.”

Frederick scoffed. “Tell me you are not considering that libelous TattleCrime gossip rag. I am a distinguished, respected author—what I could do with your story is far—”

“I told her the same thing I’m telling you: I do not want my name associated with that man. My entire life is already tainted. I won’t talk about him anymore. I only came to apologize… it seemed the least I could do. You’re the only one of victims left alive to apologize to.”

“You forget to count yourself,” Frederick corrected with uncharacteristic empathy. “We are both his survivors.”

Reba’s shoulders relaxed a little at that. “I wasn’t sure you’d see it that way. A lot of people, they think I knew. Or that I must be a monster to have loved a monster like that. I can’t blame them… I don’t know what to think of myself anymore.”

“There is no accounting for taste.”

Reba and Frederick settled into a surprisingly comfortable chat. She unburdened her guilt—she thought she had sensed someone else in the room that night, and knew something was off, but didn’t call the police—and Frederick magnanimously forgave her. Dolarhyde would have killed her and slit Frederick’s throat on the spot if she tried to be a hero. He chose not to call out for help, knowing that. They talked about love, and the deep vein of anger they both shared. Perhaps it set Frederick at ease that she was blind. If she stared, it was not with any regard to his face. 

Then she went to the window, to stand in the warm light streaming through the glass, and knocked over a vase of plastic flowers. He snapped at her, his voice raising with violence so out of proportion to the offense, she wasn’t sure whether to apologize or yell back. After scrambling to find to the vase on the floor, she settled on dryly calling him an asshole.

Nobody had called him out so bluntly since before he was hospitalized, and it made him smile, as best as his cheeks could manage. “You remind me of someone,” he said.

Reba pondered why his voice was so fond at the memory of someone who called him an asshole. She wondered what the flowers meant. “Was this the somebody you were hoping it was when I walked in? Who—”

“Nobody important.”

“Really? That’s not what I’m hearing.”

He sighed grumpily. Then just sighed. “You told Dolarhyde you were not so damaged that you were incapable of love. Do you still feel that way?”

“If you’re looking for relationship advice, I do not believe myself qualified to give any,” she said, reading him like braille. “But I’m not going to give up on the goodness in people. Everybody has a darkness deep down, but not everyone’s darkness is murdering families. I survived Dee, and if I can do that… I can find someone whose darkness is a little softer. Soft enough to live with. I have to believe I can still love—that he didn’t break me. I hope he didn’t break you, either.”

***

Another day. He ruined everything with you.

The first question Frederick asked when EMTs found his still-smoldering body—rasping it over and over until someone understood—was if you were safe. Had Dolarhyde gone after his family? But of all the things that the Red Dragon had taken from him, you were the one he had destroyed all on his own.

Finally, after two weeks of resisting, he could not bear it anymore. When his physical therapy session ended, he quietly, firmly, with fragile pride, asked the nurse to help him with the phone. He dialed your number, and she held the receiver to his ear as it rang.

It rang.

It rang.

It went to voicemail.

Frederick leaned into the receiver as your friendly, guileless voice instructed him to leave a message. It must have been recorded before everything, back when you were so happy all the time. It had been ages since he heard you sound like that. He wondered if you would be happy and carefree again soon, without him.

• ● • ━━━━━─ ••●•• ─━━━━━ • ● •

Tags: @beccabarba  @caked-crusader @itsjustmyfantasyroom @thatesqcrush @dianilaws @permanentlydizzy @eclecticreader2020  @mrsrafaelbarba 

[sincerelyasomebody]

All That Glitters || Jose "Sad Eyes" Guzman

(GIF Credit: @merakiaes)

A/N: Jose will be used in the form of Sad Eyes' name, as far as I know his actual name hasn't been revealed in the show. I tried my best to correct any mistakes I could find. I am not a native Spanish speaker, translations will be at the bottom. If there are any mistakes, please let me know. Thanks! 

Pairing(s): Sad Eyes x Reader ▪︎ OC x Reader (past relationship)

Summary: A family get-together turns into an emotional rollercoaster. 

Warnings: angsty, fluff, language, mentions of cheating, talks of death, unsupportive mother and stepfather

Word Count: 2419

- ♤ - ♡ - ◇ - ♧ -

Nana Helen and Papa Victor were absolutely adored by their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Not only adored but highly respected.

Therefore introducing a significant other to them was a big deal. It was something only done if you saw yourself with that person in the long run. 

And (Y/N) saw a future with Jose. 

Sure, she had other relationships before he came along but they didn't reach this step. The furthest they ever got was her parents and siblings. So, when her relationship developed a connection she had never experienced, she knew it was only right to introduce him to the people who meant the world to her. 

From her spot in the kitchen, she looked into the living room and smiled as he sat with her nana on the couch. The old woman had pulled out the photo albums, pointing to each picture and telling the story behind it. Her papa in the armchair in the corner beside them.

Her nieces and nephews were spread across the floor in front of the t.v, immersed in the world that was Despicable Me. 

She could hear the laughter of her younger cousins upstairs. Not a doubt in her mind that they were doing Tik Tok videos. Her siblings were probably with them, she concluded, if the sound of a slap and a shout of her brother's name was anything to go by. 

The uncles and a few of her boy cousins were sitting in the backyard, sipping on beers and talking about Mike Tyson coming out of retirement. She was sure Jose would join them after talking with her grandparents. 

Which left her in the kitchen and dining room area with her mother, aunts and girl cousins. 

"You shouldn't have brought him." 

With a heavy sigh, she turned around and faced her mother, "not this again." She walked over to the sink to wash her hands before helping to chop up the vegetables for the salad. "He's my boyfriend."

Pauline looked at her daughter, "he's a gang member, (Y/N)."

She dumped the cut up vegetables into a salad bowl, "Ash, make yourself useful." She held out the bowl and large wooden fork and spoon. The girl in question stood up, with a huff pocketing her phone, and grabbed the outstretched items. 

When (Y/N) introduced Jose to her mother, Frank (she refused to call the man her mother married a month after the death of her father, dad), her brothers Samuel and Anthony, she didn't hide the fact he was a Santo. Although they lived a couple towns over, it wasn't hard to know the gang that ran (protected, she corrected) Freeridge. 

But, she didn't care. 

He was known as Sad Eyes, the feared right-hand man of the gang leader Spooky, in the streets. If there were issues he was sent to deal with them. He was also known as Jose, a momma's boy with a big heart and an appetite to match. He'd go to the ends of the Earth to make sure his family was taken care of. 

(Y/N) accepted both sides of him. 

But, most of all she loved both sides of him. 

Without another word, she walked into the living room and plopped herself next to her man. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. 

"Everything okay, mi alma?" 

She nodded, "yeah, don't worry about it." 

Helen beamed at the interaction, "oooh." She looked at her husband, "Vic look at our grandbaby." 

"I see her." He replied with a chuckle, "and she looks as happy as she was when she got that twenty dollars from the tooth fairy. Maybe even happier." 

(Y/N) buried her face into the crook of Jose's neck, causing a round of laughter from the three.

When the call for everybody to come to the dining room, (Y/N) and Jose got up off the couch. Jose helped Helen up, to which she patted his hand as a thank you. Victor waved him off when he tried to offer his hand, choosing to use his walking stick instead. They walked to where the food was, (Y/N) stayed behind to gather the little ones together.

"Lucas and Bryson," she called out to the eight year olds, they were the oldest of the bunch, "go upstairs and tell them it's time to eat." 

They nodded and sprinted to the staircase.

She picked up Melody, the three year old, who had fallen asleep on the ground, told the rest of the kids to get going and switched off the t.v. She followed them and handed Mel off to her dad, her cousin Micah. He thanked her and she walked over to Jose, taking his hand in hers. 

"Thank you all for coming." Helen looked at her family, all managing to squeeze into the dining room and kitchen, "Jose, thank you for being here." 

Jose smiled at her, "thank you for having me." 

(Y/N) couldn't help but grin at him, which got a few teasing words from the cousins. She laughed along with them, just happy that her grandma had accepted him. 

