#what their future looks like than someone time traveling back in time and ‘fixing’ everything. there’s gray area in btwn and each story will

[rose24207]

My dad is a dumbass

Summary: Lucas is sent back in time to ensure his teenage father falls for his outcast mother instead of the wrong girl.

Genre: fluff, popular!Lando x bullied!reader, time travel

TW: bullying

A/N: I watched twinkling watermelon. SOMEONE SEDATE ME- anyways… *cough cough* English is not my first language. I hope you enjoy it though! Requests are open and welcome!

P2

Masterlist pt. 2

The moment Lucas felt the world spin beneath his feet, he knew something was very wrong. One second, he had been in his dad’s garage, tinkering with some old F1 tech Lando had insisted was too dangerous to touch, and the next?

He was here—standing in the middle of a high school hallway that smelled like sweat, cheap cologne, and regret.

Lucas stumbled, heart racing. The world had shifted—subtly, but undeniably. Everything around him was different. The posters on the walls advertised school dances from years ago. The fashion was outdated. The phones in students' hands were clunky.

His breath hitched.

This wasn’t just any high school.

This was your high school.

His parents had met here.

And from the way the students around him carried on, oblivious to the fact that a future-born kid had just dropped into their reality, it hit him.

He had traveled back in time.

And then he heard it.

A voice so familiar it made his stomach twist.

“Oi, Carlos, did you see that goal? Absolute beauty, mate!”

Lucas turned his head so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash.

There, leaning against the lockers, laughing with a group of friends, was Lando Norris.

Not Dad, the grown-up who nagged him about cleaning his room and told embarrassing stories to his friends. No, this was seventeen-year-old Lando—loud, confident, grinning like he owned the world.

Lucas nearly choked.

Holy shit. My dad is a dumbass teenager.

You always knew how to make yourself invisible. It was a skill you had mastered long ago—sitting in the farthest corner of the library, keeping your head down, never speaking unless necessary. It was safer that way.

High school had been unkind to you. The whispers, the taunts, the stolen lunch money—they had worn you down over time, molding you into someone small and quiet.

You thought you were alone.

Until a chair scraped across from you, and a boy you didn’t recognize sat down.

You stiffened, gripping your book tighter.

“Uh… do I know you?” you asked hesitantly.

The boy—Lucas, as he introduced himself—smiled, easy and relaxed. “Not yet.”

There was something strange about him. He didn’t feel like a normal teenager. His gaze was too sharp, too knowing. And yet… when he glanced at your book and casually remarked, “Pride and Prejudice? Classic,” you felt your heart stutter.

Nobody had ever paid attention to what you read.

“You’ve read it?” you asked, voice skeptical.

Lucas smirked. “More times than I can count.”

A flicker of warmth spread through your chest.

You hadn’t had a real conversation with someone in months.

And for the first time in a long while, you didn’t feel so alone.

Lucas had a problem.

His dad was an idiot.

A lovesick idiot.

And not for the right girl.

Her name was Jessica. And she was, in Lucas’ professional opinion, the worst person on the planet.

She was the kind of girl who faked sweetness when people were watching but turned venomous the second they weren’t.

And seventeen-year-old Lando was eating right out of her perfectly manicured hand.

Lucas watched in horror as his father practically tripped over himself trying to impress her.

“She’s so obviously playing you,” Lucas muttered under his breath.

Carlos, standing nearby, gave him a weird look. “Do you know Lando?”

Lucas coughed. “Uh, no.”

Carlos shrugged. “Then why do you care?”

Lucas clenched his jaw. Because if my dad doesn’t stop being a dumbass, I might never be born.

He had to fix this.

The first time Lucas tried to break them up, it was simple.

He “accidentally” spilled his entire drink on Jessica’s very expensive designer bag.

“Oh my God!” she screeched, jumping back like she had been set on fire.

Lucas put on his best innocent face. “Oh no. I’m so sorry.”

Lando, ever the gentleman, immediately started panicking. “Jess, I’ll fix it, I swear—”

But Jessica was too busy throwing a tantrum about her ruined bag.

She stormed off.

Lucas grinned, satisfied. Problem solved.

Until the next day, when Lando was still mooning over her.

Lucas groaned. This is going to be harder than I thought.

Lucas wasn’t just here to make sure his parents fell in love.

He was here to protect you.

And it didn’t take long for him to see how much you needed it.

You never told him what was happening, but he saw it.

The girls whispering behind your back. The stolen lunch. The tripping in the hallways.

Lucas’ hands clenched into fists.

One day, he caught a group of girls sneering as you walked past.

“She’s so weird.”

“I heard she eats lunch alone every day.”

Lucas saw red.

“Funny,” he said loudly, making them freeze. “I was just thinking how weird you guys are.”

The leader, a blonde girl with too much makeup, scoffed. “Excuse me?”

“You spend all your time talking about someone who doesn’t even know you exist,” Lucas said, crossing his arms. “Kinda pathetic, don’t you think?”

Their faces burned red before they stormed off.

Lucas smirked. That’s what I thought.

Later that day, you hesitated before looking at him. “Why did you do that?”

Lucas shrugged. “Because you don’t deserve it.”

You swallowed, blinking rapidly. “…Thank you.”

Lucas softened. “Anytime, Mum.”

You didn’t hear that last part.

Lucas had to be tactical.

He orchestrated run-ins between you and Lando.

He got you both paired as lab partners.

He even tripped Lando once just so he’d fall into your arms (which earned him a very suspicious glare from his dad).

And finally, finally, Lando started to notice you.

Lucas saw it—the way his dad’s eyes lingered too long, how he smiled softer around you.

It was working.

Until Jessica struck again.

She cornered Lando after school, batting her lashes. “Landooo, come to the party with me?”

Lucas froze.

If Lando went, he’d fall right back into her clutches.

Thinking fast, he jumped in. “Oh, he can’t.”

Lando blinked. “I can’t?”

Lucas clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Nope! He already has plans. With her.”

He pointed to you.

You turned scarlet. “W-what?”

Jessica scoffed. “Since when?”

Lucas grinned. “Since now.”

Lando looked at you, hesitant but intrigued.

“…I guess we have plans?”

You bit your lip. Then—shyly, hesitantly—you nodded.

“I guess we do.”

Jessica huffed and stormed off.

Lucas smirked. Checkmate bitch.

Days later, Lucas watched as Lando walked you home, a soft smile playing on his lips.

Lucas grinned.

His work here was done.

Now…

He just had to figure out how to get back home.

Thank you for reading!

Taglist: @ipushhimback, @ladyoflynx, @lewishamiltonismybf, @cmleitora, @hmma3 , @same1995, @amatswimming, @llando4norris

[one-idea]

Here's an idea: time travel fix it, but the time traveller is Zeff.

Casually fixing what he can for his Eggplant's future Nakama, like bribing Mihawk with a nice wine to mention what Arlong is up to to Jimbe.

I love a time travel fix it with an unlikely hero. Because the Strawhats have a lot of information about what needs to be fixed. Their time travel fix it’s make sense. But the fun ones are their allies who know major events but don’t know everything.

(I saw someone try this with Mihawk and like the man only knows major events that the strawhats get into. Also he’s way more likely just to show up and watch the chaos while drinking wine.)

Zeff being sent back is so fun. 1) he’s a great character who obviously loves Sanji and would want to do what’s best for him. But also 2) he has no idea what half the inciting incidents are! How will he ever know what to stop?

He does have some information though. So let’s say he gets dropped 21 years in the past. He’s still a pirate. Ohara was just burnt last year and Rodger died 3 years ago (fact check me)

Most importantly Sanji is about to be born. His little eggplant is about to be born into one of the worst family on the sea. Well not if he has anything to say about it. He’s still Red-Leg Zeff, the pirate captain.

He knows they can’t do a full frontal assault but some sneaking around gets him to Sora. And a quick “how do you feel about taking all the kids and running?” She’s in. Anything to get them away from Judge.

And it’s stupid easy because they are babies who are only a few days old. Judge only cares about their test results he isn’t watching them. So Zeff and a few of his crew just nab Judges wife and kids, and quite a bit of loot.

Zeff is booking it out of there. But not without kick judge through at least one wall durning the escape.

He makes the decision to quiet the pirate life early. He’s got Sora and the kids to worry about. They open the Baratie early. He knows exactly which cooking staff he’s hiring.

As he separated from the crew he tells them that if they run into a girl named Nico Robin to bring her to him.

He starts establishing the Baratie as a location for all to dine in. But this time he’s focused on making connections. Keeping his thumb on the pulse of both pirate and government movement.

Raising the five kids he’s acquired along side Sora, the genetic programming takes but without it being supported as they grow eventually gets out of their systems. Sanji being the most in touch with his emotions followed by Reiju. Their brothers struggle with emotions but are a lot better and more adjusted than they are in cannon.

About two years into this restaurant one 11 year old Nico Robin is delivered by his old crew. The girl is super freaked out but he sits her down and tells her that’s she’s safe, he’s got ears everywhere and will know if the governmental coming after them, and he won’t let them take her. Plus who’s going to be looking for her at a high class restaurant. It also helps that he’s got a gaggle of children already so she can stay off the floor hanging out with the kids. Sora also dyes Robin’s hair purple and that with age is enough to make people not immediately recognize her from her bounty poster.

5 years later the red hair pirates a bouncing around the East blue and Zeff waits. Waits until one day Shanks comes in one arm short and bragging about his son. (It helps that Sanji and his siblings are helping out so Shanks and Zeff are just casually talking about their kids.) He grabs the captain and pulls him to the side and tells him that Luffy is in danger and that there is another little boy on that island, a boy who is the son of his old captain. Shanks thinks he’s crazy at first but he knows things about Luffy. The scar under his eye, and other things.

Enough to make shanks curious enough to turn around and find Luffy and his TWO new brothers. He quickly collects three children and returns to the Baratie. (Kicks door open while holding three children “you were right!” Zeff surprised by the third child but not mad) (I don’t think he knows about Sabo)

Luffy and Sanji get on like a house fire with Luffy loudly declaring that Sanji will one day join his crew as his chef. And Zeff is standing there watching them with a proud smile, because somethings are just meant to happen.

Meanwhile Shanks as turned to look at Zeff

“anything else I should know about?”

Zeff just snorts “a lot. You still friends with Hawkeyes or have you to made it official yet?”

(With the Baratie around earlier he had to witness young Shanks and Mihawk flirting, it was painful)

Shanks gets sad “he’s mad about well you know…” the missing arm. And Zeff feels bad about that but he had no clue how the man lost it in the first place so there was no way he could stop it.

“If you run into him tell him there’s a crazy kid in the east blue gunning for his title. If he wants to keep things interesting he might want to train him.” (The Baratie is Mihawk’s favorite establishment Zeff could also tell him but he has a feeling the swords master would listen to Shanks over him.)

This is how Mihawk shows up at a dojo where a 10year old Kuina and 9 year old Zoro are training. (A year before Kuina’s death) he sees their skill and hears Kuina’s father’s opinion about females and training. He knows it’s an opinion that is also popular in Wano where this man is obviously from, but it’s not the way the rest of the world works. He approaches and offers to take over the training of the girl “who won’t make anything of herself” and the “feral gremlin using sword handles for teething.” Kuina’s father isn’t to sure about all this but he can’t really refuse the greatest swordsman in the world nor will Kuina or Zoro stay once they hear about the offer.

Mihawk has now obtained one verbally polite girl who will break every rule the moment his back is turn and one backpack leash gremlin.

He and Shanks are regulars at the Baratie for parenting advice. Luffy meets Zoro’s and again claims him as part of the crew. Years later Zoro and Sanji argue over who will be the first official member (Sanji: Luffy asked me first! Zoro: but I was the first one to physically join the crew!)

But currently the three run a muck on the Baratie pulling pranks on their older siblings (Ace, Sabo, Kuina, and Reiju are all the same age) or just Sanji brothers (they are still learning emotions and will sometimes join in on the chaos, other times they are a rival faction but if they ever get to mean Luffy and Zoro put them in their place)

but eventually Luffy runs into Robin (she tries to stay out of the way as much as possible to not get the Baratie in trouble. Zeff tells her she doesn’t have to but Trauma is a thing) Luffy loves her instantly. She quitely reading a book and Luffy joins her for story time and she never gets mad at his interruption and is so patient with him. He looks at her with a grin of a small sun and tells her “when I’m captain you’re going to be on my crew!” Robin is a little freaked out because she doesn’t want to bring the world government down on this little boy. But Zeff talks to her later and tells her that Luffy isn’t a force that can be stopped. It takes time but in the next ten years Robin comes around to the idea of being on Luffy’s crew with Zoro and her little brother Sanji. As soon as Luffy claimed her he told the others. Sanji was pumped! Zoro just accept it but he comes around to really love Robin.

At the same time that the boys are all being adopted Zeff is making some calls and contacts. The Baratie has been open for over 9 years he’s got some high connections. He eventually gets a hold of Jimbei and tells him that Arlong is in the East Blue and causing trouble. (Arlong has just started in the East blue, Zeff has no clue of the time clock) he points Jimbei in the direction of Cocoyashi.

Jimbei gets their right at the time of Arlong raid in the village. He walks in right as Arlong and Bell-mére are having their confrontation. I don’t know exactly what happens (I haven’t met Jimbei yet) but he’s able to stop it.

Bell-mére asks how he knew they were in trouble and he tells them about the Baratie. The village wants to thank the man who alerted Jimbei so Bell-mére goes (she is a retired Marine and probably the best sailor.) and takes Nojiko and Nami with her. Of course Shanks is visiting with the boys and Luffy and Nami instantly hit it off. “This is my Navigator!!!” Shanks is laughing because the kids going to have a whole crew before he has a boat.

Once Luffy is ready to set sail he meets up with Zoro and the two head to the Baratie to pick up Nami, Sanji, and Robin. Zeff points them in the direction of Suyrup village to “get a ship” where they pick up Usopp and save Kaya. (This absolutely does not make Usopp’s feeling of inferiority worse by the time they get to Water 7. No way. It’s not like everyone else on the crew until Vivi and Chopper have known each other for 10 years. He’s not the odd man out in any way.)