Victor spoke up, "yes, we're thankful for family," his eyes scanned over to Jose, "we're also thankful to have found someone who loves our (Y/N) very much. So, Jose, thank you… you don't know how much it truly means to see her happy." 

He responded with a nod, (Y/N) grinning wider if that was even possible. She was extremely elated, she just received the stamp of approval from her favourite people. 

"Te amo," she whispered. 

He bent down and pecked her lips, "Te amo." 

Victor led the family in prayer, before they dished out their meals. 

Loud chatter between the cousins occurred as they tried to decide what to grab, parents telling their children to get some salad and the grandparents making sure there was enough food for everyone. 

Before (Y/N) could grab herself and Jose a plate, the doorbell rang. 

Pauline rushed towards the front door. (Y/N), just like everybody else, was confused as the entire family had already been accounted for. That didn't stop them from wanting to see who it was though. 

When Pauline stepped back into the view of everyone with her ex boyfriend, Colby, by her side (Y/N) thought she might lose it. 

Thankfully, before she could say anything Samuel spoke up.

"What the fuck?" 

Pauline glared in his direction, "watch your mouth." 

Helen and Victor were confused with his behaviour, because Samuel knew better than to cuss in their home. 

"Samuel, listen to your mother." Helen reprimanded, "you know I don't like cussing." 

"Sorry, nana." He apologised, "but it's fucked up that mum would bring (Y/N)'s ex boyfriend to a family get-together while she's here with her current boyfriend." 

Anthony piped up, "straight up, disrespectful." 

Everyone looked back and forth between (Y/N) and the newcomer. 

(Y/N) glanced over at Jose, noticing his clenched jaw, she rubbed her thumb over his hand and stood on her toes to peck his cheek. 

He knew Pauline didn't like him, but he didn't think she'd pull something like this. Unfortunately for her, he and (Y/N) were solid. 

Colby held his hands up, "I didn't come here to cause any drama." His eyes focused on (Y/N), "I just want to talk to (Y/N)." 

She took a deep breath, "nana and papa, I'm sorry." She looked back at Colby, "fuck no," looking over at her mum, "fuck you," and then at Frank, "and fuck you, too 'cause I know you had something to do with it." tugging on Jose's hand, she moved through the kitchen, "we're leaving."

As they passed through the kitchen, living room and through the front door, (Y/N) ranting along the way.

"What the fuck was she thinking? That Colby would show up and I'd dump you to be with him," she threw her hands in the air, "no fucking way! As soon as I caught him cheating, it was a wrap."

They looked back over at the house, the (L/N) family plus one scrambling out of the door. They stayed on the porch except for Pauline, Frank, Colby, Helen and Victor who marched towards them. They both straightened up, waiting for what was to come. 

"(Y/N) (M/N) (L/N)!" screeched Pauline, "what's wrong with you." 

"Me? What's wrong with you? Why would you bring Colby here? What the fuck was going through your head to make you think that this was a good idea?" 

"He's better than -" 

She shook her head, "He's a fucking piece of shit "

"(Y/N), your mum was just -" 

"Shut up, Frank." She hissed, "nobody asked for your input." 

"Don't talk to him like that." 

"I can talk to him however the fuck I want." 

Pauline growled, "this is ridiculous," she turned to her parents, "he's in a gang! A c-criminal! You do know that right?" 

"Wow, (Y/N)... really?" Colby smirked.

(Y/N) glared at him, "why the fuck are you still here? Seriously, fuck off." 

"I want to -" 

"Yeah, I know what you want but you aren't getting anything from me." She cut him off, "so go away."

When he stepped towards her, Jose immediately jumped in front of her, blocking him from getting closer, "back up." 

Colby laughed, "what? You wanna fight?"

"Back up," he repeated, "last warning." 

Helen and Victor carefully watched the exchange, they already approved of Jose, even before Pauline exclaimed he was in a gang - they already knew. He told them himself and while it did make them uncomfortable, their opinion about him didn't change. If anything, they respected him for coming clean in the first place.

Out of all the grandchildren, (Y/N) spent the most time with them. 

They watched her grow from a curious child to a reserved teenager. She isolated herself when her father died and it worried them to no end. But they allowed her to grieve in whatever way she wanted. And as she grew into the woman she was today, their worries about her finding somebody worthy of her attention had vanished upon meeting Jose.

They couldn't have wished for a better person for their grandbaby to be with.

"Okay, boys that's enough." Victor spoke up, "Colton -"

"Colby." 

" - whatever your name is, move away from my granddaughter or else I'll have to deal with you," he exclaimed. 

Colby moved back to stand with Pauline and Frank, whereas Jose stood beside (Y/N). 

"(Y/N) and Jose, please come back inside." Helen gestured towards the house, "please?"

"It's fine, nana." (Y/N) replied. "We're just gonna head off, I… I'm, uh… I'm sorry for causing -"

She shook her head, "sweetpea, don't apologise." Her eyes wandered over to her daughter, "it's your mother who should be apologising." 

"Did you not hear me when I said she's with a criminal?" exclaimed Pauline. 

"As long as my grandbaby is happy, I'm happy." Helen replied, "well, I better get you both a to-go plate." 

Before (Y/N) could protest, she was walking away with Victor by her side. She laughed when her cousins scrambled over each other to move out of the way. Her laughter was cut short by Frank.

"Are you sure you want to be with Jose? Like, really sure? Have you met his family? Do you see yourself -" 

"Please, shut up." (Y/N) responded, "just shut up." 

"I'm not going to repeat myself, (Y/N)." Pauline threatened. 

She shrugged her shoulders, "then don't." Her eyes narrowed, "I'm sick of your bullshit. Get it through your head and accept that Jose and I are together." 

"Why? When I know you can do better."

(Y/N) scoffed, "really?"

"Yes! I'm your mother which -"

"Which means shit, absolute shit." She responded, "I'm done with you, Pauline. I-I can't keep going back and forth with you."

"What does that mean?" 

"I'm tired of feeling like I'm not good enough." 

"Okay, when have I ever -" 

"When I twisted my ankle in soccer, you told me it was because I wasn't made for it. When I joined the writing club in high school, you told me it was stupid. When I chose to become an elementary school teacher, you told me that I should've become a doctor or a nurse instead." She listed, her jaw clenched, "there's other shit you've done, but I'm too upset to think about them. The main theme of it all is this - nothing I've ever done and probably will do is good enough, in your eyes." 

During this time the grandparents had resurfaced onto the scene. Jose accepted the tupperware with thanks and placed it in the car. He stepped aside and watched the scene unfold. He knew (Y/N)'s relationship with her mother was rocky, so he knew that she needed to get some things off her chest.

Pauline scoffed, "quit being dramatic, (Y/N)." 

She took a deep breath, tears blurring her vision which she rubbed away. "See, that right there is another issue in itself. Whenever I express my feelings, you blow them off! A-and I'm tired of it. I'm tired of your bullshit, it ends now!" 

"Stop the theatrics." 

"I don't want anything to do with you," she affirmed.

(Y/N) walked around her to reach her grandparents but was stopped by Colby, "move of my way." 

"Please, just hear -" 

"My girl says move, you move." Jose asserted, eyes blazing. 

Colby, finally admitting defeat, moved aside.

She kissed both of their cheeks and pulled them into a hug, "thank you for accepting Jose, it means a lot."

"He loves our grandbaby." Helen exclaimed, "a done deal," 

Victor held out his hand to Jose, "you take care of her." 

"With my life," Jose replied, giving him a firm shake.

With a promise to come back and visit, the pair walked back over to the car. Jose held her door open, (Y/N) pecked his cheek and got in. When he reached the drivers' side they buckled up.

But of course, Pauline couldn't let them leave without saying something.

"You're choosing him over this family?" 

"I'm choosing to be happy," (Y/N) corrected, leaning her head out the window, "I love you crazies, I'll keep in touch." 

And with the shouts of goodbyes from her family, Jose pulled onto the open road. 