Zeff doesn’t have a lot of information about their adventures so he can’t truly stop anything but he does know some thing. (Nami leaving the crew. Luffy and Zoro being from the east blue and having connections with Shanks and Mihawk (Mihawk totally goes the the Baratie to drink during the time skip. Zeff knows Zoro is his kid) he knows Ace is Roger’s son and that he dies. But he doesn’t know anything that isn’t in Sanji’s letters or the news paper (which is full of lies)

He makes the best decisions he can for Sanji.

He saves Sanji from Zeff as soon as possible

Accidentally saving Sora, Reiju, Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji

After Sanji set sail Zeff decides to expand the Baratie. It’s a chain

Patty and Carne take over the East blue branch

Reiju runs the one in the grandline.

Ichiji runs one in the west blue

Niji runs one in the south blue

The north blue doesn’t get one until Judge is dead they all agree on that

Yonji bounces from place to place helping as he is needed

Zeff and Sora open one in the New World.

Zeff might not know everything the Strawhats went through but he knows the major events and by having a home base in almost every sea he’s got ears everywhere. His old crew is still out there acting as ears for him and bring him news.

Anything he can help the Strawhats avoid or remove from their path he sends word

He tells Shanks about Ace.

Accidentally getting Luffy, Ace, and Sabo adopted

Saving Sabo from the Celestial dragons

Giving all three boys the chance to train with the Red Hair Pirates and learn Haki early while also getting a feel for the Grandline and New World

Ace’s death is prevented because he knows about Blackbeards plans and tells Ace to watch out for the man and to not trust him. It helps that Ace grew up with Shanks who never liked Blackbeard at all.

He tells Mihawk about Zoro

Kuina is accidentally saved

Both get to train with Mihawk far before their adventure. Mihawk loves it because the two are “trying to kill him” but they are also competing with each other and it’s MESSY they are so dramatic in their own weird way and he’s living for watching this gremlins fight while he drinks wine. When Perona shows up he finally has a goth child who wants to dress presentable and drink wine while making his other children. The family is complete.

He puts out feelers for Robin having no real hope she will show up

Accidentally gave her a loving home and help her feel safe while also preparing her for the adventure ahead.

He points Jimbei in Arlong direction. He has no clue what Arlong is truly up to.

Accidentally saves village

Saves Bell-mére’s life and kick starts the Strawhats.

The Strawhats still have a lot going on but because of advance trading some received as children and the stronger bonds.

He can’t do anything to Chopper, Franky, Brook or Usopp because their trauma is already passed Franky/Brook or he doesn’t know their stories well enough to intervene, Usopp/Chopper.

But he does make the safest home possible for his little eggplant.

[knoxic]

How to be a High Lady?

How they met

Eris Vanserra x Mate!Reader (f)

Summary: How they met and her discovering the bond.

wc: 3k

warnings: death of family members, fire (non explicit house burning/death by fire), cursing

a/n: Eris being 🤭😍😁😝🤗 whenever she's like 🤨🙄😠😒 is so important to me

part 1, part 2

For months now she tried to put herself back together, trying to move on, but being alone was hard, especially for someone who had always been surrounded by people. Her coven was her family, its oldest members helped her mother give birth to her, helped raise her, its youngest had grown up with her, they all made her who she was now. And they were gone.

Gone, and she wasn't even there to witness it. She was far away, traveling, enjoying everything there was to enjoy, not a single drop of worry in her head, after all, they had promised they'd be fine. She didn't even come back straight away, no, it was weeks after, their house had stopped burning long ago, what was left of it stood black and cold, filled with ashes and sorrow.

She had found herself a place to live but she didn't remember how she did it, everything seemed so... unrealistic, never did it cross her mind that this could happen to them. Days after she came back, when she absolutely needed to get food, she went out in the village to the same place her coven used to go, no one recognized her, maybe they never really pay attention to her or they just didn't care, a way or another, she was glad no one looked her way twice. On the way to her new home she heard whispers about a witch who lived in Autumn, thinking it was her, she stopped and pretended to be examining the bread basket they had placed in front of their bakery.

"Do you think she cursed him? I did see him limping yesterday." One of the males spoke, his voice had a weird accent, from another court then.

"What are you? An idiot?" The baker slapped him in the back of his neck, "That cripple always limped! I heard he asked her to fix his fucked up leg but she couldn't, so he did that." His hands, sprinkled with flour, gestured behind the other male, as if pointing to said 'that'. Her shaky hands dropped the apple she held, the direction the male pointed led to her old house, which meant that whoever this cripple was, he had burned her house, he killed her family.

She ran, faster than she ever had before. Her legs only stopping when her feet met the dirty floor, the rain and wind from the past few weeks had gathered around the ruins laying there, the walls had turned moldy, weeds grew where the tiles had broken. It was all a mess, and still her knees touched it, her arms braced her body, the bare skin of her thighs had gotten wet but she couldn't decide if it was from her tears or the rain, which she didn't even realize had started. She looked up, droplets of rain caressing her face, the sky lighting up with a roaring thunder.

She redeemed herself that day, not feeling sorry for herself for losing her family, she only felt sorry for the way they died and how early it had been for some of them. She found out her old neighbors had buried their bodies in the backyard of their house, their tombs placed one beside the other, straight away she went to her house to gather what she needed for a proper funeral, so that their souls could finally rest.

After that day she busied herself with work, working as a healer for the village, subtly gathering information about her family's murderer, filling herself with knowledge, learning whatever witchcraft she hadn't been taught and anything else that could be useful in the future.

At night it was difficult to shut her brain off, the only time she couldn't distract herself from the grief by focusing on other people's pain. Lately, whenever she managed to sleep, basically passing out from exhaustion, her visions came in the form of dreams, most of them just showed her what kind of help her clients needed. That was until she started seeing red.

A faceless head surrounded by red hair haunted her dreams, resembling a bird's nest from how messy it was, the noise of crackling fire in the background. It had been a week now and she couldn't manage to have a dreamless sleep, she never complained about seeing another person's life, she actually liked seeing their memories, most of the time it allowed her to see life in a different perspective, sometimes it wasn't a good one, but she still learned something new every time. Now she was really starting to hate these memories, whoever it was that demanded her attention was starting to get really annoying.

She set aside her job to focus entirely on the vision, spending her afternoons walking around the villages instead, occasionally stopping at restaurants or bakeries, visiting libraries and sitting around whenever she found a bench. Not once had there been any indication of who this person could be besides their hair, she didn't even know their gender, she caught a blur of the pale skin of a pointy ear but that was all.

If it wasn't for the tasty foods she got to try, her time would've been completely wasted. She met a redhead once but her hair was way too perfect, completely different from the one on her dreams, and she didn't seem in need of anything. After a whole week, she gave up, started meditating instead, clearing her mind and focusing her thoughts on that annoying redhead, wishing that whoever it was, would find their way to her.

For a couple nights, the dreams stopped, maybe it was the herbs tea she had been drinking before bed, or maybe they had fixed their problem themselves and didn't need her help anymore. The next morning she woke up and decided she'd spend the day in her village again, just to be sure.

The day had been going relatively normal, as soon as she stepped out of bed she started feeling a little lightheaded but didn't think too much of it, now as she walked through a small trail on the way home, a path she rarely took, she felt dizzy, her heart beating so hard she could barely hear anything else. She knew there was a bench a few meters away, if she walked a little faster maybe she'd managed before passing out, but she wasn't in that trail anymore, now she stood in front of a cabin. A very cozy looking cabin, from the open curtains she could see a male placing logs in the fireplace, it was too dark to see his face so she stood silently until he started the fire, she didn't know what she expected but... his hands lighting up with flames definitely didn't cross her mind. The log he held caught fire immediately, the male seemed to have no rush in placing it with the other logs, his eyes reflecting the flames like they also burned.

Her sight got blurry again and the familiar forest appeared around the edges, his face being the only thing clear, she couldn't, wouldn't, look away. The red strands of hair that brushed against his delicate eyelashes, his perfect nose, his flushed cheekbones, his perfect plump lips and his captivating golden eyes, she was fascinated.

"Are you alright?" A rough voice snapped her out of whatever that was. Only now noticing she had crouched down, one of her hands braced on her knee, the other massaged her eyes, trying to clear her sight.

"I asked you a question." The male demanded, a warm hand, way too hot to be normal, touched her shoulder.

"Yes, sorry," she closed her eyes and shook her head lightly, "Just dizzy, I guess." She giggled, amazed that she was so struck by a male she'd never seen before, and it was only a vision.

When her eyes opened, she was met with a the cleanest pair of boots she had ever seen, even with pieces of leaves stuck under the soles it still shined, beside his feet was paws. A heavy breathing close to her ear made her jump, her shaky legs pulling herself up and away from the small smokehound who tried jumping on her, landing on their owner's outstretched hand.

"Forgive me, he's young," the male adjusted the hound on his arms, cradling it like a baby. "I'm still training him." He said, locking eyes with her.

Those burning golden eyes that she saw just moments ago were now amber, looking at her so intensely she almost backed away.

"What?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowed. She supposed having a stranger stare her down would make her uncomfortable too.

"Sorry, I thought–"

"You keep apologizing..." he muttered, looking almost annoyed.

"I had seen you before." Her voice sounded weak, she was still processing that the male she had been literally dreaming about was right there, not to mention that the most vivid vision she ever had had just happened and it was about him.

Why?

"Well, you might have."

"Who are you?" She questioned and could swear he almost seemed offended.

"I– You don't know who I am?" He lifted an eyebrow, his lips curling into a smirk. Gods, he really was annoying.

"I should?"

He laughed, a deep sound that she swore she could feel in her bones, the hound in his arms whined at being disturbed from his sleep.

"Yes." He dropped the puppy to the floor, her eyes followed the motion and finally seeing the many other hounds who surrounded the male, what the fuck?  "I'm Eris Vanserra." He gave out his hand for her to shake.

"Ah..." His hand on hers felt wonderful, a comfortable touch she hadn't felt in over a year. She distantly heard herself telling him her name but her mind was wholly focused on his touch, the firm grip he had on her hand, the calloused fingers that somehow still felt soft. Why was it so confusing? Not only was he the annoying male that prevented her from sleeping peacefully, he was also irritatingly beautiful. The Mother must be laughing at her face right now. It didn't even look like he needed help!

"You still don't know, do you?" The fucking smirk still hadn't left his face.

"Uh," What even was his name again...Vanserra? Fucking shit.

It was an explicit rule in her coven that they never came close to the Vanserra family. They didn't mess with politics and royalty, their family consisted of many types of fae, even mixed ones, the High Lord hated people like them. Beron hated lesser fae and therefore the people who liked them.

"You're the High Lord's son." Any good thoughts about him were pushed to the back of her mind by guilt, what would her family think if they heard her calling him beautiful?

"And suddenly you're pulling away..." His hand dropped hers after feeling her hold go slack, "Not fun to bicker with the High Lord's son is it?" The smirk on his face turned into a sad smile, his eyes dropping to watch the hounds at his feet. Now the small horde of smokehounds made sense.

"It's not..." she felt sad for him, "It's not smart." She couldn't tell him exactly why she it wasn't fun to be around him.

"Hm, right." His hands slipped into the pockets of his chocolate colored trousers, the hound closest to him perked his ears at the move, Eris slipped a hand out and gave him a bone shaped treat, his hand went back into his pocket and fished out several more treats for the rest of them. She watched amazed.

"So, are you going to tell me why you were crouching down here looking like you would pass out?" His head still didn't down.

"I was dizzy." She said simply, he didn't need to know the reason for her dizziness.

"I gathered that. Why?" He all but rolled his eyes.

"Why what?" She snapped.

"Why were you dizzy?" She could swear she saw the corner of his lip curl upwards.

"Why do you care?" Her braced her arms against her chest, cocking her head at him, he hesitated to answer.

"I don't. Are you going home or do you plan on being here all day?" He started walking around, glancing at both sides of the trail.

"You make a lot of questions..."

"And you seem hesitant to answer them..." He finally looked her way, his eyes filled with something she couldn't exactly place. "What are you hiding?"

"Nothing you need to know." Her voice reached his ears like music, her attitude enticing him.

"I'm just teasing you, honey." He laughed, stepped closer to her, slowly enough that she could step away if she wanted to. She didn't. "May I walk you home?"

"You shouldn't." She suddenly wasn't so sure.

"That's not a no..." he cocked his head.

"That's not a yes either..." she mirrored him.

They stared at each other for a while, when his eyes drifted away from hers she took the moment to admire him, not noticing he admired her too.

"Sir..." A voice snapped them out of their little moment. The male stood a few steps away, clad in Autumn colors of armor. "The High Lord demands your presence." Eris nodded at him and he turned away, walking in the direction of her home.

"So, I should be going." Eris said after the male was far enough, the sad smile making its comeback. She wasn't sure what came over her when she answered.

"My house is that way." She looked at the corner the male had just turned.

Eris didn't say anything, only held his arm out and gave her a smirk. She took his arms and they walked silently, his smokehounds close behind, one of them keeping up with him like a shadow, the puppy found their way around her legs.

"He seems to like you, which is weird, they hate everyone." He gave her a sideways glance, "Did you enchant him or something?"

"I don't need to do that." She kept looking at the trail, pretending she didn't see him looking at her with a smile.

They reached her house in silence, a beautiful cottage, a small version of her old home, the front yard was filled with medicinal herbs, a beautiful garden she took pride on. When she tried to pull her arm away from him, his hold tightened, his hand resting on hers.

"Nice garden you got... Hm, Echinacea, Asiatic pennyworth, Calendula..." He patted her hand lightly before dropping it and looking down at her. "Are you a healer?" He smiled.

"Yes." She didn't offer more information.

"Good, always good to know a healer." He nodded. "Well, I must be going, have a good evening, My Lady. Hope to see you around." He bowed while gently lifting her fingers and kissing the back of her hand, when he straightened back his lips still carried that smile. What an adorable smile.

He turned away before she said anything, his hounds followed him with hurried steps, all but one.

"Eris!" She shouted, making him turn back quickly. "The puppy..." She pointed to the small hound at her feet, looking back at them both as if wondering why he was suddenly the sole attraction.

"Oh–" his hand rubbed the back of his neck, his mouth opened and closed but no sound came out, he glanced at another hound who didn't seem to care if the puppy was missing. "Well, keep him, he seems to like you better than me anyway." Eris laughed, his cheeks a tinged pink.

"What? No. I can't–"

"Please, if you're going to keep passing out in those woods, you might need someone to get help for you," he teased. "Besides, it would give me an excuse to see you again, I can train him for you, or teach you how to train him." She feared the smile he gave her at that moment, showing his dimples and perfect teeth, would haunt her forever.

She couldn't argue back fast enough, she wanted someone to keep her company, when she tried to reason with him he was already turning his back on her, whistling to the hounds as if showing that even if he called, the puppy wouldn't leave her.

Years later, she found herself going back home to him. That annoying redhead.

A couple months ago Eris had shown her the cabin he built for them, it was a dream they had in common, building their lives together in a small place. Eris had grown up in a large palace that never felt like a home, he hated the tall ceilings and the maze of corridors, the whole place was filled with servants and guards and still felt empty. She had grown up in a house perhaps too small for the amount of people that lived there, the children were separated into pairs, and they loved the arrangement, some of the adults were couples so they naturally shared rooms too, only her mother and another female had rooms for themselves.

They were raised in completely differently homes and yet their dreams were the same. All they needed was a house big enough to fit both of them comfortably and enough space outside to build more rooms in the future. Their love was the structure of their home and the backbone of their family.

She walked slowly with her hound, Cole, a nickname for Collected, because he's anything but collected. His tail kept bumping her leg, how he could still be excited even after walking for hours was beyond her. Her garden came into view first, then their porch, then she saw Eris from the open window. All of a sudden she was brought back to years ago, a chill running down her spine, to the first time she had a clear vision of him, the way he was moving logs around the fireplace, she remembered clearly how in the next few moments his hand would light up in fire. She had forgotten that vision thinking it was someone's old memory, but it was hers, he was lighting up the fireplace so she would come back to a warm home. Now as she stood there, Cole by her side, watching her lover, she couldn't help falling more in love with him, now she knows why this memory was shown to her that day, why it was so important.

Eris Vanserra was her mate, and now her heart and soul belonged to him.

Taglist: @callsigns-haze, @lilah-asteria, @mybestfriendmademe, @coldmermaidhologram

a/n²: I made Eris name specific plants used for... wounds... and preventing scars from getting larger...

a/n³: I literally sat for a moment looking at the screen like I had just written a murder scene (the first paragraphs of reader's backstory didn't faze me that much, what's wrong with me)

[hockeyisforthegays]

PLEASE tell me about synthesize assimilate combine.

THIS ONNNNE an early baby that has languished because it was based on disproven fan theories. it was borne from the idea immediately post-choso-hallucination that yuuji possessed some sort of memory implantation/alteration technique that he didnt know about. and well the kingdom hearts jumped out of me HARD at that suggestion let me tell you.

thus, my first version of a time travel fix it: yuuji sent his memories back in time, to the moment like RIGHT before he eats the first finger, and someone has to host those memories (they start out being in that timeline's yuuji, but that sort of overwrites past!yuuji's personality with future!yuuji's since there is no distinction between where one ends/other begins, and future!yuuji objects to erasing past!yuuji like that). that timeline's gojo volunteers himself because of course he does, he's the only person whose mind won't break under the pressure.

the rest of the fic is gojo doing typical fix it things in the background while i mostly focused on the mind fuck of having this "version" of yuuji in his head who isnt like. a person. and gojo can remember yuuji getting to know him from yuuji's point of view? and knowing on an intimate level that this kid respected and cared for him as a person? but now only exists in his own mind ? and then there's THAT timeline's yuuji who does not know him and isn't a sorcerer this time but gojo just takes in anyway very parasocial thing happening here

snippets under cut

heres the bit where the memories are transfered from that timeline's yuuji's mind to gojo's

The sheer mass of information is, really, nothing to Satoru; worth a mere two tenths of a second in Infinity. It’s the emotion that comes packaged with it that staggers him. He’s awashed with love and grief and ambition and petty annoyances. It’s the full gamut of a sorcerer’s life, but the boy feels everything so strongly, so much more than Satoru ever allows himself to approach. It’s like diving into an ocean where Satoru has only ever walked on water. He sees the faces of his friends smiling at him as laughter wells in his throat; he feels gravel scraping up his palms as his own voice — no, Yuuji’s voice — begs for death.  Satoru sees himself through someone else’s eyes and feels for himself with someone else’s heart. It’s a gift, and a curse — the most twisted one of all. Gojo Satoru had been loved.  Hazily, still half-lost in the onslaught of Yuuji’s mind, Satoru looks down. Yuuji blinks up at him, eyes as clear and free of sin as the day they met. He’s such a dedicated young man, Satoru knows, so devastatingly compassionate. Affection appears, sudden but welcome, as he remembers — from Yuuji’s point of view — the months the student had spent in his home, shaped into a fine young sorcerer by Satoru’s benevolent hand.  As his eyes clear, the boy who had once lived so comfortably under Satoru’s care jerks his hands awkwardly away from him.  “Huh,” says Yuuji, glancing at the rubble around and then back at Satoru. “Who are you?” Satoru compartmentalizes as fast as he can. 

and a little bit from later which is. well you know

Yuuji is a reactionary ball of instinct that lives within him, only able to communicate by shuffling various memories to the forefront of Satoru’s mind.  Actually, it’s probably personifying too much to call that communicating, to attribute any intent to the process at all. It’s probably personifying too much to call him Yuuji, too, or to call him him. But Satoru refuses the alternative, that the memories are just memories, and the Yuuji they belonged to no longer exists. 

also the interaction where gojo asks megumi what he wants to do about yuuji and megumi says he wants to save him, gojo then asks "which him?" and megumi says "both of him." just adding that because it makes me crazy

[crystalninjaphoenix]

Tachysensia

Switch AU

A JSE Fanfic

Honestly I really thought for a while that this chapter would be delayed, as I struggled with how to format it without it just being a lot of description. But I think I've managed to hammer it into an interesting shape by now XD The group all gathers together to figure out how to use Marvin's time magic to break into IRIS again... and while they do that, Marvin has a breakthrough in said time magic. Three of them head to the IRIS facility to try it out. Surely this time magic will have no consequences whatsoever (It will XD). Hope you enjoy! :D

More of This AU | | First Chapter | Previous Chapter | Read on AO3 under CrystalNinjaPhoenix

———————

The rented apartment’s living room was crowded, as everyone was crammed into the area. The sofa, armchairs, and stools from the kitchenette cabinet were all taken, and even then, Anti and Schneep had to lean against the walls. Will and Michelle had been put to bed in Jackie’s room, and the adults had stayed up late into the night discussing things.

“I’m so fucking tired of talking,” Anti said, rubbing his eyes. “Why don’t we fucking... go to bed? People aren’t, uh... they don’t... brains don’t work when tired.”

“I do remember you saying once that your thoughts and emotions get all weird after nine pm,” Jackie muttered, glancing at the wall clock which read 11:26.

“They do,” Anti confirmed. “So let’s just wrap it up here, huh? We can talk more in the morning.”

“But I feel like we have made progress!” Schneep insisted. “If we go to sleep now, we may forget all the ideas we’ve come up with.”

“What ideas?!” Anti demanded. “All we really got is ‘time magic, somehow.’”

“I feel like I shoul’ be offended by t’at,” Marvin mumbled, idly shuffling his cards on the kitchen counter.

We have much more than just “time magic, somehow,” JJ protested. Our magician friends have told us that our best bet for using Marvin’s cards is pausing time. We’ve all agreed that the best moment to pause time would be to sneak into the IRIS buildings somehow and get the proof we’re looking for.

“But Marvin doesn’t even know how to pause time!” Anti emphasized.

“I can figure it out,” Marvin said. “I jus’ have to remember what I stumbled on before, an’ figure out how to change it slightly to be more... sustainable.”

“Anti has a point, though,” Jack said. “Whatever plan we make has to be built around the time freeze. We need to know how the time freeze works in order to structure everything else around it. And... he also has a point about how it’s pretty late.”

“Maybe Marvin can use his time magic to make it not late,” Anti grumbled.

“Oh do not be a bitch like that, Anti,” Schneep said. “I know you get like this when you are exhausted, but Marvin still does not deserve that. He is trying. And he’s going to be the one at the greatest risk, since we do not know what troubles time magic can lead to.”

Marvin nodded silently, stacking his cards up so he could cut the deck and shuffle again. JJ reached over and put a supportive hand on his arm.

“Here’s something I don’t get,” Stacy said slowly. “Whisper... is your future self, right? That’s... what you told us earlier. Why... why doesn’t future-Whisper-you just come back and help us with that some more?”

Maybe that could cause problems, JJ suggested. Like... maybe this is a fixed point in time. Or maybe traveling through time causes strain on his body.

“Maybe he already has come back in time and helped us, just in subtle ways that we don’t realize,” Rama pointed out. “I still think it’s a hell of a coincidence that Henrik ran into that detective lady.”

“We’re getting distracted,” Jackie said. “We need to focus on the plan.”

“The next time I hear someone say ‘the plan’ I’m going to stab this wall,” Anti grumbled, hitting the plaster next to him.

“I think we don’t need to know every detail about the time freeze to plan around it,” Jackie continued. “The basics won’t change. We’ll go to one of the IRIS facilities, find our way in, through magic or something else, gather what we can, and then leave. Then once we’re done, we’ll, uh... Did we decide for sure if we were going to give the evidence to the police or just find a way to post it online?”

“Why not both?” Rama suggested, shrugging.

“I agree, can’t hurt to cover all our bases,” Stacy said.

But who’s going to go to the IRIS facility? JJ asked. We need two people minimum: Marvin, and someone to drive him there. But we STILL haven’t fully decided who’s going.

“I thought we did,” Schneep said. “It will be me. With your Magic Circle friends casting that good luck spell, I am sure it will all go smoothly.”

They didn’t promise they were going to do that, JJ pointed out. Aoife and Persephone just said it was a possibility. The spell would need to be cast at a very specific time on a very specific day, and it might now work out. He looked at Schneep. Besides, are you sure you want to go? What if the time freeze wears off and you’re caught in there? That... disabling thing... probably still works. What if I went instead—

“Jameson, we all know how much that place haunted you,” Jackie interrupted, his voice soft. “You don’t have to go back if you don’t want to. Maybe—maybe I should go, I-I know how their systems work, I-I might be needed, to, uh, navigate around their databases—”

“If you go, you should not actually go in,” Schneep said firmly. “You are capable, yes, but the guards in there have equipment and training that can easily overpower you. I have my abilities, I am the best choice.”

“Besides the thing they can do that makes you immediately collapse, yeah, sure.” Anti rolled his eyes.

Schneep glared at him. “Do not give me that expression!”

The group continued to discuss things—though at this point, it devolved into a debate of who should even go near that place. Everyone wanted everyone else to be safe, safe enough that they were willing to take the risk instead. Marvin looked down at the kitchen counter as he thought about that. It was nice that everyone cared about the others so much, but god, were they not getting anything done at this point. Eventually, someone had to back down, and someone else had to step up, otherwise they were in a stalemate forever. He found it funny that in all this debate, they never asked him to step down. Even though he was the only one who used the cards, it didn’t mean others couldn’t use them at all. They were talismans, not inherent magical ability like JJ’s powers were. Maybe everyone figured that since his future self had them, that meant they shouldn’t interfere with him having them now?

It was... weird to think that he had a solid future in mind. One way or another, he would be going back in time eventually to help his past self. The future had never before felt so... certain. At the same time, it didn’t really bother him too much. He saw it more as a deadline than an inevitable fate. After all, he knew he was the sort of person who would want to do something like that anyway. So it didn’t feel like he was being forced into it. It was just something he had to remember to do. Eventually. Once he had this shit figured out.

While the others’ debate continued to rage on, now degrading down to snappish remarks (and reminders not to snap at anyone because they’re all tired), Marvin began laying all the cards on the counter. He looked at the runes on the back, vaguely recalling what each one meant. The card formation he’d made before had nine cards. The most cards he’d used yet. Obviously the jokers were a part of it. He was pretty sure they were both in the center. He remembered leaving the card formation in place so that the spell wouldn’t be disturbed, but eventually, time had unpaused on its own. That wasn’t ideal. And what was also not ideal was the fact that the spell just affected him. He knew he wasn’t the best choice for breaking into an IRIS facility. To make sure this went as smoothly as possible, he needed at least one other person with him.

There was another card in the center of the formation... a red one, wasn’t it? Yes, a high-number diamond. He began looking at those, trying to figure out which runes would make sense. Maybe... the one on the seven? It was shaped like an upside-down V, and he remembered from his research that it meant ‘motion’. He remembered the center card being upside-down, which... made some sort of sense? Upside-down ‘motion’ was like... the opposite of ‘motion.’ ‘Frozen,’ or something.

Maybe he... needed to use two of those runes? The seven of hearts also had the motion rune on it. If he used them both... maybe...

He shuffled the cards around some more. He remembered using other high-number cards... maybe if he switched those out for even higher numbers? Like, face cards? The runes had to make sense, though, and they needed to be arranged in such a way that the lines on the back designs matched up.

Meanwhile, the others had calmed down a bit. “I’m... sorry,” Anti said haltingly. “I just... I’m frustrated. I-it feels like we’re barely making progress at all. A-and Distorter is still out there.”

“I know, that’s... that’s scary to think about,” Jackie said quietly. “But... I really don’t think we can deal with him and IRIS at the same time. W-we have to choose one, and it’ll be a lot easier to deal with Distorter if we don’t have to worry about IRIS doing... e-experiments on us.”

Anti nodded slowly. “I get it.” He looked to the side.

“Your frustration is... It’s real, though,” Jack said quietly. “We all get it.”

“Thanks,” Anti muttered. “I... I-I really think we should go to bed. And... a-and sorry. Again.”

“It is fine, Anti, do not worry about it,” Schneep assured him. “I agree. Maybe it is time to stop here. The ideas we have are not worth the arguing we are all—”

And everything stopped.