With a bright smile, Jose's hand in hers and the low hum of the radio, (Y/N) felt at peace.

- ♤ - ♡ - ◇ - ♧ -

Spanish Translation(s):

Mi alma - my soul

Te amo - I love you

[gardenofdelight]

✨OC Questionnaire: Peaseblossom✨

a.k.a. Pixie Reader from Fairies May Cry

Full name

???????????????

Preferred name/nickname

Lil Pea, Lil Blossom, Sweet Pea

Generally referred to as

Peaseblossom

Appearance

FACECLAIM: Here’s a portrait I made using Artbreeder:

SEX: Female

HEIGHT: Just barely 5 inches in pixie form, 5 feet in human form.

WEIGHT: Light as a feather in pixie form, lightweight in human form.

BUILD: Lithe and slender.

HAIR: long, soft, and platinum blond. Usually braided with tiny flowers, but it comes down past her bottom when loose. 

SKIN: White. Smooth and sunkissed from daily naps under the sun. 

EYES: Purple like lilac flowers.They’re a bit wide and always seem to sparkle with mirth and mischief. Long eyelashes.

MOUTH: Small mouth with plump lips. Perfectly straight teeth and pure white. 

NOSE: Small and rounded with a cute point at the tip and small nostrils.

HANDS: Small with short fingernails.

FEET: Small and dainty with short nails. 

SCARS: None.

CLOTHES: Colorful dresses handmade from real flowers, but she prefers to be nude with a sprinkling of her fairy dust on her body most of the time

OTHER FEATURES: She has 2 pairs of iridescent wings much like a dragonfly.

OTHER NOTABLE FEATURES: She has a “fairy light” that changes color depending on her current mood.

Speech

VOICECLAIM: To be determined.

ACCENT: Fairly neutral.

VERBAL TICS: She has a tendency to repeat words when she’s overly excited about something. And she stumbles over her words when taken by surprise. 

LANGUAGE: She can speak all known languages so long as she can hear it verbally first thanks to a little fairy magic.

ARTICULATION: She can be a little clumsy with words while explaining things but she does so on purpose sometimes if she’s hoping to get the upper hand in a deal. 

EDUCATION: She prefers to use short and simple words but she’s learned a few big words that are hard for her to pronounce correctly.

LAUGHTER: Sounds like the tinkling of tiny bells in the wind, and she laughs and giggles a lot everyday.

GRUMP: She pouts, grumbles, and sneers whenever she’s annoyed or angry.

BREATHING: She gasps, humphs, and sighs a lot.

Mannerisms

FACE: She has a very expressive face and has a hard time hiding emotions on her face unless she’s working out a deal...then she has the best damn poker face in existence. 

HANDS: She makes a lot of hand gestures whenever she’s excited or mad. Lots of arm crossing, finger wagging, curious poking, and happy clapping.

LEGS/FEET: She kicks her feet sometimes while flying and stomps her foot down when she’s angry.

EMOTIONAL OUTBURSTS: Her capricious nature makes her very prone to emotional outbursts. Crying and yelling when she’s upset and laughing and bouncing around when she’s happy.

HABITS: She likes to hum sometimes while hunting for lost trinkets and sing lullabies while making flower dresses. 

POSTURE: She tends to slump a little while standing or sitting, but her posture straightens out whenever she’s very happy, angry, or taken by surprise.

WALKING POSTURE: She skips around gleefully when she’s in good, but she tends to stomp around when she’s in a bad mood. 

SITTING POSTURE: She likes to sit with her legs crossed beneath her with a slouched posture. 

PERSONAL SPACE: She doesn't have much of a personal bubble and tends to encroach on others’ personal space without realizing it.

SPACIAL AWARENESS: She’s really good at noticing what’s around her thanks to her constant hunt for the next best trinket.

OTHER: Her fairy light changes color depending on her mood. And her fairy wings tend to snap out when she’s surprised, droop when she’s feeling down, and flutter faster when they're buzzing with rage.

Health

DIET: Two words: liqueur and sweets! She loves fruity wines and sugary treats...it’s not really healthy and definitely not a well-balanced diet but pixies have an extremely high metabolism. She rarely eats vegetables and scoffs at anything boring and bitter.

SLEEP: She takes a lot of short naps throughout the day. Pixies don’t sleep for very long unless they’re completely exhausted. Many of her dreams consist of brave adventures with her trusty steed (a rat named Sir Hawthrone) and romantic dances with Pretty Boy (Vergil). 

EXERCISE: Not very much but flying around and searching through all the nooks and crannies for lost trinkets is a bit of an exercise! 

ACTIVITY: She works hard when she wants to, especially if she’s really excited about something...that’s usually when she pushes herself to exhaustion. But she can be pretty lazy some days...it all just depends on her mood at the moment.

CLEANLINESS: She bathes in the morning dew she creates every morning for her flowers. But sometimes she takes a shower with Pretty Boy when he’s not looking…!

ODOUR: Like a meadow of sweet flowers by a tranquil pond.

MEDICINAL DRUGS: No.

NARCOTICS: No.

ADDICTIONS: No...unless you count the obsessive need to make deals and having a sweet tooth as an addiction. 

ILLNESS: No.

INJURIES: No.

PARASITES: No.

OTHER: To be determined.

Personal

INTROVERT/EXTROVERT?: She’s an exuberant extrovert. Lil Pea doesn’t let her small size get in the way of being social and outgoing, especially when it comes to things that pique her curiosity.

OPTIMIST/PESSIMIST: Definitely an optimist. 

GENDER: Female.

SEXUALITY: She has no set preference in regards to sex and/or gender. So long as they’re a very nice person with a kind soul. Any display of intentional cruelty or just general “meanie-ness” will make her look the other way.

ROMANTIC: Absolutely loves all the romance! 

MEMORY: She has a very chaotic memory, usually wavering between highly accurate to absurdly silly.

PLANNING: She’s a terrible planner and just leaps right into things with a wide grin.

PENSIVE: She doesn’t spend a lot of time pondering about life...she’d much rather live in the now and not then or yet to come.

INTUITION: She has really good intuition so long as she isn’t figuring things out on an empty stomach.

PROBLEM SOLVING: She’s very good at solving puzzles and problems so long as it's very clever or in rhyming form.

GOALS: To find the greatest lost trinket in the world! 

INSECURITIES: She thinks her wings aren’t as pretty as some of the other fairies with their beautiful butterfly wings. But she hides her insecurities well behind her cute and bubbly personality.

ACHIEVEMENTS: She’s very proud of her trinket collection and her ability to make Pretty Boy blush!

ANXIETY: Being trapped like a bug in a jar and Pretty Boy being in danger makes her super anxious.

OVERWHELMED: She only feels like things are too much when she’s stressed out.

SELF-HELP: She simply ignores her problems and moves on with life.

COMFORTS: Liquor, sweet treats, naps among the flowers, and Pretty Boy kisses.

BAD HABITS: She tends to exaggerate a lot which sometimes leads to more problems.

PHILOSOPHY: Not religious but does follow the creed of all fairies: always seek to make clever deals through trickery and under no circumstances are you to break a deal.  

TRIGGERS: Glass jars and bird cages.

The Past

PARENTS/GUARDIANS: She doesn’t have parents per se...more like a mysterious guardian who brought her into existence with powerful magic. And they get along very well but haven’t seen each other in over a millennium.

SCHOOL: She never went to school...unless you count causing mischief a few times during some classes to make children laugh at the teacher’s expense.  

ADOLESCENCE: She was never an adolescent. 

LEAVING HOME: It was very exciting for her the first time since she’s always heard how much the mortal realm can be! But then she became a permanent resident when she escaped from the mages holding her captive. 

FURTHER EDUCATION: She never went to college but wouldn’t mind causing some mischief there too.

FIRST JOB: She helped her guardian with his garden by tending to the flowers. She enjoyed putting dew on the blooms every morning and healing to sickly buds with her bell-like singing. 