JJ looked at Schneep and frowned. What is it? he asked, wondering why Schneep had suddenly cut himself off. Only he soon realized that wasn’t what happened at all. Rather, Schneep was... frozen, his mouth still open. And the others were unmoving as well. Not even breathing.

Marvin laughed. JJ looked over at him—when did Marvin grab his arm? How come he didn’t realize he did that? “Oh, so t’at’s how I can do t’at!” Marvin said, grinning triumphantly. “It’s who I can hold onto!”

What’s going on? JJ asked. He looked at the others, frozen around them... and immediately realized what happened. He gasped, going white in shock. Is this what a time pause looks like?!

“Yep!” Marvin said, grin widening. “Okay okay okay. T’is new formation I’ve come up wit’ seems to work, but we need to test how long it’ll last, since the last one ran out of magic after I spent too long frozen, maybe it didn’ wan’ me to get too out-of-sync wit’ the world. Oh, but first! We tell the others!” He picked up one of his cards from the table.

“—doing,” Schneep finished. “We can talk more in the morning, after we rest.”

“Oh! But first!” Marvin waved his hand for attention. “I figured it out!”

The others all snapped their attention towards him. “What, just now?!” Jackie gasped.

“I suppose when you have time powers, some things go very quickly,” Rama mused.

Anti stood up straight, eyes glowing with curiosity. “Okay, fuck getting some rest. Tell us about that first, we’ll spitball some ideas, then we’ll rest. Figure out the details in the morning.”

“Sounds good!” Marvin said cheerfully. “Okay, so, o’ course you need to make sure the formation isn’ disturbed, t’at breaks it immediately...”

———————

The group wanted to stay up, but basically forced themselves to go to bed. Upon waking up in the morning, they immediately went back to planning, until they felt like they could actually pull this off. In fact, they could probably pull it off soon. And they probably should. After all, the sooner they did this, the less time IRIS had to find out where they were, right?

So, only a few days later, some of the group found themselves in the car, driving back towards the facility they all dreaded returning to. Only four of them were going on this mission, which felt like too few people and too many at the same time. But they’d done some experimenting with Marvin’s newfound spell, and found that it only worked if he maintained contact with people while the spell was cast. And there were only so many ways you could have him do that while also not impeding anyone’s movement. So, after much discussion, the group decided that Marvin, JJ, Schneep, and Jackie would be going. Anti, Jack, Stacy, and Rama would stay home to look after the kids, with Anti keeping an eye on a phone they’d bought, waiting in case of emergency. Jackie would have the other phone. He would also drive the four to the IRIS compound and wait in the car outside. If they needed information about something inside, the three infiltrators would return to ask him about that.

It was a gloomy evening as they got close to their location, the ceiling of gray clouds matching their moods. Jackie gripped the steering wheel tightly and pressed maybe a bit too hard on the gas pedal, especially as he soon turned off-road and began driving across the bumpy, grassy fields. The others didn’t complain, though. They were too busy looking out the windows for any signs of a threat. After the group had already broken into IRIS once, surely IRIS would expand their security around the perimeter. They probably couldn’t get as close as they could before.

Because of this fear of more security, Jackie stopped the car the moment the barest hint of the compound wall came into view. He parked it and turned off the engine, and Schneep glanced at him oddly as he did that. “Why are you turning off the car?” he asked. “What if we need to suddenly flee?”

“I don’t think the few seconds it’ll take for me to turn the key will delay us that much,” Jackie said. “Besides, I know IRIS has access to, like, infrared heat vision. The heat signature of a running engine would stand out a lot more than the heat signature of me sitting here by myself. I-it’s probably a bit paranoid, but... better safe than sorry.”

“Ah.” Schneep nodded slowly. “That... is fair.”

We’re sure we don’t need to worry about cameras, right? JJ asked nervously.

“Jamie, try to relax.” Schneep twisted in his seat to look at Jameson and Marvin in the backseat. “We tested this, remember?” He picked up the video camera they’d bought last week. During their testing, they tried to see if the camera filming could pick up anything about the time freeze. But it did not. Marvin would freeze time, grab a cup from the kitchen, then return to unfreeze time, and from the camera’s perspective (and everyone else’s) it just looked like Marvin snapped into a different position and suddenly held a cup. “Besides, even if they do catch us on camera, or if we trip some security measures we do not know about, none of it will activate until time unpauses, and by then we will already be back here.”

Jameson nodded and took a deep breath. Alright. No time to waste, then... Let’s get out of the car to do this.

The three of them opened up the car doors and headed outside. Marvin knelt down on the ground and took out his cards, looking around for a place he could lay them mostly-flat. The grass was fairly long, but it had been flattened by the car tires, so he scooted over next to the tracks to work, laying out the ten-card formation... but leaving the jokers slightly out of place. The spell wouldn’t activate until every card was in position. Then he looked over at Schneep and JJ. “Okay. Ready.”

Schneep nodded. He slipped the video camera into the backpack he wore, where the polaroid camera and voice recorder already were. The latter probably wouldn’t be helpful, since sound paused while time was frozen, but they all agreed it was better to be over-prepared than under-prepared. Jameson, meanwhile, took out the roll of new duct tape they’d bought. Are we sure about this? he asked.

“JJ, it’ll be fine,” Jackie said firmly from where he was still sitting in the car. “If Anti were here he’d say something about how you always get cold feet.” He smiled gently. “You don’t get this nervous before shows, right? Just try to think of this as one big show.”

I’ll try, JJ said. He took a deep breath, then reached down to help Marvin up. Ready?

“Ready.” Marvin nodded, and reached out to Schneep, grabbing onto his upper arm. During the testing, they’d figured out that the spell was centered on Marvin. Anything he held onto or had on his person was also brought into the spell, and that included people (and whatever they were holding.) But there was a limit to it. If he dropped anything, it would return to the normal flow of time. Stopwatches would suddenly stop, and he wouldn’t be able to get them to work again even though he could pick them back up. Similarly, if he let go of someone in the middle of the spell, they would also return to the normal flow of time. They did not want that to happen in the IRIS base.

JJ pulled on the duct tape. It made that loud ripping sound as he unrolled it, and began wrapping it around Marvin’s hand and Schneep’s upper arm, taping the two together. “T’is is such an inconvenient spot,” Marvin muttered.

“Well, unfortunately, Jamie and I need our hands,” Schneep said.

“I know. Doesn’ mean I can’ complain.”

Jameson handed Schneep the duct tape, and Marvin reached out to grab JJ’s upper arm as well. Schneep taped that in place. Once he was done, the three of them were standing in a line. Schneep on the left, Jameson on the right, and Marvin in the middle.

“That... looks ridiculous,” Jackie said, smiling a little. “I know we can’t do this, but it would’ve looked a lot less ridiculous if you just held hands.”

The price of letting me freaking talk, JJ said. And doing magic and all that. And I guess Schneep needs to do his shocking thing, too.

Jackie laughed. Then he took a deep breath, his expression quickly becoming grave again. “Alright. Good luck guys. All goes well, you’ll be right back before I can blink, evidence in hand. All goes medium, you’ll be back here with questions and this whole thing will only take a minute.”

“It will be a lot of walkin’ on our end, to come back with questions,” Marvin said. “But yeah.” Unfortunately they won’t be able to contact Jackie at all while time was frozen, so it wasn’t like they could just radio him to ask stuff. They would have to walk alllll the way back from the IRIS compound. But hey, at least it wouldn’t take that long for Jackie. 

“We will see you in only a second!” Schneep said, trying to sound cheerful. “Marvin, when you are ready.”

Marvin nodded. He looked down at the cards on the ground. He’d practiced this maneuver a couple times back home, but he really hoped the grass wouldn’t mess him up now. Slowly, he reached out and moved the jokers close to the other cards with the toe of his shoe. Making sure one was in place, and then the other—

And everything stopped.

At the sudden silence, Marvin quickly raised his leg—and almost lost his balance, yelping as he started to fall backwards. JJ nearly fell with him, but luckily was able to catch himself using the car. Careful! he signed once he was upright again. If we fall while taped together, it’ll be a hell of a time getting up again!

“Yeah, yeah.” Marvin nodded. “Sorry.”

Schneep looked around. “Huh. I did not realize there was a breeze blowing through the air until the whooshing sound disappeared.” He scanned the field of grass, seeing how some of the longer strands were at a noticeable diagonal angle. “Alright... no time to waste.”

“Technic’ly we have all the time to waste,” Marvin laughed.

“You know what I mean,” Schneep said. “We should start walking.”

“Yeah.” Marvin sighed. “I really hope I don’ get tired while time is stopped. Let’s go. Everyone step at once!”

It was an awkward few seconds figuring out how to walk while stuck together in this strange position, but once they got a pattern going they were able to move quickly, heading to the IRIS compound in the distance.

———————

The experiments they’d done with the time freeze had given them a basic understanding of how it worked—and they’d done them all in a short amount of time, since it was a time freeze spell. After preforming the spell over and over again, Marvin figured out that he didn’t get hungry, thirsty, or sleepy while time was stopped, maintaining whatever state he’d been in when he first put the cards in position. He could technically eat and drink, but it didn’t resolve anything. By taking a stop watch with him (and making sure not to drop it) he was also able to figure out that the spell lasted for an incredibly long time from his perspective. He’d taken a book with him, sat down, and managed to finish the whole thing without the spell ending—the stop watch read three hours by the time he decided to unfreeze time, which he only really did because he wanted to talk to JJ about the exciting twist at the end of the book. For all they knew, the time freeze spell could last even longer.

The walk to the IRIS compound definitely felt like three hours, even though it was probably closer to just thirty minutes. Thirty really boring minutes. But eventually, they made it to the wall around the compound. “So... this part will be fun,” Schneep said slowly.

JJ sighed. Alright, you two, make sure to watch your step. He raised his hands and pointed at the wall, whispering words under his breath. His eyes glowed bright blue, and platforms appeared in midair, jutting out from the side of the wall to form a staircase. He quickly walked forward, dragging the others with him, and started to walk up the stairs. There was only so long he could maintain this! The stairs only lasted as long as he could keep repeating the spell words—which might be easy for some magicians, but with his damaged throat, he would soon be physically unable to keep going. Not to mention the constant drain this was on his magic. They had to hurry.

Schneep scaled the stairs easily, but Marvin found himself nervously glancing at the edge way too often, the fear slowing him down. He shook his head and kept going, though, pushing himself forward despite how his heart was pounding. Once they reached the top of the wall, JJ took a breather, coughing slightly. The staircase disappeared, but luckily the top of the wall was wide enough for them to stand on with no fear (or as little fear as possible.) “Are you alrigh’, Jems?” Marvin asked.

Jameson nodded. Going down will be easier, he signed. Just... give me a minute. He cleared his throat a little, then started up the chant again, conjuring up a staircase heading down the other side of the wall. It was a bit scarier, looking at the drop, but he forced himself to concentrate on the chant.

They made it down without any problems. Now... they were inside. “Alright, Jackie said that the symbol on that building there means administrative,” Schneep said, pointing at a building to the side.

“We were also goin’ to... go back into the main buildin’, righ’?” Marvin’s eyes drifted to the side, towards the building they’d all been imprisoned in. “T’at’s where we can take pictures an’... an’ all t’at.”

Schneep nodded slowly. “Y-yes, of course. But we should start there. The administration is only one story, while the other is multiple floors, and we will not be able to take lifts. I-I would rather make sure we get something concrete before we spend a lot of time looking for staircases.”

Marvin shrugged. “Fair enough.”

The group ran over towards the administration. It was easy, which was a relief for Marvin. He didn’t feel any more fatigue than he usually did. Good. He hadn’t brought his cane, since he couldn’t hold it with his hands taped up like this, and he’d feel bad for leaning too much on Schneep and JJ.

Once they reached the building, they circled around until they found a door with a keycard on the side. Schneep grabbed it with both hands and sent a shock of electricity through it. Instantly, the light on the side went off. He let out a sigh of relief. “Okay, it works, that’s good,” he muttered. They hadn’t been sure that shocking items would disable them; that had been one of the few things they’d been unable to test. But they were clearly able to interact with items while time was frozen, so they guessed it would be the same principle.

The three of them headed inside. Immediately, they stumbled across a pair of people, frozen mid-stride as they walked down the hallway. A man with curly hair in a lab coat, and a woman in a simple button-down shirt. JJ gasped silently at the sight of the woman. “You alrigh’, Jems?”

Jameson nodded. I just... remember her. He seemed a bit pale. Let’s hurry.

Marvin squeezed his arm comfortingly, the duct tape crinkling with his movement. “We will.”

The doors in here were all locked with similar keycard scanners, so they were easily able to search through them no matter how securely they were locked. Some of them were mere storage rooms, full of nothing but spare computer parts and folding chairs. But others were offices, with desks and computers and personal-looking knickknacks... as well as filing cabinets. In the first office they found, JJ tried to use the computer, but found that even though he could move the mouse around and press the keyboard buttons, they didn’t seem to do anything. So the group turned their attention to the filing cabinets, ransacking them and taking any files that looked interesting.

They then proceeded to do the same in all other offices they came across. IRIS’s filing system was weird, as they used a lot of numbers to identify things. But Jackie had filled them in on stuff earlier. “Essentially, you need to look at the letter prefix to figure out what the thing is for,” Jackie said. “Like, device prototypes are shortened to DPS. Then there’s the date of the file at the end, and the numbers in the middle are a serial number for whatever the issue is.” Most things ended up looking like DPS-18773-1502014 or EXS-00338-3005017. It was a bit confusing, but they had all the time in the world.

At some point when searching, Schneep suddenly cried out in horror and dropped the file he was looking at. Marvin and JJ’s attention snapped to him. “Hen! I-is everyt’ing okay?!” Marvin asked. He and JJ glanced down at the file on the floor... and saw a diagram of a human body, gray lines overlaid on top of it in a circuitry pattern. “O-oh...”

You don’t have to look at it, JJ said hurriedly.

Schneep took a deep breath. “N-no... this is exactly what we are looking for, yes?” He crouched down to pick up the papers, shuffling them back into a pile. “JJ, put these in the backpack.”