LIFE EVENTS: Making a deal with one of the Princes of the Seelie Court definitely brought more cheer into her life. But having that same Prince fail to protect her when she got captured by mages and enduring captivity brought pain and sorrow. And now finding a new protector has renewed her hope and continues to bring her joy every day.

WORST DAY OF THEIR LIFE: She was captured by mage and held prisoner for various vile experiments.

BEST DAY OF THEIR LIFE: Pretty Boy kissed her back.

LESSONS: Never trust someone solely on their looks...you must peer into their soul and judge them by their spirit. Never hide in the dark alone. Don’t eat too much strawberry ice cream or else you’ll suffer from the worst stomach EVER! And it only takes one fairy’s sugar to make Pretty Boy smile and sometimes blush!

LOOKING BACK: If Lil Pea could re-play her life and do something differently, she would’ve not joined the Prince’s revelry in the mortal world that fateful day.

Relationships

FAMILY: The crew at Devil May Cry are pretty much her family now.

FRIENDSHIPS: She has a lot of friends! Most of them are critters living in and around the shop...but they’re very loyal and love to go on adventures with her.

FRIENDS IN NEED: She will always be there for her friends with fairy dust to cheer them up...she’ll also offer to even the score if someone is the source of her friend’s troubles. This usually involves some elaborate pranks and tiny raspberries right in their face.

NEEDING A FRIEND: She usually seeks the comfort of her flowers and critter friends first...but sometimes she’ll go to her human friends when she needs help or advice. It just depends on her mood at the time. 

ANNOYANCES: She gets annoyed very easily but reciprocates with swift pranks and raspberries right in the face when really irked.

ROMANCE: She’s a bit overt with her advances and has no problem giving her romantic interest pretty gifts. She’s attracted to people with a good and just soul...and being tall and strong doesn’t hurt either.

MARITAL PROBLEMS: She’s not married but she’d probably ignore the problem until forced to deal with it...and then her capriciousness would take over and it’ll either turn out very good or very bad but confusing nonetheless.

ADVERSARIES: She doesn’t like big meanies who ruin all the fun! 

ENEMIES: Anyone who would hurt Pretty Boy or defenseless animals and children is an enemy to her. She also gets VERY angry when flowers are needlessly destroyed. 

STRANGERS: She tends to hide from strangers since you never know if they’re real nice or a big meanie!

FUN STUFF: She loves to sing, dance, pull pranks, hunt for lost trinkets, make pretty dresses, and feast on all the sweets and booze!

DATING: She loves to dance with her romantic partner and will always be ready for a feast with good booze. But she finds a stroll among the flowers and fireflies at night very romantic.

BEST FRIEND: Her trusty rat steed, Sir Hawthorne...but Scruffy Boy and Sweet Lady have become close friends too!

LOVE: Her devilish protector will always have her tiny heart.

WORST ENEMY: Anyone who has terrible manners and harms flowers or Pretty Boy.

Interactions

MINGLING: She gets along with others so long as they have good manners and aren’t big meanies!

COMFORT LEVELS: She’s comfortable talking to people but will steer the conversation by any means necessary if they stumble upon a touchy subject. The only time she’s uncomfortable is when people ask too many questions or focus too much on the past and future.

PHYSICAL: She’s very touchy-feely! Loves to give hugs and poke noses no matter her size at the moment.

GROUPS: She’s comfortable in a big group so long as she knows everybody, but even that doesn’t stop her since she’s very good at hanging around while not being noticed. But sometimes she wants to spend time alone with one or two people who’ll give her plenty of attention. 

OPENNESS: She opens up very easily up to a certain extent. It’ll take some patience and gentle prying to get her to talk openly up about her past.

GENEROSITY: She likes to give gifts to those who prove a friend to the Fae. She’d gladly lend money to a friend...so long as they make a deal with her in return. And it makes her very happy to receive gifts from others. 

JEALOUSY: Anyone that takes her Pretty Boy’s attention away from her makes her feel incredibly jealous! But pulling a few pranks on the offender always makes her feel better.

TEMPER: She’s easily worked up thanks to the capricious nature of pixies.

EMPATHY: She can empathize but sometimes she doesn’t understand the reasons behind some mortal’s feelings, which leads to a misunderstanding if no one explains.

AFFECTION: Lots of hugs and “fairy’s sugar” with the occasional gift or helping hand with her fairy dust.

DISTASTE: Her fairy light will flash red as she blows many raspberries right in their face...and a few pranks if she REALLY dislikes someone.

ETIQUETTE: She has very good manners just like any fairy worth their salt! But most mortals don’t know the proper etiquette of the Fae...which may look very rude and inappropriate to them.

RESPONSIBILITY: She doesn’t like to admit when she’s wrong but will face the music when it all falls apart. Then, she’ll try to make up for her mistakes by any means possible.

SELF ESTEEM: She’s always had to stick up for herself until meeting the Prince since many of the Fae treat fairies born through non-fairy magic like her very poorly.

CONFIDENCE: She’s very confident in herself and her abilities despite being treated differently from her own kind.

HONESTY: She always speaks her mind unless she’s up to some mischief or feels that it might upset someone.

LEADER OR FOLLOWER: She’s a little of both. She usually follows but can take the lead if needed.

PARTY TRICKS: She’s an expert trinket finder, flower dressmaker, and can put dew on all the flowers in a meadow before the first ray of sunrise! And she also knows how to make pretty half devils blush.

PRAISE: Compliments and praise make her fairy light turn pink with joy.

FAILURES: Her capricious attitude can be irritating to some but her constant need to pull pranks is highly annoying.

CRITICISM: She doesn’t take criticism very well...she’d either burst into tears or swear pretty pixie vengeance on the unfortunate critic!

INSULTS: It depends on who’s insulting her. She’ll fire back with one of her inventive insults at some, but then get teary eyed at others.

EMBARRASSMENT: She’s not easily embarrassed but it still happens whenever she’s taken by surprise. Her fairy light turns pink and red as she scurries away to hide whenever she’s embarrassed.

FLIRTING: She’s VERY flirty...absolutely adores the way people light up and blush at her cute compliments.

ATTENTION SPAN: She has a very short attention span and tends to get  easily distracted.

SITUATIONS: She’s very good at breaking up difficult situations but has a hard time dealing with them through patient conversation.

Life

CAREER: Expert trinket finder and very pretty pixie for Pretty Boy! It’s a very fulfilling career for a fairy.

PROMOTION: She’s eyeing the promotion known as “girlfriend” at the moment.

BOSS: She has a great relationship with her boss so long as she doesn’t tease him too much.

DUTY: She assists Pretty Boy with her unique talents and magical fairy dust.

TECH: She has no idea how to use modern technology but would find it very fascinating if she ever gave it a try!

POLITICS: Not political at all.

COMBAT SKILLS: She’s very good at blinding people with her fairy dust and is proficient in mounted combat on her ratty stead with her needle sword.

HOME: She keeps her personal space very tidy and filled with many different flowers.

DAILY LIFE: She goes through her day-to-day tasks with an eager wonder of unknown adventures that might happen along the way.

INDEPENDENCE: Very independent since escaping the mages to live in the human world.

COOKING: She can’t really cook but loves to help from time to time by sprinkling her fairy dust over food.

BUILDING: She can’t do basic DIY but she tries to help with her fairy magic!

CLEANING: She always tries to keep her personal space clean but her fairy dust remains always present all over her pile of flowers where she usually sleeps.

SHOPPING: She doesn’t really shop due to her small stature and shyness around a group of strangers, but she likes to accompany her friends on shopping trips. But if she ever got her hands on some funds while in her bigger form...Ooh she’d be the most impulsive buyer in the human world!

DRIVING: She doesn’t know how to drive but it always looked like so much fun whenever she rode in the van with Crazy Lady and Baby Boy!

FINANCES: She has the biggest trinket hoard in all the shop! But she doesn’t quite understand why mortals value pieces of paper with pictures of old people.

MARRIAGE: Not married. She doesn’t know why mortals need a huge ceremony to spend eternity together, but she loves all the pretty dresses and flowers at weddings!