JJ nodded and slid the papers into the backpack Schneep was wearing, since Schneep himself couldn’t take it off to access it. 

“I t’ink we might... need to move on,” Marvin said slowly. “We’ve already been doin’ t’is for a while... an’ I t’ink the, uh... the paper t’ere is the best proof we’re goin’ t’get in here.”

Schneep paused, then sighed. “Y-you are right... we cannot avoid the main building any longer.”

Let’s get in and out quickly, then, Jameson said nervously.

They ran across the green fields around the buildings, and Marvin was amazed that he still didn’t feel tired at all this activity. All this walking, running, searching around... it would normally be a lot for him. He felt a bit bad that he couldn’t do much of the searching, what with both his hands being used to keep contact with the other two, but he was honestly just glad he wasn’t slowing anyone down.

Although... he was starting to feel a bit... strange. A bit... floaty? It was hard to describe. His body didn’t feel tired, but... it wasn’t really feeling much at all, either? Maybe that was normal, though. He didn’t remember what his life was like before the fatigue, maybe this sensation was what everyone else felt when they weren’t tired. Though... it wasn’t much of an improvement to feeling tired... 

Before Marvin knew it, they were inside the building, and they’d found a locked door on the first floor that led to a stairwell. “I knew they would have one,” Schneep said, zapping the keycard reader to open the door. “It would not be safe to have only a lift. What if it broke down?”

That would be very inconvenient, JJ agreed. I’m glad we found it, though. With how weird this building is... and how weird IRIS is... I half-thought they would limit access to the other floors, regardless of how inconvenient it might be.

“In any case we should head down now,” Schneep said chuckling. “There is a lot downstairs that people should know about.”

And then—

“Well this is very inconvenient, in any case, since it is so tucked away,” Schneep said.

I don’t think they want to make it convenient for anyone at all, JJ said.

“In any case we should head down now,” Schneep said chuckling. “There is a lot downstairs that people should know about.”

Marvin blinked. What... was that? Did Schneep just say the same thing twice? With... the exact same inflection? And the exact same little laugh? “Didn’ you... jus’ say t’at?” he asked. “Or... huh?”

The other two looked at him in confusion. “Say we should be heading down?” Schneep asked. “N... no?”

Are you alright, Marvin? JJ asked. You look a bit pale.

“I do feel a bit odd,” Marvin said. “But it’s not a problem, I promise. Let’s jus’ hurry and take the photos.”

JJ and Schneep looked worried, but they glanced at each other and nodded. “We will hurry, don’t worry,” Schneep assured Marvin. “Come on, we will walk slowly.”

Suddenly, they were downstairs. JJ was taking the video camera and polaroid out of Schneep’s backpack, handing the video camera to Schneep. Marvin blinked in confusion, and looked around—

No, they were still walking down the stairs. Marvin stumbled a bit in shock, but managed to regain his balance. JJ grabbed him, helping to steady him. Are you sure you’re alright?

Marvin blinked slowly. “Y-yes, I-I’m sure I can... last long enough for us to take care of this. Don’ worry abou’ me, promise.”

If you look like you’re going to fall over, we’ll leave immediately, JJ said. I swear to I don’t think you know how to use one, that’s why.

“Ah, fair enough.” Schneep nodded. “I do not, but surely it cannot be hard to figure out.”

They were downstairs again, in the middle of the hallway, looking around at the strange doors. Marvin inhaled sharply. What just happened? Everything had shifted in the middle of JJ’s signing. Schneep and JJ didn’t seem to realize anything had happened. Though... had anything happened? Maybe Marvin just... spaced out for a little bit?

Schneep fiddled with the video camera. “JJ, do you have any way to open the doors? I think seeing the inside of the cells will be a lot more

They were still walking down the staircase. Marvin’s head was spinning.

They were downstairs, with JJ taking a photograph with the polaroid, making sure to capture all the details of the room beyond. He looked pale just staring into this place. Marvin’s head was spinning.

“Marvin, are you sure you’re okay?” They were standing somewhere else in the hallway, with all the cell doors closed. Schneep was staring at Marvin intently.

“N... no, I... I-I t’ink somet’ing strange is goin’ on...” Marvin said slowly. “Haven’ you two noticed how everyt’ing is jumpin’ around?”

“Jumping... around?” Schneep repeated. “N... no?” He glanced around. “Perhaps we should leave.”

“No, no, i-it’ll be fine,” Marvin insisted. “Jus’... I-I’ll jus’ be a bit quiet. I-I’ll tell you if t’ings start to get really bad.”

Schneep nodded reluctantly and turned away.

Marvin’s head was spinning. His body felt... not much at all. It was like... a dream. Dreams were all in your head, and therefore, you didn’t have a body in a dream. Was this... a dream? Was that why everything was falling apart?

His vision shifted wildly. He was down the hall, he was standing in one of the cells, he was watching JJ try to magically pick the lock of a door, he was shuffling out of the way as Schneep slowly panned around with the video camera. He was able to follow what was going on, but it was like he was watching something on a screen, instead of experiencing his own life. Snippets of conversation flowed past his ears.

“Can’ believe you two were kept in rooms like t’is...”

“Should we go upstairs and take more pictures there?”

“I s’pose we shoul’ find a way into t’ese ‘training rooms,’ t’en.”

“I wonder where all the guards stay.”

Everything became faster and faster, more and more disorienting. Marvin tried to close his eyes, but it was like he could see through his own eyelids. The images and visions wouldn’t stop. What was happening?!

At one point, he became aware of JJ looking at him in concern. At another point, he saw Schneep shaking him, though he didn’t feel the shaking itself. They were outside, they were in the building again, they were running, they were standing, they were talking, they were filming, they were looking at each other, they were looking around with worry on their faces, they were looking at him, looking at him, looking at him, looking at him, looking at him—

And next thing he knew, Marvin was lying on the ground, the cool feeling of grass beneath his back. JJ and Schneep were staring down at him with concern... and so was Jackie. They were back over by the car, weren’t they? Marvin blinked and turned his head side to side, where he spotted the cards, knocked completely out of formation like someone hurriedly kicked them. “H-huh?” Marvin mumbled.

Jameson let out a sigh of relief. Marvin, can you understand me? How many fingers am I holding up? He held up two fingers.

“T-two...” Marvin said. “An’ I... can understan’ you. Wha... wh-what... happened?”

“That’s what we were going to ask you,” Schneep said. “We had been walking around for a while, gathering evidence, when we suddenly realized that you looked very... pale. A-and not in the way people usually get pale. It was like... the color was... draining from you. All of you. Your hair, your clothes... i-it was...”

Jackie let out a breath. “You seem... fine now,” he said slowly. “I checked your vitals before this, but... can I do so again?”

“Hm? Oh, uh... yeah.” Marvin nodded. Jackie immediately began checking his pulse and breathing. Marvin stayed pretty still for that.

“You seem fine,” Jackie said, leaning back.

Jameson looked down at him, worry clear on his face. Are you sure you’re alright, Marvin? It was... it was scary. To see that happening to you.

“It was... too confusing to be scary,” Marvin mumbled. “It was like... like everyt’ing was... breakin’ up? A-and jumpin’ aroun’... I was in one moment, t’en I was in another...”

“It seems that the time freeze spell is not without consequence,” Schneep muttered. “If JJ and I had not been there...” He trailed off ominously.

Marvin felt dread pool in his stomach. He pushed himself upright. “I-I feel fine now, don’ worry. Jus’... exhausted.” It had been a while since he’d felt this fatigued. That time he was sick recently didn’t count. “Did we... get enough?”

“You guys got a lot, don’t worry,” Jackie assured him. “Now... since you’re alright, let’s get out of here quick. JJ, can you help Marvin up?” 

JJ nodded. He started to scoop Marvin up, but he resisted for a bit. “W-wait! Th-the cards!”

“I will get them, don’t worry,” Schneep assured him.

Marvin nodded, and let JJ help him into the car. JJ climbed in after him, and after a minute, Jackie and Schneep got into the front two seats. Schneep handed the cards back to Marvin, who double-checked that they were all there. They were, and so Jackie didn’t hesitate to start the car and zoom off towards the distant road.

Had they done it? Had they truly gotten away with it? It didn’t feel real... All of them kept expecting IRIS personnel to suddenly appear and chase them down. But... nothing. So far. IRIS must not have a counter for a time freeze. But then again, who did?

And so, with tentative hope, they drove onwards. But that strange breaking-of-things lingered in Marvin’s mind. They were worried about the consequences of messing with time. Seemed they’d stumbled upon one of them today. He hoped he never had to experience that ever again.

[descendantsramblings]

Im glad you enjoy all the Morgie male fans (idk why we're so many😭 bro is a boy magnet)

And im just dropping a small idea for a part 2 of "In Another Life" where maybe the reader now back in the future meets morgie again who is now like- 22 or 21 years old instead of grown up like the others due to his family having a long life span or a slow growth, maybe his serpentine/snake(?) genes and we get the fluffy ending we deserve

(the requester of the prompt is mean for wanting a sad ending thats why i wanna fix it /hj)

I like the concept of Morgie not aging "properly" due to his magic (and also fell in love with Morgie and his German Prince Boyfriend) so Thank you second anon, I'm absolutely giddy that someone wants a second part to something I made

I Would Be Yours

Find part one here.

Morgie le Fay x Fitzherbert! Reader

Pronouns used: he/him/his

Summary: Who would have thought that the lips that lived in his mind for the last three years would show up in front of him on a rainy Tuesday afternoon?

Warnings: Technically an age gap but its fine because the supernatural element makes it okay (Twilight/tvd/dbda rules around here), Morgie is short for Morgan the way Mal is short for Maleficent propaganda

Word Count:2.3K

(Peder gif because your girl is running out of Morgie ones)

    He wasn’t wrong, the lips of Morgie le Fay had haunted him for the last three and a half years. His dreams were littered with the laughter of the boy he was blessed to hear in the hideout next to him. Or his half lidded adoring eyes that he looked for in the face of every boy who gave him an ounce of attention since he returned. And they did, (Y/n) had grown into his looks in the time between sixteen and nineteen, now at almost twenty he’d gone through his fair share of suitors. None of them felt right though, they couldn’t radiate the feeling of home he was looking for. He’d felt it once before, back when his life was all swords and shields and study hall. But now, as his life has fallen into exam papers, late night red bulls, and coffee shop shifts he’s fallen for the mundane. If the feeling of home was meant to find him, it would come to him in his sense of calm, nothing about the way he used to run around wild was him anymore. He’d grown, if you asked his parents he’d grown beyond his years. He felt like it was simply a side effect of time travel, not that he let himself harp on that much. It would do him no good.  

   Sea Salted Caramel lattes and lavender honey matchas had become his escape from class. There was something in the way the espresso machines buzzed and  the smell of dark roast that came to be relaxing to him. He loved the regulars who babbled to him about their days, the excitable kids who told him too much while their parent ordered. Everything about Briar Roast had become a safe space to him, free of calculus exams and the plaguing what ifs. There was no place to wonder what would’ve happened if he just stayed in the past when he was busy, he liked that. There was no need to dwell, he knew that. And if it wasn’t raining so hard, maybe he wouldn’t be. 

   Storms always brought slow business, no one would be in this part of town other than busied employees who sat in their office jobs or cleaned up around retail stores. Ready to get to their dinner plans or their waiting couches, minds far away from the idea of getting coffee. Tuesdays already brought slow business after nine a.m. and the rain meant the day would bring none. Which he was fine with, poured over a textbook for his “Introductory Law” class that was splayed out on the counter. Exams wouldn’t study for themselves, he should be thankful for the quiet time. And if he could just focus, he would be. The boy sighs, closing the book and grabbing an espresso cup from under the countertop. He just needed some caffeine, it would focus him back in. It always did. He places the tiny cup under the machine, pressing a few buttons as the bell above the door rings out. 

    “Welcome to Briar Roast, I’ll be right with you!” The footsteps of whoever came in are soft, shoes barely dragging the tile floors instead of thumping against them. “Right, take your time. Do you have wifi here? I have a work thing to do.” The voice is almost familiar, a ring similar to one that lived somewhere lodged in the back of the Prince’s mind. “Yeah, it’s not password protected, should come right up as ‘Briar Roast Guest’. What can I get for you?” He’s yet to look at the man, eyes focused down on his screen as he starts a new order. “Oh uh, a Rose macchiato with almond milk if you have it.Oat milk is fine otherwise, I just can’t really do dairy. They’ve got you in here alone, huh?” “Yeah, it’s a Tuesday evening though, and you’re the first person to walk in here in the last hour and a half so, I’ll live. Just in case though, can I get a name for the order?” He looks up as he says it, eyes locking with a pair of hazel ones that make his breath catch in his throat. There’s a moment, with locked eyes that neither of them can get a word out, fondness in the baristas while shock sits in the man’s. 

   “Mein Sonnenschein,” it’s whispered on a sigh, his hands gripping the counter beneath him as if the prince would tumble over. “Excuse me?” He has the ghost of a memory on his tongue as he hears the name. Something he’d looked for everywhere when he’d first heard it four decades prior. It took him forever to find the definition, luckily the Isle had nothing but time and few people went to the library, giving him plenty of time to find it. “My Sunshine” it was German. He never thought he’d hear the term of endearment again, let alone from a college kid who bared a striking resemblance to the first person he’d ever heard it from. He watches as the boy’s face twists into one of shocked panic, staggering back from the counter ever so slightly. “Sorry, you just, you look like a guy I knew moons ago. He, well I mean, there’s no way he’d look like you do now. Probably would be old enough to be your father nowadays. And I am,” he looks down, letting out a pathetic laugh, “I am rambling like a madman. Can I get a name for that macchiato?” “Morgan,” the slightly stiff man’s shoulders relax. His own name sounded almost wrong on his lips for the first time in twenty years. “Morgie” almost slipped through them, the only people who still called him that were Hook and his three kids, why would he introduce himself in such a way? His name elicits a quirked brow and a hum from the barista. The boy going to move his own espresso off of the machine and start the man’s drink. 