KIDS: No kids. And she has no plans to have kids herself, but she loves to make children smile and laugh with her mischievous antics.

PETS: No pets. 

DEPENDANTS: No.

LAW: To human standards? Definitely. But to fairy standards? No.

COURT: She’s never been to court. 

PRISON: No.

TRAVELLING: She’s been to many places around various worlds and different realities.

MEDICAL: She doesn’t trust doctors and always makes sure to have an apple on hand whenever someone needs to keep them away.

ILLNESS: No.

WORRIES: She worries for Pretty Boy whenever nightmares plague his dreams at night.

PEACE: She doesn’t mind peace and quiet but there’s music in the air around her thanks to her own whimsical singing.

PARTYING: She LOVES to go out partying whenever possible! There’s nothing like a good revel with lively music and vast feasts!

HOBBIES: She collects lost trinkets, makes dresses out of flowers, and finds mischief in the unlikeliest places!

[purplesurveys]

1240

Are you better at cooking dinners or making cakes/biscuits/sweets?  I can’t make any dish. I wonder when I’ll get my ass up and start learning...

Have you ever cut someone else’s hair?  I wouldn’t dare; I have no skills in that department at all.

Who was the last guest in your house and what were they staying for?  Angela and Hans came over so we can watch Sowoozoo. 

How many long term relationships have you been in?  One.

Do you sleep with all the lights out, or do you leave a lamp or even the television on?  My default is lights out, but sometimes I’ll fall asleep with my night lamp still on and that’s fine too.

Who is one person you have forgiven, but still have not “forgotten” what they have done?  I don’t really do forgiving.

Are you a fan of Lana Del Rey?  No. I’ve tried listening to her songs but I find them too slow for my liking.

Do you know your blood type?  It’s O but I keep forgetting what specific type.

Do you know your mother’s birthday?  Yes.

Have you got your period at the moment?  It’s on its last few days.

Have you ever been pregnant?  Nopes.

How old were you when you first went on a plane?  I was around 10 or 11, can’t remember exactly. But it was in 2009 and we headed to Boracay.

Have you ever had to take out a loan for anything?  No. OMG, adult activity I don’t quite understand just yet hfdhfkdjfhdf.

Are both of your blood parents still in your life?  Yeah they’re both grumbling right now just outside of my room because the power went out lmfao.

When was the last time you went apple picking?  I’ve never done this. Apples don’t grow here.

Someone asked you what you wanted, what would you say?  My pay for the last two weeks haha, but that’s not coming until Friday.

Have you ever been drunk at school or work?  No, I wouldn’t dare. I’m pretty unpredictable when I get drunk, so I’d rather stay safe haha. I’ve worked while tipsy, but it had been outside of work hours.

How many bedrooms are in your house?  4. One for each kid, then my parents’.

Are you smart about computers?  Nah.

Have you ever played Just Dance for Wii?  We didn’t have the game on our Wii, but I’ve played Just Dance before, just at other peoples’ houses.

Do you own a Xbox 360?  We were a Playstation household.

Would you ever do a sex tape for a million dollars?  Erm, sure, whatever.

So, do you need a nap?  I think I should be taking one for the sake of my health, but I won’t.

What would you rather be doing?  I stumbled upon a Facebook post of this newly-opened store in Greenhills that exclusively sells photocards and I wanna head the fuck over there rn with Angela. That store concept is practically unheard of so it’s a big deal and I wanna go there as I’m 100% sure the BTS ones would sell out pretty fast. But they heightened the stupid COVID protocols yet again and we have to stay at home, so there’s that.

What sport are you the best at?  Table tennis.

Do you have a little sister? What’s her name?  Yeah but she’s turning 21 this year, so little wouldn’t be accurate anymore. We call her Nina at home but everyone else calls her by her full first name, Janina.

Do you complain a lot?  I do complain a lot but I also do the thing that is causing the complaint right after so I can shut myself up lmao.

Would you rather go to an authentic haunted house or an ancient temple?  Both sound fun but I’ll probably take the temple. Yay for learning something new about culture!!

Do you like fruity or minty gum?  I don’t mind flavor when it comes to gum because they fade out anyway.

Are you looking forward to any day of this month?  My company set another mental health break day this upcoming August 27th, so I’ll be thinking about that day throughout the month.

Have you ever gotten detention?  We don’t have detention.

Is there a traumatic event that you’ve experienced that’s changed your life?  Sure.

Do you buy a majority of your clothes from a certain store, or do you just pick out items of clothing you could see yourself wearing, not caring about the store it came from? The latter. < Same. I can be brand-conscious sometimes, but generally if I find something cute, regardless from where I found it, I’d grab it.

Have any of the artists you’re fond of released new albums recently?  Technically yeah. It was a single album. 

Would you ever keep your favorite animal as a pet?  I already have two of them.

Ever cried so much you threw up?  Possibly.

Who is your best guy friend? Hans.

What do you two do when you hang out?  We usually eat out and have a drink or two.

What is a movie that you thought you would hate but you ended up loving?  Spotlight, just because it looked boring at first glance. It turned out to be very riveting and the screenplay was fascinating as well.

Do you even like horror movies?  Yes, but they’re best watched with other people.

Do you live in the country?  Nopes.

What is your favorite accent?  I don’t have one.

Have you ever had a boyfriend your parents didn’t like?  No.

Do you drink Pepsi or Coke?  I had the chance to try out Pepsi when we went to Taco Bell two weeks ago - it was my first time to have it and it was...actually pretty good??? The soda-hater in me was scandalized HAHAHA but it was good!!! I think I prefer Pepsi now.

What do you plan to do on your 21st birthday?  My 21st birthday started out terribly because Gabie’s family didn’t want her to hang out with me on a Sunday (the day my birthday fell on), so we were in an argument the whole day. Angela saved the day when she planned out an impromptu dinner + arcade date for me, and that was the only good part of the day, really. I’d rather forget the rest of it.

Do you have any person in your family with an addiction to beer?  I don’t think so.

Do you take a lot of pictures?  I’m starting to, now.

What kind of face wash do you use?  Good ol’ water.

Does drama always seem to follow you?  Not these days.

Does anybody in your family race?  Nope.

Are you closer to your mom or dad?  Dad, I guess. But I wouldn’t particularly call myself ‘close’ with either.

How much money did you used to get from the ”tooth fairy?”  I never received money from them.

How long do you want to live with your parents?  Maybe up until my mid-20s? Late-20s at the latest. I’m not exactly in the position to move out yet. The money I make at the moment would probably just be enough to cover rent, and just rent. I’d end up starving to death hahaha.

Do you have a laptop or desktop?  Laptop.

Do you like your parents?  Sure.

Do you secretly like someone?  I don’t.

Would you ever date your best male friend?  No. I also wouldn’t do that to Angela.

What are you currently listening to?  Moon by Jin! Such a comfort song.

Do you want to be single?  Yes.

Did you go out or stay in last night?  I stayed in and was knocked out pretty early since I had been up since 1 AM.

Have you pretended to like someone?  No. I don’t see why I would have to that.

How is your heart lately?  Just filled with nothing but Bangtan at this point haha. It’s doing well!

Are you wearing socks?  No. Socks bother me for the most part; they make my feet feel a bit suffocated.

What do people call you?  Robyn.

Do you get stressed out easily?  Yeah, I’m quite the overthinker.

Have you ever been taken to the emergency room in an ambulance?  No, I’ve never actually been inside an ambulance, whether it came for me or for another person.

What is wrong with you right now?  I should probably cut back on the vaping, for one.

Do you own something from Hot Topic?  No.

Would you rather sleep with someone else or alone?  It’s hard for me to sleep with someone else. Even when I had been in a relationship, I usually only got to fall asleep an hour or so after my partner already dozed off.

Do you still talk to the person you last made out with?  No, I cut ties at the start of the year and have been substantially better since then.

Have you ever seen your best friend cry?  I honestly don’t think so. I’m the bigger crybaby between us.

Did you get any compliments today?  My mom thanked me for covering for Cooper’s shots today since they ended up being quite costly.

Have you ever gone to a beach?  Yes, it’s one of my absolute favorite places to be.

What would you say if someone asked you to get high right now?  Pass up on the offer.

Do you believe that everything happens for a reason?  Yes.

Have you ever done volunteer work just because you wanted to?  I’ve never had the ample time to, so no. I’ve always wanted to volunteer at an animal shelter, though.

Do you have long nails?  They’re not dramatically long, but they have started to grow out.

Do you like the gender you are? I don't like or dislike it, honestly. I'm just neutral. < Same.

Do you generally look nice in photos?  I think this is the case these days, yeah. I’ve started feeling more confident and I think it’s able to translate in photos.

Have you ever had a stick insect as a pet?  No.

What colour are your father’s eyes?  Dark brown.

If I handed you a concert ticket right now, who would you want to be the performer?  BTS DUH

Name three facts about your family?  I come from a family of lawyers; many of us are big history buffs; and many are also fantastic cooks so I don’t know where that talent could have possibly gone when it come to my generation hah.

Would you ever get into a long distance relationship?  If I’ve reached a certain level of investment in the relationship, I could probably handle it. 

What’s the most thoughtful present you’ve ever received?  A Punk shirt and Petals For Armor physical CD from Andi this last Christmas.

What’s your favorite hot beverage? Hot chocolate. < Yessssss!

Did you ever play an instrument? If so what?  I don’t.

Would you rather carve pumpkins or wrap presents?  Carving pumpkins sounds fun, especially since I haven’t tried it before.

Do you think you’re important?  Idk. I don’t really like drawing attention to myself though, so that could probably answer your question.

What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received?  Andi wrote a letter for me to accompany the aforementioned Christmas gifts they gave, and it remains to be my favorite letter I’ve received. They essentially reminded and affirmed me that I’m stronger than I think I am, and that I’ve been through a lot and have grown a lot, and that that growth is seen by people around me.

Have you been diagnosed with any mental disorders?  No.

Have you ever moved to another state or country? If so, how did it feel to be new?  Just to different cities, but considering how tiny my country is, the move is quite insignificant lol.

Do you know how to properly eat food with chopsticks?  I’m 100% sure I don’t know how to properly hold chopsticks, but I have my own way and it works lol. Fake it til you make it.

Are you more of a leader or a follower? Definitely a follower, but I can step up in certain situations. < Same. I don’t mind leading, especially considering the control freak I can be lolol.

What was the first thing you ate today?  I haven’t eaten anything today. I skipped breakfast since I brought Cooper to the vet, and by the time I got back the dining table had already been cleared. It’s fine though, I don’t feel too hungry.

If you could spend the day, doing absolutely anything, with anyone, anywhere, what would it be like?  I’d be with Angela, Reena, and Hans at that insane new photocard store I talked about earlier. IDEALLY, we’d probably pick up a photocard or two if the ones we want aren’t sold out yet (lol a rarity), then we’d have some nachos and stuff right after and just talk about all things Bangtan lol with Hans cracking us up the whole time since he is just naturally hilarious.

If I were to ask you how you are doing, and you were only able to answer completely honestly, what would come out?  Content. Happy. I feel warm and loved and surrounded by the best people.

What is the one thing that you have been avoiding that you should do?  Learning how to cook is one.

Is there anything that you wish you could take back?  Not really.

What, in your mind, could make you truly happy?  Being in the purple ocean with my best friends.

If you could change one conversation in your life, what would you say differently? Would it have REALLY made any difference?  A part of me wishes my final face-to-face conversation with Gabie had been a more solid closure, just so we could finally put a hard stop to that chapter. But at that time I thought we would continue talking, so there had still been some stuff lingering in the air when we called it a day and parted ways. So in a sense we never really got closure when I finally cut ties, which the ESTJ in me remains to be nagged by, but I try not to be bothered by it anymore considering how much better I am doing right now. We didn’t know the future at the time, so it’s okay the way things turned out, ultimately.

When is the next time you’ll change your hairstyle? Will you color it?  I have no clue. It’s not really a priority.

Do people normally say you’re a fast typist, or are you rather slow?  I’m fast.

Have you ever been considered the ‘smartest person in school?’  Nah.

How many drugs are in your system?  Just caffeine.

What’s on your schedule for tomorrow? Werkwerkwerkwerk.

Do you currently have any bite marks/hickeys on your body?  Nopes.

Do you call anyone baby?  I don’t.

What’s your current mood?  I’m prety neutral. I wish I could be out right now, but stupid Covid and stupid quarantine. But I don’t really mind staying at home, either, so. I’m just so-so.

Do you think you are a good person?  I hope so.

What were you doing before filling out this survey?  I watched Sunday mass with my family.

How late did you stay up last night?  Around midnight.

When was the last time you cried really hard?  I cried just a few days ago because period hormones, but the last time I cried hard? I’m not sure. April maybe?

Is your hair longer than your shoulders?  LOL yes it’s soooooooo long already.

[pinkysfaultorbrainsfault]

pinky and the brain - s1e6: brainania

i’m running on like the barest dregs of energy let’s fucking do this leeroy jenkins

episode summary: brain needs to build a Very Big Tumbly Drier. he needs a lot of money to build a Very Big Tumbly Drier. he decides the best way to do this is to.... invent a country and scam the us out of a foreign aid cheque.

hm.

the rundown:

it’s acme labs!

there it is.

as we zoom in a little, we hear pinky laughing maniacally at the very mention of tom ruegger, while a couple of women are dead on the floor.

hm.

SPEAK TO ME, PHYLLIS, SPEAK. as it turns out, things aren’t quite as dire as previously thought, as pinky affirms that brain looks “simply fetching.”

narf.

“these are the only garments i could obtain. and besides, you are no helen of troy yourself.”

ignoring the fact that he chose to wear the hat and the gloves as well, brain moves onto explaining his latest plan--

but not before giving pinky a static-y poke for his crimes.

“to generate global static cling, we shall construct a massive clothes dryer.”

BEHOLD.

THE TITANOCYCLE FOUR THOUSAND, WITH THREE SPEEDS AND AUTOMATIC WRINKLEGUARD. this will surely allow brain to.... trap everyone in their clothes via static cling and. uh. allow him to seize power...... somehow......... by putting everyone in a really big tumbledryer?????

it costs fourteen billion dollars.

“oh, i have it!”

“we build a huge tooth, leave it under a huge pillow, and then fairies will leave us lots of money!”

brain tells pinky to stop eating paint chips. it’s a well deserved response to pinky’s insane, bullshit idea, not nearly as dignified and scientific as Everyone Goes In The Big Tumbly Dryer By Brain Age Two And A Half.

as he heads off to ponder an Equally Sensible idea to get a lot of money, pinky assures brain that he will not “be a bother.”

“brain.”

“if i ate a hundred jelly rolls, would i explode?”

i don’t know why pinky is sticking his ass out. maybe that’s where the jelly rolls go, in the sense that whenever i used to eat cakes around my dad he’d often say something like “a minute on the lips is a lifetime on the hips”. (also? pinky is british, so what he actually means is jelly rolls, and that sounds disgusting.)

so anyway brain gives him a piece of paper and tells him to try origami.

BUT WAIT.

“pinky! are you pondering what i’m pondering?” “i think so brain, but why the bitch stacey foreign aid office is giving chad all the money while i’ve always been a nice guy and showed her a basic level of human respect is beyond me. narf.”

no i’m sorry. he didn’t say that. pinky respects women. also apologies to the residents of the actual country of chad. big ups to all of you. lol. (he actually says “but pantyhose are so uncomfortable in the summertime”, which is wild, considering this episode was aired in november.)

brain doesn’t want to wear the pantyhose.

well, maybe he does, but not right now. instead, he suggests that they form a bogus nation and demand reparations from the united states, which is, of course, easier, saner, and far less work than Really Big Tooth. as he folds the Chad Newspaper into a vague key shape (the Virgin Tabloid never had a chance) pinky points out that, uh

you can’t just invent a country, brain. “won’t people know we’re not a real country?”