    The moment, whatever it was, had clearly ended. He saw that, forcing himself away from the counter and over to a booth in the corner. Morgie’s laptop makes its way out of his bag, setting it up on the table in front of him to start a dreadfully boring spreadsheet. Not that he can focus on it, his mind is running through the conversation they’d had moments before. “You look like someone I knew moons ago.” How long is moons to this boy? Perhaps, no, that's silly. There was no way that he could be the prince from his past. But he did say that Morie couldn’t be the man they knew. Something about how he’d be old enough to be his dad. Maybe he did age slowly like he did. What if it was the mysterious hero from his youth? 

    Glass makes a sweet and gentle clank against the wooden table beside his laptop, dragging the man’s focus up to the boy. He’s smiling softly, “Order up.” It’s soft, nearly flirty as he turns away, headed back to the counter. Morgie watches with soft, needy eyes, taking in his every movement. The boy is leaning over the counter, reading something and sipping slowly from his little espresso cup. “Hey,” his voice startles himself, eyes widening over how loud the sound is. It catches the boy’s attention all the same, his eyes flickering up from the textbook before him and over to Morgie. “Is everything okay? Do you need something?” He laughs, shaking his head as if to shake off the question as a whole. “No, I’m fine I just,” Morgie runs a hand through his hair with a nervous laugh, “I was wondering if you wanted to come join me? I mean it’s not like you’re busy and you’re obviously studying or something. Wouldn’t a table be better for that?” 

    A soft smile flickers over his face, hands softly grasping his book and the little mug beside him. It’s a wordless transition from the counter to the seat in front of him, a gentle nod of thanks being the only thing the boy does before he turns back to his work. It’s dreadfully not enough. Morgie fiddles with his fingers, looking at the boy, “So uh, you from this part of Auradon?” He laughs, thumbing over thick pages, “No, I’m actually from Corona. What about you? You don’t seem to have the right accent to be from here.” Corona, that explained why he knew German, they all spoke German there. Morgie chooses his next words extremely carefully. If this boy knew he had spent time on the Isle he was sure he’d go running for the hills. “Oh, I am but I just moved back, spent a while, away. What are you doing out here then?” He laughs, cutting him eyes from his text book, “You’re the inquisitive type, aren’t you? I’m enrolled in Auradon Academy, my parents wanted me to be well educated before I take the throne.” Morgie nods, leaning forward to look at the words in the book in front of him. “So you’re studying law before you become King? I respect it.” 

    “Actually,” he laughs, shaking his head, “Oh this sounds awful. Actually I started studying law because of someone I knew once. He, uh, he was sent to the Isle and I don’t think he deserved to be there. Not that I got to know him well but I knew well enough. That boy was sunshine on Earth, he was playful and nervous and giddy. And I have thought about nothing but him since we met, there’s no way a guy like that deserved to be caged away in a barrier, you know?” “He was sent to the Isle? It’s been thirty-three years since anyone was sent there. I should know, I was there. What, what was his name? Maybe I knew him.” The barista looks up to him, a look of panic on his face, “Yeah uh, Morgie le Fay, Morgana’s son. I didn’t get to know him well, really I only knew him for a couple days so maybe you know him better than I do. You look a lot like him if I’m honest.” 

    When he looks up at him, Morgan’s face is pale, mouth gapped and eyes bulging as if he saw a ghost. “What,” he swallows, blinking rapidly as he stares at the prince, “What did you say your name was?”  “(Y/n) and if I remember right, I don’t think you ever asked.” Morgan shakes his head, reaching a hand out to touch (Y/n)’s face. It startles him and yet, he doesn’t pull away. “How did you stay so young? It’s been four decades, you’ve aged slower than I have. I didn’t think anyone aged slower than us except maybe Maleficent. What are you?” 

   “I thought it was you,”  his hand comes to cover the one on his cheek, a smile pressing across his lips, “I have thought about you every single day.” “How have you stayed so young?” The question is repeated, more urgent this time as he stares. He’s searching the boy’s face, nearly desperate for answers. As if he could read them off of his face. (Y/n) looks around before standing up, walking over to the door and flipping the open sign around. “Come to the break room with me?” His better instinct says not to follow the boy. For all he knows, that’s a vampire who’s planning to feed on him and there was no way that Morgie would be able to fend that off. His magic had grown so weak in the past three decades, he could get himself hurt. Yet, he finds himself nodding, rising up from his seat and abandoning his work. (Y/n) grabs for his hand and he lets the boy take it, dragging him back behind the counter and into the break room. The door slams behind them, the prince’s back pushing against it. 

   “This is, god this is crazy. It’s crazy and I need you to listen to me and believe me despite how crazy it is. We never were meant to meet. I was born a little under two decades ago. I, well not me but my friend who wasn't really my friend at the time, had this magic pocket watch. Her tutor built it and it could take you back in time to help you get what you want most in life. She accidentally brought me along when she used it and I never meant to meet you. While I was going to Auradon Prep I’d hide in that old hideout in the black lagoon. I didn’t ever really think about who used it before me. But you did and I did meet you. It was so wonderful and I was some big idiot who kissed you. God, you have plagued my thoughts ever since we met, I mean seriously I have been thinking about kissing you since you walked in. There hasn’t been a single kiss that felt like yours since, which is unfair.” Morgie laughs, stepping closer to him, “You’re rambling.” “Sorry.” 

    Morgie shakes his head, grabbing his cheek, “I don’t think it’s a bad thing. I find it kind of endearing. Especially since you’re rambling about me.” His thumb rubs over the boy’s cheek, eyes flickering between his lips and his eyes. He leans up towards his lips and the man moves back, eliciting a whine from the boy. “Morgie, please.” “I can’t, do you know how much older than you I am?” “No older than you were last time,” he’s nearly whimpering as he says it, eyes set on the boy’s face, “And it’s not like you look it. You’re physically what, twenty-two? Mein Sonnenschein, please.” He knows he shouldn’t, everything in Morgie’s brain screams at him to let go of the boy. But (Y/n) isn’t the only one who’s been thinking about their kiss for years. So he leans in, feeling that same gentle spark he’d felt all those years ago. It’s soft, gentle, adoring. Warm as the sun, their lips were built for each other. And for the first time in years, they feel at home.

[catscraftsandcommentary]

I was talking to a friend about being autistic and how I approach the world and different situations, and because I was raised by analytical people, later my thoughts spiraled into Thinky Thoughts, and now I have something to share.

When you're a kid, life is very simple and straightforward. Most days, you have A Plan (ex: go to school, travel to X place, go on fun excursion, etc). If Unexpected Shit comes up - and with life, eventually there will ALWAYS be Unexpected Shit - you just scurry to the nearest friendly Responsible Adult and wait for them to pull out a fix from their Bag Of Tricks, and then you go back to that day's Plan. (Sometimes with changes, because of Unexpected Shit, but usually at least *similar*.)

As you become an adult - and no, this is NOT an instant process - you start to learn that not only do you have to make The Plan, you also have to deal with the Unexpected Shit (everything from "this doesn't happen every time, but it's pretty normal" to "odd, but not unheard of" to "how in the HELL"), and eventually create a Bag Of Tricks to deal with that shit.

As an aside, the first several times that someone turns to YOU as the local Responsible Adult is a mind trip. Sometimes you'll know what to do and be prepared (probably because a previous Responsible Adult ran into a similar situation while you were nearby and taught you how to deal with it), sometimes you won't. Then you can either find an adultier Responsible Adult...or just wing it.

(The first several times you have to wing it will suck. But the more times you have to wing a situation with NO FUCKING CLUE...well, the better you'll get at doing that. Winging shit is its own sort of skill.)

So how do you become a Responsible Adult and assemble a Bag Of Tricks? (Or alternately, learn to wing the really truly Unexpected Shit?) Well, the first thing is realizing that the Bag Of Tricks is part knowledge, part experience, and part actual physical objects. Every time that you learn a new fact, or gain experience from dealing with Unexpected Shit, your Bag Of Tricks gets a little bit bigger and better stocked.

So LOOK SHIT UP. Google and YouTube aren't perfect, but there is a LOT of info on the internet, and the vast majority of the time, someone else has already dealt with your situation and written or filmed a how-to guide.

(For the people out there making those guides, I LOVE YOU YOU'RE AMAZING PLEASE KEEP DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING)

Also, if there's something you think you might deal with in the future, find someone who is good at that and ask them for advice. A lot of people like being able to help others, and most people who aren't assholes can see the value in sharing skills.

In my experience, the best people are the ones who recognize that "everyone starts life needing to learn things, different people collect different skills and life experiences, and sharing what you know means more people can handle more situations effectively. No one person can know or handle every weird situation ever, but most people can learn to handle most situations pretty well." The people who don't want to share what they know...sometimes there's a good reason, but more often they're assholes.

The corollary to "look things up, ask for advice" is "when someone comes to you, HELP THEM." Sometimes the help they want/need is a lot more involved than they realize, and, well...suck it up. They don't want to be dealing with that situation either, but SOMEONE has to.

Sometimes, they'll try to insist on fixing it a certain way that seems dumb as hell to you. My advice for when that happens is ASK WHY THEY NEED IT THAT WAY. Sometimes they have special circumstances or experience which tells them "this way works better than the alternatives, even if it takes more work to set up." Sometimes it's just them being picky or wanting to be in control. Sometimes it's them testing you to see if you'll work with them when you don't understand why they need things a certain way. A lot of the time, if you listen to why they want it the tricky way and/or you EXPLAIN why you think a different way will work better, you can find a good compromise. Not always, but usually.

So to wrap this long ramble up, the way to be a Responsible Adult is a) learn about a situation or a subject as much as you can, either before or during an encounter b) ask for help from people who know more than you c) keep useful or "I'll probably need this" things where you can reach them (this is your physical Bag Of Tricks) d) be willing to teach other people how to deal with Unexpected Shit e) be flexible about HOW to deal with Unexpected Shit, especially in situations where someone else has special needs.

[hp-fanfic-archive]

I'm looking for a fic, I don't remember if there was a main ship but it's a time travel fix it and the only thing I can remember besides that was that in the 4th year harry tells Cedric "if you ever end up involuntarily port keyed to a graveyard, run like hell" and he keeps reminding Cedric of this until eventually the conversation is just:

harry: graveyard?

cedric: run like hell

that's honestly all I remember, hopefully you or someone else can find it. thanks

Okay, so this is very vague. However, it is vague in a way that seems familiar? There are a couple fics from my to-read list that might be what you're looking for. No guarantees, but hopefully this helps.

Always Yours (Series) by howtomakelovestay [T, 300k, 2 works, WIP]

Cedric is having the weirdest dreams —about some green eyes. That happens to belong to Harry Potter, who has seen him die (even if he is alive). A boy he can't help but get close to when awake. Cedric is kind. Maybe that is why Harry wants him around. Not only because he is the most beautiful boy he has ever seen. (This is a series that starts in third year that's a time-travel type fix-it. The second fic is fourth year. It's a Harry/Cedric series so maybe it's the one you're looking for? Hard to say.)

Another Chance by clover_and_ink [T, 237k, WIP]

Harry willingly walks to face Voldemort for one last time. The moment the Killing Curse hits, he wakes up the day after he and Hermione traveled through time. Gifted this chance, Harry sets out to learn about about what has been denied to him since he lost his parents. Along the way he makes new friends, learns new magic, and carves out his place in the wizarding world. (The time frame is right (starts at the end of third year), and might be what you're looking for. It's Remus/Sirius, Harry/George, and Hermione/Fred.)

Time Waits for No One by Umbra195 [T, 156k, WIP]

As the end of his third year draws to a close, an unexpected chapter of his life opens as Harry is faced with one of the many insurmountable mountains in his path– the future. Forced back to his fourteenth birthday by unseen forces, Harry tries to make the best out of his situation. But everything might not be as it seems. Or The time Harry woke up in his fourteen-year-old body (Again, right time frame. Starts at Harry's 14th birthday, so just before fourth year. No main romantic ships for this fic really.)

Envy Engenders Spite by rhymescheme [G, 43k, WIP]

The Battle of Hogwarts was the end in more ways than one. Months are passing by, mutely and emptily, for a particular three friends. Harry, Ron, and Hermione find the chance to make things right too good to refuse. Their families could live, after all-- if they don't muck it all up this go-around. Because after this, there are no more second tries. Harry Potter wakes up in Dudley's second bedroom in 1993, Ron in the room under the attic, and Hermione on the freshly painted second floor of her parents' converted flat. Then they remember. (This is the right time frame but it's Harry, Ron, and Hermione all going back in time so it might not be what you're looking for. I included it just in case.)

These are all the fics that I am familiar with (again, they're on my to-read list so I haven't finished them yet) that might fit the criteria you've given me (time-travel fix-it, includes fourth year, and has cedric in it at least at some point). Hopefully this helps! If anyone has any suggestions, drop them in the notes!

[lirarey]

A moment of calm

Rating: PG-13;

Pairing: Ninth Doctor/Rose Tyler; Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler

Genres: AU, Fix-it, Hurt/Comfort, Drama, Missing Scene, Romance, Fluff, Time-lapse;

Description: My vision of the series "Girl in the Fireplace".

Number of pages: 4

Glass crackling. So deafening that Rose squeezed her eyes shut and stepped back, stumbling out of the blue and falling. The landing caused a sharp pain in her spine, but the cold of the metal floor brought the girl to her senses somewhat. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around. In place of the window of time through which the Doctor had passed on horseback, now... there was nothing. No different from the rest, except for the remaining fragments of glass, a passage into one of the endless corridors of the spaceship. The realization took Rose's breath away, and she sat up with a jerk, belatedly remembering the injury and wincing in pain.

Yes, the Doctor said that the TARDIS couldn’t interfere, because they had become part of the events. That it's impossible to break through the wall. That if you break the glass, then the time window will also break. There will be no turning back. But deep down, Rose hoped the Doctor would find another way. A way to go back. To get back to her. But it's so hard to believe it, left alone with herself... taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and two images appeared before her. One is a man in a leather jacket, the other is a guy in a long light brown raincoat. It was worth thinking about them, somehow comparing them, and Rose felt her heart sink painfully. No, she can't do that! She can't compare them. They are completely different, and neither the girl herself, nor the Doctor, her first Doctor, could have known what the regeneration would turn out to be. This process is unpredictable, which makes everything even sadder.