“the average american’s grasp of geography is pitiful. they’ll think we’re part of the former soviet union.”

“or canada.”

so they pick a random, tiny island on the label of a Science Chemical and set off on the boat to Being A Coloniser Town.

a long sea voyage awaits us! and at the end, we shall found a nation! and that nation shall be called!

BRAINANIA.

“can’t we call it pinkyland? or eric?”

“don’t vex me, pinky, or i shall turn on you.”

so they get on the S.S FATTY LUMPKIN and bugger off to Island X.

“i haven’t seen anybody yet, brain. i guess we’re alone here.”

“excellent, pinky. it’s time to flesh out the terrain.”

“that volcano will be mount brain.”*

“this clearing will be brain flats,”

“and that water over there--”

“very well.”

“the fjord of pinky.”

and they hoist their adorable, homemade flag, while pinky doots them a little themetune.

(*perhaps when they’re not in the middle of the jungle.)

how lovely!

less lovely.

significantly less lovely. still, it got brain to make the little O:O face, so it’s not all bad.

as the mice are scooped up onto a sphere and presented in front of this presumably-maori gentleman, brain decides to put his White Gay From Los Angeles skills to the test, and reassures pinky that he will communicate with them in the Primitive Argot Of The South Seas.

ME NUMBER ONE FELLA. OTHER FELLA NUMBER TEN. CATCHY ALL SAME SAME. YOU SAVVY?

“good day, mate. d’you speak english?”

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

anyway apparently this has happened often enough that these guys learnt english. from all the times it happened. and then they ate the guy they learnt english from and shrunk his head, but to be honest, i don’t blame them.

this is alan. “hello, alan.” says pinky.

“i would be pinky! and this is prime minister brain.”

“who is IN CHARGE OF THIS ISLAND AND EVERYTHING YOU SEEEE.”

“narf.”

sneaky bastard knows what he’s doing.

alan isn’t too happy with that, because the island belongs to the volcano god, whanganui,

WHO PROTECTS US FROM EVIL AND HAAARM AND WHAT ALL ELSE.

(i can find no evidence that whanganui is actually a god, as opposed to just A Bit Of New Zealand. if they are, i’m more than happy to go back and edit this as would be religiously considerate.)

this is the face of a man who knows he has fucked up.

still, brain decides yet again that his pride comes before any kind of rational decision, so he decides to tell them that whanganui sent him to the island to rule over them,

as proven by his fire powers.

(ETA: i missed this last time. why is brain carrying a lighter around? that episode isn’t for a good few more seasons yet.)

alan is unimpressed.

I CAN TRAP YOUR SOULS INSIDE THIS GLASS

“i can make bubbles with my spit!”

apparently this is a real talent on the island. who’d have thought. (they do not believe it to be a sign of god. it’s just really cool.)

so brain gets a hand building brainania.

it has everything one could possibly need.

actually pretty much as soon as the airport and the gift shop are built, brain heads to washington, so evidently he holds the strong opinion that this is everything a country could possibly need. odd. still, maybe he plans on adding stuff once he becomes world ruler, or whatever.

so with that established, The Most Exalted ned limpopo gets out of the car. hassan lembeck is also here. he is attempting to make an origami bird out of a newspaper.

no bird for you, mr lembeck. no bird for you.

they wander off to go and see mr bisck, who is currently playing with a little toy plane.

he reacts to the news that the prime minister of brainania is here to see him with “oh great, more moochers,”

and does not seem to take kindly to having tiny mice on his desk, even if they are reasonably exalted.

though a quick database search tells him said mice have no record of financial trouble, or, indeed, a credit rating, so. he tells them to go away.

“go away.”

okay. hassan doesn’t take this well.

as Exalted Ned Limpopo gently tries to persuade mr bisck that he could “harm negotations” between brainania and the us (a lot more politely than he usually explains things to people, may i add) hassan chimes in with a haven’t you people ever heard of bold claim that brainania, if slighted, will INVADE YOUR LANDS

GO BOOM BOOM BOOM

AND MAKE YOU ALL OUR PATHETIC SLAAAAAAAAAAAAVES.

mr bisck does not like this idea, it seems.

as he rushes off to tell the UN, brain informs pinky that he has

“just created an international incident.”

“oh, thank you, brain.”

“in the words of the immortal yogi bear, this is dejavu all over again.”

so the boys turn up on PUNCHLINE, WITH FRED FLUBBLE.

there he is. “perhaps you gentlemen would care to climb up on the desk?”

they make it, just about.

and sing a fun little song about brainania’s war victories, i guess.

WE WILL FIGHT AND NEVER QUIT

FIND ME A ROOFTOP AND I WILL SPIT. NARF

this is not well recieved by the us military.

unfortunately, as the US press secretary points out, the us cannot go to war with a country it can’t find,

(wuss.)

so instead the mice are invited to dinner at the white house.

“in a few short hours, pinky, we shall have our foreign aid loan, and then the world!”

“birdy birdy birdy! narf!”

“i sense much of this historic moment is lost on you.”

at the white house, a very bored looking individual introduces The Most Exalted Ned Limpopo (feat. hassan lembeck), and bill clinton shakes his hand.

“me number one fella. other fellas number ten. catchy all same same. you savvy?”

“i speak fluent english.”

“eyyyy. haha. sure you do.”

“all brainania ever wanted from the US was friendship. friendship, and fourteen billion dollars and fifty nine cents. the friendship i will treasure. the money i will spend on polo ponies and cruise missiles.”

brain has a brief discussion with hilary clinton over the advantages of strontium ninety versus uranium two-thirty-eight,

bill clinton pulls this face and tells them it Sounds Smart,

and the mice bounce merrily back to mr bisck to get their foreign aid check.

“you better not lose it, buster!!! i just erased your records!! you won’t get another one from me!!!!”

HA.

“one should be enough. thanks and farewell, “

“you niggling bureaucrat.”

conclusion:

upon returning back to brainania, The Most Exalted Ned Limpopo finds a letter from alan addressed to him. it’s also mouse sized, which is adorable. apparently, whanganui,

WHO PROTECTS US FROM EVIL AND WHAT ALL ELSE

is “blinking mad”, and the volcano is going to explode.

brain, obviously, does not believe in whanganui, and is mostly just mad that he’s lost his workforce. still, as pinky points out,

“at least we've still got brainania!”

“i sense life has taken another sardonic twist.”

still, they do, barely, have enough time to reach the shoreline and start swimming away from the imminently exploding volcano. perhaps it should have been, yknow, a pretty decent sign that the natives cleared out. historically, people who live in these places tend to know about them, but what of that when brain is number one guy same same you savvy.

🙄

anyway the karmatic response to all of that previous racism is that a tidal wave sweeps them back onto the volcano,

which then blasts them into space.

(okay not literally space. but they do end up on a little raft in the middle of the ocean. don’t ask me where the raft came from. i have no idea.)

oof.

“mother nature has slammed her unmerciful fist on our fair isle, pinky.”

“do you know what this means?”

“birdy birdy birdy!!!!”

brain does not appreciate Birdy Birdy Birdy.

“blast it, pinky!”

“i said, do you know what this means!!”

“it means you just ripped up our foreign aid cheque.”

one should be enough, huh?

brain: 7 pinky: 7 outside influence: 13

like, i don’t know. maybe pinky shouldn’t have been making oragami birds out of the foreign aid cheque. but, while silly, it’s not like it did any harm. brain.... brain just needs to chill.

“well, aren’t you the tiniest foreigners i’ve had in here all morning. i’m mr appleby, can i help you?”

“yes. we would like to have relations with you. and steal some milk duds.”

“we wish to establish diplomatic relations with the us. i am the prime minister, and this is my minister of finance.”

“brainania--? oh, i remember you. you used to be a.... suburb of prague.”

“can you prove you’re a nation?”

“yes! we have postcards.”