On the other hand, she was haunted by the feeling that she regretted the missed opportunities. She regrets that she spent so little time with the Doctor before his regeneration. It's scary to even imagine how boring and insipid her life would have been if she hadn't agreed to travel with him a second time. But the Doctor admitted that he had never offered it to anyone twice before. Doesn't that mean she was special? Or did it just happen that he wanted to interrupt a series of endless lonely days, and fate pushed them together? In fact, the Autons were just looking for a place to stay, and who would have thought that the store where she works would be on the way? In her place, there could be absolutely any girl, the same Sherin, but she was lucky. She was lucky to dilute the gray everyday life with adventures in time and space.

But she was more concerned about another question. Why did she so easily trust a stranger who had saved her life three times? Was she so desperate that she was ready to believe in any miracle and rush to meet him like a little girl when she saw a man in a Santa Claus costume? No, Rose stopped believing in miracles a long time ago. Back when, at the age of sixteen, she dropped out of school for a popular guy, she was faced with the fact that not all relationships end happily ever after…

The Doctor exuded calmness and confidence. She wanted to follow him, even when he didn't have a plan. He wanted to trust, even when the truth was not on his side. Mickey, having only heard about him, discontentedly called Rose's boyfriend. But he wasn't. Nor was he a friend. It was something more sublime that the girl herself couldn't describe in words. It was only necessary to remember that the Doctor is an alien, and he is more than nine hundred years old, everything faded. Any possible thought of any sympathy faded away. How could she, an ordinary saleswoman from London at the beginning of the twenty-first century, attract someone who had seen the past, future and present countless times? No wonder the Doctor has repeatedly referred to people as "stupid monkeys". How is she better than them?

Once she even dared to ask why he took her with him.

And he answered what Rose had never expected him to say. He told me about her bravery, intelligence, and dedication. And he added: 

— You are a very unusual person, Rose Tyler.

It touched her much more than Jimmy's mawkish speeches had once done. It was clearly noticeable that he had done such a "trick" more than once. The Doctor spoke from the heart. He couldn't lie. Even when he tried, somewhere in the depths of his soul there was sadness, regret for what he was doing.

But when the regeneration happened... Rose couldn't be sure that everything was the same.

He became handsome and young, vaguely reminding Rose of those former classmates who had only to look at some girl, and she already imagined a future together. No, of course she didn't want to doubt the "new" him, but, one might say, for the first time she was really jealous.

One day, Cassandra, staying in her mind, found out that the girl thinks he's cute. But the more Rose thought about it, the more strange the thought seemed to her. Where did the promise to herself "not to cross the friendly line" go? Did she make that promise for this one?

However, she easily found an answer to that. Now the Doctor reminded many of the guys she had already fallen in love with: both in character and appearance. That's probably why she got used to him quickly. Hand on heart, Rose could admit to herself that in some familiar situation she would rather meet a new Doctor than his previous regeneration.

And it was a matter of ordinary appearance. She would hardly have dared to ever speak to a man who was practically her mother's age. If he were an ordinary person, it is unlikely that they would have common topics for conversation. An ordinary person… It would have been much easier that way. Not age, not different worlds wouldn’t be a hindrance.

The only question is…

Would the Doctor want that?..

This thought stuck firmly in her head, eclipsing the others, and only the pain in her bruised elbow, on which she involuntarily leaned, made her finally return to the real world. At first, the girl didn't even immediately remember where she was and why, but the unchanging deserted corridors refreshed her memory of recent events.

Or... not quite deserted?

The creaking of machinery. The ticking of the clock. Heavy footsteps. Approaching shadows.

And the girl couldn't even run away.

The sounds were getting closer. They seemed very close. Close to capturing her. Or dismantling her for parts for the ship.

And the Doctor wouldn't come.

…

Fast running. Heavy breathing. The whirring of a sonic screwdriver. Northern accents.

This went on for several minutes. Then there was a frightening silence. Rose finally raised her head, ready to accept her fate, but was met only by worried grey eyes.

"Where are you going?" he muttered in displeasure, thrusting the screwdriver into his jacket pocket. "Is life not nice at all?"

"No, why would you..." the girl replied with a laugh, smiling for the first time in all this time. "I just lost my guard, that's all."

"Stupid monkeys..." her savior muttered in his heart and, turning his back on her, was about to leave when suddenly something stopped him. "How did you get here?"

"With the help of the TARDIS," Rose answered honestly, without thinking.

Even though she knew that this answer would entail long questions, she still wouldn't have been able to lie. In fact, how would a human end up here?

It was hard to tell from his look what he was thinking, but it was worth guessing: he didn't believe that a human could have his own time machine.

On the other hand, how can she says that a Time Lord helped her, if at the time of their meeting the Doctor was convinced that he was the only survivor of the Time War. In this case, the Doctor will understand what's what, and most likely will guess that she is talking about his next regeneration. But won't this disrupt the time continuum? Rose remembered perfectly well what such changes were fraught with: it was her fault that the Reapers appeared and were close to destroying, if not the world, then all those who were in the church.

But, nevertheless, she wouldn’t have been able to deny it for a long time. Not only because the Doctor saw through people, but also because she didn't want to lie. He might not know her yet, but she just couldn't betray all the time she'd spent with him.

"That is, with the help of the Time Lord," Rose finally decided to clarify, carefully watching his reaction.

"What does he look like?" There was nothing in his tone to betray interest.

"Brown-haired, in a long raincoat and sneakers..." Rose paused, trying to detect the slightest signs of doubt in his gaze.

Nothing. She'd forgotten how well he hid his emotions.

The Doctor turned his back on her, studying the walls of the ship carefully. Almost like the first day they met… Only on a spaceship you can't break up so easily, and they will obviously be able to talk more than once. Maybe even now?

"But when we first met, he was wearing a leather jacket," he stopped, "constantly running away," he frozed, "and he was lonely…"

The Doctor turned around, and Rose involuntarily shuddered: the feeling of deja vu that gripped her was unexpected. The man had the same look when he talked about himself on the day they met. Expressing all that pain, loneliness, guilt for the defeat and destruction of all the Time Lords. It hurt her to look at him like that. She wanted to take his hand without saying anything and just smile. To show that he isn't alone. As he always did.

But for the first time, time wasn't on her side. The moment of their acquaintance has not yet come. She had no right to interfere... though, what was she talking about? The Doctor had already sent her to Earth once, but she didn't sit idly by, but returned and saved him! And this proves once again that not all rash actions have a bad outcome.

"I felt the presence of another TARDIS on the ship. I should have guessed that my future incarnation would be there. And my future companion is with him." He spoke, emphasizing the word "future".

Rose felt awkward and breathed a sigh of relief when he changed the subject.

"This place is quite dangerous, why are you alone now?"

The girl turned her gaze to the scene of the accident and nervously bit her lip. During all that time of the short dialogue with him, she practically didn’t remember the ill-fated movement of the Doctor, and the old emotions flooded in with renewed vigor. They covered her in such a wave that Rose lowered her head, hugged herself, and sobbed loudly. Tears were gathering in the corners of her eyes, but she stubbornly squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to completely break down.

The Doctor had mixed feelings. The realization that he (even from the future) could cause someone to cry put him in an awkward position. Something made him freeze in place, preventing him from calmly turning around and leaving. Something made him sympathize with a strange girl. Or is it because he intuitively feels that he wouldn't take a bad companion with him? The future he must have found interesting qualities in her. Bravery? Mind? Dexterity? And he can't even asks: breaking his own timeline is too much. But to leave it like that too!

The man didn’t understand how it happened. As soon as he thought about it, he discovered that... he took a stranger by the hand. The strangest thing was that the girl didn't pay any attention to it, as if this was how it should be. It's so weird… And an unusual feeling. How long has it been since he touched anyone… Why is he so worried about this? His hand squeezed hers slightly, and Rose flinched, her gaze shifting to him.

What is it? Why didn't he want to let her go? And did this happen to him from the future? A lot of questions were forming in his mind. But perhaps the most amazing thing was that she was calming down. The crying became quieter and the breathing calmer.

"Thanks." She gasped and seemed about to pull her hand away, but didn’t dare.

"For what?" The Doctor looked into her brown eyes, trying to understand what a hurricane of feelings was raging in her soul.

To think that he was interested in a human girl.

"For being here for me," she replied with a chuckle, after which a wide smile appeared on her face.

The man involuntarily noticed an interesting feature: smiling, she bit the tip of her tongue. And for some reason it made his soul feel better.

"I'm sorry for interfering with your timeline. I don't want to create paradoxes, so we'd better go our separate ways."

"I think meeting you will be the highlight of my life," the Doctor said, smiling slightly. "I do not know what your Doctor has become, but he will definitely come back. He can not help but appreciate a fantastic companion like you."

"Goodbye, Doctor. See you soon," Rose whispered, slowly releasing his hand.

After taking another look at the girl, the man strode off in the direction where he had left the TARDIS. When he almost reached the police box, he heard a man's voice and laughter through tears. Opening the door slightly, the Doctor smiled with the corners of his lips and went inside.

[twig-tea]

Absolute Zero Ep2 Hype

A few things about episode 2 that I want to capture (this is all just hype, sorry, I am not normal about this show):

I love so, so much that Suasoon is relatively clever about his time travel. Other than calling Ongsa's name, everything else he does after that is either fixing that mistake or getting himself settled in his new present. He realizes without having to try it that his bank cards won't work, and he doesn't interact directly with his younger self (we know that he will give himself a pep talk soon, but that he'll be careful to do it from the balcony/phone so that young!soon can't really see him.

I love that Suasoon goes back in time before ep 1 started so that we have time for him to get settled, establish relationships, and just spend time with Ongsa before Ongsa meets Young!Suasoon. It makes the emotional impact of this realization in ep2 feel so much more intense, and any knock on emotions eg when/if we're right Suasoon pushes Ongsa to date young! Suasoon more believable, and it also makes Ongsa's beginning with Suasoon so much more interesting!

I love that Suasoon is still clearly dealing with his grief and fears about Onga in the present while in the past; that it doesn't go away just because he's distracted by this other mystery. And I also appreciate that this situation gives a good narrative reason why Suasoon isn't trying harder to get back.

I also appreciate that he's thinking about his past self; there is a kindness to himself that he showed by going to the graveyard (so that he wasn't alone, even if he didn't know it) that I really appreciate.

Relatedly, I've said this elsewhere in tags but I love how this show is showing big emotions in small ways. Suasoon getting the flowers for his mom, crying while accepting the coffee, Ongsa insisting on making the coffee, the subtle smiles and glances between the friends, the way Suasoon's grip tightens on the movie ticket when he sees what seat it is the way Suasoon lights up when he sees the movie rental guy even though he doesn't go inside.

I love the way the show is handling a coma and waking up from a coma realistically; with the slow progress rather than sitting up in bed or whatever else! Just, hell yeah.

I am so excited for a linear timeline, it's my favourite time nonsense approach and it's so hard to do but so far it's going so well, I am so excited!

I also just want to get ahead of anything re: adult!Suasoon and Ongsa. It's pretty obvious that adult Suasoon looks at Ongsa and sees the boy he fell in love with and is reminiscing and enjoying being with any version of the man he loves, knowing there's a risk that will not be possible in the future. Ongsa is definitely developing an obvious crush, which is pretty normal for someone of his age to find a guy 10 years older who likes him, is nice, and is hot, attractive. As a person who dated (and yes had sex with) a 27 year old woman when I was 17 I don't want to hear it lol I am not interested in age gap drama especially while it seems pretty clear adult!Suasoon is not going to pursue anything sexual with teen!Ongsa so it's besides the point. But in any case I'm glad his friends just teased him about it.

I have to hype Teng's performance, too, he's been doing an amazing job with a pretty complicated set of emotions! And the chemistry he has with young Ongsa to match his chemistry with future!Ongsa is so impressive.

My questions at this point:

What does the video store guy know? (I am suspicious)

What does adult Suasoon tell Ongsa that makes him cry watching young Suasoon eat ice cream (ep1)?

How does Ongsa develop his relationship with young Suasoon so that it doesn't feel like transference or replacement of old! Suasoon? [Because I have faith the show will handle this]

How does Suasoon get the money for a month's deposit on the apartment next to young!Suasoon?

Does Suasoon disappear because he goes back to the future, and is that why Ongsa goes to find young Suasoon and tells him he misses him so brokenly?! (I need to rewatch EP 1 to see how that lines up)

So excited for more!

Tagging the cadre that's started to form for absolute zero (feel free to dm if you don't want to be tagged or if you want to be added to the list!) @bengiyo @neuroticbookworm @lurkingshan @littleragondin @waitmyturtles @wen-kexing-apologist @heretherebedork

[soulstagger]

She stands before that mirror, this time with a packed bag and a music case behind her.

She turns and twists, the dress looks perfect. She's returned from the city with her beloved gift all fixed.

"It...looks like new.."

"Like the day we picked it out!"

"..It is.. pretty."

"Is someone finally being nice?"

"Stop it."

She doesn't spend long admiring the work, the packs away a few more items, like the old hunter clothes she found too. Just in case she needs new things, she can't only be traveling against with one set.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"This house..might not be here by the time you're back."

"I am..very sure.."

Her question that night had her thinking for months now, and though she received no response then. She would ask one more time.

"Was..Miss Eloisa a monster?"

"...."

"....Yes."

"What sort of monster...a kind one?"

"Eloisa was a vampire."

"A partially turned one..."

They'd known for years, in fact the only one out of the loop back then was Angela. They'd known but she'd known their truth too. That they were all destined for a future like this, losing their bodies to something else.

She knew this, because they knew it. But unlike the rest of them, only she was so developped to be like this...the rest would of been monsters. The True Monsters as they'd called it.

"You keep...avoiding.."

"Eloisa was a kind person, and she was a vampire."

"She was fighting it...but she knew we were fighting too."

"So..She is someone who is kind..."

She picked her bag up, moving her heavy music case with her too.

"Then you really want to try and do this?"

"It'll take a long time...even if you borrow our skills.."

"I do.."

Inside that case was the same items she used that night, a sword, a staff, everything she needed to defend herself.

She was going on a long trip. Leaving this home forever possibly, all for a faint hope.

"I want to find her...if she is what you said.. she's still alive right?"

"She's kind..."

"I want her..."

"Little guppy.."

"....."

"I want her to forgive me..."

"I want you two to see her smile...and be happy too knowing your friend.."

"M-maybe...our friend...is still okay."

She clutched her chest for a moment, feeling ways she'd never really felt before. Excitement maybe? Anticipation? It could take years to find her, to track her down...

"You can do it little guppy~!"

"You've come this far.."

She nods her head, but there's more to it than just forgiveness.

"I believe..she was the one who raided the safe rooms...she needed something back then..."

"Maybe she needs something now...so many years have passed..Miss Angela is...probably too old to help her now."

"But..maybe..maybe we can...and then we can see her too.."

"Will she forgive us?"

"It's not about if they would."

"It's about...asking for it anyways. Facing consequences.."

"It is...facing it all...no more..hiding."

[randomperson99sworld]

Ruffled Feathers 🪶

~ Part 30 ~

Summary: Julia Morgan, Bobby's niece, has always been a royal thorn in Dean Winchesters ass since the day they met 1 year ago at Bobby's memorial. She wants to be a hunter, he thinks she's a dumb kid playing dress up. Will she always be seen as an unwanted load in Dean's eyes or will he see something more?

Pairing: Dean x OC

Warnings: Age gap, language, sexual themes (used lightly), physical abuse (Not by Dean).

Word Count: 820

A/N: I know y’all are dying for some Dean and Julia romance but keep in mind this is a slow burn 🔥 it will be soon tho I promise :) just hang in there for me lol. Stated as always this story is cross posted on Wattpad. Happy reading! ♥️

Julia sat in the bunker, her body shaking with quiet sobs. She had barely processed the events of the last few hours—Dean, the fight with Metatron, his death. The image of him collapsing in her arms haunted her, the way his breath had stilled, his body gone cold.

Her heart ached with a deep, crushing weight. She didn't want to believe it was over. Not like this. Dean was always supposed to come back. No matter how bad things got, Dean Winchester always fought his way back.

Sam walked into the room quietly, his face pale and grim. He'd been trying everything he could to figure out a way to fix this—to bring Dean back from wherever he was. But even his last-ditch effort to summon Crowley seemed futile. Cas is without his grace and Crowley was gone, and so was any chance they had of understanding what had happened to Dean, who is now a demon and is gone.

"Julia," Sam's voice was low and hoarse as he approached, something clenched in his hand.

She looked up, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "What is it?"

Sam hesitated for a moment before handing her the note. "I found this.” Her eyes fell to the note, her hands trembling as she unfolded it and read the farewell Dean left them

Her breath caught in her throat as she read it. Tears welled up again, but this time they weren't just tears of sorrow—they were anger, frustration, and confusion all rolled into one. She crumpled the note in her hand and looked up at Sam, her eyes blazing.

"We can't just let him go, Sam," she said, her voice breaking. "He's still Dean. I know he's still in there somewhere."

Sam's expression mirrored her despair. "I know. But if the Mark's still got a hold of him—if he's really... different now—then he could be dangerous. We have to be smart about this."

Julia stood, pacing in frustration. "Smart? He's out there—God knows where—and he's not himself. He could hurt someone or—" Her voice trailed off, the reality sinking in. She clenched her fists. "We can't let that happen. We have to find him, Sam."

Sam sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I agree. But we need a plan. Crowley's in this too. Wherever Dean is, Crowley's not far behind. He's been playing some long game, and we need to figure out what it is."

Julia nodded, determination hardening her features. "Then we start there. Crowley might think he's in control, but Dean's not going to follow his rules."

Meanwhile, elsewhere, Crowley had indeed taken Dean in, though it was more for his own benefit than Dean's. The King of Hell saw potential in Dean—power, anger, and the Mark of Cain fueling something dark and unstoppable. Crowley imagined a future where they ruled together, two forces of chaos and strength.

But Dean was different now. The Mark had twisted him, made him colder, less tethered to his old life. Despite Crowley's best efforts, Dean wasn't interested in playing his games.

In the dimly lit, demon-infested bar where they had holed up, Crowley leaned back in his chair, watching Dean with a keen eye as he downed another glass of whiskey. They'd been traveling together for days now, and Crowley had tried every trick in the book to gain Dean's loyalty. He offered Dean power, freedom, anything he wanted—but Dean didn't care.

"Squirrel", Crowley drawled, trying once again to strike up conversation. "We could be something. A real partnership—ruling Hell together. The First Blade, the Mark—it's all yours. You and me, making Hell ours."

Dean barely looked up from his drink, his face devoid of any real interest. "I don't need a partner, Crowley. And I sure as hell don't need you telling me what to do."

Crowley's expression flickered with frustration. "I'm not trying to control you. I'm offering you the keys to the kingdom. You've got power now, more than you've ever had. Think about what we could do together."

Dean stood up suddenly, his presence menacing and unsettling, even to Crowley. "I don't care about ruling Hell. I do what I want, when I want. You think you can leash me? You're wrong."

Crowley watched him with a sharp, calculating look, but inside, he knew. Even as a demon, Dean Winchester wasn't someone who could be easily controlled. Crowley was trying to forge a bond that simply wasn't there. Dean had his own path, and it didn't involve following anyone's orders—especially not Crowley's.

As Dean stormed out of the bar, Crowley sat back with a sigh. He'd gotten more than he bargained for when he resurrected Dean with the Mark of Cain. Now, it seemed, even Crowley had no idea how far this new version of Dean would go.

[echologname]

Balancing being a kid and an adult

I've been trying to latch onto anything stereotypically, "childish": cartoons, cereal, candy, video games, laziness...etc. But that's just modern America, there's an infinitley different images of what being a kid looks like throughout the world and time. Just because it's the one I grew up with doesn't mean it's the best. Because of my incessant desire to age regress, I've kinda been rewinding all of my character development. Even as a kid I used to be more responsible and healthier than now.

So, I'm going to try and model what I think the ideal childhood SHOULD look like: structured routine, exercise, fresh produce & plant based diet, low stimulation entertainment, lots of time playing outside, a healthy number of friendships and hobbies, reading and exploratory time in nature and the city. Essentially, the ideal way I'd raise a kid, is how I should be treating myself now that I'm an adult and I have to be my own parent, like tell myself to do chores, tell myself that's everything's OK, pay bills and work a job. Basically everything my parents did for the house the family and me, I now have to do. Man, why wasn't I taking notes on how to be my own parent when I was a kid? I could've taken notes from my dad fixing things and from my mom's maternal instincts. Cherish your time with your parents, please.

I'll never stop being a kid, I think my heart will never grow up but somehow, I still have to be an adult, I just have to figure out how to do that while letting myself be childish too. Being silly and responsible at the same time. Growing up isn't taking away the kid and replacing them with an adult, it's giving an adult to the kid so the kid can go and finally fulfill their dreams but they can now do it on their own because they now have an older self to help them.

As a kid I used to fantasize, "In the future, I'll travel back in time and invisibly give myself the answers to all of my tests and be someone who's always with me and can help." I guess in this way, growing up and age regressing is like going back in time to help your younger self through all the things you wish your adult self could help you with because only YOU would understand yourself best.

Instead of your parents carrying little you, you're now big and strong enough to carry yourself. And when you're too tired to do that, a loving parent or friend would be more than happy to give you a break and fill that role or even help you learn how to be a good big you.

[darksideofparis]

DOCTOR WHO SPOILERS

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Can we agree Bi-Generation was a stupid idea? Felt like a very..cheap and anticlimactic way to introduce Ncuti as 15 and him having to spend his first few post Toymaker moments comforting and supporting "14" (*cough* 10.3 *cough*) felt like a disservice to Ncuti's start as The Doctor and a lazy way to keep David in and appease the idiots who have been making racist remarks about Ncuti.

Sidenote- Love and hate 15 acknowledging that Sarah Jane is gone

Yes, I HATE the bi-regeneration plot! To those who love the plot, please be warned a rant about this whole thing is below, in case you want to avoid it.

It has literally never been mentioned (to my knowledge, at least) in any Whoniverse material in the last sixty years, so what the hell is RTD doing just dropping it in now? The basics of regeneration have been, more or less, a constant since the very first one.

Honestly, RTD, if it ain't broke, DON'T FIX IT!

I agree, this was nothing more than shameless fan-service to appease not just the racists making disparaging remarks against Ncuti (and it should be noted, that while they're vocal, it is literally a minority of people who feel that way) as well as to appease all the fans who were crying about not wanting to see David Tennant go again.

Look, I love David Tennant. He is a phenomenal actor and anything he's in is guaranteed to be good, or at least he will be amazing in it, but seriously. Enough DT. When the seventieth comes around, I don't want him in it. Let someone else have some time to shine. This whole bi-generation and letting 14 stick around defeats the entire purpose of regeneration and the show as a whole. To quote Peter Capaldi's Doctor, "Everything ends, and that's always sad. But everything begins again too, and that's always happy."

In addition, the whole thing, in my opinion, takes the attention off Ncuti. Just like Jodie Whittaker's regeneration, the whole thing is overshadowed by DT's Doctor. Ncuti absolutely shined in the scenes he was in, but we didn't get all the classic hallmarks of post-regen Doctors: the regeneration sickness, the outfit picking, seeing the TARDIS for the first time, etc. Instead, 14 sees 15's new jukebox-holding console room. We don't really get a reaction from 15. And that's really disappointing and just insulting.

I don't object to the idea of the Doctor pausing travels for a while to come to terms with everything that's happened to them, but are we really supposed to believe 14 spends the rest of his days living in the copy TARDIS in Donna's backyard? A few weeks or months would be plausible, but I can't buy the rest of his days, watching Donna and the others grow older and eventually die.

Back to the whole bi-regeneration itself. . . The whole thing is never really explained. All they say in the episode is that it was considered a myth on Gallifrey. But what specifically does it entail? Are 14 and 15 two completely separate individuals now? When 14 dies, is that it? Would he regenerate into 15? And if so, would that mean there's just now two separate Doctors running around or would he somehow merge with his future self? Is it a time loop of some kind?

Just. . .really annoying. If RTD is going to introduce a game-changing concept, the least he could do is spend five minutes explaining it to the audience, instead of leaving us to do guesswork.

This just really sucks, because I LOVED 'The Star Beast' and 'Wild Blue Yonder'. The first half of this episode was *chef's kiss*. But then the last half fell flat. Too reminiscent of the Chibnall era, in my opinion: introduce a shocking new concept but spend very little time properly explaining/having the characters reacting to it. The Toymaker wasn't as much of a threat as he was hinted to be, though Neil Patrick Harris definitely had fun with the role, lol. It would have made far more sense if he was responsible for 14's face coming back as some kind of twisted gameplay, instead of some lame "It was you coming home".

And, on a purely selfish note, how the hell am I supposed to write my OCs in this, lol?!? Do they stay with 14 or go off with 15? Lol, long time away though in my writing, so maybe we'll actually get some concrete resolution/explanation about bi-regeneration before then.

Okay, rant over. With the caveat that I, too, love/hate them acknowledging Sarah Jane is gone.

[shattered-starry-pages]

Hello! You have been gifted the brain dump bug! Use when you want an excuse to talk about something that's been rotating in your brain!

Okokok, I've been saving this and I think I've found a thing to use it on (seeing as it's been keeping me up for like 6 nights in a row): hypothetical time travel to the future! Tw unreality I think, there will be a summary at the bottom.

Imma bout to nerd out here so get ready!

First of all, I kinda think that as humans we already are constantly travelling into the future. As in, the next few seconds are the future currently, but then they become the present, and the present is seconds away from becoming the past. This is not the kind of time travel I'm referring to, but it's interesting still.

So, firstly, I think we need to talk about the butterfly theory. For those who don't know it or know it by another name, the butterfly theory is one of multiple possible realities that may or may not happen based on the decisions we as people make. For example, let's say Greg has a choice to eat breakfast or not. One reality, Greg eats breakfast and it makes him energetic and happy! The other, Greg is hangry because he skipped a meal. In the first reality, Greg will be productive at work and maybe get a raise, but in the other, he snaps at his boss and gets fired. That one decision changed a lot for Greg.

Now the thing about the Butterfly theory is that as soon as a decision is made, that cuts one possible timeline off completely (not including alternate realities and Shrodingers cat because I can't be bothered to get into all that)

I think I need to think about time travel to the past, because that's an easier area. If someone were to travel into the past, there are two main possibilities of what could happen: create another reality or edit the current one. What may happen is that you go back, change something, start a new timeline and come back to your unedited one. (I think this is most likely as you have already had all of your experiences, you can't undo all of that but you can make another possible version) The other one is back-to-the-future plot. /// A little random but time travel backwards would be possible if someone could move faster than the speed of light ////

Now, the future is where all the big hypotheticals start. As in BIG hypotheticals. There are a few main thoughts I think:

1. An incredibly dangerous ever-changing landscape.

With every decision that happens in our time, the place we land in makes the fitting adjustments, which means everything could change in seconds.

2. The most likely possible reality

This would mean from leaving your time, the most possible reality to happen will be the one you land on. As in, the most simple and easiest possibility based on stats.

3. Similar to 2, you have to change reality for safety reasons, to the most likely every time.

This means as each reality gets less likely, you switch!

Now, one problem with travelling into the future is that by moving there, you could accidentally make it the only timeline possible because when you get there, it isn't the future anymore, it's the present.

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Ok, so I think I should have a look from another viewpoint: fate.

Now fate is destiny, things are going to happen whether we like it or not. So from this viewpoint, this means that travelling forward in time does nothing to change anything, as everything is already fixed to happen and so nothing could be changed by travelling forward or back. It's already destined. (This is what most sci-fi movies use I think (or option 2) as it's just easier to control)

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TL, DR, there are many different theories/ideas about time travel into the future including different possible realities, 1 ever-changing one, and a simple fated one that has to happen

EVEN SHORTER SUMMARY: time travel is crazy y'all

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Does anyone else have an opinion on this because I would really like to talk about it?