“that’s the fjord of pinky.”

“you foreign folk sure have your own.... queer little ways.”

[kunstpause-archive]

FFXIV Write Prompt #12: Tooth and Nail

It was still dark outside as Thea slowly made her way through the mostly unfamiliar room. It wasn’t actually cold, but the nightly winds in Ala Mhigo had a certain, sharp quality to them that was just enough to not be entirely comfortable.

She had wrapped a thin sheet around her, to keep the slight chill that came through the open windows at bay, as she lit a small candle. 

There hadn’t been any time for her to take in her surroundings earlier that evening. All she had noticed was, that the chambers she was in were opulently furnished in traditional, Ala Mhigan styles. Decorative, intricately woven tapestries adorned the walls. As Thea quietly walked around, trying to see as much as she could in the dim light the candle gave her, she noticed that, while everything was meticulously decorated and placed, there seemed to be next to no personal touch to anything. Nothing looked like it was regularly used. The entire room felt like there was no one actually living in it. The armor stand in one corner, and an elaborate display of several swords seemed to be the only things she could see, that actually seemed to belong to Zenos. 

That was until she passed through the doorway into the connected side room and came to halt in front of the books. Carefully she raised up her light, looking around this entirely different room, taking it all in. It was what looked like a small library. Tall bookshelves filled every single bit of wall-space, reaching up high to the ceilings. There was a table to the side that was littered with books, some lying open, many having more than one bookmark poking out of them. A pair of reading glasses sat on top of another pile on the desk, accompanied by what looked like a mug of tea gone cold.

In the same corner, safely behind glass, there was a small oil lamp still burning. Like someone had forgotten to turn it off as they left this place in a hurry. 

To go looking for an intruder, Althea thought to herself as she kept looking around. This room felt so decidedly different from the rest of his chambers, it was nearly incomprehensible. But only nearly. Dimly, she remembered the stories from back home. About the crown prince who never showed his face in public. Who couldn’t be bothered to attend official functions and the gossipy voices of the people claiming that he rarely ever left the royal library. 

Curiously, Thea walked along the bookshelves, running her hand over the fascinatingly varied arsenal of volumes. She tried to make sense of it, but as she read over the titles, she couldn’t discern a system of order behind it all. From war tactics to poetry, history books to a manual on herbal remedies specific to Orthand, and even children’s books, the shelves seemed to be in no particular order.

“How does he find anything in here?” she mumbled quietly.

“By remembering where I put it,” came his answer from behind her, and Althea nearly dropped the candle in surprise as she turned around. 

Zenos stood in the doorway, wearing only a loose pair of pants as he watched her with curious eyes. His long hair fell openly over his shoulders and chest, only partially hiding the cuts and scratches she had inflicted on him earlier and Althea swallowed, suddenly acutely aware of her own skin looking much the same under the sheet. If she listened closely to herself, she could feel the dull pull of freshly closed cuts and blooming bruises quiver in tune with her own heartbeat.

“If you are looking for your weapon, it is in the sitting room, right there on the table,” Zenos added at that moment, inclining his head with a raised eyebrow and Thea swallowed once again. She hadn’t even been looking for it when it would have been the smart thing to do that first thing after she had gotten up. But somehow, the room she stood in was far more interesting than her missing chakram.

“Thank you,” she said, sounding so overly polite that her own voice felt out of place to her. “But I was just…” she looked around the room, trying to find an explanation why it held her attention so much.

“Not one for sleep?” Zenos mused, looking the slightest bit intrigued at her behavior. 

Althea shrugged in an attempt to look more casual. He had a way about him that caught her off-guard far too many times. Just for once, she would prefer to keep her calm around him. “I bore easily,” she said simply before her eyes went to the bookshelves again. 

“Anything catching your fancy?” he asked, sounding just as polite and laid back as she did. Althea wasn’t sure if they were playing a game or if, by some strange occurrence, for once neither of them was. 

“I can’t tell, there is no way of finding anything in here.” Again, her attention was caught by the shelves. As if there was something there, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on yet. Hidden in plain sight. 

Zenos chuckled, and the sound sent a shiver down her back with how new it was. How different it sounded from everything she heard from him before. “There is a system,” he insisted. “Trust me.”

“So, there is something you do, except fighting all day after all,” Althea said lightly, and the half-smile on his face – like the chuckle before – felt so very different from the smiles she had seen before, it was mesmerizing to watch as he shrugged. “I bore easily,” he quoted her earlier reply with a glint of mischief in his eyes.

And suddenly, as Thea looked once again, she saw what she had noticed before in the back of her mind. Her frown slowly melted away and gave way to a smile. It was in the spines of the books. From the far end of the room to the shelves near the reading table, the change was subtle, but once she was aware of it, she couldn’t unsee it. He did have a system, indeed. The books were sorted by how often he had read each one of them. 

Following a hunch she went up to the desk, placing the candle-holder down carefully, before reaching for the shelf that was closest. Her fingertips brushed over well-worn leather, feeling each crack in the spine as she pulled out a small volume. The moment she saw what it was, she knew that what she held in her hands was his favorite book.  

“Fairy tales…” Thea said softly. She could hear him shift slightly behind her before his equally quiet voice came.

“I always found them… more compelling than everything else,” he said simply. “More vivid, more real…”

“Describing what life was supposed to be, instead of the dull grey mass that we get,” she finished the bit he was quoting, and her eyes flickered to the cover of the book she still held. She knew this particular story only all too well. A tale of a young child that wanted to experience the world but could only ever see it in black and white. A story about their journey to find the color everyone else kept talking about. It had always been a bittersweet story for her, amplified by the tale leaving it open, whether the hero found the color at last, or simply learned to see the beauty in the grey. “My mother used to read this to me,” she said finally. 

“Your mother?” There was a clear hint of confusion in his voice and Althea couldn’t blame him for it. She would be hard-pressed to imagine a village full of wood-dwelling Viera reading their children imperial bedtime stories as well.

“My adoptive mother,” she clarified. As different as they had been, thoughts of her parents – her real parents – the people who had taken her in without reservation and had raised her as their own, never once making her feel like she didn’t belong, always put a small smile on her face. A smile and a dull tug of pain at their loss. No matter how much further the Calamity sank into the past, the sense of loss never really lightened. 

Althea shook off the gloomy thoughts, focusing on the things that made her smile instead. “It was one of her favorite stories as well, I think,” she mused. “We had a very passionate fight about the ending when I was about seven.” Her hand smoothed over the worn cover, as she followed the letters imprinted on it with her fingertips. “My mother was convinced there was only one true ending, that the moral of the story was, that you have to grow up to accept the world as it is – and then you will find happiness in it.”

While she talked, Zenos stepped closer, coming up behind her until he could look over her shoulder. “If you fought her on this I suspect that seven-year-old you thought the exact opposite,” he said, and his warm breath on her neck sent a pleasant shudder down her back.

“I was furious that she even wanted me to consider that claim,” Thea said, a rush of old, long-forgotten fondness going through her at the memory. “I fought her tooth and nail on this, until my father intervened, making us agree to disagree.” With a last fond look at the book, she carefully placed it back in its designated spot.

A moment later, Zenos’ warm hands were on her shoulders, drawing her back against him. It felt decidedly different than everything that had happened between them before. Softer. Nearly unbearably so, Thea thought as he asked, “And what do you think today?”

Althea didn’t answer. Not out loud at least. There was something there between them, something just like this library. Something she could almost see. Hidden in plain sight, ready for her to discover if she only looked long enough and she let herself relax against him, shifting slightly until the sheet around her fell open in the front. An image from earlier that night was vividly on her mind. Of him, looking down at her with red-stained lips, and Thea turned around, the sheet falling to the floor forgotten as she pressed herself against his warm, naked chest. 

She looked up with the knowledge that she still believed as fiercely as she did when she was seven years old. That she could never stop looking for color in her life. And as her hand snuck around his neck, drawing him down into a kiss that was smoldering with red, hot, heat she thought she just might have an idea of where to look.